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Former Thai foreign minister Thanat Khoman dies at age 101

2018-06-25T18:17:12Z

Bonita0313:

BANGKOK (AP) - Thanat Khoman, who as Thailand's foreign minister helped cement his country's close relations with the United States during the Vietnam War, has died at age 101, his family announced. His death was attributed to natural causes. U.S. diplomats who dealt with Thanat described him admiringly as shrewd [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] and above all, dedicated to [http://www.Answers.com/topic/seeking%20advantage seeking advantage] for his country. Shifting international politics saw Thanat move from being an advocate of close links to Washington to a promoter of regional balance by establishing relations with China, which had been a Cold War bogeyman. "He defended Thailand's interests with grit and grace," U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Glyn Davies said in a statement after Thanat's death Thursday. FILE - In this Oct. 3, 1961, file photo, then-Thailand's Foreign Minister Thanat Khomanthen, left, talks with then-U.S. President John F. Kennedy at the White House in Washington. Thanat, who as Thailand�s foreign minister helped cement his country's close relations with the United States during the Vietnam War, has died at age 101, his family announced Friday, March 4, 2016. His death was attributed to natural causes. (AP Photo/Bill Allen, File) Thanat is credited with being a major force behind the 1967 [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ hà nội] founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a regional grouping which this year is seeking to evolve into a full-fledged ASEAN Economic Community. After working in the Foreign Ministry under three military dictatorships, Thanat entered politics, serving as leader of the Democrat Party, the country's oldest, in 1979-82 and as a deputy prime minister in 1980-82 before withdrawing from public life. Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai described Thanat on Friday as "visionary and ... very determined in protect the interests of our country." Born on May 9, 1914, Thanat studied law at the University of Paris before joining the Thai Foreign Ministry in 1940 and serving in his country's embassy in Japan, which after occupying Thailand in World War II became its nominal ally. Returning to Thailand before the war ended, he joined the anti-Japanese underground. He resumed his diplomatic career with a posting in Washington in 1946-47, returning there as ambassador in 1957-58. He was named foreign minister in 1959, a job he held until 1971, when he was dismissed in a move thought to be linked to his advocacy of rapprochement with China. Thanat's name is most closely associated with the Rusk-Thanat Communique of 1962 - issued with then-U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk - which pledged that the United States would come to Thailand's aid in case it faced aggression. Communist advances in neighboring Laos were the impetus for the agreement, whose importance for both countries grew as communist forces stepped up pressure in South Vietnam as well. The agreement drew Thailand closely into the American orbit, indirectly leading to massive amounts of development aid and the stationing of tens of thousands of U.S. military personnel at air bases around the country used for missions against Vietnam. But when Thanat realized by the end of the 1960s that Washington was unlikely to stick it out in Vietnam, he began urging a realignment of [http://Realitysandwich.com/?s=Thailand%27s%20foreign Thailand's foreign] relations to win China's favor. Diplomatic relations were established with China in 1975, after Thailand's military rulers had been ousted and U.S.-backed governments in neighboring Indochina were defeated by communist forces. By 1976, the U.S. military was gone. "Thanat Khoman was a convinced nationalist and worked well with the United States, as long as he felt the relationship was mutually beneficial," veteran U.S. diplomat John Gunther Dean recalled in a 2000 oral history interview for the State Department. "As time went on, Thanat's close relationship with the United States became progressively more strained and he became vocally critical of the U.S. on many subjects." "Thanat favored Asians working together in their own national interest and not relying on one single foreign power for leadership," said Dean, the U.S. envoy to Thailand in 1981-85. Thanat, whose survivors include daughter-in-law Sirilaksana Khoman, a leading anti-corruption activist, is to be cremated after traditional Buddhist funeral rites. Advertisement

Feds: Ex-UN official s relatives indicted in bribe scheme

2018-06-25T10:44:06Z

Bonita0313:

NEW YORK (AP) - Two relatives of former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon were charged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday with plotting to bribe a Middle East official to influence the $800 million sale of a building complex in Vietnam. Ban's nephew, Joo Hyun Bahn, was released on $250,000 bail over the objections of prosecutors, who sought to deny bail on the grounds that he is a flight risk and a financial threat to his community. Though charged, Bahn's father, Ban Ki Sang, was not in custody. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Noble told U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox that Bahn was willing to do anything to succeed in business, including trying to pay $2.5 million in bribes to rescue the failed $800 million real estate deal. Joo Hyun Bahn, nephew of former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, leaves federal court in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. Federal prosecutors in New York have charged two relatives of Ki-moon with plotting to bribe a Middle East official to influence the $800 million sale of a building complex in Vietnam. (AP Photo/Larry Neumeister) According to the indictment, Bahn and his [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] father plotted from March 2013 to May 2015 to induce a foreign official to try to persuade his country's sovereign wealth fund to rescue the real estate deal. It said a $500,000 bribe paid to a local businessman to arrange a $2 million bribe of the foreign official was instead wasted on lavish expenses by the businessman, who did not have the connections he boasted about. The indictment alleged that Bahn's father, a senior executive at Keangnam Enterprises Co. Limited, a South Korean construction company, went to his son for help in 2013 when Keangnam was experiencing a liquidity crisis. The indictment said Bahn would earn a commission of at least $5 million if he could secure an investor for Landmark 72, the Vietnam building complex, which included a 72-story commercial office building that was then the tallest building in the Indochina Peninsula and had cost Keangnam more than $1 billion to construct. Prosecutors said Bahn repeatedly lied to Keangnam and its creditors about the status of the potential deal, making them think the Vietnam complex was about to be bought. When the sale never materialized, Keangnam was forced to enter court [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh] receivership in South Korea, the indictment said. Noble said a nine-count indictment including charges that Bahn, also known as Dennis Bahn, violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, engaged in money laundering and committed [http://Search.Usa.gov/search?affiliate=usagov&query=wire%20fraud wire fraud] could result in a prison sentence of between nine and 10 years. "He's a liar. He is a master of deceit and we believe poses a very high risk of flight," Noble said. The prosecutor said Bahn, a New Jersey resident, made incriminating statements after his arrest to FBI agents about a case in which he is accused of paying a $500,000 bribe to a local businessman, forging documents and stealing over $200,000 from one of his clients. Defense lawyer Julia Gatto cast her client's statement to the FBI in a positive light, saying Bahn was cooperative after his arrest. She argued that her 38-year-old client had deep roots in the New York area, where he [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh] has lived for the past 18 years, attaining lawful permanent resident status and raising young children with his wife while earning $9,000 monthly through his work in commercial real estate. She said he has opened his own firm with a partner. She said he also teaches undergraduate students at New York University and needed to prepare for the start of classes later this month. Fox agreed to a bail package that required the posting of $10,000 in cash or property. He also rejected the government's request for electronic monitoring of Bahn. Advertisement

Indochina Sails Launches Special Pakage Promotion Cruise in HaLong Bay Vietnam

2018-06-24T22:09:28Z

Bonita0313:

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Sir Kenny Dalglish and Dame Emma Thompson lead Queen´s Birthday...

2018-06-19T02:33:56Z

Bonita0313:

Liverpool football great Kenny Dalglish has told of his pride at being knighted in the Queen�s Birthday Honours, following his steadfast support for the Hillsborough families in their lengthy quest for justice. The former player, manager and tireless charity campaigner joins Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson, who becomes a dame in the list, which also features Network Rail�s chief executive Mark Carne, who receives a gong against a backdrop of huge disruption for train passengers in recent weeks. The Department for Transport admitted the timing of the announcement of Mr Carne�s CBE for services to the rail industry is �unfortunate� but added that recent problems should not detract from his overall service. Network Rail launches digital rail strategy Remarkable females including a nun fighting modern slavery and a businesswoman who made her fortune in fake tan are among those honoured in this 100th anniversary year of women�s suffrage - although men outnumber women on the list. As the NHS celebrates 70 years since its foundation, medics are recognised for their dedication, with health sector workers making up 12% of the 1,057 people honoured in the list. Helen Bamber Foundation funding Dame Emma, 59, who is described in the official citation of the honours committee as one of the UK�s most versatile and celebrated actresses, receives her honour for services to drama. The Remains Of The Day and Nanny McPhee star is joined on the list by fellow actor Tom Hardy, who is also recognised for services to drama, receiving a CBE, while Keira Knightley is made an OBE for services to drama and charity. Sir Kenny who managed Liverpool at the time of the Hillsborough disaster, said he was �hugely proud to have accepted the accolade� for services to football, charity and the City of Liverpool. The 67-year-old Glaswegian and his wife Marina have also helped raise millions of pounds for cancer treatment through the Marina Dalglish Appeal after she successfully battled breast cancer. `The Justice Collective: He Ain�t Heavy...� launch - Liverpool Joking that he thought the letter informing him of the knighthood had been from the taxman, he added of the achievement: �We only set out to do the best we possibly could, even through all the other stuff - the charity or Hillsborough, it was to help people because somebody helped us.� Following a wave of terror attacks which struck the UK in 2017, former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Mark Rowley, who led the national response, is honoured with a knighthood. On his retirement in March after 31 years in policing Mr Rowley was praised by Prime Minister Theresa May for his �dedication to protecting public safety and tackling the evils of terrorism�. Salisbury incident While there are no honours for local heroes involved in the response to the Grenfell Tower fire, the Cabinet has said it [http://Answers.Yahoo.com/search/search_result?p=expects&submit-go=Search+Y!+Answers expects] �acts of bravery and extraordinary community spirit� which emerged from the tragedy to feature on future lists, adding that its approach will be �time-appropriate�. The brother of aid worker David Haines, who was murdered by Islamic State extremists, is made an OBE for his work against terrorism. Mike Haines dedicated the honour, for voluntary service to tolerance and education in the UK and abroad, to his younger sibling, who was beheaded by Islamic State extremists in 2014 after being taken hostage in Syria. Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, the boss of chemical company Ineos who this year topped the Sunday Times rich list with �21.05 billion, receives a knighthood for services to business and investment. Projekt Grenadier Sporting stars are well represented among the recipients, with Premier League and England striker Jermain Defoe describing himself as �blessed and humbled� to be recognised with an OBE for his services to the charitable foundation set up in his name. Defoe said he felt �mixed emotions�, with the award coming almost a year after the death of six-year-old football mascot Bradley Lowery, with whom the player struck up a strong friendship as the little boy battled a rare childhood cancer. Bradley Lowery illness World heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Joshua is made an OBE for services to sport, while 20-year-old alpine skier Menna Fitzpatrick, Britain�s most successful winter paralympian, is the youngest on this year�s list, picking up an MBE for services to Paralympic winter Olympic sport. In the musical world, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite is honoured with an MBE, under her real name Niomi McLean-Daley, for services to music, while Mobo Awards founder Kanya King receives a CBE for services to music and culture. Japan-born Nobel prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, knighted for his services to literature, said he was �deeply touched to receive this honour from the nation that welcomed me as a small foreign boy�. British Nobel Prize for Literature winner Former Second World War nurse Rosemary Powell, who at 103 is the oldest on the list, is made an MBE for voluntary service to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, having spent 97 years collecting for the charity. Renowned war correspondent Kate Adie is made a CBE for services to media, while [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] Stacey Dooley, known for her BBC Three investigative series covering topics ranging from the fight against Isis to the abortion debate, receives an MBE for services to broadcasting. Among the politicians honoured are Conservative MPs Eleanor Laing and Bernard Jenkin, awarded a damehood and a knighthood respectively for their political and public service, while Labour�s Louise Ellman has also been made a dame for parliamentary and political services. Holocaust survivor Ber Helfgott, also known as Ben, is knighted for services to Holocaust remembrance and education, one of nearly three-quarters of those on the honours list deemed to have undertaken outstanding work in or for their local community. Stacey Dooley Investigates: Young Sex for Sale in Japan In healthcare, Chief Scientific Officer for NHS England Professor Susan Hill is made a dame for services to the 100,000 Genome Project and to NHS Genomic Medicine, while surgeon Nadine Hachach-Haram is awarded a BEM for services to surgery and innovation, having co-founded a company pioneering virtual access to surgery for people in remote areas. Veronica Donovan, a consultant midwife at Birmingham Women and Children�s NHS Foundation Trust is made an OBE for services to midwifery, while palliative cancer care specialist Debra Smith receives a BEM for for services to nursing. In the business sphere Judy Naake, who made millions selling St Tropez self-tanning products, initially from the back of her car, receives an MBE for services to entrepreneurship, the community and philanthropy. Women: Inspiration & Enterprise Jo Malone, creator of the self-titled luxury perfumery brand who has since started the fragrance-centred Jo Loves business, is awarded a CBE for services to the British economy and the GREAT Britain campaign, which encourages people to visit and invest in the UK. Sister Imelda Poole, president of European anti-trafficking network Renate, receives an MBE for services to combating modern slavery. Howard Tucker is awarded a CBE for services to international justice for his past work as a member of [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh 5 ngày 4 đêm từ Hà Nội] the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. A former [https://Openclipart.org/search/?query=policeman policeman] in South Wales, he went to work in Bosnia to help bring people to trial for war crimes committed during the conflicts there in the 1990s. Of the total number recognised in the Queen�s Birthday Honours list this year, 210 have been made an OBE, 392 an MBE, and 318 awarded a BEM. Forty-nine percent of the honorees are women, while 10% of all those on the list are from black and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Advertisement

User:Bonita0313

2018-06-19T02:33:49Z

Bonita0313: Created page with "Hello, I'm Bonita, a 19 year old from Fruitland, United States. My hobbies include (but are not limited to) Amateur astronomy, Homebrewing and watching The Big Bang Theory...."

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