Samson bids farewell to her prison life.

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13 June 2007, Convicted drug dealer and World Boxing Council (WBC) female light-flyweight champion, Siriporn "Samson Sor Siriporn" Thaveesuk, was released from prison after the Corrections Department decided to grant her early parole.

more news Woman leaves jail as reward for winning world title (ESPN) Thai boxer released after winning title (Fox Sport) Samson is freed from the lion's den (The Nation) World champion boxer Samson finally walks free from prison (Bangkok Post) Thailand rewards prison boxing champ with early release (Manager Online)

Thai economy on track despite export slowdown: Fin Min

By Manager Online

25 August 2007 15:05

http://www.pattayadailynews.com: Tarisa Watanagase, born 30 November 1949) is the governor of the Bank of Thailand. She succeeded Pridiyathorn Devakula, who was appointed finance minister in the interim government. Tarisa was an assistant governor of the BoT and is the first female governor in the bank's 64-year history

August 24, 2007
BANGKOK (AFP) - Thailand's economy is still on track to grow by 4.0 percent this year, despite a sudden slowdown in exports in July, Finance Minister Chalongphob Sussangkarn said.

The government still expects exports to grow by 12.5 percent this year, even though July exports registered at the lowest level in 29 months, he told reporters.

"Even exports tend to slow in the second half, we are confident that the whole-year target of 12.5 percent remains achievable," Chalongphob said.

July exports grew only 5.9 percent year-on-year, against growth of 18.6 percent in the first six months.

Chalongphob insisted slowing exports were unlikely to hurt the kingdom's overall economic growth this year.

"We are confident that the decline in exports will not impact the gross domestic product (GDP) growth, which is targeted at 4.0 percent this year," he told reporters.

The Bank of Thailand also expressed confidence that the July export data did not indicate problems ahead for the economy.

"Exports slowed not only because of the strong baht, but also because of other factors, including the US economic slowdown," said BoT governor Tarisa Watanagase.

"The central bank still believes that economic growth of around 4.0 to 5.0 percent remains possible," she told reporters.

The Thai currency traded at 10-year highs in July, but weakened following a slump in the stock market and the introduction of new measures aimed at weakening the currency.

The currency finished at 34.38 baht to the dollar on Friday.

A strong baht puts pressure on exports, the key driver of the Thai economy, as it makes Thai goods less competitive abroad and cuts the value of repatriated profits.

Back to Hell

Having recently finished reading “Welcome to Hell – One man’s fight inside the Bangkok Hilton" by Colin Martin, I decided to write a short presentation on Thailand Blogs too. You can read it here!

Find out more about this topic here:

- The Real Bangkok Hilton - BBC article

- Bangkwang - Wikipedia article

- Save a Life - Foreign prisoner support service

- Thai Prison Life - Gor's story

- Department of Corrections, Thailand - official website

Lawyer: Ex-astronaut Nowak wants ankle-bracelet removed

ORLANDO, Florida (CNN) -- The lawyer for Lisa Nowak -- the former NASA astronaut accused of assaulting a romantic rival -- will ask a judge Friday to throw out her statements to police, suppress evidence collected from her car and remove her ankle-bracelet monitor.

Former astronaut Lisa Nowak is alleged to have driven nearly 900 miles to confront her romantic rival.

The pretrial hearing, during which witnesses will be called -- and Nowak may testify -- is set to start at 9 a.m. ET in the 9th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.

NASA ended Nowak's assignment as an astronaut in March after she allegedly assaulted Air Force Cpt. Colleen Shipman, who was dating Nowak's former love interest, Navy Cmdr. Bill Oefelein.

Nowak, a captain in the U.S. Navy, allegedly drove nearly 900 miles from Houston, Texas, to Orlando, Florida, wearing adult diapers to cut down on the number of stops she needed to make, in order to confront Shipman, according to an initial police report.

She was apprehended in the parking lot at Orlando International Airport after Shipman claimed Nowak attacked her. Airport surveillance tapes show Nowak donning a disguise while waiting for Shipman to arrive, then following her, police said.

Shipman told police that Nowak approached her car in the airport parking lot, and asked her for help with a dead battery.

"I cracked my window open about two inches and told her I'd send someone to help her," Shipman said. "She said, 'Please help me,' and then started spraying something from a skinny black can into my window.'"

Police said the can held pepper spray.

Nowak pleaded not guilty March 22 to charges of attempted kidnapping with intent to inflict bodily harm, battery and burglary of a vehicle using a weapon. The trial is to begin next month.

If convicted of the February 5 incidents, the 44-year-old woman could face a sentence of up to life in prison.

Defense attorney Don Lykkebak has said the charges overstate his client's conduct. He said Nowak was under duress at the time and was not provided counsel when she was arrested. He wants the judge to throw out her statements to police and all evidence collected from her person and her car. Nowak was not properly advised of her constitutional rights before the police interviews began, the lawyer says.

Lykkebak wants Nowak's ankle bracelet removed, arguing that it costs his client $105 per week for the monitoring, which is uncomfortable and cumbersome. The lawyer has said Nowak is not a flight risk, and will stay away from Brevard County, where Shipman lives.

Police contend Nowak gave them permission to search her car, which was parked away from the airport. From it they seized weapons and photos inside a duffel bag, a steel mallet, a 4-inch buck knife and a loaded BB gun. They also found an alleged "plan," which was written on paper and included flight information and directions.

Police said they also found a large plastic trash bag.

"Inside the bag I saw two used diapers. I asked Ms. Nowak if the diapers were used. She said that the diapers were used," an officer said. "I then asked Mrs. Nowak why she had the baby diapers. Mrs. Nowak said that she did not want to stop and use the restroom, so, she used the diapers to collect her urine."

According to the Orange County Attorney's Office, Nowak -- while in a jail cell -- explained to authorities: "I just wanted to sit there and talk to her, and she said she wouldn't talk to me and she walked away."

Pending the resolution of the criminal charges against her, Nowak is assigned to the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in Texas.

Oefelein, who left NASA in June, told investigators he and Nowak had been involved in a sexual relationship, but he ended it in January.

He said Nowak "appeared to take the news well."

Today's featured article

Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000, it is the largest town on the island. Sheerness began as a fort built in the 16th century to protect the River Medway from naval invasion. After a Dutch attack in 1692, Samuel Pepys, the Secretary to the Admiralty, established a Royal Navy dockyard in the town, where warships were built and repaired until its closure in 1960. In the 19th century, Sheerness also became a seaside resort, when a pier and promenade were constructed. Industry remains an important part of the town, and the port of Sheerness is one of the United Kingdom's leading car and fresh produce importers. The town is the site of one of the UK's first co-operative societies and the world's first multi-storey building with a rigid metal frame. (more...)