Friday, July 31, 2015

Sub shopper




30265587-01_big.jpg

Insists that maritime interests worth Bt24 trillion need to be protected

BANGKOK: -- THE NAVY has released a nine-page document detailing what it says are the reasons why the country needs to spend Bt36 billion on buying three submarines from China.


The move came after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha suspended the procurement of the Yuan Class S26T submarines and told the Navy to explain to the public the necessity of protecting the country's marine interests and why it wanted to buy the subs.

In the document, drafted on the order of Navy chief Admiral Kraisorn Chansuwanit, the Navy stated that Thailand's maritime interests amounted to Bt24 trillion per year with an increasing value. They include marine natural resources, marine transport, downstream industries and tourism.

The submarines would be only 0.006 per cent of the total marine interests because they could be used for at least 30 years, the Navy stated.

Almost 95 per cent of the country's imports and exports are transported by sea, it said, adding that about 15,000 cargo vessels passed through the Gulf of Thailand per year. If the gulf, which is 400 kilometres wide, were blocked, as happened during World War II, the country would be badly affected.

The Navy said although there was no war looming, maritime conflicts between countries existed and no one could guarantee that the conflicts would not descend into wars. Having the submarines would be a defensive strategy against wars and a balance of power mechanism.

In terms of its marine capability, the country is lagging 10 years behind neighbouring countries like Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia.

In response to claims the Yuan Class S26T would not be useful because it can only dive in shallow water and are easy targets for enemies, the Navy argued that the Gulf of Thailand is about 50 metres deep and some operations need to be done near the shore. Planes cannot see submarines which dive down 20 metres, it said.

The Navy said it wanted to buy the submarine because it was efficient and the most value for money. Five other countries would provide only two submarines for Bt36 billion.

The Chinese submarine also had air-independent propulsion that enabled it to stay underwater for 21 days compared with subs from other countries that had to emerge to charge batteries every four or five days.   (does that mean nuclear power)

The Chinese subs are also equipped with weapons, including torpedoes and sea mines, the Navy said, adding that their safety is on par with European submarines with a double-hull body.

China also offered eight years of parts service and a two-year guarantee on all equipment in the sub, while other countries offered only a one-year guarantee. China would also transfer knowledge on the sub maintenance, its systems and weapons.

The Navy said the Bt36-billion fund would be paid through instalments over seven to 10 years, or around Bt3 billion to 5 billion per year depending on how much each instalment was set at. The money would not be taken from the central fund or special funds but the Navy's annual budget allocation from the government.

The document was released in response to the government's order for the Navy to explain the plan.

Former Democrat Party MP Watchara Petthong disapproved of the purchase, saying it would be unnecessary spending given the condition of the country's coffers and economy.

"I wonder if the move to push for the sub purchase has something to do with the commission fee,'' he said.


-- The Nation 2015-07-31



Monday, July 06, 2015

Doug says: What is a guy to eat - cheap, and fast but always good - Pho in Saigon

Pho 32


A type of Vietnamese noodle soup know as Pho, in English it would be pronounced like fuh, if there was such a word.  Originally a street food ate by workers as a quick, inexpensive morning meal. Though, over time it has risen to one of the world’s most popular eats.  As an example in 2011 CNN GO ranked pho as the 28 th most popular dishes in the world.

The soup pho gets its name from the pho noodle which is the base of the noodle soup.  In creating this dish the pho noodles are added to an individual serving dish filled with the beef broth.   The broth is created by simmering beef bones and adding seasoning over a lengthy period, like 12 hours or something like that, anyway a long time.

After the broth is ladled into a serving bowl, an individual portion of pho noodles is dipped into boiling water for a minute or two in order to soften them. Once the noodles are soft they are added to the individual bowl of broth, along with a small amount of finely sliced beef, onions and a dash of ground pepper.

At your table will be a plate with sprigs of fresh ngo gai, hung que and…. Along with these vegetables their will be sliced jalapeno pepper and lime.  It’s up to you to decide how many leaves you want to pull from the sprigs and pop them into your bowl of pho. Then season the pho to your liking with hoisin sauce and chili paste and oh ya, they should have brought you a plate of bean sprouts, use your chopsticks and scrape them into the soup.  You do know how to use chopsticks, don't you? Anyway not to worry, there will be spoons on the table as Vietnamese use both hands to eat soup, chop stick in the right and a spoon in the left.  However this is out of the realm of most Westerners, myself included, so just dig in and remember to smile a lot.

A bit of pho history:  So now you may be wondering how and where pho came from; If not you're not or just could just care less, than  go ahead and skip this part.  For those still with me, here we go.  In the North of Vietnam around the late 1800’s pho was introduced and quickly became a very popular, inexpensive street food served in the morning to workers.
About the same time the French started colonizing Vietnam this is where some think the pho name derived from. As their is a French Phrase “pot of feu” – meaning pot of fire, which referred to the lengthy time taken to cook the broth used as the soup base.  Which tosses out my original pho noodle theory but a lot of pho has passed over the pallet since and history can be a fickle mistress.  

Spreading pho’s influence in gastronomic affairs was hastened by the influx of a million or so Northerners who resettled to the south in 1954 and the pho flowed along with them.

Then came along the Vietnam War and the eventual takeover of the South by North Vietnam and if anything positive was to come of this it was the spread of pho’s deliciousness.   As the refugees fled the tyranny of the north as it took control of the South they carried with them the richness of pho.  

helper and owner waiting for you Pho 32
My favorites for phoPho 32- 32 Le Thi Rieng, in district 1 is just a skip and a jump from the backpacker’s area and not far from Starbucks at the roundabout. Old school here, charcoal fired hot pot for the noodles, open air seating with a kicked back atmosphere.  As in the song “ just walk right in and sit on down”, no menu or
friendly staff at Pho 32
much English so just point at a bowl of pho, it’s the only thing going so they will get it..  You can order iced tea (tra da) and beverages along with coffee (ca phe sua da - iced coffee with condensed milk) and drinks, all except the tra da come from the motor bike seat, upholstery shop a few doors down. Cost for pho ba and a ca phe sua da about 55,000 dong.


My other pick is Pho Quyen 323 Pham Ngu Lgo again in district 1 and on
busy corner Do Q, Dau / Pham Nhu Lao across from 9-23 park
the edge of the back packing area, across from 9-23 Park.
cute and friendly staff
Pho Quyen


Has an English menu offering both beef (bo) and chicken (ga) pho and a couple other soup entries along with coffee, tea  and 
sodas.   Pho bo and a ca phe sua da is about 75,000 dong.

Bon appétit - thanks for stopping by.......Doug 





Sunday, July 05, 2015

New air link Phnom Penh - Ho Chi Minh

P
HNOM PENH:-- Cambodia Bayon Airlines commenced its first international service on 1 July, with the introduction of daily flights on the 212-kilometre sector between Phnom Penh (PNH) and Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) in Vietnam.

The airline, which began domestic operations last December, will operate the service using Chinese-built MA-60 turboprop aircraft.

Competition on the route is provided by Cambodia Angkor Air (with 20 weekly flights) and Vietnam Airlines (with daily flights). Incidentally, the airline’s IATA code is BD, which used to belong to British M the UK
source: http://www.anna.aero...-international/idland International in.