Obama Allegedly Gives Immunity to CDC Autism/Vaccine Whistleblower

The Obama Administration reportedly granted witness immunity to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientist William Thompson, the accidental whistleblower in the vaccine-autism debate, reports Jon Rapporport.  

Details that Thompson and his colleagues knowingly omitted potentially incriminating data from a CDC study on the linkbetween vaccines and autism, became public knowledge after Thompson’s private conversation on the matter was recorded.

Though a Congressional hearing on any CDC cover-up hasn’t actually been scheduled, if it ever came to pass Thompson would be allegedly protected from prosecution to testify.

Read the full story here and here.

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Chaninat and Leeds’ Thailand paternity lawyers specialize in Thailand family law legal matters and assisting Thai and foreign clients.  

Cambodia to Double Organic Rice Exports in 2015

One of Cambodia’s two only organic rice exporters is preparing to double its organic rice exports this year as demand for organic rice steadily increases, according to The Phnom Penh Post.

The Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture, CEDAC, reportedly shipped 540 tons of organic rice to international buyers in 2014 – a 20 percent increase over 2013. CEDAC is set to export 1,000 tons in 2015 to fill the demand in the international market.

Production in organic rice is still quite lucrative because “the price of organic rice is higher and also more stable than non-organic rice in the marketplace,” said CEDAC export officer Sou Sarorn.

Chaninat and Leeds’ corporate attorneys are experienced Thailand FDA lawyers who specialize in business litigation for national and international clients. 

Still, senior advisor to the Cambodia Rice Federation, David Van, said the strict regulations and extended grow-time for producing organic rice combined with the lack of education on the matter makes it difficult to find farmers willing to commit to “going green,” and makes large-scale organic rice production limited.  

In 2014, organic rice exports represented only a fraction of Cambodia’s overall 380,000 tons of rice exports.

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General Mills, Kellogg Under Fire from Food Babe for Chemical in Cereals

Vani Hari’s petition to Kellogg and General Mills to remove a preservative from their cereals has gathered over 40,000 signatures in less than a month, reports Entrepreneur.

In the petition, Hari says that “many of the most popular cereals in America” contain the chemical Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), which Hari claims is a “risky additive” that Americans are “needlessly consuming.”

Chaninat and Leeds’  Thailand attorneys have assisted hundreds of clients with Thailand FDA registration since 1997.

The Food Babe blogger—known from her successful campaigns against Chick-fil-A’s corn syrup and Subway’s “yoga mat ingredient”—chose BHT for her next campaign because she noticed it’s already been replaced in Europe, reports Entrepreneur.

“They're American companies,” said Hari to Entrepreneur. “They should be doing that for [American customers]!”

Read the full story here. 

US-Thailand Commence Annual Cobra Gold Despite Differences

Cobra Gold 2014 by U.S. Pacific Command is 

licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Though the United States sanctioned Thailand in 2014 for its ongoing coup, both countries still hosted the annual Cobra Gold joint military exercises, reports the Bangkok Post.

There had been speculation that the U.S. might cancel the Cobra Gold this year which has been conducted in Thailand for nearly thirty years. 

One expert on Asian security issues, Ian Storey, told the Bangkok Post that cancelling the Cobra Gold wouldn't have been in Washington’s best interests as it could have “created an opportunity for Beijing to strengthen its strategic ties to Bangkok.”

Washington did scale back the number of troops it sent this year, from 4,300 to 3,600, and “refocused” the drills this year on humanitarian civic-action training and non-combatant evacuation drills.

“Cobra Gold is a symbol of long-standing and continuous military cooperation,” said General Wuttinun Leelayudth, Thailand's deputy Supreme Commander, to this year’s attendees. “The training shows transparency in terms of these relationships.”

Read the full story here and here.

Chaninat and Leeds has a team of Thailand investigators experienced and prepared to gather evidence for clients to build their court cases.

Thailand Requires Ivory Registration to Combat Ivory Smuggling from Africa

macro_elephant by Théo is licensed under CC BY 2.0

A new Thailand law requires ivory owners to register their pieces with the government in order to distinguish the amount of locally sourced ivory versus ivory from Africa in The Kingdom, reports The Nation. 

Nipon Chotibal, the director-general of Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), said the ivory registration will make it easier for the DNP to crackdown the illegal smuggling of African ivory into Thailand.

The new law took effect on January 22 and restricts individuals’ ivory possession to  either two pieces of ivory, or two ivory necklaces or four ivory bracelets, and allows one household to contain only up to 12 ivory pieces, reports The Nation.    

Furthermore, Chotibal said that under the new law, these ivory pieces can only be inherited, not sold, traded, given away or transferred.

Chaninat and Leeds’ attorneys are experts on Thailandinheritance laws and have been assisting clients with probate proceedings in Thailand since 1997.

Owners of locally sourced ivory must register all their elephant tusk pieces by April 21 and owners of African ivory will be able to register within 90 days starting March 14.

For further details, read the full story here.

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Male Prostitution at Myanmar Massage Parlors on the Rise

Sauna Spa MassageJacuzzi by Thomas Hawk is licensed under CCBY-NC 2.0

The male sex industry servicing mostly homosexual men out of massage parlors has significantly grown in Yangon, Myanmar through the use of social media, according to the Asia News Network.

Owners of male massage parlors advertising as men-only health and beauty spas reportedly take advantage of advertising their services and available employment via Facebook.

Asia News Network reports the Yangon Regional Police regularly investigate and crackdown female sex workers and massage parlors but “countermeasures against male hustlers are relatively seldom.

The Thai criminal attorneys at Chaninat and Leeds are experienced trial lawyers, fluent in English who handle most criminal offenses.

Referencing the Prostitution Act Section 3 (b) and the Police Act Section 30 (d), lawyer Kyaw Win said the prostitution law only covers female prostitutes, but that the criminal law is applicable to anyone “involved in abnormal sexual intercourses.”

According to Asia News Network, at least one politician, MP Khin San Hlaing, has vowed to address the situation in parliament, stating that the situation “goes against Myanmar tradition and customs.”

Read the full story here.

The Lebanese Government Won’t Punish Saly Greige for Selfie with Miss Israel

Photo courtesy of doronmatalon

The Lebanese government has reconsidered stripping Saly Greige of her title representing Lebanon in the Miss Universe contest, after appearing in a selfie with Miss Israel on social media, according to Haaretz.

Greige reportedly claimed that she not to take pictures with Miss Israel Doron Matalon, who she said repeatedly tried to take pictures with her.

The Thai personal injury lawyers at Chaninat and Leeds have assisted clients make claims in Thai courts since 1997.

“While I was preparing with Miss Slovenia and Miss Japan to get our photograph taken, Miss Israel jumped in and took a selfie with her phone and posted it on social media," wrote Greige in a statement on Instagram.

The photo was posted on Facebook by Matalon in the week leading up to the contest.

“According to the information we obtained,” said Lebanon Tourism minister Michel Pharaon, “Miss Lebanon did not have bad intentions that necessitates her being stripped of her title or punishment.” 

Read the full story here.