Cambodia Searches for Facebook User Who Insulted PM’s Wife

Authorities in Cambodia have requested the help of Interpol, after a Facebook user doctored a photo of the First Lady with her legs apart.

As Asian Correspondent reports, Prime Minister Hun Sen posted a family holiday photo on Facebook, shortly before an edited copy started being shared on the social networking site.

The new version of the photo depicted the Prime Minister’s wife, Bun Rany, standing with her legs apart. This is considered highly inappropriate in Cambodian culture.

The photo was initially shared with the caption:

“What! Cambodia’s First Lady stands like that for photograph! Such a bad example for Cambodian women!”

Criminal defense lawyers in Thailand Chaninat and Leeds are experts in Thai law

PM Hun Sen posted on his Facebook wall in response:

“It is deceitful and cheap behaviour for opposition activists who think that nobody is watching their acts … All actions that ruin my honor and my family’s honor, as a prime minister of a country, those must be held responsible before the law.”

He has warned that he is working with Interpol to issue a Red Notice to the maker of the photo.

Read the full story here.

Sustainability in Thailand and Green Buildings (Video)

Anyone with green interests will want to know about the new kind of sustainable buildings being built.

In this video, Green Building Consultant and Engineer Armelle Le Bihan explains why a new kind of environmentally friendly building should be the future.

Watch it here:

VIDEO: NGO’s in Thailand

The latest video offering from ThaiLawForum is a must watch for anyone who has ever wondered what it might be like to run a successful NGO in Thailand.

US born Dwight Turner founded In Search of Sanuk, a charity that helps needy children and refugee families.

Word of what Dwight has been up to has spread, and he has even been featured in the Bangkok Post.

Learn more here:

NGO lawyers Chaninat and Leeds are experts in Thai NGO law.

FATCA 101 for US Expats – Important!

If you are a US citizen living overseas, then you will most likely have heard of FATCA… or so we thought. According to this new video from ThaiLawForum featuring Douglas Goldstein, not all Americans are aware of something that has the potential to cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars if they are not compliant.

Get yourself clued up here:

VIDEO: Why Are Americans Renouncing their Citizenship?

This week team Chaninat and Leeds met with financial expert Lon Fairbrook of Fairbrook Alliance, to discuss the pros and cons of renouncing US citizenship - something that is being done in increasing numbers.

According to Lon, the reasons are primarily tax driven. It's something we advise going into with only with great caution and thorough research.

Chaninat and Leeds: American lawyers in Bangkok Chaninat and Leeds have a team of highly qualified lawyers fluent in both English and Thai

Watch our interview here.

Mugabe Awarded Human Rights Prize from China

In a moment that makes you realize that truth really is stranger than fiction, reports have emerged that Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s notoriously oppressive and tyrannical leader, has been awarded a human rights prize from China.

As legal blogger Jonathan Turley writes, the Confucius Peace Prize, China’s answer to the Nobel Peace Prize, has this year been awarded to President Mugabe. In previous years the award has gone to Vladimir Putin and Fidel Castro.

The award committee announced:

“Ever since Robert Mugabe was sworn in as the president of Zimbabwe in the 1980s, he has worked hard to bring political and economic order to the country and to improve the welfare of the Zimbabwean people by overcoming hardship.”

In similar news, UK officials have been warned not to bring up human rights during President Xi Jinping’s state visit. If they do so, this will be viewed as a hostile act.

NGO attorneys in Bangkok Chaninat and Leeds are experts and registering non-profits in Thailand.

As Jonathan Turley comments:

“The Chinese clearly do not want their leader’s visit to be spoiled by mention of the fact that he is the head of an authoritarian and hypocritical regime. Why spoil a perfectly good visit with references to the systemic denial of political and religious rights?”

There have been numerous reports of significant human rights violations in China of late. The scandal of the Falun Gong for example, sent ripples of shock around the world with the news that thousands of practitioners of the Falun Gong faith have been murdered in order to harvest their organs.

Read more here.

Thailand Police Crackdown on Companies Using Pirated Software

Given that Thailand is regularly referred to as 'Land of Fakes', it comes as no surprise that the general attitude of many Thai people is that using pirated goods is no big deal.

But now, many companies using pirated software have come face to face with a nasty shock, with Thai police's Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECSD) performing raids on those they suspect of using pirated software.

Beware of the pirates! Image Credit: Nicholas Raymond (Flickr)

The ECSD is now prosecuting over 150 businesses for using the illegitamate software.

It's thought that some firms may be unaware that the software they are using is pirated, unfortunately ignorance does not save them from the strong hand of the law.

Business lawyers in Thailand Chaninat and Leeds have decades of experience helping companies succeed in Thailand.

They face fines of between 20,000 - 200,000 baht for violating Section 69 of Thailand's Copyright Act.

It is in a company's best interests to use legitamate software. Pirated versions frequently have privacy gaps that make them vulnerable to hacks and information leaks which can be used by anyone wanting to exploit them.

For more on this story see here.