The family of a British man given a life sentence in Thailand for drugs offences has welcomed him home after his conviction was quashed. Jody Aggett was greeted at Heathrow by his five-year-old son, Ryan, his parents, Lorna and Tony, and his twin sister, Tammy. Mr Aggett's Thai girlfriend, Ramphia Lo, gave birth in jail after she was sentenced alongside Mr Aggett in 2001. The couple decided to send Ryan home to his grandparents in Swindon, Wiltshire. The emotional meeting on Tuesday at Heathrow was only the second time the little boy had seen his father. He added that he had not been confident he would be freed when his case was brought before the Thai Supreme Court. He admitted: "I was expecting the same sentence again." Mrs Aggett said she was looking forward to welcoming her son home. She said: "Jody has been our strength throughout all of this and Ryan has been such a great comfort because every time I saw him I saw a little bit of Jody."
She said she would "always admire and love" Ramphia Lo, who is known as Kristin to the family, for allowing the little boy to be sent to the UK. Mr Aggett's father said: "I'm ecstatic. If I could have picked him up in my arms I would have done, I can't believe that he's here."
False confession - Mr Aggett, who was originally sentenced to death before it was commuted to a life sentence, had been living above a travel agents in Bangkok with his girlfriend when they were both arrested. His parents said the pair were allowed to stay rent-free in the flat if they opened and closed the office. But the agency's owner had been manufacturing ecstasy in the building, they claim. After being ordered to sign what the family says amounted to a false confession written in Thai, Mr Aggett was found guilty of being part of the drugs plot. He lodged an appeal against the conviction with the Thai supreme court, claiming an unfair trial and insufficient evidence, but a military coup last year delayed his hearing.
Catherine Wolthuizen, of Fair Trials Abroad who has campaigned for the release of Mr Aggett said he had had a tough time in the Thai prison. "Because he was on death row for two of those six years he was shackled and had that continuous death penalty hanging over his head so he was not just separated from his family but also had the very serious threat to his life," she said. The case against Mr Aggett and Ramphia Lo was quashed on 3 September 2007. The family now intends to work on getting a visa for Kristin. [via BBC NEWS}
Sierra Tango
- Rockhouse discount night from 8pm to midnight, Wednesday, 12 Sept 07. The Rockhouse, Soi L.K. Metro, will offer up to 4 free draught Heineken's per customer and 25 % discount on checkbins, including drinks, lady drinks and barfines. If you spend one hundred Baht you pay 75 Baht, spend 1,000 Baht, you pay 750 Baht. No discount on barfine without buying a drink.!!!!!!!
- Japanese AV Star - Yuka Haneda
- Cherry Bar - Tuk's Birthday party tonight, 12 Sept 07
- Thai Garment Workers Stage Nude protest over severance pay - A large garment factory closed down last month after sustaining heavy losses caused by the rapid strengthening of the Thai baht against the U.S. dollar. Several thousand people lost their jobs. They are due severance pay, according to the reports, but haven't received it. As a result, 300 people protested in front of Government House, Tuesday, where interim Prime Minister Gen. Surayud Chulanont was meeting with the Cabinet. To really make a point 10 ladies stripped bare as part of the demonstration. [via Asian Sweetheart]
- TV Schedule Of Major Sporting Events - link to the TV schedule for major sporting events such as the IRB Rugby World Cup, English Premier League, F1 Grand Prix, Cricket and Euro 2008 qualifiers. Note: The Twenty20 Cricket World Cup starts today in South Africa and although it's not shown in the schedule it may get some coverage on the Sophon Indian or Australian channels. The only way to find out is to tune in.
- Windows Explorer replacements abound
Let's face it: for advanced file manipulation, Windows File Explorer stinks. But like Firefox is a must-have replacement for Internet Explorer, then the following are the two most popular must-have replacements for Windows Explorer:
- Xplorer2 blows Windows Explorer out of the water for anyone who browses multiple folders, copies, pastes, moves and searches the PC file system frequently. Using Xplorer2's tabbed, dual pane interface, keyboard shortcuts and killer advanced features, you're in total control of your PC's files. A detailed review can be found here. The "lite" version of Xplorer2 has a few features disabled, but it's far from limited; it's free for personal or academic use. A license for the pro version costs a reasonable $30, and there's a full 30-day trial to check out pro features.
- Total Commander 7.02 This Windows utility makes the copying of files from any drive and any folder to any other location much easier. It uses a split screen approach that Windows Explorer desperately needs. You choose one directory on the left and another on the right. You right click on any file you want to copy (or move) and see it turn red. Once you've selected all the files you want to copy, you hit the copy command and the program copies everything where you want it. Simple and easy. Shareware on 30 day free trial after which it costs $34/-
- I guess you know the big story: Gen. Petraeus says Iraq has gotten better, but unfortunately Britney Spears has gotten worse. On the MTV Awards she sang that song “Give Me More.” No offense, but it looks like she’s had enough. This is her big come back? She looks like she’s come back from the buffet table. I’ve seen better lip syncing on those old “Godzilla” movies form Japan. [via Jay Leno] Ed. If you don't know what all the fuss is about, go here.
- A man was on holiday in the Caribbean and settled down for a day's sunbathing. He fell asleep, and after a whole day his legs became sunburned beyond belief. He could hardly stand the pain. He decided to go to the doctor for treatment. The doctor looked at his lobster-coloured legs and shook his head. "You must realise that this is only a small village medical facility," he explained. "I've really got nothing at all to help you. However, try taking this just before bedtime..." The doctor gave him one tablet of Viagra. Puzzled, the man asked, "I've got acute sunburn: what's a Viagra tablet going to do?" "Not a thing for the sunburn," the doctor replied, "but it will keep the sheets off your legs".
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