Missing jet, stolen passports & the need to prevent terrorism

On the tragedy of the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370: Let us stop & strictly check the shocking cases of so many stolen passports, possibly used for terrorism or other transnational crimes.

Image below sourced from www.cbc.ca



Image of grieving relatives of missing Malaysian Airlines jet below sourced from www.cnbc.com



I just read in the news now from News 5 Aksyon channel of the Philippines and the CNN news channel that CNN law enforcement analyst and former FBI assistant Tom Fuentes said: "Interpol's database has 39 million records of stolen travel documents at the present time... One billion passengers a year board international flights where there's no inquiry made of that database. So it leaves an opening".

Image below of Austria passport sourced from www.tampapassports.com:




Here are my questions:

How come international airlines like Malaysian Airlines didn't stop or investigate the two stolen passports' names before selling them flight tickets, the guy from Italy and the guy from Austria? Isn't there an Internet database for Interpol and foreign governments to share or have a common list of ALL stolen passports' names?

How did the Immigration officials of Malaysia allow the two guys from passing through their airport using stolen passports? I'm impressed by the modern and high-tech airports of Malaysia, especially Kuala Lumpur, don't the Immigration authorities there have a computer and Internet-linked database on stolen passports, wanted criminals, wanted terrorists, etc.?

On the issue of stolen passports, it is disturbing to read that those two passports by citizens of Austria and Italy were stolen in Thailand, that tourist paradise just our neighbor. Can we request or appeal to the government of Thailand to reinforce and boost their police and law enforcement agencies, even if they have to get help from Interpol or even foreign governments like USA, China, Israel, South Korea, Germany, etc.?

Last, but not the least, how many of the world's 39 million stolen passports at present belong to citizens of the Philippines or are Filipino passports? Can the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) please tell the public or investigate this? I've read and heard reports that stealing or even illegally selling Philippine passports to others used to be not a small problem here in the Philippines.

Whether big or small problem the dilemns of stolen or illegally sold Philippine passports, what can the government of the Philippines do to boost the security features of our Philippine passports?

What can we also ultimately do to improve the security measures---did they already buy CCTV units---for all our airports here in the Philippines as part of our contribution to stop global terrorism and transnational crimes?

Let us pray still for the safety of the passengers of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight.


Image of Italy passport below sourced from lucente.org





Image below of a Philippines passport sourced from gulfnews.com

Thanks goodness, this will NEVER (?) happen here in the Philippines! For better for for worse, we have freedom of expression here in the Philippines as one of the foundations of our vibrant political democracy. I'm not taking any sides and do not know the truth behind this particular case, but a Thai comedian Yossawaris Chuklom being punished for criticizing the alleged political act of an unnamed powerful person, allegedly alluding to their monarch? This can, thankfully, never happen in our truly democratic society of the Philippines!

Here in the Philippines, a lot of us openly criticize even the bishops and primates of the Roman Catholic Church! No sacred cows here in our society, especially if you're yourselves delving into the temporal field of politics!

Pardon my lack of understanding on this issue, but sometimes I recall the words of Joker in the Batman films from Hollywood: "Why so serious?"

Our former queen---my former Ateneo economics professor and ex-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo---was often parodied by me in my newspaper columns. I also poked fun at then President Joseph "Erap" Estrada and also then President Fidel V. Ramos during their terms in power. Now, with our new king, the more innocuous President Noynoy C. Aquino, I've done a few humor pieces at his expense but not too much (yet).

(Images below of Thai comedian Yossawaris Chuklom sourced from bangkokpost.com)











Here's the news report I just read:

Thai Government Adviser Jailed for Two Years for Insulting King

By Daniel Ten Kate & Anuchit Nguyen - Jan 17, 2013 1:56 PM GMT+0800 Bloomberg News

A Thai court today sentenced a ministerial adviser, who helped lead protests in 2010 against former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, to two years in prison for insulting the royal family.

Yossawaris Chuklom, a comedian who goes by the name Jeng Dokjik, received the sentence for comments made in a speech to protesters that implied King Bhumibol Adulyadej influenced Abhisit’s decision not to dissolve the parliament, according to a court statement. Yossawaris is seeking bail and plans to appeal, his lawyer Thamrong Lakdaen said.

“His statement falsely accused the king of political interference and opposing the defendant and his group,” the court said. “His statement that his speech didn’t mean he was referring to the king is groundless.”

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who replaced Abhisit in 2011 after her party won a parliamentary majority, appointed Yossawaris in November as an adviser to the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry. Yossawaris helped lead protests by the Red Shirts, a group calling for an election that was backed by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck’s brother.

Yossawaris joins at least seven others detained in Thailand under the lese-majeste law, which mandates jail sentences as long as 15 years for defaming, insulting or threatening the king, queen, heir apparent or regent. The United Nations has criticized the law for curbing free speech as calls grow within Thailand to amend the statute.

Bhumibol, 85, assumed the throne in 1946 and serves as head of state. Thailand’s Constitution says the king “shall be enthroned in a position of revered worship and shall not be violated.”

Yossawaris told Red Shirt protesters that Abhisit refused to dissolve parliament in 2010 on the orders of an unidentified person with more power than both him and Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda, the king’s top adviser, according to the court. The speech apparently made people believe that Yossawaris was referring to the king, the court said.

More than 90 people died in the 2010 protests, which spanned 10 weeks and ended with a military crackdown. Abhisit, now the opposition leader after his party lost an election the following year, faces murder charges for his role in the dispersal.