Bangkok Post Sunday (Thailand)

Shattered

The paper has coverage of the forced abandonment of the ASEAN summit that was to be held in the Thai resort of Pattaya. An editorial on their front page reads: “Yesterday was a truly shameful day for our country… our international image was destroyed by the siege of the ASEAN summit venue” and they hold former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to blame for encouraging his supporters.

Sunday Times/ The Straits Times (Singapore)

Chaos in Pattaya

Looking at coverage of the debacle in another paper...

The Sunday Times says the summit was scrapped after red shirts (anti government) clashed with blue shirts (pro government), not blaming it all on the anti government protestors. It’s a sign of “how ugly Thailand’s deep political conflict can be”.

Il Corriere Della Serra (Italy)

Nuovo Assalto dei pirati (New asault by pirates)

Italians are the latest to victims to be taken hostage in the seas around Somalia.

The paper analyses how the rise in piracy is affecting the cost of shipping.

The problem is with insurance: hostage-taking used to be included in insurance policies, but it isn't anymore and separate cover can cost anywhere between 25, 000 dollars and 5 million dollars.

There is a no claims bonus though…...

New York Times (USA)

Anarchy on Land Means Piracy at Sea

Somalia is a failed state and so piracy flourishes near by.

Pirates are usually unemployed young men, growing up in anarchic violence. They start off pirating on simple fishing skiffs, and gradually launch attacks on bigger crafts, using one ship to take another, working up the food chain.

“So we end up with the spectacle of an American destroyer, the Bainbridge, with enough Tomahawk missiles and other weaponry to destroy a small city, facing off against a handful of Somali pirates in a tiny lifeboat, “ says the paper.

The big danger today, says the NY Times, is that piracy can serve as a platform for terrorists.

“That a relatively small number of pirates from a semi-starving nation can constitute enough of a menace to disrupt major sea routes is another sign of the anarchy that will be characteristic of a multipolar world…”

The Sunday Telegraph (UK)

Buccaneering booms amid Somali anarchy

Correspondent Colin Freeman was taken hostage by Somali pirates. He’s had the chance to study their working methods close up. He was kept quite well by his captors – they have quite a business-like approach – which makes it tempting for ship owners to resolve things by ransom not force. The death of a French hostage this week is the first by Somali pirates. But buccaneering will remain tempting as long as Somalia is in a mess.

The Independent on Sunday (UK)

The Blairs vs The Pope

The Blairs challenge the Pope over gay sex and condoms.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair, who converted to Catholicism shortly after standing down, is taking the Vatican on on the issue of homosexuality. His wife meanwhile is defending the right to use contraception. Tony Blair’s defenders say he’s a good Catholic – but a modern one. His critics say he must think he’s god to preach to the pope.

Libero (Italy)

Arrivo a Pasqua il cagnolino per gli Obama

Italian daily Libero is getting excited about the possible arrival of a puppy in the Obama household – a gift to the president’s children promised after his election. The paper reports the president saying a puppy may or may not arrive in time for Easter…. It’s still a mystery at the time of writing.