Thai Man Commits Suicide Using Super Glue

June 17, 2005 9:48 a.m. EST

Hector Duarte Jr. - All Headline News Staff Reporter

BANGKOK, Thailand (AHN) - Bangkok police say a young man found dead Thursday committed suicide by applying super glue to his nose and mouth, suffocating to death.
The body is found Thursday morning in his bedroom, with a note stating, "Here is all that I have, take what you please."

The man's family tell authorities he and his sister had argued Wednesday over money she owed him. He then went into his room;his body was found dead ten hours later.
Police indicate the man suffered a history of moodiness.

time for a new broom in kenya

This week, the United States and European nations decided not to forgive the financial debt Kenya owed to them. The official reason-Kenya is able to pay back the debt; the unofficial reason-the Kibaki administration’s failing war on corruption.

I mean lets be real, how many of us abroad were really surprised by the decision of the donors not to include Kenya in the debt relief? The decision was a long way coming. Unfortunately, the ordinary Kenyan is left to pay the price for a half-hearted anti-corruption effort and not the MP or Minister getting paid thousands of dollars and stipends highly incomparable to the country’s economic scope to do so. But this is what gets me; Kenyans are so used to corrupt officials raping their economy that even after this week’s decision by the United States that was in reality based on the deplorable corruption in the country, its business as usual for everybody! I mean how long are we going to loose out because of a small bunch of ever-wrangling political clowns?

Unfortunately even the patriots abroad are increasingly becoming demoralized and are unable to hold any political clout that could save our sinking ship. The KCA (the Kenyan community abroad) also known, as the Kenyan clowns abroad cannot come up with something better than ask for petitions. Petitions have never moved African Governments to do anything. Collecting petitions against the policies of an African government is like inseminating a chicken. You ain’t gonna get no eggs baby! Waste of protein thus waste of effort. Having said that; let me say that Africa’s leadership is increasingly disenfranchising young Africans abroad from a wide range of countries. Recently a group of African students and myself, here in the United States, attended a small dinner meeting that hosted a prominent Ugandan minister. The main discussion was the future of Africa and what role we had to play. I was moved by the love and patriotism that burned in the hearts of my colleagues. There is hope. We are Africa’s hope.

What we need is an assertive or better still, an aggressive, non-violent movement of young enlightened, patriotic Kenyans that will be the broom that will sweep the country cleaner. The old guard has let us down ever since our independence” more than 30 years ago! What do we have to show from the leadership of the old guard?

Before anyone gets on me about disrespecting our political elders, let me say this; looking at it from a corporate standpoint, do we really need non-performing managers? I mean that is what the Kibaki administration really is –managers. Managers are hired and fired everyday in the corporate world. Can I hear a vote of no confidence? I apologize guys; our representatives in parliament are still incensed about their cancelled trip to the coast.
So we cannot depend on the members of parliament to fire an impotent government; so what other avenues can we explore without the unpleasant risk of being thrown in jail for treason? Now I know what the old guard is going to tell us. You “young people” do not know anything about politics. Well they are right. We do not know anything about their kind of politics. In addition, let me say this; old feet do not run the arduous grounds of battle. Let me continue to further affirm the following; we “young people” did not run our country into debt. We “young people” did not create a haven of unabated graft in the corridors of our government. We “Young people” did not let criminals hold our neighborhoods on ransom. We “young people” did not allow our hospitals to become chambers of deaths for young children who died recently in the hands of their mothers because of striking nurses and doctors. I dare say this; the Kibaki government let those babies die because of their weak health and economic policies. If you look beyond the fancy language, the blood of those babies is on their hands.

"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."- Mandela's statement from the dock at the opening of the defense case in the Rivonia Trial, Pretoria Supreme Court, April 20th, 1964."

the stink of injustice

I have been watching for sometime now with great unease as events unfold in my beloved country Kenya. With the injustices that have occurred recently, I find it difficult to even call Kenya…my beloved country for we as Kenyan Citizens in all reality seem to have lost what our ancestors and predecessors fought for. The painful question comes in mind. Did we really gain independence? If we indeed gained independence, from what or whom did we gain it from? Let me rephrase that question. Did we gain our freedom or did we simply switch masters?

I recall the late Honorable Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s book, “not yet Uhuru” were he enumerated facts on why Kenya was still not free. Decades after the Honorable Jaramogi wrote the book, it is with immense sadness that I say today, and some may agree with me; that the chains of sadistic oppression were simply handed over to a darker-skinned colonialist.

Lately the news from the motherland that has been crossing the seven seas are the disturbing reports regarding the eccentric dramatics and may I dare to say shameful acts of the first Lady Lucy Kibaki and the criminal activities or should I say purported criminal activities of Tom Gilbert Cholmondeley. To add insult to injury the chief law enforcement of official in the republic of Kenya decided out of his own merit and discretionary powers that two individuals in the country were above the law and therefore should not be held accountable for charges ranging from public affray to trespassing to assault and battery to murder of an officer in the line of duty. There is also the seemingly uncontrollable graft, a new constitution that despite a hodgepodge of promises by the very “vibrant” Kibaki government is yet to implemented. Before I continue any further let me say this; I am not a politician, have no ambition to become one and for the Love of God hope never to become a politician. Having said that however, the issue that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth to the point of a nauseating sensation is the ridiculous and gross abuse of power by our attorney general, the Honorable Amos Wako.

In two very public criminal cases that infuriated Kenyan citizens, our honorable attorney General decided to enter a “Nolle prosecui”. Let me explain. Under the current Kenya Constitution, the Attorney General can use his discretion to halt a criminal indictment and prosecution and yes...no one apart from the president can do a goddamn thing about it. In these criminal cases, one of them involved the first Lady of the republic of Kenya assaulting a journalist who was on duty in the full glare of television cameras and a host of witnesses. Can anyone say guilty? Then there is the sickening case of Tom Gilbert Cholmondeley, who happens to be a descendant of a colonialist who shot an on duty law enforcement officer. I was even surprised that the guy managed to get arrested without getting accidentally shot while resisting arrest. If this fellow was a black Kenyan say with the last name of cheriyot he would have been dead by now while the police tried to “apprehend” him. Anyways, this guy gets arrested, after a few days gets arraigned in court and guess what ladies and gentlemen, not a visible scar on his body, he didn’t accidentally fall while in police custody. By God! He must have had his own cell while in custody! Either that or his ass would have been made into scrambled eggs by the wanugus. To top it all, while the regular suspected criminals of meager means arrived in court in prison attire, the murderer of a law enforcement officer was arraigned in court styling in a designer suit and designer eyeglasses. Nothing but the best for the grandson of a former colonialist. After all they did us such a great favor by introducing tarmac roads, hospitals and schools right?

With a surmounting amount of evidence, the attorney general of Kenya, the chief law enforcement official decides that different rules should apply to the first lady and a colonialist’s son and therefore no prosecution of criminal acts should proceed. Can you smell the stink of injustice? I doubt that the Attorney General of Kenya in his very busy schedule of enforcing the law reads my blog but if you do Mr. Wako, I have a few questions for you. How do you sleep at night Amos? Can you hear the cries of the grief stricken families of the murdered officer? Can you see his children growing up without their father who lay his life on the line in order to provide food on the table and a roof over their head? How does it feel to let a millionaire get away with murder? What about Lucy Kibaki the pride and joy of Kenyans everywhere? I mean if it is so difficult to prosecute the murder of a law enforcement officer with a bog of evidence in your face, you could at least prosecute a simple assault. As a law enforcement officer myself who has in the past made arrests for anywhere from probation violation to sexual assault and subsequently testified in court proceedings under intense cross examination from American trained attorneys, I can surely tell you that the immense evidence of audio and visual data should guarantee you a conviction and win some justice for Mr. Derrick.

I have questioned myself numerous times and wondered, what if the tables were turned? What if the nation staff and the KTN journalist had simply walked into state house and held a sit in for 5 hours. Lets take this further. What if Mr. Clifford Derrick had slapped the first lady? A cup of Nolle prosecui anyone?

Now on defense of Lucy, there may have been a host of mitigating circumstances that could have lead to the first lady having to react the way she did. The mitigating issues could have ranged from self-defense to mental health issues. Any of this could have been a possibility. Right? Either way Justice is blind and having said that, she should have been treated just like any other Kenyan. Being the first lady she is held to a higher standard of conduct. There is still time for Lucy Kibaki to redeem herself. A simple public apology to the victim and the public would go a long way. Kenyans are a loving and forgiving people and humility is a respectable trait. Wish you all the best Lucy. As for you Mr.Cholmondeley…justice will catch up to you soon. . We hope. I am not yet done with you Mr. Wako, all I can say is we once held you in high esteem and to me you may as well be a lion with no teeth. Simply a barking chiwawa.