The Curious Case of the Chinese-Hungarian Law Enforcement Summit

It looks like Hungary, like other Western countries, is going to host it share of Chinese police stations. Our Hungarian correspondent László sends this report.


Chinese police station in Budapest

The Curious Case of the Chinese-Hungarian Law Enforcement Summit

by László

“Chinese-Hungarian Law Enforcement Summit”?!

Astonishing. And ominous.

I mean, what the yellow-red hell?!

The Minister of the Interior isn’t supposed to be… interior?

“During the official meeting with his Chinese partner on 16 February 2024 in Budapest, Minister of the Interior Dr. Sándor Pintér stressed that the cooperation between the two countries is based on the guarantee of security and stability […]”

I could find no further information on what exactly it all means (which is strange in itself), so I can only guess… Nothing good for liberty, for sure — especially for Chinese expats.

“The two leaders signed agreements on strengthening law enforcement cooperation and joint patrols.”

Huh? Does it mean Chinese policemen in Hungary?

I’m quickly sending this last S.O.S. message before my Covid card turns red and my internet access gets blocked. Food donations are welcome, as Chinese AI systems won’t allow me and my family to do the grocery shopping, as soon as this letter gets published.

OK, for the time being that’s a joke — but how long before it isn’t?

Translation of the announcement published on the official website of the Hungarian government:

Chinese-Hungarian Law Enforcement Summit

The State Councilor of the People’s Republic of China, Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong, paid his first official visit to Hungary after the Chinese New Year.

During the official meeting with his Chinese partner on 16 February 2024 in Budapest, Minister of the Interior Dr. Sándor Pintér stressed that the cooperation between the two countries is based on the guarantee of security and stability, which are essential for the establishment and further development of comprehensive strategic cooperation.

With the visit of State Councillor Wang Xiaohong, the parties took an important step towards the development of relations between the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of the Interior of Hungary. The two leaders signed agreements on strengthening law enforcement cooperation and joint patrols.

During his visit to Hungary, the Chinese Minister of Public Security, among other things, familiarized himself with the structure and capabilities of the Hungarian counter-terrorism service and inspected the construction works of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line.

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China, the Clown State

Our Bangkok correspondent H. Numan reports on the latest geopolitical news from the Far East.

China, the clown state

by H. Numan

You’re not going to believe me. Recently new corruption scandals have rocked the People’s Republic of China. The commander of the Chinese Rocket Forces disappeared. A bunch of army, navy and air force top commanders also vanished in Nacht und Nebel. That happened a couple of months ago, but now they are all officially charged with corruption. Not just a bit of corruption. Corruption on a scale that baffles even Russians. China is very busy trying to become a superpower. They have the biggest army in the world, the biggest navy in the Pacific… but… it’s of little or no use. It is all falling apart.

Thailand

Before I continue, two related stories from Thailand. The new Srettha government was planning to allow Chinese police stations in tourist areas. Real People’s Police offices with semi-diplomatic status, where Thai officials would be welcome only on invitation. All to accommodate and support Chinese tourists, of course. What else?

A part of the soft power of China is tourism. Thailand relies heavily — as do many other nations in the region —on Chinese tourists. About one-third of all foreign tourists used to be Chinese. They vanished during and because of the Covid pandemic. Now the pandemic is over, Thailand wants them back. Apparently, at all costs.

That gave the Chinese government a nice opportunity. China is, as we all know, a communist dictatorship. Its citizens cannot freely travel, not in China itself (you need internal passports) and certainly not abroad. Percentage-wise, not that many Chinese can afford to travel abroad, but with +1 billion you have a lot of tourists who can. Most Chinese travel in groups. That’s a pretty common way to travel in Asia anyway, but in China there is another reason. A group is much easier to control than individual travelers. And China can control who gets this pot of gold. Provided they are nice to the Chinese government, that is. For example, micro states in the Pacific who acknowledge Taiwan suddenly didn’t get any tourists. Until they cut formal relations with Taiwan. Then, all of a sudden all ‘problems’ were solved and the flood of tourists came back.

People’s Police stations in Thailand

The Chinese government wanted real Chinese People’s Police stations in Thailand. Once that happened, all restrictions would be lifted. To manage Chinese tourists? Of course! What else? To control Thailand? The very idea! Thailand is an independent country, and proud about it. This created so much of a nationwide outcry that PM Srettha hastily withdrew those plans.

The Kra Canal

We’re not done yet, because China is big. They have more irons in the fire. The next one is ongoing, with a (small) possibility of succeeding. The Kra canal. You all know the most famous canals of the world, being the Panama and Suez canals. Another maritime choke point is the Strait of Malacca. At the moment maritime traffic is at a maximum. Large ships have to make reservations in order to cross it. For China it is of vital importance. All oil and most commerce to and from China has to pass the strait. It’s very easy to block by just about anyone. India, for example, is fortifying the Andaman Isles just to be able to do that. A canal through the narrow part of Thailand in the deep south might solve that problem for China, and give them another route. Which could just as easily be blocked, but now you have two passages to control.

That would be the Kra Canal. That’s a centuries-old dream of Thailand/Siam/Ayutthaya. They always wanted such a canal. However, it’s far more difficult to construct than the Panama canal, so nothing ever happened. Many projects were initiated, but no shovel ever hit the dirt. As long as I have been in Thailand (30 years!) rumors about reviving the Kra canal came and went.

This time the Chinese government is putting a lot of pressure on Thailand to construct one. Money is not an issue. Engineering can be done by the Chinese. We finance it too, on (for China) excellent conditions. Just allow us to build the damn thing!

I doubt very much whether it will ever happen. Singapore isn’t exactly thrilled to see half of their maritime trade sail away. A small state, to be sure, but with a lot of commercial power. America won’t be overjoyed either. Biden or Trump doesn’t matter. A Kra canal is not in the interests of America.

Another problem that will rear its ugly head: the revolting southern muslim provinces. They are located exactly on the other side of the proposed canal. The first problem will be unruly muslims milking the project for all they can. The second problem is that once the canal is there, independence is no longer a pipe dream. Rather something that almost certainly will happen when those provinces are separated by a huge canal from the mainland. A lot of water will flow through the Chao Phraya before it will happen. If at all.

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Mass Shooting in Bangkok

As reported in the news feed, there was a deadly mass shooting at an upscale mall in Thailand earlier this week. Our Bangkok correspondent H. Numan has the report.

Mass shooting in Bangkok

by H. Numan

We had a mass shooting in Bangkok. It happened in Siam Paragon, an upscale shopping mall, on Monday afternoon. The worst is the perpetrator: a boy of fourteen years! Two people were killed; one of them was a Chinese tourist. Five people were severely injured. No religious involvement here.

This boy is upper-crust Thai. I’m definitely not a socialist, as regular readers know. But these kinds of events would turn me into one. He’ll spend at most a couple of weeks in a juvenile prison, if that. More likely in an expensive asylum. The kid had mental issues. He said voices in his head told him to do it. His parents have already asked the court to move him to such an institution, but the court denied it. So far. For how long is a different story.

Something you probably don’t know is how Thais raise their children. It’s different. Small children are given much more leeway than in the West. For example, if a family with a toddler visits someone, and the toddler soils the carpet, most people here won’t make a fuss about it. It happens. What can you expect from a toddler? Going to bed on time is also relative. It’s very common here to see little children up and about until very late in the evening. But when they are no longer little children that stops. Somewhere around the age of ten. By then they are expected to know how to behave properly, and to behave well.

Unless those kids are upper crust. They have and know no limits. I could write a book about misbehaving children among the Thai elites. Here’s a nice article. Chalerm Yubamrung was a highly corrupt police captain who used his wealth and influence in politics. He became vice premier. His youngest son shot a police sergeant in cold blood in a bar. Fled the country to Singapore. Was returned to Thailand accompanied by the Thai ambassador personally. Received a hero’s welcome organized by his father. Acquitted in court; there were no witnesses. People saw nothing, just portraits of the king (‘money’) everywhere. Long live the king! He wasn’t cashiered from the army, but resigned later on to join the police in Bangkok, where he serves right now. Imagine that: Hunter Biden shoots a FBI agent because he can, and later becomes an FBI officer himself. Kind of difficult.

Another case: Vorayuth Yoovidhya. The inheritor of the Red Bull fortune. He flattened a police officer with his Ferrari. Fled the scene. Fled the country. Had his lawyers find every loophole in the book. Returned to Thailand. Wasn’t arrested. Fled again, “police just missed him.” That case is still pending, and currently in the news because the crime is about to expire. All he has to do is stay outside of Thailand and wait. Not too difficult for a billionaire.

Back to the shooting. This boy was attending a very prestigious school, where pupils are groomed to become leaders of the country. Even though this boy seriously hurt tourism, he might very well become one. Time heals all wounds.

This mall is very popular among tourists, especially rich Chinese tourists. Asian tourists are notoriously careful. I recall a cancellation of a Thai group’s visit to Rio de Janeiro because there was turmoil in… Peru! About 1,500 miles down the road, but they cancelled anyway. Chinese are no different. The mall is open, but with far fewer visitors. That’s especially poignant as the Thai government waived visa fees for the Chinese to boost tourism, just days ago. It’s too soon to tell, but it will probably have an effect on Chinese tourism.

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A Chinese Bioweapons Lab in Reedley, California?


Garry Bredefeld is a member of the city council in Fresno, California. The following video shows a press conference called by Mr. Bredefeld earlier this month, following revelations about the discovery of an illegal Chinese bioweapons lab that seems to have been conducting experiments with the COVID-19 virus using genetically modified mice.

The lab was discovered back in March, but its existence was not publicly revealed until late last month. In his remarks Mr. Bredefeld decries the failure of Fresno County officials to inform the public about the potential dangers posed by the lab. The political situation is further complicated by the fact that the lab was in Reedley, in Fresno County, but Mr. Bredefeld represents the city of Fresno. He is currently running for a seat on the Board of Supervisors of Fresno County.

Many thanks to Vlad Tepes and RAIR Foundation for uploading this video:

To provide more context, here is an excerpt from an article published a few days ago by The Fresno Bee:

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Mischief in the Strait of Hormuz

The Iranian navy is up to its old tricks, interfering with commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Its vessels attempted to seize two oil tankers, and the U.S. military is offering to put guards on commercial vessels.

Below are two recent articles about the situation there this week. The first article is from Arab News:

Iran tried to seize 2 oil tankers near Strait of Hormuz and fired shots at one of them, US Navy says

DUBAI: Iran tried to seize two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday, firing shots at one of them, the US Navy said.

It said that in both cases, the Iranian naval vessels backed off after the US Navy responded, and that both commercial ships continued their voyages.

“The Iranian navy did make attempts to seize commercial tankers lawfully transiting international waters,” said Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet. “The US Navy responded immediately and prevented those seizures.”

He said the gunfire directed at the second vessel did not cause casualties or major damage.

There was no immediate Iranian comment on the incidents.

Ambrey, a maritime intelligence service, said the tanker that was fired upon was a Bahamas-flagged, Greek-owned, US managed crude oil tanker transiting from the United Arab Emirates to Singapore. It said the firing of shots happened 28 nautical miles northeast of Muscat, the capital of Oman.

The US Navy says Iran has seized at least five commercial vessels in the last two years and has harassed several others. Many of the incidents have occurred in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf through which 20 percent of all crude oil passes.

The second report is from Reuters:

Iran boosts navy with missiles, drones as US offers guards for Gulf ships

DUBAI, Aug 5 (Reuters) — Iran has equipped its Revolutionary Guards’ navy with drones and 1,000-km (600-mile) range missiles, Iranian news agencies reported on Saturday, as the U.S. offers to put guards on commercial ships going through the Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz.

Referring to the possible presence of U.S. guards, Iranian armed forces spokesperson Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi said the region’s countries were “capable of ensuring Persian Gulf security” themselves.

“What do the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean have to do with America? What is your business being here?” Shekarchi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

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What’s That? A Teapot.

Prompted by Jocelynn Cordes’ recent essay, Michael Copeland sends this paean to tea, which makes for a fitting companion.

What’s That? A Teapot.

by Michael Copeland

“What’s that?”

“A teapot.”

“What’s it for?”

“Tea.”

“Well, don’t you just put a bag in a mug?”

That was the exchange recently between a student and the uncle and aunt with whom she had come to stay. It expresses one of those inexorable changes in usage from one generation to the next, with each remaining loyal to what it knows. Tea is such an everyday item that we barely give it a thought, but its story is a fascinating and rich one of enterprise, inventiveness, fashion and change.

It is a little hard to imagine now, but at one time, around the 1690s, tea was very, very expensive. Shipped under canvas all the way from China, it had its Chinese name, Tchai, or Tcha, that gave rise to the English “cup o’ char”. The expression “not for all the tea in China” denoted an unimaginably huge sum of money. Its customers, in the richer stratum of society, liked it, and were prepared to pay. It was, in two senses, a matter of good taste. Desirable, partly because of being delicious and refreshing, and partly because it was costly and associated with persons of elevated rank, it gave rise to a considerable industry, beginning in the tea houses and coffee houses, such as Lloyd’s, where merchants and magnates met in a club-like setting.

A delicious drink that is expensive provides a motivating occasion for a ladies’ social gathering at home. Polite company could be invited to join in this refreshment, over which much important talking, chatting, and plotting could take place. Of course, the best houses had proper Chinese teapots, and approved China ware cups — little bowls with no handles — all fashionably brought over from China. In case the staff might allow any of the costly leaves to ‘go missing’, m’Lady remained in charge of them herself: they were kept locked up. Enterprising suppliers of fashionable accessories designed elegant lockable tea caddies for drawing room use, befitting m’Lady’s degree, to enhance the occasion. The keeping of the precious leaves ever under the hostess’s watchful eye resulted in a need for the boiling water to be provided in the drawing room itself. Silversmiths obliged Georgian society by producing fine ornamental kettles on stands with spirit-flame heater below. The kettle, the tea and the teapot were the hostess’s domain. Watching the performance and anticipating its agreeable result were part of the shared enjoyment of this event.

The ritual of tea-making inevitably became a vehicle for show, impressing the company with its fine trappings. British potters joined the act. Earthenware being insufficiently fine, they earnestly strove to copy the fine Chinese porcelain, and made their own teapots, jugs and bowls modelled on the Chinese. They competed with each other to make beautifully decorated tea sets, now much valued as antiques. Josiah Spode in the 1790s successfully produced his bone china, the word ‘china’, by this time, being used to refer to porcelain. Tea certainly tastes well from a bone china cup. Customers, they found, came to prefer cups with handles, so they provided them, and larger than the tiny China bowls, so they provided those, too.

The tea itself contained certain extra plant matter amongst its leaves, which floated on the surface in the cup. This was strained off with a special shallow-bowled pierced ‘mote skimmer’. Enterprising silversmiths offered handsome silver skimmers with pretty patterns of piercing. At first the traditional Chinese porcelain spoon, on its own tray, would be handed round to be used for stirring. This was found to be rather cumbersome, so the teaspoon was created, around the 1790s, so that each drinker could have an individual stirrer. Once more the silversmith’s art came into its own with a choice of pretty designs. The teaspoon has ever since held its own as a useful innovation, and is now a standard item. Strainers, also produced in variety, enabled the hostess to prevent leaves from entering the cup; with their special bowls to rest on they joined the essentials on the tray, gradually displacing the mote skimmers.

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Your Secret Decoder Ring

The following text by Vlad Tepes appeared in his links post last Wednesday in a slightly different form:

This one [video] might deserve a few words though. One of the issues that comes up now and again is the confusion people have with the notion that the left is somehow hypocritical. They are not. They are using Marxist dialectics to achieve a certain outcome. This isn’t hypocrisy because it isn’t a moral failing on their part (from their perspective), or a lack of vision.

A couple of recent examples of dialectics could be when Trudeau went to Japan and lectured Italy’s newly elected female Prime Minister on her quite rational policies concerning group rights for people with non-standard sexual practices. Trudeau publicly admonished her for failing to deconstruct and ultimately criminalize the values that made her country the source of Western Civilization in many ways. He did this in Japan. Probably the least diverse nation on Earth with policies of both systemic racism and racism by cultural norms. Not that I am judging that. Japan has a right to protect and enjoy its own culture, which clearly works for them as they have a staggeringly successful nation with low crime, massive trust, efficient operations, clean streets, low drug use and so on and so on and so on. But it is interesting that Trudeau did not attempt to lecture the Japanese leader on his failure to destroy his own country with Marxist policies of diversity, equity and inclusion, deciding to focus on Italy instead.

Also we have not heard Trudeau comment on the Chinese policy of not allowing effeminate men to appear on television. I think Canada should send the entire CBC to China. That’ll learn ‘em. If CBC can benefit China half as much as it benefits Canada, Canada won’t have to worry about Chinese influence anymore or Marxist manifest destiny, and China won’t be a threat to anyone much longer.

Another example is the designation of “oligarch” to a person as opposed to “philanthropist”. Bill Gates and George Soros are somehow philanthropists while any rich, powerful and connected person who uses his wealth for the counter-revolution is an oligarch. So this is dialectical. Not hypocrisy, because it is the weaponization of concepts and language through multiple means to create an outcome which always moves the culture and nation to the left. Always more state control. Islamophobia as a pejorative is usually used when someone says something true about Islam. It shuts people up and moves the focus of evil intent to the messenger. This is not hypocrisy. This is dialectics. Like “climate denial”, “transphobia” and many other devices intended to be destructive to every aspect of our civilization.

The host of this video may also be shy of the whole nature of his own point in his analysis of what Democrats mean when they say “democracy”. This is a dialectic term as well. They are using what Stephen Coughlin refers to as “initiate language”. They are using the term “democracy” as Lenin did when he named his party “The Socialist Democrat Party” in Russia. The US Democrats have a core that is called the DSA or Democratic Socialists of America. They know perfectly well what they mean when they use the term. They also know how we hear the term and what we think they mean.

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The Bear and the Panda Join Forces

Many thanks to Hellequin GB for translating this article from Uncut News. The translator’s comments are in square brackets:

Beijing and Moscow form a military alliance and challenge the Pentagon

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shanfu has brought a comprehensive package of strategic agreements with him from Moscow. Beijing has openly supported Moscow in the Ukraine conflict. And in doing so, it has shamed the West, which has attempted to issue an ultimatum to the Chinese authorities.

Robert Sutter: China and Russia together can withstand any “Ukrainian Blow”.

After arriving in Moscow on Sunday, Li Shanfu was immediately received by President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was also present at the meeting. General Li also visited the General Staff Military Academy, which has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the PLA National Defense Academy.

Most of the four-day visit was classified. A spokesman for China’s defense ministry said Beijing and Moscow had “strengthened their strategic ties.”

The two countries also pledged to “jointly resist attempts by outside forces to interfere in internal affairs,” according to the spokesman. This sounds ominous to the West as Russia supports China’s territorial integrity. That is, it does not recognize Taiwan’s independence, which the West insists on.

Another blow to Western interests is Li Shanfu’s promise to exchange military technology and trade in arms. It is the first time General Li has traveled abroad since he became defense minister. And he has repeatedly made it clear that he chose Russia on purpose: this only underlines the specificity and strategic importance of the relationship between the two countries.

With his trip, Li Shanfu wants to show the world that military relations between the two countries can withstand the “Ukrainian blow”. It’s a very strong relationship! — says Robert Sutter, Professor of International Relations at George Washington University.

The West, of course, is concerned about the possibility of China providing direct military support to Russia. The Washington Post cites secret Pentagon documents showing there is an agreement in principle for such assistance. At the same time, for example, the European Union’s High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, stated that Chinese components were allegedly found in Russian weapons in Ukraine (including drone navigation systems and tank fire control systems). [After they “sold” them the technology and knowhow for decades now, what the hell did they expect?]

There was no official confirmation of this. But it is a reason for Congress and the Joe Biden administration to prepare new sanctions against Chinese dual-use technologies. Just as before, the Europeans unduly imposed sanctions on Iran for the accusation that it supplied Russia with Mohajer and Shahed drones.

Joseph Wright: China is playing the role of the world’s chief peacemaker [with a .45 caliber to the head]

Given its unprecedented foreign trade, China is interested in a predictable and stable Russia — another factor behind Beijing’s support for Moscow, says City University of New York political science professor Xia Ming. The scientist is convinced that the West is aiming for a scenario similar to that of 1991 against Russia — a change in the state system and the actual collapse of the state. [To me it looks more the other way around, the West is not just crumbling, it uses a wrecking-ball on itself through pandering to Big Tech and Central Banks.]

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The Balloon Goes Up

Our Dutch correspondent H. Numan sends his take on the Great Spy Balloon Crisis.

The balloon goes up

by H. Numan

The US Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon. Yes, it really was a spy balloon. However, there’s more to it than that. This is so mind-bogglingly stupid that words almost fail me. Even worse, it opens the door to a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Let’s start with the latter. Earlier I wrote an article about why the CPC (Communist Party of China) will not invade Taiwan. I still stand by that. If China invades or tries to invade Taiwan, the East will turn red indeed. China cannot invade Taiwan, unless it is willing to incur the biggest military losses in world history. Military planners expect China to lose up to a million soldiers trying to get a foothold on the island. That’s just to get there. After that it will get even more nasty.

There are many nations with the capability to build a nuke within weeks, Taiwan being just one of them. If, for example, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and many other nations were to feel the need, they can do that. They don’t, because they have other priorities. However, if push comes to shove, Taiwan may very well build one. As a parting gift to Beijing. If they are going to be exterminated — something that China repeatedly suggested — why not go out with a bang?

I don’t want to discuss the nuke issue here. This is just one scenario that might happen. The crux of the matter is that at this moment China is so badly managed that the risk of losing a million soldiers in a vainglorious and likely doomed invasion might be possible. China is no longer a one-party state, but a one-leader state.

Xi Jinping has more power than Mao attached to himself. Far worse: he has surrounded himself with yes-men only. Anyone not toeing the line disappears. That’s how great leaders consolidate power. First he removed all opposition. Then anyone within his faction who might pose a threat to succeed him. He accomplished that, and is now surrounded by worshipers or people who just do what they are told. Effectively, China is not governed by its government, but by Xi Jinping only.

The balloon incident is a result of that. The people who launched the balloon (air force) didn’t tell anyone, not even the foreign affairs department. China is very busy expanding its nuclear missile capacity. Until recently they had a few hundred missiles. China wants to play in the big leagues, and that means having a much larger nuclear arsenal. The problem is that they don’t have the necessary infrastructure. That is a problem, and problems are to be solved.

So someone got the bright idea of launching a huge spy balloon to go see how the Americans did it. The general was bright enough to not tell anyone; that might spoil the fun. If he could present the images and information directly to Winnie the Pooh himself (the nickname of Xi Jinping; he hates it) it might earn him a marshal’s baton. It must have been a general, and a high-ranking one at that, because brigadiers or lower cannot make those kinds of decisions.

The balloon is about 100 meter in diameter, with a gondola under it the size of a passenger aircraft, a Fokker Friendship, or ATR 72-sized. That’s pretty big, many times bigger than any weather balloon. It also had some propellers. Not for navigation — the balloon was too big for that — but to maneuver the gondola a bit.

We don’t know when the US spotted the balloon. That’s classified. Perhaps it was observed in Chinese airspace when it reached the stratosphere. Rest assured it was observed long before it reached US airspace. What to do wasn’t a question either. Shoot it down, when it entered US airspace. The only question was: where.

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And Now… UFOs!

Forget about Hunter Biden’s laptop. Forget about the collaboration between the US government and Twitter to censor Americans. Now we have UFOs to preoccupy us!

If I’ve been counting the incidents correctly, in the past week there have been no fewer than four intruders into American airspace that were shot down by the USAF: the notorious Chinese spy balloon, followed by three other “objects”, one over Alaska, one over Canada, and the latest over Lake Huron.

Are these UFOs being served up to distract the viewing public from various scandals and political disasters that the FedGov would rather see buried? Or is there really something new going on?

I don’t have any opinion on the whole business, but there’s been some interesting discussion about it on various social media platforms. Consider the following thread (hat tip WRSA) that jumped back and forth between Twitter and Telegram.

First, Lucas Tomlinson on Twitter:

A senior U.S. official confirms the ‘object’ shot down over northern Alaska Friday was able to penetrate U.S. airspace before being picked up on radar. @nancyayoussef and WSJ colleagues first to report.

Next, Intel Slava Z on Telegram:

If Balloons can get into U.S. airspace undetected, I’m really curious what they think they can do to stop Russian or Chinese hypersonic missiles?

Then Big Serge on Twitter:

My theory about the airspace closures and intercepts is that the DoD cracked open that first Chinese balloon and found sensory capabilities that really freaked them out, so now they are being hyper-vigilant about any and all radar anomalies.

Finally, Intel Slava Z again, on Telegram:

Comment: The USAF pilots who intercepted the one shot down over Alaska said the object inferred [sic, should be “interfered”] with their sensors and the object itself was initially undetected by Radar. Apparently the one over Montana has been doing the same, so this does seem a valid theory.

If PLAAF tech is such that even balloons can go undetected by and mess with the electronics on an F-22, that’s an extremely ominous sign for the U.S. in the case of a Taiwan War where the J-20s get deployed…

Thailand in Trouble

Our Bangkok correspondent H. Numan sends his report on the latest news from Thailand.

Thailand in trouble

by H. Numan

There is some news from Thailand, unfortunately not very good news. First, royal news. Not really important for you, but very important in Thailand. Before Christmas, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest daughter of King Rama X, collapsed during a function ‘up country’ due to a sudden heart attack. She was flown to Bangkok for medical treatment, but is still unconscious.

A couple of years ago, we had something similar in The Netherlands: Prince Friso went skiing, caused an avalanche, and had to be rescued. After three hours he was dug up, barely alive and unconscious. He died about three months later, never regaining consciousness.

I fear we’re close to a royal funeral. It’s important in Thailand, not only because she is royalty, but more because she is in the direct line of succession. The king has many children from many wives, but none of them are succession material. Thai succession laws are really complicated; let’s just keep it at that.

Now on to the news. This is so mindbogglingly stupid, that it’s hard to find words for it. Criminally insane is a good description. Thailand is busy reopening its borders for unvaccinated Chinese tourists. It’s not yet certain. Rules don’t change by the day; they change every frigging 10 minutes. At least that’s a sign that not everybody in the government is completely bonkers.

Let’s be clear about one thing: there are a lot of ‘anti-vax’ people here. I don’t agree with them. Please don’t respond with the usual slander, like doing my own research, not being a sheep, that sort of thing. I won’t respond, and it makes you look childish. Of course I’m not a doctor. Neither are you. So let us agree to disagree. What I’m writing about has nothing to do with vaccines, anyway, good or bad. It’s about consequences.

China opened the gates of hell — we call them departure lounges — on 8 January. All of sudden China stopped with their draconian lockdown policy. Why?

Because it was unaffordable. China doesn’t have a working vaccine. They developed Sinovac, which was the least effective vaccine when the pandemic began. Thailand and many other nations used it for want of anything better. It became quickly clear it was not effective, and lost whatever effectiveness it had against later variants. Nobody outside of China uses it today.

The only way China could keep the virus at bay was by instituting draconian — and extremely expensive — lockdowns. It worked, for a while. Lockdowns are expensive in two ways: first you have to test just about everyone twice or three times every week. Let’s say a test kit costs $5 each. That quickly adds up, if you have to test close to a billion people. They simply ran out of money.

The next part is what to do when one tests positive. That’s even worse. Everybody nearby will be put in quarantine. If you live in a large condo, and one occupant tests positive, the whole building goes into quarantine. In China quarantine is like going to prison, with a near certainty you’ll catch something there. If not Covid, something else. The Chinese health care system is rudimentary under the best of circumstances. Right now the circumstances aren’t the best. Quarantine means that entire mega-cities are ‘out of action’; they cost a lot of money and don’t produce anything. Such as Shanghai or Beijing, for example.

There is also the cost in human misery. Something the Chinese government rarely takes into consideration, communist or otherwise. Until they have to, which was at the end of November 2022. The people had had enough, and started to riot. Seriously riot; we’ve seen tanks deployed to counter it. Even so, brute force wasn’t enough. The government caved in. They promised to lessen restrictions and open the borders again.

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The Peasants of Elon’s Digital Fiefdom

Our Hungarian correspondent László takes a look at the long-term consequences of Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.

The Peasants of Elon’s Digital Fiefdom

Is Elon Musk Actually Building a Social Credit System Apparatus?

by László

“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong” (Murphy’s Law)

Elon Musk’s admitted strategic goal with Twitter is to use it as an “accelerator for an everything app” that he plans to create in the future. But where will it all lead? I have been trying to read between the lines and figure out what is behind Musk’s mask, by ‘doing my research’ and looking further into the future, in order to reconcile his stated plans with those of his fellow globalists. I had to use my paranoid fantasy a bit, in order to fill in the gaps that the propaganda on all sides leaves in the Narrative, and get to a point that is nearer to the truth.

In a simplistic view, an “everything app” or “superapp” is something that can do virtually everything for you, from chatting to payments. But there is much more to it — even if it is something St. Elon the Savior himself creates for us.

You might have suspected, just like me, that Musk may have some other goals with Twitter, beyond the honey trap of ‘free speech’ he is promoting it with. Coinmarketcap writes:

In a cryptic tweet shared with his 107.9 million followers, the billionaire declared: “Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app.” And when asked whether it would have been easier just to start “X” from scratch, he replied: “Twitter probably accelerates X by three to five years, but I could be wrong.

“Everything apps” haven’t really made a lasting impression in Western economies yet — but over in China, super apps have taken the economy by storm.

In China “super apps have taken the economy by storm” — and the society as well, I may add. In that light, the urgency of “Twitter accelerating X” is strange, to say the least.

Why does Musk want to have an “everything app” ASAP? Is that the zeitgeist, perhaps? Sure it is. But why? What does such an app do for a globalist? Why do globalists want so desperately to have “super apps” that take the economy [and society] by storm”? What do globalists want from the whole of the economy?

We all know the answer, but dare we say it?

In my opinion, as users of an “everything app”, (almost) everyone will be turned into a node in The Grid. The profit and power an “everything app” can generate will stem primarily from its ability to influence and control human behavior en masse.

And “information”, in this context, is nothing but your life: all what you do, say, think (!), buy and sell. According to Livemint:

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The East is Dead

H. Numan, who is based in Bangkok, sends this report on the current socio-political crisis in China.

The East is Red Dead

by H. Numan

Football is a sport. Sometimes a deadly sport. I’m talking of course about what Americans call soccer and the rest of the world football. It even caused a war in 1969. Right now, it’s causing massive uprisings in China. Something nobody, least of all Chinese censors, could foresee. Likely with deadly consequences for the entire world.

Football is hugely popular in China. The Qatar World Championships are shown live on Chinese TV. The censors clearly forgot that TV cameras will show not just the players, but also the crowds. Who are sitting side by side, shoulder to shoulder, without wearing masks. Chinese citizens are not stupid. They probably heard stories about the West being no longer in lockdown. Now they see those ‘wild conspiratorial rumors’ confirmed. By their own government.

At the same time an unfortunate accident happened in Xinjiang. A building caught fire while the city was under lockdown. The residents were welded inside their building. Literally. Municipal workers welded the doors and the locks shut. That happens a lot during Chinese lockdowns. The people had no way to escape the fire, and firemen couldn’t enter the building. Ten people lost their lives.

The news of the fire combined with the championships made the population explode in anger. Ordinary Chinese citizens could see with their own eyes, on state TV, that the outside world was okay after Covid. All their suffering and hardship was, and is, in vain.

This is by far the biggest crisis the Chinese Communist Party has faced since Tiananmen Square in 1989. It may very well grow into something much bigger, because the Tiananmen Square riots were not widespread. Only some students revolted, and only in Beijing and a few other large cities. With, at that time, nearly a billion people, ‘some’ students does quickly add up. Also, nobody outside university campuses knew about Tiananmen Square. It could be controlled. The current riots are all over the country, by enraged ordinary citizens.

There is no formal cadre or leadership in this outburst. People have simply had enough. All over China riots are flaring up. So far, nothing that the police can’t handle. Demonstrating in China is highly illegal. Any gathering of more than a few people is closely watched, and often dispersed quickly by the authorities. Even if it is a ‘long live Xi Jinping!‘ demonstration. With extreme violence, if that becomes necessary. That’s the situation the authorities face right now. How to handle it? Difficult to say. Normally the riot police would be sent in. That probably would make things far worse, causing more and much bigger riots.

They could give in, and ease the Covid lockdown regulations. However, that will very quickly cause more problems. You see, China isn’t a superpower. It is a lower income country with a huge population, some nukes and a very bad public health system. Under the most oppressive regime since Mao.

Xi Jinping, the present chairman just got his tenure extended. He is effectively president-for-life. Technology gave him much more of a grip on society than was possible under Mao or even in the DDR. With much Western support, by means of Apple, Google, Facebook and Twitter, China was able to control its population to an extent few people in the West would think possible. Xi Jinping used it to build his own power base. Don’t believe a word of anti-corruption in China. It’s as hollow and meaningless as anti-corruption in Thailand. In Asia, notably China, corruption is endemic. Built into the system. Anti-corruption simply means replacing corrupt officials with your own cronies.

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After 2030 Comes 2060

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long-range plans for his country, and its relationship with the EU, which may or may not align with those of the New World Order. Our Hungarian correspondent László sends this report.

After 2030 Comes 2060

by László

2060 — yes, you read that right.

The reason why I find the following article interesting is that Viktor Orbán seems to have proven to be a sort of insider in the NWO (a Young Global Leader). For example, one of his strategic goals listed below, “Continuous modernisation of the economy”, may or may not be a synonym for the technological introduction of Agenda 2030 in Hungary. The development of self-driving cars, “sustainability” and “smart cities” are all official government strategies. Whether these will be gradually forced on the population the way the globalist rulers want, or will be subverted by us Hungarians, is another question.

Also, his reference to China as a good example of doing “capitalism” is rather chilling for me — because once up and running, such a system will override the personal motives, however benevolent they may be, of those who launch it.

All in all, the “leaked” information puts a lot of things into perspective regarding the Hungarian national strategy and the destiny of Europe.

PM Orbán’s Predictions and Strategy till 2060

The governing party Fidesz held its annual informal meeting, for the 21st time, on the 10th of September, behind closed doors. Some of PM Orbán’s predictions and long-term strategies have leaked out, Index claims.

Excerpts from the article published by Index, entitled “Viktor Orbán’s Speech In Kötcse has Leaked Out”:

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