Cosme Aballes was beheaded shortly after being kidnapped on Good Friday by a group of bandits consisting of members of Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The kidnapping took place on the island of Basilan in the South West of the Philippines. Another man, Eman Chavez, was kidnapped at the same time. His fate is unknown. This brings the total number of hostages held on Basilan to seven.

On the nearby island of Jolo (Sulu province), two Red Cross workers are still being held by Abu Sayyaf. The Philippine military is now blocking all food and water supplies to the kidnappers’ camp.

“I think the hostage crisis won’t last much longer. We will not allow them to dictate on us. We are the ones supposed to be making the demands on them, that they release the hostages or else” said Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan.

He is quite right. Making concessions to terrorists is the easy way out in the short term, but encourages an industry of kidnapping.

But what a scary call to make. Please keep praying for the hostages – there and in Somalia.

I was sorry to read this story of casualties in demonstrations in Bangkok – two dead and 113 injured.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva imposed a state of emergency in the capital, but was claiming by last night that the unrest was almost over. I hope he is right.

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has a lot to answer for.

I don’t mean allegations of corruption while he was in power. Whether those allegations are true, and if so, whether those negatives were outweighed by the good his government did alleviating rural poverty and implementing universal health care, are questions too complex for discussion here. It is certainly true that the military acted questionably in ousting his goverment in 2006, and that the court appointed by the military regime probably acted wrongly in outlawing his Thai Rak Thai party.

But.

Thaksin Shinawatra could easily have responded differently to allegations of corruption at the time. He could have acted differently in response to the massive protests which led the military to act as it did. He could have called elections for example. He could have stayed and faced the charges of corruption. He could have refrained from calling for revolution in communications to his supporters.

He is saying now that he wants a peaceful resolution to the unrest, and a return to true democracy.

If that’s true he should stay out of Thailand and Thai politics completely, and urge his followers to express their concerns through the ballot box. Or he should return, face the charges of corruption pending against him, and then, if innocent, stand for office again.

But encouraging violence, then saying he wants peace, then saying he will come back to lead a coup himself, then saying he doesn’t want any more coups, is not helping either himself or the Thai people.

In the mean time, if you are planing a holiday to Thailand, you might be safer putting it off for a while. Or come to Kangaroo Island instead!

After gains in US markets yesterday, and the Wells, Fargo and Co bank announcing a higher than expected profit.

But Comsec chief economist Craig James says there is still a bumpy road ahead. “Investors shouldn’t be surprised if companies report declines of up to 50 per cent in earnings per share compared with a year earlier,” he said.

Between counter-productive government stimulus plans, high unemployment and reduced profits, I don’t think we can expect any gains for a while yet. Anyone needing to get their superannuation out now is not going to be happy.

But if you have spare cash and a long term plan, it is a better time to be buying shares than selling them. And the same goes for real estate.

One of Sydney’s parking meters earns $47,000 per year.

Sydney’s 1304 parking meters earn the Sydney Council more than $30 million per year.

If they didn’t have that income they would need to increase rates to fund the services they provide, so I don’t begrudge them the money.

It’s just, well, it’s quite a lot, isn’t it?

Says US advisor Juan Carlos Zarate: “The U.S. has a very clear sense that, if you start to pay ransoms, you in essence create an industry for kidnapping,” he said. “And, frankly, it’s why you see an uptick in the piracy problem in East Africa. It’s a for-profit venture. It’s very lucrative at low cost for the pirates and it’s, in part, fueled by the fact that shipping companies in other countries have been paying ransoms for the release of ships, cargo and personnel.”

That just seems obvious to me. Paying millions in ransoms to pirates and terrorists enables them to purchase sophisticated equipment, buy friendships and favour, and encourages them to keep attacking civilian targets. It is short-sighted and stupid.

The French took an important intiative on this when they rescued Florent Lemacon’s family from the yacht Tanit. Lemacon himself was shot dead. French authorities will conduct an enquiry into whether he was murdered by the pirates or accidentally killed in cross-fire.

I found three things of particular interest about the hijacking and rescue of the Tanit.

First, the family had specifically and repeatedly warned about the dangers of Somali piracy, and that they should not go near the Gulf of Aden. I’m glad the French took the action they did. But Lemacon’s irresponsibility put not only himself and his family in danger, but also French personnel who rescued them.

Second, the French rescue was prompted by the fear that the pirates were considering either murdering the family, or taking them to shore, perhaps with a view to selling them to an islamist terrorist organisation. This would have made any rescue attempt much more dangerous and difficult.

And third, Lemacon’s father’s description of his son as a dreamer who had rejected western materialism. Defending the couple’s decision to take their son on a risky voyage, he said: “They chose a lifestyle. In their own way they were fighting with deeply held convictions for the right to live differently.”

Choosing a lifestyle is one thing. But since when did the ‘right’ to live differently include the right to put others in danger? We hear far too much about ‘rights’ and far too little about responsibility. And if you can afford a luxury yacht, with all the electronics and conveniences that Western technology can offer, and to sail your family around the world, in what possible sense have you rejected Western materialism?

But the big news of the day is the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips. Phillips had given himself up to the pirates in return for the rest of his crew being allowed to go free, after the crew had fought to regain control of their ship. US Naval forces killed three of the four pirates who were holding him. Another is being held for trial. Phillips is unharmed.

Thank goodness some decisive action has been taken at last. 

But the pirates will be angry. Some have already threatened to take revenge on any Americans they capture. And more than 250 hostages are still being held, including 92 Philippinos, and 16 Italians from a tugboat captured last Sunday.

He didn’t have much choice, because Saudi law is based on Sharia, which in turn is based on the Quran, and on the words and example of Mohammed.

For Muslims, Mohammed is the model of a perfect man. Mohammed’s words and actions are, after the Quran, Islam’s primary guide to the will and mind of God.

Mohammed married a six year old girl, Aisha. So for any judge working under Sharia law, there can be no question – such marriages are legal, and acceptable in the eyes of God.

Mohammed refrained from having sex with Aisha until she was nine. The 47 year old in the CNN story linked above has also said he will wait until the girl reaches puberty before consummating the marriage.

So that’s all right then.  Not.

It was the bear’s dinner time, for heaven’s sake.

Some people who have never lived outside a city seem to have no idea that wild animals are, you know, wild. They look so cuddly and everything.

But kiddies, they eat things and stuff. Like other animals. Including people, if people are stupid enough to get near them.