World
World News: WWII plane crash victims finally found

The accident involving a PBJ-1 patrol bomber, the U.S. military variant of the North American B-25 Mitchell, happened on April 22, 1944, when seven U.S. Marines were on a night training mission over the island of Espiritu Santo in New Hebrides, at the time a French–British condominium but today known as the Republic of Vanuatu.
Neither the wreckage or the crew members were recovered at the time and the group was officially presumed deceased about a year later. But in 1994, a group of citizens notified the U.S. that aircraft wreckage had been found at an elevation of 2,600 feet (792 meter) in extremely rugged terrain.
Some human remains were turned over to the U.S. Defense Department at the time and a survey team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) traveled to the location in 1999. They determined the team would require specialized mountain training to safely complete a recovery mission, which resulted in a further delay to the operation.
Between 2000 and 2011, multiple recovery teams excavated the site and recovered human remains, aircraft parts and military equipment. Scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) evaluated circumstantial evidence and mitochondrial DNA – which matched that of the Marines’ family members.
As a result of the investigation, six of the Marines were identified earlier this year and buried as individuals at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, although this was not previously made public. With now all seven crew members identified, they will be buried as a group, in a single casket representing the crew, last Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery.
The seven victims were identified as Marine Corps 1st Lt. Laverne A. Lallathin of Raymond, Washington; 2nd Lt. Dwight D. Ekstam of Moline, Illinois; 2nd Lt. Walter B. Vincent, Jr. of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Tech. Sgt. James A. Sisney of Redwood City, California; Cpl. Wayne R. Erickson of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Cpl. John D. Yeager of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Pfc. John A. Donovan of Plymouth, Michigan.
More than 73,000 Americans remain unaccounted-for from World War II.
— Phuket Gazette Editors
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World
Buckingham Palace announces the death of Prince Philip

Prince Philip, the husband and consort to Queen Elizabeth II, has died at the age of 99. The Duke of Edinburgh was the longest-serving consort in the history of the United Kingdom, retiring in 2017 after more than 20,000 public engagements. Born on the Greek island of Corfu, Philip had 4 children, 8 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren with the Queen. Buckingham Palace released a statement mourning the loss.
Prince Philip was born on June 10, 1921 on the island of Corfu, Greece. He married Princess Elizabeth on November 20, 1947.
“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will be made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”
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World
Prince Philip dies at the age of 99 – Buckingham Palace

The husband of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, has died at the age of 99. Buckingham Palace announced his death in the last hour.
Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947, 5 years before she became Queen. He was the longest-serving royal consort in British history.
The couple had 4 children, 8 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
SOURCE: BBC
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Media
Thai fishing industry officials protest controversial ‘Seaspiracy’ documentary

Thai fishing industry officials are protesting the controversial ‘Seaspiracy’ documentary as they say its information, regarding human trafficking, is outdated. The Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre spokesman Pokkhrong Monthatphalin, says the government had been cleaning up the fishing industry for years after its illegal practises were highlighted in 2015. He says Thai authorities have been trying to invited the documentary’s producers to come inspect the nation’s fishing practises themselves.
The documentary, Seaspiracy, focused on the extreme consequences of commercial fishing on local ecology. It also spotlighted Thailand’s fishing industry by interviewing former fishing boat workers who said they were trafficked to work on the boats as migrants. The workers said they were living in hell and were modern-day slaves.
In response to the damning allegations by former workers, Pokkhrong says Thailand’s commitment to ending such illegal practices had been recognised by the international community. He says the EU had taken the country off of its yellow-card status in 2019, citing Thailand’s alignment of its legal systems with international obligations to fight IUU fishing.
He says that year Thailand was taken off the yellow-card status, the nation had also set basic decent standards for those working in the fishing industry-a first for Asia. The US’s Trafficking in Persons Report also recognised Thailand for making headway in tackling human trafficking in the past few years.
But the Seafood Working Group has backed up the documentary by proposing the US State Department to downgrade Thailand to the Tier 2 Watchlist again, after the group claimed the recognition of workers’ rights was even more shoddy due to the Covid pandemic.
But Pokkhrong insisted that Thai authorities remained dedicated to promoting sustainable fishing and ending human trafficking in the seafood industry. The documentary, however, pointed to high-level corruption in the police department, with such officials allegedly playing a part in the trafficking of migrant workers.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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