eddie61

Since these were VIP's sitting in a VIP bus, I suppose they will be given VIP treatment in hospital, and a VIP day in court suing the VIP bus company.

Lets see...

You should have bothered to read all 8 other posts. A Swiss man had to lecture us on the cleanliness of their gypsy superior citizens. I guess they think they are so clean they can share needles.

My point was about long term strategy, starting with EDUCATION.

As a very open society, we have a fair share of the world's other problems, and many of our own homemade problems, but education about pollution is not one of them,

It's a shame that 1 in 100 in Geneva have HIV. http://lenews.ch/2014/12/08/hiv-infections-down-in-geneva/

I did say the Rhone that flows INTO lake Geneva I did not say the Rhone as it flows OUT of Lake Geneva......

We have neighbours, not subject to swiss law, on the other shore in that part of the world.... In Zurich, we do not have neighbours, and the river that flows out should be OK.

I am Swiss, and as a 6 year old, we were taught not to litter, or pollute our rivers and lakes. That was 50 years ago.....

The seeds sown then, are reaped now, when despite having among the highest prices in the world, we have a vibrant tourism industry, and we can still swim in the lakes and probably safely drink water from the main rivers. Wealthy Thais love Switzerland, but not sure if Swiss love them, known for dumping litter wherever they go.

Certainly, I would be happy to do the experiment, by drinking a glass of unpurified water out of the Limmat, the main river that flows through Zurich, or the Rhone, that flows into Lake Geneva.

Only a long term strategy of education will pay off!

He understands Thai society, but he did not mention the elephant in the tent.........

I suggest a bullet proof vest, to reflect jealous love triangles, or an all round airbag to reflect Thailand's road safety record, or maybe a duck tape gag, to reflect freedom of expression. That would be more appropriate

around baan amphur.... but also getting busier

Maybe because they might get lynched/killed by third-parties, friends, relatives etc....

I spent a few few years working in East Africa, where I did quite alot of driving. If I had been in a prang there, I would have been reluctant to hang around at the scene, maybe a drive to the nearest police station is safest? (When I worked in India, farang employees were strictly forebidden from driving at all).

I bet when they find him, he will not be allowed to refuse breath test, or refuse to go to a police station.

He will get banged up straight away, no bail nothing.

He did wrong so should be punished.

Now we will see the 2 tier Thai system working.

Lets hope so, people need to learn not to flee from accidents, bail is something most people get if they have a good insurance. I got bail bond on mine. But I would not flee from an accident.

But strange your not condemning him for fleeing an accident most foreigners would do so if the guy was Thai. Are you are a Brit too by any chance and is that the reason why you don't think its bad that he runs from an accident ?

I don't care who someone is Thai Dutch, Brit.. whatever.. you just don't flee an accident.

Do you know WHY drivers flee the scene of an accident here?

I had a fatal accident in Bangui, CAR (Central African Republic). A young girl ran across the road...... The rest is gruesome.

It was in a crowded market where a French mirage jet had crashed 3 years before, so there was a bad feeling towards white faces.

I got out of the truck, and it was clear I could do nothing to help: I knew that from the thump thump of the tires of a Bedford M-Type.

There was a crowd around, and it was sure to turn very nasty, and very likely life threatening for me and my passenger.

I fled the scene and reported the accident to the nearest police station.

They told me I did the right thing or I would be dead.

I was not drunk, not driving fast, but a kid ran out in front of me,

If I had not fled the scene, I and my passenger would have died that day

My god. Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing or do they just choose to be obtuse because it's convenient. Face really is what think it is in your own head.

Let me get this straight. Grab taxi driver fined 4k? If he really was riding without a permit, etc, then fair enough. If he's authorized, they've completely made this up as they've gone along.

Orange riders are warned not to threaten and take other people's property. They pay the police to operate there. So if they pack up and move, police don't get their money.

This country is in serious need of a reboot.

Format the whole thing and reinstall

A lot of negative comments, and rightly so, it would require an ethics-bypass not to be sickened with the Thai version of justice sometimes.

But guys, what did we expect really? Thailand is a 3rd-world nation, acknowldged by its own foreign diplomats (or at least, the UN representative) to be heading towards failed state status.

The military are out of control and are not accountable to anyone. The police don't even bother to pretend not to be corrupt any more and are not accountable to anyone. Ditto the justice system. The entire administrative system from the Pooyay Baan upwards is corrupt to the core etc etc ad nauseam.

Personally, even though I took the decision to live in Thailand, I detest their culture, I detest their incompetence and I detest their national superiority complex, its just narcissism. And yes, before the sheeple come out and protest that not all Thais are worthless, I agree, I know many Thais who are very good people, probably better than I found where I came from. But they are a small minority in my experience.

So I keep my head down, have my (Thai) wife conduct most of our business with Thais and try not to be enraged by the 3rd-world behaviour we all encounter almost daily. It is after all, the 3rd-world and its a problem for the Thais to resolve, not me. Of course we all know they've been propagandised for decades and that the country has been run by a feudal elite entirely for it's own benefit. But, I get my pension, I live a quiet life and the major consequences that Thais have to suffer for embracing their imposed lifestyle pass me by. USA and England have their merchant bankers, Thailand has its banking and retail conglomerates and its civil service and its law enforcement, etc etc. SSDD.

Eventually, Thailand will grow up, eventually they will realise that the rest of the world has passed them by and that they really have to get out of their self-imposed nightmare. Eventually, they will realise that it is the dismal state of their education system that causes most of the problems, and they will fix it.

Eventually.

In the meantime, I try to remember why I came here - it's relatively cheap (unless you buy something from the mafia franchises such as cars and pickups), the weather's good and by and large, the trouble that Thais cause themselves pretty much bypass us. I figure that fixing Thailand (or even giving sensible advice to Thais for them to ignore) just isn't my job, it's someone else's and I don't really care very much if it never gets done.

Winnie

I think the majority of TV members live by your principles.

I have been here 25 years, and the only thing I care about is ensuring that my kids leave Thailand, and get a life before they come back here, if they so choose

"Let sleeping dogs lie"

If you want to know what Chinese influence can do to the world just look at the what they're building on the Mekong river and the path of destruction it's leaving.

Then look at the proxy parties they push to get into power in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.

And finally, take another look at that video of them eating prawn at a recent buffet here

epic video... seriously frightening when you consider their regional ambitions.

They are the ultimate predators on the planet!!

I don't think the tour buses filled with Chinese that pound the streets to Khao Chee Chan, Suan Nong Nuch and elephant rides in the area will go for it, unless the price is half and the rest is commission to the owners of the businesses (in China) paid abroad.

Well, I hope not. Sincerely!!!!

I like cycling around there....... but at least the guys who fix the roads will have a job, and the guys that fix those contracts will have some spare cash for their holidays abroad.

Thanks to the professional finger pointing I was able to discern the gold chain.

IMHO it is a relatively well poised point, the finger gracefully bent outwards, and the rest of the hand discretely folded... I also like the straight arm to finger alignment... Excellent technique!

My only slight criticism is in the poor face position relative to the rather masterful point.

In general, I also prefer a pointer to be surrounded by smiling policemen and a downtrodden suspect. It all adds vibrancy to the composition.....

I would give it a 7/10.

What do you think?

Have a pension for the dark skin farm girl

Not sure if you meant to say penchant, but pension probably works better.

555!!! LOL Now THAT was funny and made even more hilarious by the truth of it!

Still laughing...

All of your pension?

The only people who will ever do well with these girls are the cosmetic surgeons and peddlers of skin whitening products.

I frankly would not touch any of them with my barge pole, (OK I am feeling a bit big for my boots this morning....)

Ya Ba...this drug is the scourge of Thailand. Behind the scenes are police and officials raking in millions. What does it take to really tackle crime and corruption? Mai Pen Rai is not the way.

It takes a functioning justice system..... but we won't live to see that here.

I watched that video a few times, and my take is this:

The son inadvertently knocked into a Thai guy because he was practically unable to remain vertical being so drunk.

The Thai guy already annoyed by a previous guy, gave him a shove and because he was so drunk was easily toppled and fell over.

The Mother, reacted to seeing her son hit the ground and I believe misread what was actually just a drunken fall.

She went ballistic and humiliated the Thai guy by slapping his face first for something she "thought" he did.

Then it just all got out f control, and we all know the outcome.

I am not condoning it nor excusing it , but due to that initial misinterpretation, it got a whole lot serious very fast.

This is all to prevalent when people get drunk, their judgement is impaired and they make poor decisions. Late night, partying, Songkran over indulgence, wrong place and certainly wrong time. = Perfect storm !

I am genuinely horrified by the level of attack, there is NO excuse for it.

BUT the incident could so easily have been avoided, if people drank in moderation and didnt get into altercations whilst intoxicated as the result is predictably the same regardless of Nationality.

There is no such thing as delicate as a Thai man's "FACE". His mother raised him with the idea that he has a magic wand, and is beyond question, always right. The government encourages this with nationalistic views of "Thainess" as a quality rather than a fault.

At some stage Thais become aware of their rather low position in the pecking order and this makes them uniquely sensitive to any insult to their "FACE". Is it by chance that Facebook has among the highest penetration in Thailand, a way to boost your "FACE"?

Advice to all visitors to the kingdom: do not slight a Thai man's "FACE"...... It is very sensitive, delicate and easily hurt. The consequences were seen in Hua Hin, and the brain doesn't function when the "FACE" is slighted. You see it on the roads every day...

Fortunately, I profited from the Thai "FACE", as I made my money in luxury goods, helping inadequate "FACES" to boost their ranking!!!

As my Grandad said about fire, a Thai man's "FACE" is a great friend but terrible enemy.

Use it to your advantage!

Would it be possible to get a 30 year lease for the house and other assets in your favour?

This would be enforceable in court even as a foreign devil, provided you can agree on the lease terms.

Just an idea, she gets some cash and you strengthen your legal position.

Belgium always was a bit of a reject buffer zone between European powers, not important enough to fight for, but too delicate to give up.

If anyone had wanted the kingdom of Belgium, the country wouldn't exist, it would be part of a more viable state or empire.

It reminds one of certain South East Asian Kingdoms which suffered similar rejection and suffer similar consequences of dysfunctional statehood

It makes me so angry to read of so many injustices like this against western visitors to Thailand. It seems like I have read about hundreds instances like this. We seem to be nothing more than punching bags for these people that neither like or respect us. They only like our money. How many thai visa members have expressed indignation through the years at behavior like this but nothing every changes, it only gets worse. Let me be the first to say that we need to organize and speak out. Let's set up a website of all the violence against westerners like this and put it on the internet. Let the world see these atrocities. FIGHT BACK! Let Thailand know that we are tired of being beaten senseless by their citizens and have them do nothing about it. Anytime a potential tourist does research on Thailand this website will come up and make them think twice about Thailand as the Land of Smiles. Officials in thailand will soon feel the heat. It will negatively impact their pocketbook as well as their "face". This will work as I have seen it work when a Thai physician did some bad work on a western patient. This person could get no recourse from the doctor or the government. Well, this patient set up a website outlining what happened and that nothing was done to help him. This doctor, so I hear from another doctor, has lost 80% of his western customers. The website has been running for 2 years and every time someone googles the doctor's name or related procedures performed, this website comes up. I'm sick of this violence and when I read about the old lady behind KICKED IN THE FACE WHEN LAYING IN THE ROAD, I was incensed. Does anybody have experience with website design? Your work shouldn't be for free, maybe others will contribute, as I will put in USD$100 as the first. OK everybody, this is your chance to do something besides run your mouth. This is an opportunity to fight back and get the government to start prosecuting these animals with sentences that will help stop the violence.

But watch out for the computer crimes act.... 100,000 baht or 5 years in prison....

I speak from experience

"If found guilty, the perpetrators of this incident will face full justice under Thai law."

(quote from main story)

Lets hope that means several years in jail and not just a mere fine.

That's the funniest thing I have heard all year!

There is only one way to stop this; kick them where it hurts. In the wallet and the famous Thai "face' a very delicate organ, especially in the male of the species, but very lucrative if you sell luxury goods.

Thank god for social media. Even Thailand will change, but it may mean the end of the lucrative tourist industry before that happens.

Some win, some lose. Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam will not cry over Thailand's tourism woes.

Let Thailand cater to cheap, and let others get those who spend.

TAT has a bit of work in western markets, but I'm sure someone will find the budget

So be it!

Som nam na

someone's gonna make some money, but it won't be tax payers or airlines...

Flight TG xxx from Shanghai to Lamphun anyone?

but Thailand is where white elephants were invented................

I hope 2 red pictures of the old ginger root fit conveniently,