bangkokfrog

Two comments: First, regarding endemic cheating: How many supposedly law-abiding Westerners think it is OK to cheat on their tax returns? Second, thank you for this snippet about spending time with ladies of the night in Soy Cowboy... practicing my spoken Thai and improving my vocabulary were the aims not deception (cheating) per se. I'll remember that line when my wife catches me out next time!

1 hour ago, holy cow cm said:

I said all along he was not being spanked, but he was being groomed for the day coming to be a higher iron fisted tool as he is really Prawit's left and possibly right hand two fisted boy.

Maybe he likes being spanked by Prawit. One wonders what else he will do with his hands for the t**d? Not smuggling or modelling watches I hope!

Would he promise anything else? But having said this, Thailand seems pretty good at hosting major events like this, especially on the security side.

Interesting that Prayut is waiting until after the ASEAN summit. The summit would seem to be an ideal opportunity for new ministers to meet key representatives from other countries in the region. Could it be that the good General has some surprises in mind?

18 hours ago, CharlieH said:

He doesnt want to be falling asleep anywhere near her in future thats for sure. Atleast the ducks will get fed..????

This is a far better solution. Also, she may have thought of cutting off his willie but was worried about it being too small to find in the dark.

17 hours ago, webfact said:

The party’s executive committee is scheduled to meet at 2pm this afternoon to discuss who, among the party members, are qualified for the eight posts. Party MPs will join the meeting at 3pm.

Quote

It is obviously not about being the most qualified, but rather being the most powerful in terms of "markers" to call in. I expect Suthep's side will do well out of this.

10 hours ago, hotchilli said:

In England a "civilised" country I did a "newspaper round" in the early morning before school.... I was only 13 when I started... at 15 I switched to working in the local chip shop and a restaurant evenings & weekends for my pocket money.

At 16 I left school and started my apprenticeship at an aircraft company... the money I'd saved bought my first tool-kit so I could start work.

It taught me a valuable lesson about life & how to handle money... did me no harm what-so-ever!

 

I also worked as a delivery boy, etc when I was young. The difference is exactly as you say... we worked to gain experience / earn pocket money (as many young people do today at McDonald's, etc.)... not because this is the only way the family can survive or to be exploited by them.

16 minutes ago, Chazar said:

I disagree, where there's  a  will, My Wife came from an Issan  village, worked several  jobs to save  money starting at 14  years old and learnt English at the temple so she could get a better salaried job later.

When I met her she a;ready had about 400k saved in her bank. She didn't want to be  poor, she would do ANY  job to save  money.

Many people seem to think all this "just  happens" they are afraid of hard work.

I didn't say it is impossible, and top marks to your wife who appears to be a rare find in Thailand. My comment related to disillusioned kids who go to school/university/college genuinely believing that there is a career available to them, only to find out later that they have wasted their time. Some, like your wife, will pick themselves up and make the most of life. Sadly, many will give in to depression. I think that if the government were to put more money into meaningful infrastructure and permanent job creation projects in rural areas and not just the big cities, the situation would improve greatly.

You can "call on" someone to do something all you want, but that doesn't mean they will necessarily do it.

34 minutes ago, Chazar said:

And  need  real  help on the land as  many now  flock to the cities/factories

And sadly for their girls... bars

"statistics show that about 10 per cent of children aged between three and six have not been enrolled in school. This group numbers about 250,000 across the nation"

I can't understand Thailand's fixation with sending 3 year old children to school... especially where what is taught is of dubious quality. And as for some of the older drop-outs, I wonder if it is partly because parents in rural areas don't see that educating all children will lead to sufficiently better job opportunities to justify the cost.

This sad saga has gone too far for a new minister to offer any hope for a better voluntary deal as too much face would be lost from the past government. But Jimmy above is partly right. When this goes to international arbitration, Kingsgate will almost certainly hit pay dirt!

7 hours ago, Cadbury said:

There is no mention of another factor in the equation and that is the part the business elite play in the political background and from whom Prayut also takes orders.

The Thai elite business world is the hub of political corruption which feeds the trough from where the politicians get their nourishment and in turn give the business elite the protection and support they need to further increase their wealth. 

Keeping all the balls in the air may be an impossible task for Prayut.

I generally agree, but isn't Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit (the Future Forward guy) from one of these elite families? If so, there is hope for change... but sadly, probably not in this old fart's lifetime.

How many other minor criminals get to meet with a National Police deputy chief to hear their charges. Anything for a photo op.

Probably a good idea as the world economic outlook looks fairly grim right now. Hope they do better than in the past though, where welfare policies were hijacked with vast amounts siphoned off before reaching the poor and economic stimulus packages being a metaphor for "30 baht for me, 70 baht for the economy".