mancub

Last thing I heard is that you have to take an IQ test before you're allowed to board a plane heading to Bangkok.

i wonder what a Thai IQ test would consist of ?

Thai IQ test (100 Points).

Please choose one of the following answers:

Q1. How are you?

A. I'm fine.

B. I'm fine.

C. I'm fine.

D. All of the above.

End of test.

E.my name is Somchai

60 points -test passed.

And would you like a driving licence in addition to your new diploma ?

Got to love " for some reason "

Even better question is why was not there an officer in the back with them ?

Too hot or too much common sense ?

Prisoners in that situation are handcuffed to an anchor point in the back of the pickup so normally they're not going anywhere, therefore there is no need for an officer to be in the bed of the vehicle. Why should an officer have to suffer the discomfort of travelling with the prisoners?

That the prisoners where able to slip their handcuffs on this occasion is what is not normal.

They only "appeared" to have slipped their handcuffs......if an officer had suffered the discomfort of guarding them, he wouldn't have to suffer the greater discomfort of explaining why they escaped. Seems a good enough reason to me.

Small,spherical, plastic object ...suspected of floating to shore......jeez there's gonna be real panic next month when Loy Kratong festivities start !!!!

Reports on another site quote the police initially as saying that he was observed riding his motorcycle in an erratic fashion at 0530 hrs and basically causing a disturbance. This also contradicts the local lad's story that the incident happened on the Fri night .The motorcycle supposedly had Malaysian plates, for whatever pertinence that has, and there was strangely no mention of the drugs being found although it was reported that he had no ID on him .

Solitary confinement would be more apt for this Troll !

Airport bus is great if you're travelling alone or without much luggage, but can become a hassle if it's full- what with all the bags piled up at the front and stopping in Krabi town to offload folk at the tour office. For 2 adults and a child much easier and quicker to take the taxi , which although annoyingly expensive, seem to be new vehicles with responsible drivers.

In Ao Nang, Krabi the only taxi service available to tourists is provided by the self-named 'Taxi club " . Fixed high prices and no competition allowed, save for the airport bus service.

Seems that the Hotels association in Phuket would like a similar monopoly. Honestly, a quality control check on arrivals ! ....perhaps only Elite Card Members will be allowed entry in future ?

Very commendable and good to have a story reported that doesn't reflect the ugly side of human nature for a change.

The Baht was not 25 to the dollar then it was 20.

You're right.

Meaningless as the price of some company would have been what ...5 dollars ?

As well as the Briton in Phuket looks like its coming to Thailand..... the way things are handled here, I would be on the first plane

Oz

Exactly, with local hygiene (lack of it) in local food stalls...never mind no hot water, no running water at all...and with dog-style eating off the same plate and drinking from the same tin cup at water dispensers, it would be curtains for sure.

Well, thank goodness for Venetian blinds, otherwise it would be curtains for all of us !

Ventured out from Krabi over to Surin Beach a few days ago. Very pleasant, quiet and also several jet-ski operators in place.

Huummmm, European want to curb press freedom in Thailand,

No, the Europeans want to ensure that next time someone's child is brutally murdered pictures of their mutilated spread eagled bodies are NOT exhibited for the titillation of the less civilised denizens of this particular country

I find such images disturbing too because I didn't grow up with press that showed such things but would suggest they not read Thai news if they don't like these images. I find Fox News more disturbing and hurtful to people but I have the choice to watch/read or not.

To be clear, I have no problem with them speaking and bringing up such concerns but just not their place to say it is wrong simply because SOME news here may do such things just as some news is completely rubbish in their country;s too.

What is being asked for is merely a degree of "kreng jai" -consideration for others. A much promoted facet of Thainess, yet, in reality an often alien concept.

If 25 million tourists equates to a "tough year" for the industry.....then the preceding decade must have been desperate !

My heart bleeds .....NOT !

It is impossible for a visa foreigner to get a blue book or be listed on one. Period.

Wrong, as I have had my name put in the blue book ( by the land registry office) for the condo which I own . I hold a non imm o visa . Period, exclamation mark .

Walls don't stop viruses like Ebola and it's ignorance that allows it to spread the poster saying Thais don't need electricity either is quite out of touch with most villages too.

Try cooking for a month inside with no gas or electricity also trying to wash and dry your clothing without boiling water to kill basic germs never mind something like Ebola.

Never mind rhe intelligence part it's the ignorance of how such viruses work mate

You know you really should visit Thailand. The gas comes in bottles mate. The clothes are washed in a bucket with a sanitizer agent tis Thailand here never had hot water to do the washing. I ave two bottles of gas and plenty of sanitizer.

I've been cooking inside with bottled gas forever in Thailand. I can go to bed when the sun goes down. I've got enough rice and water to last me three months.

I've lived in Thailand before with no electricity. It's nothing new for me.

And yet.....with almost 7000 posts....doubtful that you could survive without the internet for long.!

Oh shut up one and all. It doesn't even talk about entrance fees. Can't you stay on topic.

The topic is waterfalls and beautiful fauna. I might go to visit if I have time how lovely.

The topic is actually about manufacturing a tourist attraction from a place of natural beauty. It will be "open" to tourists soon . It may be free to visit, but it doesn't say that either . Follow the newly constructed tourist walkways ( whose maintenance you can possibly contribute to at the possibly newly constructed ticket booth ?)

Doubtless one will also be encouraged and able to visit the orchards and purchase locally grown produce. It's both enterprising

and praiseworthy for it's initiative. Without said enterprise, we would never be able to appreciate this attraction. It is also only natural to expect and accept to pay for this privilege . I hope the locals put pride above greed in this endeavour.

What exactly is a "World Sport Destination" anyway ?

Somewhere where you can indulge in everything from downhill skiing to tossing the caber?

So, what about all the millions of 'martial law tourists' that LOS is going to attract??

Maybe they can be the first to benefit from the "compulsory-purchase- insurance on arrival scheme" that was suggested ?

Tourism in Thailand is going to keep going up. As always there is going to be occasional yearly dips be it Political, Tsunami or Sars but last year still saw almost 3 times the number of arrivals than 10 Years ago. Tourism makes up about 9% of GDP and near 30% of this is from domestic tourism. While numbers dropped earlier this year, I would not expect much if any of a drop the rest of the year making foreign tourism down just a couple percentage points over the record high previous year. For sure the sky is not falling nor is tourism dying in Thailand as so many here have been predicting for at least the last 10 years.

The thing that will hit tourism the hardest in the coming years is modernization. Many people come to Thailand because it offers a glimpse into the past and is an adventure and cheap. Much of this is going away fairly rapidly. Be it police, Taxis, hotels, night life and so on, as laws and higher standards are enforced then costs and freedoms you can't experience at home will be less attractive. I expect neighboring countries will continue to steal these types of tourists away as Thailand continues to try to move toward more quality (higher spending) tourists while trying not to completely forget the nightlife and backpacking crowd.

You say tourism isn't dying there and put a "good Junta boy " twist on things-

But few here buy that-

Its very clear the message is people are consciously voting to boycott the place in far larger numbers.

Its silly to suggest hotels half empty all year are now in for a bumper recovery.

When the opposite is true

Doom and gloomers have been saying this for so long as tourism and arrivals continue to increase and most of them who say this are right here in Thailand and don't leave (sadly). As I said, there are down times like this year but the trend is has and will continue to go up as it has for decades.

But, alas...all good things can come to an end....if not managed responsibly and effectively, just ask the rice farmers .

Short-sightedness and greed being just two of the prevalent factors that can accelerate a fall from grace.

Sounds like he was framed. Set up bye the girl and the police.

Or perhaps where the Frenchman was caught is a well known area where this sort of practice operates and had been under observation, or the 14 year old girl was already known to the police and followed.

Just means that Mr.Lertporn Noja-director of (ATCC) and the police done an excellent job in apprehending this child rapist and others involved with the abuse and should be congratulated for a job well done.

Strange actually, even when the Thai police do a fantastic job, there are still those who try to make this seem like a set up, as if the police had dubious reasons for nailing that filth. Whether they catch the culprits or don`t catch the culprits it seems they can never do right and still get criticised one way or another.

The only issue with that being that the crime was actually carried out....not merely solicited.

If a suspected murderer was under observation, you would hope that he wouldn't be allowed to actually kill someone before being arrested.

What will the girl's mom say, and what happens to the girl herself next ?

Do you believe she was forced to do this kind of business? You underestimate people laziness and power of easy money... If she was forced then only by her parent's requests, you have to dig dipper in culture to understand it.

Oh no, no under-estimation here, I am well aware of the complicity that can be involved. My point being exactly that. One foreigner named and shamed, yet no mention of how this well-intentioned "Group/Authority" is going to help this underage girl from being exploited and abused in the future. ( Regardless of whom is actually instrumental in the exploitation.)

Business as usual, I expect.

What will his mom say?

What will the girl's mom say, and what happens to the girl herself next ?

As if this is anything other than a clumsy spin/photo op effort, in an attempt to counter the current bad press being exposed on Social Media re :corruption.