smileydude

I think they meant to say Nobel Piss prize.

I think its just TS's cronies trying to take ass-kissing up to a PhD level.

I mean if you can't kiss her brother's ass you must at least kiss hers which I am undoubtedly sure is softer.

In this day and age of narcissism and materialism he's lucky to have his valuables returned to him in ANY country.

Makes you have a little more faith in humanity and that most people are still decent.

Taxi driver should be at least officially recognized for his good deeds by the mayor of Phuket or perhaps the Ministry of Tourism and a plaque plus reward given to him. I for one would sure like to know more about him and give him the recognition he deserves.

Police have to show the utmost restraint when taunted or argued with especially when dealing with intoxicated individuals.

Its part of their job and responsibility.

The officer should have slapped the tourist with a citation for disorderly conduct for what seems like aggressive behavior instead of a literal slap. That was uncalled for and unprofessional no matter how much verbal abuse he received.

Cheap is not as important as the quality of life at a reasonable price so I wouldn't read into it much.

I'd place more priority on:

Quality housing/infrastructure.

Convenient access to quality healthcare.

Good international schools for the kids.

Great food and shopping.

Ease at getting along with the locals

Personal and road safety.

I think Thailand is pretty decent in all of the above aspects except for ROAD SAFETY.

Drive at your own hazard and watch out for those chickens and dogs.

I can understand these kind of announcements from the local BIB will invoke an outcry of racial profiling from the expat community here and I don't think these kind of public statements do any good. Criminal profiling based on body language, explanations to questions etc. are second instinct for good cops. Racial profiling is not.

I think cooperation among local and foreign law enforcement departments regarding criminal record databases e.g.. Interpol, FBI etc. that could be accessed at entry checkpoints would be a better place to start. With all the advancement in computer information systems I would have thought it would be much more effective but the crooks are still slipping thru.

Spotlight chaser to the highest degree. Lets just ignore him.

I hardly think he deserves the attention shelved out to him.

He needs to do something beneficial to society instead of just blasting his mouth off and inciting controversy.

There is no punishment severe enough on the face of this earth to subject this human abomination to for what he has done.

We definitely need to rid the world of his kind so no reason to keep him alive.

The gap between thrills and death is just a split second.

I really love those big bikes but I'll pass for now and find my thrills elsewhere.

RIP

Thai men who watch too much foreign porn become obsessed and see caucasian women as sexual fantasies they want to fulfill.

Rape in Thailand is a lot more common then you think and would probably happen more often if they all had the chance.

I suggest that all foreign women to be aware of this and take precautions.

I'm just glad help arrived before the bastard finished off because often times they're more worried about being identified then taking another persons life.

Castration is the most appropriate punishment.

As sad as this story is, it shows how ignorant the public can be about these supposedly back alley remedies.

From breast slapping to silicone and olive oil injections people just don't seem to check the facts before going through with these procedures which not only don't work but can cause permanent damage to our body. The Health Ministry needs to step up and educate the public about the dangers of home grown quack remedies.

So young and still much to look forward to in life. The outcome could have been a lot worse so lucky girl.

Wishing you a speedy recovery and a lesson.

Alcohol and balconies are not a good mix.

If ping pong balls were launched around Patpong I'm pretty sure who the police would blame.

Its a rather specific homegrown talent that never ceases to amaze.

The income $ = is the outcome.

He paid 300,000 Baht to the family, end of story. I would have refused the money and demanded 25 years.

I heard his family paid 40 million baht, but of course maybe only 300,000 trickled down to the wife of the deceased after the cops, lawyers, prosecutors etc. everyone took their cut.

Just where did we hear this?

among talk between politicians

Sounds rather far fetched but usually the info is accurate.

As for the logic that the amount you pay is proportional to the status of the deceased I do agree but in this case the amount is substantially high because the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau got involved and he rattled on how he would seek justice for his men. The higher up the more expensive it is to shut them up.

The income $ = is the outcome.

He paid 300,000 Baht to the family, end of story. I would have refused the money and demanded 25 years.

I heard his family paid 40 million baht, but of course maybe only 300,000 trickled down to the wife of the deceased after the cops, lawyers, prosecutors etc. everyone took their cut.

A close aide of his Majesty the King was once asked him if there was no longer a King in Thailand what would happen?

His answer was: "There will be the addition of one more Thai citizen called Bhumibol"

Tears started flowing from the eyes of everyone who heard his majesty's reply.

Long Live His Majesty the King

The military has always been involved in Thai politics as the stabilizing force. They're not staging a coup because it is not politically correct nor popular in this day and age. Don't be deceived though, they still wield powerful influence. If you don't support their budgets as requested (sans feed them) you won't last long. They walk softly(covertly) and carry a big stick.

Every country has its pro's and con's. How a person see's a country depends on his outlook in life and tells a lot about them and their activities

Here are some of the things my asian friends have told me about their trips to Thailand

For example, one guy kept talking about the ping pong show at Patpong............ooooookay

Another guy talks about the great food like Som Tum and Tom Yum Goong and stops at every fruit vendor stall......... gourmet

Girls love searching for cheap treasures and haggling at MBK and Platinum

Some recall the sandy beaches and friendly smiles

Some enjoyed the thrill of being hurled in a Tuk Tuk at G forces.

Some can't stop sneezing and coughing due to the choking aroma of Bangkok's finest air quality

Some get addicted to the foot massages

Some get addicted to the special massages

Most say they're gonna be back.

i am realy shocked about your comments, may be I was the only one who been in Bkk in sunday and i saw at Siam Station all the people,

from 18 to 70 years old, all kind of people, all educations, i saw the people 89 in Leipzig east germany and this feeling was the same,

this goverment doesn´t have any chance to go on, they finished, there is no support by the people, my son and I we bought 2 wistles and hen we were shoping in Asoke center many thai were greeting us and talking to us and took pictures with us and our wistles and they told us they are hapy that we love thailand also.

I dont know there is an good opposition in start position but I know for sure this goverment finised already.

What you didn't see was the millions of others laughing at that silly old man an his few followers, and I guess you and your whistle?

The other millions can laugh all they want but I'll bet they'll stop laughing when the T-taps run dry and the populist policies are cancelled after bankrupting the country.

Thailand has more coups then any other country because:

We like quick fixes when we're fed up with each other.

We don't know how to settle our differences amicably and we take everything personally thus the need for a referee to separate us.

History is not our strongpoint and we have a short memory span. We have never learned the lesson that coups just bring us back to square one and do not fix our problems. The problems just get shoved to the corner until either of us picks a fight.

Our leadership has always been a dictatorship whether it be ruled by the army, by the autocracy, or by businessmen hiding under the shroud of democracy. Dictatorships often end up having their ideology clouded by power and arrogance which will lead to discontent and replacement by other regimes a'la coups.

So we have a stalemate. Not surprising considering the arrogance and refusal to compromise.

So what can be compromised? Thaksin not returning? Thaksin returning and everyone accepting that he be pardoned of all his wrongdoings?

Some principles are not negotiable. The reds will never accept Thaksin not being able to return. The non-reds will never accept Thaksin being absolved of all his crimes. I don't see anyway out unless someone budges.

So one man versus 11 million versus 15 million.

Who needs to make the sacrifice?

The other 40 million are waiting.

I'm pretty sure the Reds are willing to compromise on Thaksin's return and drop the amnesty bill for good. It was a long shot anyway. Suthep on the other hand won't accept anything short of the whole PTP purged from Thai politics.

Some of the reds may be willing to compromise but what about Mr. T himself? People who know Mr. T says he will never give up and his pockets are deep.

I'm all for equality and narrowing the socioeconomic gap. I put my money where my mouth is by paying the taxes I'm supposed to and using my voting rights. Problem is about 30% of it is lost to corruption and the rest to ineptitude.

Suthep is demanding that the Thaksin Clan be purged from politics not PTP, but that looks like a long shot anyways.

So we have a stalemate. Not surprising considering the arrogance and refusal to compromise.

So what can be compromised? Thaksin not returning? Thaksin returning and everyone accepting that he be pardoned of all his wrongdoings?

Some principles are not negotiable. The reds will never accept Thaksin not being able to return. The non-reds will never accept Thaksin being absolved of all his crimes. I don't see anyway out unless someone budges.

So one man versus 11 million versus 15 million.

Who needs to make the sacrifice?

The other 40 million are waiting.

It is not so simple and the leaders of both sides know that. Paving the way for back door negotiations? For the protest masses could it be a psychological boost or pat on the back? Who knows. We only see what they want us to see. There's always someone negotiating behind closed doors.

I see it as a step in the evolution of thai democracy which is relatively young when compared to western counterparts.

Awkward baby steps which may look non-sensical and unruly to those whose democracies have matured but nevertheless steps forward the thai way as imperfect as humans can be.

So many cynics. Let history be the judge of everyone's actions.

I am heartened by the fact that the back soi of my office near Ramkhamhaeng U is still bustling with vendors and shoppers trying to get on with their lives instead of being uptight and angry. Agree to disagree, just stop the hate.

Not trying to be cynical but I am trying to be honest.

In just three years we have seen the facts facts remain the same about 2010 but the history is being written differently.

History is a bad judge.

If history is a bad judge its because people never seem to learn from their mistakes and that politicians play politics.

Most enter politics for the power and money, few are there for the ideology of serving the public. If transparency, accountability and checks and balances were to be introduced I'm sure the number of greedy opportunistic people wishing to enter politicians would plummet and the world would be so much better off.

Wishful thinking on my part.

So many cynics. Let history be the judge of everyone's actions.

I am heartened by the fact that the back soi of my office near Ramkhamhaeng U is still bustling with vendors and shoppers trying to get on with their lives instead of being uptight and angry. Agree to disagree, just stop the hate.

You have the option of doing a visa border runs (to one of our neighboring countries like Laos, Cambodia).

The arrangement usually goes like this: You call them up (many ads for visa runs in the Bangkok Post) and they tell you fees run anywhere from Baht 2500-3000 last I heard. They arrange a pick up place. When you pay them depends on the agreement. They pick you up at a god-forsaken hour with usually a minivan but sometimes small buses. Many of your fellow travelers will be asian looking people who are not thai and are working here illegally and some westerners who look very relaxed as they've done it dozens of times. Try not to look too newbish and go with the I've done it before demeanor.

You sit in the car for several hours until you reach the border checkpoint where you relinquish your passports to shady looking people who have a pre-arranged agreement with border officers. After that they will ask you to proceed to a waiting area across the border usually a casino of some sorts in case you get the itch and decide to drop a few bucks their way which is by no means mandatory. Try to avoid wandering and stick together with your group. After 2 hours or so they give you back your passports and you head up back on the bus. If you leave at 5am you can usually get back by 5pm.

Good luck, stay safe and I hope you get your stay extended.