Misterwhisper

Surely isn't for the "moo ping".

I hope those Indians are aware of that, otherwise they'll have to camp out front of 7-11 stores and accost innocent transvestites.

That was my immediate thought, too. Glad I am not alone.

More than a million? Luckily, they are not in my area.

Even after 30+ years in this country I am still amazed (even a little impressed, actually) about the elaborate, pre-plotted scams these people are able to cook up when they smell money; and lots of it. But ask them them to plan or carry out something that should be within the scope of their regular work duties (and where there is no immediate financial benefit apparent), they all too often mess up miserably.

Either this is a satirical note; or you are thick as... well... "someone fortunate enough to have been born in a western country". I'm undecided.

No prize for guessing why that is so...

No problem at all. You can dispatch them to Saudi Arabia. After all, it's not going to be easy to fill the 6-million quota that you have so enthusiastically pledged to the sheiks. Besides, we also need a fine new crop of exploitable menial workers and domestic staff working for peanuts for the elite. I apologize for my scathing cynicism, but last I heard was that Thailand MANDATES a total of 9 years of so-called "basic education" consisting of 6 years of elementary schooling ("Prathom") plus 3 years of lower secondary schooling ("Mathayom"). So, children "dropping out due to family problems and other factors" should not be cited as an excuse by the education ministry. Why is there no enforcement that children complete their basic education? Perhaps and even more importantly: Why do parents still need to pay for school uniforms and text books when in fact that should be the financial responsibility of the government that "mandates" that arrangement? I have witnessed on numerous occasions how poor families had to pawn or even sell what meager belongings they had just to being able to purchase those damn compulsory uniforms. Is that burden perhaps among these "other factors" the education ministry cited?

Great news! You guys are using waaaay too much oil in your Thai cooking anyway. Plus your overuse helps destroy more and more rainforest.

Hmmm... what a quaint observation. Another interesting question is, of course: Why should those "uncouth" foreigners have to apply for a ThailandPass when they already got a visa? Wouldn't it suffice if they presented a vaccination certificate on arrival? You know, you can't have it both ways: keep the "uncouth" foreigners at bay AND beg them to return in droves to rehabilitate your tourism industry.

Make sure you lock your safes before visiting the home country of your Thai domestic staff.

Oooooh, quite some risky wording here. And please allow me to take the opportunity of suggesting a much better headline: Melons at Durian Stall Drive Sales and Testosterone Levels

I initially read that wrong as well. The "Pointing of the Year" competition. But it's no wonder, because a competition of that sort simply would make perfect sense in this country. May I also suggest doling out awards for > "Hub Announcement of the Year" > "Thai Soft Power Claim of the Year" > "Brake Failure Excuse of the Year" > "Amulet Saved My Life Claim of the Year" > "Winning Lottery Number Discovery of the Year" > "You Hansum Man Utterance of the Year" > "Coup d'Etat of the Year" > "Mia Noi Vindictive Rampage of the Year" > "Duck Feeding Event of the Year"

Why would he? The ruse worked, didn't it? It caused enough delays and confusion to have most of the charges expire, while the two remaining ones' statutes of limitation are up within the next couple of years. For all intends and purposes Nate has delivered a marvelous job.

I think the plan is to strategically position crates of over-ripe durian every 50 meters along the entire front line -- which will cause the Russians to immediately break off their campaign and stream back across the border to escape the whiff. Now let's pray the wind will blow in the right direction. What would we all do without Thailand keeping world peace!

Thank you so much for this magnificent lesson in morals and ethics... thief! I wonder if you had dished out the same sage advice if you had NOT been apprehended.

May I suggest you ask your aunt to point out North Korea (or Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. etc.) on a world map and see how she fares. Then of course also ask her whether - in her opinion - Germans wear lederhosen at all times and enjoy yodeling. An interesting result also could potentially emerge if you inquire with her with how many countries the United States share a border. In other words (and with all due respect), I hardly believe your aunt is a good indicator as per how Thailand is perceived internationally.

No, international media have not been "abuzz" with high tales of "Thai soft power". Thai media have. And incessantly so... because "soft power" is the new "hub". International media reported on Coachella and its artists, included Milli, as they ALWAYS DO. But they didn't care one iota about "Thai soft power" in the context of their coverage. "Thai soft power" is of no consequence for them. It's only Thai media that raps on and raps on (pun intended) about it. What many international media did indeed report on, though, was the fact that Milli has been the target of Thailand's PM for being critical of the country's current government.

It was a handling fee. Totally legit.

With all the BS that is going on with this government, one would think that they must be up to their ears in fertilizer. But apparently not so.

I actually would suggest another model: It's a 12-storey building where assembly starts on the ground floor and then - manufacturing step by manufacturing step - moves upwards until the finished vehicles roll off the assembly line on the top floor. And then they realize that they have no idea how to get the cars down from there.

It's because people have been systematically brainwashed since the 1930s. Whenever they hear "cannabis", it conjures ludicrous images of "the weed from hell" that allegedly causes "reefer madness". It's laughable, really, how perceptive people are to propaganda. Then again, very few are actually making an effort and educate themselves to find out that "cannabis" is a whole plant family, the vast majority of the strains being very, very low in THC. Ironically, nobody is going into "anti-cannabis mode" when they are wearing linen shirts -- that is, of course, because they are totally ignorant that linen is actually made from cannabis fibers.

Nobody will get "addicted to cannabis", as you so eloquently put, because the only plant strains permitted must not yield more than 0.2% of THC by dry weight. THC (tetrahydrocannabiol) is the substance that produces the "high". You cannot get "high" (nor addicted) on such a low THC concentration unless you smoke 5kg of grass in one sitting. When will it finally sink in with people that the ONLY cannabis strains allowed are what is commonly referred to as "commercial hemp"???? And the ONE AND ONLY thing that commercial hemp is good for is making hemp ropes, linen cloth -- or extracting CBD (cannabidiol), which explicitly is NOT addictive NOR does it make "high".

Depends on which angle you look at it.

How about finally thawing Walt Disney and deepfreeze Biden instead?