ScreamingEagle101

Eventually the Boys in Brown will come to understand that a smart phone is far more dangerous than a Swiss knife. Well, at least for the tourist economy

There is still one sister left, although she is not as photo friendly, she is said to be way better at politics as Yingluck. There is always hope, what will I read if the Shins are gone??

Farang usual are big size and weigh a lot more than Thai people.

Hence Farang should pay a fuel premium.

If farang flying into Thailand can afford to pay thousands (some times tens of thousand) in jet fuel surcharge, I am sure they would not mind paying a few hundred Bahts in LPG fuel surcharge.

Farang needs to pay extra because they are rich and can afford to. Thai people are poor and have no money to pay.

So, next time I take a taxi with my Thai wife and 2 kids, I will argue that I should only have to pay 25% of the overcharge amount. But, I'm not big and fat, and I'm not rich, so I should be able to negotiate my 25% down. I'm really poor, chotthee. Do you know any massage parlor brokers that can buy my daughter? But, since she is half American I expect 50% more. Well, its been fun talking to you, but I see that its time for you to go out and plow the field. So,get behind the water buffalo and enjoy the view.

"In this regard, all sectors of Thai society have been urged to join the reform efforts."

General, please, whatever you do, never ask the majority of TVF members as it is amazing how ignorant they are on Thai political issues.

The only thing they know is to repeat themselves, asking for your good self to go away, without realizing or even thinking that this will put Thailand back to the old days of corruption, disrespect of the law and the constitution.

Please, take your time and reform this country........elections and democracy can wait.

Thailand is not ready yet to face them again.

What brand of boot polish do you use to polish his Jackboots?

I have a Thai wife, 2 children, and eleven years in Thailand as a rich dude, police afraid to pull over my BMW. I moved back to the USA, a place where police are willing to pull me over for not obeying a stop sign in the mall. Why did I do this? Because Thailand had turned into a place where greedy scum pay the boss tribute for the right to steal as much as they can from the people of Thailand. Of course, the Democrats steal too, but they have enough sense to understand there are limits to how much you can get away with, even in Thailand, so they leave some scraps on the table for others to quarrel over.

At a meditation retreat I came to meet a very senior military figure, a graduate of a US military academy. With my many years in Thailand I was reluctant to engage anyone from the police, military or government. Over the course of a few dinners I came to realize there are actually some people who are patriots and care about the country and the people and understand both western and eastern mindset.

While I am polishing my jackboots, I ask you PatOngo, can you say the same about Jatuporn, the other red leaders (who shout violent provocations then run away), the Thaksin clan, the police lackeys filling their pockets, an army of government bureaucrats with their hands out. I will leave out the swarm of scam artists ripping off tourist and Thai alike without conscience.

Why, PatOngo, do you want to go back to that? Without doubt, the current self imposed leadership will swing the pendulum to far to the right. With a look a history and a little commonsense and luck, that pendulum will swing back to rest in a comfortable middle. And that is why I support the current leadership, so that my foreign educated Thai-American children can return to a democratic and rule of law nation. It is going to take time, certainly not one to two years, but at least there will be a nation and not a Thaksinland.

Will you argue that democracy and the right to sell your vote is always right? If so, please study the two thaousand years of Chinese history to help understand that democracy is born of the west and paternalistic dynasties of the east. Expecting western democracy of the east is a losing proposition. Let Thais find their own way.

This VAT rise has been on the cards for a long time.

Is there such a thing as a taxpayer's alliance here to check the efficiency of government spending?

For those red sympathizers among us, The billions of bhat lost on the rice scheme have to be paid for in some way and certainly the rich aren't going to pay their share. So, the anti-populist VAT tax will be hiked, ie. let the poor pay for what they have done. This is a clear message to the reds, there is no free lunch, unless you are tight with the boss.

Tinted windows !, what about the trucks that drive about

with a set of curtains in the front screen and sometimes on

on the side windows.is that illegal,they must have taken

exception against this driver as they threw the book at him,

maybe a slow day collecting bribes,so they hit him with a 2K fine.

regards worgeordie

Better guess is that the driver was rude.

Lace up or boots should be worn when driving. Sandals slip off and get tangled in the pedals. I have had that happen to me and never wore sandals while driving again.

Tell me it ain't so. This is Thailand where they will build one of the world's tallest skyscrapers. This is where quality and on-time delivery of work is paramount in the hearts and minds of all citizens. This is Thailand where everything runs on a tight schedule. How can this happen? I'm shocked.

Coming soon to Thailand.......a nuclear power plant

I wonder how much this cost the boss.

trust the reds to come out in favour of an amnesty, considering they were the ones that did all the killings and and blowing up of various areas its not surprising. No amnesty for anyone that broke the law fullstop, the only way to get over all this crap is to make sure those that committed offences go to jail otherwise they will simply keep doing it.

I will be a lot more positive when Reds state they wish to clear their names in a court of law.

If you believe you did nothing wrong, stand up and refute the evidence.

If he keeps this kind of behavior up he will be elected as PM as many times as he likes. Any one who has lived a life in military command positions is going to have a learning curve in a democracy, however he is a breath of fresh air. Can you imagine the Boss ever apologizing?

Traffic Police should be more concerned about scooters and vehicles with NO LIGHTS which are to be see almost every night on the highways. Grossly overloaded vehicles both in height and weight would appear to be more hazardous on Thailand's roads than modified fog lamps. The above policing plus the introduction of breathalyzer units should result in a reduction of road deaths and injuries not just traffic violations.

I couldn't disagree more, bright lights tend to blind other drivers, especially in the rain with all the reflection. A rice diet increases the number of people with diabetes and diabetes cause the eyes to become increasingly sensitive (diabetic retinopathy). No lights is equally bad.

Another pain in the drivers seat is the hi-so with their emergency light bar flashing. Arrogant idiots who have no respect for the rest of the public.

I hope this includes the signs with wheels that business owners wheel out and block the sidewalk, then never pull them in.

disciplinary action - punishment is the only thing business owners and politicians really understand. They have no respect for the law and regulations designed to make a better community, only profit and punishment. When the punishment is greater than the profit then change will occur.

They implied that men treat women as sex objects.

And you have to read a Durex as to figure that out?My wife is a good mother and wife, yet somehow, several times a month she turns into a sex object and she never objects.

Brilliant! Terrorists issue receipts and have detailed accounting records of their arms deals. Really Somyot, surely you can do better than that.

When the man gives you money for an operation he usually wants some proof you didn't just take the money. And, by the way, anytime you transfer money via a banking organization there will be a receipt and records in the system for many, many years.

I think recent history has shown that people don't always have enough common sense to bury the box of evidence on the farm.

I am not saying she did it, but I will say she is going to take the fall and the boss isn't going to come to the rescue.

Let's hope there's more genuine evidence than ' seen strolling near the scene ', I presume if it's him he was strolling before and not after the crime.

They have found a bloodstain on his clothes but wasn't he already interviewed and allowed to go and the stain wasn't seen then ?

I'm not saying he's innocent but the BIB get everything arse for elbow and it raises doubt especially when told from the very top to get it solved ' yesterday '.

Let's be clear, the police are looking for any suspect that is not Thai, cause we all know that Thais never get angry or violent with the foreign guests.

It would be very convenient if a fellow Brit could be found guilty as then Thailand would remain a safe place to visit except for the occasional deranged Brit.

Pol Gen Somyos Poompanmuang, deputy national police chief, told the media that the five suspects who identities were withheld confessed during the police interrogation that they were involved in the shooting of army troops and civilians near the Democracy Monument on April 10 at the height of the red-shirt protests against the Abhisit government.

The article clearly states that the men in black shot army troops and civilians, not red shirts. All the video from 2010 shows the black shirts among the red shirts. Please don't muddy the waters with these statements.

Red shirts are civilians.

Actually, red shirts are employees.

A quick Google puts this device available today at around $2000 US or Thb 63,500!, so that means they paid around Thb31,500 over the top, excluding installation and kickbacks.

Thailand, the more it changes the more it stays the same.

But really, you may be overlooking the 100% customs duty on everything made by falangs to punish falangs for having more desirable products and making Thais look bad.

How hard can it be to take one train out of service at the appointed mileage and maintenance it? Apparently easier than finding qualified managers.

I will give the OAG the benefit of the doubt and just assume that the Boss made a substantial donation to his financial future. I will not however, assume that the OAG or any other career state official is above corruption. TIT says it all. Now I'm going to slap myself for ever thinking justice would knock on a Shin door.

Personally I can understand your barely suppressed anger. I mean, obviously Ms. Yingluck knew nothing,

She was only chairwoman of the National Rice Board, PM of her own, handpicked cabinet and as she stated during the last censure debate only she and no one else was in charge. How can she be 'only negligent' ? Between 500 and 700++billion Baht lost, but the PM obviously knowing nothing, being 'innocent as a babe', a cute one as well as some have it.

Anger, No. Resignation, Yes. Thailand has been through this before, except last time the organ grinders monkey was called the AEC.

You'll keep on posting about 500++ or 700++ billion baht lost but at the end of the day that is what the rice price pledging scheme cost the State. It was not lost but of course that sounds sexier and implies 500++ or whatever lost to corruption.

It helps to remember that the rice scheme was supposed to make a profit. The Boss, a self described master of commodities trading, intended to hold Thai rice off the market by warehousing it, then sell it into higher prices caused by "scarcity." I will say one thing positive about the boss, after losing 100 million dollars trading oil futures he is no longer willing to play the commodities market with his own money. Much better to lose the public's coin.

Anyway you look at the plan, its intentions, and the result, this fiasco has set the nation back. Lost is its place and reputation as a top world producer of quality rice, as well as hundreds of billions of bhat. For all the bhat spent the farmer received only more suffering at the hands of the elite. Quality rice was produced by Thai farmers, or Cambodian, and delivered to the government warehouses. The farmers were not generally promptly paid and the rice was allowed to rot in warehouses through negligence. Instead of collecting top dollar the rice will be sold as low quality for substantially less money. So, factually, money has been lost no matter how red your glasses are.

The real crime here is becoming apparent, Yingluck is going to skate free. That was pretty much clear when she decided to return after visiting the Boss for instructions. After 11 years in Thailand I am not in the least bit surprised. In Thailand the motto of the rich is "free as the birds fly." At least she doesn't hang out with rich people that drive their own cars, showing that she has some class.

The ministry hoped that the national income from tourism should reach Bt2.2 trillion next year as targeted.

Without the Visa runners, it will probably go far down significantly.

Glass ball planning with hope and inaccurate data.

Immigration never seemed to understand that as visa runners chalk up more "tourist arrivals" other tourists researching places to go are influenced by the Pumped up arrival numbers. Same tourists researching for a vacation spot will be influenced by declining numbers. As for the Chinese, sooner or later they will start looking for a more prestigious location to brag to their friends about.

Was this stuff bought at the wrong prices and grades or is the inferior quality caused by storage deterioration?

It isn't new crop product any more, but does the stuff resemble high quality product that has aged, or are they sitting on stuff that was initially graded as top quality and is basically rubbish?

Perhaps the rice was good quality allowed to go bad. The point of the inspection was to value the rice to accurately determine the losses caused by the rice scheme. So now we are getting an idea the the loss is going to be huge.

3 shots fired through his left hand into his face?

Speakee/readee English? It said nothing of the sort.

defensive wounds when victim put hand up to "stop" the bullets. Very common. Guess we'll have to call in CSI.