OneMoreFarang

I have to admit I didn't see them in a long time. But maybe there is a difference between living in the middle of the city and somewhere almost outside of the city. 😉

I would love to see their definition of "questionable influence". We could start with legal and illegal activities. And only because they are not arrested doesn't mean they didn't do anything illegal. And somehow, I would be surprised if anybody who helped Thaksin is on the list of influential people, even if they are obviously influential.

No idea. For me, everything >50km from Bangkok is up-country and not really important. 😉

Somehow it seems you think those are completely different groups of people...

Only those influential figures from the others. Our own influential figures are obviously all good guys. 😉

RTFM!

I wonder what is the bigger problem: loopholes or not enforced laws? And why are laws not enforced? Maybe because of corruption? What's the point of fixing loopholes if the rich and influential don't care about the laws?

I agree. I guess one reason for not doing anything is that the politicians don't want to upset their rich supporters. And that is obviously not only a problem in Thailand.

I wrote the following before I realize the article above is only about Phuket. But the principle is the same. If they really would want to do that, then the list of influential people would include all MPs and many rich families. Because they are all influential people. The more important question is which influential people use their influence to do good things, and which influential people use their influence to get more influence, more money, get out of jail, and all those things. Please let us know if the Shinawatras are on the list of influential people. They should be on that list. They clearly use their influence all the time.

I don't know who did what. Maybe it was the Bangkok governor. Or maybe it was police enforcement of existing laws. There are multiple reasons why things might happen, and I think often it is not obvious why. Years ago, there were a lot more vehicles with black smoke, especially busses and big trucks. Over the years, the situation got better and better? Why? I don't know.

Did I write that anywhere? No! Someone above wrote the pollution doesn't get better. I pointed out that at least in Bangkok it is not as bad as it used to be. Can it be improved? Yes. Should it be improved? Yes. Can we acknowledge that there is already less pollution than in the past? Yes. Flooding is another issue. Yes, there still is flooding. But a lot less than decades ago.

Yes, but the chances are lower on a little bike.

Maybe you are aware of the following, maybe you don't care. Then maybe just see it as information for others who read this. As far as I know, a Non-B visa has to be cancelled before applying for a new Non-B visa. Some time ago I worked for one company and my Non-B visa expired on the day of my flight out of the country. I knew already that I would apply for a new Non-B visa from another company in the near future. Several knowable people advised me to cancel my existing Non-B before I departed from Thailand to avoid trouble getting a new Non-B later. The fact that I left the country on the day when the existing Non-B expired was no reason not to cancel it. So maybe keep in mind that now there won't be a problem if your Non-B is not cancelled. But this might make things more difficult for you in the future.

"I can tell" Really? It's more like you imagine something and you are sure your imagination must match reality. But maybe it doesn't. And about that charger: Have you spend maybe a minute or two with the question why the smart charger does what it does? Someone designed the charger in the way not to charge if the battery is very low. That function wasn't an accident, it's a feature. Many devices have features to protect all those users who don't read the manual and who don't think about what they are doing. And the features also protect connected batteries. If you connect a charger with too high voltage to a lead acid battery, then not much will happen. Do the same with a LiPo battery and maybe that thing will explode, and your house is on fire. That is why such smart chargers exist. Maybe there should be a warning on the box: The user of this smart charger should be at least as smart as the charger.

Why don't you care? It is not your responsibility to feed everyone. But if you see some people regularly, and they enhance the quality of your life, why wouldn't you enhance the quality of their life? I.e. I tip waitresses who are friendly and do a good service. I know they don't get much money. If I give them a few hundred THB tip over a month, I won't recognize any difference in my pocket. But they will have some needed extra money. Win/win.

Sometimes I tip...

That is not corract. At least in Bangkok decades ago the air quality was worse and the traffic was worse. Now it's far away from good, but a lot better than it used to be. Remember those things?

Nuff said.

Thanks for sharing your experience. You showed us that you have no patience, are aggressive, like to call things bad names, etc. You are certainly in the group of people who nobody should ask for advice. My advice: Relax, RTFM, and if you don't know what you are doing think twice before you publish that information.

When you go for your coffee everyday or weekly so you still leave a tip in the cafe? Yes, every day. Where I go they have great coffee and good service. I like to support them and keep them happy. Delivery guy? - No Cleaners? - Yes Barber? - No, he own the business. Massage? - Yes Lazada delivery? - No Mechanic - Maybe Grab/bolt driver ? - No Do you tip far less now your an expat in Asia rather than a tourist? No I see at least three big factors: - Most important is the quality of service. No tip for bad or average service. - If I pay in cash, it is more likely that I tip. - In some places, like Swensons, if there is a tip box nearby, maybe I tip. If they don't have such box, then likely not.

I suggest tourists should not be allowed to rent any big bikes. Something like this should be good enough to get from A to B on that island.

What does that mean? Do they think he is innocent? Do they don't care if he is innocent, they want that he keeps his job even if he is guilty? Or are all top cops and officials corrupt and the question is only which of them are nearer aligned to their interests?

I would be very surprised if the Russians are independent. Thais will make sure that they get their "fair share" - or else.

I hope Iran will retaliate and destroy Israel's nuclear weapons. Because officially those nuclear weapons don't exist. Iran is accused to try to get nuclear weapons. But they don't have them. Israel has nuclear weapons, everybody knows it. But "the west" pretends they don't exist. So, if Iran would destroy them then what would they have done? Nothing. Because you can't destroy what doesn't exist. Win/win.