valleyman

The law, as they say, is there; you break it, you get prosecuted. The problem with the death penalty is its finality. If the wrong person is executed, nothing can be done. So, as in this case, how can we be absolutely certain? In Illinois, the Governor repealed all pending death sentences to life because DNA sampling proved that 30% of previous death sentences were carried out on the wrong man. Can we be certain that the justice system is infallible?

Oh, come on, he's probably a pussy-cat underneath all that bravado. Besides, he's the sort of guy who'll be running the prison mafia in no time at all. Not a guy you want to meet on a dark night. His was the type who raided, raped and pillaged our ancestors back in old blighty, so we are all probably genetically connected with him anyhow. No wonder the Vikings were so successful.

While I have been shocked at the catastrophe, and in total awe at the power of nature, I also have great confidence in the ability and resourcefulness of the Thais to get things up and running very quickly, to the extent that I am currently booking a vacation to my beloved Phuket (I live in the USA). I plan to be there by the end of this month. I am also encouraging my friends not only to contribute to those affected by the tsunami but also to make plans to visit Thailand in the near future. And I compliment all who have added to this thread over the past week. It has made engrossing, fascinating and memorable reading. I salute you all.

Ever since I first came to Thailand in the late 50s (!) there have been crackdowns by the authorities. The first I experienced was the closing of the opium dens. Now, that was traumatic. At the end of night's carousing, we would head off to our favourite den to suck down a few pipes, get high. Great way to fix a hang-over. After that loss, we could handle anything they threw at us. But the point is that no matter what they banned, you could always find it if you wanted it badly enough. And those that want to carry on after the "official" closing will find an alternative. And, who knows, because it will be "illegal" it might be more of a kick. Where there's a will.....etc.

Hi all you farangs out there who have contributed to this topic/thread, this should be required reading for any of us who are thinking of tieing a knot with a Thai lady. Great viewpoints, fascinating anecdotes, a wealth of experience on offer. Do I see the beginnings of a book here....? Well done, all.!

Problem is that Thai women tend to get old and gnarly at an earlier age than their western counterparts. There are some guys who change girls as they would change a car for the latest, glittery sexy model. That's when the meea noi steps in. Maybe that works for a Thai male, but for a farang it can spell TROUBLE.........remember our old chum the one-legged-german. Ans what did happen to him, by the way?

Its a cultural thing, stupid. Historic, embedded. Demand and supply. Demand will always be there. It may be driven off the streets but will thrive behind closed doors. The pimps always find a way. The Dutch approach seems to work well (official red light district of Amsterdam). The minister will grab those who are most readily to hand, give himself lots of nice publicity (its all wonderful salacious media fodder) and use it in a future election campaign. Then the issue will diappear.

While not obvious or overt, culturally, Thais (and certainly the "authorities"), consider the foreigner as second class, and this can border on contempt at times. Thai ruk Thai is a fact, and is reflected in cases like this.

In response to Bubblebuster about the 'heavy-handed' Thai laws, these laws are widely known and are, and should be, a deterrent. There seems to be an 'attitude' (arrogance) that if a farang commits a crime he/she should have special dispensation that he would not receive back home, this despite the fact that many farang make this country their home. While I agree it is necessary for the UK Embassy to represent the interests of its citizens who have been unjustly held, in the case of heinous crimes such as drug trafficking local justice should be allowed to take ite prescribed course.

In the past, the Thai military/police have not displayed "gentle" behaviour in dealing with riots, disturbances etc.. This incident was no exception. On the the other hand, taken in the context of the terrorist acts being perpetrated by radical Islamists in various parts of the world, there could, or might, be outside forces at work here. Terrorism is like cancer, it spreads and infects silently before striking. One has to wonder whether the Thai authorities have good intelligence in the south. There is a lesson to be learned from the Iraqi war here which no doubt has the attention of those dissenting elements in the south. Winning the hearts and minds of those people requires innovative diplomacy along with coordination with the Malaysian government who are keenly interested in developments.

Just to let you know that I have been rallying around friends here in the Deep South here in the USA, but am so glad to hear that the problem has now been solved. This is a good, if slightly fractious(!) group, and I enjoy being part of it.

It seems quite bizarre that a one-legged elderly German could blatently go on a mission of having sex with "450" teen age girls in a smallish community, without parents, authorities getting wind of what he was doing early on. What happened to the village grape-vine? Methinks something else was going on there..........

I would like to add my offer of deepest condolences to Sombat, and also Bigley's family, in this time of grief and mourning. We all share in their pain and suffering.

It seems strange that the guy has been knocking (!) around for some time and there are precious few details about him except for a limp, and his age. I agree that it sounds like a case of a woman scorned, and then all ###### takes over.

There is no short trerm solution.....the most effective way of combatting the plague of litter is through the schools. But first of all, the govt simply has to appoint a litter czar, with the authority to impose fines, employ garbage collection patrols (work release programs for soft offence convicts, for instance) and to work with the education minister to establish programs in all schools, teaching pride in the environment along with the consequences of litter proliferation, and that money alone does not guarantee a quality of life. School kids, once motivated, can become the ambassadors for a clean environment. Also, get companies involved, to be responsible for the areas around their offices. Service clubs, such as Rotary and Lions, are responsive to campaigns such as these. Perhaps the Thai ruk thai can be changed to Thai ruk prated?