Bigfarang1948

Indeed, sweeping changes are needed in the Thai Royal Police Force, in the face of rampant corruption. A comprehensive reform will take some time, but still, there is no way to be sure that the new Police will be any more honest than those who have bought their positions already. I applaud the initiative, but remain very skeptical that it will ever move beyond the talking stage. It is a huge undertaking and those in command positions now will not go away quietly after so many years of being on the take.

Am I correct in thinking that this was just a 'Proposal', perhaps one of many?

Not a dictatorship......yet but sounding much like freedom of speech is eroding and military control is becoming more the law. I am sure moving the time slot for Buddha's teachings would appease both Buddha and the cops. Can't we all get along in the LOS?

' Must ' air all official announcements.

' Ordered ' to broadcast the P'S weekly ' happiness ' speech.

DR'S expressing their own opinions, what nerve !

You've just got to love this free speech thing, luckily this is not a dictatorship.

First place to check. The wife. Especially an absent one.

Yup. It must be the wife; she left several weeeks ago, then hired a hitman from home to off her hubby for partying with friends and unknown white substance. Suicide makes it nice and tidy for the coroner and cops, doesn't it?

Behave yourself ! OK !! OK !! Don't work with uneducated idiots! We wish it would, try having a go at one of them in a restaurant when they have finished food and start spitting it everywhere. They know no diffrent !!

Unacceptable behavior in any country but still happens and nothing can stop it besides serious financial penalties and prison time after threatening to bomb a flight and assaulting a crew member. Their slap on the wrist fine will not be a deterrent and the every day Chinese tourist is not impacted and will not suffer loss of face. These thugs actually demanded a letter from the airline saying the accusations against them were false, and the airlines complied. WHY??? Sounds like the culprits held the airline company officials to their demands and got what they wanted. Prison time for the one who hurled the scalding water at the flight attendent would be justified....

Cant disagree with you more about experiences in Cambodia. I spent several months there a few years ago, trying unsuccessfully to make it as a bar owner. Corruption and payoffs were rampant as were the thefts by the local gals working my bar. The city was what I called a dead zone. I likened it to Pol Pot killing the spirit of the country along with 2,000,000 minoirity residents he is said to have killed. The final straw was when a underged girl was brought to my bar and posed dancing on the bar top with the bar logo clerly visible in the photos. The cops came back thee next day and told me I had 72 hours to be gone from their counrty. I was more than happy to oblige. Now I am having similar thoughts about the treatment I have to endure as a foreigner, married to a Thai and always getting ripped off for everything we purchase because her ID card has a Farang last name. This treatment by business owners has just about sapped the life and spirit out of me and I too wonder if I will go back to Thailand other than to visit my wife every year or two. I have given up on my dream of retiring there for many reasons, not the least of which is no health care insurance and not enough money to cover hospitilaization long term. I love the people of Thailand but am tired of being taken advantage of because I am foreign. I wish you well.

discoverd Laos and Cambodia. And generall have found the Cmabodia to be the nicest most courteous people in Asia.

Bet you said the same thing after your first visit to Thailand as well. As the old saying goes, "familiarity breeds contempt". Looking forward to your updated posts about Laos and Cambodia in a few years!

Relations between blacks and cops will never get ny beter as long as blacks continue to break the law, then refuse arrresting policeman's orders. It is blacks doing the majority of the crime, blacks resisting arrest, blacks burning their ghetto businessses down and calling or others to burn them down too. Blcks are the only ones seen to loot and riot ater a black is killed by a white. White's don't act out when a cop arrests them and they don't burn the neighborhood down and loot markets and steal everything they can carry off, when a white man is shot by the cops. Hispanics dont do this lawless behavior either, so the black question is why do you do it and then blame it on the cops. Until blacks become law abiding citizens insteead of law breaking burning and looting thugs, and until they respect the tough jobs the cops do every day, race relations will continue to fester and race baiting blacks like Al sharpton will continue to stir the pot.

I agree with the majority of Americans that do not think that race was a major factor in either of the grand jury rulings, but I do think that some sort of charges should have been prosecuted in the Eric Garner case. However, I think that their is a good chance that the police would have been acquitted.

Charges? Well, Garner would have been charged with selling untaxed cigarettes and resisting arrest (not unlike his other 30 arrests) but he died from a heart attack in the ambulance (due to his total disregard for his own health and life, not from a chokehold as you mentioned). However there was one charge loosely connected to this case. The videographer was found in possession of an illegal handgun last week and charged accordingly. I would like to charge you with the responsibility of arresting a man intent on not being taken into custody who is 6'3" and 400lbs. Until you do that, you can just start thanking police for doing a job that must be done by someone with guts enough to get it done.

And remove your pinned quote about sleeping under the protection of brave men while your at it because you obviously don't really believe it.

Isn't this the usual annual meaningless talk by the ministers to make it look like they care that Thai's will somehow still not get drunk and kill through violence or vehicle accidents? Aside from the bar crawling drunks and other tourists out to tip a few, if the Thais cannot buy alcohol during this time, I am sure they will stock up before hand just like most Westerners will if they feel the need to have booze during these holidays. The small village markets will undoubtedly have enough behind the counter to get the party in full swing and the cops are not likely to be out in the villages to see who is drinking, are they? This is an empty attempt at showing concern, meanwhile I expect the vehicle death carnage and violent deaths will not abate at all because of any proposed or implemented ban. Life goes on as usual, in Thailand.

Usually these proposals are made to cover up something else going on behind the curtains. I wonder what that was this time ..

Isn't this a recurring theme just so the ministers look like they care who gets drunk and kills others through violence or reckless driving? It is really a pathetic attempt at showing they are concerned about alcohol related deaths on these holidays only. Aside from the bar crawling tourists, the Thais can stock all they want well ahead of the holidays and the mom and pop markets will have plenty even though it might be illegal to sell alcohol during this time. I expect nothing will be done and the drunken mayhem will go unchecked

Usually these proposals are made to cover up something else going on behind the curtains. I wonder what that was this time ..

We haven't given even one tenth measure of torture back to the terrorists; water boarding is a justifiable means of extracting information from these scumbags. When we start beheading, then they can call it equality of terrorist tactics. Until then, I do not give a darn what we do to kill these terrorist murderers and all their buddies in the Middle East, but for liberals in Washington to publish our interrogation tactics is just wrong and our muslim president does not care who he puts more into harms way. The only way to defeat terrorists is to keep killing them, but we will never kill them all; just too many of these haters around the world.

What goes around comes around.

Won't make any difference to the hundreds of thousands of expats here, will it? I will just go on paying 4X what Thais pay for dr visits and meds and pray I do not have a serious health problem. Neither My US military retiree insurance nor my US Medicare insurance is good in Thailand and I surely cannot afford the $500 a month one international insurance bandit quoted me. No matter though because I still do not grasp the intricacies of Thai healthcare for eve my wife;s poor family, who seem to have to first see the local doctor and then get a written referral before they can go to the next larger hospital. The only service I know my wife and her family get for free is teeth extraction

Good article from the Nation newspaper. This is the type of stuff that Thailand needs the Nation to print. Yes, a newspaper that is calling for the same standards for EVERYBODY. Same standard of healthcare available to all. It might not happen, because Thais who have got money might start saying "I pay more into the system, why should I subsidise people who are poor".

And good to see that the Nation has thrown in politics into the situation. The Nation actually wrote "since the junta-led government is promising real reforms, will it be able to set a standard and ensure quality healthcare services for one and all ?"

If the junta was to actually carry this out, then yes, they will win the next general election. Let's all urge the junta to actually carry this out. Massive credit for the Nation for bringing this up.

Well. You get what you pay for, sometimes. I mean how was this street cobbler supposed to know you had just handed him your, to me from me, favorite $240.00 birthday boots? This problem is your naivete about getting quality work from someone who is used to cleaning cheap 100 baht loafers.

Racist dual pricing, as you call it, must keep you out of most locations in Thailand. I would hate to live the life of a recluse based on your comment, but up to you...

Anyone can get in there. They do have security who seem to be running quite a good business. We stopped for a look about 12 months ago and there was quite a few people in there. I think the admission fee was 100 baht for thais. Don't know the farang price we didn't go in as my wife is scared of ghosts.

Another racist dual pricing case in Thailand. No way I would ever enter that place on this basis alone.

We don't need them, don't want them and never will.

Stay at home in your sweltering sandbox, ride your camels, herd your goats and make more babies with your wives and slaves. My fervent prayer is that oil and gas fall to $5.00 a barrel

So they should learn to say "Do you want that Burqa in Black or Dark Black?"

HERE'S A BRILLIANT IDEA. WHY NOT PUT LIGHTED FLASHING SIGNS ON BOTH APPROACHES TO EVERY SINGLE RAILROAD CROSSING IN THAILAND? IT DOES NOT HAVE TO SAY A WORD; JUST A BIG STOP SIGN WITH A PHOTO OF A TRAIN AND WHAT IS LEFT OF A SMASHED VEHICLE. EVEN ILLITERATE DRIVERS CAN GET THE MEANING OF THIS SIMPLE IDEA, BUT THAILAND WOULD RATHER TALK ABOUT IT AND STUDY IT RATHER THAT DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE ROOT CAUSE OF TRAIN/VEHICLE ACCIDENTS, MEANWHILE A FEW MORE HUNDRED WILL SURELY DIE OR BE INJURED BEFORE(if) ANYTHING IS DONE...AND THAT IS THE TRUTH

Running the lights, not looking for trains

I think she made that choice as far as relationship.She is still a person with needs however and if you are in a position to help her, particuarly in getting proper hospital pain control when it is needed if the situation is as you say it may be a nice thing to do.

Cynical here, having heard and read so many stories and lies that can be told by a cheating girlfriend. Cancer is a easy excuse for getting sympathy and I am not a believer until I hear it from her doctor even if it has to be translated. If you want a second opinion, take her to Bumungrad (SP) hospital in Bangkok. I sincerely hope she gets well and you let your heart do what it will. I thought Thais got decent medical care once they get past the village witch doctor. Maybe I m wrong, but I dare say most Farangs probably can't cough up enough baht to pay for chemo, radiation treatment, hospital stay, and a room and food for mama, because, as you probably know, Thais do not seem to stay over night in the hospital unless at least one family member stays with them, no matter how long they are in the hospital. May God and Buddha place their loving hands on her and cure her if she is sick.

I've not heard of any official ban on cutting, however with the price of latex being so low at present (20 baht kilo and likely to fall even further) to some it's hardly worth their while. I did hear a rumour that the Govt. may encourage rubber farmers to abandon rubber, cut down their trees and plant alternative crops.

There's too much of the stuff on the World market at present. China is said to have established huge plantations that are said to be shortly coming on line, that will reduce the demand for Thai rubber. I'm afraid the outlook for rubber farmers does not look too rosy.

Encourage the to cut their trees down? I hope it may be financial encouragement as most have been waiting year with dreams of being coming rich.

I heard from a farmer near our village who was having the older trees that were not producing any longer, I guess would be the reason for cutting a 20 year old tree down, that they sold for an average of 3,000 TB per tree; good money if you have a large farm but a heck of a long time to wait for the profit, if you can call it that. It is very discouraging and disheartening to see the anguish on my wife's face after planting, feeding, and keeping the undergrowth cut away for seven years to see the prices drop to 20 baht per kilo

We have a small rubber tree farm in Isaan and this will be our first year of cutting and selling "cup latex". My wife has been hearing about a six months ban on all rubber tree tapping. Has anyone else heard of this ban and can shed a some more light on this topic?

If it is indeed true, how can these poor farmers afford to wait that many month before being allowed to sell latex again? At today's prices, the little profit we make will barely cover

the cost of yearly upkeep and it is also the only source of cash income for many small farmers like us. Just how will we and thousands of others survive if our only source of revenue is suddenly cut off?

Penetration is permitted. Just not the foreplay.

The driver is upset only because he cant see all the action. Please be sure to keep both hands on the wheel, driver. LOL

if I would be in 3 other men I couldn't ejaculate at all

My book of little known, yet still published useless facts, is now complete.

Oh great, the writer couldn't bother to translate the Thai name of the snake into its English equivalent and chose to invent a new one instead. Someone who doesn't know Thai will have a hard time identifying the "Thab Saminkla" because Google has, of course, never heard about it. ทับสมิงคลา = white-banded krait/Malayan krait. Bungarus Candidus.

Amazing that on your first post, you find a reason to complain.

This is an exceptional piece of reporting. All you other media, take a good look and see how it's done! It's concise, sequential, uncomplicated and impartial - the story on Pattaya One even got a cliff hanger.

The only problem is the content: shoplifting...really?!

What else do you call stealing from a store? I thought shop lifting nailed it right on the head.

You're forgetting about all the people who run the reds. Nobody wants to be t-boned.

Quite the lovely exaggeration on the green light. Maybe three second delay is more like it, but your wife got so annoyed it seemed like a minute. Lights don't even stay green for more than 1 minute. Take a chill pill because you will not change the other drivers.

I better go now; cars are honking their horns behind me and for some reason it is really annoying my wife. She said they had been honking their horns for a minute at least for some reason

Thai Restaurant Association? Sounds like competitors trying to stir up problems by making street food more expensive or less available to get rid of their low cost competitors.

Here is a Heads' Up for the Thai Restaurant Industry. The tourists aren't coming her to eat your daily sidewalk road kill. Be realistic for once. If you think the sidewalk food is cusing a lack of tourism I disagree. Most of the tourists, in my opinion, are looking for new young but legal bar girls and a decent price for a cold beer and a Soapy.