jamesbrock

48 minutes ago, HoboKay said:

Is there yet another impending flood for Bangkok this year?

 

Time to get the wellingtons ready.

Yes, there is. Some of us have been warning of the high possibility since April.

It won't be as bad as 2011, because the drought all but emptied the dams, but it will flood.

7 minutes ago, Enoon said:

 

At least that foreigner, in 1926, is asking the question. 

 

I feel that many today do not ask and are, apparently, more than happy to dine at the table and share their hosts "meal".

 

In truth how many of us would live quite so comfortably if if such a status quo did not prevail?

 

It must be great to be a 10 day tourist and know nothing.  I can just about remember the feeling.

There is absolutely zero about this cultural anachronism that makes my time in Thailand comfortable - indeed, quite the opposite.

As HoboKay says:

5 minutes ago, HoboKay said:

possibly the most irksome of the negatives.

10 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

Legislation is often complex, with wiggle room, to allow someone or some group to decide who does and who doesn't get prosecuted. 

 

All about the "good people and the bad people" - Thainess.

Whenever I hear the term "good people and the bad people" I recall this cartoon, published in the Siam Review in 1926, which lampoons the attitudes of elite Thais.

The caption is: “Our custom of crawling.”

The cartoon shows a foreigner and a wealthy Thai seated at a table with female servants grovelling at their feet alongside several dogs.

The foreigner asks: “Aren’t they Thai too?”

“Yes,” replies his host, “but they have less money than me.”

Thainess.

35 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Thai cops have been in touch with the FBI to find out what the gang might have been up to and if they had any other information about their activities and background.

In the movie adaptation, a private G650ER would be enroute already. A clean up squad for the clean up squad.

39 minutes ago, lucky11 said:

Yingluck not big enough for you?

I'm talking about officials that the money trail leads to, not incompetents responsible for irresponsible policies. Can you not see the difference?

Even if one agrees to the completely unprecedented step of criminal and civil liability lawsuits for former policy-makers linked to government policies, don't you think the government should wait for the final verdict in the criminal cases against Yingluck before filing the civil compensation lawsuits and seizing her assets? Jumping the gun like this almost makes it look like a politically motivated witch hunt...

If the criminal case against her finds she personally profited from the scheme—like the low ranking officials in this story—then, by all means, seize her assets. Lock her up. You won't hear a complaint from me.

34 minutes ago, tbthailand said:

close the country, ie: secure the borders... finally, he is getting closer to the real role for the military... 

In the context of his sentence, "If there is no peace and order, I must stay on and if we have to close the country, so be it" I consider "close the country" to mean North Korea-style isolating the country from the world, rather than securing the borders but still letting people, particularly foreigners, cross.

Securing the borders but still letting people, including foreigners, cross would not bring about peace and order. Isolating the country from the world, particularly if he uses his beloved single gateway to restrict social media a la China, would (in his mind).

20 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said:

And the LM law ...

112 is the LM law.

4 minutes ago, trogers said:

NLA should modify the law on defamation if they are serious in tackling corruption.

 

The wrongdoers should be fearful that the truth is revealed.

Should, but won't. It, alongside the cyber crimes law and article 112 are the only things keeping the masses quiet.

They are maintained specifically because the elite are fearful that the truth is revealed.

42 minutes ago, NongKhaiKid said:

We could be in for the usual BIB speculation that the motive could be..., or..., or... and so on.

Police find large quantity of ya ba, suspect drug trafficking;

Police find body in freezer cut into pieces, suspect murder;

Police find car overturned 15 meters below expressway, suspect accident;

Police find car large haul of weapons, suspect foul play;

Police find witness in 10 billion baht land title deed case dead in a secure DSI cell with ruptured liver, suspect someone might have made him die, but not murder, for motives unknown.

5 minutes ago, Caveat Emptor said:

Oh, another list no doubt but since it mentions low ranking officials there may actually be some action taken but just what that might entail is anyone's guess.

Ordered to inactive post > what until media scrutiny/public attention dies down > back to the trough.

Unless they're Shincrim sympathisers: Tried > assets seized before trial even finishes > imprisoned.

16 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

I heard that Tawatchai was very mean to poor people who have murderous tendencies. He was particularly mean to the Burmese ones. 

Oh, god, that did make me laugh out loud!

Why does that number of snouts in the trough not surprise me?

What will surprise me is if they find some 'higher raking' officials involved - and seize all their assets.

About as good as one could hope for considering.

12 minutes ago, NongKhaiKid said:

Thai communities in the US and elsewhere have access to the international media and will be only too well aware of the junta's ' work '.

Yes, it's amazing how—for some Thais who have lived overseas—it becomes apparent that the truth about Thailand is very different from the official narrative...

5 minutes ago, NongKhaiKid said:

So patron - family situations will be stopped, ?

Well maybe, sort of, oh just forget it.

I think this answers your question...

"the new law may exclude small actions, determining which acts fall into the patron-client category will be the task of the new government"

There's always wriggle room!

6 minutes ago, NongKhaiKid said:

You shock and sadden me, TAT and the lovely minister prone to invention, I just can't handle this !    

The probably just follow the example set by the NNT...

3 hours ago, Xircal said:

Jumping the gun a bit aren't they? It's still only September and a lot can happen before Christmas.

A lot can certainly happen before christmas - when they tell anyone about it is a matter of political convenience.

11 minutes ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

Since this is a Mastercard survey I very much doubt it has been  done with figures for visas (no pun intended) or a count at immigration, since they don't count.

I expect the survey has been done by card transactions in London, Paris, New York, Sydney etc etc by people whose cards are registered in another country.

It clearly isn't anywhere near accurate, just like most polls these days.

"The Mastercard Index of Global Destination Cities ranks cities in terms of the number of their total international overnight visitor arrivals and the cross-border spending by these same visitors in the destination cities, and gives visitor and passenger growth forecasts for 2016.

Public data is used in deriving the international overnight visitor arrivals and their cross-border spending in each of the 132 destination cities, using custom-made algorithms; paying special attention to eliminate the hub effects for destination cities such as Singapore, Dubai, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

This Index and the accompanying reports are not based on Mastercard volumes or transactional data."

3 hours ago, sanukjim said:

The survey is wrong,Thailand is not the number one tourist destination in the world. France is with 79.5 million yearly with the USA 62.7 million,China 57.6,.The UK is is #7 with 29.2,Thailand is # 14 with 19.1.The Thai over estimate of numbers spreads to the airport also about the number of flight operations by at least 25%.

Not a survey per se, the Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index projects visitor volume and spend estimates.

According to the study, Bangkok is projected to receive 21.47 million international overnight visitors in 2016, just ahead of second-ranked London.

As per MasterCard:

Quote

The sources for city level overnight arrivals by foreign visitors are typically the National Statistics Boards of the relevant countries or their Tourism Boards. The indicators for 122 out of the 132 cities were directly sourced from or estimated from official data. 

So, if TAT find out that they can win by simply doing what they do best—making up numbers—surely they could make up anything they need to win?

23 minutes ago, bangkapi said:

I want to see how this plays out.  I can't tell from the pixelated images, but as a budding TV armchair detective, I think there are Nigerians involved.

As per the article, "a UK man, two Americans and two Burmese were arrested"

2 hours ago, tbthailand said:

wow, ... just wow, .... 

 

What else would we expect from a self-proclaimed "democratic soldier"??  

I've since discovered that this video was taken at the first meeting of the “five rivers” (which include the National Council for Peace and Order, the cabinet, the National Legislative Assembly, the National Reform Steering Assembly and the Constitution Drafting Committee) on Wednesday 28 October 2015.

I think this quote wasn't picked up on because this was the meeting where he said he may stay longer in office if opposing political groups refuse to stop fighting.

Quote

Politicians do not have to be suspicious of me. [The media] writes every day that I intend to cling to power. I must make it clear. If there is no peace and order, I must stay on and if we have to close the country, so be it.

Close. The. Country. He said he would isolate the country from the world if that is what is required to get Thailand back on track. 

14 minutes ago, HoboKay said:

I'm all for cycling but afraid the tropical climate will ruin the experience.

Done plenty of cycling in Thailand - early mornings aren't too bad at all. Much prefer cycling in Thailand than southern Australia!

That being said, commuting in work clothes wouldn't be good in the humidity.

6 minutes ago, dieseldave1951 said:

but not safer 

If there were only bicycles...

Another 'oh for crying out loud' story. They come way too frequently.

12 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Had she over ruled the agriculture minister and ensured water was released when the professionals advised the situation would've been much less severe. But her ally was under instructions to protect the rice harvest and delayed the release, seriously aggravating the situation. 

The mismanagement of funds is another issue.

• Rainfall in March 2011 over northern Thailand was 344% above the mean. 
• Bhumibol Dam in particular received 242.8 mm of rain, well above the normal 25.2 mm.
• Since 1 January the dam had accumulated 245.9 mm, 216.0 mm or 186% above normal.
• The monsoons that started in May and brought the highest levels of rainfall in Thailand in the previous 50 years.
• Major flooding began as Tropical Storm Nock-ten raged through 14 northern provinces, killing 7, from 31 July. 
• It was 3 August when Drainage and Sewerage Department Director Sanya Shenimitra said that overall, there is nothing to be worried about as the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is capable of handling the flood situation, and expressed confidence that Bangkok would not be severely affected by the swelling river flow.
• Yingluck took office on 5 August.

Pretty certain the emptying-the-dams horse had bolted well before YL was in charge.

The mismanagement  of funds is certainly another issue, and one which she should be investigated for.