SABloke

11 hours ago, saakura said:

Just as insane as the whites who go to tanning saloons to darken themselves....

A tanning salon speeds up a natural process (you could just sit outside and achieve the same result, albeit at a slower rate). But sure, that's exactly the same as whitening your penis using lasers and chemicals during a medical procedure performed by a doctor. Exactly the same. 

Just now, webfact said:

Meanwhile, Army spokesman Lt-General Kongcheep Tantrawanich denied speculation about the issue on Saturday, saying if poll respondents really were soldiers, the number would have been in the hundreds of thousands, given the total number of soldiers across the country.

Only if they all voted in the poll. So if 10,000 soldiers followed orders and voted in the poll, they are not soldiers, because all the soldiers must do the same thing in order for them to exist as soldiers? His "logic" leaves me confused and bemused.

22 minutes ago, sungod said:

Funny enough its about the same number who showed up last Friday on the skywalk in Pathum Wan to call for elections :)

It's illegal to protest the government but not illegal to show public support for it. You're ignoring the fact that 63,000 people in the online survey thought he should be let go. 

18 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

I can open a beer bottle using another. Does that mean I've gone native?


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

I crack the bottom of my M150 on my elbow before I open it. 

12 hours ago, dick dasterdly said:

It took me a while to work out too, but I think the poster is referring to the ridiculously high EU import taxes?

Import taxes protect local businesses (in Thailand they are over the top). Maple Syrup has 65% import rate...how many Thai Maple trees abound??

6 hours ago, connda said:

I'd rephrase the question:  Where in Thailand are there pristine, clean beaches to have a 4 day holiday at? 

1st photo is Sam Roi Yod, Prachuap, 2nd one is Thungwaelen (Cabana) Beach, Chumphon. Photos aren't the "Beach chair and local touts removed, photoshop kind" - they actually look like that in real life. I'm a Thungwaelen man myself: Malibu Bar has some great live music.

(Edit to add: Jetskis are banned at Thungwaelen - probably Sam Roi Yod too?) 

I've got about 25sq.m. of concrete in front of my house that I would like to "lawn over" and make a little play area for my kids. Any input on which stores (online or in Bangkok) I should look at would be greatly appreciated. Also, I know some "grass" can be very hard and brittle and won't be fun for the kids to play on. Don't want to break the bank, but also don't necessarily want the cheapest crap out there (hoping to get a few years' use in).

8 hours ago, The manic said:

Then you are ignorant of SA culture and history. The current term is Mixed Race. Mulatto is a slave owner term and a racist slur.

Not technically true: If your father was Zulu and your mom English you could be considered "mixed race", whereas Cape Coloured specifically refers to an ethnic group of people whose bloodlines trace back to the original Khoi people who populated large swathes of what is now considered the Cape region. Not that any of this should be relevant since there are about 7 billion races in the world (if we use the old school divisive method of separating people based on melanin levels) 

2 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

While the details are not clear at the moment, the future of Thailand relatively straightforward.

 

1. The Junta, either by cancelling elections or by rigging them to the point of being meaningless, will lead Thailand down the path that Burma/Myanmar took; a military-dominated, stale, stultified society that goes into a state of either slow or rapid decline.
2. The Junta is replaced by a civilian government which can begin the process of cleaning out the excesses of military rule and putting Thailand back on a path of Democracy and development for the future. It is unlikely that it would be able to catch up to Vietnam considering the time already lost, but it might be able to stay ahead of its neighbours.
3. Thailand stays in this 'netherworld' until there is some great event that defines the future, examples being the events of '73 or '92. This is the great unknown; after an era-defining moment, which way would Thailand turn?

My best guess is number three.

 

The first scenario is unlikely based on a cursory look at recent Thai history; three times this century alone Thais have taken to the streets and changed their government. I can think of no reason why they wouldn't (sooner or later) do so again.

 

The second scenario seems unlikely at the moment as the military seems to believe that it can retain power.

 

The third scenario is the one that is a bit worrisome due to all the unknowns. Most/all of us on TVF live here and/or spend long periods here, so we have seen the Thai characteristic of calmness, calmness, calmness then the (proverbial) 'explosion'. Should things get to the point of the metaphorical 'explosion', who knows what will happen? That unknown is the scary thing. 

 

As the old Chinese curse says, "May you live in interesting times".

 

Interesting post, but please leave Vietnam out of it. Yes, it's current economic growth is faster than Thailand, but it's GDP per capita (nominal & ppp) is a third of Thailands. Vietnam is catching up to Thailand and has some way to go yet OR do you honestly believe that world socio economic conditions just repeat from 2018 ad nauseum? Nothing bad will ever happen in Vietnam, nothing positive will ever happen in Thailand? PM me the lotto numbers for tomorrow please. 

But, but, but there are bad drivers everywhere in the world. 

"The Deputy PM, who is also the government’s key legal expert, said the amendment bill still has a long way to go. It has to pass deliberation in the National Legislative Assembly (NLA)..."

The NLA always passes thing 193 - 0, so why the need to deliberate?

The only reason all these amendments "had" to be made, was because Prayuth wouldn't lift the ban on political gatherings which made it impossible for parties to follow the original timeline. Of course he, and only he, is responsible for the delay. 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

DLT deputy director-general Cherdchai Sanunsrisakorn said under the reforms all new taxis would be equipped with GPS, safety equipment, closed-circuit TV and an emergency button for passengers.

The devil is in the detail.

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Older taxis with valid licences would still be allowed to operate without installing the new equipment. However, when their licences are renewed, they will have to comply with the new checklist. Taxi vehicle licences in Thailand extend for 12 years, while drivers have to renew their licences every three years. 

So it's going to be quite a few years before this will have any effect on most drivers.

2 hours ago, Air Smiles said:

 

I find that very hard to believe, do you have any example articles?

Just go read pro coup articles from 2014 and compare the tone to the current batch of pieces fron The Nation 

On 17/01/2018 at 2:08 PM, Lupatria said:

A drunk and probably drugged guy was hitting his around 10 year old boy in my hood with a thick wooden stick until it broke. He ordered the boy to wai him and bring another stick. The boy obeyed and even the second stick broke on his head and back. Around 100 Thais were passing the scene, one called the cops who were not intervening. I heard a Thai bystander say: so what? It is his son he can do with him whatever he likes... Now beat that.

Correction. Should read: "Around 100 Thais and myself were passing the scene" 

It seems clear, from the articles and opinion pieces published since the end last year, that the Junta has lost the media support it once had. Whereas in the past, The Nation et al used to publish pieces "justifying" junta actions, now it's a seemingly daily barge of critism.

Is Prayuth smart or scared enough to take the hint and exit "gracefully"?

If they found the fingerprints of the Lottery vendor on the ticket, would that make him/her the winner? Since when does a fingerprint denote ownership? Shit...I own half the pubs in the West End.

12 hours ago, 1337markus said:

Rip off profit of duty free goods from King Power easily cover the 200 million baht licence.

200 million baht licence fees? A pittance. BUT free football for all might make certain prosecutors forget the 12 BILLION Baht in unpaid taxes. 

8 hours ago, steven100 said:

I don't think the UN or HRW have very much credability within the global world.

True, but they have more credibility than Thailand's current Junta 

18 hours ago, midas said:

" The ones that do matter, really don't give a f&*& "

 

Are you sure about that? How can you be sure what is being discussed or happening in the far reaches of north-eastern Thailand?

So just people in he far reaches of North-Eastern Thailand give a f#*@? You'll probably find people in ALL parts of Thailand that don't like the current mob. Not everything in this county is "Isaan vs. The rest of Thailand" 

The fragile Thai male ego strikes again! What's wrong with these manchildren? 

Oh wait...

14 hours ago, sanemax said:

For what reason are these two "back in the spotlight " ?

After reading the O.P. , its unclear what the news story is .

 

Ad revenue

12 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

It's a report of what happened.

I want to know why the IO made me fill in a TM30 and TM28 together?

Well the TM28 was for changing you address from the guesthouse to your home, and the TM30 was for registering a non-Thai (yourself) at the place where you currently reside. Logical? No. Required? Apparently so.

You could save yourself the hassle and move to Bangkok where these things don't matter, but you'll be sacrificing clean(ish) air and open roads for smog and traffic 

Is this a report or a query? 

47 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Not one person has posted any positive replies .

All just negative, conceited pessimism .

Anyway : Nice to hear that Thais will be able to watch the World cup : 

You cite pessimism (even though pointing out that Prawit is unqualified to be the President of the Olympic Comittee and is just getting a free paycheck isn't pessimistic...it's  a fact) but your own post could be called out as being just a tad condescending, since Thailand is pretty developed in terms of media infrastructure and have been watching the World Cup since forever.