MisterTee

Do what they do in Australia, who have the Highway Patrol. Use the Highway Police to do their job instead of driving along the main roads and letting everyone speed past them and never stop anyone. Train them and make them work, use unmarked cars and high powered motorcycles, and match information with known sites and if worked properly, they can, after continuous and unannounced operations, bring these hoons to heel. Just use the Highway Police for traffic offences but of course they can be used as first response police in other major matters, as they do in Australia, that is provided they have police rostered on.

In New South Wales, where I was a copper, the Highway patrol, whose drivers must pass an in house driver training course, as do the motorcyclists, now have around 500 high powered cars and bikes, marked and unmarked, utes, station wagons sedans, all types, so the hoons have no idea how and when they will strike. Operate 24 hours, confiscate the hoons cars and bikes, 1st time, 3 months. 2nd time, 6 months, third time scrap the cars or bikes, all of course with a loss of license, if they have one, or if no license a period of disqualification, combined with them heavy fines. They must determine if the offenders own the car or not, cannot destroy if owned by finance company. They must also retain an up to date computer system to record everything, and I mean everything, pertaining to the law breakers.

In New South Wales, Highway Patrol has it's headquarters in Western Sydney but also have Highway Police at most major police stations, state wide. Thai Police could do the same in each province. NSW Police conduct major operations on a regular basis, have radar to detect speeding fitted, as well as in car, front and rear, cameras, a computer that can tell an officer within seconds if a car is unregistered and uninsured, or if the driver is licensed or not. They are of course connected to numerous police channels, which are encrypted to prevent the hoons listening in. By having patrols based in most major suburbs and cities, the coppers normally get to know the hoons and criminals and can keep them in check. But they must get off their backside and work, not what their practises are now.

I know this is Thailand and that they're behind in their knowledge, expertise and operational planning but if they got off their backside, used common sense and learned the basics of policing, instead of this stupid idea of suing them maybe they will get somewhere. Just make it an offence and fine them, not clog the courts with childish actions. Learn from other countries, it will be hard and take some time but if they are prepared to learn and keep their mouths shut so the hoons will only know what is happening when it hits them, them maybe they can have a reasonable police force. Oh, and for god's sake, pay them a decent wage, give them thorough training, uniforms guns etc. and promote on merit, not how much you can pay or who you know, then all this in a number of years, the country may have a police force they can be proud of, which I can see now that they do not. By doing their job, being polite and hopefully not take tea money, then when they become more professional, they will gain the respect that they certainly do not have now.

This sounds great!

A war on hoons.

Hemp requires a tremendous investment by someone in processing facilities. It isn't enough just to grow it. Without processing there isn't much use for it.

It takes several processes to strip the hemp fibers from the plant, leaving the core which is wood like. The wood makes fine paper and even chipboard. The seeds can be rolled for vegetable oil. The fiber can make rope or great clothing. There are lots of products which can be made from it, but the "factories" to do that are beyond the scope of farmers.

As in so many other crops, if people start growing it and there's money in it, then the neighbors grow it and there's a glut. How many times have we seen that? Introducing hemp growing as The Next Big Deal to Thais would wind up right where rubber has because not long ago it was The Next Big Deal.

At one time rice was The Next Big Deal so there's a worldwide glut of it.

I remember when peppermint was The Next Big Deal in the Pacific Northwest in the US and every farmer wanted to grow it because the climate was great for it and the returns were very good. Of course when too many tried to get in on it the price dropped just like rice and rubber have in Thailand. It's always feast or famine.

I'm tired right now, LOL. Bottom line is that unless someone makes a massive investment in processing plants there is no market for the hemp. If someone makes the investment and the price goes down due to glut... And so it ever is with farming. It's feast or famine and too often it's famine.

What's needed of course is diversity and crop rotation but when farmers rotate out of hemp for a couple of years they damage the investments in processing.

Wow investment/ military and numerous other areas of self proclaimed expertise, now an expert of hemp cultivation !!

If you disagree with him, then challenge the points he makes.

Don't come on with a snarky put down.

I do not care poor or not, but prefer to help those who can not help themselves, ie animals.

Beggars are just plain lazy parasites, especially in a country where job is available on every corner

Not always... some of them are creative fakes and scammers.

finally somebody punishing the real culprits of 9/11 planners

but personally, i think this is a trick to make a scare and increase the oil price ... let's see in a few weeks

not that i care about the oil price...

The Shiites in the mosque were the perpetrators of 9/11? Have you told the CIA? I think they would be very interested to know that.

Saudis perpetrated 9 11.

Fifteen of the nineteen were Saudis.

It is far from being proven that the government of Saudi Arabia was involved in the attack.

The question famously asked by Cicero is relevant here: cui bono.

Anyone with a brain knows the answer to that.

I knew a guy staying at The Bliss. He had music/noise issues with the rooftop bars on top of Maya. He moved out.

That's the only thing you can do... you're not going to quiet any of them down.

Before moving in be sure the place is far from any entertainment venues.

Dirty little pigs.

They spoil the scene for all of us.

Who else would they invite from Thailand i. There is a lot of "Former PMs"speaking. I wouldn't read anything in to it

http://www.alcchosun.com/?c=user&mcd=2015en_sub03_02&PHPSESSID=cd65906bb7f1553234e4162f1de19e32

Maybe so, but how many of them are on the lam?

Hey, that's Brooklyn Bridge.

Who would buy it in that condition?

I'm happy he's running.

I don't know all his positions but of what I know I'm sure I agree with him on many issues.

From my POV, I see his running as a potential positive to revive the issue of REAL universal health care in the USA.

Yes the pre-Obama status quo was a mess and unacceptable.

Obama tried to fix it but failed because his "reforms" are too much of a welfare program for health insurance companies and big medical businesses, etc.

So COSTS weren't addressed ... that is only possible in a real universal program as in CANADA.

Also Obama didn't predict the pushback from right wing states not cooperating with expanded Medicaid.

The truth is more Americans are for REAL universal health care than most think. I'd say it's easily at least a slim majority. While rationally I see that the hope of this actually happening is very remote (universal health care program), I can see a Sanders run as at least keeping the idea alive.

Of course he won't be nominated and that's a good thing, a man who labels himself a socialist, not to mention that he is a Jew, has no chance of actually being elected!

I think you're right.

He has entered the race with too much baggage and he's too old to carry it.

The motive was more likely business than politics, and the killer was probably a professional hitman.

At this point nobody knows.

Can someone explain to me why an 82 year old man needs a girlfriend?

How about SEX.

Some men are past it at 30. Others are still banging away at 90.

That's true, some old dudes are sexually active.

Those who haven't lost their libido or have health issues.

No, the concept of taking responsibility for your own actions is not foreign to Thai culture.

Anyone who has been here awhile, away from the tourist areas, would know that very well.

All I remember is the grainy photo from Nana, but isnt that the way with so many cases here ? Following up a story just isnt in the DNA of most local reporters - people like Drummond notwithstanding. Usually when a criminal disappears without trace in Australia they find his body in shallow grave a few months later : if Looker is guilty of the crime and the grisly aftermath, lets hope for some natural justice along those lines.

Chances are he's done a runner...

Out of sight - out of mind, as far as the Thai cops are concerned.

The victim was just a bargirl and the killer was a farang , tao nahn eng.

The Thai military is Thailand's unemployment safety net for young men. So it's not surprising to see volunteers for service this year increase which is the worse economic outlook in forty years. With a Junta-led government, the military has unrestricted access to the nation's treasury. While Thailand buckles under a worsening economy, the military will be gold-plating itself.

This is the second thread that you have repeated the lie (source: an academic that can't even add) of the worst economic outlook in 40 years.

As one who lived through the 1997 'Som-tam' crisis - 18 years ago - the current economic outlook is extremely positive in comparison. In fact it is no worse than 2013 when we had 2 consecutive quarters of negative economic growth, called a technical recession.

Certainly the economy is in need of boosting - just like the EU and Japan - but there's no need to exaggerate to fit your bias.

Good reply.

Most of the posters on this thread seem to be totally clueless.

The way elephants are abused and exploited for tourism is disgusting ideed. The 'traditional' days long bloody torture of baby elehants to break their mind with sticks and knives is still going on hidden behind the false smiles of people calling themselves 'buddhist'.

How right you are Mcffee,

it's thainess with a capital Tee.

Love my cricket and would like to go to a game, but why on Earth would you hold the tournament in April - the hottest month!

Because if all else fails, there's always the possibility of heatstroke.

That's why,

His mother doesn't sound very savvy about dealing with the authorities in Thailand.

If she were, she would know that the way to get problems like that sorted out is to make contact with someone in a high enough position to be of help.

Expect to pay for the service.

It would be unusual to call the police when a person is found dead in their own home unless there were reasons to believe death was not natural causes.

For sure.

Why didn't they call an EMS ambulance first instead of the cops?

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If answering your question correctly is "off topic" That would be YOUR fault. Iran signed the NPT and therefore is forbidden from producing nuclear weapons. Israel already had them, did not sign the NPT and is under no obligation to do so.

You didn't answer the question, you merely stated the obvious, ie that Israel defies this and every other international agreement if it doesn't suit their needs. The most disturbing thing is that you actually defend this behaviour, while at the same time "scream murder" about Iran not following agreements (while actually they do). The Israel propaganda about the intention of Iran to get nuclear weapons is the same ingnorant propaganda of the WMD fairytale which Sadam supposedly had. Sadly it seems Israel, through the media, is fooling a large part of the world yet again.....

Its too bad that solving problems and moving forward is not your intention. When reading your posts, I can't help thinking that you are only out for blood (as a good Israeli would), and now that your buddy Natanyahu has sided with Saudi (and consequently ISIS and Al Qaida), war might be what you'll get. Afterall, if an agreement is reached with Iran, Israel might be stupid enough to go to war....and we all know that that will be the end of Israel as we know it....

The toxic Israel demonization rears its ugly head, yet again.

Of course, Iran would like nuclear weapons. Any five year old knows that. DUH!

RockyBB raises some very good points that are on-topic.

It's not 'Israel demonization by any stretch of the imagination.

I've been out of the country for about two months, but my memory is that they grab Thais instead of foreigners. If a foreigner is wearing a helmet, they don't stop him/her. I've seen dozens of Thais pulled over at these check points, but no farangs. Obviously something has changed.

The situation is always changing. Sometimes they target foreigners. Sometimes they target Thais.

From my own experience it's usually both - whomever they can shakedown.

Get a place out in the country. Life in Chiang Mai is getting to be a hassle. Just like Farangland.

Good luck to would be Thai tour guides getting any tips from the Chinese tourists....

Don't kid yourself - the Thais know that already.

"The soldiers now are absolutely eager to learn" said Lt. Col. John Schwemmer of the 5th Squadron, 73rd Calvary. The training of the Iraqi army took ten years and billions of USD, they abandoned their weapons and ran from ISIS. What has changed?

Nothing has changed.

There seems to be no learning curve in Washington.

After all the failures and disasters have been assessed, the response is to repeat what hasn't worked and a clamoring for more of it.

Rather than trying enforcement of the laws, to which the authorities have repeatedly failed regardless of how government regimes came to power, the government needs to be proactive to eliminate burning agricultural wastes. Nothing gets the public's interest better than easy money.

Perhaps the government in partnership with some private industries can PURCHASE agricultural fiber waste from farmers for use as either a biofuel for electrical energy generation, steam processing applications, reprocessing into natural fertilizers, and/or processing into end products like copy paper. All uses of which benefit the farmers with ultimately lower operating costs and higher profit margins while keeping air quality high with the benefit of lower healthcare costs.

Creative ideas are always welcome, and the reduction in smoke haze will be achieved - if it ever is - as a result of them.

What seems to be missing is the will to solve the problem.

Law enforcement is needed, but it is only part of the solution.