attento

Since when is a 330year annniversary a special event? 300 years or 350 years maybe, but 330 years ?

But, nice to hear good music in Thailand. Can we look forward to 331st year anniversary concerts next year ?

European (EU) unemployment levels, especially amongst the young, are high and not decreasing. It is not surprisng that the number of European tourists is declining. The Russians have exchange rate problems. Many Americans traveling to SE Asia prefer the Philippines to Thailand. So, from where are the tourists to come ?

China is the only possible source of any considerable number of tourists. There is a reasonably affluent sector of the population with new-found aspirations for travel.

What's the betting that the new Greek PM will be there too ?

The Russians would love to have a port in the Med, and the new Greek government need the money

But it's sad that the commemoration of these important dates from history should be mired with today's politics.

New Zealand only has one Religion, and it is a code they obey, it's their God.

Rugby.

and just to emphasise that Kiwis are not white racist, they call their world-beating team " the All Blacks "

In which country would it be acceptable to call their international team " the All Whites " ?

Just because they faught for the other side doesn't mean their 'bad' ok so stalin and the russians treated these dominated states like shit for a long time before that so they did what was in the best interest of their country and faught for germany, germans were treated as liberators when they invaded the soviet blok earlier in the war, germany was a more advanced economy and these middle states would have been better off under german rule had the war ended in stalemate .. ie. If the us had not gotten involved.

Yes, a little knowledge of the sad and difficult history of the Latvian people in the early 20th century might enlighten some attutudes,

In how many countries in the world do the electorate vote for more taxes?

In which country in the world do the electorate vote for a reduction in government handouts/subsidies and a reduction in government spending on roads, schools, hospitals, etc?

One of the most important subjects in modern life is hardly, if ever, taught in schools - economics.

There is a very strong case for making it a core subject alongside language, science and mathematics.

Self-Harm is often associated with depression and feelings of low self worth. People in considerable internal torment.

Hardly a subject to be made fun of. Certainly not helped by Video cameras and the inevitable "rubber neckers".

Well It isn't Chinese for sure They haven't stolen the designs as of yet.

good joke . . but actually, what is probably the longest tunnel used for transit, is in China. Built nearly 10 years ago. ( and so far, no accidents ! ).

Spare the thought, could the Thais have actually borrowed engineering ideas from China

So does this mean that all those lazy Issan women

who met their prince on a dating website, built them

a huge mansion, made the prince give a huge sin sot

to the mother because he was a hunsum rich man,

kicked him out because the walking ATM was dry ?

Will they now have to pay tax on their dream home

that has no power because they cut off the hand that

fed them,, we will all have the last laugh fellas,, and

let us all give the ladies a hearty (the bird) salute.

Dont worry for them. They will already have found the next Western sucker. One falls out and the next one appears over the horizon

Hard to take seriously a thread where you find a Greek advocating paying taxes!

Must take it seriously. Sadly, so many Greeks have come to expect others to pay for their lifestyle. (TV contributors excluded, of course)

The Chinese the oldest civilisation in the world.

Lost the plot somewhere along the line.

We are all barbarians to them.

Sounds the other way round to me.

Old doesn't necessarily mean good.

They haven't given the world much since foot-binding and female infanticide.

They sure have. Look at all the high quality products stocking the shelves of WalMart over the last 20 years

All the cost of a highspeed rail link just for a 200km journey ?

How much time could be saved by going "high speed"? Minutes, certainly not hours.

Doubtful if the small amount of time saved would be enough to attract more/better tourists.

Must read behind the headlines . . what is the real reason this idea is being promoted ?

Fully justifying Thailand's well documented reputation as being one of the most dangerous destinations for tourists in the world.

Seen the Daily Mail today?

Will have a look. Can get the Mail again since I discovered tor browsers.

What is it about the Daily Mail? A lot say it is blocked, app on Android works, good source of journalistic entertainment. I personally believe everything they say as long as I have the tin hat on.

dont forget to don the blinkers too , and loosen your grip on reality before you start turning the pages..........................

Found in a Lao cave . . might not be animal origin, could be a speleothem ?

Often found in Karst caves around the world.

Chemical analysis should give the answer.

Look forward to the follow-up on this.

21 hours, can't be much to learn about Thainess.

How much is there to learn

Further to Costas stating Thailand is his country does his country allow him benefits?

Does his country allow him to purchase land ?

Does his country allow him all the rights that a naturalized Thai citizen has ?

Answers submitted onto the back of a stamp for Junta approval !!

Mind you, does he pay tax here?

Bear in mind he is Greek - he probably expects the rest of is to pay it for him.

The word "Tax" is derived from Latin, not Greek

He told a press conference that the meeting was aimed at fostering a common understanding about the political situation in Thailand.

So does this mean that the military has admitted to committing an act of treason and breaking international law by staging an illegal coup? I doubt that very much but the facts are the facts.

The Attorney General is set to file a criminal lawsuit against the former premier with the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions later this month.

So does this mean that when a new democratically elected government is installed the AG will be filing criminal charges against all those guilty of treason for staging an illegal coup? I doubt that very much but there is no legal justification for their acts.

The truth is out there but it's not available in Thailand due to martial law, the trampling of basic freedom, the suppression of human right ... I could go on but you get the idea.

In one word you can sum it all up ... FARCE.

Are internal coups the concern of Internationa Law? Which particular law is that ?

If he is able to visit the USA, will Mr Netanyahu spare a few minutes to pop across to the UN and explain why he is ignoring their Sanctions ?

It raises the old question. Are the enemies of my enemies necessarily my friends?

Or should we stay with the principle that the enemies of my friends are my enemies ?

There is a new trend of coming to the roots of Muslim power in the Middle East and this is ISIS. EU in Europe, ASEAN in Asia, N.America Free Trade and so on. Nobody is trying to change the later. I do not think there is anything wrong with it. Does the West need to control the world affairs constantly with their money and guns, or let the people decide of what they want? Western type of democracy - in doubt anyway - is not universal for all humans. People are brainwashed in all system of government by government, media and especially religious groups which all are fanatical to a certain extend. God bless America is a good example of this. What if there is no god? Why to force lies on people? Is this has a different merit or agenda then ISIS? All is about control, isn't it?

You make some very good points but you forget the main one.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

The real question for everyone to ask is which one of these corrupted people do we want in control.

I believe it is the ones who control the least.

Is that not why many of us run away to Thailand?

You run away to Thailand because you wish to escape corruption ? Really ?

Which Thailand are you thinking of ?

The Missus and I buy apples every week to eat and never had a problem. She does wash and core each apple into slices and places the slices into a bowl of purified water and a pinch of salt to rest for about 2-3 minutes before consuming. Never had a problem. She soaks the same with a pinch of salt for Black Grapes that come from India. No problem with them either. In all actuality, we have never had any problem with any fruit She purchases, perhaps due to the fact She hand selects each piece, except the 3 Kg bags of oranges/tangerines that She purchases, that originate from China. Who knows? Lucky Perhaps?

When she is hand-selecting, how does she test for the type of Bacterial contamination reported in this US warning ?

Stay lucky

how can you tell if the car is used by a disabled person?

In Belgium it takes a license delivered by some official instance and when you park your car in a handicapped spot you need to stick the license on the inside of your windscreen, simple no?

Not only Belgium, EU wide.

But not with an out-of-date Blue Badge, I hope

Here is an idea for the government

How about yearly inspections of the equipment of these inter-provincial bus companies

How about governors to slow down these inter-provincial bus companies

How about log books that show exactly how long a driving shift is on these inter-provincial bus companies

How about publishing the safety records of these inter-provincial bus companies

How about restoring democracy in Thailand so that these hair brained ideas from the military masters stop

Totally agree with most points !

But, Is this about "democracy" ?

Why weren't these measures put in place during recent periods of "democracy" ?

Oh ! and thank goodness there were no other hair-brained schemes implemented during the recent "democratic" period........

This question is bound to bring out the barstool experts. Which, of course, will give you what "bargirls" prefer, not normal Thai women.

If you exclude Thai men, I'd say Koreans are the flavor of the day. Followed by Singaporean and American men. Japanese and English men are considered well mannered. Beyond that, who knows. Funny you would ask a bunch of farang men what Thai women prefer.

It's normal women the ones the posters are referring to..

Would you be bold enough to post a definition ?

If people are genuinely concerned, they wont stay at Marriott Hotels. Simple.

There is no shortage of hotels, so the customer can choose.

But the reality is, too many people like to boast about how much they spend, not how little.