Kerryd

Necro-post ! I went to insert an emoji into a post and it seems it's been removed ? It was the one of the smiley facing a fan and "something" hits the fan and sprays the smiley. Been searching google and different "emoji" forums and sites but I can't find that one. Lots of other (lame) emojis that are the same idea, but not the one with the InVision smiley.

The video of the coffee vendor pushing the tourist: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=495825173327374 This one is from news show and isn't blurred out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTu_APUJF3w

Actually called (in Google Maps) - Soi Mu Ban Classic Home 2. Lol - I've gone around that puddle a dozen or so times on soi Padtanakan 4 (short-cutting between Khao Talo and Thung Klom-Tan Man 9), and never knew it was there. I can see why the residents are nervous. There's a large housing development (Classic Home 1, 2 and 3) on the other side of that brick wall. Some houses are literally right against that wall. Here is the Sept 2023 Google Street View Image: And here is the "satellite view" (the road is on the left side of the pond). The "village - and most of the sois on that side of Soi Khao Noi (or Boon Samphan) all slant downhill towards that pond. I imagine there was a lot of water flowing down there during that last few monsoons we've had. And I wouldn't dip my toe in that "swimming pond". There are "recycling" and "garbage dump" places off to the right side of that pond and you can bet that water wouldn't be safe to drink - in most western countries.

Literally everywhere - outside of the Soviet Union, China, Africa and parts of the Middle East - was "better" in the early 70s. Iran and Afghanistan had freedom (sort of), women went to school, had jobs, wore modern fashions and had "tolerance". Turkey had a secular gov't that (sort of) ran things based on what was best for the country - not for the religion. Beirut was the "Paris of the Middle East". European cities (and countries) weren't being flooded with untrained, lawless immigrants and crime. It wasn't all sunshine and "flowers in your hair" of course. There was Vietnam and numerous, mainly communist, insurgencies in Africa and South America. Huge drug problems in America and South America as well as SE Asia. (Remember the infamous "Golden Triangle" ?) Things were changing though. Economies around the world were growing and more people were travelling. Quiet, quaint rural areas started getting large numbers of tourists flashing lots of cash, aided by things like traveller's cheques and credit cards. And the locals in those places started making more money, which naturally attracted more locals, and more tourists, and more locals. And suddenly those quiet, quaint places were "tourist meccas" full of hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and "illicit" activities. Various places tried to crack down on heroin and cocaine production in places like Thailand and Columbia. And the the fundamentalists started pushing their agendas with insurgencies starting up around the world. Remember - the Revolution in Iran was in - 1979 ! 45 years ago now ! But it started long before 1979. Which, coincidentally, was also the same year Russia "invaded" Afghanistan. And that mess started back in 1973(ish). And in 1970, places like (West) Germany and Japan had been subject to 25 years of (mostly) American occupation which fueled their economies - and progress. And South Korea had about 15 years of American "co-operation" by then as well. Meanwhile, places like Thailand, had a large "presence" of Americans in the '70s but they weren't here "for Thailand". Thailand was just a convenient location to prosecute their war in Vietnam and a great "R&R" location for their troops. But change comes to everyone, everywhere, sooner or later. That's progress. Some places will resist change while others will embrace it. And 40 years from now, old white-beards in their hoover-armchairs holotyping on virtual social media devices will complain that places like Pattaya and Phuket have lost the "quaint charm" they had in the "2020s".

It's a cycle. Every couple of years we get massive rains and flooding. Followed by a couple years where they have to warn farmers to not plant a second crop because the water levels in the reservoirs are too low. Followed by a couple years of Bangkok and central Thailand flooding, Pattaya flooding, reservoirs having to release more water as they're are too full. Followed by (repeat over and over again). I recall on year before covid when it rained so much that the drains in my village were under 30cms of water - and I'm way up soi Khao Noi. Normally, even in a heavy monsoon, the water wouldn't start back-flowing from the drains and onto the road until it was around the "level" area by the 7-11 next to the Mike Orchard Villa housing development. But that year I was getting nervous. I lived just over halfway up my "soi" and the water was getting deeper. And then the rain stopped and 3 hours later you could hardly tell it rained - except at the storm grates at the bottom of Khao Noi which were nearly plugged with garbage of course. And then a couple years later - we were having water cut-offs on alternating days and reduced pressure on the "water" days because the water levels were so low. (That was just before Covid.) I remember the water situation was so bad that the gov't was considering building pipelines from other reservoirs to bring water to the ones in the Pattaya area. Same time some numpty came up with the idea to pump all the rain water from the sewers and klongs and send it back to the reservoirs. Never mind how contaminated and polluted that water would have been. It was lucky (in a way) when the Covid crisis hit because suddenly the demand for water dropped massively as the hotels, laundries, car washes, restaurants and other huge drains on the water system all had to close. And - just like the leaky roof - instead of doing something about the problem when the reservoirs were low and there were no tourists, they did nothing. Because when it's not raining, the roof isn't leaking. And when it's raining - you can't fix the roof ! So when there's no demand on the water, there's no need to fix the problem. But when there's a huge demand on the water, they can't shut anything down to try and fix the problem. Like how they waited to tear up Walking Street and start putting in new drainage pipes in 2022 - after they started letting tourists back into the country ! They had 1 1/2 YEARS to do the project when the entire street was shut down and there was no traffic. I had to howl when it was shown in the media that they'd started work on tearing up the street - and then had to stop because they'd found some "old pipes" already there and had no idea what they were or "who owned" them. (Seriously - they had stop working and investigate it and found out - the pipes didn't belong to the city but the Ministry of Science and Technology or something weird like that.) And what those old pipes were was the PREVIOUS drainage system that the city had installed in the summer of 1998. The same time they laid those nice paving blocks down instead of a cement or asphalt surface. Seems no one check with the city Engineering department (if they even have one) to see what was under the street before they started tearing it up. (I was here twice in 1998. In February everything was normal. Came back in July and half of Walking Street was torn up as they installed a new drainage system and then covered it with those paving blocks.) But they did a good job and it hardly ever flooded down there. I remember sitting in a hamburger stall near the "big Buddha tree" during one monsoon in late July. Within minutes the street was covered in water almost level with the "sidewalk" but not over it. An hour later - everything was dry except for a couple puddles on some side sois. But no worries. In a year or two the news will be all about how Thailand is having a "mini-drought" and everyone needs to conserve water. (Again.)

OK, just read the entire thread and it really did NOT answer the OP's question despite 3 pages of responses. OP asked: I believe his question is - if he gets a Non-O visa and flies to Thailand, he gets the usual 90 days. Then he has to get a legitimate address and open a bank account. Then he can start doing "65k/month" transfers. But that would mean when he goes to do his first extension, he would only be able to show two "monthly" transfers. The OP wants to know if he will be able to get his first Extension even though he can only show 2 months of transfers or if he has to have 800k in the bank (for 2 months before applying) for his first Extension. Most of the responses so far have been about getting the second Extension as they keep referencing needing to show 12 months of transfers or about proving the source of that income. (I bring this up as I am in a convo with someone from "back home" who is asking about the requirements for a "yearly visa" and I'm trying to explain the difference between using the "money in bank" and "monthly transfer" methods for his first Visa and subsequent Extension.)

Makes you wonder how these kind of projects get built without anyone noticing anything. Like the city officials or park officials or the local poo yai baan. Some one must have seen the clearing the land, building the roads, bringing in power poles and water lines, building forty-plus homes. And then openly advertising them. It doesn't say how long ago they were built but you can bet they didn't just finish yesterday. Yet apparently no one noticed.

Oh please. I go to the beach with Thai friends all the time and whenever a (Thai) guy needs to take a whiz he walks down to the water and let's fly. Though they don't do it in broad daylight but even after dark it's kind of obvious what they are doing. If you're going to pee in the middle of the day, everyone knows you walk out into the water until it's up to your shorts and then pretend to enjoy the vibrant scenery while all the sea life around you dies. And how many times have you been on a road somewhere in the middle of the day and there's a scooter or car or truck pulled over to the side and a guy standing there "watering the weeds". And if I recall, there's not a lot (or any) public bathrooms along Pattaya Beach at all. There's a couple widely spaced apart on Jomtien but the only ones I know of on Pattaya Beach are across Beach Road and are "pay to pee" (I think it's only 5 baht, 10 if you want a couple thin sheets of tissue paper).

Considering the Shinawatra's track record of stuffing their own pockets with public money every time they are in power - it's not hard to imagine that some people might see that gesture as a sign that it's about to happen again. "Woohoo - we're back and we're going to make MONEY !" While her gesture was probably innocent in nature (it is a common gesture in Thailand - I see people use it at weddings and birthdays all the time and it's not about "money") - given her family's history, some might think otherwise. And considering how easy it is to have a Prime Minister ousted, it could be worth a shot to try and get her booted. Depending if the "power behind the scenes" wants it to happen. (As in, whoever tells the Constitutional Court how to rule on any given matter.) And let's not forget, her dad is still facing charges of lese majesty and his attempt to "flee" the country again was denied (when he pretended he needed to go back to Dubai for medical consultations and was told he could have those consultations done in Thailand). Lots of intrigue ! I find it funny how some seem to think she'll be in office for her full term with all that's gone on in just the first week.

The only surprise is that this doesn't happen more often. Sheesh, it happens in literally every city that has bars. Small towns, big cities - all the same when it comes to booze and fighting. The difference is - it doesn't normally make the news. But here - any time something happens that involves a foreigner - it usually makes the news and you take notice of it. Especially if it involves a fellow countryman. Yes. And if you pay attention you can see it in their eyes. There are those who can handle their booze and those who, after a couple drinks, get a dull, glazed look in their eyes and start getting aggressive. You can see it happening. They start staring at their drink, speaking in single syllables or grunts because their brain is going blank and getting upset about any and everything. Used to see it all the time in the Army. I called it the "F or F type". After a few drinks they flip a mental coin and decide if they aren't going to f*** someone, then they want to fight someone. Then they look for an excuse to pick a fight with pretty much anyone they think they can bully (if they are alone) or anyone else (if they have a couple buddies to help them). Yeah, despite the (B-S) some spout here, it's not just "Thais" that will merrily gang up on others. In fact, I'd say 95% of the scraps I've seen in bars back in Canada (and some bars in Germany during the 4 years I was there) involved 2-3 or more guys ganging up on one. Usually the only "one on ones" were when both sides were not in bars and were sober (like workplace scraps). And considering how many bars there are just in Pattaya, how many foreigners are here - and how many of them are "ex-Delta/Seal Team/SAS/GS9/JTF/Insert other elite commando unit initials here" - you'd think bar scraps would be a daily occurence. (Years ago it was a running joke that 2 of every 3 foreigners in Pattaya was a former elite special forces because a lot of skinny runts who were close to peeing their pants would pretend they used to be elite commandos that knew 32 ways to kill a man using just a cocktail napkin in the hopes no one would confront them when they were being dicks.)

Long read - don't bother. Basically, it's not "gentrification" and it's not the "diversity" mentioned in the article which seems to have been written by someone who has no clue where Walking Street even is, let alone who all the people going there are or what they look like. Stop reading here. "gentrification" ? Which bars and go-gos have been replaced by "posh" buildings ? Is he referring to all those "BB Gun Arcades" that have sprung up on Walking Street ? Which are just another soon to be forgotten fad. Like the "laser pointer" fad. The "6 inch (or higher) platform shoes" fad. The "poofy big hair" fad. Certainly not "posh". Nor are the Indian clubs "posh". "diversification" has nothing to do with people bringing their wives and kids to Pattaya on vacation. People have been doing that forever ! I've been visiting/living here for over 30 years now and there have always been "families" strolling along Walking Street - at night and in the day. For Freddy's Sake - does this guy even know where Walking Street is ? "Diversification" has to do with the demographics of the people spending the most time on Walking Street, not their "family status". Walking Street used to be 95-98% "caucasian" (mostly men, some women, a few families now and then). Once in a blue moon you'd see the occasional Indian or "African" (outside of the Cobra Gold time when the US Navy would descend on Pattaya in droves). And those mostly "caucasian" tourists would spend like the drunken sailors, oil workers, retirees, and horny "mid-life crisis" men that most of them were. And THAT was when Pattaya was rolling in the dough. THAT is when mega-projects like Bali Hai and Central Festival and numerous other big ticket projects were planned and financed. THAT is when hotels, restaurants and bars were making big money and so were their staff. And THEY would spend their money in the salons and gold shops and motorcycle shops as well as the "local" clubs (karaokes and Thai nightclubs) and restaurants. It's called the "trickle down" effect. I knew one Harley club that had about 40 guys in it. All of them were business owners. I was making "war zone money" in Afghanistan and I was literally one of the poorest in the group. But then the gov't decided to try and change Pattaya's image. They stopped encouraging "caucasian" tourism and started promoting tourism in places like India and China, thinking that larger numbers of lower spending tourists would offset the loss of income from the "causasian" demographic. Between 2004-2010, you rarely ever saw "Chinese" tour groups on Walking Street. They were such a rarity that people would stop and stare. You could sit on the street for a week and be able to count the number of Indians you saw (not including at the tailor shops) on your fingers. The only "Africans" (for the most part) were the small groups of "large, angry looking" Nigerian "ladies" that would patrol up and down the street looking for customers. (I had the impression they didn't get a warm welcome in most of the bars at the time.) But then that changed. Suddenly, over the next couple of years (basically from 2011 on), you saw fewer and fewer caucasian faces on the street and more and more Indians and "Chinese tour groups". And businesses were suffering ! I knew a number of business owners down there (bars, restaurants, go-gos) and they all said the same thing. The Street was full of people, but none of them were spending anything. They weren't going into the bars or go-gos (except a few "pre-paid" tour groups here and there) or restaurants (except for a few "pre-paid" tour groups). I'd sit in a beer bar talking to the owner and looking around. Walking Street was full of people but there were barely half a dozen people drinking in the bar - and a couple playing pool. Everyone on the street were just slowly strolling along, sneaking peeks at the "naughty" places and then off they'd go to somewhere else. It was so bad, most of the members of that motorcycle club ended up selling their Harleys. (The luxury items are always the first to go when the money gets tight.) Some had to close/sell their businesses for lack of customers. And THAT was when a lot of projects around Pattaya went bankrupt and were abandoned. Because the "money" dried up and very few of those "new demographics" were buying condos/houses/businesses/cars and so on. And that ended the "trickle down effect". If the businesses aren't making money, the staff aren't making money. And if the staff aren't making money, they aren't spending it in all the "local" businesses. And it was telling. Look at the customers in the bars, the restaurants, the shopping malls. What do you see (still) ? Mostly "caucasian" men, often with their Thai "spouse". Aside from certain select establishments (like Baccara or the Indian clubs) you didn't (and still don't) see very many Indians or Chinese in bars, restaurants, shopping malls, car/motorcycle shops, gold shops (etc, etc). THAT is the "diversification" that has been causing the changes in Pattaya and areas like Walking Street. NOT a few families with kids. (Sheesh, it used to be funny sitting in a bar and some guy would come in with his kid. He'd sit and have a beer and all the staff would be fawning over the kid and bringing (him/her) treats and doting on them while dad checked out "the market" (or just enjoyed a semi-quiet drink alone). (Most of the girls had kids of their own of course "back home in the village" and they missed them so when someone would go into a bar with a kid the girls would smother them with attention.) And it's a hoot that despite the gov'ts best efforts - they STILL haven't been able to change Pattaya's image ! Despite the masses of low/no spending "diverse" tourists, there are still whacks of bars and go-gos around the city making money from the expats and the "caucasian" tourists that haven't found out that Pattaya's "image" has changed. (If they really wanted change, they would have bulldozed Walking Street during the Covid crisis when almost all the businesses there were closed. Especially the "illegal" ones on the "water" side of the street. And they could have introduced legislation to regulate the bars and go-gos to the point it wouldn't be worth trying to keep them open anymore. But there's a problem. Those places are still making too much money and the people making that money have no interest in seeing Pattaya's image change (too much). And they wield a lot of influence.

Those (deleted) Canadian DJs ! Didn't they just bust another Canadian "DJ" in Phuket recently ? And I thought DJs these days were supposed to be hot chicks that stand (or bounce) behind a turntable in scanty clothing while pretending to turn dials or flip switches that do absolutely nothing as the pre-recorded soundtrack plays. Not 41 year old "dad bod" guys in shorts and a t-shirt. And the "Brit" that was "illegally employed" was probably the guy collecting/counting the cash under the bar while his gf/wife managed the club, hence his "illegal employment". I also found it interesting that the raid was led by the Immigration Police - with the Tourism Police. Not the regular RTP for some reason. I recall an incident back in 2009 where police from Bangkok raided a house in Huay Yai to bust a guy that was dealing drugs. He was caught with a couple different kinds of Class 1 and lower drugs, 5 passports, a number of firearms and a large quantity of cash. Apparently the raid was done by Police from Bangkok because "someone" was worried that if they used "local" police, someone may tip off the suspect before the raid. I always wondered who it was that ratted on him - and knew enough about him to know it wasn't a good idea to inform the local cops of his activities and whereabouts. I suspect one of his "business associates" may have outed him for some reason. Something like this case perhaps ? Someone knowing that if they told the regular RTP what was going on nothing would happen ? Seems to be a lot of Russians around the area of the "cannabis dispensaries" on the lower end of that soi. Lot of residential buildings as well. I remember when there used to be a go-go bar on the bottom floor of the Center Condo complex in South Pattaya. They used to get all sorts of complaints from the residents about the loud music, loud motorcycles and "extracurricular activities" happening in the pool. The sauna. The Jacuzzi. (I mean hey, it wasn't like anyone else was using those spaces apparently !)

I really can't see Revenue Clerks in Thailand trying to check bank accounts of foreigners in every country that's a part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that developed the "Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information" (or "Common Reporting Standard" for short). Thailand isn't a member of the OECD yet (in progress as of mid-2024) and though they are a member of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, they haven't signed on to the Common Reporting Standard so by rights they can't check foreign bank balances of people who are "tax resident" in Thailand. And then there's going to be the confusion (and constant arguments) about which income is "taxable" and which isn't and how they are going to deal with non-pension income that's already taxed in your home country (and interpreting the clauses of the different tax treaties between each country which are not only going to be different in languages but in the interpretation of terms and conditions). And right now, doing a tax return is "voluntary" and as far as I know, they don't have any way to verify who has or hasn't done a Return. Immigration and Revenue are two different departments and I doubt Immigration wants to start doing Revenue's job for them. Imagine if you are on a "year long" Visa or Extension and you "go home" or visit another country for a week and when you come back to Thailand (via airport or border crossing) and they want to see your tax returns before they'll let you back into the country. And imagine the line-ups at Immigration when you go to do an Extension or 90 day Report or any other business and they want to see your tax returns first. But remember, this isn't about the couple thousand "western expats" living here on their pensions or about a couple thousand "digital nomads" making miniscule income from the occasional "best 10 movies that never won an Oscar" or "Top 10 worst movies to win an Oscar" lists they make up once in awhile. China is a member of the OECD and has signed onto the Common Reporting Standard. And you can bet there are going to be a lot more Chinese "workers" and "expats" in Thailand soon than all the "Western expats" combined. Whenever Thailand changes something that affects foreigners, like Visa rules, condo ownership rules or tax rules, know that they are NOT thinking about the tiny percentage of "western" foreigners. They ARE thinking about the masses of Chinese workers and expats and businesses. That is the driving force behind these changes. And for people who only have pension income and there's a tax treaty between those countries that covers that income - it won't be an issue anyways. But I suspect there's going to be a lot of issues and a lot of changes in how they handle this over the next couple of years.

Yes, I am well aware of where it starts having traced it back to it's headwaters when I was looking for it's source and the directions it travelled before reaching the Mekong. It actually starts in Na Noi, on the west side of the large hill that's about 27(ish) kms South-West of Loei city. (I call it a hill because compared to the Rocky Mountains I grew up in/around, it's just a wee bump sticking out of the ground). Which reminds me. The Columbia and the Fraser River also start off flowing North for a considerable period before suddenly turning and running South and eventually emptying into the Pacific. And it seems to confuse a lot of people when talking about the Nile river as it seems "wrong" to say it flows North because it looks (on a map) like it should be flowing "downhill" (to the south). Perception. When up is down and north is south, depending on which way you look at it.

Yeah, if that had of been Soi 11 in Pattaya the foreigner would have probably been the one in trouble !

Actually, the Kok river gets it's start in Myanmar, flows south into Thailand, then East until it passes by the Chiang Rai airport where it too turns "uphill" (flows North) and empties into the Mekong, 285 kms from it's start. (Can't find data for the length of the Loei River though.)

It actually starts in Loei, runs south for aways, then East, forming the border between Loei and Petchabun, before turning North and flowing into the Mekong. But that's a lot different than "flowing uphill". (I suspect that "flowing North" and "flowing uphill" mean the same thing to some people. Remember, a lot of elderly in rural areas of the country never learned to read or write at all.) Though the Chao Praya river sort of "flows north" or "uphill" often during the rainy season and when there's a high tide pushing the water back up the river (and making the flooding worse from Bangkok to Ayyuthaya). Which is why they often have to station those special boats in the river to try and use their propellers to force more water out into the Gulf to reduce the flooding in the city.

There's an area "down there" where a lot of "Africans" congregate and not for altruistic reasons. Recall back some years ago when there was an article about a Canadian who claimed he'd been "kidnapped" by people "dressed like police" who took him to "a basement" and demanded a "$5,000 ransom". Of course the story wasn't reported in any Thai media - and the article (in the Edmonton Sun) had a GoFundMe already set up and linked (scam radar alert immediately started buzzing). I did some checking and it turned out the guy had just arrived in Thailand days earlier and literally went straight to "that area" of Bangkok and was caught almost immediately trying to sell drugs to an undercover cop. It's an area known for having a large "African" population and for selling drugs (and the Canadian guy "blended right in" with the rest of them). That's not a racist statement - that's a fact (about the area and the person in question). He'd barely been in the country 3 DAYS at that point !!! Why he immediately went to that area to sell drugs is beyond me. I suspect he knew about it from previous trips perhaps or from "friends" who told him where to go. (And how he could afford to fly to Thailand - to sell drugs on a street corner ? There's a lot more to that story than appeared in the news article and GoFundMe scam.) But he called his friends back in Canada and made up the story hoping they'd believe him and send him the BAIL money he needed to get out of jail. Because those people "dressed like policemen" were actually police and the "basement" was actually a police station and the ransom was how much they told him his bail would be if he wanted to get out of jail until his trial date. I contacted the reporter who wrote the story (and contacted GoFundMe as well to alert them to the scam). The reporter didn't want to believe me - until Foreign Affairs admitted that "a Canadian" had been arrested in Thailand. I found out he was in jail for 3 months before being blacklisted and deported back to Canada. The reporter apparently tried to contact his "friends" but they wouldn't talk to her again. If I told people that a "white guy" around Main and Hastings in downtown Vancouver had $400 stolen from him - people would have NO problem coming to the conclusion he was either a dealer - or an addict looking to score. Because very few people in "that" area of Vancouver would have $400 to their name on most days, let alone in their pocket - unless they were dealing - or they'd just cashed their welfare cheques and were out trying to buy drugs. (That area of Vancouver is rife with dealers, junkies and strung-out hookers and is known as the "poorest postal code" in all of Canada. The police leave them alone because they can't arrest them thanks to liberal drug laws - and corrupt politicians - and they don't want to crack down on them and risk them moving into "better" neighbourhoods.) Funny how it's not "racist" if I say "white" but somehow it is if I say "black", isn't it ?

I watched the whole clip on the blogger's site but it doesn't show the result of the incident. Or maybe there's a reason the clip ended before any conclusion was reached. Can't tell. Had to laugh at some of the comments though. One person asked if the guy was carrying 400 pounds of money ! Another was similar to many posters here - except he thought the pickpocket may have been Cambodian and giving Thailand a bad name while posters here were casting aspersions based on the victim's race and presumed nationality.

Had an "Eastern European" try to pickpocket me at the Soi Bhukhao market years ago (Maybe Bulgarian or Romanian from their accents). He and his accomplice had a routine were one would follow right close behind someone who had their hands full. The other guy would walk past them very quickly, then suddenly turn and stop directly in front of the mark to ask a vendor or taxi driver a question. The mark would be forced to stop suddenly causing the pickpocket to "bump" into him - and lifting his wallet in the process. I caught the guy with his hand 4 fingers deep into my FRONT pocket (no rear pockets in my chinos). I felt his hand on my hip and dropped the bag in my right hand and grabbed his hand while it was still in my pocket. He'd missed my wallet when he tried to grab it during the "bump". Then he holds up a kid's plastic change purse in his other hand and pretends he wasn't trying to steal my wallet because he had his own !! And then his buddy (the one who pretended to ask a baht bus driver a question) said something and I looked around - not a cop in sight of course - and let go of his hand and the two of them took off in a hurry. I always keep my phone and wallet in my front pocket and now use a wallet with a strap I can attach to a belt loop or drawstring. Haven't had a problem since then.

Funny, the foreigner sounds more BRITISH than American or African when he shouts "HEY, Where's my money ?" And he was carrying POUNDS, not Euros or US currency (like an African or American would likely have). Geee, where would a Brit get that kind of money ? When you read the forums, they are all "Landed gentry" that have large estates full of servants back home and are here "just for the weather". But in reality, you see them watching the currency exchange rates closer than they watch the EPL standings, they're first in line whenever the "balloons" go up and they've mastered the art of making a single small draft last for hours - or until someone rings a bell somewhere. So where would a Brit in Bangkok come up with £400 ?

Seems that despite having stolen billions from Thailand - just like "someone else" - he didn't get to spend his time in a VIP hospital suite. Saxena scammed the Bangkok Bank of Commerce out of billions by creating false companies and then loaning them massive amounts of money. Because so many banks play games by loaning each other money or "buying" their securities, when the scam was uncovered it caused what is known as the "Asian Flu" banking crisis that rippled through a lot of SE Asian banks. He was able to flee to Canada (because he was wanted in India if I recall). He was initially arrested but couldn't be held because he hadn't committed any crimes in Canada (yet). And because he (initially) faced the death penalty in Thailand, Canada wouldn't extradite him. So he made a deal that he would pay for his own security while living in a Penthouse condo (bought with the money he stole) and the authorities kept his passport. And he spent the next 10 years using that money to fight extradition from Canada after Thailand agreed to waive the death penalty. And when he wasn't doing that he was involved in a number of shady enterprises. Like boiler room stock scams and nearly financing a coup in Sierra Leone by using a company he owned (Diamond Works) to hire a mercenary outfit (Executive Outcomes, a division of Sandline International, which comes complete with it's own Army, air force and even naval assets). Executive Outcomes was supposed to organize the coup and the new gov't would grant exclusive diamond mining rights to Diamond Works in return. That deal fell through and the coup never happened. And Saxena kept losing his extradition cases and then appealing the decisions and losing and appealing until his case made it all the way to the Supreme Court who declined to review the appeal of his last extradition case, ending his attempt to avoid extradition and he was FINALLY sent back to Thailand. It's almost a shock he went to jail at all. Usually when you steal billions in Thailand you get the "VIP" treatment.

I'd like to see how many of those digital tickets "win" compared to the regular printed tickets. Somehow I don't think they'll every release those numbers though.

20 years ago I was at a bar on Soi 7 late one night. My friends were in the band that had just finished playing and we were going to eat after they packed their stuff. Across the soi at a different bar, two ancient relics started arguing about something. Both had to be in their late 60s. Snow white hair, huge beer bellies. Both dressed in shorts, flip flops and short-sleeved shirts. The gist seemed to be that they both wanted to barfine the same waitress from the bar. I don't know if she was playing games with them, playing one against the other, or if they both propositioned her at the same time. Next thing you know they're standing 3 feet apart and throwing girly punches in the space in front of each other's faces, neither doing more than scaring a few flies away. Took all of 20 seconds before they were both too tired to keep going and a couple waitresses got in between them. Last I saw, they were still at the bar, but sitting somewhat further apart than before. Of course, some guys bar fine a girl out of a bar once and then suddenly think she's "his" property and no one else should go near her - even if that guy doesn't want to bar fine her again. Because he might want to later. Or he hopes he was "so good" that she'll wait until after work and go with him for free. But if someone else comes along and starts buying her drinks or wants to barfine her, he gets upset. Happens almost every night at a bar somewhere in Pattaya.

So they told ASEAN that the tax would apply to Thais and "permanent" residents. Makes you wonder if something has been lost in translation perhaps ? Maybe they meant "long term residents" ? Or maybe others think "permanent" residents and "long term Visa holders" are the same thing ? Is there an actual draft of the actual regulation somewhere or is it still a "work in progress" somewhere ?