JCauto

Where to start with this one? I take it you're with the TAT given that you're talking about the "quality tourists" and think that silly admin fees don't deter people from coming. You may be surprised to discover that Cambodia is no longer a war-torn craphole and has quite nice infrastructure all over the place nowadays, and Laos is on the way as well. Cambodia got 16 million tourists over Songkran, not sure what the numbers were in Thailand but as someone who thinks like the TAT you could probably tell me off the top of your head. Is there some Wonder of the World in Thailand that competes with Angkor that I'm not aware of? Couldn't get a hotel room in Luang Prabang, but closed hotels all over the Night Bazaar area in Chiang Mai and discounts galore. Air quality in LP was worse too.

Well, you ARE in Roi Et...and I don't and never did have a Thai wife. So yeah, it's different. Having said that, I have had confrontations with rude motorcycle taxi guys where my wife is from because I do understand what they say to her, so that's the same and it's not happening in Thailand but in a neighbouring country. It's misogyny in my opinion, and is a cultural thing in the region.

It's a bit counter to my experience, but then again I was living differently and have never been married to a local Thai woman and lived in their village. I can say having listened to many people talk about me over the years without them knowing I speak Thai, that seldom am I denigrated just for the hell of it. However, they will focus on something that makes you different (in my case that I am considerably taller than most Thai) and make jokes about that. I can handle this so it doesn't upset me and it's usually an advantage to have height or a big schnozz or whatever else they might be joking about.

Cambodia and Laos were chockers this Songkran. Seems the tourists are discovering the neighbouring countries finally. If I've learned anything about Thai economics, the solution to the reduction in tourist numbers will be to double or triple the entry fee to make up the lost revenue.

555! Sorry for prematurely aging you. And I don't dispute you can live well and happily without speaking Thai, my point only was that you'll have much less understanding about what's going on around you or about the Thai culture etc. As to knowing programming, I'd worry more about AI than the Thai.

No, you'll just be unhappy and paranoid. Also prone to conspiracy theory. You check out.

I'm not bragging so much as I am justifying my statements on why you're not gaining as much knowledge or understanding about the situation due to your lack of language. I know I'm good at languages already. But I am happy to hear you're in a good place with people you can trust. That's not something a lot of older folk who ended up here have and it's very important. I had to look up OBX so I guess that's Coastal Carolina? It is also true in my experience that many Thai don't adapt so well to living in other countries whereas Cambodians do. But that's a different kettle of fish and discussion.

To each his own. But then accept that you don't have the slightest idea about what is going on around you. Why are you writing on this forum if you know squat?

I got some news for you - you CAN become liked and accepted without overpaying or throwing your money around. But it does require some things such as speaking the local language. You find it astonishing that local people treat foreigners badly because they don't speak their language after living there and being married to a local for many years? Back home, how well are long-term foreign residents who haven't learned to speak the local language able to get along? Do they get smiled at pleasantly by the local folk? Are they helped out graciously?

You feel that there is "no evidence" yet have already judged the attacker's information as "lies"? I guess you were there? And definitely, the difference between your village price and that of the Finnish fellow's is conclusive that this was the clear cause of the beatdown. You just can't beat ThaiVisa's Police Squad, why even bother with police when this incredible resource is available?

You really feel that most Thai despise foreigners? What an odd existence you have in this country. I have seldom met even mild approbation from Thai people. But then again, I speak Thai, I understand the culture so I smile at people when I meet them and wai politely when required. You also feel that Thai people aren't very nice? Perhaps this is why you approve of them being held under foot by the military, since you feel they deserve it? This is the best explanation so far about your slavish devotion to Lil' P.

Your first sentence is true although the arrival fee varies with nationality. Your second sentence is not, since Bor Pen Yang is no longer open (sadly). Try Mekong Garage Bar.

I'm sure there will have been no financial incentives for this paragon of integrity to suddenly switch sides after discovering (to his shock - SHOCK!) that there were shenanigans going on in the pristine political party he joined. A genuine Thai politico with conscience. ROFLMAO!

How is it possible that we've made it to Page 2 without lil' P's apologists rushing to the thread to offer up their full-throated defense of their man? Must be that they finally got him! It's a clear violation, and just as serious as the ones that got the other guys in the past. This is where the real vice lies, in cooking shows, ownership of small media companies and singing and dancing. Oh, unless you are of a certain political bent (deliberate choice of words), in that case "mai bpen rai!".

Let me try to do the same because you are missing the basic point. The person you described is indeed a maniac, and has some hardcore support from around 20% of the US population or so. Thaksin is also a bit of a maniac but has hardcore support from over half of the population. Trump would almost certainly lose another election if he ran, and if he won, it would be through the narrowest of margins. Thaksin would win any reasonably fair election in a landslide again. Therefore we can say that while the personalities of Trump and Thaksin are similar in some ways, their popularity is not. Thaksin appeals to far more people in Thailand. The major mistake you are making in your thinking is that there would be some alternative politician one might elect here who would be not corrupt or would be able to otherwise be effective as Prime Minister - say what you will about Thaksin, he was probably the most significant PM in the country's history in terms of the changes he was able to make in the short time he was able to remain in power. You can elect non-corrupt people like Chuan Leekpai - they're utter disasters as PM due to their inability to manage their own caucus and are soon displaced by the scumbags in their own party who quickly return to business as usual (see Thaugsuban, Suthep). The other parties are the same-olds and never-weres who have never demonstrated any ability other than parochialism and the ability to steal money. So your dream of an ideal person who will somehow be suitable for AND end up as PM is just that. If you need a reminder, there was such a person recently who appeared on the scene whose name began with 'T'. The Military Government made sure he and his party were duly disqualified and disallowed to run again for several years. This was so obviously what was going to happen when lil' P and his cronies weaseled their way into indefinite power. You don't appear to understand that this is what has happened for almost one hundred years now. At what point do you reckon you're okay with the person the people elected actually retaining power and putting the military permanently in their barracks? Another hundred years?

I cheered as I watched the man who the Thai overwhelmingly elected get deposed by the military whom nobody has ever voluntarily elected in a fair contest, knowing full well that this meant they would keep power indefinitely and without a shred of transparency. This I find preferable to a person actually chosen by the people who live here and speak the language and who understand that every Thai politician and senior military person is likely corrupt. I am completely unaware that Thaksin, while corrupt like every other one of them, actually gave away serious money and power to the people in Isarn and the North who have been systematically excluded from it for decades by the A-mart in Bangkok. So in my ignorance, I blindly support the Military to continue to usurp power and prevent any democracy from ever gaining any hold here. My intellectual position is "Shin bad, so anyone else good". Did I summarize your position well?

Eh? Work out what?

Ah, brilliant detective work. I know that when I came to Thailand, the first thing I did was join up to ThaiVisa! Oh, except that this was before the site existed. Chatchai Choonhaven was the Prime Minister as I recall. Any other questions Detective?

So you're under the impression that police misconduct is both uncommon and that when it (rarely) happens the perpetrators are almost inevitably brought to justice under the law? That seems to be what you're saying. Are you sure this is what your position is? And you're supposedly a long-term resident? The mind boggles...

No, doesn't surprise me at all, my wife dislikes it also. So I smoke outside and away from other people like the majority of dope smokers. I'm surprised there are that many bars allowing full-on marijuana consumption, is that the norm?

Yes, terrible to have a bunch of happy, hungry, chilled-out tourists minding their own business, spending money and having fun. Better to have Russians, the return of mass Chinese no-dollar tourism or something else that I'm missing?

LOLOLOL! You must REALLY be new here! Have you ever heard of an "inactive post"?

New here?

Terrible camera work. Good on the refs for letting them go. Should have been able to have a better looking set of ring girls. Poor standup and grappling by the fighters, low level promotion.

Quick! Commission a NIDA Poll!