Suffinator

He has no right, certainly not a legal one, to be PM. His true colours are now beginning to show - he's like a petulant child who can't get his own way.

You have to consider his position; after all years in the military with everyone saying 'Yes Sir' and now people opposing him and his views.

I strongly suspect he'll go on embarrassing himself and the Thai people on the world stage.

Did it actually exist in the first place. Considering the level of greed and corruption maybe it played out as ....

Thai Admin: So how much rice did you produce?

Thai Farmer: 3 tonnes.

Thai Admin: That doesn't sound right, looks more like 10 to me. Look I'll give you 5k per tonne on the extra, just sign here.

Thai Farmer: Sounds ok to me Not only am I effectively destroying my own market but I'm stealing from the taxpayer just like an elite ... oh happy days.

One born every minute ... or died in this case. Unfortunate loss of life that is easily prevented with a little online research.

Still waiting for the British to release their findings .... this could get very interesting IF it doesn't match that of the RTP.

The committee will divide its tasks into three working groups - including one dealing with the extraditing of violators of the lese majeste law from abroad. I doubt they'll get any western countries to assist and the following statement only enforces this apart from being able to convince other countries that that defaming the monarchy affected the Thai spirit that revered the institution... Paiboon said he understood many foreign states did not recognise lese majeste acts as a crime and would not extradite the accused; but the Thai government would try to convince them that defaming the monarchy affected the Thai spirit that revered the institution.

The Justice Minister acknowledged that lese majeste charges had been used by some Thais as a tool to seek asylum abroad. The committee would also set up a working group to convince the international community that the law and charges against alleged offenders had nothing to do with politics. Yes and that's because of Human Rights Laws, especially the UN Charter on Human Rights which Thailand is a signatory to; attempting to make this a non-political will likely fail.

The third working group would ensure that those using social media to defame the monarchy were dealt with. This, said Paiboon, was the responsibility of the ICT Ministry. The committee would also review all lese majeste cases and the so-called anti-monarchist mind map, he added. Almost certain that the likes of Facebook and Twitter won't play along so the only solution is to block the sites in Thailand; which is not effective as there are many ways to get around that issue.

A poor woman dies and the only thing most of you can do is make sarcastic remarks and indeed make fun of the situation.

I've been very fortunate in my life as I've traveled the world. I've met expats from all walks of life but my stay in Thailand subjected me to some of the most vile expat misfits on the planet.

You really ought to be ashamed of yourselves but I strongly suspect most are never sober long enough to put together a coherent thought let alone consider the tragic loss of life.

He's either as thick as a Rhino's backside or he's complicit and therefore lying .... in all honesty it could be either

What a joke, obviously didn't have 20k to go home.

What they should be doing and the know it, is looking in to how easy it is to get hold of it.

It's everywhere, and readily you get asked " Hey brother " from a random Norwegian dude on the street all the time, in facet I can;t even walk down sukhumvit post terminal wiht out been asked if Im looking for something.

Why is it so easy... Makes me want to punch police officers in the face. Blatant Corruption is just to over the top.

This would directly relate to Koh Tao mafia and strong men right at it's core.

When I lived on the toilet known as Phuket it was common knowledge where you could buy drugs ... the RTP. There's thousands of articles pointing to this fact where many have been caught and then transferred.

So glad I no longer live in Thailand

So effectively democracy is scrapped and those in power decide who is going to rule ... yep that'll do the job in turning the country into the likes of Burma and N.Korea.

The country as a whole will suffer, foreign investment will plummet, exports will suffer and the people will be silenced by force.

Why downsize the RTP? Why not remove them all and reduce crime by 80%+ ?

This narrative from a person that refuses to speak on record is typical of a country that that uses the word "democracy" to push their own agenda whether what they are pushing is democratic or not. If the US supported democracy they would not have been involved in over 35 seizers of power since the 1940's. If they supported democracy they would not have achieved the following;

1. Iran. 1953. Mohammad Pahlavi takes power in a coup planned and supported by the USA and UK secret services (Operation Ajax). He topples the flourishing and popular democracy of Mohammed Mossadeq.

2. Ecuador. 1963. The CIA back a military coup that overthrows President Arosemana, because of his independent policies. A military junta assumes command, cancels the 1964 elections, and begins abusing human rights.

3. El Salvador. 1963. Jose Duarte wins the election, but is immediately removed and exiled by the USA backed military. Just 14 families run most of the country's businesses, mainly coffee growing.

4. South Korea. 1979. General Chun Doo-Hwan takes power in a coup. His regime is armed and supported by the USA. One year later, the general orders the killing of hundreds of civilians in Kwangju.

5. Chad. 1981. In 1981. The CIA set up, financed and trained a Chadian military force in Sudan. Led by Hissen Habré, this force overthrows the government of Chad, ruling for 8 years with American support. Habré's regime would kill tens of thousands of people and torture over 200,000. Many dissidents would simply disappear. In 2000, Habré would be tried for his crimes in Senegal.

I have about 30 more examples too.

America doesn't need me to bash them. History speaks on my behalf.

So because the US has sinned, that makes it okay to deny Thai citizens the right to elect their own government? Is this your argument? The US has sinned and as we saw with the release of the report on Torture, continue to do so. However, we also have the right to elect our own government and the freedom to criticize our government without fear of imprisonment. Much of the information regarding past sins of the US are public knowledge because we have a free press and an elected government. The report on torture came from our own government. Imagine that in most other countries of the world.

Are you sure you have the freedom to elect your own government? Bush Vs Gore ... there remains strong evidence Gore won the Presidential election. Regardless of that the only thing US citizens effectively does is to vote in yet another puppet who takes their orders from the Federal Reserve and Corporations ... JP Morgan; I care not who makes the laws as long as I control the money.

Woodrow Wilson signs the Federal Reserve Act that effectively hands over ALL power to the bankers and Nixon moves the dollar from gold to oil (Petro-Dollar) thus resulting in a worthless currency and a country carrying $18 trillion in debt.

The US and indeed the UK have been complicit in a number of criminal acts including installing and supporting Saddam H., even supplying him with chemical weapons to bomb Iran with ... funny how Iran is always seen as the aggressor and yet hasn't attacked another country since 1718.

The only real benefit to all foreigners here is that they are still free to leave ... let the Thais do what they want; if they want to head down the road of elitism which will inevitably lead to civil war then let them have at it.

Protect and Serve ...

Not a bad idea but if current laws were enforced then the operators themselves would have to bear the costs of such items and not the taxpayer.

By initiating such a scheme it clearly shows the lack of care and ultimately safety the tourist operators have for their own customers.

How does a listed company get run like a government ministry?

Nepotism if rife within this company. That's why you still have air hostesses if their 60's.

This applies to Briggsy and all the naysayers in this thread as well.

Have you been paying attention what has happened to THAI over the past 5 years, and more importantly, what restructuring Prayuth set in motion?

What you say is true and exactly the reason why THAI has been losing money the past 5 years. Nepotism. It's also the reason why the entire board and CEO were fired by Prayuth, and why an all new board and CEO are in charge.

Uphill battle, but they have the support of the government, and they actually stand a chance of turning THAI around.

Equally it could be argued that Prayuth simply fired the board members so he could replace them with his own cronies.

Never really understood why TG fairs are always dearer than most other local players

by as much as 30%, just because they fancy themselves as the national carrier dose that

give them the right to be a pompous ass airline and charge much more for the same service

you get from other airlines? I guess that this is what happened when you're not a private

company and you relay on government findings...

Greed and the fact that they feel their are superior.

Witchu Vejjajiva, director of the North America Division at the Foreign Ministry, commented that the US tends to be too sweeping in its judgement on human trafficking in the Kingdom. He said the Foreign Ministry was trying hard to convince the US State Department that the situation in Thailand is not as bad as it appears.

No it's probably a lot worse and when you have a junta that oppresses freedom of the press and indeed prosecutes anyone attempting to uncover such a vile trade I'm amazed Thailand hasn't been slapped with a harsh trade embargo.

Talking and trying to convince the US State Department is not the answer ... show evidence that there have been measurable advancements by locking up the perpetrators instead of transferring them.

And just think ... someone gets paid to write this garbage.

Nice bit of propaganda for the ruling junta though!

"The ministry is ready to run a one-year plan to reconstruct the industry and line up fundamentals for long-term growth," Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said.

Hasn't anyone told that that a 1 year plan is actually short-term? Long-term is a minimum of 5 years.

Negative images and perceptions that Thai tourism is cheap also need to change, along with rebuilding the deteriorating environment and other attractions, the ministry believes.

The negativity has nothing to do with Thailand being cheap... it's all the scams, violence and crooked cops. Change these and you might have a viable tourism industry; don't and it's doomed to continue its decline.

Chanin Donavanik, managing director and chief executive officer of Dusit International, said Thai tourism had no problem with products and services. The one major item bothering tourists was the political scene.

For a guy who runs a major hotel chain he's either delusional or in denial ... sure the products and definitely services could be improved but unless of the scams, violence and crooked cops and put a stop to things won't get better but worse.

Bangkok will be rebranded and noted for its river cruises, complemented with existing variety products such as shopping, dining, weekend holidays, history and culture.

So a smell river cruise followed by over priced shopping where most of it is copied ... sounds like a winner to me.

Pattaya, which is famed as a nightlife and beach town, will be transformed by world-class sports activities and also as a family destination.

So they are going to turn it from a whore house into a sport centre ... ummm, maybe they could make sex an Olympic sport ... he who cums first comes last.

Koh Pha Ngan, now known as home to the world's most popular full-moon party, will be turned into a resort based more on "Thainess".

There's already far too much 'Thainess' and that's why the tourism industry in Thailand is taking a beating ... never going to learn.

Phuket is targeted as a venue for premium cruises and a destination for MICE, together with beaches and diving.

Speed boats packed with Chinese tourists and a moron at the helm; yeah sounds like another winner. Beaches are filthy and the water full of human waste. Diving is appalling as it's been illegally over fished ... you might find the odd bit of dead coral but that's about it.

I'm afraid that until they can acknowledge, accept and admit their failures as a nation and tourist destination I fail to see how growth can be obtained. You simply cannot continue to rip off tourists and expect them to come flocking back.

I don't know if I'm just being unduly pessimistic, I've always been a little so in my own affairs -which usually leads to being happy when things turn out better - but never to the point of worrying about anything. I'm still not worried on a personal level, we have good sound blue chip share and property investments which are very wisely spread, and are both not so long turned 50 and young enough to go back to work should we need to (although things would have to get a very lot worse than they are now). I've never bought into those sky falling in things, when everything's down in Europe they're going OK in Asia or America and vice verca. This time feels a little different though. Is it just an inevitable effect of getting older?

The UK is totally screwed - we got out of there almost 30 years ago thinking that it was screwed then, and it was the best move we ever made. There is no way that I can see it turning around in my lifetime at least - there are people I went to school with (I'm 51) who have never done a day's work in their lives. There are girls I went to school with who are great grandmothers. None of their offspring have ever worked either, and following by example they aren't likely to be inclined to do so. Not my concern, I haven't paid tax in UK for a long time, but there are now 3 generations of people happy to be on benefits, with the rest of the country paying for them. NB: I don't want this to fall into a debate of shouty thing about lazy people in England. My sister and her husband both work, have a tiny mortgage and 2 primary school kids and couldn't survive without tax credits and the like, so it's not just the lazy - wages paid to blue collar workers very low. Wd we spoke recently to a fitter who is earning LESS than my husband was in 1986 - he's a toolmaker, not a bank manager. Earning less than 29 years ago. Not relatively less, not inflation adjusted less. Actually less pounds coming home at the end of the week less. I really can't see how it can possibly be turned around in my lifetime. But that's England, now even our adopted home of Australia isn't looking too clever at the moment. Nothing like as bad of course, but it looks as though it's going to be a long haul to the end of it as it was in the 1990's. Other European countries are either critical or seeing their surpluses bailing the bad ones out to prop up the Euro, US hasn't looked good for a long time, but it's getting worse (big picture sense) and Asia, more particularly China, looks like it's running on empty. I'm not sure that I've seen it this bad, for so many countries at the same time. On top of all that of course is personal levels of debt. People I know in UK and Australia are now doing grocery shopping on their credit cards or line of credit from house equity accounts, at least anyone who bought in Australia 10 plus years ago is sitting on a lot more money than their mortgages are for, unless they've upped their line of credit. I'm assuming it's a similar story elsewhere.

So, is it just me thinking that the glass is half empty, or is it really half empty this time?

You're not being pessimistic but you need to look a little more closely at the economies of the US, UK and the EU. You're right society is now living on debt and in doing so accumulates more debt, unfortunately without people spending (generally on non-essential items) the economies would stall.

US now nearly 18 trillion in debt, UK 1.4 trillion ... the EU ... well let's just say that the only countries propping that up are the British, Germans and French ... it's why there's so much hostility when Britain talks about an EU referendum; the fear is of course that once it all does belly up they'll be war again in Europe.

Take a look at this ...

it could well change the way you think about economies. The underlying issue is that Governments have become far too big and now populations rely on their governments far too much ... there simply isn't any will remaining to make individual changes.

How about trying to lure the Europeans back to Thailand with some nice discounts, and forget about the Russian and Chinese market.

Yes give them some fried rice on arrival.

Make that Thai fried rice ... after all there's plenty of it

Funny how once the military took over the doors to China swung open wide, almost like both sides were waiting for it to happen. Makes me wonder who was funding the protests that precipitated the coup, a coup that was legitimized by the protests and with political obstacles out of the way nothing would then prevent a full scale economic colonization. Yes, and funny how at the exact same moment we saw cold shouldering of Japan and the West. Funny, that's all I'm saying. Soon we will see later scale manufacturing by China in Thailand (and the Japanese will be coerced to shut up shop, but by bit) as well as exploitation of commodity and agricultural resources, increased military cooperation leading to a Chinese base, pressure on the US to close its base and end its military cooperation, the closure of labour intensive tourist businesses frequented largely by Westerners, in order to free up and demobilize the cheap labour needed by the Chinese factories. And in agriculture there will be sweeping changes towards efficiency and also freeing up of cheap labour. I think the writing is very much on the wall now, for all to see. Big changes lie ahead and any non Chinese foreigner would be wise to reconsider any future plans they had to spend more time in or to invest in Thailand. Thailand's future is becoming inextricably tied to that of China. If this isn't the Chinese century after all then that will have been a terribly strategy, but even if it is, becoming a second class province of the master country won't be a very good choice either.,

Thailand states it's never been colonized and yet the ruling elite are Thai-Chinese. This is nothing more than China protecting its assets.

Money first ... safety nowhere to be found

Not wearing a helmet, driving at high speeds, crap roads ... yep that's the right combination to kill yourself.

Off-duty cop carrying a gun ... why?