PaPiPuPePo

On 6/17/2017 at 9:23 AM, geisha said:

Most countries including Europe , Britain and the USA have quite strict rules concerning visas. I don't see what's wrong with Thailand following , especially when there are a lot of un savoury travellers hitting the sky these days. I think a bit more screening is necessary, everywhere. 

Poor comparison. 1st world countries are destinations for countless numbers of people seeking work without permits and access to 1st world social services, thus making them potential economic burdens.

The chance of a visitor to Thailand creating similar problems is much, much smaller, though of course it exists.

The US and Europe are also targets of terrorists to a much greater extent than Thailand is.

Tourism adds a tiny amount to the US economy compared to Thailand; IOW we need them much less than Thailand does.

So you can't compare the two/three.

15 hours ago, BritTim said:

The Thai authorities are well aware of the significant numbers of digital nomads in the country, and of the co-working spaces they typically use. In Bangkok and other areas of the country, these have been sprouting like mushrooms. A couple of years ago, one of them (up in Chiang Mai) was raided. However, this was an isolated event, and no one eventually was charged, although several people were found to be (technically) working illegally. It is widely assumed the raid was a mistake, and there have been no others anywhere. If the authorities were not turning a blind eye, it would be the easiest thing in the world for them to launch a series of raids and pick up hundreds, probably thousands, of digital nomads in a matter of hours.

Hey, not to be thick or troublesome, but thinking of someone who only needs an internet connection to work, no co-working space, I was wondering how such a person might fit under the rubric for "DN" as the Thai authorities see it.

BritTim could you expand on/give specifics about this:

• The crackdown on illegal working has deliberately ignored digital nomads.......

Thanks.

Awesome, situation solved and I appreciate the info guys (and/or gals)!

Hi folks I appreciate the quick replies. 

I didn't know about the re-entry. To make sure I got it correct: I'd enter the first time on the 2-month visa. after 2-3 days I exit at BKK, get the permit, and when I come back 5-6 days later I still have 2 mos. minus a week or so for the cost of 1000Bt.

If that's correct, it would be an acceptable back-up plan if the border officer disregards my request and stamps my visa anyway. So if Ubonjoe or anyone else who's familiar with this can confirm I've got the right idea, I've then got a plan--hope for the best at the border, but if that doesn't work out I don't have to get another visa (thus avoiding time wasted and the hassle). Thanks!

I have a 2 mo. visa but something came up, and so I would like to first enter Thailand overland without having this visa stamped, stay in Bangkok for just a couple of days, fly out for a week to take care of business, then fly back to BKK and start my two-month visa from that point.

I've heard of asking the immigration officer to allow visa-free entry under such circumstances (I can show the R/T ticket confirmation exciting BKK a couple of days later, and returning before I need to use my visa), but would like to check if anyone's had personal experience with this recently and can share. I'd hate to have to depend on a 50/50 situation or whim of the guy/gal in uniform at the border. TIA.

I've been ogling the eye-candy in Thailand off and on for longer than I care to share, and I have noticed there are a lot more chunky young ladies than there used to be. It's inevitable when a country "develops" according to the IMF/World Bank etc paradigm.

And I'm not advocating women be undernourished, but the "nourishment" available in Thailand esp. in BKK since the '90s has taken a hard turn towards junk food and it shows.

Well, with poor to no waste water management, a growing trash problem and an absolute BOOM in Diving tourism and related Dive schools over the last 10 yrs (400,000 visitors to Koh Tao this year) Thailand is facing a massive conservation challenge to preserve this natural treasure. If the sensitive coral reef is to be saved they're going to need to address uncontrolled growth as well as irresponsible diving. It is my belief that the current situation is 100% unsustainable the way it stands today. Great new video on the negative effects inexperienced divers can have on Koh Tao reefs here: "Diver Impacts - The Unspoken Threat to Coral Reefs" https://player.vimeo.com/video/124386121

They dont have any unspoiled coral reefs left

I've only been diving there the last 3 years and have noticed coral degradation and drop in fish number in just that short time. Not good.

Sting No More.

Introduced about a month ago, in Hawaii:

http://www.hawaiiweblog.com/2015/06/17/jellyfish-sting-cream

I know it's common practice these days but before you recommend something like this it's a good idea to give it a careful look first. Nowhere does the website give any details about the cream, the "product detail" page only lists tube sizes/volumes, nothing about the cream except it's "mil-spec" and is a "proprietary, patent-pending product" for "relief from box jellyfish and fire-ant bites." Relief is very general, at best would mean reducing the amount of venom/toxins entering the body, as that's the best response, but could also mean only reducing symptoms or pain. Relating it to fire ants suggests the latter, since the latter is just formic acid which is far from the closest toxin to those in box jellyfish stings, but both are very painful and would be "relieved" by a vinegar-like (i.e. high pH) liquid or cream.

Otherwise there's nothing about it which suggests it's better than vinegar and carefully removing the nematocysts before they fire. Once the venom's in the body no cream, mil-spec or not, is going to help.

Not based on any comments I have scene. Not to mention a forensic expert would want to examine the wounds and not use internet pictures to draw conclusions. Am sure I have missed many posts here but from what I can tell there are no forensic, DNA, crime scene or just about any other types of experts related to this case posting here. Then again there can be some among the huge amount of outrageous and and comical posts here from the keyboard experts.

JTJ writes:

"Then again there can be some among the huge amount of outrageous and and comical posts here from the keyboard experts."

From perhaps the most prolific producer of outrageous and comical posts, the ultimate phoney keyboard expert.

And I thought putting him on ignore would give me a break from his bull cocky......

Good Idea! Please add me to.

If I cared I'd wonder what you want me to add you to

Just a thought for you JTJ. Have you considered that they may be people in here with forensic experience!?

Because I have and it's likely !

Not based on any comments I have scene. Not to mention a forensic expert would want to examine the wounds and not use internet pictures to draw conclusions. Am sure I have missed many posts here but from what I can tell there are no forensic, DNA, crime scene or just about any other types of experts related to this case posting here. Then again there can be some among the huge amount of outrageous and and comical posts here from the keyboard experts.

Well I know for a fact there is people of those same fields in here. Trust me !

Correction, notice you said related to this case ! No but looking in yes!! And the is experts in there field related to the skills needed to handle a case like this. Yes

JTJ writes:

"Then again there can be some among the huge amount of outrageous and and comical posts here from the keyboard experts."

Here's a quote from a post by JTJ:

"Meanwhile, Zaw Rin had taken Hannah some distance away. She resisted and screamed, so he hit her with the same hoe."

This can’t be true. Why? If you look at how Hannah was hit with the hoe, it was two precise strikes, one across her eyes, one across her mouth.

There is virtually no way that the hoe strikes would be that precise and even if she were resisting, perfectly horizontal and placed in those exact positions, and with no arc to the cuts. She could only have been struck that way if her head were immobile or immobilzed and the person striking her aimed at those areas.

If one of these guys, or anyone, struck her while they were struggling the strikes would have been an some angle (extreme “luck” aside) and there would have been an arc to the strike, especially if they were both standing, or if he (I’m assuming it was a he who hit her with the hoe) was kneeling or above her and she was lying down.

I would like to ask JTJ, AleG and jdinasia if he is still around a question.

The prosecution said the clothes were piled neatly on a rock. Up until they showed that picture of the clothes piled neatly on a rock I have never seen it before.

What I have seen is clothes tossed all over the beach around lots of blood.

Are you saying the pictures of the clothes tossed on the beach don't exist and are a figment of a CT's mind ?

When you see things with your own eyes and then someone in a uniform tells you what you have seen doesn't exist then I think it only fair to call them liars.

blood on beach.jpg

Is this picture real or am I dreaming it ?

You have to assume that the court has not seen the picture of the scattered clothes and David's body out to sea? Otherwise that would show the first on scene policeman's testimony to be untrue.

If the prosecution choose to only show certain cctv footage to the court then I presume they also do the same with pictures (although they did say they did not have the budget to store some - what does a flash drive cost? not much more than a few rotis).

I assume the judges make their decisions based on what 'evidence' is presented to the court, which is basically anything the RTP want to show or say to try and help their story make a semblance of sense. The picture showing the scattered clothes and David in the sea - Would it have been possible for the defence to show that or do they not get to do that sort of thing?

That's a good point and your right why didn't they challenge that. I can't imagine that the defense don't know about the scattered clothes pictures. Maybe there holding back and using it to prove the crime scene was compromised and bodies etc had been moved. Maybe in the Thai court system you can't challenge but they put questions to other witness for the prosecution. Maybe they haven't seen the pics !! Or of course they could have something that blows the whole case out of the water anyway and it isn't that relevant. All speculation but keeps us engaged

Here it is again maybe he missed it.

clothes2.jpg

There's no way the killers would have stacked the clothes up like that, and it's very poor procedure to do that unless they were extensively photographed in their original positions, and were handled carefully enough that now evidence on the clothes could be lost nor contamination occur. The fact that they're unbagged shows they weren't handled carefully enough--not that I'm surprised--and I have no expectations that sufficient documentation was done before they were moved.

Breaking news. The judge in the case has requested 5 more court days so that the 191 (so far) pages of 4762 comments from Thai Visa be read aloud into the court record.

Now there are people joining this thread and commenting or complaining that it's too long, too much speculation, that the people on here are obsessed, and so on.

If you don't like it, there are literally billions of other web pages easily accessible to you right now, so go have fun! No one's forcing you to read this thread, and no one who's interested in this important case and possible legal and moral travesty really gives two sh*ts whether you like it or not. Either contribute something useful and/or meaningful or go whine in your coffee.

Seems like Goldbuggy can't answer the more objective posts with links to an article that categorizes the Police incompetence, screw-ups and lies. Only off the wall posts speculating about the murder rate in Burma, and his diverse history of working with "red, yellow and black" peoples.

I am not a racist- I have a black friend-, but...

I personally prefer the taupe, chartreuse, and magenta races.

I always shake my head when I read something like "These Poor Boys!" "Take a look at them!" "They couldn't hurt a flea"!

Now let me point out a "Fact" to you all.

Myanmar, and where these so called "Innocent Boys" come from, has the Highest Murder Rate in all of Asia. All of Asia! The Myanmar Murder Rate is triple what it is in Thailand. Meaning by population for every 1 Murder in Thailand, there are 3 Murders in Myanmar. Thailand's Murder Rate is only slightly higher than the USA. But no small wonder they look at Myanmar Workers first when their is a murder committed nearby.

So could they commit murder? You bet your bottom dollar they could! And there own Government Statistics proves that and they can back that up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate

These deaths are predominantly because of internal civil wars ... just as the high numbers in Thailand are due to the unrest in the south.

It is not a war just because you are wearing a uniform and then rape and murder innocent civilians. It is a War Crime!

What you're doing is making a very dubious claim of guilt by association, in fact as someone else pointed out there's no evidence that exposure to violence makes a person more likely to commit violence. If it were so WWII for instance would have been followed very soon by a pandemic of violence, or the majority of refugees from war-torn nations would turn out to be killers and rapists.

Sorry but your contention is completely unsupported by evidence.

Reading through past post I can't but wonder what all this is about and some Victory Parade. I mean before the discovery that the DNA can be retested. So maybe better we start there to get that out of the way.

I have claimed from the start that I hoped that the courts would allow this DNA to be retested. I still feel the same today. I like everyone else was confused with reports saying it was lost, or used up, or eaten by a snake. But now that it can be retested I think that is fine. All I added to this was to be careful for what you ask for as you might get it.

If these test do come back negative, like the first ones, then the gig is up. It is game over. There is no turning back after this point, The accused chances of a successful victory at trial, and even appeal, I would think would be very little. So I will wait and see and see if these tests actually take place. If they are guilty it would be easier to try and poke holes in the Prosecutions DNA Evidence then to have you own which agrees with his.

Someone pointed out that if the defense discovered through DNA that they did do it, they wouldn't have to show this in court. Perhaps at the very beginning if they conducted there own DNA Independent Test he may be right. I am not sure. But since the Defense had to appeal to the court to allow this, and this was granted, then I would think the court would want to see the results regardless. But again I am not sure.

Without a clear chain of custody, which DOESN'T exist in this case, that's been admitted by the authorities, there's no way to determine the veracity of DNA findings.

No report said it was eaten by a snake, putting that in betrays your contempt not only for others' opinions, but for facts about the case that have been revealed by media organisations or the RTP themselves.

You're welcome to naively believe this case was handled to exacting standards but there's so much evidence that it wasn't, so your arguments based on that don't have a leg to stand on.

It's obvious you're of the opinion these two guys are the likely rapists/killers. That's your opinion and of course you're welcome to it. You're in a small minority and from looking at a lot of evidence about this case, combined with the context of shoddy and/or corrupt police work in Thailand stretching back decades (or much longer), I'm quite, like 99% sure, you're dead wrong, pardon the pun. Being sarcastic, misrepresenting what others have written, and/or showing contempt for their opinions hardly helps your cause, in case that's not apparent to you.

I spent 2 weeks on Koh Tao and Phangan with my Thai wife, returned a few days ago. Local people on Phangan told us a lot (less so on Koh Tao but still), but this trial is a joke, apparantly everybody knows who did it, cost his father, a local village head or something, a lot of bribe money (at least 30 million baht, going to the highest levels)

The real culprit will never be jailed.

Koh Tao is all mafia (or how one would like to call it), this is an ugly case but other things happened there. Small island, almost no police. Must have been nice once but now overdeloped, expensive, full of scams.

Phangan is nicer.

What I bolded is what a lot of people seem to suspect, based on their comments here, reading this put so plainly by you makes it look pretty certain. Did you actually ask people about it and a number--more than a couple--said it was the son of the headman? I didn't dare ask any Thais because I was making multiple visits for dive school and didn't want to get ID'ed by the wrong people, and the expats I asked were vague or wouldn't say anything (one just said "we don't talk about that around here" which was kind of an answer in itself). But if people actually told you straight-out that they suspect or know it was this person, then that is a big deal. I'd like to hear more details if you'll share.

That's right. Anything can happen in a Thai court and once its ruling has been issued, it is a criminal offence to criticise it. There are no juries and judges pass judgement and sentence by themselves. Thailand has a civil law system which means that judges do not have to take legal precedents into account but are free to interpret the law in their on way, which may differ substantially from rulings made in other similar cases, sometimes by the same judge. Defendants have no right to know the prosecution's case against them before they are forced to plead when they are usually presented with heavy threats about the consequences of not pleading guilty. When the case goes to trial the prosecution again has no obligation to provide the defence with proper details of its case. Judges are appointed and promoted by the Justice Ministry which means there is no concept of judicial independence at this level of criminal justice, although things may be better at the Supreme Court level. Judges are recruited straight from university, based on connections, not from the ranks of successful and already wealthy barristers, as in the UK. Thai judges earn tiny civil service salaries may end up rather wealthy. Young judges have to cut their teeth in the provinces for years until their connections and other notable attributes can ingratiate them enough with the powers that be to get a plumb court posting in Bangkok where all the big money cases are heard. The system is rotten by design.

And that is why any of the people commenting here that rather than "speculate" they trust the court system to reveal the truth of the case are completely misguided and misinformed (if they're not just being mendacious).

If this was my home country the case would have been tossed out by the judge already. Just like that.

I'm wondering if there's ever a time in Thailand where a judge sees that the prosecution can't prove its case "beyond a (any) reasonable doubt" and dismisses the case out of hand. If that happens the accused can't be charged or tried again. It's up to the prosecution to prove its case and never up to the defendant to prove his innocence.

This worries me about Thailand as much as anything. Is there any justice for foreigners which these boys are? We'll see.

One thing that a lot of expats are aware of but others may well not be, so bears repeating or saying, is that in general in Asian countries the "justice" system is very heavily weighted towards prosecution. Even in more westernised and modernised Japan something like 99% of trials end in conviction, which is freaking scary if you think about it.

There's basically no concept of "innocent until proven guilty," or of reasonable doubt; getting the attention of the authorities, never mind being arrested or jailed, or worse ending up in the situation these two guys are, carries a stigma of guilt beyond what Westerners would, for the most part, ever experience back home.

This is one reason why in any Asian country I've spent some time the citizens make every effort to have zero contact with the police--things can easily go south if you do.

The court was told officers had inspected it with a magnifying glass but deemed there were no viable fingerprints on it, and no DNA evidence to collect.

http://news.sky.com/story/1523975/police-never-checked-cctv-after-britons-killed

H12.jpg

Get the <deleted>*k, I cant believe this is happening. I have to admit as soon as I read that I laughed out loud until I remembered the victims families and the B2. This is outrageous incompetence and neglect of duty. It really cant get worse can it? Yes it probably can and will.

As if you find fingerprints with a magnifying glass! Even on KT with its rinky-dink police station they could go down to "7" and get some superglue and a lighter.

By now these various cock-ups should be enough to declare a mis-trial or acquit. Almost no CCTV evidence, the cops "believe" no one could have left on the boats that went unmonitored, this business with the fingerprints, and so on and on.

MikeENZ, who apparently provided some insights about life on KT and KP for the TIME Magazine "The Sceptic Isle" story casts doubt on the possibility that the son of an influential figure on the sceptic island could have committed or been involved in the rape and murders because he would have had too much too lose.

Personally I have no idea who committed the crimes and don't wish to point the finger of suspicion at anyone in particular. However, I would like to point out that MikeENZ's theory is inconsistent with the observed behaviour of the sons of wealthy and influential figures in Thailand. Without naming names or citing dates, I list from memory some incidents I recall over the years in Thailand.

- The son of an influential politician was alleged to have shot a policeman in the head at point blank range in a disco over an argument about someone stepping on his toe. No conviction.

- The son of a gangster associated with gambling dens in Bangkok shot the nephew of a Thai diplomat in the face non-fatally in a disco in Bangkok after the victim allegedly stepped on his toe. No prosecution.

- The son of an influential politician became irate when a pick-up truck cut in front of him on a Bangkok street. The pick-up truck was pulled over by bodyguards travelling in another car and the driver was beaten. The politician's son walked towards him and fired a shot that missed. Then he pointed the gun right at his head and pulled the trigger but it failed to fire. No prosecution.

- The son of an influential politician was pulled over by a traffic cop on Pattanakarn Road in Bangkok for a minor violation and got irate when the cop refused to let him go without booking him. So he pulled out his gun and shot the cop in the face non-fatally. No charges pressed after a financial settlement.

- The son of an influential politician abducted a police sergeant over an unknown dispute and incarcerated him for 2 or 3 days. No charges pressed after a financial settlement.

- The son of a billionaire who sells cafeinated sugar water to gullible fools all over the world ran over a police sergeant and dragged him on the car's bonnet for 220 metres before tipping him on the road, ensuring death, if it had not already occurred. Then he attempted to get a family servant to claim responsibility for the crime in his place. He was charged but there has been no attempt to bring him to court and almost certainly the case will be allowed expire under Thailand's ridiculous statute of limitations.

- The son of an influential Isaan politician became irate when he was travelling in was overtaken by a pick-up truck on an isolated country road. He speeded up and overtook the pick-up so that he and at least one of his buddies could fire into the pick-up repeatedly with their illegally carried handguns but missed him completely. The pick-up truck owner, a building contractor, was ready for them and returned fire with his own illegal handgun, killing the politician's son instantly. LOL. The pick-up truck owner was prosecuted.

I could go on but I think this pattern illustrates something in the Thai psyche that MikeENZ obviously failed to learn during his brief stint in Thailand as an illegal worker in tourist resorts. Sons of wealthy and influential people are brought up with a sense of entitlement and impunity which makes them believe they can and have and do whatever they want and never have to face any consequences because Daddy will fix any problems that result. The above list indicates that they are often right. This makes their reflexes different from most less privileged people in Thailand or people living in rule of law jurisdictions, who are more likely to stop short at a point where they should be able to see a possibility of spending many years in prison. Since they don't feel they will have to face the consequences of their actions, they don't see any need to control their flashpoints and, in a country where face is so important, this can lead to some ugly situations. Some of these spoiled brats think nothing of killing some one who accidentally steps on their toe. You can imagine how they would feel if they have been slighted sexually and lost face in front of their buddies and servants.

Another point has been raised by other posters, i.e. why would police go to so much trouble and why would the case be escalated to such a high level to protect a fire dancing drifter, even if he was Thai. In the case of the Katherine Horton murder in Samui, the authorities were happy to arrest and convict two Thai fishermen. No doubt Burmese fishermen would have been preferable but Thai fishermen are only a couple of rungs up the ladder and are also of no consequence, as are Thai fire dancers..

Exactly the same points I made earlier, (which I bolded in your post), good job providing specific examples. If you look at other countries where justice is extremely unevenly applied (rather than just pretty unevenly lol), mainland China being a good one, you'll find many, many similar examples.

And not to overstate the point but I personally experienced this kind of atmosphere of impunity on KT more than any other place I've been, not just in Thailand, but anywhere, and this with locals much lower down on the totem pole, so I can just imagine how it would be getting in the sights of the higher-ups.

Have a look fellas. He was dressed for school that morning, never made it to class! Or was late as balls.

What is your agenda here , CSI LA has been spreading spreading gossip all day long. That doesnt prove anything about Nomsod and where he went the times he was not attending class. He had a girlfriend at that time , he was in Bangkok , living his student life.

One could ask the same agenda question of you. You continually present what you believe in as fact and what you don't believe in as fiction.

@stephenterry - not a troll (despite my unfortunate profile pic which I just noticed), just someone who needs some sleep. I live in California now - wife is doing her masters at UCSD. It's 6:58am over here. I would not be writing any of this sort of stuff if I was still based in Thailand.

I was there in 2013 and returned for a short holiday in Jan 2014. Which of course was 9 months before this all happened (I was living in the states when it happened). My post is merely to provide some context to the life around the island. That said 99% of the time, it's pretty chilled out there and I enjoyed my time there, but I wasn't wearing rose coloured glasses.

With regards to the whole "Fire Dancer" thing, please don't read more into that than needed, It's merely a scenario, just like the hundreds of tin foil hat scenarios that have been posted all over the net. But, it's a more likely scenario than half of them. Please don't misinterpret this as I have some form of evidence suggesting it. I don't. I'm merely speaking from experience having lived there, and dealt with some of the characters on the island.

My point is more along the lines of, out of all the locals who tended to be pretty loose - those were the guys, bar owners had assets to protect, businesses, reputation and Face. The fire dancers were transient, with a good command of english, proper six pack beach bods, and liked to try and score foreign chicks. Some of them were definitely on drugs some of the time, and they definitely had weapons. BUT it's merely speculation. As for why blame the burmese rather than look at those avenues - two reasons:

1) Racism, local Thais are insanely racist when it comes to Burmese, and they are disposable.

2) Face/Politics - those in the govt said Thais couldn't have done this, it was just after the coup so was easier to blame a farang (i.e Shaun) - then that dind't work out so the easiest scapegoat is a Burmese worker. No papers, minimal lanugage skills, no rights. Easy.

Mike, I read your original post and it's definitely words of experience, but I can also see how your pointing towards the fire-dancer(s) and saying the headman's family couldn't have been involved could look like intentional mis-direction. Personally I disagree with you but don't think you were being insincere.

As others have pointed out in response, the lengths to which some rich/powerful locals and the cops have gone to finger these two Burmese doesn't make sense if the murderers weren't more closely connected to these people than any fire dancer would be. It seems they'd readily give him/them up to protect themselves.

The grisly, horrific way one or more people bashed in Hannah's face seems to be due to extreme rage, so the question is who would feel such rage at a young woman, and would be willing to do something like this. Either he/they were drugged out beyond reason, or they had/have a strong sense of entitlement and protection from any consequences.

It's easy to come across examples of the offspring of rich and powerful people acting brutally towards others, I mean history's full of such stories. Another reason that for me at least fingers point toward someone in or close to one of the families who control KT.

I have no idea if this guy Nomsod is involved, there are definitely some things pointing toward him, and there aren't any pointing toward 99% of the other people on the island. That alone would make him a person of interest to LE in most corners of the world.

I saw a pic of him holding a large discharge hose for a bilge or bailing pump on a boat like it's his man-thang (it's discharging water in the pic), could just be a casual joke caught on camera, but two things stand out about him in that pic--he's very wiry (lots of muscle definition), so no weakling, and his expression looks anything but innocent, kind of nasty actually, that is he's not showing an innocent smile by any means. It's an unvarnished view of him that contrasts strongly with the image he's projecting in his public appearances after the murders. Someone should post that pic up again on this thread because I think it is pretty revealing.

Thai people live in Thai-land, an unique place full of Thai culture. All Thai speak the Thai language and love their Thai country. Thai children go to Thai schools where Thai teachers tell them about the Thai language, the Thai culture and Thai logic so these Thai children will stay pure Thai. Thai children become Thai adolescents and these Thai girls and Thai boys make Thai love and beget more Thai children.

Thai farmers sow Thai seeds in Thai ricefields. Thai monks pray in Thai tempels to soothe Thai karma.

All Thai children care for their Thai parents. When Thai parents are getting older they suffer from Thai diseases, go to Thai hospitals where Thai doctors give them Thai medicines. In the end they die, like people everywhere, and they are cremated in the Thai way.

Funny but so true.

The irony is though, as nationalistic as they are, they`ve let the Chinese come in and take over completely. The now Thai-Chinese own most of the land in towns, most of the big businesses and definitely all the mercs and beemers! haha

Then if you take a short trip out of town, not only does the skin tone change but also peoples wealth, standard of living and so on.

The skin tones change because Thailand is an amalgamation of different peoples. The earliest Thai-speaking people came from SW China. There was a huge influx of Chinese during the end of the Qing and beginning of the Republican periods. They've been mixing with Khmer and Malay and even some Indian people for a very long time; Thailand then annexed or conquered parts of Laos and the Khmer kingdom, and thus there are distinctly part-Khmer and Lao Thais (of course the Issan dialect is called "Lao" in Thai).

So how pure Thai is Thailand after all? Might that be perhaps why some Thais are so insistent on this notion?