Benmart

Too late...

I take the brevity of the post to mean its too late and off to bed?

I wholeheartedly agree; alcohol in Thailand should be the same as any other drug; heroin, cocaine, pot etc.

Possession should elicit the death sentence.

Many of Thailand's problems would be solved. I sincerely hope the junta is going in this direction.

I am glad to have a more moderate view of the world.

Castration for ALL sexual offences should be mandatory.

Castration and life in prison for all sexual offences against children.

Death penalty for rape and murder.

"ALL" sexual offenses? Seems that prostitution and soliciting the same would qualify in your mind. There will be long lines for execution on that one.

"ALL" sexual offenses against children. What are ALL offenses in this category? Fondling through clothing qualify in your mind?

Please do some reseach on castration as it applies to sexual crimes. Does your definition of castration involve removal of just the testis or the penis as well?

Don't forget arsonists, traitors, embezzlers and the like. Where do you draw the line?

I think you and Draco share a lot in common.

Prayuth could use good ole Chalerm as his poster boy for this campaign. Too much booze will turn you into a pathetic scumbag like this.

I wonder if a plan to have off-duty cops wearing balaclavas and driving round Thailand on motorbikes executing on sight anybody drinking or suspected to be drinking alcohol would have the Thaksinites crying Hallelujah as they did during his war on drugs? Double standards, much?

When I read garbage like the above its small wonder that General Prayuth declined the offer from Aliens to participate in the reform process. Its a Thai problem and only Thais can resolve it I believe he was quoted as saying.

Hopefully the NCPO does not read the TV news section, the topic & comments on Thaksin's birthday alone shows you what type of farangs we have over here.

If only the Shinawatra cabal were still the entrenched establishment your comments might have some merit. Alas, Thaksin is not the eternal dear leader he so dearly wanted to be, he is just a criminal on the run. As such, and like other criminals on the run from justice, he attracts derision from neutral readers. I think the NCPO would be unsurprised to see 99% of the Thai visa posts scorning the serial liar, violent terrorist and convicted fraudster, but they might raise an eyebrow at posts like yours that display profound distress at losing the Shin amart.

As part of growing up, self esteem ought to increase. When this happens you might feel the urge to make a comment on a political forum. Don't be so timid, you opinion is just as valuable as anybody else.

I prefer not to continue to to fuel the political rhetoric on a topic that is apolitical...alcolhol abuse.

what are they going to try to control next? "don't love sex"? "don't have too many pets"? "don't be a Christian worshiper"? or just "you WILL be happy - and that's an order"

Conjecture and sensationalism at best.

Others may be critical of your financial situation, Afterall, it's not their money you are dealing with. My suggestion is to follow your own instincts and temper it with caution and prudence.

Posters have no investment in your success of downfall. I would be hesitant following any "advice" they may give.

Don't see any problem here!!

...until you are the one being slapped and otherwise assaulted.

Perhaps one day you are stopped and asked for your passport. Not having one, you are taken to the police station. While there and perhaps not in the bestnof behaviors, another officer takes offense and cuffs you about the head. The other police officers laugh while your nose starts to bleed and you loose consciousness. Later you die from a broken blood vessel in your brain.

No problem?

What I think I love the most about ThaiVisa.com is the general feeling of politeness and civility. It's that warmth here that keeps me coming back.

I've been driving for 28 years - most in Thailand and the US. I've never seen this happen before.

I guess I thought maybe if you were coming home late from the Tiffany show with a new friend and might have had a few too many you could avoid Ngam Wong Wan / Rattanathibet and save yourself a little trouble.

Just trying to be neighborly.

I believe most posters are polite and civil. As with any minority that makes a lot of noise, the impolite and uncivil seem to get more notice than they merit.

I prefer to see them as them as they portray themselves. Crude, base and ill mannered. In person they wouldn't get as much as a second glance or much notice from anyone with good observation tools.

On this forum they can anonymously satisfy their immature and underdeveloped communication skills.

The street vendors are something that many tourists seem to love. On one hand the nation is pleading, rather unsuccessfully to date, with tourists to come back, and on the other they're removing the sorts of things that make Bangkok so attractive to a large percentage of those that do come here.

I agree...street vendors are a part of the culture and a definite attraction here..not just in tourist areas, but everywhere in Thailand and provide a huge number of people with a way to make a living.

Chinatown has been a maze of crowded sidewalks since long before Bangkok became a tourist destination.

About 6 or 7 years ago,an attempt was made to delineate table areas along lower Sukhumvit; lines were drawn and spaces allocated. Unfortunately, enforcement was non-existent and it soon returned to the chaos it is today.

Do you really want Bangkok to be like Singapore? Yes; clean and easy to navigate sidewalks but also sterile and boring. I hope a happy medium can be found.

Around that same time when Bangkok was trying to project the image that it was just as clean and efficient as Singapore, that island city was running a campaign promoting its nightlife and convince tourists that it was just as interesting and fun as Bangkok.

Singapore in the 50's was an exciting place to be, but now despite being super clean, it is also super expensive and really very artificial. Bangkok might be grubby, but its the atmosphere that attracts the tourists to a thriving, noisey, busy asian metropilis. Please do not let it go like Singapore.

Please Google "Singapore River Pollution and Corruption in 1960s and 1970s". All was not well in Singapore back then and similar challenges face Bangkok and Thailand today.

A similar approach might not be such a bad thing?

My God...it's the end of the World!!

First no booze for 48 hours.....now we are going to starve!!!

From the large waistlines one sees, perhaps a bit of fasting is not a bad idea. As for the booze, if one can't abstain from drink for 48 hours, perhaps time is not on one's side.

One Day At A Time.

The street vendors are something that many tourists seem to love. On one hand the nation is pleading, rather unsuccessfully to date, with tourists to come back, and on the other they're removing the sorts of things that make Bangkok so attractive to a large percentage of those that do come here.

It is a challenge to reach a balance between small business enterprises and public health & safety. When pedestrians are forced to walk in the streets because the sidewalks are blocked by the overwhelming numbers of vendors, then hard decisions must be made.

Street vendors are found in other countries where they are organized and accessible. Singapore and Hong Kong are two examples. There seems to be plenty of tourists in both locations.

I enjoy the diversity of the street vendors, but I find navigating around them difficult at times. Vendors use storm drains for garbage dumps which in turn invites rodents and other pests. This is not just a Bangkok problem.

police arrived, summoned by complaints about the noise

Am I reading this right? This is unheard of...(pun alert)!

Who is this powerful complainer, maybe a 'man in black', or a 'mastermind', or a 'unnamed high placed source'?

Who can shed light on this mystery?

I'd like to know also.

In November 2013, I called the Pattaya police to report an all-night party in a bar on Soi 15, which escalated into a street brawl, knife fight and shots fired.

Two cops on scooters showed up well after the dust had settled and all participants had fled the scene. Perhaps I should have just reported loud music/party.

P.S. The bar was finally shut down and it successor bar ran afoul of fhe law because of excessive noise after hours. The pre-coup authorities moved slowly, but did act finally.

And now the dog fighting has started - where is my popcorn.

Perhaps an alternative would be to refer to it as a "legal dispute". No dogs involved in this. Only people.

Careful with the popcorn. It may get stuck in your canines.

Free drinks for all arriving passengers.

As they wait in the deportation lounge before being shipped out for having overstayed in the past/having no visa/having the wrong visa/having the right visa but the immigration officer is in a bad mood.

I won't be waiting with that crowd.

Perhaps because I have the proper visa and obey/comply with the immigration laws and requirements.

Glenn had reportedly only lived in Cambodia for about a month, after moving from Bangkok, and had not showed up for (his teaching) classes this week, according to the director of the school where Glenn worked.

Teaching...per se...is not necessarily a dangerous profession in Asia...being careless...about your drinking and carousing...however...can be the death of you...

... as well as not looking four ways before crossing the street, accepting drinks from strangers, touching light fixtures near standing water, taking long distance mini-buses or double decker buses, etc.

Why all the negativity and snarky replies?

It is very common for negative, unhappy, dissatisfied and bored people to share their sad existence. This forum provides an annonymous opportunity for the negatives to insult, degrade and belittle strangers without any consequences.

Fortunately, the negatives are in the minority. They make a lot of "noise", are obnoxious, but eventually crawl back into their dark, moist, fowl smelling nests of negativity.

As for "Snarks". They are similar types, but take up less time, make shorter remarks and are sometimes humerous. Of the two types, the snark is less offensive and tastier.

Bon Appetit !

Tip to enforcers ... dedicated tourism "politeness" monitors at the baht bus queue at South Pattaya Road going to Jomtien. As I've noted before that becomes a cauldron of rudeness and sometimes even violence during the high season.

My thoughts exactly. Day before yesterday I watched as the baht bus drivers yelled and poked at people to scrunch closer in the back of truck before it left. Their greed to stuff as many sardines into the can was not only rude, but unsafe. The rear of the truck was just about touching the street after four more hangers-on completed the load. I watched and walked.

There is a hat wearing, Thai lady there that is the epitome of hate and venom. She yells, make faces and aims rude remarks towards foreigners that ignore her demands. She truely needs "help".

The Second Road/Pattaya Tai (South Road) Songtaew stop for trucks going to Jomtien is a powder keg waiting for the right match to arrive. More than once, I have gotten off and walked a block to catch a less crowded, more cordial baht bus.

This mob of drivers seems to believe that the changes taking place will not affect them. I believe it's just a matter of time before the Marines arrive.

The Governor is wearing red shorts in the photo. Is that a declaration of his political support?

Any opportunity to bring "color" into an article, is never lost, by those with little stake in the matter.

It is time for other countries, especially my own home country, the USA, to quit criticizing the coup, and realize that while not the best response, it has allowed the rule of law to begin a recovery in Thailand. Corruption and intimidation have been the norm under "democracy", and while I am not sure that the improvements in law enforcement will be long lasting, it is refreshing to see crimes actually being investigated, instead of swept under the rug with the payment of a few baht.

I agree. May I suggest an Email to your elected representatives voicing your thoughts?

Already done last week to my Congresswoman and both state Senators. I also sent snail mail, voicing the same opinion. Unfortunately, they are all Demorats, so I don't think it will do much good.

Glad to hear that. I did much the same, although I am more optimistic regardless of political leanings.

So where's Pattaya then !

Not to be all technical, but isn't Pattaya an International Zoo instead of being a National Park?

*Sorry, couldn't resist

I live in the outskirts of Pattaya and your species seems to be well represented. I believe it's call the Lesser, Ring Tailed, Tattooed Pittifulsaurus.

Sorry. I couldn't resist. .

Mention of Hitler and you are jumped on and demonised immediately. WHY ? The Socialists / Communists can revere the likes of Stalin, Lenin and Mao who killed far more people than Hitler ever did and yet escape all censure simply because Hitler is associated with killing just jews, which is untrue unlike the others. Is it about the race of people killed that make you a monster or the amount of people you starve and murder ?

The mere mention of Hitler does not denote condemnation. A beast to be sure, but he is not alone in that category. The glorification of him, or the others mentioned, would be controversial to put it in mild terms.

Stalin, Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot, Napolean, G. Bush, Julius Caesar, General Sherman and countless others embarked on programs and behaviors that caused death, destruction and human suffering on a grand scale. The challenge is to understand the insanity of those behaviors in an attempt to ensure they are not repeated.

Rash statements, innuendo and conjecture only serve to muddy waters that are unclear to begin with.

Mr. Rain should do some research before he makes exclamations of this sort.

What did the Nazis really think about Muslims?

According to the Nazis' racist ideology, Arabs are racial Semites and thus subhumans, similar to Jews. In his book, Mein Kampf, Hitler described the struggle for world domination as an ongoing racial, cultural and political battle between Aryans and non-Aryans. He envisaged a "ladder" of racial hierarchy, asserting that German "Aryans" were at the top of the ladder, while Jews and Gypsies were consigned to the bottom of the order. On Hitler's racial ladder, Arabs and Muslims occupied a servile place, held in much the same contempt as the Jews.

Hitler made a personal remark in 1939 in which he referred to the populace of the Middle East as "painted half-apes that ought to feel the whip".

As in other instances, however, the Nazis never allowed their ideological views to get in the way of more urgent political considerations. The Nazis recognized the importance of wooing the Arab and Muslim world to their side and, in their public proclamations, downplayed their real views of Muslims and Arabs. When Mein Kampf was being translated into Arabic in 1938, Hitler himself tactfully proposed to omit from it his "racial ladder" theory.

It was noted that one of the men was the Son of a senior Police Officer who holds the rank of Major General and the other was the cousin of a senior officer of the Thai Army.

What on Earth is going on?

Semi-connected people being done?

Me no understandy.

It shows that police and army considered themselves always as above the law.

Conjecture at best. The arrested persons were relatives and not active members of the Army or Police.