BestBitterPhuket

It is shocking to see how much thai officials and politicians own and earn. I would assume that most of them who declares their assets, don't "remember" to add cash from the Swiss an Singapore bank accounts and foreign property they own, so it is probably safe to assume its just the tips of the icebergs...

Good! That airport needs an upgrade and extension.

Why only 60 days?

I've been working in the Middle East since 1992. If you think all Arabs strap up and hate the west you're very wrong. 90% of them are decent people. I've been to many lads houses for meals, been ran around Dubai in lambos and Ferraris, been out in the Gulf on my old Field Supervisors cousins $15M Yacht which was rammed with alcohol, high end hookers and all that goes with that.

believe it or not most Arabs actually hate the stereo type we have especially the younger generation.

Don't get me wrong there's many that do hate us, just as there is in any country when Johnny Foreigner works and "steels jobs" and all that.

Maybe 90% of the ones you have met, but no way that 90% are decent people, the way they treat their women and children, foreign workers and minorities, or accept the same.

These are wild animals, and as such. They are dangerous!

Exactly! Even in the western zoos, adhering to the highest safety standards, these things happens. These are wild animals and totally unpredictable. Even with all their teeth and claws pulled out, I wouldn't go near one.

Reduce the tax on beer and increase the tax of spirits by 200%. That will cause a shift, from the very dangerous to the less so.

What about us in the south. My wife's village is almost walking distance from the Malaysian border and I boost the economy of both Thailand and Malaysia, which makes me a superhero.

Finally a good story about the police

Arabs with Australian passports.....will they never stop?

Hiding in Atlantis?

Very good! This is not a loss of face, but a gain I respect. Thailand is finally acting smart. The Thai police can even learn something. British investigators are some of the best in the world and most police forces around the world can learn from them. Thailand needs more skill and technology transfer in most areas, and should never say no to the opportunity. S-Korea and Japan built their early success on learning from the United States. Now look where they are.

you guys are seriously off chops. Now that Australia has dropped bombs what do you think the repercussions will be? This continuous battle/war is because of America. If they stayed on their own soil and out of everyone else's business this wouldn't be such an issue as the media has made it out. The US are the ones supplying the Islamic State with weapons, they want war so they have an excuse to increase presence in the region. The truth is the US wants control of resources that what all the wars in the middle east have been about. I remember years ago a video being release by Saddam Hussein stating that they just wanted other countries to leave them alone because the war between Iran and Iraq has nothing to do with them. He said that all countries who left them alone and removed groups would be left alone as well. All countries who did remove their groups and have stayed out of it have to date been left alone. America never did and instead increased their numbers so look at what has happened. Now that Australia has backed America again they will attack Australia, this is almost guaranteed, and remember Australia has a very small defence force.

You are nothing but a cowardly IS apologist.

For all tourist, if 200 baht is going to impact your beer comsumption, well 1f 7$ usd breaks the bank, stay home. Where are you from, paying sales taxes, service charge 10%, tips. Somethings need to fix here, but bitching when your on holiday for 200 baht, take it home.

Paying bribes is a criminal offense in most western countries, even if it happens overseas. Several Americans are serving long prison sentenced for paying bribes overseas. Also, not everyone wants to contribute tonthenrottrn system in Thailand. It's actually people like you who should stay away.

If Prayuth can implement REAL reforms in Thailand and get corruption under control, nobody will care if he was elected or not. Results are the only things that matters. Look at Singapore their iron man, Lee Kuan Yew, the greatest statesman in modern history. He got results, and that mattered, both at home and abroad.

Prayuth were off to a good start, but he has fumbled badly in the Koh Tao scandal. If he can't reform the police and the Thai feudal system, all his efforts will be useless in the long run. It's still to early to tell, but they need to step up the game a bit. Now they have been going after the small people, the street vendors and beach chair operators. Now they have to go after the big fish. They could start with the red bull heir.

1,000 police officers in Phuket? Where are they? A handful are directing traffic during rush hours? The rest? In bars and shopping centers?

Could the UK do a "reverse" DNA test, testing siblings or parents of the accused and then compare that to possible DNA evidence at hand? Would that work?

It's time they wake up. Remove all the criminals from the tourist industry. Nobody with a criminal record should be allowed to work in the tourist industry. There are plenty of honest Thais to do the work. Secondly, stop ALL the tourist scams that have been going on for so long.

Compare it to a restaurant. Continue to serve rotten food from a beautiful menu, and the only ones visiting your restaurant will be rats an cockroaches.

Don't know the rules but in most maches if its a draw the champion retains his belt. What do they do if 4th round is a draw? keep fighting till someone collapses?

Scoring is different from Muay Thai. Kicks and punches have equal weight, while throws and takedowns count zero. Buakaw was out pointed with punches landing cleanly. He hardly managed to land any kicks and his takedowns were all illegal. Buakaw lost after 3 rounds. The only scandal was that he was gifted with a draw, and he walked out because he knew that he couldn't win.

The dutch fighters did it several times.....Andy Sauer is an example.....

And for the complainers. It was a gambling scam. they changed the rules of the game just before. Not allowing leg grapping and holding. It was never there before and seemingly put in to disadvantage Buakaw. K1 is a scam

LOL! You know absolutely NOTHING! Leg grappling? Hahaha! What is that? No such thing in K-1 or Muay Thai. Grabbing the legs for a takedown or a throw is illegal in both sports. By the way, "holding" or clinching has never been allowed in K1. Never. The rules were the same as before. K1 is not Muay Thai. Tennis is not table tennis. You know absolutely zero, but yet you are spewing out things as they were facts.

I think he knows that he is not going to have any effect, but as a matter of form, he has to say the words.

There is only one power greater than this PM and I well recall that person inducting a bunch of new entrants to the police force with a speech requesting that they display integrity and honesty in carrying out their duties.. If that individual has not had the desired effect, how will this guy?

I think the police know full well that the army needs them, even more than a simple civilian government elected by the people and having to face an election some day, needs them.. The army has guns, tanks, and stuff, but it doesn't have a big enough target to aim at. In reality, the police have to take care of day to day stuff and they'll do it as they please and in a way that's good for them.

We all know what recent case has proven the point. The PM will not go against the THAI police force and call on an independent overseas force. To do so would be to force his country to eat crow, and so he's stuck with what he's got. Pretty much a complete joke of a force.

I am very pessimistic about there being any change during my or my children's lifetimes.

They can only succeed by cutting the head of the beast, which mean replacing the whole central leadership in the police with outsiders (army and civilians), and do the same in every province. That should be step one. Any police leader who protests, should be investigated for corruption and other crimes and put away. It's the only way to start the process.

How can a Thai kick boxer lose against a foreigner? Can never happen.

It can and does happen. A few years ago I saw a fight being broadcast live between a Thai muay thai champion and an Australian challenger. The Aussie trounced him. You could have heard a pin drop.