bheard

Someone is gonna have to learn how to use vernier calipers so as to measure holes in ears - large holes go that way and the small holes go this way . . . .

Maybe soon here in Thailand we'll hear of another hair brained scheme as has been suggested by a male in the Indonesian parliament - a virginity test - if you fail then you don't go to university (females of course, males can 'do' what and who they like. Hey, it's a muslim country). They already have that test for women wanting to join the police and the army . . .

Let's get one thing straight. Anybody who tries to get into Australia via boats IS AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, regardless of what the world's do gooders and bleeding hearts say.

If these so called refugees can afford to pay people smugglers the amount they do to get onto the boats and risk their lives, then they can easily afford to pay the costs to enter Australia legally. Aussies are not against migrants, what they object to is queue jumpers. Come through the front door legally and you will be welcomed with open arms.

Also, the majority of these so called refugees ARE NOT political refugees. Genuine political refugees get into Australia without too many problems at all. The vast majority of the boat people are just wanting to leave their home country for numerous reasons, mainly economics. What they are too stupid to realise, because they don't do their research properly, is that it is cheaper to apply for the correct visa to move to Australia than it is to pay the people smugglers. It just takes time to process the applications. Very few boat people that come through the back door are declared to be legitimate political refugees. The vast majority are kept in offshore refugee camps, and when it is ascertained that they are not genuine refugees, they are usually returned to their home country, unless another country says they will accept them, as is the case with Cambodia. None of those refugees were political refugees.

As an Aussie, I'm embarrassed by your simplistic, ill informed and fat headed comments.

Couldn't see it in the article.

The money was paid to the families of the three people killed.

Does that mean 1.2 mill total, divided into three lots, or does it mean 1.2 mill for each family?

Horrifying for the mother. Absolutely horrifying. Poor woman, no one deserves that.

Crash hat or no, that girl was going to die.

Brown skin is ugly.

OUTRAGEOUS!!!

What an embarrassing article. It demonstrates the incompetence of the Royal Thai Navy leadership. Wearing lots of gold piping and medals doesn't make one a competent naval officer.

The submarines could be used for at least 30 years, the Navy stated.

Seriously? I mean, seriously? What industrial market products manufactured by China last more than 10 years? The submarines will be obsolete in 10 years as they are not cutting edge or state of the art now.. Why make a claim of a 30 year life expectancy?

The Navy said although there was no war looming, maritime conflicts between countries existed and no one could guarantee that the conflicts would not descend into wars. Having the submarines would be a defensive strategy against wars and a balance of power mechanism.

The only country that presents a military threat is China. Why then would one purchase submarines from a potential enemy? The Chinese will be able to track the Thai submarines and will be able to easily sink them.

In terms of its marine capability, the country is lagging 10 years behind neighbouring countries like Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Then deal with the training and education gap first. Purchase sufficient numbers of coastal defense vessels first.

In response to claims the Yuan Class S26T would not be useful because it can only dive in shallow water and are easy targets for enemies, the Navy argued that the Gulf of Thailand is about 50 metres deep and some operations need to be done near the shore. Planes cannot see submarines which dive down 20 metres, it said.

Seriously? Is he for real? It's 2015 not 1945. A quick look at the internet will provide a quick listing of common methods to track/hunt submarines.

It is reported that the best depth for a submarine to avoid detection by a hull-mounted sonar (conventionally regarded as the Sonic Layer Depth) is 100 meters+ Modern aircraft can use buoy systems, magnetic anomaly detection, and probes. Maybe he needs to watch the Discovery Channel? How is the admiral going to defend his gulf if his chinese submarines stick out like a Bangla lady boy and become an easy target?

Helicopters and airplanes can detect submarines at depths greater than 50m. Maybe the Thai navy should ask for a demonstration at the next US/Australia/Canada training exercise.

The Chinese subs are also equipped with weapons, including torpedoes and sea mines, the Navy said, adding that their safety is on par with European submarines with a double-hull body.

How does he know about the safety? What's a safer vehicle. a German designed and manufactured car or a knockoff from China? How then could the Chinese build a safe submarine? Are the Chinese known for safety or quality?

Former Democrat Party MP Watchara Petthong disapproved of the purchase. "I wonder if the move to push for the sub purchase has something to do with the commission fee,'' he said.

Wow. Integrity and honesty is still alive in Thailand.

While I agree with all you say, the fact is that he is not talking to you.

He is talking to a Thai population of gullible and ignorant people (cultivated to be that way by the education system), which even includes some of those at his level. He is also, as others note, interested in the face, the money and all the other accutrements his position gives him.

I'm getting a little skeptical about this "tansferred" terminology.

I asume it is a mechanism to shut the press up for a while till the people doing the transferring are comfortable and the transferees can be quietly be re-transferred back to their original locations, and of course, re-instituting the money supply to the people who did the transferring . . .

Or am I just being cynical? phhhhtttt.

"Prawut, however, has explained that the investigation would be based on evidence and that the metropolitan police chief would oversee this case himself.

"There's no need to worry. The metropolitan chief has overseen every step," he said."

Don't you just love that?

I'm totally relieved now and I know I can relax and bask in the absolute surety that all is well.

It's great. Good-on the perpetrator. What does the govt expect if it wants to have a Line account. Get real!!!

Interesting headline - from the point of view that it implies things and the story sheds no light on those implications.

Are we to infer that the business man has a Chinese passport? or that he is a Thai of chinese ethnicity?

And the car? If he has a Chinese passport and is therefore a visitor he presumably does not own it, so who owns the car? Another Chinese person? But how? or a mate who is a Thai of Chinese ethnicity? But then it's not Chinese owned . . . OMG, my mind is tieing itself in knots . .. .

tink too mut.

Maybe she was placed in the pic digitally? Gonna be hard to find in that case.

In any case, why waste valuable police time?

Oh, forgot, police time is not valuable 'cos they get paid so little . . .

Again lack of policing and care from law and enforcement officers. You see motorbikes going against the traffic on 2nd road every few mins. You will also see policeman standing on the sidewalk doing nothing

Not that good policing would have saved this idiot from himself, but what you say is so true - the police just don't seem to have any idea about doing their job on a minute to minute basis. As in - alert and responsive to what they see, what is going on around them.

Seems to me after speaking to a number of educated people that in general, Thais have little time for Cambodians and Burmese at least, don't know about the rest. Given that Thais are the master race and all . . .

The problem for Thailand in this and other issues it is now 'grappling' with is this: the Thailand culture of graft, nepotism and head-in-the-sand-ism means that they don't actually know what the rest of the world means by 'standards'.

Because of where Thailand is coming from, they don't understand what is being said.

And the bureaucracy does not have systems to institue and carry through long term fix-it programs. All we see is short term raids, and then it is forgotten, back to business as usual.

And it will be ever thus, IMO.

Not educating his offspring in Thailand? Why not, they will get the correct 'social development' at home.

The unprotected moron may not be around much longer . . .

" while those facing death and life imprisonment are being detained in the Bangkok Remand Prison pending the Supreme Court's decision on granting them bail."

Hang on a minute.. they got the death penalty and they're considering bail for them?

like they going to hang around Thailand waiting for the firing squad to come calling?

Crazy. Who writes this stuff? grant the convicted killers bail? Totally unbelievable, however, TIT and you couldn't make up a lot of stuff that happens here.

Volvo for LIfe

Volvo my next car! I reckon if I tried that trick in my Ford I might be deadums by now. If these guys were able to RUN away the car performed well!

I hope one day someone gets to film drivers running away. How do they look? Is it a furtive, looking back over the shoulder type of run, or is it a good old 100 metre Olympic style sprint?

Gonna be a tricky one, sorting out the facts from the surrounding mire . . .

Good work RTP!

Clean that type of rubbish out of Thailand..

The irony of the Thai lèse-majesté laws is that they were created by the Junta after overthrow of the king in 1933.

So it would seem the laws serve a dual role in the protection of the military from criticism and protest.

Is that so? Interesting. The military has a lot to answer for.

Job well done I reckon. . . .

When officialdom categorically denies something ... !

Absolutely. Everywhere in the world. Governments deny it. They're up to their necks in it.

As an owner this can be a big problem as already alluded to - students doing homework a good example.

Maybe an extra bit of kit in a shop would be that the whole shop floor be a slow moving belt. You enter the shop, get your order, and 30 minutes later you get tipped over the edge. Problem solved . . . The table and chairs are glued to the belt, but you're not.

Jeez, big numbers there. It's obviously the case that in Thailan, politics and business is one and the same .