outsider

Good luck. I mean it.

Public mistrust stems from secret drafting of bills to rampant corruption and seemingly no end to all of it. Just saying...

I would not believe shit that comes out of that country's mouth

Agreed in general. It'll be questionable, at best. However, do consider the possibility that Malaysia's hands are tied, and that it's just a mousedeer stuck in the middle of a battle of two giants.

Shit them all, that's why I arrange my own car, and I would rather use public transport, they have been screwing tourist for years. grow some balls Thailand and tell these people there are alternatives, to taxis, they are trying to threaten the airport who in turn got no balls to do anything, cowards

But taxis working out of the major airports around the world have been scalping people since Ben Hur was taking tours around the coliseum.

I'm not suggesting it's a justification but it is what it is.

Like others I've never had a problem with any taxi in Thailand in over 20 years of 2 or more visits a year. My only gripe is asking them to slow down.

I've had them refuse me sometimes but similarly this is something I've experienced in the 'good old, problem free, Shangri la west'.

A licensed taxi wont leave heathrow for under the equivalent of 50000 thb.

In sleepy old Perth ( West Australia ) it will cost me over 40000thb ( probably more with the exchange rate misery ) to get to the international terminal and I live inner city.

1500 thb will get you to Pattaya or Bangkok.

Now if that is taxi drivers 'screwing tourists' you must be the sort who buys a beer with 3 straws, eats off the 'cholera carts', and other tightfisted tactics ...aka Mr Cheap Charlie .

Indulge in a bit of perspective, lose the anti thai invective, smile and open your wallet. Life may in fact start to be enjoyable

A licensed taxi in Heathrow wont leave for less than 50,000 THB, where the Shit are you going to, you want to lay of them tablets you are on, and if you are happy to pay 50,000thb for a taxi to leave Heathrow, you must be Mr super loaded

If you, makkam... yes YOU... indulged in a bit of perspective yourself, you'd realise that not EVERYBODY comes from the UK or Australia or countries that have relatively pricier taxi fares. In fact, this isn't about how much taxis here cost compared with other countries - it is the principle of the matter. Screwing tourists. Unfortunately, there exists people like you who like to pay your way through everything because 'it's cheaper here than in the UK/USA/Australia (add your own favourit countries here)' and that's making things hard for normal people regardless of whether they are expats, tourists or even locals. You may enjoy being scammed and screwed over but please, do try to indulge in a bit of perspective and understand that most don't enjoy what you do. Have fun bending over!

That's some strong meds right there... or perhaps he really does need some strong med!!!

Democracy.

What did you expect numbnuts? The UK media to give you an 'The Best Island in the World' award? How about 'Safest Island Destination in the World'? Yeah, I'm sure you'd love those. Keep your head in the sand and stay on that island, in case stupidity is actually contagious.

Thailand’s Fine Arts Department said expert relic hunters blah blah blah. Fact of the matter is, Thailand's Fine Arts Department and Thailand itself, for that matter, shot themselves in the foot once again with more stupid foibles.

"ongoing reform"???

If anything, the situation looks like deteriorating than anything else.

F these guys, seriously, F 'em all . I don't have one iota of sympathy for these lazy SOB's (I'm talking of the airport taxis, but let's just throw the parked Sukhumwit <deleted> into the mix as well.

I live in the suburbs of Bangkok...the ONLY i ssue I have with taxis is that sometimes they don't want to go to some places due to traffic. This is,however, a rare occurence. The issue of using the meter is never brought up. They just do it. The difference is these taxi drivers actually work. They drive up and down Ladprao/Ratchada/Ramindra/Ngamwongwan all day taking as many fares as they can and most I talk to A) Seem to be quite content and Have utter disdain for their Suk/Swampy counterparts.

In terms of making money, the guys in the suburbs are probably making more money. An LPG car runs for a little over 1.3 Baht per km so with the 35 Baht start price most journeys up to 25 kms (traffic does lower this) are covered and everying else if profit (about 2 Baht per km). Now if you drive around the suburbs where average journeys are 1 - 5 kms, you're looking at about 10 - 30 Baht per km.

The scum at the airport travel about 90 kms (round trip) and on the meter would probably walk away with a lot less per km-this is the basis of their argument. Basically, they want to sit around for most of the day and still make the same money as other people that work all day (office workers, taxi drivers etc.)

Anyway, to close off I'll say this: F these guys...F 'em all.

+1... +1 +1 +1... <deleted> 'em all. That's why I give an extra-generous tip to the good and honest ones that I sometimes come across.

OK, check back in one week's time.

Quite a piece of BS, this article. As some of the posters here have pointed out, the list of scams is a looooong one and the problem goes back much further than 'since Friday'.

Aaawww ... poor babies don't like the truth getting out about the real "Thainess" ... with the explosion in recent years of social media and people publicly (in reviews, blogs, forums, facebook etc) being able to vent their frustrations, the Thai's are somewhat lacking when it comes to accepting and actually dealing with the criticism and complaints and the fact that they are far from perfect and perhaps they actually need to fix things properly instead of just saying they will do something.

One day they'll realize that "foreigners" aren't stupid (on the whole) and "we" don't (generally) just take it up the < profanity removed > and say nothing about it. And the effects of this are being seen here more and more, day by day. Yes, people will "always" come here, but those numbers are dropping off a lot, and those that do come here and encounter these many scams, problems and issues WILL say something about it, won't come back, and neither will their friends, families or anyone else who reads about the numerous negative things about Thailand.

The day they realize this however is a long, long way away.

In the first place, I don't think Thais even know of the criticisms and complaints in the social media sphere. Most of them contributed to the social media 'explosion' but that's because they discovered those cute Line stickers, mobile versions of Facebook and Candy Crush... hehehe

Frequent travellers will notice this is a pub at Suvarnabhumi airport, near gate 'F'. To those who don't understand the issue, perhaps this video may shed some light on why mainland Chinese are so disliked, not just in Thailand, but in almost everywhere else.

Please continue the work you are doing. But please stop telling us the work you are doing.

No normal PM goes on T.V. every week to tell their fellow countrymen and women what work they are doing.

All you are doing is opening yourself up for ridicule. Also you look like you are in need of a shit 24/7. You really don't have a face for T.V.

Constipated... now that's really funny Quite on the mark too, I must add!

I'm quite surprised that this information is 'shared' before action is being taken. Shouldn't the 'targetted countries' act on this info i.e. go in and take out/neutralise the cells, instead of 'broadcasting' the info this way, alerting these cells and push them deeper underground? An honest question based on curiosity - I'm no military expert nor do I know anything about 'operations' beyond what I see in Hollywood films which I believe are grossly exaggerated and dramatised so I'm on the edge of my seat for 90 - 120 minutes of my life.

Err... do they know what democracy is, to begin with.

Thai don't listen to any one, why would they heed the advice of celebrities?

Actually, it's the contrary, me thinks. They don't listen to any one unless that person is a celebrity. Better if that person is a 'superstar'!

I've understood "Thainess" for years. All of it is in one way or another based on everything being done for show. External appearance is all that matters. The inner workings of anything are ignored.

"Thainess" ... A big glittering gold wrapped box with diamond encrusted ribbons... yet when you open the box....it's empty.

Quite true that. They are quite superficial and taking your point further, you will see it goes back to one thing - the 'face' thing.

Check out this survey done a few years ago: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Asia/Story/A1Story20120424-341661.html

1,800 respondents is but a drop in the ocean but I guess it's relevant where our conversation is concerned.

"... and ‘the wai’ or the Thai greeting - a show of respect, as well as the friendly nature of the Thai people ..."

I had to think long and hard, the last time I was "wai'd" by any Thai was more than 12 months ago.

Don't know where you live, but either you don't go out or you are a very bad man :-)

Get them everyday up here in Issan.

It could well be both the things you mention ... but actually (I'm in Bangkok), I think it's more a reflection on how much Thai people change when they live and work in Bangkok. There's a very big difference in how foreigners are treated in the "tourist" areas and the more rural areas. This has been most noticeable in the past 5 years, prior to that it was very different.

Agreed. Live in BKK too and during the same period of about five years or so, I've noticed a marked reduction in tolerance towards foreigners. The locals now seem less 'amused' and have less patience when dealing with foreigners. I've tried my best to stay out of people's way and to 'do as the Thais do' as much as I could. Would be interesting to have some insights into this change.

One of the dangers in this approach is that more will stay at home and contemplate the small cell activities like in Paris...there are thousands and thousands of 'soft targets' on home soil and in other places with easier access.

Good point, ditto previous posters who said to let them go on a one-way ticket. This worry about the wannabe militants staying home and contemplating small-cell activities is quite real, I think. That's because Malaysian Muslims practices a branch of Islam that is not 'aligned' to what IS preaches (do correct me on this point if I'm wrong). And we know IS just murders anyone who doesn't agree with them. Muslims or not.

Err... didn't a few Rohingyas died 'in transit' in Nakhon Si Thammarat recently, while 'others' in the convoy have already reached the border?

Military profession has become most popular, while electronic devices such as iPads, smart phones and computer tablets are the most-wanted gifts. If this poll is accurate, then Thailand will be full of anti-social servicemen who do nothing but bury their faces in the screens of their electronic devices. Just saying...

This article from the TAT is warning of a slowdown in their industry........then later in the morning they post an article projecting 28 million tourists this year!.......

Obviously different bosses making personal predictions, and the problem they all have with keeping their gobs shut!

They all go to different fortunetellers.

Actually it's the same - Ittirit Kinglek, President of TCT. Must be smoking or drinking something. Maybe both.

The TCT President I mean. Not you blokes