outsider

Well, what did the spirits say?

The world may think Thailand a laughable place. I don't. At least I didn't. I tried to take it seriously. I really did try...

Painting over the corporate logo may or may not be a standard procedure - this I will not comment on. But the stupidity of the Thai official to just randomly 'credit' Star Alliance for this 'guideline' beggars believe.

Reading this news purely for entertainment purposes and I have to say, it doesn't disappoint one bit! Keep them stories coming, I say. As movie critics would say, "Hilarious! Two thumbs up!"

Good idea on its own. It is not the installation of the cameras itself. It is not even a question of who is going to watch the feed. The biggest problem is enforcement. If the authorities can't enforce anything to start with, the cameras will just be another avenue for someone to line his/her pockets.

"... being a member of the council would help raise Thailand's international role in all global issues."

Really? Thailand should rise above its own xenopobia first and accept the fact that there is a world (and a bigger one at that) outside Thailand. Secondly, does anyone (or country) really take Thailand seriously, enough to have it on the Security Council?

If someone came from another part of the world, presented some grand plans to me, and the grand plans have no effect on me and my country, it is not very difficult for me to say "Ya ya... that's a good plan, go ahead, good luck." Sure, they will have my support as long as you stop talking, and I don't have to do anything, invest anything or even hear anything about it from hereon.

For five million baht??? This must be Funny Day in LOS. First, a Thai Airways idiot tries to save face but got his butt-cheeks chomped-on in return, and now this - a wormhole to Montenegro...

Had to read the headlines a few times. Initial read gave impression that the airport was suffering from epilepsy

I see stupid people...

Oooh yes... more hubs

I was starting to get withdrawal syndromes... then two hub stories made my fill. Should keep me going for the next 24 hours.

He did well, but also he did his job so we don't go overboard with praise.

Are there people knowledged about jet skis who know what kind of damage a submerged jet ski incurs? Surely a watercraft like this is designed to withstand a dunking?

There is no damaged caused by submerging a jet ski. It may foul the plugs in which case you remove them, clean them and put them back in. I've seen the jet ski's they use in Phuket and they are all pretty recent models which means that most of those issues have been fixed. Jet ski's are designed to be submerged. I had two early models and that was nearly 10 years ago and I could completely submerge them and as long I kept my hand on the throttle it would not die. If it so happened that it did die, about 90% of the time you could reboard and it would start back up again. If you get water in the engine hold, you simply put the jet ski on the trailer and pull the plug and drain out the water. These guys are simply just shaking folks down. The bottom line is don't rent from these thugs. Unless your stay in a local condo includes watercraft, don't bother renting from the thugs bad, bad, things happen.

Many decades ago I rented a jetski while on holiday on a Malaysian island. It was my first time so the operator gave me a 10-min crash course on how to operate it. Including how to right it if I flipped it upside down, how to re-mount and so on. He told me it won't sink even if it was belly-up. Even did a demo, and flipped it just to show me! He just told me not to panic. I actually did flip it during my ride, and got it up and running again. The operator scrambled to my position, but just to make sure I was ok! Before he left, he just asked me to rev the engine a little. Told me it sounded 'healthy' and then left me to enjoy my afternoon. When I returned, they just moored my jetski and didn't even bother to take another look at it, much less check for damage.

As for Phuket, well I say people should just avoid the place until it changes for the better. I have told friends not to go there. Some posters here said boycott. It may not be a bad idea after all. When these scums realise just how much their scams are actually hurting themselves, they will learn to have more strategic vision and see further down the road, and understand the concept of 'honest business create happy customers who come back - with more customers'. People change at the percipice of disaster. Give them the 'disaster' i.e. no tourists, no business, no income... and let them evolve to have a little bit more intelligence and hopefully humanity.

It's this kind of stuff that stops the rest of the world from taking Thailand seriously...

Does anyone take Thailand seriously? (apart from the Thais)

+1

Bloody PRC Chinese. Worse kind of tourists. Rude, boorish, loud, insensitive of local culture and think just because they have some money, they can do whatever they want. It's not just in Thailand, people find them offensive whereever they go.

+1... make that +100.

By the way I just sent a text message to a friend via Line... it contained only three words for easy reference. Quote from the message: "Guns. Monarchy. Coup." Unquote.

Stupid