soalbundy

Unfortunate as it is, rules are rules, fact is Pita does have shares in a media company. What should the EC do, say OK, for Pita we will turn a blind eye? In past cases at least a pretense at adhering to the rules was upheld, shares transferred to the maid and butler etc. The fair course would be to ban Pita but not the party, let Pita's deputy take over, if only in name, everything can be sorted after MFP has the power. They should, at this juncture, stop waving a red flag to the establishment bull by playing to the crowd with populist statements, this is obviously going to get a counter reaction from the powers that be causing a downward spiral until violence is reached.

Call me a conspiracy theorist if you will but I think the shooter was a man who did not wish the Russian well.

Yes I can agree with that but there also has to be a restitution factor, why should she have to endure his stupid actions, run around looking for tradesmen to repair the damage etc. let alone the emotional factor, this is her home, her private space that has been violated for no reason by a stranger.

I doubt it, a few demonstrations perhaps but if the army stay in the barracks it will die down quick enough, only the French stay at it but even they get tired of it once they've wrecked enough and been ignored. This was almost an expected outcome, no surprise here, poor planning and a few aggressive statements regarding the elite before he was handed the scepter doesn't show competent leadership abilities, too much noise to catch the prey.

I agree with him, heavy duty glass door with fitting doesn't come cheap and since the idiot was throwing rocks as well the man child may have damaged plaster and windows as well then there is the inconvenience, I'd have charged him 50k.

The Fox is no longer interested in the hen house because even the army realizes he would be unacceptable, they need someone fresh, new, untainted.......Prawit for instance.

I just threw mine up

She is obviously a psychopath, the only defense her lawyer could bring is a plea of insanity, may work in the west but I doubt it would work here, the media has already tried and convicted her. The death sentence would seem appropriate in this case though, she is a lost cause, keeping her alive in prison serves neither her nor society.

I agree, an unwise move but then the 'young' are always impatient. This shows his political immaturity, for moves of this magnitude you wait until the crown is firmly on your head. It is not only unwise but will also be fruitless, proving Prayut's 'crimes' would occupy the courts for years and be impossible to achieve, the number of excuses that could be brought forward are countless, ranging from political expediency to ineptitude, good intent that went wrong, a dire emergency in society demanded immediate action etc. nothing will come of it. Pita is learning the ropes of being a political puppet master but he lacks the experience and the necessary cunning, a few years in office and he will be indistinguishable from any other Thai PM in the past, once virginity is lost the legs are easily opened.

Like asking a vampire to eat cornflakes instead of blood. Having said that, the few times I have been to Bangkok the taxi drivers have never been a problem, always switched on their meters. Once a taxi driver wanted to refuse a ride to the main railway station because he didn't want to get in the queue but was ok when I said drop me off outside the station. Speaking Thai probably helps. Many taxi drivers seem to be from Isaan, On one occasion I was driven by one from my own village who I didn't know since he lived in Bangkok.

We are going to the tetsabaan today to ask why we are sending tax money for land that should be exempt. I've just spoken to my stepdaughter who has only 30 rai surrounding a house in Isaan, she also pays land tax. The wife has been on the phone for the last hour speaking with friends, all have to pay land tax (starting from 2023), some pay 6 monthly, some like us, pay monthly, non of our land exceeds 50 million.

Yes, it's called a 'power transfer for stability' now.

Obviously not

That's great, nothing wrong with working at something you like doing and you are hardly decrepit at 60. I liked my job and the pay was good but I was glad to be rid of the stress. As one approaches retirement with introspection it starts to become apparent you were just a cog in the machine, working to keep yourself fed and warm. There is a whole world out there (which you have seen a lot of) and I felt it's time to let go of safety. When I was young I hitch hiked all over Europe, starting in winter heading North, I was in Lappland with snow up to my waist, time I thought, to rekindle that spirit of adventure.

Land for a Thai is like the gold necklace, it is a source of potential wealth or security. At 75 it doesn't interest me except for my son. My wife is extremely ambitious for his higher education and if I die before he is finished then I know that some of that land will be sold for a university education. She has put one daughter through uni by selling some land she had for a building in the village. One shouldn't be too arrogant regarding the Thai farmers, after all they have built their own houses, raised their own families and paid for their kids education, many to technician level with the sweat of their brow and all done before Mr. Farang came on the scene. They still own the land that has been in their families for generations so a little respect wouldn't come amiss.

He's my biological son, I have also bonded with my two stepdaughters and 4 step grandchildren, I don't see myself as being in trouble, just the opposite, I've never been so content.

I must apologize, 30 Baht scheme does cover for accidents says my wife. I got that from the village clinic nurse, she treated me for a burnt hand once without payment (I think it's a village thing if you live there) when I asked if this was covered by the 30 Baht scheme, she said I wouldn't be covered for an accident under that scheme, she obviously meant because I was a farang it didn't apply to me anyway.

I beg to disagree except for por ror bor

Yes plenty of banana plots in our area. I wanted to try grapes but the soil isn't right and you would have to be on guard day and night.

You can make a small profit but its not enough to live off all year round. We even stopped using chemical fertilizer and started using the village self made fertilizer from rice husks and chicken poo which was much cheaper but the yields were lower. Once we took about 15 sacks of jasmine rice to Chiang Mai by train and sold them for 25 Baht a kilo privately, the government was giving us 12 Baht which was good by normal standards, production costs are around 6 Baht a kilo so when you get 8 to 10 Baht a kilo you aren't doing well.

Both my houses are western style bungalows, hardly living the life of lords of the manor.

I agree with most of what you have written but the universal health care doesn't include accidents. I heard a joke once that went, the 30 Baht scheme covers all illnesses but you have to have all those illnesses to get covered. My wife got TB a few years ago and went to the government hospital as it was nearer for treatment but nothing they did helped, it seemed she had a resistent strain. We then went to a private clinic in Surin, the doctor looked at the medication she had been given and said we can do better than than that and prescribed injections to be given each day. One has to pay in advance when private and send the bills to the insurance, however the doctor balked at giving us the bill, "it is a new medication from Europe and you don't want to know the price, take the medication to your local clinic and I will arrange everything with the insurance" it worked a treat but I never did know the cost, first time I never paid up front. Another time I went to the local doctor because I suspected I had dengue fever, he said I was feeling weak and not eating because I was old, that was normal, I drove to the private hospital in Surin where blood and urine samples were sent to the lab, I was given an emergency admission, the doctor said I had dengue fever and my body was going into shock and no I couldn't go home to get Pyjamas, he was surprised I was able to drive there. I think when you pay, the standard of treatment is better but I wouldn't necessarily choose Bangkok hospital, the private hospital in Surin is an amalgamation of doctors who also work for the government hospitals, lots of Thai patients.

Yes that as well, I enjoy writing and deep discussions but asking a rice farmer whether he thinks the universe is a manifestation of consciousness is expecting too much but I have more luck with the abbot of our village temple. The older I get (I'm 75 now) the more joy I get from small children, I am the go person for my small step grandchildren whose mothers I brought up from a very young age, I feel blessed with satisfaction and peace after years of stressful but enjoyable work in a high powered office at BMW in Munich, toil and tears but with much laughter, all behind me now.

All my vegetables get eaten by insects but my mango trees produce giant mangoes which serve me as breakfast. I haven't worked since I was 57, I never regretted taking early retirement, working is for horses.

I doubt that, I can read Thai and have all the documents, we've been together for 18 years and she is nearly 50, she has no incentive to lie, our main concern is for our sons higher education and his financial well being when I die. Bored is a state of mind not a physical entity, I've always loved the country life, even in Germany I chose to live in a village instead of Munich despite the longer travelling times, living in London while I was still in the UK was an experience I disliked, even my son's house lies outside of Chiang Mai city. Life in a farming village in Isaan isn't for everyone I'll admit but it suites me.