Jackson86

yes thailand is dangerous indeed. please avoid this country then.

i guess only China has this warm welcome compared to other farang countries.

Many things have changed but the level of complaining in this forum still remains the same. Haiz.

The US has to self-reflect on their foreign diplomacy since even Thailand a traditional US ally now leans closer to China which is very surprising.

I would say he was Reckless in not ensuring what was in his bag.

It's not feasible just to carry 2 bullets and no gun!

They should drop the charge.

the charge maybe just on the possession of, rather than the intent to discharge through a weapon.

Kinda expected given that they had already participated in exercise cobra.

China one of the most peaceful countries on the planet, along with Russia, is a good fit for Thailand.

Compared to the western worlds raping and pillaging of anything that moves China is a sea of tranquility and a much more suitable friend.

guap, you really should have some indicator that your post is sarcastic. There are some that may take your comments seriously.

I can assure you I am not the sarcastic type.

How many countries has China invaded ?

Now how many has the US or England or France invaded.

some people are just plainly anti-China, you can save your breath on these people.

Thais have so much to learn from the Chineses. And they know it. It's the Thais who encouraged the immigration and the integration of the Chineses in Thailand. It worked too well as the Chineses became Thais and lost their cultural edge. Fortunately the trend is now for Thai of Chinese origin to rediscover their roots and their heritage and we can expect even closer and deeper links with the Mainland.

good point but however i hope Thai Chinese people should also not forget their Tha heritage as well. I don't see it as a zero-sum game. They can get the best of both worlds actually, no need for 1-to-1 exchange.

It's in the interests of Thailand to align closer to China. In Thailand, much of the wealth is controlled by Thai Chinese people because they are proven to be more hardworking and thus rise faster up the corporate ladder, thus the Thai Chinese people is in a position to bridge Thailand closer to China. In addition, relationship between Thai and Chinese people is different than with the West as the former dates back to hundreds of years, way before any western countries came. Although it can be said that Thailand's economic prosperity since WW2 is largely due to Western factors given China's closure during the Cultural Revolution times, western democracy does not appear applicable in Thailand because of many previous military coups. The rise of China coupled with the decline of US in the SEA region means that Thailand has to align closer to China for long-term economic benefits. Thailand is aware that having a closer relationship with a giant neighbor is more beneficial than a faraway country.

moral decline = the presence of agogo bars and walking street?

I don't think people should quickly condemn THAI and create unnecessary panic, just let the authorities handle the situation.

Thailand authorities plan to meet with Singapore aviation authorities after Songkran. The goal is to ask Singapore for advice and recommendations on aviation safety. Singapore is known to maintain very high safety standards.

Geez, wonder why they're not going to ask China for advice, seeing as how the Chinese want to be so helpful and all?

Singapore is well-known for its good safety standards and I'm proud of that.

I thank the Canadian MP for his reasonable concern but at the moment let's take a pause and enjoy some thai food and babes.

This action was a foregone conclusion. All through thai history the Thais never really took sides and always dealt with whoever they thought could benefit them the most in both economics and militarily. Now that the UN and USA have been so critical about the gov in Thailand it became easy to see who Thailand would turn to next. First China and with their close relations with Russia they were next. It would not surprise me if Cuba stepped forward as the next country to approach Thailand with offers to aide the economy and military. The USA and UN should have foreseen this as well and accepted instead of criticizing Thailand. Thailand is/was a place in Asia to have their presence felt. This is fading fast.

the US should self-reflect on why Thailand choose Russia and China. Thailand does not favor the US just because of some military aid. As far as economy is concerned, China is more reliable than the US although I'm not sure what role can Russia play besides getting more tourism.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the most prestigious international financial institution in the world, has rated China's ranking to number one economic superpower in the world -- surpassing those of the United States based upon the purchasing power parity of GDP indicator (gross domestic product). IMF has asserted that China produced 17% of the world gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014 exceeding U.SA's GDP of world's 16% (1). China's economic growth performance over the last 30 years has impressed development economists who took the position that China will remain in the low/middle income group of nations permanently due to its very large population -- approximately 1.2+ billion in 2015.

Through out human history empires have grown and empires have collapsed, the next big boy on the block is China, the US "empire" is in its twilight years and will like so many empires in history it will collapse eventually

Nuke China before its too late!

Can ask obama this question? or maybe till the next next president.

I am very aware. I am also aware of China's issues with ASEAN nations in the East and South China Sea.

If you think that ASEAN nations look to China as more than a counterweight to ensure no other countries pressure the region ( and as a trading partner) you are mistaken.

i gotta correct you on that.

There is NO dispute between ASEAN nations and China in both East and South China Sea. Only Vietnam and Philippines have disputes with China but that's in South China Sea only. Please be clear on this.

And secondly, relationship between ASEAN nations and China is far more historical than with USA. China's relationship with Thailand, for example, stretches back more than 300 years, way before USA's independence. Instead of China being a counterweight, I prefer to see China as filling up the power vacuum in ASEAN due to US's declining influence (Obama even missed the APEC summit in Bali 2 yrs ago due to fiscal cliff issue back home).

For Chinese it is a very strong tradition to spend the New Year with family, not take trips abroad. But 1/2 million out of 1.4 billion people isn't so much, but I think the numbers are a bit exaggerated... as usual.

yep. perhaps the entire family decides to travel to thailand maybe ? not surprising given china's increasing affluence.

in the past, Thailand relied on USA for military protection due to neighboring threats. Now that China is now rising, Thailand has much to benefit by aligning itself with China.

Care to reconsider that assertion?

Perhaps you are unaware of China's territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Thailand has no territorial disputes with China. Are you aware?

i hope obama sacks that US diplomat for antagonising Thai PM.

Sad to see Thailand moving in this direction, just take a look at China's allies - countries that others won't touch with a barge pole

Well, I wouldn't touch Saudi Arabia with a bargepole.

And let's face it - how many wars did China start in the past 50 years?

china's last war was the 1979 sino-vietnamese war, but it lasted 1 month.

Why do they have to go and run and arse lick to China, there are plenty of other countries in the region to talk to, this Sino Thai is a worry, you'd think Thailand was still third world, China has them by the short and curlies totally memorised.

maybe coz china is a big and rich country who can exert much influence in the region?

but they don't look australians... hmm.

pattaya police sure is serious about reducing crimes there. good job arresting this criminal !

is SIA very good?

in the past, Thailand relied on USA for military protection due to neighboring threats. Now that China is now rising, Thailand has much to benefit by aligning itself with China.