Prbkk

He might be a ratbag and a rogue but this sentence is way out of proportion to the crime ( even if it is only 5 years in Thailand and then more to follow in the UK). It's getting more than a little tiresome to see the disparity in sentencing going on.

Violence does not get sufficient jail time but dealing in some trendy pills (harmless or otherwise) gets life plus ( for some).

Good. The Great Leap Forward.

Where was the wife? Hints of DH Lawrence?

Hiso bank needs to think a little before engaging in this kind of stupidity, otherwise they might get a very serious backlash from customers...and it would be well deserved

He might as well have said" we don't care what the rest of the world thinks". A variation on the Greek single finger salute.

These kids are VICTIMS and should be repatriated to Australia. They are not responsible for the crimes and sins of their parents. <deleted>, one of them is 4 years old. They should be put in the care of their maternal grandmother . I would want nothing to do with a decision to leave them to their own devices and to whatever extent is possible they should be provided with assistance. Since when to we wipe our hands of kids in trouble and throw them to the wolves?

Disgusting

Australia has an ice cream called the GayTime (and the Golden Gay Time). Straight people can eat them as well.

In context the USD relationship means very little other than fuel and $ denominated debt. The real issue is competitor currency levels / the Baht and also whether those who want to buy Thai goods and services have the money to do so. 35 is looking likely as the USD strengthens..Not great for hiso holidays in NYC but good for the country.

The unrelenting references to the China boom reflect the fact that tourism authorities are in a state of denial: ie, something is wrong with the destination for markets of decades long standing but, no worries, forget them and replace with China.

As any business owner knows, you work hard to preserve your traditional markets while concurrently developing/expanding new ones. It's called a growth strategy.

As everyone knows, Thailand spent many millions US buying this worthless crap, fully endorsed in respect of what they were pleased to call ' the science' by the woman with the multi-coloured hair, then head of forensics

He should simply ignore these student protests (looking at it from his perspective). His entire focus should be on the economy and the situation in the south. Instead he gets drawn into the age-old Thai problem of paying off supporters , eg the absurd decision to acquire submarines and also a focus on trivia, eg the lottery issue. Fast approaching Chavlit as the most ineffective PM in living memory

You, "computer..OUT", "shoe..OFF", "belt..OFF" "Gun...Okay, never mind"

There does need to be greater clarity on the legality of surrogacy in Thailand. Posters will recall the Australian couple who declined to accept the male twin with significant health issues but scampered quick smart back home with the girl who was healthy.

In that case, did it not transpire that the 'father' was a convicted sex offender?

The Australian public was so outraged by the actions of the pair that hundreds of thousands of $$$$ were raised to provide for the boy.

That case and that of the Japanese weirdo who wanted to repopulate Japan in his own image, raised questions over the legal status in Thailand. Not yet clarified.

I can see no reason whatsoever for gay couples not to be given an opportunity to be parents...but like many others would prefer it to be through adoption (and the same for straight couples).

Perhaps this has been raised already but I recall a couple of years ago that a senior customs official assaulted a security guard at the airport for trying to check him. So it might be the case that staff are wary of the 'VIP' set.

I don't see the Japanese letting this go easily: they have extremely strict gun laws and are not about to make themselves look fools in the eyes of the world.

A 'medical tax' on tourists?. If there was a tax on economic lunacy this guy would be paying through the nose.

Just as anticipated, a scam involving a tuk tuk driver and a rip off 'oke bar. Same as the Malaysians and the seafood dinner. Old habits, easy targets, treated with kid gloves by complicit authorities

Al Jazeera is now stating that one person has died from MERS in thailand .

Now finally at 17:30 Al Jazeera have changed their headline - now he is not dead .

Even if he should die it will probably be covered up a long long time - Wonder when TAT has some spin on this story ...

They will have to be quick....CNN running 2 Thai stories prominently....MERS and aviation red flag

It is common that a large number of relatives accompany patients getting treatment, partly cultural and perhaps with more serious illnesses/mature patients, planning for the worst.

Entire hotels/apt buildings/condos are given over to accommodate relatives ( soi 1-3-5) and the visitors frequent the restaurants, markets and other services in that area.

Some of the same issues seen in Korea ( family giving close personal attention for ablutions, feeding etc) also apply with visitors from the ME. It is to be hoped that Thailand has learnt from that unexpected route of transmission in Korea.

Good for her! and this does seem like a very clear cut case of self defense so no prosecution should be brought.

Good for her? You jump to conclusions quickly.

I think a court case with proper legal procedures will allow an appropriate verdict on this case. NOT a TVF article.

It reminds me of the TVF Koh Tao sleuths. Wrapping up a murder case on internet news evidence.

She may well be guilty of murder.

Guilty/not guilty... Either way this is always the saddest event when families break down and death is the result. The bond that should never be broken but it's happening too often in too many places.

It's hard to imagine that Thailand would succeed with the voluntary isolation of 'at risk' individuals seen in Korea. Let's hope that Thailand is lucky and the spread is contained somehow. This has been on the cards for a couple of years and was always a greater threat than Ebola ...despite the hysterical frenzy about it.

MERS was not a 'sexy' topic for the press but it's outcomes are almost as grim as Ebola and the likelihood of it going untracked because of the longish incubation period is greater

The entire leadership could learn a lot from that Kenny Rogers song about gambling...and knowing when to 'give it up'

Regardless of fault, he should buy SEVERAL lottery tickets, paying more than 80 for each if he has to. Lucky boy.

I paid for meds at the hospital once and almost need a mortguage. However, having decided to try outside I went to Boot's, same result. Have now found a phamacy which saves me 500 bath per month on one scrip alone.

All it would take if for ONE good pharmacy to tap into the farang market...with transparent prices, web site, English speaking, knowledgeable staff....they would make a killing and blow the others out of the (huge) market. No one has even tried.

It's not difficult at all for the govt to set a maximum price for drugs. They must approve the importation of them, collect any tax payable . certify the drug to treat certain medical conditions. It's difficult because they don't want to offend the high end of town , ie the connected owners and shareholders of these establishment. So a pale pink response.

Isn't it saying that the bureaucrats have failed to oversee safety. Ipso facto , no one can say the aviation system is safe. Is that not the same issue that led to the banning of Indonesian carriers, including Garuda, from European airspace back in 2007? Sounds like it has the potential to be serious unless it's sorted quick smart.