Saladin

I sure would. It's high time that motorbike riders, both Thai and Farang, got a kick in the ass. Why should pedestrians have to give way to them and risk injury or death. On the roads they pass on the inside lane (the only place in the world that I have seen this), on the outside lane, and weave in and out of lanes. Is there a rule about this and if so, what is it, and why isn't it enforced?

Compare this Chinese claim to the offshore territories that have been appropriated by the US, most of them thousands of miles from continental America.

Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Hawaii ,and lays claim to

Palmyra Atoll, Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Bajo Nuevo Bank, Navassa Island, Serranilla Bank and Wake Island.

Why is it that Iran should not be allowed to support fighters in Iraq and Syria while it's OK for the US to do so?

A war on China's doorstep would have unimaginable consequences for the whole world, and further dialogue with the North Korean whackos would just give them more time to develop their weapons. It seems apparent that the only course of action is regime change by a military coup, or fomenting of a popular uprising. I wouldn't even mind seeing China taking over and getting its satellite onto an enlightened track but I think that is highly unlikely.

Thanks for this info. I will check it out.

I want to buy 3m x 3m of good quality striped canvas for an outdoor awning in Chiang Mai. Waterproof and UV resistant. Can anybody suggest a supplier in Chiang Mai (but not necessarily)

Rimping and Tops in Chiang Mai each have an extensive selection of dried fruit. The girl in attendance at Rimping told me that they get it from a Middle Eastern guy in Bangkok. I got the impression that he sublets the stand. This doesn't answer your question but you might try a bit of sleuthing, asking questions of the staff who are selling it retail.

From an international legal point of view, is a law legitimate if it has been promulgated by an illegitimate government (military coup against a democratically elected government)?

No Mr Prayuth - don't blame the Thai people. You and your military mates must cop the flack. You overthrew a legitimate democratically elected government because you thought you knew all the answers. If you can't perform then get out of the way and let the country get back to democracy, warts and all.

Erdogan has arrested 47,000 people since the coup attempt, which event took the Turkish government completely by surprise. How is it possible that so many people were in the know while the Gestapo were not. There are worrying echoes of the way Hitler grabbed power in Germany in the 1930s.

Let us pray that the Thai government relaxes its own lenient policy about carrying out the death penalty and gets rid of this scum forever. There is no place for them within the human family.

If it was within my power to do so, I would make him repaint the wall, then have him work in a very uncomfortable labouring environment such as road building or jungle clearing, before shipping him back home. Graffiti is simply vandalism and if tolerated, can only lead to more serious disregard for any laws.

They should have made this ignorant vandal repaint the wall, fined him a lot more than 4000 Baht, then put him on the first plane out of here.

55 minutes ago, bangkokairportlink said:

Do not listen anybody here, just do it, but not in your name, only Thai girlfriend/wife name.

 

Manage the business but do not work there.

 

If you know how to manage any business you will know how to manage a restaurant, but only if your girlfriend/wife knows what means worming 12 hours daily.

 

Otherwise they are right, just give up !

 

 

Good advice. Starting a business anywhere in the world is difficult. It's a safe bet that most of the contributors on TV have never taken a business risk in their life and try to justify it by pouring cold water on anybody with the guts to give it a go.

Just now, janclaes47 said:

 

I heard they have Google at the Thai customs department these days, and they know very well how to use it.

Customs departments all over the world don't have the manpower, money, or the inclination to check every import, or even the great bulk of them - the cost would be prohibitive as import tariffs on most things are generally very low. Customs Dept main focus is on drugs, weapons, plants and animal products that might spread diseases etc.

DHL will have an invoice of declared value from the sender. Thai Customs wouldn't have a clue what is the local value. I expect they would just accept the declared value particularly if the goods are not very expensive.

After the Allies landed in Europe in 1944, resistance fighters in occupied cities came out of the shadows and attacked the Nazis from within, making their liberation considerably quicker and less costly. I haven't read of any instances of this happening in Mosul and Raqqa although the number of ISIL fighters is dwarfed by the remaining residents. What part is the civilian population playing in their own liberation? Are they stabbing ISIL in the back? Are they dismantling booby traps? Are they enthusiastically identifying ISIL fighters to their liberators? This is not meant as an indictment of the civilians but rather is a genuine request for information about what is happening.

Never smile at a crocodile

No you can't get friendly with a crocodile

Don't be taken in by his welcome grin

He's imagining how well you'll fit within his skin

It is incompetence or corruption or both. I live in the Nimmanhaemin area, Chiang Mai's most up-market neighbourhood. After a new condo block next door was built the civic authorities plowed  a ditch in the road to lay some pipes, then filled it up and put bitumen over it. Within 3 months it started to disintegrate and continues to do so. Last week I watched workers fill some deep potholes at the corner of Soi 6 with buckets of sand and then a coat of bitumen. No rocks were laid first and nothing was compacted, so those repairs will be good for one or two more heavy rains. It seems they use sub-standard materials and techniques and nobody  seems to care or is accountable.

In any true democracy the government doesn't expect the public to advise them on how to solve its problems. If the generals took over the country because they thought they had the answers then they should get on with making tough decisions and stop passing the buck. All government decisions in any country are subject to ongoing scrutiny and change, that's what democracy is all about. Nothing should be written in stone.

There  is no place for Islamic Sharia law or the religious laws of any other faith in a democratic secular state. Democratically elected governments are charged to make the laws on behalf of the whole population. We need less religious influence in our lives - not more. Religion, like defecation and masturbation, is something that should be  practiced in the privacy of one's own home.

How about innocent until proven guilty? This is one of the things that are wrong with Thai reporting - "Bringing the murderer to justice" rather than "Bringing the suspect to justice". And the deplorable photo-ops and videos  of the police and military parading people before the cameras before they have been charged or convicted of anything. 

If London police fired 50 bullets to bring down the 3 attackers they must be pretty lousy shots. It seems England doesn't need more police but more weapons training. I heard one witness report that she had seen one of the murderers being tasered.

What is the 30 baht health scheme? Who does it cover?  How does it work? etc

In Koh Samui there seemed to be as many Family Marts as 7-11s but in ChiangMai I haven't seen any. Why is it so?