loongdavid

A true statesman who wouldn't bow to the U.S. later admired by his political rivals. The last Australian P.M to be removed by the British.

History shows that John Kerr was his own man and QEII was not consulted as to his intention to dismiss Whitlam. Kerr was Sydney born and bred and was a Labor man to his boot straps - that's what rankled Labor, and apparently still does.

It has always been the Russian (Soviet) intention to have the very best intelligence concerning access to and from the Baltic Sea, thereby eliminating any chance for US spying via submarines. There is little doubt that the sea bed will be sown with acoustic devices. Denmark and Norway would undoubtedly share Sweden's concern.

Any derogatory pictures and/or text aimed squarely at farangs shows just how isolated Thailand has been, and still is, from the rest of the world and the 21st century. Multiculturalism in any of its guises is here to stay, like it or not.

The only place that British police have jurisdiction is in Britain. They have no legal authority at all in Thailand.

Imagine the hoo haa if a Thai was murdered in the UK and the Thai government expected expected the UK to surrender all legal authority to a couple of visiting members of the RTP.

That has never been in dispute. However, there is a substantial difference between "observing" and being given access to the RTP investigation and being supplied with answers. There are many instances whereby a foreign police service has worked in co-operation and assistance with the host police e.g. (UK) McCann in Spain, (AUS) Indonesian atrocities in East Timor, etc etc.

Should a Thai national suffer a similar fate in the UK one can be assured that the British police would have solved the case by now, supplied the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) with a brief of evidence and NOT be hasty to carry out a trial by media as is the case in Thailand. It is aso worth noting that in most western countries the Forensic Services are independent of the police.

This is one occasion when I would love to be fluent enough in Thai to just listen to the translations that take place between the RTP and British Police during the many question and answer sessions that will obviously transpire.

No matter who you are or where your go, you make your own community life. Besides, one usually has no more than a handful of truly close friends outside of family, the rest are window dressing social acquaintances or good-for-business 'pals' and/or professional 'associates'.

Seems people are looking for some kind of communal identity marker (gang) and/or sympathy for shared sins rather than companionship. We're in Thailand because our homes lacked something the Thais still have. What is it? Genuine human values not yet completely divoced from nature and family bonds, despite their dispicable hypocrisy, which one finds everywhere the white man has imposed his culture so effectively that other groups blindly follow him into the no-man's land of relativism and monetized fantasy.

I've found that rural communities where people still farm have the best orientation towards meeting human challenges and hence, tend to stay away from people who are drunk on urbane pretentiousness. Simple is always best. As for caucasion-like fellowship: on occassion I meet a sober white man who's found himself here and is not looking over his shoulder ... very occasionally ... and I welcome the company but am always happy to retire to the confines of my Thai wife's care and my own concerns. Don't wish to be burdened by the society I left because of its arrogant posture and foolish destruction of the world, self and others with its White-Man-Burden civilizing protocols submitted to pure greed; which, apparently, is contagious.

So, if you find yourself day-after-day uselessly chatting over too much coffee, Western cousine and an expanding waistline or up-to-the-gills boozers, you haven't really left the West or truly entered Thailand. Perhaps you need an ex-pat's club to help you project the insanity of repeating the same mistakes, or maybe you're just an unconscious colonizer.

But if you need true companionship without the trappings of 'home'...let it happen, don't go looking for it because you're likely to only find a long lost unwanted relative seeking sympathy for the devil at the expense of what is under your right hand. - oz

bravo!!!

Great writing!

It is strange how these "nasty old Brits" almost colonised the world to make it into a better place.

It is strange how the whole world is trying to immigrate to live with these"nasty old Brits"in Britain

It is strange how these "nasty old Brits"invented almost everything from the jet engine to television.

It is strange how everyone wants to speak English the language of these "nasty old Brits"

Maybe the world would be a better place if we had more of these"nasty old Brits."

Ah yes, british colonialism... Do you really want to go there?

Yes, well it's certainly well out in front of whatever is running second. I think you want to learn the difference between jealousy and envy.

They must have bombed them with a 1 ton Vegemite bombs, they died out of disgust of the taste

and the smell alone....

Guess what I had spread all over my toast this morning for breakfast - yes Vegemite....... and it was great!

...and then hold another meeting to discuss when we should hold the next meeting, ugh!

Beats me why you even bothered to visit Thailand, let alone settle here. I really don't think you could assimilate anyway.

"Foreign Relations of the United States,"

Wonderful to see that someone even back then had a sense of humour and knew how to use an oxymoron.

"As an engineer (I presume that's your occupation since you are commenting as an engineer) perhaps you can explain to me, but I would guess it is going to be built on piles, the same as the SOM designed Burj Khalifa also built on sand (not rock) and pretty much every other supertall in the middle east and most of them around the world.

The piles of Burj Khalifa go down 50m. I believe somewhere MahaNakhon said something like 60m as did Baiyoke (it's available somewhere). Presumably this will be more than any of these.

I don't quite follow the 2nd paragraph, being that they are not building it to sell apartments, it's an office and hotel tower, they don't need to sell anything".

Towers built in the Gulf region do actually sit on solid rock as there's plenty of it under all that sand. The average depth of the water table is also much, much lower. The depth of the piers is calculated firstly on the depth of the water table, type and compression of the soil / rock below that, geothermal activity etc etc. Bangkok is extremely poorly situated given the substrata composition, so I very much doubt if any cost benefit analysis would pass the first test. A lot rests with who the engineers are that will scrutinise the plans prior to building.

Developers gain a return on their investment principally from selling space, particularly the higher that space is. Consequently, I would be really surprised if this proposal did not incorporate apartments.

From an engineering point of view this is shear adulterated madness. The water table is so high that even if the foundations were excavated down the equivalent of 15-20 floors they would still remain unstable. There just isn't enough concrete even in Thailand to substitute for hard rock.

I guess only the extremely foolish, wealthy or social climbing Chinese will purchase an apartment and then I hope they have bucket loads of insurance (if they can get it). The Eureka Tower in Melbourne, Australia comes to mind. Although small by comparison it too required DEEP foundations and gold tinted glass and fittings just to entice the Chinese to buy an apartment - they did!

License suspension is the only thing that would work. First offence earns 2 weeks, 2nd earns three months, and a 3rd offence or more gets a year's suspension.

Nanny state

I think that would still be too lenient - three strikes and you're out. Total loss of taxi licence for good.

As for this being a "nanny state", you've just got to be joking!

They forgot to mention that there is at least one highly suspect individual who refuses to give a DNA sample (for what reason other than being guilty?) and whom the Thai police continues to overlook

Not knowing Thai law I am at a loss to understand why the RTP have not compelled the "...highly suspect individual..." to give a DNA sample. One would think that he has no choice in the matter.

Someone just used the word 'economics' and that says it all. The principal thing missing from this subject are home grown Thai agricultural economists. Economists who can spread the word and be believed. I say Thai economists as the locals would not believe a farang. If anyone thinks they can work in the fields doing manual labour growing a rice crop for the amount of time they do and still harvest at a profit, they are deluding themselves. Putting quality to one side, the end result just does not add up. Constant over irrigation and poor quality chemical fertilizers are only making things worse and reducing yields. No-one ever 'rests' a field for a year or two as the call of the baht is too great.

I have been trying for a very long time to convince those I know to diversify, reduce the amount of rice planted (in line with government and Royal instructions) and go for crops that will yield a larger profit margin. Now is not the time to get into rubber but ground nuts and macadamia nuts will bring good returns. Good quality bananas are also in high demand.

"...The Myanmar authorities and this lying toad of a defence lawyer should hang their heads in shame for making up stories of torture and beatings in order to protect the two guilty men. I really hope that the rapists (and probably killers) maintain their stance of repentance against the crimes they have committed in the trial and plead guilty in order to obtain closure for the families".

"...to protect the two guilty men". Don't you just love the way that some folk give no creedance whatsoever to the premise innocent until proven guilty. We can only hope and pray that these folk never, ever sit on a jury. Why let the facts get in the way of a good story.

"...and I never said a word to anyone".

And IMO that makes you as bad as they are.

This being almost a daily occurrence I have yet to hear any news concerning what sentence the courts hand down. I am of course assuming the culprits are charged and eventually face court.

With what is currently being circulated on social media reference the double Koh Tao homicides together with the derogatory and abusive comments aimed at both the military administration, RTP and prison authorities, I would not be at all surprised if one or more were closed down. Some of the postings directed towards the heads of police and prisons are quite frankly over the top. It is one thing suspecting corruption it is quite another to prove it and still another to broadcast it. Farang should realise that their continued residence in Thailand is literally in the hands of those who are being criticised. Not a good move I would have thought.

Uh huh, I see. It's all fine unless you "Question Authority".

Well, I guess it depends on who one is questioning and the level to which one goes. I for one would be extremely reluctant to bite the hand that feeds me.

With what is currently being circulated on social media reference the double Koh Tao homicides together with the derogatory and abusive comments aimed at both the military administration, RTP and prison authorities, I would not be at all surprised if one or more were closed down. Some of the postings directed towards the heads of police and prisons are quite frankly over the top. It is one thing suspecting corruption it is quite another to prove it and still another to broadcast it. Farang should realise that their continued residence in Thailand is literally in the hands of those who are being criticised. Not a good move I would have thought.

Who the hell wants to live in Thailand after all this shit?

If you continue to support this corrupt and vile country under military rule, you are just supporting them and are a part of the problem!

Thailand has had it's day...

Thailand is DEAD

RIP David and Hannah...

Strangely enough it would seem, many thousands of ex-patriots call Thailand home and are extremely happy to do so.

As there was no previous comment made giving support to the current military administration one has to wonder your motives for raising it. As for Thailand having had its day and being "DEAD", I guess we won't miss you when you leave.

With what is currently being circulated on social media reference the double Koh Tao homicides together with the derogatory and abusive comments aimed at both the military administration, RTP and prison authorities, I would not be at all surprised if one or more were closed down. Some of the postings directed towards the heads of police and prisons are quite frankly over the top. It is one thing suspecting corruption it is quite another to prove it and still another to broadcast it. Farang should realise that their continued residence in Thailand is literally in the hands of those who are being criticised. Not a good move I would have thought.

"The Social Development and Human Security Ministry"

Thailand, you just have to be kidding!

But ST

Yes, but they haven't been cleared of the crime - also I was responding to the statement 'it depends on whether they committed the crime or not'. A perfectly justified question is it not??? I didn't mention anything about what the prison authority person said.

I could call you lot sick for trying to clear these two murder suspects!!!

Answer this question. Why is this announcement being made without the concerned parties taking realistic steps to stop them killing themselves?

They have shown themselves to be aware, are monitoring them closely, checking their food, thinking of setting up CCTV to check on them (even when they are sleeping).

What do you want them to do - sit with them whilst they are sitting on the toilet or go to bed with them!!

Yes, that's the point... they are "...thinking of setting up CCTV..." Good grief! anywhere else and they would have been segregation and watched 24/7 with both CCTV and guards from the minute they arrived.

Irrespective of whether these guys are innocent or guilty they deserve due process and they will not get it in Thailand.