ronnie50

Yes. End of discussion.

British I read.

An why wouldn't the Palestinians reject what was on offer at that time. Don't play revisionsist history games. Successive Israeli governments have made it clear they plan to eventually acquire the entire territory 'from the river to the sea' - illegal settlements are one part of their strategy - leaning on the US for support is another. And I'm not antisemitic at all. I am anti-zionist though - there's a big difference, but it's a difference that has many people and special interest groups determined to blur, incraesingly so in recent years. Witness Trump's refusal to fund any University where there is even a hint of pro-Palestinian activism - through exageration of 'Israeli student's fear' - as only one example but an important one.

You just know they'll all be public buildings. Gives them an excuse to issue more 'contracts' to the 'cousin-of-the-brother-of the-hi-so-niece's-husband's-step-sister's-company.' Nothing gets proposed or built here unless it's already been divied up and there is individual profit for poo-yai extended family. Nothing gets done otherwise. In other words 'the end (the grift) must always justify the (public expenditure's) means for those with power and connections. It's not called a 'patronage system' for nothing. Disclaimer: Any names used or infered are purely fictitious - - probably.

No they don't - so what? You think the Jewish Settlers want a two state solution? No they don't. They could have moved from America or South Africa or wherever into Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. But they didn't, did they. Israel's plan is to conquer the entire territory by stealth. The expanding settlements are given a blessing by every Israeli leadership and are blindingly obvious that Israel has no plans to share the land equally - or at all - with the Palestinians. Now with Trump's endorsement, things got even worse, carte blanche for the IDF to buldoze what's left of Gaza and then the West Bank will be next. To quote dufus's words - 'who holds the cards'? Certainly not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.

That's good to know. So he's right then. Have the older buildings with damage thoroughly inspected and retrofit as needed. But I think many Thais and foreigners are still avoiding the main concern.. Bangkok experienced a large tremor from a very large and shallow earthquake 1,000 km away - and it caused 5,500 reports of damages. The same fault line runs diagonally down into the Andaman Sea from Myanmar and parallel with the Thai West Coast. If a similar strong and shallow earthquake happens in that area the result in metro Bangkok would be a massive disaster. The city's earthquake codes surely cannot account for high rise foundations - as deep as they may be - in soft reclaimed swamp land and expect them to just sway a bit like the tremor we had.

Sure. Doesn't mean it couldn't work though. Risky sure.

Of course - neither does her birthdate - unless...... she gets the new PP from Kao San Road (but fingerprints stay the same)

If Israel would have agreed to a land swap and a two-state solution decades ago, something the rest of the world has been pushing for (except bought and paid for American politicians, their freeby weapons to Israel, and their thick voters), there wouldn't be any Hamas and there wouldn't be any 'terrorists'. And there wouldn't be any dead medical workers, nor Israeli hostages, nor Hezbolah missiles, nor illegal Jewish 'settlements' (moslty inhabited by American and South African nutters). And we wouldn't be talking about it either.

so is she actually in prison? In Thailand, it's rarely clear if the sentencing resulted in immediate incarceration (or ever).

He's probably mentally ill and noisy in the lock-up, so they cut him loose to get rid of the annoyance. I was getting into a taxi once on Phahon Yothin Road in Bangkok years ago and some filthy street guy sitting nearby on the sidewalk grabbed a loose tree branch and started whaking me with it as I got into the taxi. Didn't hurt. Taxi driver just shook his head and off we went, with the nutter behind us still holding the branch - a few leaves in the back seat..

I reckon not very well

Dunno why Phuket is in the news so much. Seems to be turning into a Pattaya of sorts. Overcrowded, cheap downmarket tourists, lots of scams and violence and deaths. Haven't been there since Covid - twice in the 'sandbox' and once on holiday - it was great at that time. Very few people there. The few hotels and restaurants that were open were very good too.

Nah, she has a British Passport, stick her on a plane to the USA and let those friendly 'Homeland' border weirdos have at her..

I think Benz drivers (per capita) are worse than the van drivers - particulalry when I'm driving up country. I've been cut off many, many times by Benz drivers. Watch them drive to the BKK airport as just one nearby example. Anyway, I hope Tyson/Yuri face justice and kicked out of the country.

Not really clear from the article whether the girlfriend was actually out with him or back at the hotel while he was out with mates. She raised the alarm when he got home anyway.

Agree I've seen the same and have had my own over-the-limit experiences. But not many people are aware that this generation doesn't drink like "we" did (or for some in our generation still do). I'm not saying all the 20-somethings are tea total, just that, many of the young Westerners, are not big boozers (maybe country by country) and the stats exist to back up that shift.

It says the Embassy is involved providing consular service, they've seen all the recent news about spiked drinks. They need to demand a toxicology report. Even if it reveals that it was spiked, the embassy probably wouldn't publicise that fact and so would the Thai authorities publicise it? Let me just leave that question there..

Belated thanks to those who provided the correct/official link to apply for a VN visa online. Grateful. FYI - anyone planning a trip to Vietnam in the next few weeks - the government just declared a new five-day holiday 30 April - 5 May. (taking in Labor Day, Reunification Day and a weekend). This would probably affect online visa wait times, and of course busier travel/pricing within the country itself during that period. https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20250407/vietnam-announces-5day-reunification-day-holiday/85816.html

Oh well, maybe Trump will add that to his 36% tariff on Thailand.... But since he doesn't give a rat's @ss about the little guy, including the US Thai-based professor who coincidentally was being arrested when the Thai tariffs were announced (how 'Chinese' of them), I somehow doubt he cares about the price of your re-entry visa to Thailand. (Edit to add that Biden Admin might have protested the US Prof's arrest; highly doubt Trump's Admin will even notice it).

Seems to me every country would arrest someone trying to leave the country who had so agregiously overstayed their visa. Overstaying in Thailand is clearly a problem because it happens so often. It might be the reason Thai IMM still has IOs physically stationed at exit points after security to ensure the visitor has not overstayed. Maybe Thailand makes money from it? Can't see any other reason for th IMM IOs to be there - everything is electronic these days - maybe they haven't figured out a way to catch the overstayers if they go fully electronic (no IOs upon departure).

I guess she could just get a new passport and even change her first name.

"increased 'energy' acquisitions"? Like what? Nuclear energy? Am I missing something else?

Most pension and SS systems have a minimum bar the CPI must rise to in order to add the COLA to a pension/SS. Like more than 2% I think. Not sure of the minimum bar. Two or three years ago was the big CPI rise and COLA - 8%? I missed that one unfortunately.

It's USDOL that does it via the CPI anuual changes.