sambum

"Pattaya, known for its bustling nightlife, is apparently trying to shed its old skin and emerge as a beacon of transformation in Southeast Asia" Yawn! (Copy & Paste) "Issues like homelessness and begging underscore the need for ongoing social and urban development efforts to ensure Pattaya remains inclusive and attractive to all." What about harassment by ladyboys- or "transgender persons"? How many time do we see articles like:- "Assault........"Ladyboy...........Indian............Gold Necklace..........Theft..........." They need to be rounded up and shipped off to Rwanda! 🙂 Or more treatment like the one yesterday/day before got that picked on the wrong couple of guys to harass!

I meant they were a farmer(s) not a seamstress! 🙂

Yes, they're like vampires - they only come out when it's dark!

Nah, if it was a different colour envelope they might think it was a begging letter! 🙂

"Sow"

Like that's going to happen! The only time that that is likely to happen is when the production of brown envelopes dries up. That's it - brainwave- if they stopped production of brown envelopes that would probably reduce corruption by 50%! Now whereabouts is the Patents Office in Thailand?

"................but authorities remain committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all visitors." Just tell them to stay away from Walking Street - problem solved!

"Robbed............Assaulted................Pattaya" All too familiar (almost daily on AseanNow) a story for this "family friendly" resort. The only thing missing is "ladyboy" or "transgender person".

That is the most unlikely thing to happen that I've heard today - on a par with the one about pigs flying! I think it is more likely that he is practising the tried and trusted route of "media avoidance routine"!

I think in the West it would be denied as he is known to be a "flight risk", but hey, T.I.T. and we all knew most of us had an inkling 🤣 what was likely to happen here - especially as he was reportedly "unperturbed" about his impending court case!

Brown envelope a bit light?

You need to update your own tech knowledge a bit mate! These days on most devices there is a thing called "Spell Check". I suggest you use it!

"According to Mr. Khalid, the event unfolded on June 10 when he invited the two Ugandan women to his hotel room on Pattaya-Na Kluea Road for a few drinks and to spend the night. He paid them 2,000 baht each for their time." Is that not prostitution? I thought there was none in Pattaya? Or so we have been led to believe by the top brass! 🙄

"Following the indictment, his lawyer will then submit a bail application. If the application is denied, Thaksin will be remanded to the Bangkok Remand Prison until trial." As if that is likely to happen - no wonder Thaksin seems "unperturbed" about his "trial" - it's all done and dusted already - like his return to Thailand with the possibility of going to jail for 8 years!

Thank you for your post - you make some valid points, which I agree with. The point I was trying to make is that there are lots of people who apply for visas, get rejected, and then decide to "go underground" and take their chances. (Which is borne out by the number of illegals in Thailand or the USA or the UK) Certainly there are those who will go by the letter of the law and return to their countries and maybe try again at a future date, but I feel that most of these will not try again - especially with the air fares being so expensive these days, and they have travelled a long way to get there - not from Myanmar or Laos to Thailand, but for instance the USA, which has been mentioned in the thread. I think (and I emphasise that word, because it is merely an opinion) that if you put yourself in the position of say a young woman who has travelled a great distance to get into the USA or UK, that she will not have travelled there "off her own bat", but no doubt has a few friends (accomplices?) that are already there that will be willing to show her how to live life "under the umbrella". Similarly, (and I agree with your point here) there are unscrupulous employers that will give these girls/women jobs because they can, and no doubt the wages will be well below what they should be paying for the services. Slightly off topic, but with the same principle in mind, I am originally from the UK, and we have a similar problem with illegals, and official figures show an alarming trend:- "Provisional operational data shows that between 1 January and 21 April 2024 there were: 6,265 small boat arrivals compared to 5,049 in the same period last year, an increase of 24%" And that is just by boats - there are thousands more who get smuggled into the country in the back of wagons etc. The problem here is that if they are just sent back to France, they will just try again tomorrow, and eventually, a great number will succeed, and I doubt very much if these thousands are intent on getting work permits, and if refused, go back to where they came from - on this we disagree. The latest plan by the UK Government is to relocate/ship them off to somewhere in Africa, but they don't want to go, because "they don't feel safe there." My own suggestion for a solution would be to stick a big sign in the middle of the ENGLISH Channel which reads "SORRY - FULL UP!", ( but of course I am being flippant!) Maybe a change in Government may bring new ideas to rectify the situation but somehow I doubt that "The Nanny State" will change overnight!

I heard of a journalist that was posted to the Middle East for a while, and he was intrigued by the fact that it was not an uncommon sight to see a man walking with a few of his wives walking behind, so he eventually found one of the ladies who spoke a bit of English, and asked "Why do the women always walk behind the men over here? Is it because you see him as your superior - a sign of subservience to acknowledge the fact that he is your master, and that because he is a man, he is therefore in some way better than you and the other women in his life?" The answer was very short, but to the point:- "No" she replied "Land mines"! 🙂

And there would probably be a few more if you weren't on "Ignored" lists! 🙂

"It's no wonder the US is so strict about giving visas to certain demographic groups." Which in itself merely exacerbates the problem. If someone already in the country applies for a work permit and gets rejected, do you think they are going to say "Oh, that's a shame", and return to their home country? No, I think they are just going to stay and remain part of the "Black Economy", and I am sure that there are plenty of unscrupulous employers willing to employ them at reduced wages!

And 99% of the "proper criminals" remain undetected - apparently seeming to bypass the requirements quite effortlessly - maybe brown envelopes involved? 🤣

In the UK, one Working Men's Club Concert Secretary told me that they were making more profit off 2 "one arm bandits" then they were off the bar!

It's like someone from a small village in Northern England going to Birmingham for the first time, and going to an area where all the men wear pyjamas in the street, and you can't see the women because they're all covered up from head to toe! 🙂

I agree but I am sure that the bosses at TAT will be horrified!!!

TAT pull out all the stops and manipulate the figures to show what a good job they are doing, and then along come some do gooders from the WTTC trying to undermine all their good work! "Too many tourists? What on earth can they mean?"

"......it would enhance sales to be able to say it was tested and approved." I don't think that the majority of people, especially tourists, would be interested in buying "Mary Jane" with a less than 2% THC content.

Posted 3 times? Fault in the system or are you just trying to ensure that you get your point across? I do, however agree with your post - "Now Even More Amazing Thailand - the "Hub of Turnarounds"!