sambum

Thai "Auntie (Anti) Logic" - same as putting prices up in the bars when they have no customers!

"Would they be making as much of the "evil" if it had been a Thai gang?" Probably - absolutely horrendous crime regardless of what the nationality is of the perpetrators!

Yes indeed - as I used to be told when I was a kid, "where there's a will there's a way" Unfortunately, in this case there is obviously no "will", except possibly those made out by some of the poor souls who have succumbed to the toxic fumes!.

" ...... relevant parts of the private sector will now step in to provide help to the residents of the three villages within three months. And why don't the Government step in to provide help? Maybe a few backhanders being made in order to secure lucrative contracts? And why not NOW? In three months time there will probably be a few more deaths due to this pollution. It beggars belief that this happens year after year, yet is allowed to carry on unabated - possibly because wealthy landowners are greasing a few palms, or as it is put over here - handing over a few brown envelopes/tea money?

Right on the button as usual Mike! "2. Perhaps the immigration clowns could be focusing on serious criminals, rather than senior citizens who are over staying their visas, and hassling legitimate couples over marriage visas" Sometimes I wonder if these I.O.'s bosses know the inane antics of their front line operatives? A friend of mine told me that when he applied for a marriage visa/extension he took photos of the house and fulfilled all the requirements as requested - taken inside the house and out, clearly showing him and his wife and the house number etc etc etc. Not happy with the fact that the request had been complied with "to the T", the I.O. said she wanted a photograph of the roof of the house!!! Apparently my friend's wife told her that they could not supply a photograph of the roof of the house because "there was a bloody big tree in the way"!!! So the I.O. moved on and said that the photos in the house were not acceptable because they looked too "similar". Talk about having to jump through hoops!!!

Erm? Because it IS news! Not another tale of some poor pensioner being arrested for overstay because some citizen concerned for the safety of the country had "ratted " him out!

Which is indeed a disgrace! The trouble is Chuwit's "whistle blowing" is now seen by some as purely vindictive, and he is probably referred to as "that man" in high circles (To quote a Thatcherism!)

He only got arrested due to "secret informers" - not because of the undercover work by the highly trained, hard working, intelligent officers who arrested him! Okay, rules are rules, but in the case of a 76 year old who has "overstayed his welcome" there are bound to be some extenuating circumstances that we don't know about.

The same as any other country - taxation. It is a ridiculous situation when a poorly paid cop has to buy his own uniform and motor bike! No wonder they resort to accepting bribes etc. And guns should be provided only after having had an assessment on their mental ability to use one properly - in the appropriate situation! (????)

You have a real heart of gold, don't you?

"............ to stop Thais and foreigners causing trouble in Thailand, maintain the safety of the public and stop losses to the country." 1 "To stop Thais and foreigners causing trouble in Thailand." I see no Thais being arrested for overstay, and I doubt very much whether a 76 year old British pensioner will be causing much trouble! 2 "Maintain the safety of the public" I fail to see what pensioners on overstay has to do with the safety of the public, but no doubt someone in Government can explain it! 3. "Stop losses to the country" Apart from visa revenues of probably 1900 baht per year, what losses? As previously mentioned, I would imagine that the Brit pensioner will be spending app 40,000 baht annually. Yet more mumbling rhetoric from the Department whose main purpose in life seems to be catching people on overstay - not what I would call "real" criminals!

A few years ago, when I was "green", my girlfriend at the time wanted to go to a local park, and wanted to bring 3 of her friends along. "It'll be fun" she said. Naturally, they expected me to pay for them all - 200 baht each, to which I reluctantly agreed, after hearing whispers of "Cheap Charlie" and something that sounded like "Keen Yow", I set off to the entry desk to pay the 1000 baht only to be told that it was 400 baht for me, making it 1200 baht. After trying to "negotiate' a price for all 5 of us, I gave up, turned around and we went for some noodles instead! So, the Thai logic applied here meant that the park lost 1000 baht through pure greed and trying to fleece the farang, but the point is - they didn't seem to care! (I suppose they were just the paid staff on a pittance - so why should they?)

Maybe topless, but not the "Full Monty"! That is probaly reserved for "Nudist Beaches" only!

"Home?" Would you care to go back to this?

I presume you are referring to Russians - not Ukrainians? To be a deserter you have to have been conscripted in the first place - so I agree with previous posters who call them draft dodgers. I also agree with a previous poster who described the Russians' behaviour here pre Covid quite succinctly - the current situation has changed their attitudes and behaviour quite a lot, but in case you think that I am only quoting "previous posters" because I have nothing of my own to say, my opinion is that once they have been entrenched here for a while, I suspect that they will revert back to form. I still cannot forget the video of the Russian "lady" who physically attacked the Thai who was asking her to pay 50 baht "entry fee" to take photos of a tourist attraction. As it turned out, they were both in the wrong, but it was the Russian who came out of it looking like a "troublemaker"! (For lack of an expression that I can not use on here!)

Correct in what you say, but would you want to go back to try to make a new home in a war torn country, or to be forced to fight in a war that you disagree with?

I would not be surprised if quite a few of them were homeless due to the invasion - bombs and shells don't just kill people!

Is there any other country in the world where foreigners have to report every 90 days to Immigration to let them know that nothing has changed since their last visit?

"Siam Rath reported that the Pattaya police chief Pol Col Thanapong Photi along with the provincial police and an international crime section arrested two foreigners...." A lot of heavyweight authority there for a simple crime? Oh, sorry, there is a 3rd under investigation - that's one each!

The director of Suvarnabhumi Airport along with airport and tourist police have announced the arrest of three members of a Mongolian gang preying on foreign and Thai tourists at the airport. So that's the Director of the airport got one, the airport police got one, and the tourist police got one? Not bad going! ????

"A search warrant was obtained and his bedroom above the bar - itself decorated in shooting and gun related pictures - was opened up by another lady." I can't see anything in the post about any ladies? I am not a frequent visitor to Bangkok, but when I first came to Thailand about 20 years ago, a pal of mine took me round "the sights" and Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy were high on the agenda! Even on my first visit, I learned that Soi 4 (Nana Plaza) and even numbered Sois are on one side of Sukhumvit, and Soi 23 (Soi Cowboy) are on the other side. Also I was under the impression that Soi Cowboy is merely a name for a group of (in)famous bars, and is situated ON Soi 23, and from memory, had a sign on an arch at the opening that stated quite clearly - "Soi Cowboy".

Sober enough to drive a keyboard! How about you? ????

Yes, expect daily headlines about drunken Brits, Australians, Germans, Americans etc. causing mayhem through refusing to pay what they believe to be extortionate bills, but none about drunken Thais. They'll probably take up the headlines for shooting people dead in disagreements about music being too loud or parking spaces!!!

"......it is a matter of personal choice." Well said! Myself, I prefer a "half way house" that isn't "busting at the seams" where taxi drivers, girlie bars and restaurants are ripping you off, but somewhere you can have a quiet drink at a bar, and a decent meal at a fair price. For that, for the most part, you need to be away from places like Pattaya, Phuket, and Bangkok - maybe one of the smaller tourist resorts?

".......those who venture to this off-the-beaten-path region of Thailand teeming with rice fields are rewarded with national parks, temple ruins, and Michelin-recommended restaurants." In my wife's region in Isan you are hard pressed to find a restaurant of ANY kind!!! Mind, it is teeming with rice fields - they got that part right!