eliotness

PTP? Their last political move was in Parliament trying to ram through some Amnesty bill...

I actually thought their last political act was to call a general election !!!

Good, but what happens if the rain doesn't come soon, or if the 2016 rainfall is lower than normal. Our dam has enough water to last the farm until May. I'm concerned our domestic borehole will soon run dry. The assurance from the Ministry is just a hope against hope. But then again if the rain does come in excess then we'll have flood disasters. ?

Unfortunately "green politics" in Thailand has a very different meaning compared to most other countries. Just a pity the army wear green uniforms !?

This whole case sounds a real mess made worse by so many half-facts being released by both sides. Needs a truely independent investigation, which of course will never ever happen, not just here in Thailand but in most countries around the world, as long as the tax payers can foot the bill.

"better efficiency with capable persons working to help push forward the country " that'll be a first !

The European elites have opened a Pandora's box. They and all us peasants may regret what follows.

So much is out of Thai hands. An increasing dependence on China could be main factor. If China crashes or at least undergoes a severe dip then Thailand will feel some pain.

The trade data don't support your views. Export and import to China is 12% & 15% respectively. Our main export are cars, electronic and main import is oil. None are feature highly in China economic make-up. Commodity dependence economies will feel most of a depressed China pain.

OK, I stand corrected, but you did miss out the Chinese tourists. Just a niggle, sorry, but your grammar could improve a bit !

So much is out of Thai hands. An increasing dependence on China could be main factor. If China crashes or at least undergoes a severe dip then Thailand will feel some pain.

So they pass a law and it cannot be enforced until the public understands it!!!

And how do they know when this understanding is achieved?

When a certain General says "everyone understands".

The pound has been affected by the uncertainty of the UK leaving the EU. What I'd like to know is will there be a drop in the value of the Euro if the EU loses the UK ?

I wonder when they say "British businesses" are they really multinationals that happen to have bases in Britain. That would put a different slant on their comment.

Interestingly most of those refugees shown were young men of military age. For the sake of those refugees who are genuine we should call these young men something very different.

It will be interesting to see how many of these Company Executives will appear in the Honours lists next year, as compared to the names of executives whose Company's have not signed up to this political stunt.

However, the good news. If the country votes OUT then DC will find his position as PM very fragile indeed as BOJO will be after his job/head. That alone is a good reason to vote OUT.

We've, us poor Brits, have got 4 months of B/S and lies to look forward to. Both sides will use such tactics, just hope the side with the least B/S and lies wins.

Never realised Germany was a major player. Wonder what they're selling, or not any longer, as a 50% decrease is a major drop . Where does the UK stand in the list ?

Words, words and more words, but to quote a famous advert "where's the meat". I know of a school that has sufficiency economics as one of their main aims, yet I see very little going on that would achieve that, unless of course that really means dumbing down the education standards so that the students accept a subsistence economy.

The article seems to say bbq food is a major source of salt. Only if you buy it from a roadside stall surely. Do it at home and make your own marinate then it can be OK. The problem for Thais is they do love their sauces full of salt, sugar and MSG. British chefs on UK TV have been promoting Thai food as super healthy for years. Just shows a weeks trip filming a show gives the presenter a very false view of real everyday food here.

All the time we hear about "sustainable economics" for Thailand. Good idea, but the words have no meaning without the right actions.

I see very little usage of animal waste (aka shit) as organic fertiliser or methane generator. Plastic bags could be reprocessed into decking and outdoor furniture. Despite a potential resale value much waste is not separated. There is widespread use of chemicals on farms with hormone treatment, pesticides and herbicides being regularly used huge amounts. Solar and wind power, although of limited value should nevertheless be a government project to encourage its expansion, if necessary subsidise it ! Could go on and on, sorry for the rant folks but when I hear "sustainable" here I cringe.

When you have the majority of the population relying on agriculture as a living, then there will always be a problem. Change from rubber to what ? The markets in every town are well stocked with fruit and veg, so what can farmers grow that local and international consumers want ??? The various governments have dug a big hole for the country, to get out of which will take inspired leadership, which just ain't going to happen any time soon.

Quite simple: grow premium crops, organic rice and organic fruits and veggies and supply the world. Tropical countries are blessed with the climate when it comes to agriculture.

If only life was so simple ! Do you really think most of the world is prepared to pay premium prices for organic fruit and veg ? and that there will be an ever increasing market ? Bottom line for the international consumer is price, pure and simple. It's easy being "environmentally friendly" if you're rich, not so if you are only just surviving.

Also, organic produce doesn't travel well, has a much reduced shelf life and is prone to infestation. Organic foods are best when sold on local markets. Furthermore to sell "organic produce" overseas there would need to be registration of farms, regular checks undertaken and all that to comply with international standards. Just ain't going to happen is it ?

When you have the majority of the population relying on agriculture as a living, then there will always be a problem. Change from rubber to what ? The markets in every town are well stocked with fruit and veg, so what can farmers grow that local and international consumers want ??? The various governments have dug a big hole for the country, to get out of which will take inspired leadership, which just ain't going to happen any time soon.

These mosquitoes have been doing dreadful harm to mankind since the dawn of time. The use of such chemicals as DDT nearly eradicated them and other nasties in some countries in the 60s until scientists discovered that such chemicals get into the food chain and accumulate in mankind and other creatures. Work against mosquitoes has been the subject of ongoing research in many countries for decades. However now Thailand is going to solve the problem by themselves ! I wish them luck, but fear they'll fail. Besides mosquitoes don't need visas and unless all countries in the region work together there is no solution possible.

Price local to us has plummeted to breakeven lately which means the best part of a years work for nothing. All this after being encouraged to grow cassava instead of rice.

Farmers must feel like punchbags right now.

We reached break-even last year, 2.15 baht a kilo. In 2010 we got 3.40 baht a kilo. This year we rented the field to neighbours as there was no way we could have made a profit, but the neighbours were willing to take the risk. If the price drops much below 2.00 baht a kilo then many farmers are going to be unable to pay off their debts incurred planting the crop. Bad times ahead I fear.

However much the members posting on this forum hate Greenpeace and I do agree with them in many cases, it is my view that without such pressure groups, governments and big industries would be doing much more harm to our little planet. Sure such organisations attract their fair share of nutters, but so do most political parties in the "democratic West". Is "hug a tree" any more absurd than "hug a huddie" ? Is "save the whales" worse than saying to millions of 3rd world migrants "come to Europe and be welcome" or perhaps, closer to home, "I am a democratic soldier"? Rent a mob will unfortunately always be around, but logical and true reasoning will blunt their BS.

France has a track record of dealing with Greenpeace. Remember the bomb in Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand. Unlike Japan, France is not considered to be in a major earthquake risk zone, however there have been leaks from the nuclear industry in France, which the French government has tried hide, just as in the UK. The EU has a large team of multinational nuclear inspectors who are very well qualified and experienced, so any problems are quickly identified and measures implemented to rectify or at least minimise the problem. But what Greenpeace need to consider is what is the alternative, more coal powered electricity generation, cover all the hills and coasts with windmills, hundreds of square kilometres covered in solar cells, dam and flood multiple valleys for hydro-electric plants ? What they should concentrate on is how to reduce electricity usage.

You re right but :

The Rhone Alpes Region hosts plenty of plants and is sided by two mountains and a strong wind coming from the south. Any serious accident would contaminate the whole country as well as most of Europe in hours.

The plants are old and even if the security is tight we will never prevent any human factor or terrorist attack by Drone or any clever way to mess.

The electricity consumption is mostly due to businesses, not individual consumption and with the new technologies we could switch to eco friendly energy.

True, but take Thailand, where a big shopping mal can consume more energy than a whole rural province. Energy consumption by industry affects their bottom line, so it's in their financial interest to be energy efficient. That applies everywhere around the world.

Terrorist threats to the nuclear industry are of course of great concern and I'm sure countries like France, the UK and the USA have well practised action plans in place to deal with any threats, but there is still a chance that something may happen that was not foreseen. Recent events have shown that the brave terrorists prefer "soft" targets , so we can't stop nuclear power just because there may be a very remote chance of an attack.

Going back to the original post subject, I think Greenpeace has done some excellent campaigns in the past but this just looks like "rent a mob" on a day out.

France has a track record of dealing with Greenpeace. Remember the bomb in Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand. Unlike Japan, France is not considered to be in a major earthquake risk zone, however there have been leaks from the nuclear industry in France, which the French government has tried hide, just as in the UK. The EU has a large team of multinational nuclear inspectors who are very well qualified and experienced, so any problems are quickly identified and measures implemented to rectify or at least minimise the problem. But what Greenpeace need to consider is what is the alternative, more coal powered electricity generation, cover all the hills and coasts with windmills, hundreds of square kilometres covered in solar cells, dam and flood multiple valleys for hydro-electric plants ? What they should concentrate on is how to reduce electricity usage.