BKKBike09

Thanks. But as pointed out subsequently in this thread those are all BKK-IST via somewhere, presumably in Middle East eg BKK-DXB-IST. Apart from the hassle of a 3 am departure and a 15-hour journey to Istanbul, I'd say very high chance of a least one leg being delayed or cancelled.

It's a decent looking car inside and out, and I like Mazda as a brand (plus have a dealer close by). However reading the article I discovered that it's not actually a Mazda, but just a re-badged Changan ... It is a collaboration between Mazda - ChangAn that brings the platform of Deepal L07 to be newly developed as Mazda EZ-6 or Global Name, using the name Mazda6e for the market outside China, including Thailand. Mazda6e is sold in Thailand. Produced at the ChangAn Mazda Automobile factory in Nanjing, China, Nanjing, China Reminds me of the Chevrolet Optra that was the name in Thailand for the Daewoo Lacetti ... once the Thai market found out it was a Daewoo, that was the kiss of death [I was doing some work with GM back then].

Qatar just cancelled BKK-DOH-LHR next Tue 31 Mar, a day after they rescheduled the DOH-LHR leg (from a 90 min layover to 15 hours 30). Qatar have also parked quite a few aircraft at Utapao. As a result paid THB 53,620 for a one-way flight on TG (at least its the night flight, direct and decent baggage allowance). This was by far the cheapest of any available option. A friend suggested Norse Atlantic (which goes to Gatwick). The cheapest one way ticket was USD 2,320 which didn't include a meal, any checked baggage (and specifically stated 'last to board').

Strangely, until not that many years ago, everyone stood in the cinema. These days, not so much. I wonder why? [It's a rhetorical question]. That said, who goes to the cinema these days anyway. I don't put Senators down as big Marvel franchise fans.

Those are three countries that have far more dynamic economies than Thailand. Singapore is not really a fair comparison because it has a small population and no opportunity for industry based on exploitation of indigenous resources. Thailand is held back by outdated thinking and the power of vested interests. The latest election a case in point. Thailand talks about welcoming investment and being a hub for this, that or the other, but only when that's big foreign companies showing an interest.

Maybe Thailand should instead make it easier for prospective non-Thai SME business owners/investors/directors to work legally. Help broaden the tax base.

Sadly the State of Israel seems quite comfortable to hold Palestinians collectively responsible for actions of Hezbollah and Hamas. I support the goal of eliminating Hamas and Hezbollah as threats to the Jewish people, and I fully supported Israel's initial response to the 7 October atrocities. I do not support Israel's subsequently wholly disproportionate and ongoing response. I support the right of the state of Israel to exist. I also support the right of Palestinians to live peacefully in an independent state. How these apparently mutually exclusive goals can be achieved, I have no idea.

Ah, but this being Thailand, some elevators (or lifts, as I prefer to call them) are equipped with advertising TV screens that offer not just visual but aural torture. I was in one in an office building yesterday that was blaring inane ads at the captive audience ... despite there being a sign in the lift asking users to be 'considerate' by not talking on their phones!

Saw this comment on a Reddit thread. Seems a reasonable summation: "Dena was a warship in the active naval service of Iranian Islamic Republic. Given the outbreak of hostilities, Indian authorities offered safe harbor to Dena. Dena was not in any nation's territorial waters when she was sunk. Dena was not showing a white flag. Dena was on a heading towards a conflict zone. Dena's fate rests solely with the decisions of her commander." This comment also said "Dena had all of her weapons in place. The disposition of ordnance aboard is unknown." I don't know whether Dena had all her weapons in place but debate about "vessel was unarmed" seems beside the point. It was a WARSHIP, not a civilian or fleet aux vessel. I find it hard to believe that any nation would ever send a fighting ship like a frigate anywhere without at least some defensive capability.

'The overwhelming majority of officers and staff work hard to protect the public' ... from the comfort of their kitchen / man (person) cave etc. But not like, ya' know, by doing anything as outdated as pounding the beat rather than a keyboard. "reports of an old lady being assaulted in your street - respond immediately" "Unable. Currently State 4. Just put some pop tarts in the toaster"

Indeed. Cambodia was in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons on this topic back at end of 2022. The eight-count indictment charges two officials of the Cambodian Forestry Administration, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; the owner/founder of a major primate supply organization and its general manager; and four of its employees with smuggling and conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act. The defendants facing these felony charges are: Omaliss Keo, 58, of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Director General of the Cambodian Forestry Administration, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Masphal Kry, 46, of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Deputy Director of the Department of Wildlife and Biodiversity for the Cambodian Forestry Administration, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/cambodian-officials-and-six-co-conspirators-indicted-taking-part-primate-smuggling-0 However, as far as I am aware, neither of the Cambodian officials actually suffered any penalties in the US.

Cambodia has about a dozen farms breeding 'NHP' (Non-Human Primates) for export, for medical research. Crab eating macaques. Might be a bit out of your league though. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/charles-river-buy-cambodia-based-monkey-supplier-510-million-2026-01-12/

And in the parallel universe of Thai defamation laws, no-one dares report the name or even the exact address of this fine establishment.

There haven't been any civilian carry permits issued for more than two years and, as this article says, carrying a firearm in public without cause is already punishable under existing laws. Yet there have been (as since the dawn of time here) almost daily incidents of people using guns to shoot / threaten others, often after a drinking session, or in a road rage incident. Many (most) of those guns are illegal. Legally-held guns invariably cost their owners a great deal of money, so I can't see any government funding a buy back programme. And if they tell owners to hand them in for token payments of a couple of thousand baht, I imagine there'll be a flood of 'lost' guns making their way into the unlicensed marked.

I don't have any more info - even this is news to me. Took our Atto for its 3 year service last month and the dealership said nothing other than suggesting we change the SIM to a Thailand registered one - they said the SIM supplied with the vehicle was Singapore registered. My view is do nothing unless/until SIM related services I need stop working. I'd assume (maybe naively) that any safety-related OTA updates would be installed regardless.

Since when was a Dremel 'specialist equipment' 😂 And you have to love the specialist support guy's name: "Mr Jeerasak Nutlek". If only the report had mis-identified him as Mr 'Jeeralek Nutsak' [which would be doubly appropriate since 'jeer lek' can translate as 'grind metal]. I'd get out more, but I'm still learning new tricks with my Dremel.

I flew TG to London last week and the flight time was 12:50, which seemed slightly longer than usual.

"All are welcome"! ... "Exterminate! Exterminate!"

All irrelevant - the key questions are a) are you legally married to your spouse and b) will you simply put purpose of transfer as 'gift to spouse'? If yes to both, just send the money. Another key point: it is up to your wife what she does with the money because it is a gift. If you state purpose of transfer as 'repay auto loan' then she should declare it and pay tax on it.

That 'rescue ladder' looks more dangerous than the wires!

Sudden acceleration could be a problem: he'd have been better advised to use a Thai train (although that could be slower than cycling in the first place).

If you have time and haven't been before, also make a visit to the RTAF Museum (on the Don Mueang air base, accessed via Phahonyotin Road). A lot of aircraft to look at and used to have several inside and out where kids could clamber around in the cockpit etc.

Usually because a) they are not very smart or b) because their ticket was purchased for them, and it was the cheapest flight. Smuggling syndicates don't splash out on airfares.

Qatar is a bad place to be detained, full stop. Off topic, but a couple of years ago, while transiting in Doha en route from Thailand to UK, my hand carry was swabbed in a random check and set off the alarms ... apparently testing positive for RDX. Several successive swabs all set off the detector ... as did a further swab run through a different detector. By which time some not very friendly Qatari police were on scene. Thankfully a final swab didn't set off the detector and they let me go, much to my surprise. The flight was held 20 mins past departure for me, possibly because I was flying Business. I suspect if in back of the bus my baggage would already have been offloaded.

I think the 'awful ugly image' of a new McD at the top of Soi 11 works perfectly with the existing "welcome to Thailand" street scene of butt ugly street hookers (although as an inclusive city there's a good sprinkling of trans ones), aggressive African drug dealers, stalls burgeoned with fake Viagra and lurid Chinese sex toys ...