Spock

Stayed in Mahabalipuram twice in the 80s. Has to be one of the most magic places I have visited. However the 2nd time I visited, areas had been fenced and the place looked like a tourist park. I don't remember any monkeys.

The vast majority of Facebook monkey reels feature baby monkeys abused and exploited by Asian owners where the animals have obviously been illegally acquired and are destined to a nasty and hasty death once they become adults. Now there are also numerous videos of dogs being set alight or tortured and killed for the Chinese dog meat market. Don't see many videos where the monkeys are in the open and have an equal chance against their human tormenters. I have made over 30 reports to no avail against these abusive and cruel videos but Facebook couldn't care less, unless you get upset at a dog being burned to death and say you would like to see the person responsible suffer the same fate, in which case you are liable to cop a warning from the FB team. Needless to say I no longer view FB Reels.

If you 'refrain from judgement' then you are part of the problem an have no role in the solution.

Seems to me you both see caning as acceptable and a rite of passage but would oppose it if it was your own young kids being punished. It's this kind of ambivalence that allows corporal punishment to continue despite being abolished.

Exactly what I thought. I was hoping it was her that the monkey attacked. Also, I am not fond of influencers.

I have a couple of vapes every night and have used cannabis for 52 years without any negative affects. Looking forward to returning soon to Thailand to enjoy the benefits of legalisation.

As someone who 25 years ago spent 7 days in Pattaya lock up and a day in jail before the oiling of squeaky wheels took affect, I have never had any respect for the Thai police. I have strong memories of the gold jewellery and expensive watches worn by lowly police officers. Not to mention the party they held at my expense.

Yep and you can be rest assured that I for one would be among the first in line to complain.

Which country do most Russian refugees support in this war? How are the Russians dealing with visa requirements to stay in Thailand? What is likely to happen to you when you go back?

If dining at an expensive restaurant this would suggest that the wives are quite happy to reap the benefits of the bribes taken by their husbands. Also if not working, they are obviously comfortable enough on the one source of income. Me thinks maybe they protest too much.

Yeah but it's a lot easier to express an opinion if you don't allow facts and maps to get in your way.

Russians do!

So long as the group being targeted is these Chinese who live in a Peter Pan world of fashion, I am happy.

Arrest both the teachers and the Chinese.

So how much did it cost?

Tourist areas everywhere do not all have scammers. Some countries have almost none while some have more or many more than others. A measure of a country's moral fibre is the strength and power of its scam force, and Thailand has always had more than its fair share. With increased wealth and the growth of middle class aspirations, people would be expected to become more transparent and honest in their dealings with visitors to the country. These scammers exist because of the corrupt police turning a blind eye to them. Really this organised scamming of tourists is not unrelated to the other headline news regarding police extortion from tourists. Sure tourists should be less naïve, but blaming them rather than the perpetrators of the scams and those who allow it to happen is simply deflecting the blame for dishonesty and corruption.

There is a difference between paying a bribe to ignore a misdemeanour or crime you haven't done as opposed to one they have pretended you have done. Both are illegal and regrettable actions by people paid to keep order, but the latter is a far more reprehensible action and should not be tolerated or encouraged.

If it wasn't overwhelming then, it certainly is now. Besides, it's always nice to be on the winning team rather than the one that jumped the gun and leapt to the defence of the indefensible RTP.

The 'I have been living in Thailand for what seems forever' expat group who are determined to be more Thai than Thais.

Whilst I partly agree that social media might be an unreliable news source, I'd believe it any day over the word of the RTP.

In fact guys who have been in prison and return to society via a police station cell claim that the latter is luxury compared to prison. Still crowded but able to get food from outside and have visitors who are not seated behind glass screens or yelling at you from maters away.

I have been inside one and can testify that cells are hideously overcrowded but surprisingly clean.

Thai regulations regarding hair in schools have always been barbaric. I recall teaching at Assumption College in Bangkok in the mid 90's, when one morning my Year 11 boys were 20 minutes late coming to class from assembly. The reason? They had to kneel on the asphalt in the sun because 3 boys had hair that was too long. In the public schools, if teachers considered that hair was too long, they would simply take a razer to it and force a haircut. This government decision is the type of gutless nonsense you'd expect from this pathetic government. Schools will just continue to do what they have always done.

I was expressing a personal opinion. I wouldn't dare to express an opinion on behalf of all posters.

Should be out of a job and prosecuted. What a petty little Hitler he is. The Thais never deal decisively with this type of person whether in schools or the police force.