Spock

4 hours ago, ChasingTheSun said:

Thailnd is likely on the right side of history on this one.
 

Like it or not, most countries and most people of the world are either nuetral or on russias side in the ukraine conflict. 

 

anyone who does the most basic of independent background research on the conflict would also likely agree that Russia was undeniably forced into this sad conflict. 
 

hopefully biden and nato will allow Ukraine to negotiate peace sooner, rather than later. It’s doubtful that zelensky will be around at that time to do any negotiations.

 

 

 

I don't understand how these pro Russian posts get so much support. There are obviously more Russians and lovers of the country around than I would have thought likely. Don't know how any of you can defended the brutality of its soldiers. As for the comment that most country are neutral or support Russia, this would certainly not apply to European, British or American based countries. Perhaps some of the more desperate countries relying on Russian handouts might turn a blind eye, but any country with a decent moral outlook would surely not support such an unprincipled regime.

If you've seen one temple you've seen them all. If touring, a sensible tourist would visit the most notable and relatively accessible wat then assume that any temple after that would be an anti climax. Itinerary schedule solved.

3 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

These self-satisfied international school teachers need to climb down off their high horses. They're almost always teaching kids from high-income two parent households. The parents provide strong role models and reinforce the value of education for their kids. Going to a school where all the other students are similarly motivated provides additional reinforcement of these values. Parents attend parent-teacher conferences and monitor their child's academic progress closely. Another factor is that these affluent families have on average fewer children, so they are able to devote more attention and resources to the children they have. Teaching at such a school is a cakewalk compared to what teachers in rural and other disadvantaged areas have to go through.

 

These teachers are trying to teach kids who rarely have two parents living in the household. Most are lucky if they have just one parent, as many are raised without either of their biological parents in the household. I was told once by the principal of my school that 40% of the kids at the school were in households without either biological parent present. The parent or guardian caring for the child often does not appreciate the value of education. In some farming households, education is not encouraged because the parents want the child to continue working the farm after the parents are too old to do so themselves. Then there is the issue of poverty which impacts nutrition, clothing, school supplies, and many other aspects of child development.

 

Because of all of this, these teachers are often forced to juggle the nurturing role of mother, the disciplinarian role of a father, and still teach. These international school teachers may see themselves as academic elites, but I'll bet they'd be tearing their hair out by the fistful or whacking kids left and right if they ever found themselves having to teach under similarly challenging conditions.

What you overlook is that corporal punishment is banned in nearly all western countries. That includes all schools, and of these, only the private schools and the best government schools would boast the equivalence in student types of Thai international schools. A large number of the government schools would have students very similar in background to the Thai schools you describe but teachers are no more allowed to strike them than teachers in the most exclusive of the elite schools. As an ex teacher, I certainly support the regulations regarding corporal punishment. I have also taught in Thai and Cambodian schools and have never been tempted to strike a student even back in the days when students were routinely strapped. As a student counsellor, I was also aware of the home backgrounds of the more difficult students - getting beatings at home then at school is not what I would recommend to get the best out of a student.

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

Would your mate have paid the police to stay out of jail if he had a spare billion baht?

Is the fact that a billionaire committing this crime any different to my foreign colleague who did exactly the same thing in Isan?

Yes, he was on drugs/alcohol and dragged the poor motorcyclist 100 yards to his death. Now he followed the system and paid 700,000 baht. Boss paid 3 million baht to the family and is still hounded for one reason only - his fame and fortune. My daughter's classmate killed a motorcyclist when he was in Mattyom 2, driving his father's Merc. He even drove in into school! He went abroad for 2 years. 

The difference with the Red Bull situation is that the whole crime and its cover up are out in the open and probably known about by every adult Thai person. It's like the Joe Ferrari crime. Both are situations where justice really needs to be seen to be done to set an example for the public. He is hounded because everyone knows he is as guilty as hell of killing a policeman then covering it up. The attempt to totally whitewash him by changing the evidence regarding the vehicles speed and the cocaine did actually cause Thai people to briefly react and the government to step in and reverse the fabricated new evidence. Letting this guy avoid arrest sends a clear message to the public that the rich are untouchable. You might consider this perfectly acceptable, but I don't. 

33 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

The people are so educated and instructed about ganja use and consequences.. that they think they can put it in everything for everybody without warning signs... 

 

The whole legalization is a farce without any information for public... They put it in noodle soup, food , cakes, drinks, and name it.....

Or more likely one or two cases are sensationalised and stupid people believe they represent the tip of an iceberg rather than isolated exceptions. 

2 hours ago, seedy said:

You think it is different in the West ? 555

Money talks the world over. He who has the best lawyer wins, and this all comes down to $$$

It may all come down to dollars but in Thailand there is a big difference - it's not good lawyers getting this guy off, its corruption and perversion of the law. This 'western countries are no better' excuse for Thailand's failure to apprehend and punish the man is simply nonsense that is dragged out by westerners who have forgotten that a legal system and consequences for the rich still exist back home. At least their cases are fought in court and if they fled overseas, I am sure an Interpol alert would fetch them home rather than being the joke that this one has become.

1 hour ago, Bday Prang said:

Its always fun to see the self righteous and outraged  TVF  members getting their knickers in a twist over this story, 

But I wonder, how many of you , if involved in a similar situation, and with similar wealth and options available. to you would actually behave any differently 

What has this to do with the corruption and total disregard of the value of human life or letter of the law which this case epitomises? Whether he or us would take advantage of the sickness in Thai society that allows this to happen is beside the point. What does matter is that he has mown down a policeman while off his head on stimulants then been allowed to evade the penalties of his actions, and been enabled to do so by the most corrupt of legal and government systems. The fact that Thais are not upset at the way this has played out is also an indictment on them. For a start, they could boycott Red Bull, but I bet every second taxi driver is swilling it down with not a care in the world for the evil creatures that produce the product.

Pattaya police used to be the scum of the earth, bedecked in gold jewellery and obviously with earnings way beyond their salaries. No surprise that this cop should have originated from there ranks. 

13 minutes ago, TheFishman1 said:

i’ve had several Rottweilers got them as pubs raise them and train them they were the best dogs I’ve ever had they would never just attacked a child a matter of fact our friends had little kids  The dog would sit by them and play with them and have a stranger came up to the child and the Rottweiler was there he would not attack the stranger right away but he would protect the child that’s their instinct I blame the owner of the dogs Rottweilers always get a bad rap I have many breeds of dogs and the Rottweiler by far was the best they’re loyal they’re calm and yes they’re good protection if somebody tries to break into your house but still they would just not attack for no reason

The owner in this instance was not you and the dog did 'attack for no reason'.