Spock

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.

There are 'so called international schools' and then there are the real ones with fees competitive with private schools in western countries. Having taught in one in Bangkok, I can assure you that the major international schools follow British or American curriculums or the international baccalaureate, have well remunerated and competent staff largely recruited overseas and largely expat students interested in learning. The so called international schools in SEA are a dime a dozen style institutions teaching local kids and generally have poorly qualified foreign teachers. Don't confuse the two school systems.

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.

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.

Anyone who can wilfully cover up a heinous crime like this one and not accept responsibility for their actions is evil. My Thai mate has just been released after serving 8 years in prison. Only my financial assistance enabled him to get through the time which included 2 bouts of TB then covid, severely weakening his lungs and resistance to infection and illness. He paid the penalty for his crime. I find it abhorrent that ordinary people cannot escape the consequences of their actions while the rich routinely buy their way out of situations and/or use their connections to avoid prison. What makes this worse is that everyone knows he committed the crime yet there is an acceptance in Thailand that the rich and powerful are subject to a totally different set of rules - or no rules at all.

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

Your ignorance of the plant's dangers are all too clearly on display.

Nonsense. Western democratic countries do not hide anything of the kind we are witnessing with the Reb Bull saga. And I don't any longer live in Thailand. I am not even all that keen at visiting the country now, despite having some Thai friends from the 6 years I lived there.

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.

What is this supposed to mean?

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.

Who are Maroon 5 that they can charge 12000 baht to stand in a stadium? Never heard of them.

Patel is a common Gujarati name. Many Patels migrated to the USA. They along with the Sikhs and Tamils have moved overseas.

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.

From a liquor store?! That's about $A11. Surely not.

No need. The potentially aggressive dogs with jaws that lock on and inflict maximum damage are well known. I would insist that a licence which requires jumping through a few hoops to obtain be required to own a pit bull. Maybe apply the same system for a couple of other breeds too. Most big dog breeds are relatively docile. I have seen too many pit bulls whose owners obviously have them for the wrong reasons.

You'd think if he was going to capitalise it and repeat it he'd at least get the spelling right. Yet another with a strong opinion but zero experience.

Shame about your username. Scott-Fitzgerald was a bit of a rager. Unfortunately alcohol not drugs brought about an early end to his life.

You can still buy Tramadol in Thailand? Thought it had been outlawed some year's back.

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

It is something to do with the breed in that big dogs with strong jaws are more dangerous to people and pets than small dogs. Consequently a smaller dog can be poorly raised but never going to inflict as much damage as a large, powerful animal. This 'owners need to be educated' bit is really irrelevant in these poorly regulated SEA countries where owners select breeds for the wrong reasons and would not consider personal training as necessary.

At 650 baht a gram, your average user would have to be anything but lazy to be able to afford the official recreational stuff.

At 700 gram, the poor backpackers are going to find that their bit of smoke costs as much as several days worth of food, 10 bottles of beer, or a night's accommodation in single/double room. Of course, there should be cheaper stuff of lesser quality available on the black market. But I can only imagine that the air will be pungent with marijuana smoke at the party. It will be like a return of the old days, especially if someone can also rustle up some ecstasy.