kalbz

Again, i think it's the problem of Asian systems not to teach swimming lessons at school. 10s of thousands of children die each in Asia year because they don't know how to swim. It should be mandatory at school, as it is in many western countries. It totally breaks my heart. Every time i read these articles i wish i was in the water with these kids to at least save one or two lives. They reach out in their dying moments, but no one is there. So sad & so preventable.

From what i have followed on the case over the years. It was a parent of one of the Bali 9 who informed the police in Australia that the kids were going to import the drugs. Then it was the Australian police who informed the Indonesian police that the kids would board the flight carrying drugs. Indonesia, as we know has the death for trafficking drugs. The Australian police could have waited till the kids arrived in Australia & busted them at the airport on arrival & spared their lives. Sounds like Australia's police have a bit to answer to.

My naive rant is based on 25 years with grassroots organization in Asia.

Considering your previous insulting and idiotic rant, i wouldn't believe a word you say. I guess your just an armchair troll.

Hey Puwa, I hope you have done your time working with NGO's, because i certainly have. I was a activist for the environment & human rights, after 10 years i saw way too much corruption, propaganda, false statistics, & down right lies. As i said, very little goes to the cause. So i suggest you join some organisations to get some experience rather than have a naive rant. You have a lot to learn about the real world.

I don't trust any media in any country. I don't trust governments nor corporations. I do feel the General is good for Thailand, for the time being. I feel he needs space to kick some butt, not just Thai's but also interfering foreign countries, mmm.. the US for example, if you keep pushing someone, they will push back. No wonder Thailand is cozying up to China & Russia. The US should stop pretending to be the "World Police" & treat Thailand with more respect, that's how you keep an ally.

Yes, the 500 bt is tea money. But who cares, it's peanuts. I don't mind the corruption in Asia, it sure beats living in a nanny state, big brother nations, where only the rich & powerful are allowed to be corrupt. The people here work hard for little money. Back home we are lazy & get big money. That's how come i can live here, the normal Thai people can't afford to live in my country, and the rich Thai people don't want to

I had my retirement visa & multi entry stamp transferred to my new passport at Udon. It cost 500 bt.

Considering i'm anti-feminist, i would have felt it an insult to have had a woman US Ambassador to Thailand for the past 5 years. I guess it's a bit late to make amends by bringing in a new guy. The boys here are going elsewhere for their guns.

I don't see the Baht as strong. I see our currencies are weak. Understandable i think, Thailand is still a productive country, unemployment is low and they don't have the weight of paying for an unsustainable welfare system. Even with the lower exchange rate i still have a comfortable life here, something i could not get back home.

I guess they will soon ban Morlam festivals, considering all the sexy dancing going on with families in attendance.

Whinging do-gooders seriously need to get a life & leave alone the rest of us who want to enjoy the only one life we have.

Get a vasectomy. That solves all potential problems could lay ahead.

I agree with what has been previously mentioned, "mandatory swimming lessons for all children" .

Even if that means having summer camps for swimming lessons only.

That is the only answer to this horrific problem. It should be above everything else as Thailand's top priority.

I read that Thailand is making "people smuggling" a top priority.

Obviously the lives of Thailand's children are not a priority.

Sad

If Australia brought in the death penalty or life imprisonment for human traffickers the illegal boat people coming to it's shores would stop overnight. But the UN would never accept this. No, Australia even gives a foreign human trafficker a job & free apartment in Canberra, such was the case a few years ago. Australia likes to name them "Human Traffickers" in Thailand, while it names them "people Smugglers" in it's own country, for political correctness. The ABC documentary shows how hypocritical Australia is when it comes to foreign affairs.

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2012/05/31/3515475.htm

I can't blame the Thai government or police for the crackdown thats been going on through out Thailand.

The United States placed them on Tier 3. Economic Sanctions would follow if they did not comply.

It was interesting to listen to some Thai's point of view. I was sitting with a group of Thai's (included Thai women) who were discussing the situation. They laid it straight at me, i had to defend myself in the discussion as i am not an American. But what they said made sense.

Why has America made itself the policeman of the so called "free world"? They traffic weapons into Mexico & South America which kills 10s of thousands of people each year. They seem to allow the trafficking of drugs into their country. They have human trafficking coming in from the south of their country. Everyone in the world can be held accountable for war crimes, except Americans. The Americans have caused the deaths of millions of people through the world with their wars since the end of the Second World War. They even said the Ukraine War was another of America's proxy wars against Russia. The US doesn't want prostitution in Thailand, yet it's legal in America. The US are hypocrites.

I wasn't going to argue. But i did come away thinking that if the US continues it's bully boy tactics it's will only push some countries in South East Asia to have closer ties to China. The Thai's are becoming better educated these days.

Newton's third law of physics, "Every Action Has a Reaction".

He who has the gold makes the rules! !

As for aged prostitutes, i saw a few 40-50 year old go-go dancers in Angeles city. I guess they were young at heart.

"He who owns the gold makes the rules ! "

Let me think about that one.

Ummmm.....Yes, the answer is, China !!!!!!

A 12 gauge handgun, i don't think i'd like to pull the trigger on that one.

They must be getting their training from the US's local town Swat Teams. In war we use 1 against 100. At home it's 100 against 1.

I'm sure they get their training from the US's Homeland Security, or nowadays just the local US town's Swat Teams. In war we are one against a hundred, at home it's one hundred against one.

We never went there to help them. It's just part of the US chess game to surround China & Russia with US bases.

Maybe they didn't finish the hit because they realised they shot the wrong monk.

Yes, lets start with prosecuting the NGO's who are fibbing the figures & making up unfounded stories to justify their jobs.

Germany could have become an amazing super power if it was not for madmen running the show. They blew it big time. Now madmen bankers & corporations in the US run the show. That's the cards we are now dealt with.

So, the Japs are into human trafficking !!!

I'll call the World Police (the US), to put Japan on Tier 3 & threaten them with economic sanctions.

The tentacles of western political correctness is spreading to the world.

I miss the 70s