richard_smith237

Hmmm…Wonder why? You have one option. Dont like it and felt you being discriminated…pack up and leave go back to your racist country. ooohhhh..... I haven't read the "if you don't like it go back to your own country" comment for a while..... ...one of the most unimaginative responses on this forum, it sort of 'passed out of fashion' after being overused by a number cerebrally challenged posters struggling for a more intelligent response... Dealing with the point in hand - In area's such as Patong, there does seem to be a general level of contempt held towards foreigners (tourists) in that area... I suspect there are multiple reasons for this. - The type of tourist these area's attract - a number of whom behave poorly and disrespectfully. - The type of 'Thai' these area's attract whose sole purpose is to extract money from said tourist. - The level of contempt this double negative generates. Whenever I've been to Patong, I've also felt an undercurrent of contempt by those working in the area, central Pattaya is not too dissimilar. Other area's of Thailand are quite different of course... and those Thai's less tainted by poorly behaved foreigners are often extremely welcoming... these are also the 'same type of Thais' who would also find area's such as Patong quite awful, as do many of the foreigners, tourists, expacts etc who dislike being tarred with the same brush as those 'troublesome blockheads' who frequent these areas... I've heard much the same of Kuta in Bali - and it is for these reasons I very rarely visit Phuket and have never visited Bali. That said, there are plenty of extremely, pleasant area's of Phuket, Nai-Harn beach is one of my favourite area's in Thailand - people watching there is quite a fun past-time and the area itself does not have that 'mercenary feel' I witness in some other touristy area's of Thailand.

Confirm you can get access to Fast-Track immigration and security with JAL. My guess is that you can, and you'll pass through check-in, security and immigration in a matter of 15-20 mins or so... Thus: it depends upon how long you want to spend in a lounge. ----------- I travel very regularly and have Thai Elite, so I'm very often through and into a lounge within 20 mins... I always aim to get to the airport 2 hours before departure time (sitting in a lounge is more boring than being at home, so I'm not bothered about spending time in a lounge, but balance the arriving at the airport time (2 hrs early in my case) with risk of there being a delay on the way to or at the airport etc). Also, when at the airport take note of the Departure Gate as the new satellite terminal (S gates) take additional time to get to....

Prats are everywhere.... Its just that in area's of high tourist footfall such as Phuket, there is a higher density of prats because there are simply a lot lot more tourists there.... ... Familiarity breeds contempt... and thus, the authorities specifically target foreigners in these area's of higher 'foreigner density' whereas in other area's of Thailand foreigners are treated with the general level of indifference with which everyone treats everyone else.... BUT, do something wrong in area's such as Phuket and the Police know its a pay-day... so they are on the lookout for anything... Thai's committing similar acts are almost invisible... The 'Police Positions' in areas such as Patong and Pattaya even cost a lot more to 'secure' as these are the more coveted profitable positions - the amount of money that filters up through this police pyramid scheme is astonishing. Of course - all of this is overlooked by the media which is also cashing in on this 'bad farang' creates more clicks... add in a little netizen outrage and we have a recipe for add revenue !!!

I'm sure you've looked into this alread, right ???... But, Can't you renew your British Driving Licence ???... It depends upon how long your license has expired for, I think two years is the cut off, then you may have to take a new test... that would solve all the issues. OR, if you are already in Thailand thats pretty much a no-goer. Thus: You'll need to renew your Thai licence - you can usually do this easily within a year of expiry, but as you mentioned Covid I assume your driving licence is more than 1 year past expiry. You can attempt to renew at the DLT and hope they let you get away with doing 'class room tests' etc (the same ones you did when getting the license in the first place)... If not, without a UK licence you'll have to go through the whole process again from scratch - its a simple enough process, plenty of people get a new Driving and Motorcycle licence here without a supporting licence from their home country. As for driving without a license... - Motorcycle: you'll get fined every time you are stopped - if involved in a serious accident the issue gets more serious of course. - Driving: you are not insured, if you have an accident, it'll cost you. If you injure someone else, it'll cost you more and we'll probably end up reading about you on here. Conclusion: Get your Thai Licence, even if it means you have to take the test here.

Its hilarious to read all of these 'deport him' posts... One really has to wonder what goes on in the heads of some of these wannabe autocratic dictators... A foreigner farts in public.... "Deport him with a permanent ban".... Seriously - some of you guys really over egg the pudding with this ridiculous over-reaction.

Like a dog to a whistle....

Well that was my point really, I have seen the UK cops on YouTube and they know he will be below the limit by the time he is processed, so they issue an official verbal warning. Yup... In this case it appears that the test was taken at the station, so it would have been with a 'better machine' hopefully. Also, the readings will be lower than at the time he was actually riding and stopped. I had a mate in the UK who was over the limit the morning after a night out. He blew over and it was close. They took him back to the station and tested him again, he was still 'slightly' over the limit so he was charged. The processed him and tested him again (a couple of hours had passed in that time), he was then under the limit and was told he was free to continue on his way (driving).

Valid point - I think all DUI needs to be dealt with consistently as do all violations of traffic law and regulations. I'm not justifying drink driving at all, 0.059% BAC is approximate to 4x 330cc beers over an hour or so - clearly drink driving and as the test was taken back at the station (as per the photo) its likely that his BAC was infact higher at the time of driving. Equally so, I wonder how many of the same policemen witnessed people going through red traffic lights and riding without helmets etc. I'm glad the BiB are catching people for DUI... now they also need to deal with all drivers, many of whom may be connected in some manner and get away with it on the spot. Then there are the BiB themselves - pretty much every Policeman I know drink drives with complete disregard for their own or anyone else safety - they are above the law, or rather, they 'get a pass' from their colleagues.

In the UK, if you are 'slightly' over that reading is not the 'official reading' as I understand it. You are arrested on the spot and taken back to the station for an 'official reading' - it is that reading from which the official decision is taken. For someone who blew 0.059% BAC and so close to the limit of 0.05% BAC, its quite possible that by the time he reached a police station he would be blowing below the legal limit and let off with a caution.

The Barbra Streisand effect..... ... the unintended consequence of attempts to hide, remove, or censor information, where the effort instead increases public awareness... Thailand is great at this.... No one would have heard of this guy, now they push him further into the public eye. Should authorities also punish themselves for making his videos reach a greater audience ??? The juvenile minds of those in authority seeking 'revenge' rather than whats best for the country again.... Also, if the guy's criticism are genuine and valid... listen to them, act upon them....

Being that close to the legal limit I'd want an official blood test from a hospital.... how accurate are the police breathalysers in Thailand ?

Once again , just a comment and no answers. That´s your reaction when you lost. I think its a reaction of not biting at the dumb bigotry you are showing by digging up anything negative about the Brits and tarring a whole nation based on the news generated by a minuscule minority of idiots... ... its just a really dumb troll to be honest.... every nation has its idiots and negative news can be found on many nations... its a testament to your stupidity that you think this backs up any anti-brit argument you have..... Yes, there are idiot brits around - we all know that, but your implication that its a majority or that its just the 'British' character is so galactically moronic and idiotic the only 'enlightenment' you have actually provided is that of your utter lack of balance, complete lack of ability to think critically and a significantly below average intellect.

Daaaaaaaammmmmm Gottfrid.... are you flirting with Goat or is this you going straight in there with the foreplay ???? Please please please take precautions - the lovechild of you two would lead to a digital apocalypse.....

Possibly... but he's still doing an excellent thing for the community within which he lives. Authorities could also do a lot better with policing and education. I had to remind my brother in law to use his helmet the other day... He has a bike and a car,.... but turned up on his bike, when leaving he got on his bike, started it... and I reminded him to use his helmet, he got off, opened up the saddle and took out his helmet... he's a smart lad, a Masters Graduate - but wearing a helmet just isn't ingrained in Thai Culture... so, authorities need to be pushing that a lot harder than they do.... a periodic 'clamp-down' is pathetic - the enforcement needs to be constant, all the time, everywhere, at any time.

If others really entertained the concept of critical thought they'd be able to identify the socio-economics at play with the prolific motorcycle use in Thailand, and, also, not just the futility, but the level of superiority complex it would take to stop Thai's and start preaching to them about their motorcycle use...

I mistakenly assumed the comment was fairly self explanatory and didn't think it needed spelling out quite to the degree you expect.... If you need to know why Thai Airways on the Bangkok-Jakarta routes is better than Garuda, AirAsia and LionAir that is also quite obvious, in much the same manner as its obvious that Emirates and Qatar are better on the Bangkok-Dubai / Doha route than Thai Airways.

Thats why I was asking the question... (that was the homework)... i.e. Don't they all have to prove income of US$80,000 and where is that proven ? in Thailand or is an overseas income sufficient. And no... Elite Visa holders don't need to pay Tax in Thailand if their income is overseas.

Better than what? Being deliberately obtuse or is that a genuine question ? Better than the alternative direct options..... Garuda, AirAsia, Lion..

Too busy tomorrow. I will be out searching for the missus again. Waste of time... She'll run off again with a better man... (another Brit)...

You do realise that the Brit has been arrested and in custody for a committing a violent crime? And the tuk tuk driver hasnt been arrested for anything and will be joining his family for dinner. And you are trying to spin this into what exactly because i havent joined your chorus of blaming the tuk tuk driver who was just working trying to make a living The only spin I have on this is againt your persistent and trollish brit bashing... if this were any other nationality the story would not register in your bigoted mind..... instead you're all over this like a dog to a whistle... you can't help yourself. I want to see the part of the video where the cash was actually handed over - why was that cut from the video ??? The Brit clearly behaved very poorly.... but did he react to getting ripped off or was he just being an agressive pr!ck ? The only answer to that will be IF the full video ever surfaces.

Thats a very very tough ask indeed.... When you are as bitter, twisted, unhinged and so bigoted that it impacts your every thought... asking someone of such character to use their brain in a manner which indicates basic intelligence is a huge ask...

I had an discussion with a shop owner that the person at the counter did not gave me the correct exchange. I had paid with a 1000 baht bill and received exchange on 500 baht. The security camera was only about 5 meter away. But the recorded clip was not clear and I didn't make a fuzz out of it. Solution: I always carry a 500 baht bill with me in the future and avoided that scam. No fight involved (maybe because I was not an Englishman). So.. you have to 'find a solution' to the problem of Thai's behaving in a less than honest manner at a point of sale... Nope, thats not it, its nothing to do with your nationality and everything to do with the fact that having been here for a while you are familiar with the numerous ways in which the Thai person to whom you are handing over money may attempt to 'pull a fast one' and take precautions. I do the same by always 'stating' which not I'm hading over if its a 500 baht or 1000 baht note, and get the to agree... Cashless payment does away with a lot of this BS, but with the TukTuks and Taxi's... its better just try and have the right change (not always possible though). One of the possible scams I've seen is the taxi's that have this 'blue light' inside - its not for any 'cool' reason - its so you cant easily identify the colour of the cash you are holding over so they all look the same colour... it makes it easy to make a mistake.

Its not worth anyones while even attempting to discuss any such matter with any logic... So Blinded by his hatred of the British he'd find negativity in someone who'd cured cancer if they turned out to be British. There is no evidence of balance or critical thinking in any form for this poster - his bigotry is it, thats all he has to post with, day in day out, he'll find a way to post something negative against the Brits, even if it means searching the internet to find negative story.

The most obvious question is the simplest & has been asked by a number of people already… …. why does the video not start from the beginning when the British lad handed over the money ??? Without this info we don’t know of the TukTuk was short-changing the Brit & then crying victim when the Brit reacted, or, if the Brit was just a pissed up jerk who’s forgotten what he’d paid with & then escalated. BUT… Why wouldn’t they TukTuk drive show the Brit the note he’d just paid with ???? Could it be because the TukTuk drive knew it was a large note & change was due but was attempting to rip off the Tourist??? Stupid of the Brit to respond this way, but sometimes events push people to react in a manner and take action they’d much rather not want to.

Ah… the Aussie bogan troll rocks up for more Brit-Bashing & tarring all brits with his same myopic brush… because hd hates Brits after his Mother & Missus ran off with a Brit… Goat >>> dedicating his life to slurring the reputation of Brits…. You’ve got to move on & drop this bitterness you carry - it’s eating you up from the inside & making you unhinged nothing you comment on carry’s any credibility. IF this so happened to be a Spanish guy, you would never have bothered posting a comment.