richard_smith237

Agreed.. I think every parent has concerns about the influence others may have on our children... At the same time we can't be overbearing as this may push them away... ... I try to provide my son with the confidence to think independently so that he can walkaway if or when exposed to such things - but also he has to be fearful to a degree... my son should know that if ever if he accepts being involved in such activities or with those involves in such activities that the $£it would hit the fan so significantly, it would be life changing....

Its flawed... Go after the dealers... Go after those bringing it into the country and producing it in country... Ever thought about how all these drugs get into Thailand, how they are distributed within Thailand? A lot of very powerful people make a lot of money on the back of all this...

5,000 baht to 10,000 baht rentals... living it up, eh...

The educated ones speak English Valid point... Thus: while nowhere near 75 years old, I have been here over 25 years... One of the things I did do and that I'd recommend to do is to make friends with *educated Thai's... Having a health mix of genuine friends, both Thai and Western makes life here far more normal... A lot of the comments I read on here are from those who have hardly integrated or scratched the surface they clearly see a different Thailand than I have - in many cases they have yet to come full circle. (*of course, that doesn't mean don't make friends with non educated Thai's - I had to add that as I know some idiot will pick-up on that)... That said: Knowing the language has great value, even trying has value and while those educated friends will all speak perfect English... they are not there with you when you need to deal with some bureaucratic situations or need to have dialogue with those who lack the English skills to assist you when needed or wanted. Even knowing some of the language just makes everything much easier than not knowing any of it.

Some people have not been here long enough to know anything about life here.... Yawn... already mentioned the stupidity of the "if you don't like it you can go home" type of comment...

An amusing statement from someone who's been here for such a short time...

I've been here for over two decades... I know very well what I can and cannot get away with when dealing with those in positions of authority. I've had dealings with the police here, I have friends well placed with the police force here. I know exactly what I am talking of - when a lowly police officer tries to 'pull a stunt' and you politely but calmly hold firm, they very quickly recognise that you are not a fresh arrival. I've been stopped on a handful of occasions over the years in Bangkok... on all but one occasions the police quickly backed down... on one of those occasions the group of police did not back down and the stop seemed like an obvious attempt at extortion (corner of Asoke in Bangkok - the area at the time was notorious for this)... I refused to get out of the taxi, called a police friend and handed the officer my phone - I was on my way again within minutes. Regardless of how you or others think on this forum - I've been here long enough to know exactly how to deal with these situations. You may sit at bars with your girlfriend... but that sounds a bit sexpatty-soi-sixish / nana-ish... ... Its not something my Wife and I do... It seems you've projected from your limited world here... you've perhaps yet to come full circle in here Thailand and understand what its really like. On this - IF the police have just reason to drugs test a person - it has to be done at the station, they are then within their rights and your rights will not have been violated - but they have to give you a reason (which to a friend of mine was, you fit the description of a foreigner who was reported dealing drugs in the area - then there is not much that can be done). Nearly always with the police, I'm polite and comply, while driving at a police check-point I'll open my windows so they can see in easily, at night I'll turn on the interior light... I'm happy to make it easy for them to see me etc.. But I won't pi$$ on the side of the road for them and if they push for that or indicate something untoward they will be met with resistance. ... and on that last point, I do agree - while its easier and probably better to simply comply, especially for someone who is unable to communicate effectively here, there remains a line. ... If people such as yourself are easily intimidated, then you'll allow the police to cross that line... other's have more spine and know how react in such situations.

As you know mate, back in our country there is a lot of push back against immigrants who show up and demand everything to be same in their countries WHEN it suits them. Nothing worse. Locals hate them Another flawed response - no one is demanding everything to be the same as the countries from which we originate... ... The statement is that there are Thai laws which would be contravened if enforcing drugs tests on the general population and children without reason... Thats not an overseas law - its a law in Thailand.... It suits me perfectly that more of society are drugs tested - its safer for my family and I to be travelling around with fewer people on the roads who are under the influence on amphetamine... the same goes for alcohol... So, I'm all for the testing.... But I am not all for the police abusing their own powers - drugs testing any member of the public without a valid reason is illegal...

They can, and do. i suggest if you don’t like it here pack your bags and head to Don Mueang. Which also highlights what newbie you are.... one of the most unimaginative worn out replies on this forum... the "if you don't like it here go back to where you came from' response is that of those who lack brain power to intelligently to a discussion... even the most stupid of posters have stopped using this response... And.. They [the police] behave as they do because they wing it... neither the police nor the public know their own laws.... ... If they tried to get 'educated folk' in for a drugs test - they'd find resistance from those who know their legal rights. Of course, like any other halfwit winging it and making assumptions... you have no idea of what you are discussing... which is a very common pattern from your posts.

But not you. being a non Asian foreigner has its perks. They're possibly going off the 'house registration'.... BUT... this is a huge contravention of rights - the Police cannot drug test people without reason (The Narcotic Control Act) While police have certain powers, they must also operate within the legal framework and respect individual rights. Arbitrary or unjustified drug testing without reasonable suspicion could be challenged legally.

Absolute nonsense you have imagined. Not imagined at all.. Had you not been a newbie to Thailand you'd know about this. The Thonglor Police were notorious for stopping foreigners in the street and forcing them to take a urine test - this became such an issue and drew such publicity embassies got involved and the corrupt police had to back down.

And so is drink driving you raging hypocrite. You 'don't condone drink driving universally'... you just condone it when you do it yourself... hypocrite... Quite possibly.. thats why I don't drink and drive... You mention this point score as if there is something wrong knowing I shouldn't drive after two beers... Pathetic hypocrisy again. I do agree that amphetamines is an issue for 'some of society' and that needs to be dealt with. Just as drink driving is an issue for ALL of society, and people like you need to be dealt with. However, testing children (12 year olds) would contravene various laws (Child Protection Act 2003), the police in Thailand are not even allowed to question children without a parent present. But... it seems you only care about the laws that suit you, others you can ignore.

Somewhat hypocritical from the guy who condones drink driving...

Excellent post which adds a lot of points not many of us would consider. I've had the BMW-X5 and agree - the suspension is more stiff. I've test driven the Ford Explorer (previous iteration) - it felt like driving a barge down Sukhumvit road, but I'd take a serious look at the latest model. I've had a Honda CRV - the are more 'car like' with a higher seating position. I've had a Mazda CX-5... Same as CX-8 (which is 30cm longer) - ride is very comfortable. Regarding the actual type of vehicle itself... I know its quite different, but how important is an SUV ??... Would a Tesla Model Y be worth considering ? or does that also have a 'hard ride' ? - food for thought.

They don't... I suspect there is no more 'incidence' of 'tragedy' compared to regular journeys. ... Its just the ironic-nature of the event... i.e that people undergoing merit making are still struck down by fate...

Why, what's you're reasoning? Sanctimony... perhaps... certainly seems like it. Before this ban (put in place after a drunk railway employee raped a female) - were there any reported issues of drunk and disorderly behavior on the trains ? I've taken the train a few times (Malaysia - Hat-Yai / Hat Yai - Bangkok (a couple of times) / Bangkok to Chiang Mai (a couple of times)... I never saw anyone acting up - admittedly, in taking the train so few times its unlikely I'd be exposed to such behavior... But, has anyone seen drunken and disorderly behavior on trains at all ?... any regularity at all ?

So... how many times does that happen ??? I don't want to sit next to a *loud obnoxious pi$$ head in a restaurant... (*I added that caveat as pi$$ heads can also be polite and quiet - I'm sure many of us enjoy beers to the point of being inebriated and behave perfectly well).

There's nothing stopping anyone in any public place from doing the same... So where is the line drawn ? Banning the sales of booze between 2pm and 5pm ? - a ridiculous regulation, a complete ban ?.. no, of course not. Thailand commonly employs these sweeping tactics, often as a knee-jerk reaction to an incident... it then places such restrictions on the whole of society rather than dealing with a tiny minority of 'wrong-uns'... Instead of these daft sweeping regulations - just commit to serious penalties for those behaving antisocially - its not hard, but takes some enforcement, thats all. As always, these regulations are put in place to further enable the apathy of law enforcement rather that pushing them to actually police effectively.

100%... it's this level of corruption that is ruining the country... ... Sadly, people will go to the streets, protest and fight for a government that pays for their vote.

i met that guy. but he gave me a pumpernickle smile . hmmmm guess he was all out of rye. (well spotted).. along with his rye smile was a wry wink... while scoffing down some pumpernickel !

Is the online 90 day report system not working ? Cons: one massive one as we've read on numerous threads on this forum - Agents ghosting you after they've lost your passport. I guess much of this depends on how important your passport is to you... With the regular amount of travel I do, the passport is the most single important document I have, I'd never trust it with an agent unless completely essential (i.e. work permit processing in the past).

This reminds of a chat I had with a 'good old boy' when our flight had landed in Bangkok... I'm guessing he was about 75-80'ish... I helped him get his luggage down from the overhead... and we started a chat... He mentioned that he was 'visiting' Thailand and that he was in the 'Waiting room'... (as in waiting to die)... I asked him... "Which direction... up or down?"... he gave me a rye smile... I felt like high-fiving him !!! Thus on the "you can't take it with you" point - experiences are perhaps more valuable than belongings as this guy was looking to find out... Still - there are blurred lines between possessions and experiences.

I haven't had any booze for a couple of weeks... But... I do like to drink.... very often I'll enjoy a G&T in the afternoon by the pool... I'll enjoy wine or beer with dinner... And when with friends, it'll be plenty of wine and beers... I'll enjoy a Whisky later on in the evening. And when with friends it might be a fair bit of Whisky... Thus... A normal week - at least one beer a day.. or one or two beers and a whisky... or a glass or two, or a few of wine.... With friends I'll drink more and get drunk... maybe a few times a week, maybe once a week, or maybe not at all. I like drinking, I don't have to have a drink, but I do enjoy a drink... I just do what I want when I feel I want to without a great deal of concern... ... I don't suffer much of a hangover so an get up and do whatever I want the next day... which means I don't miss-out on family stuff if I have been drinking too much the night before. ... I don't misbehave when drinking, so thats also not an issue, I just become more chilled, light hearted and more amused by stuff.

I can accept that and recognises that others find and seek comfort in various faiths... however regarding your point on nihilism - Ricky Gervais makes a sound point that there are about 3000 religions in the world, those who don't believe in a god are just rejecting 1 more than those who only accept 'their' god... However, that doesn't deal with the overlap of the possibility of a 'supreme being' and that all religions and faiths have their own interpretation of such a being. Then there is the argument presented by Stephen Fry... the 'how dare you !' argument - if there is a supreme being pulling the strings, how dare such suffering be allowed... of course, that can be answered with more whatiffery. ..And thus, moving onto your last point: if I say "life has no meaning"... I'd ask what meaning could it have ?.. I think thats the original question asked, which is IMO, just a human concept - everything has to have a start, an end, a why and why not - our minds need explain or understand, we find comfort in 'ideas', theories, explanations... faith.... which of course leads questions regarding the meaning of life... which IMO are moot - in simple terms, we are, because we are. ... Why try to love ?... because it feels nice... and thats linked to why have kids ?... Its simple nature. The single most common facet of all life on earth is the underlying desire to reproduce, without that fundamental building block in every living thing, life ceases to exist. With regards to selfishness, and the idea that having kids is being selfish, I don't think so.. ... But then, from a 'nature' and evolution point of view - selfishness is an evolutionary necessity, so perhaps.

Karma doesn't explain anything - its a cognitive fallacy, something we have created to explain something we can't. The fairness or unfairness of life is simply inexplicable, trying to explain such is a human construct - its the same with luck. The same goes for 'the meaning of life'... there is no meaning, just as there is no meaning for flowers, insects and animals - life is just life, some of it more intelligent than other forms... The idea that there is any meaning to it is once again, just a human construct. This of course is the perspective of an atheist and the discussion becomes theological and one of faith... as far as I am concerned the idea of faith in any form of after-life is flawed - we're born, we live, we die - no meaning to it whatsoever... But, as we have consciousness, that does not mean there is no need to try to enjoy life and what we have in life... for many of us, that means enjoying the things we have and do as we pass through life..