richard_smith237

No, there isn’t - there is no evidence (as yet) of catastrophic damage, only images of the predictable: superficial harm. Dislodged tiles, cosmetic cracks in non-structural walls, and fractured cladding. Hardly the architectural apocalypse some would like to imagine. Simple explanation since the concept seems elusive to you. Think of it like a minor car accident: shattered headlights, a dented bumper, some scraped panels. The car still drives because the frame - the actual structure - remains intact. This is the essence of superficial damage, it looks bad. These buildings did precisely what they were engineered to do. They flexed, they swayed, they absorbed the shock - all by deliberate design. Without such ductility, rigidity would be their undoing. They would crack, snap, and fail. Architects and engineers understand this intimately; it is Seismic Design 101. But perhaps this is news to you. The earth itself is not static. It is plastic, dynamic, and unruly. Bangkok sits atop an ancient lakebed - a soft, sedimentary basin - a fact so elementary that it is cited in every relevant textbook. Seismologists even have a name for the phenomenon: the Mexico City Effect, after the devastation in 1985. Bangkok is practically the textbook case today. Japan, by contrast, dances to a different geological tune. Major fault boundaries, higher-energy quakes, and vastly different soil mechanics. Japanese buildings are crafted for that reality, just as Bangkok’s buildings are tailored to their own. Consider Taipei 101 and its colossal tuned mass damper - the swinging ball - engineered to mitigate sway in tall buildings, not because the structure is flawed, but because height amplifies movement. Combine all of the above knowledge and we soon see a picture that your musings are nothing more than that if an ill-informed, uneducated fool less mentally prepared for such a discussion than the most mediocre of laymen - like a trainee bricky mixing cement but attempting to advise on the structural complexities of Seismic Isolation Bearings. In fact you've avoided any sensible discussion on the subject instead nudging bigotry to the fray and in doing so highliting your own fundamental intellectual flaws - a perfect example of a famous quote: "Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt"

I can well imagine the fear - much of it amplified by a snowballing hysteria, the fear of the unknown, and the haunting images of catastrophic events such as the collapse of the Twin Towers. In such situations, I believe it is impossible for even the calmest and most rational minds to remain entirely unaffected. Those naturally more anxious could easily be pushed to the brink, becoming overwhelmed by worry and uncertainty. Personally, after an initial moment of disorientation - a brief sensation of vertigo, I noticed the light fixtures gently swaying, and I immediately understood the cause. Yet, even with that awareness, the unsettling question arose: how severe is this going to get? and will the house hold up? ..... I can only imagine how this same feeling would be magnified in a high-rise office tower, where the sway is more pronounced, and the panic of mass evacuation down thirty or more flights of emergency stairs creates a wave of shared anxiety, feeding off itself with every passing second.

To be fair, I was already anxious enough navigating Rama II Road beneath the maze of ongoing overpass construction. When news of the earthquake broke, I fully expected to read headlines reporting that kilometres of the structure had come crashing down. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. It seems the infrastructure, despite appearances, is structurally sound. The issues we've seen in the past have largely stemmed not from design flaws but from isolated instances of catastrophic human error - instances where major equipment failures during construction have caused localised problems. As for the stability of Bangkok’s larger buildings, while it’s true there is a fair amount of anxiety among residents, this event has demonstrated just how well these structures have performed. The 7.7Mw Magnitude Earthquake in Myanmar delivered an effective magnitude of around 4–5 Mw within Bangkok, and yet the buildings remained resilient. Superficial damage, such as cracked tiles and plaster, is certainly widespread but could also be expected, ultimately this is cosmetic. It may look unpleasant, but it does not indicate structural failure. Had Thailand’s building standards been as compromised by corruption as some critics claim, today's conversation would be a very different and tragic one. That being said, it is still essential that buildings undergo thorough inspections using specialised techniques, such as Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) testing, to ensure that no hidden damage to their structural integrity has occurred beneath the surface. With the exception of one building still under construction, I believe it’s fair to say, well done, Thailand. Given Bangkok's geological setting, this could have been far worse.

Read the OP again. The HE was a woman! I think the shop owners where a Male and Female - They do have the right to sell whatever they chose within the legal confines. However, thats the whole point of the thread and initial discussion - There's a moral grey area in which such images exists - Pol Pot, Che, Osama etc have all been mentioned in this discussion, then there are the 'language T-shirt's'... It is accepted to walk around with a T-shirt that says F**K the World or perhaps worse ? This all falls under freedom of speech and freedom of expression and in order to maintain that we also have to respect it and think.

Kanchanaburi does have several fault lines, fortunately minor, along which quakes do happen. Biggest quake we had was a 5.5 maybe about 10 years ago. Centred on Sisawat up on the Burmese border. That one made the news as it also got the high-rise blocks in Bangkok swaying. Bangkok really does have a major problem being located in an area susceptible to liquefaction during a strong quake. In that case it can be argued that Thailand is 'riddled with fault zones'.... In fact there are are faults everywhere.... The difference is they are intraplate faults, meaning they are within a tectonic plate (the Sunda Plate) rather than directly at a plate boundary. These faults are generally smaller, older, and less active. Many of them are strike-slip or normal faults, accommodating slow regional deformation rather than sudden large releases of stress. The Myanmar earthquake likely occurred along the Sagaing Fault, which is a major active plate boundary fault between the India Plate and the Sunda Plate which typically have higher slip rates, and accumulate much more stress due to the interaction between two massive plates, making them capable of producing large, damaging earthquakes. Historically, Thailand has had moderate earthquakes (usually less than magnitude 7). Myanmar, on the other hand, has experienced magnitude 7+ earthquakes repeatedly over the last century due to its plate boundary fault system. This quake was amplified in Bangkok due to its 'basin' effect, acting like a bowl and trapping and prolonging the shaking. Seismic waves bounce inside the basin, leading to longer durations of shaking compared to regions sitting on hard rock (such as Hua Hun or Pattaya).

True... and thats a valid point... I see that equally as distasteful and hypocritical. I remember seeing T-shirts with Che Guevara for sale in the Student Union (when I was at Uni)... He was seen as a revolutionary... Quite different from Mao I'd argue and I never saw in Mao T-shirts in the west.

Not need for that at all.. Send them to the US to sort out the Trump cataclysm. Congratulations. You've managed to gracelessly shoehorn 'Trump' into a topic that couldn't be less connected if you tried - a feat of intellectual bankruptcy so common it's practically a national pastime. What is it with you Americans? It's as if the entire country is locked in some festering Freudian nightmare, unable to shut up about a bloated, orange spectre who haunts your every thought. Like deranged lovers muttering the name of the one who left them - pitiful, obsessed, and utterly incapable of moving on. It's pathetic.

You are looking at this from the Western perspective. I'm looking at it from a human perspective... Its the same as Thai's getting upset when they see a Buddha image on a bikini or in bar... Thats not a Western Perspective, but the same principle applies.

Is it entitlement, or is it a deeper understanding that there should be greater consideration shown by all ?

I've seen photos of Thai rescue teams - they have their search dogs etc. If I'm not mistaken, Thailand sends its experts overseas as part of an international effort when similar issues happen (i.e. Turkiye and Iran), so I don't believe there is a reason to suspect inexperience. That said, calling in any help is not a bad thing.

It was 580km away and an estimated 4.5Mw Magnitude by the time the energy reached Bangkok (within approximately 1.5 minutes after the quake in Myanmar) There can't be a quake in Chiang Mai or Kanchanaburi because its not on a plate boundary. This earthquake, in Myanmar was from the Sagaing Fault, which is a strike-slip (transform) fault where the Indian Plate and the Sunda Plate (or Burma Microplate) slide past each other horizontally.

Yup... its been in the Thai social media already... Families unable to travel getting absolutely creamed by Taxi drivers... 500-1000 baht for a 50-100 baht fare etc... Hopefully this gets the media attention it deserves and triggers the Police to deal with the scam taxi drivers refusing to use meters etc once and for all... I won't be holding my breath...

...in your opinion. Those who buy the shirts have exactly the same rights as you to have opinions, whether or not you arrogantly describe them as "extremely ignorant". Good luck on your next Hitler T-shirt shopping spree....

I recall when stalls were selling Osama Bin Laden T-shirts.... I thought at the time... there's a segment of society here that is incredibly juvenile and insensitive to world events. Of course, a simple T-Shirt can't harm anyone, but the imagery is powerful and this shows extreme ignorance - instead of defending herself, the vendor should be ashamed and embarrassed, as should anyone who purchases such items.

True... I wonder if in the same manner an 'epi-pen' can be carried on a flight, can a Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) pen (i.e clexane) be carried to administer in emergencies ? Then the question begs: Can airlines even carry epi-pens or are they reliant on those with allerigies to carry them themselves ? The question then is: Could the airline flight crew be more 'active' or better protected to admistister medication considered critical without fear of being found at fault - perhaps through 'some sort of international flight laws' that allow for that....

Can it [chat GPT] also replicate the money entering our account ??? IF not... this is just a nothing story...... as any time we send or receive money it shows immediately in our accounts and we get an SMS.

Sounds horrific... to have to go through that alone while suffering the loss of a life long partner. If only governments could show some compassion and work with local consular offices to make such process as smooth and compassionate as possible - it can't be that difficult when all thats needed in most cases is a signature. ... It seems the 'humanity' of her suffering was ignored and replaced with indiscriminate bureaucracy - but brutal an completely lacking in basic human decency. At least the lady was sensible enough to have her beloved cremated instead of dealing with the expensive process of bringing home his body. Quite rightly so.

Have they tested the Ship's Pilot & crew on duty (Captain) for booze ?

Which way did the ship turn ?.... are you implying anything other than this happened ? Or are you just stating knowledge such as "when on the road you should stop at a red traffic light'

This is exactly as I understand it... though instead of 24 hours, the translation I saw quoted 'within a reasonable time frame'..... Many people have different attitudes towards this and it has been subject to long debate, there are two main camps: 1) A Passport is too much of a valuable document to risk loss when carrying it around, so the never carry it about and will always leave the passport at home. - They make copies of their Passport and laminate and carry it in their wallet. - They take photos of their Passport (ID and Visa stamp) and carry that. - They use their Driving license (which is often sufficient) - They have a pink ID. 2) They carry their passport to remove all ambiguity and are always careful not to lose it (i.e in a money belt etc). ---------------- I've been asked for my passport 3x in over 20 years. Twice I just said no, and they accepted that and then asked me where I was going, I answered and that was that. Another time (about 7pm) my taxi was pulled over and they asked for my Passport, I showed my driving licence, they asked me to get out of the car. I said no, I could read the way this was going and knew this was going to be a shake down and they were going to try and charge me for not carrying a passport.... I just called a mate (RTP) and they waved me on. I now have a Pink ID card, I'm not sure if that would make any difference in the above situation - but sometimes (and its been well known) that the BiB are out to 'sting' and profit from any foreigner they can... there used to be a lot of this in the media about 10 years ago (particularly from the Thonglor Police - area up to Asoke Junction) - news was sufficiently wide spread that they were forced to 'calm things down'. ---------- Ultimately - the law is somewhat grey... It states 'government issued ID' but many Police Chief's recognise that no one wants to carry their passport around with them and they are human about this. Very rarely is anyone ever asked for their passport in the first place - its not something I worry about. Most commonly people will carry a copy on their phone (and their entry stamps etc). Legally - Only an Immigration officer, or a Commissioned Police Officer can ask for your 'immigration status' so when asked for ID by a non-commissioned officer a driving license with your hame and Date of Birth on it will suffice.... .... the issue here is telling the Police what their own laws are, as they often don't know themselves and have only learned from 'legacy' with the some laws being assumed and passed down to the new guys...

And I bet, people are so 'fearful' of getting stuck on red, that they'll follow a line of at least 10 cars through on red as other traffic is already trying to get through.... in times of heavy traffic, this just causes absolute gridlock as no lane can move, the knock impact is that the junction further back then gets blocked... this spreads city wide.... & why ???... because no one respects the lights and its too hot (police are too lazy) to get out of their AC boxes and force cars to stop when the light is turning yellow...

Agreed, It can make some aggressive and thats definitely not the way to behave here at all, especially in some areas as Thai's can have a hair-trigger when it comes to dealing with such situations.... especially as foreigners are prone to swearing (as are Thai's) but those are often the ones who find themselves in trouble quickly and make the news.... If someone is the type to drink a lot and get aggressive and mouth off, or even act out - they its likely that at some point trouble will find their way. Happily, I'm not one of those and remain quite chilled even to the heavily inebriated phase.... none of my close friends are like that either... Consumption of drugs is a different matter of course, as is drink driving and acting like we own the place etc...

What makes up the heavy traffic here.... One of the major facets often overlooked is the 'amount of roads coverage' as a percentage of surface area of the city - this is difficult to see from ground level.... but sources suggest a clear distinction... Road Surface Area by City (% of total urban area) New York City, USA – 38% Los Angeles, USA – 36% Paris, France – 25% Tokyo, Japan – 23% London, UK – 22% Seoul, South Korea – 21% Mexico City, Mexico – 17% Shanghai, China – 15% Singapore – 12% Toronto, Canada – 11% Bangkok, Thailand – 7.2% Barcelona, Spain – 26% Add to this no "smart traffic lights," which use sensors, cameras, and algorithms to adapt traffic light timings in real-time, optimising traffic flow and reducing congestion, which also often incorporates AI for predictive analytics and emergency vehicle prioritisation and we have grid lock. Add to this length of time that traffic lights are on 'red for' which contributes to the psychological aspect of drivers so reluctant to be stopped for a red light so end up blocking box junctions, again generating grid lock. Additionally, faster cycling of traffic lights can improve traffic flow. When vehicles move through junctions at higher speeds, they tend to spread out more, reducing traffic density and occupying less road space. For example, in the first 30 seconds of green light, 20 cars might pass through a junction; between 30 to 60 seconds, only 10 might pass; and from 60 to 90 seconds, perhaps just 5 - as traffic slows and bunches up. This shows that quicker light cycles can help maintain speed and spacing, making better use of road capacity.

yeah, that part doesn't make sense. if they wouldnt let him in the club, why would they chase him? it's either an unpaid bill or something else he did. and we'll never know. But that wasn't reported in any of the media... it also doesn't fit with halfwits delusion that the 'Thai's never wrong / foreigners always wrong'.... So he'll only accept the what was in Khaosod or any other Thai media source and then reprinted.... even it if is the 'witness statements' of those directly involved in murder trying to cover their tracks.....

Exactly - this is what makes the story so odd.... IF the story that he was 'drugged up and having a psychotic episode'.... and was refused entry to the club... the bouncers don't care, they just want him out of the way.... as mentioned [by save the frogs], its highly implausible the bouncers followed him out of any concern for his well being.... There is CCTV everywhere these days - even in area's outside of the town centre - I find it hard to believe that this is the only footage. I'm sure there would have been CCTV footage out the front of the Karaoke91 club too - its highlight strange that this is not available ?... ... perhaps the Police already have it, its certainly no right for it to be in the public domain, but then why release any footage at all ?.... ... is something being covered up that occurred out the front of the Karaoke 91 club ? If the story were true, would there not also be footage of the Brit running up to the club as well ? All CCTV footage in the area suffering 'brake failure' ??? The issue here of course - is if something happens, how is anyone expecting to get at the truth ? Of course - this is a perfect reason to behave well, don't drink so much and lose control, avoid certain situations wherever possible... and IF in a situation, smile, speak Thai, be polite..... but ultimately in such a situation you are outnumbered - notch it down to experience and move on.