mathias67

To all those who can only say, "If you don't like it, why don't you leave?" You fail to take into account that many of us sold our homes and cashed out to come here, chasing what we thought was the dream of a "golden retirement". When the reality turned out differently, it was too late to just pack up and leave. So unless you're willing to finance the move, quit saying that.

Like everywhere, Thailand has it's pros and cons. The major pro is the cost of living. But these "best places" lists and the TAT paint an inaccurate picture by showing an aging couple joyously romping on a pristine beach, with tropical cocktails in their hands, and smiling natives all around. It just ain't like that if you don't have trunks full of money. And if you do have the money, you can make anywhere into paradise.

But you openly admit to being able to sell up and come out here so why is it so difficult to sell up here and head back to your nation of residence?

I'm 35, work full time in a fairly well paying job out here, IF I started to feel as negative and cynical as many commenters on here I'd be gone by May at the latest.....And I'm also happily married to a Thai woman who would never leave.

If the angst is eating people up so much then there's two options...live the rest of your life miserable as sin or cut loose and leave. Thailand is never going to change to appease the sexpats, expats or immigrants...And why should it? We're guests here nothing more.

I have lived here for 8 years prior to 7 years of coming here on holiday and never had a problem. But if you ever get caught up with the police or the court system here you would be singing a different tune. Even the simplest of court case can take years to resolve and as for the police hope you have a good bank balance because they will sure as hell help you to spend it

I was in Panama checking it out a couple of months ago. I couldn't wait to leave. Every home needs a barb wire parameter. It's ridiculously hot (and I live in LOS). The food sucks and I've never seen so many ugly fat women! This place continues to get on these list with marketing (probably paying to be on there). Note that articles praising Panama are usually written by people living there and trying to sell the overbuilt condos.

Mexico? Ye gods. I wouldn't want to visit there let alone live there.

Malaysia continues to swing towards sharia law with the Muslim hardliners demanding and getting more say as time goes on.

Medellin Colombia was a beautiful city and I could definitely live there...if I spoke Spanish. A lot easier to navigate Thailand than Colombia with just English.

Take these best place to retire results with a grain of salt. These articles come out every few weeks.

I went to Panama once years ago and like you could not wait to get out. As for Mexico maybe there are good parts but the crime factor there would really put me off, how many kidnappings do they have there????? Can't comment on Columbia but what info I have I do not feel it to be the safest of places but mind you Thailand must be going up on the crime list although living here for 8 years I have never felt threatened in any way

Education is the Key! The majority of Government Secondary schools here in Thailand promote their students to Break the Law.

The governors, Thai teachers etc. allow the students to come to school on their motorbikes without wearing helmets,no licenses and allow them into the school grounds, sometimes 3-4 persons on one bike. Surely this is root of the problem, and could be easily addressed. I've always said "Life is very cheap in Thailand".

Life is cheap in Thailand unless you are a ferang and then involved in even a minor accident with a Thai see how much that will cost you. NOT cheap then

Increase the fines by 500% and enforce all traffic laws would be a good start. Also make it mandatory that police set an example by wearing their helmets. I would bet if they did these simple things now by next year we would see a 20% decrease.

How true as how many times have you seen police NOT wearing helmets, lead by example. As for the stats of 27,300 charged for not wearing a helmet and 26,100 with no licence. OK they are breaking the law but these are such easy things to catch so why not convert those figures into managing people who jump red lights or bike going at a breakneck speed down the roads. I live on what is called the darkside in Pattaya and the lack of police has been so noticable, where are they all. As for most accidents/deaths between midnight and 4 am apart from maybe the beach area you find a policeman at that time of night, needle in a haystack comes to mind. As for those police boxes on the corner of junctions pull the lot down and put the police visible on the road not have tea of whatever in their boxes. Until you give them a kick up the bottom and make them do their job accidents and deaths will continue

very sad news

I agree 100%. I am sure you will also agree with me in that my heart goes out to those loved one who remain. Here we are looking forward to what hopefully be a good new year and something dramatic like this happens. God bless those that died and also to the family and friends who have suffered such a great loss

This sort of thing happens when you ban fireworks.

This sort of thing happens when you DO NOT have police patrols around the streets at night

So who buys bikes for 15 year olds? Or why do parents allow 15 year kids (often much younger) to drive motorbikes.

They are UNDERAGE.

Whenever an underage child is apprehended driving a bike. it is the parents/guardians who should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law! They need to show responsibility and held accountable!

Heavy fines and confiscation of the bikes!

It will never happen and as for the parents they KNOW their children are under age and do nothing and then want to blame everyone else for their lack of care

They will be issued with warnings. Wow that is really going to work. Why not try an old fashioned method of actually having the police enforcing the road rules and penalising those that don't obey the law. make it a year round thing and not just 7 days.

The police doing their job, don't make me laugh . As for stopping drunk drives and speeding cars yes I agree with what they are going ???? to do but I say again get those drivers that JUMP THE RED LIGHTS oh sorry that is too easy.

I have spoken to a number of Thai's in recent months and 9 out of 10 do NOT have a driving licence. Stop them and confiscate their car/bike and NOT give it back until they get a licence and then make them pay a heavy fine to get their bike/car back.

Thai's know that law enforcement especially regarding traffic laws are a joke and so they do not care.

A few less Russians could be a good thing. Ever noticed the state of beaches every morning littered with alcohol bottles, rubbish and cigarette butts.

I have seen plenty of Thai's leaving their rubbish on the beach area. On Jomtien beach where I go the Thai running the deck chair area makes sure that his area throughout the day is kept clean. But never mind the rubbish on the beach what about all the rubbish which comes in on the waves which is stuff that is dumped overboard by local fishermen. Do what they do in some of the posh resorts and have a machine that first thing in the morning is driven along the beach clearing up all the rubbish from the privious day. No again the local authorities do nothing and again this is because it is NOT a money making exercise

I have a thousand Baht that says the driver will never be brought to justice...

Only a thousand you could multiple that 1000 times and have a safe bet. With a car like that it must be the son??? of some high ranking official so it will all be swept under the carpet

Cowardly scum, bravest thing they ever did was walk up behind off duty officers and put one in the back of their heads when they wernt looking. Send him back now!

Hope they catch the animal and lock him away for a long time. All we need here in Thailand is more ferang scum giving the rest of us a bad name

The warmest winter for a few years and it's a disaster zone! What happened to previous year's blankets?

Bt8,000,000 for blankets is that what they are looking for. Well look no further than the boss of the C.I.B who spirited away billions and skim a bit off the top of that

With the police's poor wages, it is no wonder that most are looking for side incomes ...

I agree 100%, pay a policeman Bt8,000 a month and expect him/her to buy their own uniform, bike and gun what do they expect. Pay them a decent wage and I mean at least double then maybe you will have more honest policemen out there doing their job

Totally useless action as usual. Sounds more like a quick collection of a few thousand baht to by whisky for the Christmas/New Year parties down at Soi 9!

I agree just a money collection to pay for their Xmas booze up. When are they going to be serious about the law, God Bt100 is pathetic and 5 minutes later back to the beach to earn Bt1000 at least.

Please tell us where those groups of chinese will stay so we can avoid those area's. Thailand on it's own is lowclass enough to handle.

How much revenue do the Thais expect to earn from Chinnese tourists. Answer virtually none. They come on package holidays and go from place to place ona coach and spend almost nothing in the local shops etc. The only people to benefit are the hotels and the coach companies and the rest of us have to suffer with dozens of them blocking the pathways. Why not get some real tourists i.e. the one's that spend money in the restaurants and bars

Asking the police to actually enforce laws instead of sitting in a tent at the side of the road watching tv for 7 days would be a start.

Getting the police to monitor traffic lights and stop and heavily fine those idiots out there who jump red lights up to 10 seconds after they have changed. I have said this before that when they do their road blocks on Sukumvit road just before Pattaya Thai get an officer with a radio to monitor the lights at Sai Siam Country Club and also Pattaya Klang and radio to their colleagues just down the road and get these potential killers stopped and fined. There are so many idiots out there driving at crazy high speeds, including motorbikes, in built up areas and dozens if not hundreds of accidents could be reduced dramatically if the police got off their <deleted> and managed the situation. As for the ban on alcohol on the New Year holiday well tourism in down big time so talk about telling the tourist to stay away in their droves. No get more police out on the roads stopping and breath testing any one who they believe to be under the influence so again I say do your job and clamp down heavily with these idiots on the roads and then watch the fall in accidents

Wow, he gets off lightly and has, by all accounts, been treated well by the police and yet does this. What a ****! Slam the numbnut in the Hilton for 30. Hope the cop recovers.

Must admit I am NOT a great fan of the Thai police with so much corruption within their force but when a police officer is doing his juty to get assaulted in such a manner is beyond belief. I hope sincerely that the police officer concerned gets well soon and that the idiot Russian gets a long stay at the Bangkok Hilton as he deserves it.

Whatever one thinks of the Thai police they DO NOT deserve to get injured in this manner, it also gives ferangs in Thailand a bad name

Where or what was the cop aiming at?

Hope the Police pick up her hospital bills and cost of remaining here in Thailand. If going to be here 6 months will Immigation want her to do a border run to renew her Visa ???????

Wonder how much money has changed hands to get all the ducks in a row??

Thailand may have improved its corruption-ranking, but as long as you can pay to get away with murder, the country still remains in the cave-age!!

It stinks!!

I know from personnal experience that dealing with the police is just a money making exercise. My friend and I both had to pay Bt10,000 each for a police officer to do his job, he took statements from both of us, promised for three months to arrest the people involved and at the end of the three months despite going to see him on a weekly basis guess what he did. Sod all. All the police here in Thailand are about is taking mooney and then doing NOTHING

I see the fun police are at it again, worse luck...

Excuse me if I appear thick but when the say public places do they mean bars or just drinking in parks, on the street ( as they do on Songkran ) etc. If they really mean bars etc then this lot need a brain transplant telling people they are nt allowed to bring in the New Year without a party. Well tourism is down about 20% just add another 10% to that at least

'Fatty Kim' then?

How about Fat Piggy Kim

Thailand has the worst lottery I've ever come across, the winnings are minuscule and you don't even get to choose your own numbers, only those that are presented to you.

I agree 100% that the Thai lottery is the worst ever. At Bt110 per ticket you can win up to Bt3 million. In the UK for slightly less money you can win millions of pounds which makes the winnigs here like loose change. Yes do it on line but every one who does has to sign up with a password and put a limit on how much any individual can gamble as it is easy to tack multiple password from the same computer. But first of all make the prizes worth the time to gamble for NOT the measly amount offered on the Thai lottery

Happy Birthday to your Majesty.

I am an admirer of Rama V and have a large collection of items pertaining to him. I feel he did a lot of good work for Thailand and it's people and I feel exactly the same way about the current King. I do with all my heart and sole wish his Majesty a very Happy Birthday and was so happy to hear dispite his health he would be attending various ceremonies on the 5th Dec. May you be with us for many years to come and this is from a Ferang living here in Thailand

"It is likely he has fled Thailand," the spokesman said, adding police are mulling warrants for two more people over the corruption case.

"It is likely he has fled Thailand" Doesn't everybody? If I had $800 million, I would flee Thailand.

If I had Bt 50 millions I would leave Thailand never mind $800 million

will this include a full investigation of WHY so many are being stopped, searched and drug tested by the police in the Asoke-Tong Lor area?

I can't think of one other country in Asia where foreigners are stopped and ID demanded and fined if they are not carrying passports or other ID.

No-one would carry a passport around with them, it's just too risky.

Like in Pattaya, they stop farang at night in the Walking Street and demand to see their passports. That really makes sense doesn't it? Carry a highly valuable document like your passport when you go out on the tiles, getting drunk, walking through dense crowds full of street hookers and pickpocketing ladyboys.

A couple of months ago the powers that be said from I believe 26th August we all had to carry our passports at all times and a few days later changed their minds. I personnally carry the following 1) My driving licence for a car 2) My driving licence for my motorbike 3) A credit card sized, laminated copy of my passport. Carry my Passport my answer is NO - lose that and you have problems. The old saying is they do not want us here as it is a case of leave your credit/debit card and go home and they wonder why tourism is down about 20%. Remember those in power we the ferang and especially those living here do NOT cost you Bt1 all we do is add billions to your economy