bamnutsak

The cocktail known as "4x100" has been around for decades, and has caused a lot of problems including death by overdose. It's made with Kratom (extracted), cough syrup, Coca-Cola, and ice. The legalization of Kratom, if reports in the press are to be believed, has led to a big spike in the use/abuse of Kratom. The problem is said to be worse in the restive Southern provinces. According to reports in the press, the current price is 5 - 10 baht per pill, in small volumes (five or fewer). And a few years ago it was 300 baht. Once fentanyl gets here, and most expect that to happen sooner rather than later, it might be over for a significant segment of Thai youth.

Agree that this is not a significant change. Curious though about the 30 gram/30 ml limit. Below that limit, I assume, possession is and remains a crime, with punishments detailed elsewhere.* While above those limits, there are more significant punishments listed. As always with Thai "laws", a bit confusing. If they wanted to limit the recreational use of cannabis flower they could have added it back to the Narcotics list, or codified production, sale, and use as criminal elsewhere. * Reflecting a bit on this, perhaps the intent is to support medicinal use, only extracts will be allowed, and possession/use in quantities below 30/30 will be legal for "patients". And only those so licensed can produce/sell in quantities above 30/30?

I think you send USSD codes via the modem's UI. If so, *545# send will return the number associated with that SIM. Alternatvely, pop it into your phone temporarily and send the same USSD code using the phones's dialer app.

In the old days, they would just disappear him. Red Drum Killings. https://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/2019/09/05/opinion-thailands-burnt-drum-killings-then-and-now/ Now they just pervert justice, in plain sight.

Shades of the Mischling Test.

No. It was a Friday. 40 Million is more the norm.

Your "understanding" of how Thai laws are applied is "cute", in a naive sort of way.

'Swiftonomics' to yield ¥34.1 billion economic boost for Japan The “Swiftonomics” effect — or the economic impact of Taylor Swift — on Japan from her four days of shows in Tokyo that kicked off Wednesday is estimated to reach around ¥34.1 billion ($230 million), according to a report compiled by the Economic Impact Research Laboratory. Tickets are sold out for some 220,000 seats for the 34-year-old Grammy award-winning international pop star's Asia run of The Eras Tour at the Tokyo Dome through Saturday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2024/02/08/economy/taylor-swift-economic-impact-swiftonomics/ Thank goodness she has the option to fly privately in order to bring joy to hundreds of thousands of fans, in Japan.

Is Ted Nugent going to assault Ms. Swift with a machine gun? Probably not. Prepare for the Bud Light Genie.

Interestingly, those who do NOT believe in the negative effects we have on the climate are the most worked up about Taylor Swift's carbon footprint. Huh?

Probably the Romanian chap screaming after his wife "accidentally" bumped into him while he was having a smoke.

Commercial airlines do not want Taylor Swift flying commercial. The operational issues, security issues, and undue strain on flight crews would be overwhelming. I think televangelist Kenneth Copeland has the best reason to NOT fly commercially...and to get his "parishioners" to pay for a private jet. Televangelist Kenneth Copeland: Commercial jets are full of "demons" https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/TV-evangelist-Kenneth-Copeland--510809861.html Is it OK to have real-time tracking of Donald Trump's plane?

They will just hold this threat. If he violates his agreement with the powers that be then they will indict him. If he keeps to the agreement then he will not be indicted. It will be interesting to see if his various "honors", which took years to strip away, are restored. They probably will as he gets closer to the end of his life. The next step is to repatriate Yingluck.

He's due to be "released" on 18 or 22 February, after having "served" 50% of his one-year "sentence", reduced from eight years by Royal Decree. I think some questions remain regarding other "charges".

https://simpleflying.com/thai-airways-unhappy-rolls-royce-engine-prices/ https://www.thaipbsworld.com/the-rolls-royce-bribery-scandal-that-sent-thai-national-airline-into-nosedive/

That's crystal meth (Ice, Ya Ice here) back home, much stronger and more addictive, with regular meth being predominant and cheap here. There is a lot of crystal meth here but it is much more expensive. A recent bust in Bangkok, yesterday. gives a snapshot of volume: 10 MILLION meth pills and 60 Kg of Crystal. https://thethaiger.com/news/national/bangkok-police-seize-10-million-meth-pills-60kg-crystal-meth-in-major-drug-bust Crystal meth volumes seem to be increasing, so things may get a lot worse. The drudgery of life, the lack of opportunities, and little hope for the future drive the alcohol and meth use here. These are systemic problems that keep the powers that be at the top of the heap. There is no real urge to change the status quo, so the PM is just doing what he does best, talking.

The article is a bit threadbare in details... where are these cigarettes produced? where are they shipped from? (since Customs is involved, and the photo looks like it's the ThaiPost depot in Laksi, I assume these were "mailed", maybe from Cambodia?) Based on the additional shipping fees, how can this business be profitable, if it is just a tax avoidance scheme?

Deja Vu, all over again. I don't think the BMA has the money to pay.

IMO this sort of celebrity tracking is fine, as long as it is not in real-time, and is delayed ~ 24 hours. Elon Musk had a similar beef with this same chap. I think Swift's fans are intelligent enough to know that she flies private, and at great distances. Any simpleton can look up her concert schedule. Or view the photos she posts. The trade-off between flying private vs. commercial, is more than offset by the hundreds of thousands of fans who get great joy from seeing her perform, the massive injection of spending, and the tens of thousands of jobs created.

Yes, it makes perfect sense to look to the DoJ for medical diagnoses. No clue why the trumpers are getting worked up on this one. Must be some kind of derangement syndrome. Trump will become president again, and then he can direct his Attorney General, Rudy Guiliani, to prosecute Biden for sloppy document handling.

Caused quite a delay, inbound flights holding, and some re-routed to BKK

The "skim" on this wallet scheme is estimated at 3,000 baht. Brokers will pay 7,000 on the spot, for a 10,000 baht wallet. I think most Thai government spending builds in this traditional skim factor. Of course, there will be additional corruption overhead; I imagine the Krung Thai Bank and their Pao Tang app won't be managing this free of charge?

Strange that there is no rush to file a complaint with the Courts for a ruling on the "legality" of this scheme?

The post was removed by the very entity, the Ministry of Education, which made the post. The self-censorship was done out of embarrassment. But yes, the Thai MoE is pathetic.

My sense, reading the various proposals spouted by Thai "officials" is that in response to being granted some UNESCO designation for the cultural aspects of Songkhran, Thailand has decided to celebrate World Songkhran Festival over an extended period, with small events in many provinces. This is over and above the usual Songkran festivities 13-15 April. It's an experiment to squeeze tourist (domestic and international) cash.