Jonathan Swift

yeah, well, a lot of us are just as sick of you people's whining and complaining, only we're not the police, so we just shake our heads wondering why you came here, and why you don't just leave.

No! Ya think? You mean that the locals are not in awe of Mr. Muscleman's physique, as he surely expects? These guys have egos bigger than their muscles. If they only knew what people really thought.

Yeah, sure, anything you say. Must be true, because you said it. The reality is actually much more complex and nuanced, therefore over your head.

You need to read up. I have. And spoken to activists from groups like Human Rights Watch, whose vise president is a friend of mine. It's a constitutional monarchy, not a democracy, but its constitution does not provide the same rights as other countries. The police have a freer rein to enforce laws that are subject to interpretation, yes bribes figure in. There's no thing as a "soft" dictatorship. Just because the government exerts more control and enforcement regarding certain issues does not in and of itself define it as a dictatorship, unlike, say, its communist neighbors to the North and West.

Truth. If anything is a detriment to Thai life it's the complaining Brits - they're the ones who should leave or be deported.

Witch hunt. Where have I heard that before? Oh, that guy? The guy who is on trial for multiple felonies, and who was sued for defamation countless times, now owes more than a half billion dollars in penalties? Twice impeached? You're clueless.

Hardly. These headlines have been going on for the entire ten years I've been here, and long before. Thailand's reputation is untouched. Look before you speak.

Good for you, live long and prosper friend

So comments are offered as proof? Good thing you're not a lawyer, you'd be disbarred.

MAYBE. Most people like this don't learn and don't change, sadly. If he was a learning kind he would have come here with a better attitude

I'm American, and amen brother! You will never hear me complain about this life. If there is a problem I address it directly, ask for help resolving it, or let it go. All with the most courtesy and respect, and I receive the same in return

So the problem is, and was, that you didn't use common sense and do your due diligence before you came here, and now you join the chorus of disgruntled Brits that do nothing but complain about a country that you yourself chose to relocate to. Your criticism should be directed to the guy in your mirror because that is who is to blame. I researched Thailand for 5 years before I came here, and fit right in with no complaints - now 10 years. You miserable complaining Brits are worse that my mother used to be - she used to complain so much I used to say she wasn't happy unless she was miserable. And to all of the very nice, personable, and great brits, who are the majority and whose company I always enjoy over a pint, you probably know what I'm talking about,

I'm American, and I have a problem with Americans. That's why I'm here and not there.

He only apologizes because his free pass and visa are now in jeopardy. No sincerity. Another Pai neo hippie who thought he could drink, smoke, freeload his way through Thailand behaving any way he pleased, not respecting the people or the culture. Like the ones who run around with their shirts off, which if you folks don't know, and you should, is an offense to the Thai people. It's about time an example was made for the rest of the deadbeats to take notice of. Notice how much he now loves the place when threatened with deportation. Oh, now you want to stay in this terrible place?

Thanks for the stυpid comment of the day. It boosts the collective IQ of the rest of us. Blaming the victim are we? Do you do the same for women rape victims, blame them? He paid for a service in good faith. Doesn't matter what his choices were in hindsight. He paid for it and is entitled to get his money's worth. If Thai Airways is an abject failure in providing the accommodation he was entitled to, and compounded the issue with failed customer service, then they owe him reasonable compensation. That is the law of the land in most countries under consumer protection laws. I sued the booking agency Priceline in small claims court for Thai Airways's refusal to refund a $165 ticket though they were legally required to do so, it cost Priceline $1,000 to settle directly with me from their home office in the US. During Covid NOK Air promised a cancellation refund that they never delivered on. Rather than have my credit card claw back the money, I sent a letter to NOK's office in Bangkok informing them that they would be sued, in the eyes of the press, and the money was in my bank within a few hours. Sometimes you just have to complain effectively to the right people, and sometimes you have to bring out the big guns. If Thai Airways does this all the time then it's about time they publicly got a bloody nose. Or perhaps a broken nose at this point. The rest of their victims deserve as much. Lost business is lost revenue, and the bottom line is: it's always about the money. That's the motivation you have to use on big companies that abuse customers. You, gargamon, need to get out more, or go back to high school and learn about how the world really works. Focus on consumer rights. Or you can continue to post stυpid comments to satisfy your need for attention while the rest of us laugh. .

Well you're right when it comes to illegally driving on the beach. The real moral is don't do illegal stuff like drive on the beach for any reason. Probably attracted police attention with the towing spectacle. And yes, writing at about high school level is the status quo here.

Oh come on - he and everyone else knows the score. We do, right? They announce one of these"crackdowns" about once a year. 500 baht fine for overcharging IF they are prosecuted, so much for that.

Let me translate your gibberish for those not fluent in that unintelligible language: says kevozman1 - "Your 'wreaking havoc' statement is over my head, beyond my comprehension, and my being cIueIess it makes me feel stυpid, so I'm compelled to hurl kneejerk juvenile personal attacks and insults as ego defenses for my petulant ill tempered inner child." There, done. Carry on, but make no mistake, everything you say makes you look like a bIoody wɑnker and a blithering ƒooI. Keep it coming, everyone loves a clown - we're highly amused.

During the ice age no doubt

I was entitled because they had changed the flight schedule. Also other issues of crookedness, misleading baggage policy etc. The airline and the booking agencies gave me a runaround for 2 days and then I said, not gonna play this, we'll do it the hard way. Wasn't my first rodeo, I'm 67 and have collected from a lot of bad guys over the years, I can do it in my sleep. Same thing happened during Covid, the airline promised the refund but wouldn't deliver, I sent a letter and notice of intent to their Bangkok office and the money was in my bank the next day. I told them I had spoken to Siam Legal who would represent me (that was a bluff) You have to know how to play the game, which is basically let them know that it will cost them a lot more money to try to cheat me than to just pay me. It's poker and chess. The advantage is always mine because I do it all myself and it costs me nothing.

They do this all the time. Booking, Priceline, agoda are all under the same company, Booking Holdings Inc in Norwalk CT USA. Expedia and Hotels dot com also did it to me. They HAVE to refund your money. If they don't you can have your credit card or whomever you used report it as fraud and claw back your money. If you're in the US you can sue them in small claims court, slam dunk win. They will call you and negotiate a settlement, don't take any less than $1,000.00 US, I've done it twice.

Booking dot com is owned by Booking Holdings Inc in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA, not far from the house I own and stay in the summer. I have sued them twice for refusing to refund airfare. The airfare was $165.00 US. To settle the lawsuit it cost them $1000.00 US. It was easy, I got a phone call from their negotiator whom I told I would be happy to drag all of them in front of a judge to explain themselves. Nah they didn't want to do that and spend $5,000.00 US on attorneys plus pay me. So, $1,000.00 it was. They also own priceline and agoda. back to court this year because agoda refused a refund after the airline (Thai) tried to cheat me on baggage and a guitar. I'll probably talk to the same guy as last year, whom I will tell to clean up his act or he will likely hear from me on a regular basis.

Booking dot com is owned by Booking Holdings Inc in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA, not far from the house I own and stay in the summer. I have sued them twice for refusing to refund airfare. The airfare was $165.00 US. To settle the lawsuit it cost them $1000.00 US. It was easy, I got a phone call from their negotiator whom I told I would be happy to drag all of them in front of a judge to explain themselves. Nah they didn't want to do that and spend $5,000.00 US on attorneys plus pay me. So, $1,000.00 it was. They also own priceline and agoda. back to court this year because agoda refused a refund after the airline (Thai) tried to cheat me on baggage and a guitar. I'll probably talk to the same guy as last year, whom I will tell to clean up his act or he will likely hear from me on a regular basis.

You were there? You know what he was smiling about? You were in on the joke? You're psychic and know what he was thinking? My experiences with Thai police, even on rare occasions when I was guilty of something, is that they are quite good natured, and I sure would prefer a jovial cop to a mean one. And I think if you or I were there the sight of the guy digging would likely have been pretty funny. The guy was a fool and deserving of being laughed at, if that's what it was. But how do you know the photo wasn't staged? It doesn't look like he was digging near the wheels. It looks like the car was already out of the rut, likely pushed out by whoever was gathered around.

Does greed make people stupid? Or is the greed a byproduct of stupidity? The risk of incarceration in a Thai prison isn't worth any amount of money. When I first came here, before weed was legal, I wouldn't set foot within a hundred yards of anyone with a joint or weed pipe. I knew before I came here about the little circles of corruption where the cops would wait for the hippies to buy weed from the farmers in Pai on the way to the waterfall, then get busted on the way back, with a percentage paid back to the farmers who SURPRISE ratted out the hippies. Before I came here. So when I ran into one of those "roadblocks" on my way up I was smiling and smirking because I knew what was up and I don't even smoke the stuff.