Jonathan Swift

Thank you for that, for the 2% of folks that can understand such things. The rabid ones, however, will not be convinced and will continue to foam at the mouth

I thought it was Lizzo

When was the last time you were in Pai? Pai is not Phuket, such behavior is not the norm there and people neither expect nor deserve it. A dozen badly behaving individuals in a tiny place like Pai is far more damaging that in a huge place like Phuket because they are not prepared to have their community uprooted like that. Phuket, Pattaya, other places have been dealing with this for years, they're more or less used to it. This isn't "politics". It's more bad behavior by tourists because "be careful what you ask for". Whatever politics may be emigrating here exists only in the minds of those carrying it in their heads and projecting it onto Thailand, as you seem to be doing. The last Time I was in Pai I was rather stunned to find this to be the problem that it is. It's much worse than any other tourist behavior problem that I have seen here in 11 years.

I know what you're saying, but if you don't mind me correcting you, as you said, Thai people use any graphic they happen to like regardless of its actual meaning to anyone else. So I wouldn't say they have an interest in "Nazism", because that is the actual political belief system, and obviously they're not interested in that or any other element of politics or world affairs. They like the decor. I've seen this myself, piles of confederate flags, NAZI memorabilia at flea markets. Remember, the swastika has been around and been used benignly across Eurasia for thousands of years. Thai people have an innocent naivete regarding such things.

You're right. It's the Israelis trying to deflect blame by playing the "anti-semite" victim card. I've actually read some threads where I saw them do it. I lectured the person on how he was shaming his own people and undermining his own cause by invoking that. The "race card" Isn't gonna work. This isn't Israel, and it isn't the US. They don't play that game here. If the Israelis don't clean house within their community someone will clear them out of the house. It's one thing for the farang to complain. It's quite another when innocent hard working Thai people are being victimized. From my experience there is almost no police presence on the streets there. I imagine that is about to change. If Thailand wants these tourist dollars then they will have to babysit and provide daycare (jail) to the miscreants. I've read so many of these stories, and I know one of the restaurant owners. It's quite sad.

Same for the US

I go during the week of Christmas, when most people are celebrating elsewhere. There are not too many people, especially at night, and the beach is enjoyable. I stay at a beautiful resort called The Castello. It has a restaurant and a beautiful outdoor garden, and good coffee. I enjoy the live music at Klom Klom bar where I also perform. There is a nice mixture of Thai and farang, no Indians, no Russians, I think the music (rock and roll) keeps them away like mosquito repellant. There are several other good nightime live music venues, also not crowded that time of year. I have done this for 10 years and am never disappointed.

Best answer yet. Sharp wit! yeah, stating the obvious, if the time comes when the beach and water are clean and attractive, then there would be a reason to deal with this campground for cheap Charlies.

yes. Why, is that a problem?

Those pesky Russians again. At the very least they are likely to lose the bikes. But we all know this is a drop in the bucket, a game of whack a mole. Nothing will change. yawn

On sale today, special bike exhaust system mods that scream out "look at me, I'm a bIoody wɑnker with no regard for others".

Do you think before you post? Where do you go for facts and information? You certainly have a limited view of the world through your little keyhole. Even if you could see more than a keyhole's worth You don't know all the facts. You don't know the evidence. You don't know that his life has been destroyed. For him to have been arrested there has to be probable cause, sufficiently clear evidence to suggest guilt and sufficient for a likely conviction. Under the law he is presumed innocent until convicted. That's how every free country's system works. There is a balance between the concern for the safety of the general public against suspected violent criminals and the protection of the rights of the accused. He has been released on bail and is out and about. His life is certainly not destroyed. If he had been arrested and charged in Thailand, yes, that would be "destroyed". You're welcome. Good luck with your further education.

Had exactly the same thing happen to me. But I had done my homework before coming to Thailand, I had studied everything I could find for 5 years prior, so I instantly knew how the game would be played. First the lead cop "interviewed " me, all the while keeping pace and watching my reaction, which unbeknownst to him was trying to suppress laughter watching HIS every move knowing that they were following a well rehearsed script. They asked for 30,000 baht, I pretending to look at my balance and told them "can only pay 15,000", ( I had an emergency fund of about $7000US) and that's how much it cost. I had pepper sprayed a guy who I thought was going to rob me ( I have Bipolar II disorder and was triggered into a hypomanic state) , and I had told them that. His friends could have jumped on me and beaten me to a pulp, but They believed me. Then I took a ride to the police station with the guy sitting next to me and smiling. He was quite nice about it (of course, he knew he would get half of the "fine" for "hospital costs" haha) I knew that things could be worse - I knew these were Thai police, and knew they cold get away with a lot of bad things, but in the US I would have been beaten and tased for "resisting arrest", my bail would have been $5000, they would have held me in lockup until my arraignment, it would have cost $5000 for a lawyer and I would get off, and the guy I sprayed if it was in the US would have sued me into next week. So I wrote off the 15,000 baht and threw away my pepper spray. As I walked back to where I had been, I went to a sidewalk card table bar and a bar girl threw her arms around me and gave me a big hug, and boy did I need one. And an ice cold beer. One of the best beers I ever had. And then I was in a tremendously good mood because I had negotiated my way through one of the most treacherous Thai scenarios, and came out on my feet with no harm done. This was only my second time here - That's when I really found out how strange Thailand really was. And that was also when I realized that no matter what happened in Thailand thereafter, I would land on my feet and be OK. That was 10 years ago, and never had any such problems ever again. Cheers everybody.

Oh, you were there then? Or you're psychic? Do please fill us in on the details

Your thinking is flawed in that you assume everyone should have your common sense. That would be nice, but it's not the reality. These people are not at the top of the IQ bell curve. Add to that the temptation of easy money.

Guilty as charged. There are so many things to weigh and consider. Much of it is balancing risk and financial situation against the odds of something happening. I make about $1665 a month SS, a pittance in the S but can live nicely here. I have medicare insurance in the US. I have $200,000 US in a mutual fund. I keep between $5000 and $10,000 in liquid cash in case of emergencies. I have comparison shopped for insurance from covid onward but haven't made a decision. The sticking point in the past was whether a substantial insurance premium would take a significant amount out of my living budget and place my finances at risk. Thanks for the reminder. Cheers.

I'm convinced that most of the commenters here regard commenting as a blunt contact sport requiring little or no real intelligence. People don't understand the difference between speculation and fact based theories and conclusions. Congrats on spelling queue correctly. It drove me crazy because I have a memory malfunction that causes me to have to look up words that I absolutely know. I came up with this: "kew-ee-yew-ee" as a reminder. haha. Cheers mate, and long happy life to you.

There is a very good possibility, given the number of cameras here. If the family has doubts they can get an autopsy which might be conclusive, at that point it is likely to be kept private. There are so many things that can happen. This is too sad.

She seems to not understand the difference between the corrupt brown envelope driven Thai court and a real court. I hope the sons win legal costs from this greedy c*&t

More than that, they can bring criminal defamation charges.

Correct. There were a lot of angry Thai people. Thai people don't get angry over nothing, especially this many separate people. He clearly made up the drug accusation in order to bolster his story. If someone had tried to drug him he would have been drugged. Learning the hard way how NOT to deal with Thai people. I think he was less than "polite" But This is speculation, I don't claim any special knowledge or expertise.

No doubt you get what you pay for (I hope) haha. Cheers.

Bear in mind that much of what agents do is illegal and they rely on a system of payoffs and falsified bank statements to streamline the process. Every once in a while they get prosecuted, or the customer has the agent run off with their money. You are legally required to appear and apply in person with photographs and forms in hand. The agent who tells you you don't have to is breaking the law. Most get away with it but I would never place any of my personal affairs in the hands of anyone who has a profit motive.

Unless you're rich and have money to burn I highly recommend you learn to do everything yourself. It's not hard once you get past the learning curve, no harder than the paperwork for registering a car in your home country. You book your immigration appointments online. There are staff at every immigration office that are very helpful. The extension is 1900 baht. You can get a single reentry or multiple reentry permits. I think the multiple entry is about 3800 baht, I never get just a single reentry because I like to travel around.