mfd101

And her Mum thought she'd just popped down to the corner store for a packet o' fags ...

Here in south Surin we had a couple of weeks with no rain until some very light showers over the last couple of days. To me this signals the end of the monsoon here. But then south Surin is normally the driest part of Thailand ...

The comparative statistic is more about low average wages in Thailand, rather than high rents.

As a former non-convict of the former Southern Hemisphere colonies I can say that in both the former colonies and in the former Motherland you can say & publish anything you like about the Royals up to the same limits of defamation etc that apply to any other citizen. We're not talking Thailand here.

Pretty basic stuff. The kind of incompetence one associates with more northerly members of ASEAN ...

Have had problems in the past but not recently. I go to airasia.com/eng/gb. Made a booking 2 or 3 weeks ago for flight for 2 Buriram/DM/Buriram in December. No sweat. Booked, confirmed & paid for in 5 minutes.

Nobel Prize next year. And so many more opportunities thru the next 12 months ...

If she has another stroke she could end up speaking only Thai, which wouldn't be much use in any part of the UK.

But they may - even at this stage - alleviate the punishment.

Not surprised by any of this. Except the ladyboy bit ...

So the clerk across the desk from you - in whatever office it may be - has been reading the financial & economic news for the last few years and loathes Falangs as a result?

That may work with fellow Thais, but not with Falangs who are seeking practical information for a particular purpose. The issue for Falangs is to elicit the information they need without risking sensitivity about status or 'face'. Not always easy but can be done with practice & good will.

In Thai culture asking questions is generally frowned upon, even for school children in class with their teacher. I meet this on a daily basis with my b/f. Asking questions raises the issue of status: What happens if the 'high-status' person you ask a question of doesn't know the answer? If he or she doesn't know the answer they lose face, which is the second-worst fate that can befall a Thai. So you have to learn to phrase your 'question' indirectly (eg suggesting what you will do as a result of the information you now have and how you understand it).

The usual Thai problems: incompetent project design, incompetent project management, too many fingers in the till and no comeback for monies already spent.

No-nonsense approach from Sth Korean authorities. A model others might want to follow ...

So people won't travel because of a 300฿ fee?

Shortest route would be over Ukraine. Could be very short.

And where does it say he was an illegal immigrant?

I thought Danish people were nice, quiet and helpful. Oh well, there goes another superstition out the window.

Particularly difficult to organize long-term contributions to an ever-growing pension fund in a country where some ⅓ of all government revenue disappears in corruption & theft by politicians, government officials and contractors.

For me the end-state is better than the original (which looks pretty unconvincing/gratuitous). Never occurred to the 'artist' that a different country might have - and sometimes enforce - different cultural values. "Oh golly, I thought they would love my art just as they do in France. I've won so many prizes!"

Perhaps the temple is empty? abandoned by the monks afraid of the trans-border trade in people & drugs?

Our Hero will take Kuala Lumpur by storm and slay the Malaysian PM by mistake because all Asians look the same.

Funny that far-away Sth Korea suffers from Cambodia's border scams, just as Thailand does ... Looking forward to armed border clashes between them.

No mention of the People's Party in the OP. Apparently not part of anyone's self-centered calculations.