mfd101

So let's not get too excited too soon. I wouldn't put it past the Senate dinosaurs to nullify the legislation as their last act before they disappear. Assuming the best happens by the end of the year, my b/f and I are certainly looking forward to it: Our Oz partnership in Canberra in 2013 (pre-gay marriage) gave protection to my b/f when (as I expect) I predecease him (he's 40 years younger than me). It means he has entitlement to 2/3 of my Federal Government superannuation for the rest of his life, plus any other Oz assets. In the same year we had a Buddhist wedding ceremony in our village here in south Surin, which gave us social/family recognition even in the absence of officialdom. When I queried the situation as we began planning the ceremony, the response from the village elders was a very firm: "Marriage is for two people who love each other." Can't get clearer than that. What the formally-recognized marriage now in prospect will do is give ME protection here in Thailand in the event that my b/f predeceases me. He owns all the assets here - house, land, car. (I just own the money-flow.)

Clearly the Ukrainians are responsible for many of the bomb attacks and assassinations in Thailand's deep south.

The Senate will find reasons to say No!

If it were me who had the job of cleaning up the place, I think I would want to start with the military and the wunnerful medals-bedecked generals before I got around to Thaksin. Thaksin is small fry compared to them.

Well, except that the point of my story wasn't really about the towels. It was about the fact that they couldn't cope with sharing the pool itself with a male couple, and one of whom was a local native. (Poofters! and one of them's a darky!)

I don't imagine that'll be an issue for the Thais, once the sub reaches its home wharf ...

As long as someone somewhere in the Thai government and RTAF understands that, whichever of the 2 on offer they decide on, it's a multi-decade commitment ... and not just militarywise. The decision will have - or should have - major & ongoing economic and industrial implications for Thailand.

Sounds like just about all of us really.

Endless complexity. Thailand's answer to everything, resulting in endless confusion, injustice, inequality and backtracking. No concept that you could have a decent minimum wage across the whole country and all areas of employment, and what employers pay ABOVE that is up to them and whatever the market can tolerate. And no concept of collective bargaining ... One day Thailand will enter the late C20th, but I don't expect to see it.

Gosh, thinking outside the box. Mmmmm, don't know about that.

Classic mix of Thai incompetence & Chinese ruthlessness. No good outcome for the Thai Navy or - more importantly - for Thailand.

Funny that. Can't work it out ...

Filling his lungs with all that Thai fresh air.

Mmmm, plenty of opportunities ... Whether they'll be worth anything down the track is the question.

And good on him for mentioning this small fact. Hypocrisy should always be called out.

My only encounter ever with Russians was in late 2011 and then again several years later, staying both times at the Avalon on the beach at Pattaya. Lovely big swimming pool and each morning, as my b/f (Khmer - darkish skin in the sun) & I issued forth for a swim, Russians had 'occupied' (towel only) every deckchair round the pool. But as we appeared and dived in, every Russian in the pool immediately got out of the pool and sat there glowering at us. So we had the pool entirely to ourselves. This happened every day, on both occasions 3 or 4 years apart that we were there. You can draw your own conclusions.

In other words, Putin's 'cock-up' could well have been his conscious decision not to act on the US warning ...

Hard to think otherwise.

Never heard of irony?

Quite. I'm guessing that Thaksin's & Yingluck's appointments to the Privy Council are still in the (Thai) mail.

Great. But if you weren't paying attention you might imagine that P&P and co. have gotten off scot-free ... No exile for them! No criminal record for them!

So the 'High-Speed Train' hasn't even started the first 7.3km? Still scratching their heads and other parts of their anatomy? Sounds more like a slow boat to China.

Oh no! Soon the whole world will be closed to Brits, including even Britain! There's not even any room for Brits n Oz any more. All spaces taken by Chinese, Indians and high productivity!

Haven't heard of the countryside? Isaan? In my family's village there are many who earn 0฿ per day. They get by by begging, borrowing & stealing. And they're not all old people. Plenty of teenagers whose parents are incapable of supporting them ...

I wonder which Thais you're referring to. Where I live the average would be less than half that. And then there's the children to feed ...