mfd101

Well, every little helps but there is an indefinite (or at least unknown to me) number of Thais who do not belong to or work in the 'formal' economy. Only the informal one - somewhere between 30% & 60% of the population? The relevance to THEM of this generous committee's deliberations is not obvious.

Things that are perfectly normal in The West (and for good reason) are poured over here to find the hidden evil. Soon there'll be an appeal to the Constitutional Court to have him dismissed for taking 4 days' leave ...

A general cultural trait in Thailand: Unable to distinguish between quantity & quality.

That would be logical, but TIT ... might require a further 10-year wait. I'm torn between enjoying and dreading our arrival at the relevant office here in Prasat Surin and seeing the look of consternation on the faces of the clerks. "Thai only!"

Yes, it is the end of the world as we have known it. And it can only improve.

Let us hope so.

All about government intervention to change prices on this, that and the next thing. Does the Government actually produce all these things? What do the producers (ie capitalists at all levels of the economy) think? Or are we actually in a command economy à la soviétique?

And taxes on wine will be reduced by 90% any year now ...

Of course extensive ecological studies will have been undertaken already so the effects on tides, sands, fishing and local populace will have been fully considered and the necessary actions will be included in the regulations for the concession ...

None of which will help at all unless the thousands upon thousands of domestic workers are alerted to and understand their rights and are able to enforce them with their employers without being sacked (or worse).

I couldn't fight a kitten but I think if I were attacked like that I would be so outraged I would lose my temper and just flail at them till they killed me.

And the Finns are regularly rated the happiest people in the world! But that's on average.

More money than he knows what to do with. Fundamentally disgusting.

The biggest cockroach I ever saw was in BKK in 2013 when we were staying for a couple of weeks in a 1-room bit of a rather downmarket block ... A roach the size of a mouse ran out one day from under the bed. I thought that was the roach of roaches but, as I see above, apparently not. Here at home in south Surin I see about 2 or 3 every week, 'normal' size, but only if I haven't renewed the anti-gecko/snake spray ...

So salvation will come from more and more tourism? I don't think so. Tourism does 2 things: (1) confirms and prolongs your status as a low-education, low-productivity, low-tech Second/Third World economy & society; (2) destroys the basis of its own success - 'Come in your millions to see our pristine beaches!'.

It would make a great read to see the original strategic and operational planning that the Navy used to propose & justify the purchase of submarines. (Probably 2 minutes to get to the end?)

Don't be silly. We the planners won't be round by then so we don't need to worry about it. Meantime there's lots of profits to be made.

More cars doesn't HAVE to be a given. Decent rail systems - between suburbs, within cities, between cities - would be a much better investment.

All the usual Thai cultural problems. When the best you can aspire to - collectively or individually - is worker-bee status in the 3rd World/2nd World borderlands, then you're not going to head up towards the bright lights of technological creativity. Slumming it is all we can look forward to.

Always interesting to see people who think of themselves as upstanding members of our open, democratic & free societies but are quite unwilling to accept minority groups asserting their right to the same privileges.

Here in south Surin 'winter' does appear to have finished. Altogether we had around 1.5 days in Nov. Got down to 17C at 0600. Don't know how I managed! My b/f says they used to get up to 4 months of 'winter' when he was a lad. The most I've experienced in 11 years of visiting and living here was 2 weeks, with lows down to 14C. Had to wear shoes & socks and jeans to cope. The funniest thing is to watch the locals all rugged up with heavy jacket, woollen hat and scarf, but just sandals on their feet ...

In the absence of education and varied life experience, superstition reigns supreme. Same in The West.

I do. I see him about once every 5 years. But he remembers me and had no difficulties 4 or 5 years ago recommending me (at around 1000) to attend the local (very large & good quality but overwhelmed with numbers) public hospital at 1400 the same day for a minor op on one leg, conducted by him. Total price was 2 or 3K baht. Chinese Thai, of course.

Yes, noting that - being now a non-resident for tax purposes - I have to pay more Oz tax while living in Thailand. On the other hand, living here is cheaper than in Oz ... so it about pans out. Personally, I'm very happy living here and my Oz friends visit from time to time to see what life amongst poor peasants is like. Answer: Anthropologically fascinating, but in any case I have my books and my lover. For life.

Just compare daily life in Oz for 90% of the population with daily life in Thailand for 90% ... Any rational person would conclude that Oz is one of the half-dozen best places in the world for most people to live most of the time. As every survey of life, society, culture & economics suggests ... (So why do I spend my old age living in the backblocks of Thailand? Because my Khmer b/f couldn't cope in Canberra and away from his family. And because books are easily transported.)