Smithson

A friend's husband in Germany travels to Thailand annually for the temples also.

You can't be serious. The image clearly shows nothing out of the ordinary.

Are the planning another story to tell us what happened? Possibly the vaguest story ever to be put out by Thai media.

The reporting is pretty bad on this one, in one story he's 49 and another he's 59, both by the same author. It's important to remember these are allegations without much detail. He is in jail, pointing this out puts nobody in danger. There's not much info in the story, but an earlier one says he's confessed and been charged. What's the school's role in this? It seems for years this teacher has possibly been molesting girls within school grounds during school time and it was never noticed? At the very least the need to review procedures, install CCTV, maybe even sack an administrator... Several years ago an international school in Ubon employed a very well qualified teacher, without any background checks. A Google search would have revealed he'd been jailed in Indonesia for sexually assaulting students.

The German perp has probably realized that underage sex, skipping bail and paying bribes are all illegal, so probably best not to admit to them. Without a doubt the story's a titillating beat up to make Thailand look bad, so Germans can feel self righteous and ignore their own huge sex industry. People love to look down on Asian women. Tim Newton has covered this story extensively, almost obsessively, implying without evidence, that underage prostitution is rife here. Sex sells. Seems there's a lot of 'unethical' things going on.

Thailand has been colonized by North American Weed culture. It's common for ppl to resent outsiders making money, Thailand is no different. Once upon a time farang knew to keep a low profile.

The Department of Traditional and Alternative Medicine (DTAM) is currently inviting public feedback on the latest draft of the Cannabis and Hemp Act. Submission need to be in Thai and placed before Jan 23. https://weed.th/cannabis-hemp-act-feedback?locale=en

I doubt it, most likely they are fleeing shelling from Burmese forces.

Prior to legalization brick weed was 20k a kg, now it is 2k. In the past carrying small amounts of weed could see you locked up in horrific conditions, now they are advertising on FB and selling in shops. Considering this it's obvious there's much more use by youth than in the past. Cannabis is more visible and accessible than alcohol, of course there would be a backlash by Thais and they are particularly annoyed that so many farang are making money from it. It was the US who pushed Thailand to ban it, now once again we have entitled farang complaining when things don't go there way. Personally I think some regulation of all drugs is necessary and this supported by a lot of research in many countries. I just hope all those greedy business ppl, with their neon lights and rip off prices haven't spoilt things for ordinary ppl like me who'd just like to smoke without fearing jail.

Great to see them treating this serious matter so seriously.

As the cannabis advocates have pointed out, it's not really possible to differentiate between medical and recreational - I have insomnia, so I've enjoyed smoking to relax since I was a teen. In some countries I'm a criminal, in others a patient. I'm in favor of legalization, as are most of my Thai friends, but they are not happy with the current situation and I'm not sure farang on TV realize this. In Isaan cheap weed is available for home delivery, so lots of kids are smoking and not going to school. People can point out that it's better than them doing meth or even alcohol, but that's missing the point. It's worth remembering farang don't vote and this is not their country. Voicing our opinions too loudly could be counter productive. Cannabis seems highly commercialized in some US states and Thailand has followed that model with aggressive marketing and sales. It may turn out this strategy works because the genie just won't go back in the bottle. We will have to wait and see.

Thanks for the detailed info. As I understand it, the partial decriminalisation of yaba is only if the individual agrees to confined rehab and some other conditions. It's suggested that new cannabis laws will not have penalties for possession. My guess is they don't mind some recreational use, especially if it's tourists, but they need some control and don't want kids smoking.

Outdoor is not difficult if you have basic gardening skills and ignore many of the ppl on this forum. This is someone's first grow. The soil is like beach sand, with castings and a few additives. Find good genetics, that are heat tolerant and mould resistant. Plants in pots get stressed in this heat, that's basic. Put them in the ground with plenty of mulch, enough water and they can handle full sun. It's not that hard.

Is that in Pattaya? Might give it a mss.

Pattaya is most definitely in Thailand and what goes on there also goes on elsewhere. This seems to shock people, even when they've been here for years.