aussienam

There's a lot of finger pointing going on here. If it was me, I'd just give them the finger.

The only winners in gambling setups are the ones running them, those who get paid to turn a blind eye, the money launderers needing somewhere to wash dirty money (physical gambling setups and often paying several people to wash the cash for them) and very occassional professional gamblers who can card count, etc (who often need to move around as they get barred). The rest are mugs who overwhelmingly lose everything they punt.

Welcome back diesel spewing tourist coaches, heavier traffic and pushing and shoving at 7-Elevens by these 'well mannered' Chinese citizens.

This a$$h*** was riding way too fast for prevailing road conditions - built up area, pedestrians, blind spots, congested street. To take off after striking the lady is cowardice and typical selfishness that prevails here in LOS. Why ride this fast in a built up zone? Showing off? Self perceived bravado? Trying to intimidate and scare others with aggressive riding? What was the rush? I bet there was no legitimate reason. Just sheer stupidity as normal. The fault of the pedestrian is that she did not take more due care to cross, taking into account the fact there are dangerous drivers/riders in this country. If a bike is speeding, accelerating up a street, don't think these idiots will slow down to the speed limit or less. You may be the one in the right, but that doesn't help when you are crippled or dead.

Spring offensive has begun with Russia buildup of large amounts of troops entering Ukraine. Russian men will be needed to replace their own dead bodies and boost numbers. Wondering if Putin restricts travel for many more men this year as he ramps up his putsch to try to overthrow Ukraine. Would this affect Russian tourist inflows significantly? However, with sanctions around the world barring these unwanted Russians travelling to their countries, Thailand is one of a few still allowing them. And I doubt global sanctions will be lifted for a very long time. This benefits Thailand tourism of course. Hard one to guess how numbers will be affected.

There is a black market in selling monkeys for export to laboratories for experiments, so wonder if that is part of what has occurred? And/Or wet markets for neighboring countries to sell for meat? Animal trafficking is massive in SEA.

Quite possible. Some things the public should not be privy to as there may be ongoing investigations with associates of this fellow? Just a guess. Maybe he was up to badness here too.

I've seen a few very similar looking creatures stumbling out of bars and charging off down the road.

Outcomes of Royal Commissions into systemic police corruption usually identify that a poorly paid police force is a contributing factor. A trade off to increasing wages needs to be much higher accountability, addition of multiple external government agencies that test and oversight police actions and handle complaints. Also higher penalties and other punishments for corrupt behaviour. Just increasing salaries won't fix the problem. BTW as an aside, the new video ad pop-up that ASEAN has included when reading the threads is mega annoying. It gets in the way and when replying to a topic it crowds into the reply text box, blocking vision of what you are typing. And trying to tap the 'X' is hard as partly obscured right on the edge of screen so easy to tap on ad and be redirected to ad site. And it returns anyway within a few seconds. I am typing on an Android phone and half the screen already crowded by keyboard.

It would have been a better outcome if the four Nigerians suspected of being involved in romance scams online, were firstly put under technical and physical surveillance and if true, a serious multiple fraud case was built against them to throw these types of scum into prison. Then after a lengthy jail term, throw their worthless a**es out of the country. Instead, these POS will be deported and will just set up in another country where they will continue to fleece the vulnerable of all their life's savings. Thailand is truly a mecca for scum. Guys living the highlife here off the back of criminal ventures that have served them well.

That's why I have never been to these tourist places. Rip off prices for what's usually a rather lame experience. People saying that these tourists should have researched pricing etc - holiday mode, people aren't going to do that normally. You can always call the consumers out as being the ones to blame. Scammers know that. And it ain't capitalism charging 5000 Baht for something that is usually 10% of that price. It's called price gouging. Other nations have consumer watchdogs just for that reason.

Story reads like this man had a bizarrely high amount of trust to someone he actually never physically met. I am wondering if the guy is on the spectrum and/or developmentally delayed? I recall watching a series of interviews of a guy in the Philippines who blew his money based on ludicrous amounts of blind trust and he had mental issues. Places like Thailand/Philippines are not kind to those easily manipulated. If this 'lady' is in fact a civil servant, then she has a lot to answer for legally, morally and ethically. I am not surprised in LOS.

Charming individuals. So, potential heart attack victims will possibly die instead of a chance of being saved because the defibs have been swiped by these lowlife selfish POS. A new low.

There is no logic in having statute of limitations for serious indictable offences. Other countries have moved to scrap time limits for serious offences. Why should those who have killed or other serious offences have the opportunity to escape justice, merely because they were not caught within an arbitrary time limit. And in developing countries where corruption is a major issue, it only serves as a means of those with financial means and connections, to evade the law. All it would take is amendments to the legislation.

I just pictured a macabre image of a cart piled with bodies being wheeled around Pattaya in the wee hours and a Thai man yelling "bring out your dead" then banging a loud bell.

You are correct. It is not stipulated to be just a passport. My bad.

There is actually a law that foreigners here need to be in possession of their passport at all times. I carry a photocopy of it. Many retirees here get a mini laminated version. This is Thailand, not your country, which has no jurisdiction here. You can express your native country's freedoms but it won't help you if BIB or immigration pull you up. Plus let's say you fall seriously ill, or badly injured and carted off to hospital, always wise to carry insurance details so no delay in getting emergency surgery/treatment as many hospitals here will let you die on the gurney if you can't pay.

So I am throwing out a wild guess the BIB concerned was/were moonlighting with the fake police bike/s. Extra cash to make from self entitled wealthy Chinese who feel the need to bolster their self importance with this 'VIP treatment'. At least they were actually police and not impersonators. There is a YouTube video series I recall of a tosser in the USA who was actually only a security guard who modified a bike with lights and sirens for funeral escorts and thought he was HWP by stopping traffic, speeding and yelling at drivers to yield. Hilarious.

The appalling driving manners and general standards of Thais, reflected by sheer massive carnage statistics and what is seen by outsiders, make Thais appear to be extremely unintelligent, idiotic, uneducated and uncivilized. Of course, a Thai person has capacity to be intelligent, etc (and many are very smart). But this is the perception that others see. The insane driving behaviours are deeply entrenched in culture as acceptable. It's a ground up approach needed from virtually a Thai toddler to change this. Combined approaches from school education, media, significant law enforcement, penalties and points, politicians implementing policies and laws, proper driving schools, harder licensing requirements and tests. A whole social shift is needed. I really don't know if it will ever happen to be honest. Too hard basket. Sorry for the deceased lady, but this is going to keep happening here. TIT.

Reminds me of the time a mirror in my bathroom in the 3 year old condo I had here in Thailand suddenly fell and smashed into pieces all over the bench, toilet and shower area. I had just finished using the throne about 15 minutes prior. Could have cut me up severely or killed me. The glue used to fasten the mirror had failed probably not suited to this heat. Screw in brackets best option.

I have to laugh at people who wore/wear a mask over their mouth but not their nose. There's a fellow at my gym who dons his mask like this and I just wonder ..... for what? Time to free yourself of the mask mate.

Um, no I never stated the Snoopy scooter had a loud horn. You've misquoted me. I am not preaching as though I was there. My comments are on being careful around Thai drivers and the actions you take. Being objective about what had transpired .... I am. I am basing the scenario over the alleged account of events (sounding horn and banging on car). Whether or not that actually transpired, I'll leave that up to investigators, lawyers and the judge to determine. I don't know what really transpired. The final actions of the Thai man were obviously criminal and inexcusable regardless of the initial alleged provocation. You are obviously upset over this and I suggest mate you take a step back, take some deep breaths and relax.

You are making yourself appear like a total fool with a huge grudge. Who cares about the decibel levels of a horn and from what type of vehicle it sounded from. The level of anger from a deranged mind such as this Thai accused is potentially not going to be determined by the type of horn being sounded excessively behind him. So a Snoopy has a soft horn. So? It's the manner in which it was used that could have aggravated the situation. The combination of a horn sounded from whatever vehicle (who gives a sh** what type) and banging on someone's car could set off an unhinged man, such as alleged by this Thai. My argument about being careful how you behave on these roads remains the same, regardless of what horn is being applied. A Snoopy horn doesn't mean it's not going to annoy someone. Good luck with that mindset.

Maximum penalty for murder in Thailand is 15-20 years. Death penalty as well but very rarely applied. Mitigating factors, good behaviour and Royal pardons, I wouldn't be surprised if this guy spends less than ten inside. If the account of accused is true (if can be confirmed by CCTV and/or witness statements) then the deceased bumping the back of a car and blasting his horn was a pretty foolish and hazardous thing to do here, as many of us know how violent Thais can quickly become if offended and provoked.

Glad it was just the stupid driver who is deceased and not innocent bystanders or other road users.