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If he's got 100,000 Euros to throw at him so easily, he's got 200,000 Euros. Ask for 300,000 and see what the counter offer is. If I were him, I'd take 200,000 Euros and paid medical expenses and you'd never have to hear from me again. Not like any justice is ever going to happen....

Whether or not it's actually a surge.... I can't even begin to fathom the nightmare of living in a condo with any appreciable number of Chinese residents, like more than one, hopefully separated by more than one floor. As much as I enjoy my friendship with a few Chinese immigrants, I've had some hideous experiences with Chinese in hotels. I was really sad to inform the owner of a hotel in Chiangmai that I had regularly gone to for 15 or so years, that I wouldn't be returning again. He knew exactly why before I even began to say. I really enjoyed the owners acquaintance and loved the location/comfort/price of his hotel. Then... a tour operator who catered to Chinese found it. That was the end! So much for enjoying quiet, sleepy Chiangmai... An experience I'll never forget. They completely destroyed my continued love of traveling to my nostalgic familiar haunt and relaxing vacations up north. I've since found other places to enjoy, but nonetheless, it was quite a sad day and has never been quite the same....

Anyone else find that a very odd way of describing the injury? "pierced his skin"??? The only thing that came to mind is that the translator has no clue what a compound fracture is and they came up with this after asking about it or maybe looking it up in a dictionary?

I thought that would be evident from my comment... although I suppose I didn't explicitly say so... Yes.

You've been here for 40 years and you are surprised that a Thai person would take a taxi for 1 km?? Seriously? Apart from the possibility of rain or extreme heat, I only know a couple of my Thai friends who would walk a kilometer! lol I've heard Thais say so many times, something like "Farang sure do like to walk a lot!" Just because we will walk 1 or 2 km rather than taking a motorcycle, bus, or taxi. Being here for 40 years and that surprising you makes me wonder if you know any Thai people. Or are they all very poor? Nothing wrong with that... just wondering how you could possibly be surprised at that.

What does that have to do with the price of bread on a rainy Tuesday afternoon in Mongolia???

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule/generalization. I also remember the 70's when hitchhiking was the way to get anywhere and backpackers that I knew or bumped into along the way were hitchhiking to find the next group or place somewhere over yonder that they heard about that some good weed or speed and/or a cool scene with peaceful vibes to vege at or a welcoming commune to crash in or some other cool cat's pad to hang loose for a while. It was outta sight man! lol

Not sure what "it" is referring to. In some of the things, I would agree that they weren't as bad, but others, in my personal experience, things were DEFINITELY worse. Of course, that is only limited to my personal experience and may be very different from others'. There were absolutely worse years in places that I was in for pollution, both smoke and industrial/vehicle. I remember police wearing masks ALL the time because the pollution was so bad and tests revealed that the average street cop in BKK had something like 9 or 10 times the amount of lead or some other crap in their blood than is safe. I remember feeling nauseous because the air was so horrid. Haven't felt that for many years now. Crime was hit and miss although I definitely experienced more problems with break-ins back in the 90s and early 2000s. Seems much safer these days. Double pricing and signs forbidding foreigners from some establishments were also much more common from what I've experienced in the past 10 years. The Chinese boom of tourism is a relatively recent thing, although there are many factors, it seems that since 2012 with the "Lost in Thailand" movie, Chinese started arriving in droves, much like how tourism boomed after the movie "The Beach" in 2000, but the Chinese just keep coming... although perhaps not in as huge numbers, just like how the boom after the popularity of The Beach waned with time. People are fickle and also Thailand has changed, developed a lot since those days and it is nowhere near as cheap as it once was. And I have a feeling that with its development, many people don't feel the cultural "charm" as much as they once did. Of course, it is a very complex thing and there are a massive number of factors that all add up into one big pile of "Thainess" from which the putrid odor emanates strongly enough to make me not as interested as I once was, but I have become attached in different ways that are not detachable now 😅 But don't get me wrong. It's not all bad. There are plenty of things to enjoy and don't need to let the smell get to you, that's what respirators or good masks are for after all!😂

Yes, it definitely depends on what part of the world one is coming from and what one would like to do. But, if I'm not mistaken, the biggest bulk of tourism in Thailand is focused more on the months I mentioned because those are the months that suit a much larger portion of visitors. But, of course the "off" months should absolutely not be ignored and I can't imagine a reason why they would not include Australians in that 90 day deal. The only thing I can think of is if there might be a less than desirable visa policy in Australia toward Thais and so Thailand would maybe want some sort of concession on the Australian end to help Thais get to Australia more easily before they give the 90 day visa to Australians? Just a wild guess... I have no idea. I would think that Australians would be included....

Not sure if I understand your response. The months you mention fit right in with what I said. I said about Nov - Feb, "about" giving leeway to spill into Oct & March, and as I mentioned that year to year it varies as well, depending on seasonal weather changes that never come with the exact same timing and patterns. I'm not sure what difference you are thinking we have in our ideas. As for Northern Norway, no, I'm not from there. I don't think the demographic of tourists from that part of the world are particularly large as to affect the tourism of Thailand to any noticeable degree in this context, so I'm not sure to what effect it would matter. I was only speaking as a generalization. So, of course, there will always be differences on the fringe areas of a generalization.

These days? Has it ever been any different?

Air pollution, political unrest, strange selectively enforced laws, double pricing, alcohol limitations, and being targets of opportunity for theft and robbery have all been problems for DECADES in Thailand. No change with any of that at all. It may or may not have much of an impact on tourism, but not for any of those reasons, at least not any more than in the past. I can imagine that it may have some sort of an impact on lower budget, younger people's extended travels, but I doubt on much more than that.

If I were on a tourist visa, I don't think I'd want to stay much more than 4 months or so anyway. The weather is only enjoyable from maybe somewhere around November-February (depending on the year and the smoke....). Tolerable at other times, but if touring, why go somewhere to tolerate it rather than enjoy it?

Apparently the "Rapid Response Centre for Accelerating Public Welfare Management of SDHS" (Social Development and Human Security) didn't accelerate rapidly enough in order to manage securing him....

Conviction of sexual assault on kids should result in an automatic death penalty, no discretion by the judge or jury - mandated by law, automatic. I can't fathom why anyone should live in society, even in a jail, after committing such acts.

"Influencer" So, I'm guessing he was a tourist? Not sure if being an "influencer" can get you a work visa these days, but who knows, as long as you keep your 90 days going properly! But I'm guessing he was yet another example of a quality tourist. Very sad for his family though... :(

Now that's a group of real bona fide geniuses there! True quality tourists.

I think it'd be better if it were done in public. Maybe on the school grounds with mandatory attendance of all teachers in that school district. Public corporal punishment, streamed live, would be a very good solution IMO. Of course, blacklisting them nationwide afterward too.

Not only have I not heard of that actually happening, I've heard the opposite, where the teacher's colleagues come out in their defense, even in sexual abuse type stuff! I can't even fathom how this kind of thing continues to happen without some serious violence being done by a parent! Violence is so pervasive here as a method of solving conflict, but when it comes to harm to children, it seems to just get a pass. COMPLETELY mind-boggling! I would think it would be the opposite. Even criminals often mete out justice to child molesters in prisons, but here, "professional" colleagues come out in the deviants' defense or sometimes parents or "guardians" are heard making excuses for the perp. Beyond my ability to grasp....

Are you French? :p

I'd say both. She let him have access to the cat (an assumption, but probable) and may have let him take it out in the car too. She likely also knew the cat was not where she was licensed to have the animal or transported it herself. Whether it is intelligent to keep such an animal is a debatable issue. But the stupidity and insecurity shouts loud and clear on MANY levels.

Talk about wearing your insecurity on your sleeve.... so utterly stupid, whether legal or not.

Which has incessantly being begged for over the past 20 years.... It would truly be amazing if they succeed. But I have a feeling it'll be more akin to smoke/2.5 reduction schemes :/

Not that I disagree with your comparison, but I highly doubt the court that made this order is made up of culturally Lanna people. That culture has been largely wiped out by the Thai and is only existing as a remnant, although there is clearly still a difference, generally, in the population of the northern provinces, I don't think it can truly be called Lanna anymore. Over 100 years of subjugation has made vast changes. Heck, there are hardly any people who are even literate in Lanna (Kam Mueang). But, in another sense, you can hardly be said to be wrong at all, since culture changes, whether due to subjugation by a larger force or not. I just wonder which may be more accurate, that there is a Lanna culture or that there is a Thai culture with Lanna influence.