John Drake

I think at least a couple of them are looking for rocks to hide under.

Charlene An now needs to sue for defamation.

So Chuwit says there is video proof, then suddenly the police admit to extortion, after denying it and slandering Charlene An. Chuwit is a one man wrecking ball. Wish he were PM.

I support any American leader doing so. Just as I supported Pelosi on this forum when she visited Taiwan.

As Russia/China essentially is an axis entity committed to worldwide domination, this is welcome news. I should like to see sanctions extended to secondary entities supporting such companies as Spacety China. That means Chinese companies seeking to escape sanctions through setting up dummy firms in neighboring countries. Those firms and the countries supporting such activities need to be put under trade sanctions immediately. Time to take all these sort of things much more realistically, if we in the West hope to emerge from this as something more than broken puppets ourselves.

Is it a riot yet?

I always carry my passport, so they can identify my body when I'm eventually run over by some driver on Thai streets and roads.

Looks almost insignificant compared to what has gone on since then. Besides, better to let Thaksin own it than Chinese triads.

Yes, anybody who thinks the anti-war protests had nothing to do with America pulling out of Vietnam simply wasn't there. OTOH, those who think protesting against the war in Russia will do any good probably have that wrong. I think Putin would just mow them down. Or more likely do like Xi has just done in China with the anti-Covid Zero protests, allow protesters to reveal themselves, pretend to give in to them, and then start arresting all the leaders who self identified themselves. This is the fundamental difference between America and Russia/China. Protests matter, and policies change because of them in the US. Not so much in the case of Russia/China. And btw Russia/China is probably how we should start thinking of those two entities now.

It's not as if something like this hasn't happened before. https://www.gulf-times.com/story/363683/thai-cops-kidnap-two-italian-tourists

This from NBCBayarea reporter:

The large number of illegal Chinese businesses is the key. That is what is most important and is the likeliest outcome increased Chinese tourism, especially individual, non-group tours. How many "tourists" will simply disappear into the woodwork, carrying bags of money to set up shop? It's a silent annexation. I see in the Bangkok Post that the new slogan for Thai-Chinese tourism is "Two Lands, One Heart." Sounds a lot like the description of Hong Kong the PRC used, "One Country, Two Systems." Great. Until the PRC dropped the hammer and abolished Hong Kong's system.

The world, alas, is quite busy doing just the opposite.

In worrying about "friends," ASEAN (and Thailand) ought to consider FDI. The US dwarfs China in that regard. Perhaps the US government should direct US firms towards more US "friendly" countries.

These crackdowns do take place. And people are caught up in them and suffer the consequences. They may then lapse into non-enforcement, but do not discount the ability of a crackdown to wreak havoc as intended before it's put in the closet and ready to be rolled out next time.

Now that the Chinese are back, I imagine digital nomads are expendable. They're not well liked by anyone, it seems. Lots of money to be made from catching, arresting, fining, imprisoning, and ransoming them.

Meanwhile, over there in reality-land,

Just about every day I see cars and trucks speed into Phutthamonthon Sai 3 and the newly painted crosswalk. They seem to speed up as they see the crossing. Not uncommon to see vehicles whip around from behind a slower moving car or truck and head into the crosswalk almost blindly. There is a police station literally less than 10 meters from the curb of the crosswalk. All the police need to do in order to mint money is come out of their station and pull over offenders. Should clear at least 50,000 baht every 15 minutes.

Looks sort of like a dweeb in the fuzzy photo.

This is exactly how northern Laos essentially became annexed and how Cambodia is following the same pattern. Chinese come in and ignore local laws and rules. Just do as they please, while building their own infrastructure. Eventually, a state within a state, and the entire geographic entity then falls into their lap without a shot being fired.

It was in the papers, because the BoT released a statement. Anybody with any brains at all knows that manipulation of finances goes on in this country to the benefit of a tiny elite so they can buy property, soccer teams, and companies in other countries. That's why Thai exporters are already complaining about an overly strong baht. And that's why nobody will listen to them. Not when there are buyouts to undertake, mergers to make, and a Bentley or two or dozens to be had, along with some large estates to buy. But go ahead and pretend your George Soros and the king of the forex.

We knew last time because they released a statement. And we know why that was, too, don't we? Because releasing the statement itself increased the pile on and helped strengthen the baht (or in nigelforbesenese "reduce volatility.") 555

So 35 to 38 is volatility. Must intervene. But 38 to 33 is not. Everything just fine. Laughable.

That would create a vast tropical slum.

The latest Thaiger story identified two of them as "Australian citizens." And says they poured beer over the mother's head. Australian mafia? Hmmm.