Purdey

Not really a deeply political person but as I have started to have a few "senior moments" I understand that an old person can forget little things but can still understand the issues and debate them using many years of experience. On the other hand, I am not yet a certifiably lunatic p*ssy-grabbing liar, so, on balance, I prefer losing my train of thought now and then than the alternative.

No one has mentioned the penchant of banning political parties and leaders for life.

At 14 how are they to know? Kids will be kids.????

Unmarried 14 year olds need a choice - that doesn't mean they don't want babies, but at the right time. I would prefer that contraception was easy to get without embarrassment but apparently Thai kids find it very embarrassing to go to a doctor or pharmacist. Teachers themselves are sometimes embarrassed to teach sex education. Many teens are raped by neighbors or family members. I guess this is a way out of a complicated problem. Let them have a way out.

Where does it say this was a pro mask argument? It clearly shows that Thais take care of themselves better than the westerners. It clearly states that masks are not the only solution. If you have better evidence put it up here or stop making stuff up.

Be careful to read first. It was about foreigners who think they know more than Thais.

Always interesting to hear the immigrant armchair warriors wax lyrical about why Thailand is so bad at everything. While I don’t pretend to be a scientist, most scientists and health practitioners were extolling the virtue of wearing masks, washing hands and distancing. Anyone who says they weren’t doesn’t read the NHS or CDC websites. Then the aseannow.com crows boasted about how they don’t wear masks because they know better than Thais - and I thought, how have the westerners handled the pandemic compared to Thais? They must have done better than little Thailand surely? So, I thought let’s look at the Covid deaths per million. This will prove that some westerners know more than Thais when it comes to preventing the spread of Covid and justify their sarcasm. I picked two heroic countries that seem to know everything. Deaths per million 3,231 USA 2,773 UK 467 Thailand Oops. Now, I know that masks are not the only preventative action for slowing Covid but we are looking at how good westerners are at doing the right thing compared to Thais. This would ensure their criticism of Thailand has a foundation. There must be something they know that Thais don’t. Yet it seems they are terrible at dealing with the issue compared to Thais. Who would have thought it?

A bad smell? That's it?

He may ask the Red Bull heir how to get out of this pickle. The Thai press will always make more of a fuss when it's a foreigner.

One clue to potential vehicle owners is too find a list of reliable brands from something like Kelley blue book. Japanese brands seem to be at the top of the list. I have a Mazda and Toyota. Both have had no complaint from me or 'er indoors.

He can't have got that money alone. Who helped?

I would be rather concerned if a national leader knew nothing about maths, economics, budgeting and planning. But that's just me.

As many have mentioned, fatalism is a big part of Thai life. No one sees their imminent death because of something they did. Seven-year-olds especially. I wouldn't blame it on Buddha as he is not there in a statue (gone to Nirvana is the official stance, kicked the bucket a more colloquial term) and has no ability to assist anyone. Also, a lot of Thai beliefs are part Hindu, part animistic, hence the superstition that if you wear an amulet or have a tattoo, you won't face harm. Possible reasons why parents give their kids a motorbike are (a) because of the belief kids will take care of parents in their old age - so don't upset the kids. Show them love, give them leeway and they are your future pension and (b) distances being what they are, walking over 10 kilometers is never going to get you to school on time. Telling them to ride a bicycle instead is still going to get them killed if they go on a main road as they really do not learn how to ride. Just try cycling around the bicycle track at Bangkok's Railway Park to see how many swerve left and right at will, emergency brake to see if dad is following and the unexpected U-turn two feet in front of you because, well, I don't really know. The best you can do if your are a westerner is to teach your kid/stepchild to ride and cross the street safely.

The BOT governor knows raising interest too quickly will cause problems for business growth. The PM remembers the Tom Yang Kung crisis and 50 baht to the dollar. Interest rates and currency are both sensitive subjects here. As has been mentioned, 50 baht to the dollar would attract American tourists but they aren’t the largest tourist group and other currencies are also important.. The PM is a soldier, not an economist, and should be careful what he wishes for.

If it is not illegal and he can afford it, fine. Expect the family to borrow money in increasing amounts thereafter. Not being married does not mean a thing - you are the ATM.

I admire this gentleman. Tried hanggliding once then the vertigo kicked in. Motorbiked across Europe as well as Esarn but that was when i was single. Those days have passed. All i have left is a two seater sports car. Sad.

A lot of westerners here don’t understand that many government officer are, not to put too fine a point on it, far right-wing nationalists and really don’t love foreigners as many believe they should. However, their superiors tell them to allow foreigners in, so there is often a gnashing of teeth at the counter. The best advice is to smile without looking directly in their eyes, be very polite, call them sir (or madam) and keep smiling until the passport is stamped and returned. 15 to 30 days is pretty good for most people so the way to ensure you get it is to smile until your jaw locks.

Yes, as the sign in Welsh (an official language of the U.K. ) goes to show.

This is Thailand so I expect some issue with the English language. What I do not expect is that many native English speakers have a problem with English spelling and grammar. How many times do I have to see the word "your" instead of "you're"? England will "loose" the world cup? What is the "affect" of these rules? Perhaps before blaming non-English speakers we should look at our own usage. Moreover, translators don't always help. Saw this Welsh road sign and thought, why didn't they hire someone bilingual?

What the heck is this meant to be?

All bars and massage parlors should have CCTV with good quality microphones in offices. Record all discussions with police. Avoid defenestration by revealing information anonymously. If you go to a police station to complain, put your mobile phone on the table with recorder on. It might not work but friends and family will know what happened later, at least.

This may appear to be off topic but why are there no female generals in charge of female and child sexual abuse? Isn't it a no brainer? Please, no jokes about police brains.

This is preposterous! (Say this with dripping sarcasm) A member of the EU with its own sovereignty? The EU commission unable to impose its will? Egads. I thought EU members had no sovereignty!

Not really concerned with the cost as the racial discrimination behind it. The French pay the same as the Thais.

Killing a rapist is understandable if the forensics find sperm on her. An open and shut case. Key is as mentioned, how long did she plan the killing. In the UK, using more force than needed can lead to prison. The blood money to the rapist's family is positively third world.