Purdey

Never. Except when cycling in the park. The Thais are self conscious. Also, there is an amount of racism arising from tarring all white skinned foreigners as sexual predators. The OP needs to understand the negative history and overcome it with polite Thai and friendly smiles.

A lot of the problems for Thais with westerners began during the Vietnam war when Americans here would try to pick up women wherever they went. There was an assumption that Thais would do anything for money. Of course, Thais resented this. My wife was in Krabi many years ago and an old American man accompanied by his old Thai origin wife were getting out of a tourist boat. There were two local fishermen watching the 80 year olds clamber out and she overheard them say, "Look at her she's so old but can still sell herself." After that my wife won't hold hands in Thailand except to cross the street because she feels people will stare at her thinking she's on the game. Another point would be the size of westerners. Scrunching up next to a large westerner on a bus can feel uncomfortable. As others have said, smiling at people is one way of making them feel better. Moving seats or tables away from you is perhaps their way of giving you space. Personal space for friends and relatives is very small but for strangers it is further away. Lastly, make an attempt to learn basic Thai is helpful. Then when someone gives you space you can smile and say "thanks" or "no need to move." Again, it depends on how big you are.

No referendum results in the news article. Hardly insurrection if the group has no intention of following through either.

How much of that is reflected in a cleaner country, lower use of carbon and less waste? Just box ticking.

Still not a top 50 country; if gender parity is an important indicator of development, then it still has a long way to go.

Surprised Singapore police didn't catch him.

Wondering if a 'poverty girl' is English or not.

If the people who received extortion mails and knew they had not looked at child porn, why would they pay? There would be no evidence in their browser history. ... Or would there?

How can these people pretend to be pro-life when many states still have the death penalty, kids being shot in their classrooms?

Most parties just want lucrative ministerial portfolios. If Move Forward held all the key ministries and used their power to develop the country it would make a nice change.

No one knows who buys all this stuff. Why steal traffic lights?

Just the other day, Thailand announced it would make it easier for Chinese to get visas. Nuff said.

I wonder how many tanks were moved from the central region to the border. Seems Thailand buys a lot of weapons but rarely puts then in areas where the border is in danger, preferring to use them for coups.

If there is a "stupid" law that says don't cross the road except at a junction, then running across between junctions is illegal. It's not something the UK worries about and the British believe it would be ludicrous to make crossing the road wherever you want an offence, however minor. But it's most certainly illegal in the USA, where it is not seen as ludicrous by the police. They don't count how many feet you were from the corner. Thailand has its own laws and specifically about owning media shares when standing for office. All politicians know this before standing for office. Superficially reasonable when you look at how the media in the West affects politics. The fact that two leaders of the same Thai party knew they had media shares and expected to be made exceptions to the law in the face of their political competitors seeking any excuse to get rid of them is concerning. I mean how daft can they be? If they were negligent in this simple matter, what sort of leaders would they become?

I would like to understand why Thais alone are unable to serve the needs of the market in the Sukhumvit area. Why do foreigners think there is a gap in the market that they can fill? Partly, it could be the foreign vendors speak English. But then, most Thais who sell goods around that area speak some English. And for Thai customers, locals speak the lingo better and should beat foreign competitors. Also, sex toy sales is a risky business so perhaps there's not much local competition. I can only conclude that their home countries like Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Nigeria and Cambodia have insufficient jobs and such poor economies that any money made in Thailand is better than back home. Anyone have a different perspective?

Hospitals are full of diseases.

I suppose he thought he was defending himself.

Still not clear why they did all that. Didn't they give a reason?

Married mine two weeks before i met her...

And in the other news of the day is a Chinese thief stealing Louis Vuitton bags. You can't make this stuff up.

Whatever the rules of CPR at least someone was there to bring him round and so, another feel good story makes AN seem a better place.

Looking at a map of China showing the close regional proximity of US military bases compared with a map of north America with no Chinese military bases anywhere near, I guess the Chinese need to be more afraid than the US. Also, Americans forget there are a bunch of politicians older than Biden (Grassley is 89). It's just that Fox needs to find fault with Biden or he will defeat the Republicans again.

Can't say I like noodles every day. Whatever the breadth of Chinese cuisine, most eat the same food. And spitting bones into the floor of restaurants makes me throw up. And the howls of the dogs beaten to death in their cages for the strong meat used to keep the cold out. To take Richard Dawkins' quote and alter it, isn't it strange that wherever you are born, that is where you find the best food.

Pretty sure they've always been nasty. I guess you can't civilized then.

Am currently in Hanoi and no obvious street beggars here. I did notice people who provide services, like boat operators, are very pushy about tips. However, there are many really thin Vietnamese pushing and pulling carts so i suppose Thailand is the land of plenty for some, in the same way Thais go abroad looking for work. But if the Vietnamese police are tough on beggars why not Thailand?