KhaoYai

That was always going to be the outcome - the new constitution was designed to make sure that the only candidates that are 'allowed' to run the country are those that are aligned with the establishment. With the biggest voter turnout on record, I think the people have sent a message that they want serious change - will they get it? I doubt it but if they do, the Army will backtrack on its promise of no more coups. This could go many ways and one of them is a mass demonstration by the people, demanding their will is put into place. That could involve riots and or something akin to the situation when the Red Shirts were around. I hate to say it but if it does come to that, I would applaud the people for making a stance. Hopefully it won't come to that but I'm not holding my breath. The prospects for real change are, I think, slim. There is either change and the threat of future coups or more elections until the Army get what the new constitution was designed to do - keep the status quo. The elite families of Thailand are not going to give up their troughs any time soon.

Which is exactly what I was getting at earlier. They all moan about corruption but many of them take part in it in one way or another. Either taking or giving, it needs to stop but will only do so when the Thai people stop their participation and reject corruption completely - not going to happen.

They just do it differently - they rip you in the room.

Oh, the crazy defamation law where the truth is no defence? Well yes but you would have to actually name someone or make it unmistakably clear who you were talking about.

Honest people, believe it or not.

Surely there must be a way? I'd collect all the evidence then tell the thieving bitch she either stops it or a report is going in - and the same happens if anyone loses their job. Obviously I'm not being serious - I'm not Thai bashing, I'm just being honest and reporting what I hear - just about all the Thai's I've spoken to about corruption all say how disgusting it is. However, I'm pretty sure that some of them are taking part in it because some of them work for public bodies. The things you report would be fairly easy to prove through an audit. However, it would probably be equally as easy to pay off the auditors. The one thing I've learned about Thai's are that they are not very good at lying or covering their tracks. One probable reason for that is that nobody tries too hard to investigate those lies and cover ups. For example, a certain Deputy Prime Minister claiming he borrowed 25 very expensive watches - obvioulsy he needed to know the time in 25 countries and didn't want to trust a Timex. In the case of your step daughter's school - concealing where 200,000 of lunch fund money went would be pretty difficult to do and I doubt the school will have any real invoices for the minibuses hired for school trips. I don't think an honest auditor would take very long to nail the director but as its Thailand, the reality is that the auditors would probably notify the school they were coming a month beforehand. Obviously by the time the audit took place - the books will balance and the auditors will be a little richer. In my book, corruption is far worse than stealing - it stifles the growth of a country and makes social mobility very difficult. But it is, as your wife says - endemic in Thailand. I've heard that even some policemen pay to get a job where the position has lucrative 'side earnings'. When I say Thai's are taking part in corruption, that includes being on the take themselves or by paying 'tea money'. I've been in a car with a Thai when we were stopped at a police checkpoint and money has changed hands even though we'd done nothing wrong - when asked, many just pay! Corruption takes place everywhere, even here in the UK but I simply cannot imagine a UK police officer stopping me and claiming I'd been speeding without any evidence whatsoever. They seem to have stopped the 'police checks' just North of Korat on Highway 2 these days but I've been pulled in twice there before and presented with a photo of my car. A photo with nothing on it, no speed, no reference number, nothing, is just that, a photo. On both occasions I've simply told the nice officer that his photo proves nothing and after a little arguing, been waved on. I'm pretty sure my Thai friends would have paid up. Its a difficult one and I don't claim to have the answer to it but Thai's could make a start by refusing to take part in corruption.

I buy most of my tyres secondhand on Ebay and the reason many of them are there is because they have been 'plug' repaired - I've done many thousands of miles on them and never had a problem. Some tyre shops tell customers they would be safer with a new tyre in order to make a sale - they then sell the old tyre. Most car manufacturers also recommend that punctured tyres should be discarded - its rubbish. Most repairs utilise a patch plug - a hole is drilled so that the punctured area of the tyre is clean and symmetrical and a V shaped plug with a patch on the bottom is then glued and pulled through the hole from the inside, its virtually impossible to 'blow out'. There are other types of repair - some are 'screwed' in from the outside - I wouldn't accept anything other than a plug and the maximum size plug I would accept is 6mm. There are also 'mushroom' plugs, not sure about them. In theory they should be as safe as a standard patch plug but I stick to what I know. I've also seen holes simply patched like you would do on a bicycle - again, unacceptable. However, I would never ever, use a tyre that has had a sidewall repair - I'm not totally sure but I believe sidewall repairs are illegal in the UK.

Unless the winning party successfuly overturns the 2018 constitution that is.

Good point - even here in the UK, democracy is under threat. Rights and freedoms are slowly being eroded.

I was pointing out the fact that corrution is widespread and its a scurge, its also illegal yet the punishements for those caught - rarely fit the crime.

I don't think that's correct but I don't have time to find the link at the moment. I renewed my passport early recently because when I checked, Thailand requires 6 months. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand/entry-requirements EDIT - Found the link

The consequences of committing the crime of Corruption can also be quite severe but that doesn't seem to stop 'some people'. How does the story go........'people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones'?

??? Are you aware of who the leader of Pheu Thai is?

Excellent point. Not much different to Prayuth's friend Putin really.

Yes and I believe Pheu Thai is also in trouble for something or other - its so predictable and boring that I can't remember the details. A party could be squeaky clean but the moment they seem like any kind of threat to the generals and the elite families they protect and serve, some false claim or other would be made. Thailand will never change and will always remain 'owned' by, I think its 6 elite families - without a civil war. I don't think the real 'opposition' have sufficient funding to make any sort of credible challenge to the generals so that's hardly likely. Anyone who doesn't understand why I refer to the 'generals' should read the 2018 constitution where they effectively granted themselves the power to control the country forever. What I find most strange is that most Thai's I speak to, say they are aware of what goes on, know they don't have a true democracy and are unlikely to ever have one - but just accept that that's how things are. Strange, as I'm writing this in the UK, there's a story on the BBC news that makes exactly the same point about the 'generals' as I do above. The BBC's Jonathan Head states that Pheu Thai is favourite to win and Move Forward are gaining ground but that whoever wins the actual election, they could find that they are blocked from entering government by the Senate (general's puppets). My money's on months of legal action and turmoil with no resolution for a very long time. The general's are unlikely to accept anyone who either isn't in their pockets or is likely to have any actual power.

Sadly I don't think the young girl will be found alive - too much time has passed without sight of her. The story was that she had gone out on a motorbike with her boyfriend, the deceased so its fair to presume they were together when he was killed. If that presumption is correct, I can't see the killer letting her live. He had buried the young man in a grave so he clearly wanted to conceal the crime - no matter how poorly hidden the body was. If the young lady was there and saw the killing there would be little point in hiding the body if she was allowed to live. I suspect, given the killer's history, that the girl may have suffered other crimes before she was killed. I hope to god for her sake, that my suspicions are wrong and she turns up fit and well.

On your first point, I think you'd be very much in the minority there. I can fully understand the concerns of other passengers. On your second point, I never mentioned anything about reboarding, I would also be happy to board if an engineer had certified the plane was fit to fly.

How many competent aircraft engineers travel on the flight? You talk as if the panic was over nothing. It appears that the fault turned out to be a minor one but looking at the photo, I'm not at all surprised that people were very worried.

Both agree and disagree. I've been divorced more times than I care to mention and putting it in perspective, I've lost very little - in the divorce that is. However, if I tot up how much I spent during the relationships, that would be a completely different story. That is especially the case in a marriage to an Asian woman where the culture itself expects the male to provide (pay) everything. I've been in a marriage where my wife (Thai) earned more than me and as Britman says, she considered that her earnings were hers - to the extent that she tried to hide what she had and saved up a small fortune whilst I paid 80% of the cost of living. We'd had our problems and always got through them but when I found out about her financial situation and how she'd been duping me - I ended the relationship on the spot. These days, I'm in a relationship but we do not live together - even when I'm in Thailand, we each have our own houses and that's the way its going to stay. I know very well (from experience) that if I were to take things further, it would end up costing me a fortune. As a bonus, when I want a little 'extra' - I'm able to do so. I doubt many will admit to it but I believe most guys would like to have a little 'extra' from time to time. When I do, its P4P all the way - I know the cost of that from the outset and its drama free. No divorce to worry about, nobody trying to take my house, car or anything else I've worked for. I should have done this years ago but at least I've finally seen the light. I am sure there will be relationships where the female has paid the Lion's share but they, I am certain, will be very few and far between.

Then you should check out what used to happen - before it was discovered that smugglers were using 'cover ups'.

Well yes you can actually - coffee grounds used to be used regularly. You have to also train the dog to recognise the substances used to cover up the odour of the drugs.

My thoughts exactly...........Thailand proving once again that it is at the cutting edge of the war against drugs.

You're joking right? I don't indulge in P4P that much these days (and not because I don't want to) but I can tell you this much - you will give P4P females far less bits of paper than you will give to a wife or girlfriend. For some guys, wives and girlfriends literally cost them everything!

Let's hope so ????

So you wouldn't have been worried at all then?