Bert got kinky

Given that this is a Thai politician, the figure of 566% will most likely have been made up on the spot. Even if it were a true figure, it would mean absolutely nothing. Before the decriminalisation, paranoid smokers would not go to a hospital knowing that they would be arrested and end up serving a stretch in prison.

weed when abused results in serious permanent mental issues And alcohol doesn't? ????

Emergency Room admissions for cannabis up 566% as parties call for it to again be criminalised This message was co-sponsored by Boonrawd Brewery, ThaiBev and the the Thai Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association. ????

top government agency has also revealed that the number of young people under 20 now using the drug has doubled since it was decriminalised in June. top government agency has also revealed that the number of young people under 20 now openly buying and using the drug rather than hiding it in the shadows and buying their smoke from dangerous underground drug dealers has doubled since it was decriminalised in June. There yo go Mr. Laksanawisit, fixed that for you.

Yes Hong Kong. The Traveler's Rest was on the 16th floor of A block and was a Mecca for backpackers. John the book was an absolute legend, he was wasting away (IIRC he had MS) and never left the hostel (ever), he just shuffled about the hostel. He would buy travel books from backpackers passing through and sell them to other backpackers to sustain his existence. He must have met and dealt with thousands of travelers and as mentioned above, became quite a legend, apparently a very interesting man to meet. Sorry to other posters for taking this thread off topic.

So to sum up this thread, many posters that have been to the P.I.s have stated that they didn't feel safe there. Most of the other posters waxing lyrical about the place end their post with a but and a warning. Why would you want to go on a 'relaxing' holiday to somewhere where you had to be on your toes, even in the safer areas?

Do you mean in the area of the EDSA Entertainment Complex as EDSA itself is a long road? I really don't know, it was a long time ago, I stayed in the Byron Edsa Hotel if that helps. Maybe I just has a bad experience but it totally put me off going back.

He had already proved that by stating in essence that alcohol did not have any effect on how Thais drive.

Please advise me, how long have you been driving on the roads in mainland Thailand (away from the tourist areas)? How many Thai drivers do you really actually know. BTW, the reason why the police are checking for drunk drivers in Pattaya is mainly because of the amount of Westerners who drink drive in the area.

You missed my point Not missed, understood but brushed off as being totally wrong, ludicrous and just another anti-Thai rant. And yes they do drive the same drunk or sober. That is nothing more than an uneducated statement. What you are suggesting is that alcohol does not have any effect on the driving skills of Thais. Why do they have a drink drive law here for then? I will agree that there is a high degree of unsafe drivers on the roads in Thailand but not all Thai drivers are bad. I know many Thai drivers who i would trust more than most of the Westerners driving here.

Is it still there ? I believe so but I am informed that 'John The Book' finally checked out of the Traveler's Rest Hostel, RIP John.

Thai's drive and ride the same drunk or sober. Are you seriously suggesting this? loads of dead sober people, in accidents here. ( they don't care at all ) But obviously they do, otherwise they would not be standing at a junction at Pratumnak/Threppaya at 02:45 am testing for alcohol. But the police and authorities like to blame the alcohol and not the person. No, if a driver has an accident and then tests positive to a DUI, the alcohol will have played a part in the driver's judgement and driving skills. The police will then put the cause of the accident down to the driver being under the influence. That is the same worldwide. Thai police do not put the blame on alcohol if there was no alcohol involved.

If you really do need to drink drive, 02:45 am is the ideal time to do it. At that time of the morning, there are fewer people around to drag in your spiteful quest to pick up a Darwin award.

I have lived in Asia for 29 years and the only time that I felt scared was in Manila (for an entire week). The first indication that this place was not safe is how taxi drivers act with street hawkers. As in many countries in SE Asia, there are street hawkers selling their wares to car drivers/passengers at junctions with traffic lights. In the poorest areas of Bangkok a taxi driver wouldn't think twice of fully opening the rear windows so that a fare could buy something from the vendors. In Manila, the taxi drivers would only crack the window open enough to slide the money/goods through the gap, for fear of being robbed. I was advised by the hotel staff not to go out after dark, even to the 7-11, as "someone might shoot you". This was the Edsa area in the mid 90s, so I don't know if this is normal all over Manila or if Edsa was just a rough area back then. Maybe the hotel staff were being over cautious and were alarmists but even without their warning, I never felt safe there. When I went to other areas of Manila, I was besieged with beggars (men, women and children) and the sheer numbers that surrounded me at times left me feeling nervous that I could get pick-pocketed/mugged at any time. By the time that I left the Philippines, I was a paranoid wreck. I swore (and still swear) I would never go back again.

I only have my Thai ID card as identity in wallet but I am only very, very rarely in tourist areas.

Same-same Chung King Mansions, early 80s. ????

Hashish seems to be a bit of a grey area, as it is technically an extract. I think we all understand that under the laws as they currently stand, hashish is illegal but tolerated. There again, one reason that it's tolerated could be because no one really understands the law about the Ganj, even those writing them.

laws are made in Thailand but never enforced. But there are no laws being broken, providing the shops are registered. At a press conference, Anutin was explaining that the 0.2% rule was for cannabis extracts. One of the press pointed out that the flower was not an extract of the plant but rather a part of the plant and therefore should not be under the 0.2% rule and Anutin agreed. After that the Genie was out of the bottle. Wiki covers the extract issue far more eloquently than I could: Cannabis extracts and cannabis products (including edibles, food supplements, cosmetics, etc.) containing THC more than 0.2% by weight are still categorized as narcotics. Import and export of cannabis are still highly regulated. Recreational use of cannabis products is discouraged but legal. There is no restriction on THC content for cannabis plant parts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_in_Thailand

Mr Chuwit is treading a dangerous path. I do understand that he has upset people in the past but if these are really Chinese Mafia, he will need to up his security detail.

The Transport Minister has urged related agencies to ensure maximum security protection for the country leaders on their arrivals and departures. They could start by teaching their security guards the basics. In August I was at Swampy picking up a friend and ass it was early (before 5am) the airport was fairly deserted. Directly opposite a guard booth (and in line of sight) was a sitting area, with bags placed on the seats (to save the seats) but no one around, apart from the guard. When I pointed the bags out to the guard and after she was able to put down her smartphone, she seemed rather confused as to why someone would worry about unattended baggage being left at an international airport and why this would be a problem. ???? These are security guards who should be trained specifically to matters concerning airport security. ????

I don't know about anyone else but I spike my 0.02% ganja with Harpic and Marmite.

I'm not a golf player/fan but ?????????????????????? The standard of a golf course is 18 holes, that's it. Would you put 3 sets of goalposts onto a football pitch or add an extra 50 meters to a gridiron field? I hope that the greens are up to British park's standard.

Not necessarily Which is why I stated most likely and not definitely.

Must have taken you a good couple of hours to come up with that witty retort. Your weekends must just fly by.

À lot of farrangs I know drink beer in excess of the limit after playing golf or a night in town and drive home afterwards. Guess that you mix with quality people Why be the hangman when we are all not angels. Don't try to nail me to a cross, you might drink and drive, I don't. Stop brining your "in my country" attitude here and learn the Thai way. Are you seriously suggesting that we should do as the locals and DUI?