herfiehandbag

As I am sure you are aware, the key is that these agents and those officers they deal with are protected all the way up the chain of command. Rather as with prize money in the navy in the C17 and C18, the cash pool provided by bungs, bribes and other "payments" pays out, depending on rank, all the way up. Unless they are publicly exposed, as in this case, reports and complaints go unreported and unrecorded. If public exposure demands their attention, the actual response is usually delayed, obscured and often ( almost invariably) never carried through. But then we all know that.

I imagine that your condo management have neglected to maintain or clean the pool for the last several months and are simply unwilling to pay the cost of getting it into a fit state to reopen.

Tell us, who did you pass those recordings to - what was the result of your reports? Why not expand your crusade against those who for whatever reason choose to use agents? Report them, and the agents to their superiors...

At the rate the beach and shoreline is being reported as washed away, I rather expect that the sea will be up to Sukhumvit road by the next rainy season!

Didn't "Big Joke" try that when he was in the job? Look what happened to him.

Doesn't it still carry some weight, in establishing ones credentials in " the corridors of power" - one particular corridor that is...

I don't think that "the people" had much say in this bunch assuming (or rather remaining) in power. From memory they were actually rather comprehensively rejected. They eventually managed to assemble a shaky majority having banned individuals and dissolved parties. Once they had put together a coalition, the senators, who they had appointed you may remember, swung by to cement it in place. They bear about as much relationship to parliamentary democracy as The Spanish Inquisition did to religious tolerance! "Cardinal Biggles - the comfy chair!"

Goodness, that would be a laugh a minute!

I would run with all those except your points about politicians previous expertise in the areas for which they are responsible. If a politician is an utter plonker, reaching an epic level on a consolidated scale of plonkerdom, he will make a complete Horlicks of whatever he is in charge of, whether it be mobile libraries or national health. Competence is needed, and that must be judged, rewarded or rejected by the electorate. The trouble with restricting leadership of ministries to people with specific relevant experience and qualifications is that you de facto hand control of those departments to those who represent the interests of their colleagues, which is often very unwise. You get Generals running the Ministry of Defence, trucking companies running the Ministry of Transport and so on. Political control in the hands of politicians, who have to answer to the electorate. The plonkers (sorry I meant politicians) have all the professional bodies from their areas of responsibility to advise and guide them. The key is making the plonkers accountable. That is where or why it goes wrong.

Hmm, that particular "hole" in Thai knowledge of modern regional history is possibly explained by the fact that certain currently influential groups within the "ruling class" made lots and lots of money in the later stages of the Khmer Rouges existence; various commodities of interest to one party and needed by another passing across the borders. Wouldn't really want that to be discussed too openly... That said, even teaching in a school here I have gained little idea what they are taught - definitely "off limits" to the foreign staff! A bit of a shame, as modern history is one of my interests, and it's study is a very useful means of understanding the society one lives in!

The "bounce back" will be strangled at birth by this bunch of strutting preening uniformed buffoons.

So, with tourism ready "to be revived" one of the country's top policemen stands up and threatens anyone who arranges or takes part in a party in which alcohol is served, with arrest and imprisonment! I just don't know whether to laugh or cry

Peaceful! I don't mind the noise from the children, as a teacher myself (part time, and on a couple of months sick leave at present) I can hardly complain about, and in truth quite enjoy the exhuberant clamour of the children - Thais don't do quiet! I just wish that the teachers would understand that by going outside and talking to the children they would get far far more across! As it is, all they are doing is ensuring a healthy contempt for public announcements!

Tell me! I live next to my village school. The tannoy is on the go all day. The children get to play their music over it before and after school ( which I don't mind - some of the "DJing" is rather good, segues, voice overs and so on), but between 0830 and 1530 continuous martial music, patriotic songs, motivational addresses and barked announcements. None of which, as far as I can see, the children take the slightest bit of notice of. On boy scouts/girl guides sessions the drill pig even uses it for drill commands, then when some unfortunate child turns to the right instead of the left uses it to bawl them out - fat knacker that he is!

"Reopening Thailand". One step forward, three steps back! They just can't help themselves - put them in front of a camera with an open microphone and they just have to start throwing their weight around!

If he were to do that it is very unlikely that the corrupt official would be prosecuted. It is very likely that his visa extension will be refused. That is reality.

Indeed, I swerve along it!

Mere empty motions. Meaningless outside their circle

The "blesser" (if that is a word?) needs to be held in considerable esteem by the people for it to mean anything.

Funny things blessings. Rather a lot has changed.

Young... Wings... Jumps... Let's not go there... Suffice it to say she is definitely not a double bagger!

That would make you "Special Forces".

Being first in the NAAFI queue?

On the subject of corpses in space - will they decompose or will they be preserved? We need to know before we continue this discussion.

It is a free and open forum. His posts are significantly less antagonistic than many. Completely inoffensive, if at times baffling. You don't have to read them. As to why he posts: time hangs heavy, bored, lonely, wanting some conversation, taking the <deleted>? It is, as they say here, "up to you"!