52 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Who is buying stock in a bankrupt company? Does the Robin Hood app work in Thailand, too?

I can answer your question, having traded the SET since 1988 - back then in trading rooms stuffed with them - it's the mostly Chinese Thai aunties who like a little flutter every day, in the hope of 'winning' a thousand or two Baht. Put together across all the brokerages, they and their husbands, who generally are either retired or still running their factories on the outskirts of Bangkok, form a considerable cohort. Betting is of course illegal in Thailand, except on the occasional horse race, so aside from dubious mah jiang behind closed doors, the SET is their only opportunity to set the adrenaline coursing through their atrophying veins.

Suicides rise in Thailand as Covid decimates its tourism industry

Health officials compare the country’s current economic situation to the 1997 Asian financial crisis, when suicide increased by over 20pc

Brian Wilson tried the sandbox method, look where it got him.

On another note, it will be interesting to (eventually) read the details of the initial, Phuket, sandbox; for example, will there be limits on numbers? Will tourists have to fly direct, on designated flights? Will tourists have to stay in designated accommodation, or are they free to chop and change hotels/airbnb/apartments within the 7-day island-wide quarantine? What about the various apps and reporting whereabouts, will there be requirements there? After seven days, will tourists truly be allowed to travel Thailand-wide? Will all facilities currently closed be opened up by July 1st?

Many questions, few answers....

I agree with those who say the actor plays Sobraj as far too obviously menacing and untrustworthy-looking. We Westerners may have been somewhat more innocent of the ways of the Orient in those days, but we knew a dodgy character when we met one, and yet the backpackers in the series seem to fall for him and his schtick one after the other.

As for the locations, costumes and detail, I only arrived mid-eighties, by which time the old Bangkok was on the cusp of change as the economic boom of the Prem years took place, but I think the costume people, stylists etc generally did a good job in their portrayal of that vanished era. 

"I am shocked, shocked to find that prostitution is going on in here"

Yes, the ladyboy cabaret was a cinema before, I can't recall its name but I remember seeing The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston there with the g/f, must have been 1992. She bawled her eyes out. I of course remained stoical.

If you are cash-strapped, why not go to your local public hospital and either explain to the doctor you see your quandary, or ask him or her to refer you to a local psychiatrist who can understand the problem and offer you practical steps to resolve your situation, be they with medication or through some other method. Whatever happens, It's important that you do not allow your situation to fester.

Too much influence, vested interest and old-fashioned money involved. This will be blocked for decades yet.

Another case for Sgt Terdsak of the Nontaburi Knicker Nicker Task Force..

I'd say the true figure is nearer 90% than 50%. And what is a 'long drummer'?

Why buy branded, cetirizine has been ex-patent for years, so just buy generic. It's cheap as chips in Thailand, why would anyone bother to counterfeit it?

Whoops!

Invest in a man cave at the bottom of your garden, equip it and save yourself a world of grief.