DonniePeverley

The Boat people per year is tiny compared to legit immigration. Some 40,000 people come on a boat, compared to the nearly 1 million who arrived legally. Why such focus on boat people ? I agree it is nuts that they are just able to come this way, but the number is tiny - barely enough to fill a football stadium. The issue because of Farage's beloved Brexit is that we can send these people immiediately back. Furthermore, we are so slow to process these applications. Just do them within a week. That negates the need for any hotels, and the people get an answer straight away. No need for a drawn out court hearings. Every country has people who cross borders - be it Thailand, America, India, Italy, etc .... this is just a distraction and political hysteria. "These people are to blame for your life problems" - it's an easy distraction.

Just out of curiousty ... what issue do you have with minority communities living together? How does it effect you? Most racists come out with this, but then complain when they see to many faces they don't recognise. It's nonsense. During the riots last year, i noticed many asian communities stating that the riots (and ultimately racism in wider society) was why they stuck together in communities. A white guy is not going to see racism, but people of these immigrant communities face it out there - resulting in frightening times last summer. If you noticed areas of high asian population like Bradford, Manchester, Birmingham were not touched as these communities rallied around. Where as areas like Sunderland were dragged to the gutter. You see it in Thailand too. Go to areas like Hat Yai and you see massive muslim populations who like to stick together. What's wrong with that? I agree on the wider point that immigrants who want to settle here need to learn English, but they already have to take one, so i don't get quite why Starmer is dragging that kind of rhetoric out. Furthermore it's laughable when you see Brits in Thailand and Spain, who have lived out here for years and can't speak a word of Thai or Spanish ponitifcating how immigrants need to learn English. Get the hell out of here!

If they want to get immigration down then do it. They have failed to do it for years now (including the Torys), despite attacking immigrants at every corner. The rhetoric from Starmer was a disgrace. You look to a leader for compassionate views, intelligence and harmony. He's failed to address immigration, yet then goes on to attack them. We had riots last year because of this kind of rhetoric, which is fuelling hatred. More Farage pandering, which is what the Tory's did to great cost in the end. He is never get right wing support, and now is losing the left of his support. Total lunacy. Just get the immigration numbers down if that's what you want to do. Less talk and dehumanising.

You think there are no outside forces controlling South East Asia? Go read up on history on how America had puppet regimes (for their interests) in countries that suited them. Who controls the asian sphere (except South Korea and Japan)? There is your answer. The rest is just performative nonsense.

What's bizarre is the previous military regime could have stayed on and nothing would have changed. I wondered what prompted Prayut and co to just walk away so meekly. Outside forces?

To continue their holiday after stabbing, or to head back to the UK ? The sheer volume around on Long Term visa is also another problem. They aren't remote workers with incoming coming in either. The sheer volume of Brits exporting marijuana back into the UK is nuts. The UK and Europe is now actively targeting flights from Thailand.

Absolute vile. Soft touch Thailand. The Bendirom brits now have moved on from Spain, and are heading to Thailand in droves purely for the drugs. I always thought South East Asia was tough on drugs, i remember the signs when you arrived at airport and the implications ..... but walk around Thailand these days, the drugs are rife to the chore. THIS IS WHAT ATTRACTING THIS TRASH TOURIST. Thailand's reputation is down the pan worldwide for family tourists.

Where are all the make belief quotes coming from the owner of the restaurant? As far as i know she hasn't said anything regarding the shoe ethic - to which some are hard fast going on about excusing her behaviour. No one providing any link.

ASTONISHING that the guy who through the punch is not having any further action taken against him. This rite there (taking no action and a photo oportunity of 'everything is okay') summaries the problems Thailand is currently having. You do not need to press charges etc to realise that this is not the correct form of behaviour. The guy throwing the punch could have caused some real serious damage to that guy. If you are serious about ridding the country of this type of horrific behaviour (making headlines worldwide) then you need to start addressing these issues properly. It would be interesting to know if the guy is here on one of these long term visas or holiday ? I repeat again, this guy would not have done this in Dubai, Singapore or China. No matter how drunk they are, they all seem to be sobered up enough to know the rules in those countries.

Wait i thought yesterday the reports were it was all doom and gloom because the Chinese were not coming and they needed casinos ... hmmmm, anyone would think they were deliberate fear mongering. Thailand is on course to break it's record ever year by importing cheap mass tourism. No attempts at quality tourism and improving. Nope, just let the masses in, crime up, bad disgusting behaviour up, enviromental disaster, ecological disaster, eroison of Thai culture, etc

We wanted free trade deals after inflincting on ourselves removing ourselves from a trade block because of racists .... so now we are getting some decent trade deals, we still have people moaning. It's almost as if trade, economy were never really the issue. It was just plain old racism dressed up in a intellectual manner.

Fantastic work from Starmer to get these deals over the line.

I think he can be pleasantly charming at times.

How about improving safety? Stopping the illegal working practises and scams? Reduce visa so it's only for tourism. The disgusting bad behaviour from western tourists needs addressing - reduce visa back to 30 days, and toughen up the DTV by making it harder to get so you don't have human dross relocating here. Reduce visa back to 30 days. Stops long term stays staying in airbnb, which will make life better for hoteliers. Reduce visa for Chinese to 15 days. Stop visa free for many nationalities including India. More stronger policing.

Anyone with knowledge of this knows this is politics postering. It's frustrating that it can never stop. There can be no war here as it will lead to mutual destruction. I feel for my mates in Punjab and the brilliant Sikh community who always have to take the brunt - despite it not being their fight.

The UK sends no money to India for financial aid anymore. That stopped years ago. Have you been to India? Despite the apparent 'gdp' increase the wealth is massively disproportionate and it's still a very poor country. The level of poverty you see there is staggering. One example, Little girls abandoned after birth. If the UK gave aid to help these organisations take care of these children and you have a problem with that then you are a cold cold person.

Fantastic. Although still doesn't come close to the deal we had with the EU. The bet wetters who wanted Brexit now playing politics with deals we need to make.

Just build them in a remote far place, an airport just for Chinese flights. They will be the ones using it for the obvious reasons.

Can someone not mute @Nick Carter icp up? He's been making the same point now throughout this thread and derailing it over and over.

Her behaviour gives you indiciations of her character. But back to the point - you've made numerous points over and over again that the cafe owner exempted her from wearing shoes. But you haven't shown where this is ? If she did that say that and you have the quote can you show? So far it just seems like you are taking what the young lady said as truth.

Quote me where the cafe owner said this? You are taking her explanation as gospel, and quite frankly she doesn't come across as a saintly in anything she may say.

Smokescreen fake news (maybe) around Casinos. Thailand on course to smash nearly 40 million tourists which will break records.

Not really into the politics of Thailand, but can anyone tell me why they are giving out two handouts ?

Dude nearly half this thread has been of you making post after post of comments defending this girl, repeating the same thing, that you think it's some sort of conspiracy. We get it, you made your point. Now it give it a rest. The issue is, no matter what context she has said it, she said that. And that type of attitude, which looks down upon Thai people, will strike a chord with the locals who believe in their heart they are being disrespected. And her comments go out their way to show that their intuition is true. The government really needs to take a long at allowing long term people to stay here. You now have enclaves of Russians, Isrealis and Indians just dominating certain towns and trashing them.

Some stating she is here on a long term visa. You can see someone next to her smoking what looks like marijuana. This is the problem with Thailand - it is attracting some awful tourists drawn by the relaxed visa rules and ease of drug use. The country has to toughen up. Yes, they want tourism, but long term visitors with such easy access is akin to open door immigration. The DTV needs to be toughened up so you don't end up with dross.