Brian Hull

Why don’t we scrap visas altogether? They were originally introduced for the purpose of vetting would-be visitors to a country, so that the applicant could be screened to see if he or she should be welcomed. This is no longer the case. Visas on entry are often granted, in which case none of the information is pre-checked. Of course, governments need to know who is in their country, but this could be achieved by the simple expedient of a simple questionnaire at the time of entry accompanied by an entry fee. Stop gilding the lily by calling it a “Visa”. Thailand was surprised to find that when they offer visa-free entry they get more tourists which should be obvious. And the common current practice in some countries of granting more generous terms to some nationalities than others smacks of racial discrimination.

What public transport in Chiang Mai? There isn't any.

All power to Move Forward. It's refreshing to see some Thais prepared to stick their necks out to bring Thailand into the 21st Century. Not long now until the unelected senators are shown the door.

Israel has no propriety rights to Gaza or the West Bank and so Netanyahu's objection to a Palestinian State should carry no weight. The world at large should endorse a Palestinian State with or without the cooperation of Israel (just as it endorsed the creation of Israel in 1948). Israel will have to learn to accept it or lose the financial and military backing of the US, and risk an international boycott. The land grabbing Jewish settlers who have set up home in the West Bank and might choose to remain will come under the authority of Palestine.

You are correct. The problem is that everything is priced in dollars - in shops, restaurants, bars, even tutktuks. If you hav riels you are always converting them in your head.

It's stretching the bow to call KennyG a jazz musician. Try Art Pepper or Paul Desmond or Stan Getz instead.

Extending bar trading to 4AM won't add one baht to the economy. Tourists have $X to spend on food and booze and if they do so at 3AM or 4AM they will spend less next day or later. All this will do is make the current breed of badly behaved idiots even more obnoxious, with a great increase in violence plus damage to health and safety. I am on the side of the cops. Who needs even more booze after 2AM? If they do, then they could drink in their rooms.

Thailand has far too many police officers that don't do much and aren't paid much. The country would benefit by culling 25%-30%, lifting the pay of the remainder, getting them active, and making them accountable.

They should feed him to the pigs or the crocodiles

Does it really need a Lieutenant General to lead this arrest squad. I would have thought a single cop would suffice.

There is no shortage of potential retirees for Thailand. They don't need to be LGBTQ. The problem is that Thailand makes it as difficult as possible with their bureaucratic bull<deleted> and money in the bank requirements. I moved to Cambodia where I just need to pay US$300 for a 12 months multiple entry visa. No financial requirements, no periodic reporting, no contact with the government - just a payment to the visa agent once a year. Thailand can't get their head around the fact that EVERY dollar or euro or yen that comes into the country through pensions is spent in the country and supports all the little traders. This is foreign currency that the government doesn't need to lift a finger to get. Scrap the 600,000 baht bank requirement - LEARN FROM CAMBODIA.

What a joke. "I always had such great respect for the office of the president and the presidency" said Trump. He has done his upmost to destroy the people's respect.

What a weird country, that tens of millions of Americans could even consider such a dangerous, despicable, deranged despot as Trump to be their leader. God Save America and the World if it should happen.

This seems like an open and shut case for the DEATH PENALTY. There is no sanctity to human life.

It's great to see Move Forward sticking to its guns. Keep it up boys, if you want Thailand to become a true democracy.

Most of the songs that have been written in the past 20 years. I hold my head in my hands and cry and think "Can they get any worse?"

About the same as in my home country - Australia - about 10%

I'm 85. I'd like to see out the ten years.

How much money you have in the bank differentiates the baddies from the goodies. The well behaved expat retirees who mostly did an honest job all their life and are now living quietly on a pension have very little, while the crooks have heaps. Logic in the bureaucracy is not one of Thailand's strong points.

Who can understand Thailand? Apparently it's unconstitutial for an MP

These senators were installed illegally by an illegitimate government of military usurpers and their votes and opinions should count for nothing. Give democracy a chance - this is Thailand's best ever hope.

Let us hope that the 250 illegally installed dinosaurs in the Senate become extinct ASAP.

It's not just the air pollution. It's also the stupid requirements regarding 800,000 baht tied up. I hope the new guys at the helm understand that ANY money that comes into Thailand by way of a foreign pension gets spent in Thailand. It's bringing in foreign currency for the country without the government needing to lift a finger. Thailand should learn from Cambodia where you can legally get a 12 months multiple entry visa for US$300 with no financial requirements and nothing to report until you renew it in 12 months time. Get rid of Bangkok's current crop of "economists" as well as the Department of Whacky Ideas ASAP.

Being neutral is the same as supporting them. The Burmese generals are murderous thugs and somebody needs to get more aggressive with them Being neutral is the same as supporting them. The new Thai government, like the governments of the free world, are not anti Burma - they are anti the murderous military thugs who are currently running it. Somebody needs to get aggressive with them as it seems that nobody is giving much help to the freedom fighters who have taken them on.

It seems that Thailand has at last got a government with some balls to confront the Burmese military thugs and support the freedom fighters. I hope they will also condemn Putin's murderous invasion of Ukraine and once again we will see Thailand respectfully treated as one of the responsible countries of the world.