chalawaan

Why do the Navy need massive AA defences near Phuket Airport? Is there a Navy Airfield there? Who would be attacking Phuket, and Why? Maybe the Kra isthmus canal is going ahead, and they want to be prepared, to defend that -but it's a bit early surely! In the end, what are you left with if none of the other reasons make sense? Just another dodgy earner for the high command, like that Army park full of giant statues of former rulers of aincent Siam, the Aircraft carrier with no planes that never leaves port, the blimp, the subs with no engines, the explosives/drug/golfball detection machines, various barracks construction deals that went to Prayuths brother's son, and on and on...

The RTP won't follow up on any fine defaulters caught on camera, but if someone is caught having sexy times at 3am on a pedestrian overpass, SWAT will be deployed across Bangkok until the couple are found, dragged into Nana Police station, and pointed at.

A lot of this de-dollarisation talk is "evil empire" propaganda, and best ignored. What's more likely to happen is that countries dealing with China will deal in RMB, thats up to them, and if the CCP has a hissyfit over some future slight, a common coercion tactic of the CCP, they're screwed. Now USA has its share of problems, but it's still the "global currency" and messy politics aside, in the broad goepolitical sense, everything is going America's way. They are not dependent on globalisation, China dies without it! They are net food exporters, China dies without it. They cannot be blockaded, but they can blockade China, far from China's naval reach, and Chinas ICBM, even with conventional warheads, are as rubbish as Russias kit. They only have 400, US has about 6000. China's aggressive response to almost everything from Covid to Taiwan is a massive own-goal, western partners have seen how zero Covid eviscerated their supply chains, and Chinese "quality" often sucks! Example: Stanley tools now have "Made in UK/US" sticker on them, their time with China trashed a once respected brand. Besides, costs in China are now higher than Mexico, with a less educated workforce. And only equally desperate authoritarian states see them as an ally. Indivually the BRICS are in a fix. India may be rising, but it has a long way to even half match China when it was at its best, furthermore, they hate each other! Some partnership! Russia is just a mafia state. Brazil are perpetually corrupt, and a political basket case no matter which side is in power. South Africa, a former economic powerhouse long vilified for racism many US states still perpetuate unofficially, is now beyond all hope, just another indigenous kleptocratic clownshow with rampant street crime and running on kerosene generators! The USD is going nowhere.

You seem to have this confused idea that MF are radical. That may be true from a conservative Thai perspective, but to the rest of the democratic world, their ideas are hardly reactionary. No one can seriously accuse the Thai people of being influenced by bots to vote against the coup makers, their own behaviour from the very beginning caused this backlash, they cannot compromise, and when that happens, they invite unrest. Their biggest problem, is they can't see that they are the problem!

Glad this one was foiled, but on the face of it Uten sounds like his up to his neck in something dodgy too. We await the update with mild interest.

That's genuine news to me! I'm not surprised though, but fair play, you've claimed he did his time, the question is, why are the very people who are now politically attacking him with 112 implications, also the ones doing exactly the same criminal acts with forever impunity? It's good old Thailand though and though, it's only a crime if/when you're not on the side of the guys in charge.

But tourists do! Not to argue your very valid points, just imagine how much more money they could make if they SPENT some money on those issues instead of Billionaire "advisors" such as Tourism Grandee Phipat stupidly and repeatedly announcing how they want quality (money throwing) tourists, and... that's it, that's his solution! Their business plan amounts to some old battleaxe with badly applied makeup hanging around a BTS backstage hoping to be a groupie.

Agoda self promotion much? It's a travel agent website, not the arbiter of ANYTHING. Thailand has many touristic faults, what place doesn't? But what Thailand does as a destination, in spite of the supposedly expert goons in Bangkok coming up with ideas like Durian KitKat and overpriced alcohol imports, it does incredibly well. It doesn't need more or new "attractions". It desperately needs more and new and enforced safety regulations. Too many balcony deaths, boat sinkings, bus crashes, club fires, and high wire ride failures.

Hidden in my steamy hairy man bits? Maybe it's time for an assault on Lone Pine.

This is an amateurish Op-Ed at best and a paid but clumsy smear tactic at worst. The majority have been swindled for generations. There's every reason for them to be pissed off, and demand there be no more slimy backroom shysters get away with business as usual. There's definitely a bit of fandom and euphoria, and much of it will fade, but I'm loving watching the flailing of the arrogant military loyalists who have such a toxic grip on Thailand, that even the foriegn press here can't have a mature and much needed discussion about the obvious fact that all roads lead to Rome.

Miss the moon by a millimetre, and you've still missed the moon. They won and that's that.

Bad bad things.

Bigwig At HQ: "You've been called here to explain yourself!" Usual suspect: "Yes Sir! But it's all a misunderstanding, and I was only following orders..." HQ Bigwig: "Silence! ...when you speak to a superior; now where's my share and why isn't it bigger?"

In case anyone missed it in the last ten years or so, the deputy chief of the RTP is also known as Big Joke.???? This nickname sadly, should apply to most of the entire police force. But the army is definitely the punch line.

Sounds like what they're learning in Ukraine too! ????

They do seem to like their argy-bargy after a few sherbets, the Russians. Instead of being gladimir to be away from the war front, why drag it along with you? I'd keep my head down as much as possible, both here and in the Crimea.

This, dear Chomper, is what happens when people tire of experts. Why bother with every hard fought legal code since the Magna Carta, when one can just pull an "opinion" out of ones favourite Tory editors bottom?

In the west it's said lotteries are a tax on stupid people. But if you're stupid enough to win there, and not stupid enough to blow it all, you'll be set. Here, the ROI is garbage. And the feeding frenzy random wierdness inspires in the players looking for omens is almost an epidemic of mindlessness.

Okay... What's the easy answer?

I would love to be optimistic, but this is Thailand, and someone in that coalition is going to screw up, remember Yingluck's Rice Pledging scheme? At that point, they can fire up the tanks for Coup 22. And we're back to groundhog day.

To be born male above a certain class in Thailand is to win the lottery of life. Everything is cheap, serious money grows on trees, the higher up the tree the more money to harvest, and one has to really screw up to ever face justice. What a life!

They're probably going to put up something large and luxurious, and the bars there are on the way out, but, some claim most of them are still there so why would an impending demolition make them quieten down? I was never a fan of Pattaya, but a mate (since dead) got me back there just before Covid, and I actually had fun. Another mutual mate, even younger than my deceased friend, wants me to go back, but I have obligations and I'm getting a bit to old for it all.

I was struggling to get the point, I'm still struggling! At first I thought he was on the establishment side, but apparently I was wrong, he is being harassed because he aired a shot of Lisa drinking this product, and respectfully mentioned it's connections to the late Great HM Rama 9 but apparently this is now slander, because a desperate corner of the internet decided it was! I'm still confused!

Well life or not, be my guest, do the crime and try 6 years in jail anywhere. It's no walk in the park, no matter what the "tough on crime" mob would like everyone to believe. You get to bleed in there, frequently.

Fair enough, I guess these guys have, and do, kill for less than even the actual act, maybe her talking to another guy who just asked where the nearest somtam stall was. As I'm not a jealous mental case, and always believe what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, I shrugged off a few sluts in my youth who actually confessed they'd given it up. Mind you, I was partial to sluts, they're great fun, so I roll with the punches!