it is what it is

i'm surprised they don't have reasonably robust measures in place already, and the question is; would these new stricter measures have prevented entry to any of the recent high profile miscreants? what they need is more focus on compliance once people are here, e.g. identifying and removing overstayers - it can't be that difficult, and stamping down on corruption between locals and foreigners - bit of a no-brainer you'd think...

i guess the sad thing is that she really thinks she's had a brainwave... 🙄

the pages will get used up eventually, traveled round the world for three years, passport was very erratically stamped, never a problem.

i used to see him and his lady companion quite often at scala cinema, siam square, never spoke to him. used to look at his column in the bangkok post, not sure how he got away with it, he simply regurgitated material from other sources, and seemed disproportionately interested in nigerian scammers, his film reviews were pretty un-insightful. given the written output i saw i'm surprised he was regarded as a journalist/writer. stickman used to rave about him in his column, never understood that either.

so, someone breaks into your house, assaults your family, steals all your possessions, i managed to clearly record the perpetrators on my phone, in fact i actually know who they are, but you wouldn't want this information passed onto the police or yourself because no one likes a grass? ok, no problem.

booked my ticket out of here ☺️

the government needs to take action, but will it? https://www.gov.uk/government/news/disposable-vapes-banned-to-protect-childrens-health

“Skipping this important step could jeopardise the safety of commuters.” really? who'd have guessed, thanks for telling me that...

agree, got fed up with the free vpn's that didn't really work well. managed to get 3 years with nord for 90GBP, works well and hassle free.

yup, that's the idea

not at all, i used to work with a guy back home who was male at work but would dress up and identify as female when he went out pubbing/clubbing, to meet him in either personas you wouldn't guess about the other. interesting guy

lasted about three weeks for me. if you're concerned about a medical condition suggest you go to see a doctor. at least that's what i'd do.

of course they can do what they want, this is thailand and they are thai. tbh, not all thais have this attitude, as with every country there is the xenophobic minority that have a loud voice. i also suspect the government is happy that people are distracted from more pressing domestic issues such as the economy...

surely, as many locals often say to me, this is thailand, he is thai, he can do what he wants. now, if he was a foreigner that would be a different story.

you've got to ask the question; would these increased screening measures have identified and prevented the entry of the swiss guy and the two new zealand guys? and if so, how? if the answer is no then are the screening measures for for purpose?

considering Phuket is an island that is based on tourism and needs the tourist dollar to survive - you would think the locals would be happy about them being there, you need to consider another perspective... i come from a beautiful tourist area back home, sure tourists are important for the minority involved in the tourism business, but for the vast majority of us locals tourists are a pain in the butt! they clog up the roads with their awful driving, they crowd into small beautiful villages and destroy the peace and quiet and ambience for us locals, they overrun the shops and supermarkets. and i'd bet the tourists back home behave much better then the tourists in thailand. i completely understand how most locals would want rid of tourists.

next weeks hot news prediction; thailand revolutionises railway construction with cuttings and embankments

to be fair, they didn't refuse to stop, it's just their brakes weren't working. sorry, i can't think up a plausible excuse for the rest of their behavior...

this guy's pretty creative and adventurous https://www.youtube.com/@Adz

if it's pre paid surely it's not a credit card?

Tak was fresh off the Udon Thani Pattaya bus, and straight into a local bar when I met her early one morning in 2000. of course she was 🤣

The Thais love their bass! they certainly do, and their distortion, and snowstorms on their tvs

been coming and going for 20 odd years, old airport and new, and can honestly say i've never had a problem with the airport or immigration. it's basically fit for purpose. i don't particularly like the aesthetic or atmosphere of the place, to much concrete, chrome and metal, but that's subjective.

Not drugs or serious stuff like that. More like domestic violence. nothing serious, just a bit of domestic violence.

indeed, street vendors have smoky fires on pavement stall all around my area, everyone complains about the pollution but no one stops or challenges those who cause it.