NanLaew

Is it only when farangs are about?

Sorry, my orangutan is monogamous.

What on earth does that mean? That she "should be happy" bit? Doesn't float your boat? Maybe not young enough for you?

They'll celebrate anything to deflect attention from their own political impasse.

Relevance? OK, thanks for correcting my addled recollections of the glorious times of yore.

Regarding that middle bit about 'made the decision by himself', didn't Prayuth once point at Prawit in parliament when someone asked who's idea the coup was? That was when they were best buddies and before he went off to seek fame and fortune as an 'independent' politician.

It will be easier for the defeated army-affiliated parties to form a minority coalition.

When have we ever had any significant importance where a Thai government is required to accommodate us? Oh, hold on. You're not mainland Chinese are you?

Yes, he probably is. And you are right in that Pita will probably get the first opportunity but that is no guarantee of first-time success. The army-stuffed Senate still has a year to run before its use-by date expires thus it still has the power, numbers and constitutional protections to allow it to gerrymander the same fractious and volatile coalition of small-minded, 'name your price' minority parties that the soon-to-be-former DPM Wissanu Krean-ngam has somewhat ominously been talking about. That will be after the ritual 'splitter' period when a fair amount of those losing in this election change parties and allegiances because they want to win at any cost.

In case you haven't noticed, Pita's new party is called Move Forward. No better way to fall further behind than making the settling of scores and vendettas a priority over good stewardship of the nation's future. Just look at US Congress for a prime example of crybaby, "You're gonna have to pay for that" politics.

How would you have done that? The winning bit I mean. You rich? Connected? Or maybe you are another Facebook member? In all fairness, it's not the shop's fault that Songkran traditionally screws up all sorts of situations, even planned ones, year after year.

Who on earth do you think is hitting them? There's a few instances of bikes being planted in the back of trucks or stuck under a minivan bumper. However, the vast majority of them happen on rural roads and involve them hitting other bikes and inanimate objects like power poles and walls. My brother-in-law nearly drowned driving home drunk as a skunk at 2 am when he ran himself off the road and ended up trapped under his bent crotch rocket in a rice paddy.

That's scaremongering. Some immigration officers may gurn but despite Thai people being legally required to claim only one nationality when they turn 21, I have never heard of anyone being arrested or charged with having dual nationality. Since the US passport was the ONLY thing the OP's wife had, how could she not make the local immigration officer aware as to what she needs to do to stay longer? Otherwise there was no point in asking. The immigration officer's advice to get a Thai passport is his way of gurning whereas in reality, the OP's wife has every right to seek the same extensions as her husband. The OP's wife's entry to Thailand on a US passport is now on the immigration database. Basic biometrics checks (name, date of birth, place of birth) will indicate she has a US passport and entered on it. Regardless of nationality, the rule of thumb is to enter and leave Thailand on the same passport. Even if she did slip out and back 'unnoticed' at a land border, re-entering on the new Thai passport, what's to stop the more diligent immigration officer catching this trick when it's time to head back to the US and charging lots and lots for overstay because technically, she has broken those rules? If the OP's wife gets a new Thai passport and there is still a need for it to be used to enable a longer stay in Thailand, then a short round-trip (possibly same-day) flight to Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City or Kuala Lumpur where the re-entry to Thailand can legally be done on the new Thai passport. Then she could stay as long as she likes and only the OP needs to pursue his visa/extension. Good luck.

Nobody's suggesting any 'overnight' timeline or things being done 'suddenly'. I did say glacial and not nuclear. I don't misunderstand you as you make valid observations but I don't pretend to know what Thai people generally want. I agree that the path of least resistance is preferred here regardless of the accumulated costs. For example, it only takes one 'fine' and a bike seizure for not having a bike license to surpass the time and expense of actually getting a bike license. That's just laziness that's enhanced by dodgy law enforcement. One of my wife's relatives probably burns more petrol driving circuitous routes to avoid checkpoints than the other one who did get a license and doesn't need to faff about. However, the former probably thinks he's still smarter than the latter. I just disagree on what ox should precede which cart. The culture won't change easily but you can change things that can chip away at the old fashioned cultural mores.

There'll be no law enforcement until Thai society wants it. They've never had the option to abide by the laws so don't know what they're missing (and the money they'd be saving). As for government's facilitating societal change, a lot will depend on how much they need to integrate in the wider world. External pressures can come to bear. I understand that the car insurance industry in Thailand grew from a need to comply with foreign investment in the nascent but now burgeoning Thai motor assembly industry. Before that, blame and compensation was a lottery dictated and controlled 100% by the police. It will come. Maybe my grandchildren will witness it. Right now, I'm happy with the progress, albeit glacial, made over the past +30 years that I've been allowed to squat here.

Once they start fining the miscreants and taking considerable chunks of money out of their pockets, seizing vehicles, suspending driving licenses and then fining and jailing those who persist, they'll start caring. You can see that the police are already being bypassed when it comes to speeding on the monitored highways with a 'ticket in the post' rather than the option of filling a lazy cop's pocket. Once the concerted effort is made to link up all the relevant systems, eventually people will find that they can't pay their road tax, get their vehicle inspected or get insurance and the more illegal they try to be, the heavier the punishment will be. It's a work in progress for sure but for now, it's still primarily down to the cops doing their job.

A top to bottom fundamental change within Thai society and culture, which isn't going to happen any time soon. No, no, no. You are spraying your hose at the fire without turning off the gas first. Root cause. No law enforcement.

Since upwards of 86% of Thai road traffic accidents, injuries and/or deaths happen to those on 2-wheels, where do I sign up to froth with the petrolheads?

In that case, any decision could depend if Tuu's friends on the NACC have greater testicular fortitude than his friends on the EC. Of course, there's always the CC. Pretty sure the Constitutional Court will also have their dog in any fight.

I speak Thai reasonably well but I'm hopeless at reading and forget about writing it. If you've got another minute, let the pharmacist know you've highlighted his business in the English language media.

I was unaware that a Thai minor's identity, deceased or otherwise, is age protected. Is it a legal exclusion or a local media protocol? Her name is Suraphltchaya Khamsa. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/05/13/woramet-ben-taota-murdered-british-teenager-thailand/

As someone who has encountered roundabouts in several towns in Thailand, they are not a solution. This is due to most driver's being unaware of their proper use. Right of way and other basic driving principles that we highly skilled expert farang drivers broadly take for granted as 'common sense' doesn't exist with the local drivers.

Great idea. Then we'll be able to deduce from the stats who the arseholiest farang drivers are by nationality.

My wife doesn't understand me either but she likes the Ranger. Finds it very practical with the market, school runs and the like. PS: There's always a nose-in parking spot in front of the Queen Vic on Soi 6. Unless I get there first of course.

Yea, as patrolling along the river road, if the route, would be a waste of resources. Been a while, but as you say, very little traffic. Yes, it can depend on the route, road class and how busy it is. For example, on Highway 7 coming from Bangkok, you can see up to half-a-dozen police highway patrol cars. ...all parked up at their office where the #7 spur meets Sukhumvit in Pattaya.