MangoKorat

I'd say I'm above basic and can speak enough to get most things in life done. However, many of those who think they can speak Thai, fall down when it comes to conversation - I'm one of them If you are not married or don't have a Thai partner, I think its essential. Lazily, I relied on my wife to get things done when I was married and I realised just what a handicap not being able to speak Thai was when I divorced. I'm improving and will continue to do so but I think converstaional Thai is going to take some time. On the subject of converastional Thai, I learned one thing recently - we worry too much about using the correct tone. If you listen to Thai's in conversation with each other you will soon realise that they rely on the context of what's being said far more than the correct tone. I'm told I will learn to speak Thai much faster if I also learn to read and write Thai. Judging by the intricacy of some Thai characters, that seems hard to believe but the guy who told me that is fluent in both speech, and written Thai. Thai friends say if they didn't know he was foreign, they would think he was Thai so I guess its better to try his advice.

If you have the time to spare, I am sure that there will be prisoners that would love a listening ear. The embassy of your home country may be able to help you find out about who needs/wants a visit and how to go about that.

If you think everyone in jail in Thailand is there because they deserve to be, you're the one living in the wrong country. I hope you never fall foul of Thai law or have drugs planted in your pocket etc.

Tried both recipes - both awful now. I don't think the taste is any different, just smaller beans.

Did you notice a change in the taste of Ayam brand beans about a year ago? They were acceptable before but I can't eat them now, they're awful. Luckily I travel home often enough (at the moment) to be able to get a regular supply of decent beans which in fact are from Aldi and 42p. I never thought I'd say this but they are as good as Heinz.

There is a difference between bias and the truth. I'm pretty sure I have stated many times that I support neither side. One cannot though, ignore the truth and the truth is that thousands of people are dying and dying without reason. To be against that is not bias. If you think Israel is actually achieving anything at all in the long term through its current actions, you are very naive.

Agreed on all counts. I think most people in the Western World are guilty of ignoring the plight of the people of Gaza until the current conflict started. I, for example, had no idea of the situation; that Gazans were under blockade or that the population has relied on aid for years to simply survive. There is no excuse for that but for me I guess the reason is that I've been hearing about trouble in the 'Middle East' and seeing Arafat on the TV since I was a kid - after so many years, it tends to just go over your head. I remember many years ago, making a stupid comment that we should just drop a bomb on the whole Middle East and be done with it. Many criticise the actions that various Islamic terror groups have performed over the years..........we can all probably remember news reports of bombings, kidnappings and hijacks on TV since forever. I wonder just how many of us though, ever looked at the reasons behind such acts of terror. I would stress that I am in no way condoning such actions but to borrow the words of Antonio Guterres, they didn't happen in a vaccum. The very same reasons provide the backdrop to what brought about the Hamas attack on 7th October 2023. However, to lean towards the explanations of either side in this confict would be to over simplify matters and to accept the impossible. The impossible is that neither side is ever going to achieve its entire wishes without the complete destruction of the other. The matter will never be settled without compromise. Even with compromise though, I fear there will never be peace. There is nothing in this Universe that prevents 2 countries being formed out of the existing lands in dispute and the occupants of both living in peace. However, there will always be those, perhaps not currently dwelling in the immediate area, that will not accept any deal and seek to cause trouble. Israel, through its current actions is creating further hatred amongst hundreds of thousands of people, people who are unlikely to ever forget what is happening to them now. They are also fueling the constant hatred of the entire Western World advocated by Radical Islamist regimes across the region. The Islamic world seems to be in turmoil as it fights to reject the 'infidels' and even amongst its own people in order to try to retain its archaic way of life. In Iran, a country widely held as the backers of many Middle Eastern terror groups including Hamas, people are rejecting the hardline policies of the Islamic regime. Wherever one looks in the Islamic world, be it Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa or indeed Thailand, there is tension against 'non believers', and modernisers both internal and external. Such thought may seem to over complicate the current situation in Gaza and short term, that is probably correct. Long term however, the tension between hardline Islamic regimes and the rest of the world will ensure that the problems continue. I hope that a total settlement of the entire Israel/Palestinian conflict comes out of the current situation. So many people have died that to simply return to how things were and hope that the sentiments of Hamas have been crushed would be extremely naive. That is though, only hope. In my opinion, no lasting full or partial settlement will ever work if it is left to Israel. Any settlement will have to be imposed on both sides and must include Israel handing back land that it has stolen. It may seem Utopian and I suppose it is, in concept but I think that a 2 state solution misses one important matter - Jerusalem. Both sides lay claims, both religious and material over that city. The only way that will ever be solved is to actually create 3 territories - 1. Israel, 2. Palestine and 3. Jerusalem, a separate 'City State' shared and administered between the two. Reality - Israel will purge Hamas from Gaza, the rest of the world will pay for the rebuilding of it and return to compaining about but allowing Israel's continued land grabbing etc. in Palestine. Things will be relatively quiet for a few years as Gazan's recover from their own 'holocaust' and then return to acts of terror. Nobody is going to accept living the way the Palestinians have had to and Israel will not ignore terrorism................................and so we go on and on, ad infinitum. Why? Because the International Community is not willing to accept that what it created in 1948 was wrong and just doesn't work. Fixing that means going back to the drawing board and imposing a settlement on both sides - forcefully if necessary. One simply has to explore the amount of financial and therefore political power held by Jewish people around the world to understand that such an impostion will never happen. That power is something I haven't seen discussed anywhere in relation to the current conflict but I believe it explains the current, otherwise bewildering reluctance of countries like the US and UK to condemn Israel's actions in Gaza outright and take action against them.

You leave Highway 1 just over an hour from Suvarnabhumi. If you're going to stop on Highway 1, with stops of that frequency its going to take an awful long time to get to Udon. OP, when are they planning to do this journey by the way? As of Thursday/Friday Highway 1 and Mitraphap (Highway 2) will pretty much be a car park due to the Songkran Exodus from Bangkok. I once made the mistake of arriving at the airport on New Year's Eve (much the same as Songkran traffic wise). My journey to Khao Yai took me 9.5 hours instead of the usual 2 to 2.5.

Then you are not a person that I wish to debate with any further but I'll answer your questions and leave you with one. Yes its a war but its not a war fought between two nations. In this war, the entire military of a well equiped country is raging its war against a terrorist group that lives amongst the civillian population. That population might have voted for Hamas as a government but they have never been recognised as a legitimate authority, they are considered as terrorists by most countries. Given that the Israelis (without any authority to do so) will not allow Palestinians, apart from a heavily vetted few to travel outside Gaza, even to other Palestinian areas, they could hardly leave could they? The entire area of the Gaza Strip has been 'blockaded' by Israel since 2007. Various other serious restrictions have been placed on the people of Gaza resulting in it been descibed as an 'open air prison'. What type of attitude do you think such actions will breed? Gaza doesn't contain enough land for its population to feed itself and has relied on huge international aid since the blockade. Look at Jerusalem - people being told when and where they can pray. Farmers booted off their land and it being given to Israeli 'settlers'. Houses bulldozed. Who is going to accept such treatment? Who stated that 14,000 Hamas terrorists have been killed? I believe you know all of this yet you don't seem or don't want to, understand why the current situation exists. So a question, one I doubt you will answer honestly. I don't know where you're from or what family you might have, not that it matters but I suspect you are an American and most of us have families. Let's say for example, that a terrorist, responsible for the deaths of many people was hiding in an apartment building and one of those apartments was occupied by your daughter. Would you consider it justifiable for the authorities of your country to destroy the entire building and everyone in it, including your daughter in order to kill one terrorist? As someone in another post said, the IDF have weapons that can pinpoint down to exact vehicles (as they did with the 7 aid workers) - how the hell can you justify them taking out entire apartment buildings to target one apartment? They have by the way, admitted using 1000lb bombs to do so.

The number is actually over 32,000 now. Figures provided by the Hamas run Gaza medical authorities but of course, Israel won't allow independent observers in to Gaza for some reason. I don't think either of us know how many of those were actually Hamas although the number will be considerable. To be quite honest, I don't give a toss if the figure is 3, 3000, 30,000 or 300,000. One innocent civillian is one too many in my book. What figure do you feel is acceptable? Who should that be? How many deaths amongst your family would you consider 'collateral'. I have not attempted to justify the horrific actions of Hamas - don't you dare to try and justify the actions of the Israeli's, you cannot!

Are you suggesting that Ukraine is to blame for the Russian invasion of its lands or that Russia didn't invade Crimea in 2014? Do you think that Israel hasn't ignored the lines drawn up by the UN or annexed additional land? Are you saying that there is no such thing as the 'Occupied Territory'? Which country do you believe the Golan Heights actually belong to? I don't think there's another country on Earth that's ignored so many UN resolutions regarding the extent of its lands. The International Court of Justice is currently hearing arguments on the legality of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories. Just a few examples - interesting to hear your thoughts.

Couldn't agree more, its absolutely disgusting. I remember a few months back where they had flattened an entire apartment block to take out one apartment. No numbers were given but from the TV footage, I'd guess there were 30-50 apartments in that building. That's 'collateral damage'? It certainly is not and hopefully, the countries, including my own, that have been supporting Israel and ignoring such things by constantly stating that Israel has a right to defend itself, are finally realising Israel's 'reckless disregard' for Palestinian lives. Its shameful though, that its taken over 30,000 lost lives to bring about that realisation. Does nobody understand that figure? Thirty Thousand Lives! Let's not forget that there will also be at least ten times that number that have been maimed or seriously injured. How many kids have been orphaned? I make no excuse for again using the term 'reckless disregard', I heard it on a radio report from Gaza shortly after the 7 aid workers were killed, it fits with Israel's actions exactly. I don't have any problem at all with Israel prosecuting a war against Hamas, the attack on 7th October was horrendous but its been clear since early on in this conflict that they don't have the slightest care as to how they do that. Its fairly difficult to believe that Netanyahu cares for any lives at all - even Israeli. Remember that the Israeli hostages are hidden somewhere within the constanly bombed buildings of Gaza or the tunnels they've flooded. Clearly there will be an end to this conflict but has anyone given a thought to who will pay for the aftermath? Who will pay to repair the wasteland that was Gaza Israel has created? Who will foot the bill for those Palestinian victims who will need life long care and attention? Will Israel play a part in that? Somehow I doubt it.

Do immigration police make it up as the go along..... It all depends on how much 'assistance' you give them.

Can't beat those PTT stops with Nescafe at 15 baht.

They are either brave or stupid. That's a hell of a drive for a first timer in a country that has some of the craziest drivers on the planet. They'll certainly get a good introduction as to just how crazy things can be on that route. Please ask them to make a video going up the hill past the cement works, going towards Muak Lek on Highway 2 and post it here. Its really good fun when your hiking up that hill at 120 kph in lane 4 and an artic pulls all the way over from lane 1, straight into your path.

And as several major national retailers in the UK found out recently, technology is not reliable. Gregg's - a confectioners/bakery/sandwich shop with over 2400 stores was hit by a 'glitch' and could not process card payments. Some stores closed, others only accepted cash. Other retailers have reported similar problems recently. I've never known the £ in my pocket to have a 'glitch'. What is it they say? Technology's great, until its not.

A hell of a lot of Thai people don't pay tax at all and good proportion of those should but they get paid in cash so they think they can get away with not declaring it. However, some of them then pay that money into the bank to meet payments on car loans etc. Some just pay it in because nobody checks. My ex 's salary (under the tax threshold) was paid directly into her bank whilst her overtime (every week) and annual bonus was paid in cash - which she then paid into the bank 😁. The strange thing was, this was not a small business, she worked for a major Japanese company - seems they're all at it. It seems that RD checks on ordinary Thai citizens are rare. In the UK 'black money stays black' unless you're stupid because the Tax Authorities can and do regularly carry out checks on people's bank accounts. They can do that without you knowing. However, things seem to be changing in Thailand and the government is looking for additional tax revenue. Should the Thai authorities start checking the bank accounts of its 'ordinary' citizens, which it very well might, I forecast a rapid reversion to using cash.

You sound like an old school user. What you need to understand is that kids these days are not happy unless they are totally off their heads. You want them driving on the same roads as you and your family? But in any case, do you really believe that someone who's not too far gone has the same reaction speed as a sober driver? If you do, you should probably check out the evidence on that - because they are way slower. Having a smoke? Leave the car at home.

UK

All I can tell you is what worked for me - but be warned that not everyone responds so well. Diagnosis March 2015 PSA 189 Gleason 4+3 (7) T3B Tumour 100% of right prostate lobe, 60% of the left. Agressive type Firstly, your doctors need to determine whether or not the tumours have broken out of the capsule. I was told that if they have, no curative treatment is available but various treatments can slow the disease down. Scans revealed that the although cancers had broken through the capsule, it was minor and it was doubtful that any spread had taken place - although 2 lymph nodes close to the prostate were classed as 'slightly abnormal' and 'suspicious'. They were too small to sample. In the UK the NHS has fairly strict 'pathways' (types of treatment), many are only available if your PSA is below 20. For me that left removal of the prostate or Radio Therapy - both combined with hormone therapy. My oncologist told me that the 5 year outcomes for both treatments were broadly the same - the decision was mine. I was not old at the time and I was told that if I had my prostate removed, the chances of any activity between the sheets in the future was just about nil. The chances with radio therapy were a little better. Sorry to raise this issue but its something a lot of men worry about. I opted for Radio Therapy (RT) and began 6 months of Hormone Therapy (HT) beforehand which I was told would give the Radio Therapy a better chance. Due to the high % of tumour and the suspicious lymph nodes I was given the maximum 'safe' dose of RT which was 36 x 10 minute doses @ 70 2Gy over 7 weeks to the 'whole pelvis' beginning February 2016. I was advised to continue the HT for 2 to 3 years after RT. I could write pages on the effects of HT but everybody responds differently to it. I had a very hard time with it - so bad that I gave it up 12 months after RT. All I will say about it is that it 'played with my head', I would look in the mirror and no know who I was. My PSA after HT and on starting the RT had fallen to 8.2. By May 2016 my PSA was down to 0.15 and by April of 2017 it was down to 0.05 where it more or less stayed until September 2019 when it began creeping up again. I was told that should it rise to 2, I would be called in for a PET scan to determine where (if any) the cancer was. My PSA had rsien to 2.22 by January 21 indicating probable 'activity' and I had a PET scan around March I think. The result showed that the 'activity' was still within my prostate and my Oncologist was of the opinion that it wasn't a recurrence, more likely that we just hadn't got it all the first time. However, as I'd already had the maximum safe dose, further RT was out. I could however have Brachytherapy (BT) which is targetted down to millimeters and therefore doesn't risk damaging any nearby tissue. The technology employed to enable this is pretty amazing. The PET scan was used to construct a map of my prostate to identify exactly where the activity was. My Oncologist wanted me to have HT again, before and after the BT but I wasn't at all keen. After careful consideration he agreed that we could go ahead without it. I had 2 doses of BT @ 27 Gy, from memory 2 weeks apart, in October 21. By April 2022 my PSA was down to .70 and has continued to fall ever since. At my last test in February this year it was 0.57. Given my initial diagnosis my Oncologist says my response has been pretty amazing. I'm not sure you can ever say you are 'out of the woods' but I'm in a much better place than I was in 2015 and should the cancer become active once again, there are now other treatment options available to me. You will no doubt be given various options. What I would say to you is, read up all you can, listen carefully to your Oncologist and make your decision. Stay in the driving seat all the time. I'm not criticisng the doctors who've taken care of me, they've done a fantastic job but you have to stay in the driving seat. I was not called in when my PSA rose to 2.22 in January 2022 as I was told I would be - I had to call them. Remember, they are probably dealing with thousands of other patients - only you can raise your profile.

They were not denied DNA, there was none available. There were a lot of reports on that facet of the case but specifically one was written by a woman that was involved with the law in Thailand - I can't remember exactly what or who she was but she stated that she had been told by the police that they'd used up all of the material there was that could be tested. I think she might have been the one who would have tested it. I never believed the reports that claimed the police had lost the DNA material. I'm also pretty sure that the defence lawyer made a complaint that he was unable to test the DNA. That being so, the case would be thrown out of most courts.

Grandma or no grandma she's old enough to be one and that's the point so what's yours? I don't always read 6 pages of posts before commenting.

Far better not to have any at all if you're driving.

Regardless of innocence or guilt, there are very few courts in countries with a fair and just legal system that would have let this case get off first base. Denying the defence the opportunity to have their own DNA testing done would automatically lead to dismissal.

230,000 baht for a 47 year old grandma? The man needs a check up from the neck up.