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What total fools they are. The don't seem to have noticed that there is a common factor in economic growth numbers in ASEAN, where Thailand is the lowest. They ask why does Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Malaysia grow faster? Well, Thailand is the one that restricts foreign ownership the most. Why take a good business to Thailand and give 51% to a nominee shareholder who may run off with the lot, if you can own 100% totally legally. I am lucky, I have Thai children, others are not so lucky. The Thai education system is to blame here, too much nationalism in it blinds its poorly educated people into believing that we are some kind of threat to national security. On the contrary, we would love to bring our wealth to Thailand totally transparently, but the law makes that difficult to impossible. Lucky Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, they must all be licking their lips at the stupidity of the Thai authorities!!!!

Although democracy IS the best system, there is a huge risk in trusting the voters. Fully 32% of voters voted for a full on trotskyite program in the UK in 2017 and 2019. Unreal. In the USA, the public elected Donald Trump as president and may well do so again. In Austria yesterday, the largest party were the Proto fascists at the polls. Chileans voted for Salvador Allende in 1972 and his idiotic socialism led to a revolution of a right wing nature and the proto fascism of Pinochet. Democracies really can screw it up!!

This is a hugely positive development. Malaysia, Singapore and Macao, not to mention Laos and Cambodia have been cleaning up in a business that Thailand should monopolise. Personally, I thing that the number of Thais who will attend is being overestimated, foreign gamers will flood in to much cheaper and fun Thailand. Hotels will be fuller, less money will leak out of the country. We just need legalise all the other drugs like mushrooms, MDMA, cocaine etc (and tax them) and prostitution (yes seriously, get them out of the hands of the police who are their mafia protectors!) and we can create some serious economic growth!!

Anyone who eats KFC has to have a screw loose in the first place!! Cancer and heart attack on a plate.

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FAmily name says it all, Yoo-bum-rat.

Anutin is a VERY sharp businessman. Also, the fact that he spearheaded such a progressive policy as legalising marijuana during a military government says something quite special about him. No the policy is not popular, but it absolutely is the right thing to do and is giving Thailand a massive edge in tourism. People should realise that alcohol is a FAR more dangerous "drug", yes, "drug". It makes many people violent and causes huge domestic strife. When people as stoned, they don't usually go around beating people up like drunk football supporters do. It seems to me that he is a man who wants to get things done and has proven that he can. Obviously, Future Forward would be the best option from a purely democratic standpoint, but practically, Anutin would be a good choice.

Ahh well yes, Absolutely right to focus on all those nasty foreigners, most of whom just come here for rest and relaxation, not to cause trouble. Surely the super honest Thai police, will in their objective honesty be fair to them and will also make sure that all the Phuket Taxi mafias use their meters and that there will be no "rip off bars". And of course, no gambling at all, after all, the police in this country are famed for their ability to stamp out illegal gambling. Not of course, to forget prostitution!! The world will come to an end if foreigners find out that this kind of thing exists in the land of smiles!!!

I think that before getting into racist rants about nasty abusive foreigners (and this guy deserves everything the police throw at him!!), it is perhaps worth reflecting on how local ladies are treated by local men..... basically, very badly, hence the desire of so many Thai girls to marry farang men. The police do not lift a finger to domestic violence committed by Thai men against their wives and gf's, largely because most Thai policemen are men. These recent cases of Swiss guys losing their cool will be welcomed by the male local populace for the simple reason that it means deflection from the horrific amount of domestic violence in Thailand. Perhaps, if one wants proof of this issue, a small investigation of wives and gf's trying to get child maintenance off their husbands or bf's tells a terrifying story. Nearly all of the massage girls in BKK have children up country, usually with their parents, because the man refuses to pay and the police do not follow up, likely because they are up to no good and have many girlfriends too. Heaven forbid they have to take responsibility!!!

Country of Origin rules should help this. But really, the issue is also about the efficiency of Thai manufacturers. They do not need protection, labour costs here are no more than in major Chinese production areas. Thai manufacturers have become "fat and happy"!! Wake up Thailand, manufacturers get savvy, and government insisting on rules of origin..... If you coddle Thai manufacturers now, they will end up like Brit manufacturers... non existent.

Legalisation was one of the best growth producing actions ANY Thai government did. Marijuana has been part of the culture of this country for centuries, and it is effectively harmless, as long as managed properly. The problem is, conservative old farts think that all "drugs" are the road to hell. They are forever, and not just in Thailand, trying to stop people enjoying a good time, and altered states of consciousness. At the same time they do not realise that sugar and alcohol are drugs that are FAR more insidious than marijuana!! Have you ever seen a stoned person get violent Never!! Have you ever seen a drunk person get violent or insulting? Yes, all the time!! And yet I note that even though the government is reducing the duties on wine, they are still way higher than on spirits and yet it is spirits that totally destroy the liver and brain with great rapidity compared to wine, which, in moderation, has health benefits. People should be left to enjoy themselves as they wish in the privacy of their own homes. Perhaps Thais drink as much as they do up country now, because their traditional high, from THC was taken away from them by a military government in the 60s following the advice of the USA.

Everyone in the audience seems to be having a good time. Islamic prudery raises its head yet again. WE need more sex, drugs and Rock and Roll. Bring it on!!

Much though this wonderful country has much going for it, the education system is one thing that does not. Its total omission of practical things in education and its devotion to quasi religious principles is a major issue. Kids are not taught about road safety, drinking and driving, debt, sex and intra family abuse and more. That, coupled with Grengjai, where it is considered impolite to point out the obvious to any person, even an idiot, is regarded as impolite, merely reinforces the structural issues facing a highly hierarchical, paternalistic society. The rise of Future Forward seems to indicate that this is changing, slowly, but surely. Thank heaven!!

It is a very silly idea to start taxing the overseas income of Expats, but that has not been confirmed yet. For those expats with a bit of cash, set up a company, and LEND the money you bring into Thailand and then LEND that money from the company to yourself!! Accountants are cheap in Thailand. say 30K a year, but let's say you can live on a million baht a year, that represents an effective rate of tax of 3%. Peanuts compared to the max of 35%. the other way of sorting this, is not to bring it into Thailand. Use your offshore bank accounts and make sure you have a big limit on your ATM withdrawals. Just take out cash and the Thai Taxman is none the wiser...

Plainly obvious that "Lisa" and her mates will do anything to get the Chinese $$$$$. Can you imagine the outcry if it was suggested that British Tourists are protected by British Police, or Russians by Russian Polce. OK, we all know that the Thai police force is largely unfit for purpose, but allowing the Chinese police in to spay at will (and they will be spies!!) is almost incomprehensible. How could you possibly think of allowing the representatives of a fascist state into Thailand? Its almost like allowing the SS to come to UK in the late 1930s to protect marches by the British Union of Fascists!! Anyway, the idea looks firmly to have been ditched by now.