realfunster

There can indeed be a thin line between "populism" and generally accepted state subsidies and welfare programs. I would say that you calling the PT THB 10,000 "welfare" is pushing it to the very limit, I would say, for the most part, that "welfare" should be targeted at those in need. On the positive side, it would mean that the money is given back from the government purse to the public, so at least they (government) cannot misuse it or siphon it off....

1) Yes, it is an absolutely tiny tip of the iceberg. 2) Let's see if he is effed, my recollection is that on many occasions similar offences go relatively unpunished. Many others ? Let's see. 3) Momentum ? One swallow does not make a summer. Refer point 1.

Would be nice to see who the company was. And yes, you are absolutely correct, if more people did this then things might just start to change. I guess a reasonable chance it was a foreign company, many of whom are operating under anti-bribery regulations. Could have been a Thai company but they would need to have the right connection to be brave enough to do something directly against a government official like this. As others have commented, unfortunately it's endemic here. Those butter-wouldn't-melt government officials, who are generally held in high regard within Thai society, are amongst the worst offenders. I have heard many stories that would make your toes curl at how much some of them cream off the top of budgets or like this guy, by offering to remove a problem, with the right backhander.

No worries. Anyway, it's interesting to see that the initial reporting appears to indicate that an extradition is not forthcoming, somewhat likely China is not particularly keen on extraditing their citizens, I guess that might be viewed as weak in their eyes or they may consider it essentially an all Chinese affair (apart from the Thai lady with apparently limited involvement). Might also explain what could be a face saving statement from Damrongsak. A nice way for RTP to avoid any local follow up or pressure on why an extradition is not being demanded ? "No have kap"

I wondered about this myself and Googled this matter a few days ago. Aside from being curious to find out if a treaty existed, I was interested to see if there were restrictions for possible death penalty cases, as with some countries. Anyway, I easily found a link that indicated there is an extradition treaty with China. Do you know something we don't ? http://www.thailawforum.com/database1/Treaty-of-China.html

That is true but this doesn't sound like the usual MO for these inter-school gang fights, it's usually a punch-up or they are tooled up (sticks, knives, machetes). Can't say I recall many shootings or 'hits'. The limited information in the article gives this murder a more "professional" feel, with shots fired, victim knocked off the bike and the gunman stopping and then calmly walking back to finish the job off. That doesn't sound like an "amateur" to me. Anyway, I guess we will see either way as the investigation continues.

Careful now, I reckon that would send his combover into orbit.

Simply horrific. RIP. After the initial spurt of action against illegal Chinese immigrants after the nightclub incident a few months back and the pending cases against multiple immigration officers, it seems there may still be a lot of work to do. It is quite possible that during the COVID period, with a reduction of "normal" immigration activity and therefore, earnings opportunities, that many more immigration officers have had their heads turned into less than legal activities. It might take quite a long-term and concerted effort to sort all this out. It's not clear how these three suspects were both so quickly identified and identified as criminals, one wonders...

True, I am also fairly confident these up-country 'jobs' will be fairly flexible, quite relaxed and involve minimal work. Sitting at a public immigration desk at BKK under the watchful eye of superiors and cameras for several hours a day is probably quite a culture shock. As would be dealing with a load of grumpy foreigners just disembarked from their plane who don't show the proper 'respect' to these auspicious public servants.

Lovely puppies and the parents are great looking dogs ! We were considering getting a TRB puppy just a few months ago but ended up choosing another breed. If I'd seen your post then we might have changed our minds !

What a sad story. RIP. There are clearly exceptional circumstances in this case but it's also another example of lack of education for Thai kids on basic/survival swimming. If the lad, or indeed his friends, could have swum to a reasonable proficiency, he would probably still be alive.

I had a kid of similar age on his bike hit my car as I was leaving home in Bangkok. For some reason he panicked and lost control on a small straight soi and fish- tailed into the side of my car, leaving some nice scratches and dents. He was happily fine but shaken. This was in a quiet soi, so no police around and once he was up on is feet with the help of myself and some motorbike taxis, he was soon on his way. I knew his face from around the neigbourhood and he would have known mine. Not many foreigners in this area. I thought he/his parents might at least turn up at our door with an apology/wai but alas I assume their fear of possibly being reprimanded or facing some financial demand was enough to deter that....the latter was a moot point, insurance paid for it anyway.

There is some truth to this but on another thread, I showed that there were some timing differences between the "burning season" in Thailand and surrounding countries. I noted Thai officials being relatively happy in March to refer to these NASA heat maps and conveniently not doing so in February when the majority of the Thai burning was going on. My feeling is that there is certainly much that can be done in Thailand and shrugging the shoulders and blaming the neighbours is a cop out. And indeed, if one of the solutions is to propose reducing/stopping burning to the neighbours, you don't have much credibility if you are doing it yourselves, do you ? Below are heat maps from 14/2, 28/2 and 27/3.

Ha, ha , ha - definitely Thai criminals. ”Guys, enough with the kidnapping, harassment and intimidation already, hiuw khao”

Blimey, that sounds dangerous ???? I must have played the toned-down version which was basically like rugby with players trying to run through the ever-growing crowd to get to the safe zone. Ah, happy days though...

Ha ha ! Reminds me of this classic !

Not sure if urban myth or not but recall seeing somewhere that the juveniles are potentially more dangerous as they have yet to develop control over the amount of venom delivered per bite.

Maybe you are trying to play Devil's advocate but your posts present a highly risk-averse viewpoint. To each their own but it seems a crying shame to me that you walked away from your dog who had been your loyal companion for many years. For sure, there are some considerations regarding what you can provide your dogs in Thailand (like any country) in terms of accommodation and time, walking dogs is more challenging in terms of street dogs unless you have a secure housing estate or park nearby but many of your objections are lacking real substance. I disagree with your overall sentiment, I have owned many foreign dog breeds in my time here and none have had any significant issues with the heat, as long as you are not running them in full sun at midday and providing some shade/water/dog bath at home - but that is common sense surely ? The OP even mentions providing air con for his pooch, luxury ! Mine will only occasionally get that treatment when they come inside for a cuddle and play in the evenings but manage to be fine all day in our yard/garden. Oh come on, when my puppies were born in Thailand they had not had any exposure to diseases and parasites in Thailand either, with proper veterinary care this can be easily addressed via vaccinations and regular parasite medication. So, if you feel it's an acclimatisation process then ? By definition all dogs can go through this process, which can also be assisted by the owner providing appropriate amenities. I've seen Frenchies, Bulldogs, Shiba Inu, King Charles, Pugs, Corgis, Dobermanns, Labradors, Huskies etc all doing absolutely great here. These are all "cool(er) weather" dogs who have adapted just fine to Thailand. Diseases, see above. My own spaniel is turning 14 in 6 weeks time. Apart from his glaucoma, he remains very active and seems to have thrived pretty well in Thailand.... In my time in Thailand, apart from one Bangkaew, I've only ever owned 'foreign' breeds, never had a major quality of life or health issue. If my pooches can handle Thailand, so can a similar breed dog arriving from overseas....

Ha ha ! Yes, I like to do that as well once my overtaking is complete and the road is clear ahead and see if they get the hint you can move over if your path is clear. To be fair, most people are pretty decent on this but you do get the occasional mong just cruising along the highway at 80km without a care in the world as dozens of cars have to take evasive undertaking action. Quite how their brains don't register that something is not quite right, I don't know.

Doing God's own work. I hate those right lane hoggers.

Wow - that is grim. RIP.

You get used to it over time but it really is soul-crushing and revolting. Just imagine how many hundreds of millions of dollars are siphoned off every year from the public purse by politicians and government officers.... The Thai public sector - the best advert for privatisation ever.

You are being polite. It reads as if prepared by a small child or google translate. From what I can tell, it is actually from an English language news page. Kindly take note "AseanNOW" and " Bangkok One News ". I think members can reasonably expect better content than this nonsensical drivel. On your own head be it for your brand reputation to publish or share such a poorly written "article"...

Objectively, you could quite rightly say that it has been a wasted 10 years, with the EU taking the moral high ground at some stage and now changing their position whilst nothing, zero, nil has changed of substance in Thailand. So, pretty much a lost decade of negotiations for no reason... The timing is interesting with the elections coming up and what may be a convoluted power-broking process after the results are in. Further political upheaval and potential unrest is not impossible. At which stage, the EU might then be forced to suspend negotiations yet again... The UK has had no such qualms (I offer no opinion on this..) and has been continuing with it's own negotiations in various trade areas, that might have provoked the EU into reviewing their position. They may have also sensed a slight attitude change from the Thai side, as in other areas, with a generally unimpressive economy and rebound post-COVID, they do now seem quite keen on exploring new economic growth opportunities. Anyhow, sure we will all be delighted when we are finally able to buy sensibly priced french cheese in 2034.

Maybe I am misunderstanding your comment, but isn't that one of the objectives of any FTA - to reduce the import duties ?