realfunster

Hmm - seems odd, the turkeys are voting for Christmas ? Things must be bad.

Hmm - wouldn't agree with this, I work in a professional field and the standard is OK but reasonably below Europe. That shouldn't really be too surprising. Reasons ? A fairly weak educational system and wider systemic issues. I've had some shockers with both dentists and doctors here in Thailand. Thankfully nothing that has cost my health (yet) but certainly some money and time. At face value, parts of Thailand, especially Bangkok, are actually reasonably well developed in terms of infrastructure and technology but if you scratch beneath the surface.... Not meant to be negative but factual, Thailand is what it is - a developing country with all the pros and cons that entails.

Yawn - bored of whining Dems on here and the internet in general. You were up against Satan reincarnated (in your mind) and still couldn't win - how useless does that make you. You'd be better advised to take a long, hard look in the mirror and rationally assess why you lost to Beezlebub. When doing this exercise, try hard to avoid apportioning any blame to the "ignorance and stupidity of voters" and concentrate on self-analysis.

For those adding confused emoticons, I’ll spell it out.. We have a major nationwide air quality issue and our de facto leader is paying more attention to meeting with supermodels. Geddit ?

Genuine question - did you see if the water quality has improved ? I was once a fairly regular weekend day trip visitor from Bangkok but at some stage (say 5+ years ago) the sea was just consistently awful ( I mean really bad) for 1-2 years and we voted with our feet and never went back....

As I write this, this is the first topic on the Thailand News page. The 2nd topic is "Thaksin to discuss global path for Thai models with Naomi Campbell" Says it all doesn't it really...

So let me understand, your evidence of foreigners being treated harshly under Thai Law is to give an example of a French backpacker being treated leniently ? If you have been in Thailand for any period of time, the ridiculous fines/prison terms are well known and very rarely does punishment for "minor infractions" actually approach either a prison term or the maximum fine limit.

The classic NASA map (live) shows plenty of burning in Thailand, same as what I can anecdotally confirm on a trip up to Khao Yai last weekend. https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@105.4,15.0,5.6z The current main culprit is Cambodia, it's a wonder the whole country hasn't melted itself back into the earth's mantle. To protect our breathable air, I would suggest trade sanctions are in order. If those don't work. Let's just invade them, once we get our new Gripens and submarines sorted out. The Khmers will have no answer for that.

I their slight defence, it was a computer that wrote all that..

My first thought when I saw it a few days ago was that it was a very bad idea to be posting such 'grey' things on the internet. Obviously the need for sharing trumped engaging common sense...

Yep. Even if in a fit of rage, you would have thought pulling over would have been the obvious choice in that situation. The video-sharer went too far in suggesting a gun was involved but it certainly looked like a very dangerous and unusual scene. Perhaps the subsequent social shaming will encourage both to watch their behaviour more closely in future, especially in front of their kids...

I was up around Khao Yai area last weekend, visual evidence of recent burning on display and we saw several large fires lighting up the skies on both nights...

Isn't that what his Majesty's opposition are tasked with trying to achieve on a daily basis ?

Agreed - living in a non-touristy Bangkok suburb I have also noticed an increase in numbers of Chinese, presumably here as residents.

Not quite, you must have missed the recent PR spin on the Royal Rainmaking Project, which was visited by the Bangkok Governor. It was reported to have miraculously improved air quality over the last week of 2024.. It is a real shame, I used to enjoy my visits up north and, at one stage, I was also considering retiring up there. That's definitely off the table now due to the insufferable pollution for several months of the year. Unfortunately, addressing air quality issues has been beyond numerous Thai governments over at least a decade, if not longer, and I am losing hope that anyone can find an effective solution.

I see again some sharing of misinformation about the appointment of Governors/Committee Members of central banks citing "independence issues" , please pay close attention : USA Federal Reserve : As stipulated by the Banking Act of 1935, the Chairman is chosen by the president from among the sitting governors to serve four-year terms with the advice and consent of the Senate. UK Bank of England : The Monarch appoints the Governor of the Bank of England after receiving a recommendation from the Chancellor of the Exchequer If you think these two bodies are, in substance, "independent" of US and UK Government, I suggest you are living in cloud-cuckoo land ! In Thailand's case, the appointment has been blocked by an unelected, unaccountable and frankly mysterious committee. If you think that is for the betterment of Thailand, I give up hope..

I am guessing that’s why they are looking at the VAT rate increase - an easily implemented scheme with broad capture. In the thread, 4 million Thai income tax payers is mentioned, even allowing for the economic status of Thailand, that is ridiculously low.

Yes….just like the US, where the President appoints the Fed Chairman or the UK where the Monarch appoints the Governor of the Bank of England based on Prime Minister’s recommendation….totally independent of government 🤔

Maybe he does but it's never going to happen in 4 years. The timescale for this kind of investment outlook from business is multi-year and they will want to see political/policy stability before making any such investment decision. It might however, provide pause for thought for US companies considering offshoring. I think we all know by now that Donald loves his bluster. As others have noted, from a purely economic theory viewpoint a wide-ranging batch of tariffs would probably lead to counter-measures by other parties, hurting everyone. Even if the other parties didn't respond in kind the increased costs to the US supply chain would increase prices for local US consumers for the foreseeable. I expect he will be selective on how to use the threat of tariffs to get concessions and in the end he may well end up targeting (i) a limited number industry sectors and (ii) China more broadly.

Just to point out that, for example, both the Fed and Bank of England Chairman are effectively appointed by the government of the day…the article and initial responses seem to be spinning this as some sort of crazed power grab by PT.

I think "Quality Tourism" has only ever been a soundbite and an attempt to pretend to nod towards Western driven concepts around sustainability etc. Like many developing countries, Thailand finds itself with an ambition to grow its economy, raise quality of life and needs to balance that with a developed world order focusing on sustainability and the environment. The reality, Thailand grew tourism from around 10m (2000) -- 16m (2010) -- 40m (2019). With > 1.5bn people within 3-4 hours, it makes sense to target Indians and broaden Thailand's market appeal. It's also an indication that the previously relied upon Chinese tourist market has slumped. Would be interesting to assess whether that is due to internal Chinese issues around their economy or boredom with Thailand. Anyway, with the Indian population still growing, they are likely to become the dominant tourist market in Thailand for the next 50 years...that means more Indian restaurants will surely be popping up - result !

I flew from there a couple of weeks ago, it seemed fine to me. Important news for nicotine addicts - they have a smoking room. It's not very well signposted though.

Wasn't this around the time that the Chief Water Pusher, Plodprasop, was publicly proposing an "exotic" meat buffet at Chiang Mai Zoo ? Coincidence ? I think not. Found the link. Even allowing for the 2 decades or so since it happened, how utterly embarrassing for Thailand. If you ever, ever, ever start thinking "you are in Kansas", I refer you to exhibit A below. This came from the mind of a Government Minister. https://www.smh.com.au/world/exotic-animal-meats-on-thai-zoo-menu-20051119-gdmh5k.html

Just to avoid any potential confusion for members, this is not another rate cut just a report that the official meeting minutes from 16/10 meeting (which cut rates) have been released. If you are interested to read them, here's the link : https://www.bot.or.th/en/our-roles/monetary-policy/mpc-meeting.html

I was about the say the same, can’t remember where but I was minding my business upcountry somewhere when some Skynet-looking giant drone suddenly appeared crop-spraying in the field next door. Quite impressive it was. Maybe one of these https://ag.dji.com/t50 I can imagine Somchai and friends behind a tree having a good chuckle at my bemused expression.