mikebell

Let's agree to differ for a year and see if Thaksin's sentence is reduced?

Laws are not enforced in Pattaya; that would entail police work before an incident.

There's thousands of them lying in piles all over Thailand by the roadside because the boss had no mathematics skills when ordering. The answer to the nation's debt is lying just awaiting collection.

Yes - which is why I asked if this is the 1st step towards his being eased back into society. 'The Supreme Court orders Thaksin to pay 17.6 billion baht in taxes. Previous court rulings in his favour have been overturned.'

Absolutely. My point is/was, will this sum fund his early release, leaving him to survive with only the 9 million UKP profit he made through selling Manchester City?

Same same. Despite doing the daft TDAC; despite having a multi-re-entry permit; photocopying multiple pages of data all of which has not changed in decades, all of which they have had multiple times over the years! It takes me roughly 30 minutes drive (others are not so lucky); a tour of the flooded carpark + 40 baht for this pleasure. I watched as my papers were 'filed' in a box under the desk (to be re-cycled/re-used?) Then I did the return journey asking myself WHY was this necessary? Why is tourism to Thailand down 8% whilst Vietnam's figures are soaring?

Is this a massive bribe to fund his early release?

This is such a joke. I was once accosted by Security for taking a photograph of this lame duck. It is the same sort of daft Thainess that forbids passengers from taking photos when aboard a plane at U-Tapao. Seemingly Thai admirals have never heard of Google Earth!

How strange! It's almost like the police were reluctant to be shown working.

Thailand prides itself on 98% employment but I wonder how many actually work? A tour of most Immigration offices; banks; any superstore; will reveal lots of employees who have no justification for their wage. This results in over-fussy working practices & deliberate obfuscation to justify the bloated payroll. Any job that does require hard graft for a full day's work is farmed out to (illegal) foreign workers.

One of the joys of old age; watching the 1st episode of a new series for three consecutive weeks. You're right. I enjoyed 'All her Fault' too. Lots of plot twists + a satisfying ending.

Clare Danes 'The Beast in Me'! Not a wasted word; nor an extraneous character; every minute riveting. 'The Stolen Girl' (set in Manchester UK) - not a copy of 'Not Her Fault'. (Excellent.) 'Malice' all episodes available. 'Trespasses'. Set during the Irish Troubles. As I tend to mainly watch series, this is a time of plenty for me.

How fortuitous. Pattaya's finest bungle again.

Oh no they won't. Admittedly a few years back, (before phone apps) I noticed a withdrawal of 10,000 baht. I went to my Bangkok Bank head office on 2nd Road. I got a print out of the last several months and there were others. The helpful manager identified where the 'faulty' ATMs were situated. I protested that I'd never, ever even been to Sattahip. He said maybe I'd told my TGF my PIN. I hadn't. She doesn't drive and we were together virtually 24/7. Only the bank and me knew my PIN. When I asked about a refund, he shrugged helplessly.

There's a desk in the police station dedicated solely for the reporting of this crime. The queue stretches round the block.

TEN (photo)coppers confiscate poppers.

I wonder how it continues to operate in the face of police attention? Is there some herbal elixir that somehow distracts Plod's gaze?

This thread comes just under the news of a burning condo where the whole building was smoke damaged. I leave the safety of my house maybe five times a week. On every occasion I see or smell burning. The above committee have a highly developed sense of irony.

'Fire inspectors from Pattaya’s municipal fire department and local police are examining the damaged unit to confirm the exact cause of the socket explosion. Investigators are also reviewing the building’s electrical systems.' 'The phrase "closing the stable door after the horse has bolted" means to take action to prevent a problem after it has already occurred, indicating that the effort is too late to be effective. It highlights the futility of trying to fix something once the damage is done.'

Just watched 1st 2 episodes of Robin Hood - enjoyable romp with Sean Bean as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Waiting for E3.

I believe that the principal reason Thailand is riddled with corruption begins with the police force. I think the ordinary Thai first meets corruption at the village cop level who decides who is worth prosecuting or is taking kickbacks from local industry/businesses. This low level dereliction of duty is seen as the norm and becomes part of Thai heritage.

Yet you hardly see any saving lives on the roads.

All crimes are committed by foreigners until proved not.

If the 'negotiations' are successfully concluded does that mean the police investigation is cancelled? Do the police get a % of the deal?

SOP for most successful arrests - despite the photo of the smug officers. So the 90 day reporting system doesn't work?