jonclark

For a man who wants reconciliation so much and then to here this just reminds me of a song 'Heartland' by The The

...so many people can't express whats on their mind,

nobody knows them, nobody every will

until their backs are broken, their dreams are stolen

and they can't get what they want, so they're gonna get angry

Well, its ain't written in the papers, but its written on the walls

the way this country is dividing to fall

and the cranes are moving on the skyline, gonna know down. This town

But the stains on the heartland can never be removed,

from this country that's sick, sad and confused...'

Written about the UK in the early eighties, seems more apt for here at the moment

It is suppose to scare the shit out of people ,,,,that maybe make people think and try to do the right thing of not getting Aids....The stupid Aids group should be Happy that the TV soapy is trying to help scaring people and making them aware of the deadly disease.

If fear is the preferred language of instruction - Then heaven help the human race.

My wife and kids watched this and I saw the end scene - It looked like the person dying from HIV/AIDS had literally just been dragged from a flaming car wreck and was suffering from 3rd degree burns over 90% of her entire body.

Oddly though all the other patients lining the ward seemed to have no of these markings, despite the fact she was in an AIDS hospice. Guess the producers couldn't afford the make-up for the other patients?

If the government sent 'round agricultural experts who would look at Ph levels and terrain, recommend, educate in how to plant and maintain and harvest an alternative crop -- many farmers would gladly switch if the yield was also equitable.

Keeping people ignorant is diseducation.

Threats come only from oligarchs.

Those were my thoughts.

I think the PM is right in trying to foretell the drought next year and get farmers to switch in anticipation of it.

But, these farmers are usually poor, small scale subsistence, farmers, who have amazing local knowledge of growing rice, but other cash crops? In all likelihood the could well lack the understanding and probably the money to instantly switch from one crop to another.

I would be interested to know what crop the PM has in mind that can be grown and harvested within 1 - 1.5 years in apparently dry conditions and still produce a profitable yield?

Or are we going to have 5 million pig and / or chicken farmers pop up overnight?

Here's a shocker for you. Thais can live in Thailand for free. Foreigners have to pay. Is that racism too or any other bigoted label that you or others want to apply.

This is Thailand and Thais can charge foreigners whatever they want. It has nothing to do with anything more than commerce. The foreigner has the choice to pay or not. It's been happening for years and yet foreigners still visit so it's clearly not a problem for most.

Did you also know that when your friend is having his body massage the Thai in the next room is paying less.

Actually Thais have to pay too.

Driving licences, Chanots, Tabien Baans, Thai ID cards, birth and death certificates, amendments to legal papers, etc. All the trappings of being Thai are paid for by the individual, they are not free. They are also the same price for foreigners (where applicable).

Thais can live in Thailand for free. Foreigners have to pay. You cannot argue against that simple fact.

Tell ya what I'll agree with you provided you add the caveat - Thai can live in Thailand for free providing they don't visit a National park which entails a 20b entrance fee.

And god help the poor Thai who is asked to prove he is Thai with either a passport of Thai ID which the poor sucker had to pay for. Being Thai sure can be expensive.

Here's a shocker for you. Thais can live in Thailand for free. Foreigners have to pay. Is that racism too or any other bigoted label that you or others want to apply.

This is Thailand and Thais can charge foreigners whatever they want. It has nothing to do with anything more than commerce. The foreigner has the choice to pay or not. It's been happening for years and yet foreigners still visit so it's clearly not a problem for most.

Did you also know that when your friend is having his body massage the Thai in the next room is paying less.

Actually Thais have to pay too.

Driving licences, Chanots, Tabien Baans, Thai ID cards, birth and death certificates, amendments to legal papers, etc. All the trappings of being Thai are paid for by the individual, they are not free. They are also the same price for foreigners (where applicable).

Thais can live in Thailand for free. Foreigners have to pay. You cannot argue against that simple fact.

Tell ya what I'll agree with you provided you add the caveat - Thai can live in Thailand for free providing they don't visit a National park which entails a 20b entrance fee.

And god help the poor Thai who is asked to prove he is Thai with either a passport of Thai ID which the poor sucker had to pay for. Being Thai sure can be expensive.

Publicity seeker! Having 5,000 "friends' tells us that!!

He does look farang and if he didn't (unknown) show his ID card to prove otherwise the attendant had every right to charge him the going rate.

I've visited many parks in this country and if I show my Thai drivers licence I get in for the Thai price!

And whats the problem with dual pricing anyway. Western tourists can afford to pay more. Would the foreigner still visit if Thais were made to pay the same? It's 200 baht, take it or leave it.

You logic is inconsistent. You partly implement a system where people would get a product based on how much they can pay.

This system then should not consider the nationality , but the yearly income ; many Thais are rich why dont thay pay even more then?

Its just materializes racism , and every one who accepts this sends a message "Yes, we foreigner are second class humans ".

Also we dont apply dual pricing to Thais in our country so its asymetric.

You could sell differ prices for tickets whith different quality of service, that would be ok. 100 bath : stay 30 minutes, 200 bhat stay 1 hours , ...

The rich can buy more service , that is what happens in 99% of the world

Here's a shocker for you. Thais can live in Thailand for free. Foreigners have to pay. Is that racism too or any other bigoted label that you or others want to apply.

This is Thailand and Thais can charge foreigners whatever they want. It has nothing to do with anything more than commerce. The foreigner has the choice to pay or not. It's been happening for years and yet foreigners still visit so it's clearly not a problem for most.

Did you also know that when your friend is having his body massage the Thai in the next room is paying less.

Actually Thais have to pay too.

Driving licences, Chanots, Tabien Baans, Thai ID cards, birth and death certificates, amendments to legal papers, etc. All the trappings of being Thai are paid for by the individual, they are not free. They are also the same price for foreigners (where applicable).

Instead, the system would aim to filter out any information that could ...... contaminate the minds of children.

I take it then the entire Thai TV network will be shut down then.

Feel sorry for the UK workers who will lose their jobs due to this situation.

Good luck - isn't the official unemployment rate on something like 0.5%. Not really much room for a sustainable downward trend.

This is a very powerful and also myopic headlines and one which sadly permeates and is believed by large sections of Thailand.

Myopic because, Thailand is not an island and its very prosperity is determined by outside forces. If the outside world decides to impose sanctions, to judge, to protest at the current governmental set up then that would be calamitous for Thailand.

Powerful because by saying Prayut must only be judged by Thais shows just how introspective and internalized the government wants to keep this as it gives them the free hand to once again play the 'them against us' nationalistic card when criticism mounts from erstwhile allies. All the while the country stands to attention, saluting the flag; distracted enough to remain dependent on the army under the false assumption that' they' are under attack by us.

"He assured that the project will not violate any privacy or rights of individuals, claiming that this arrangement will further enhance data security as the authorities will have better access to information regarding online offences"

Is it just me or does anyone else see the contradiction there?

"per capita income per year is Bt30,000."

That is absolutely shocking - $1000 a year per capita. Whats that roughly 1 months salary to teach English via a lower tier agency?

Maybe investing in and promoting adult education centers would help more, so people have a better range of transferable skills and can find better employment.. Rather than just keep throwing 'interest only soft loans. Its like trying to fix a broken leg with a band aid.

There is clearly a lack of understanding going on here.

Democracy is far from perfect and has many rough edges. But the PM needs to be careful. On one hand he is going to address the UN on Thailand's progress according to 'his' democratic road-map, but on the other hand he is telling / demanding / pleading with his detractors to not protest (and by inference) use their democratic right of freedom of expression and assembly. This could well leave delegates scratching their heads and wondering just how much of the road-map will be transferred from words into actions and what a future democratic Thailand will actually look like.

It would have been far better if the PM had either said nothing or said something along the lines of 'peaceful protests which follow the law are an important part of a democracy'. Flouncing off the UN with this story of 'saving the image of Thailand' is a bit of a bogus message.

Why is he not telling those who will rally to give him support the following day, to not do so?

The arguments have long been raging about how viable rice farming is as a small scale economic venture given the levels of debt among many of Thailand's farmers.

Given the apparent increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts that has to put rice farming - a fairly water intensive form of agriculture - further under the microscope. And if the farmers follow Mr. Sutheps advice and stop farming for all of next year, or the majority of it. How are they going to feed their families and still have enough money in reserve to re-start farming the following year. Additional 'soft loans' are not the answer.

A much clearer plan is required.

Ya know reading the comments here, I just hope the locals have more sense than some of the posters here. The same arguments being rehashed, the same fingers being pointed, the same mistakes being repeated, the same mistrust and anger.

If the locals mirror the views of the 'educated farangs' then clearly any sense of instilling, let alone achieving any form of reconciliation is dead in the water.

I am totally baffled - how can you be sentenced to 4 years in jail and then seek bail. If you want to appeal surely its done from the actual jailhouse via your lawyer, Not from the comfort of your house whilst sticking two fingers up at the justice system?

Have they been released on bail? Maybe I missed that.

"seek bail" not released on bail.

Well, if it's 4 years for doing that then exxpect 400 years for the lunatics who took over the airport, right?

And 800 for the arson and rioting in Bangkok.

Now, who was it who said he'd be responsible for that?

Unpleasant though it was, the centralworld arson did not cost the country 60 billion baht or cause great loss to 2 million tourists.

If its about money then YL will have to be in jail even longer.

Fact is that the airport seizure was bad but not half as violent as the burning of BKK

The burning of Bangkok - What all of it? Or was it a couple of banks and a shopping center and some cars (perhaps a truck as well) - Maybe the burning of a little bit of Bangkok is more accurate? I know, not as dramatic and lacking a certain spin...but lets deal in facts and maintain a sense of perspective.

0.4 % Lets crack open the Champagne ..

Sorry cynical comment over

I am totally baffled - how can you be sentenced to 4 years in jail and then seek bail. If you want to appeal surely its done from the actual jailhouse via your lawyer, Not from the comfort of your house whilst sticking two fingers up at the justice system?

The Pakistani and Somali asylum seekers, could be Islamic Militants, and be here to cause problems here. These people overstayed their visa and , under the law, arrested, detained and deported. We have seen where these Illegal Aliens have caused problems, which the bombing could be one. HRW is another NGO that does not take into consideration the Laws of the country they are in, only there Left Wing, Liberal, Socialist ideals.

Racial profiling at its best - stereotypical, groundless and incorrect- Islamic Militants, supported by nothing more than the baseless assumption that being from Pakistan and Somali makes them Islamic militants.

I personally think the big problem here, and always has been, that Thailand is a very introverted country politically and socially so the English learned by most people is for use within Thailand's borders. At which point the whole idea of learning the language properly falls apart.

You could get a one year extension of stay based upon retirement at immigration. You will need to show 800k baht in a Thai bank for 60 days or proof of 65k baht income or a combination of the 2 totaling 800k baht. To apply for the extension you will need an entry from a non immigrant O visa.

If not you could get a 2 entry tourist visa in Vientiane or Savannakhet. The visa would allow two 60 day entries that can be extended at an immigration office for 30 days.

Getting a tourist visa would break the chain of 90 day entries you have been getting and allow you do at least one more after the tourist visa ends.

Hi Joe,

Just a quick one which you might be able to answer. Isn't it also possible for the OP to get an 'elite' visa for 500'000 baht which is valid for 20 years (4x 5 years) which could also act as a retirement visa? And save the hassle of re-applying and showing 800K combinations every year.