ukrules

I simply can't see any foreigners receiving a single Baht, ever.

Peak Thailand right there. Nobody stopped, what are the odds.

Oh no, how unexpected. Better check everything built for the government and go back at least 10 years to find out how many more there are just on the off chance this isn't the only one.

Well some of them definitely weren't. One example who springs to mind is Cnut the great, we're going back a long way there.

One of the many reasons I left the UK was the immense number of morons I found myself surrounded by on a daily basis. I eventually came to realise that it's a global phenomenon, most people are just pretty dumb and I include a lot of so called successful professionals in this as well.

I remember when this happened, Pepsi literally disappeared overnight and the word on the street was it had been rebranded to EST for Asia. Likely completely inaccurate but that's what the word on the street was..... That was years ago though.

Nah they didn't, it's still called Chang

Yes, they attempted to claim ownership of a global brand simply because they had an old expired business deal. A great example of what Thai business partners have in mind when they begin 'cooperation'. What were they thinking? Did they actually think they could get away with stealing the name of one of the largest brands on earth? You couldn't make this kind of stuff up if you tried.

Just speculation on my part but if I ever produced a contract that had illegal terms in it then I would kind of expect the entire contract to be null and void, perhaps the Thai courts are only voiding the second and subsequent renewals - for now. I do wonder if someone attempted to have an entire lease nullified based on the known bad auto renewals. You see - if the intent of the lease was only to circumvent the foreign control of land rules and 30 year maximum then the court could take a dim view of that. I wouldn't want to be in the position of owning a lease that expires in the next few years, this will not end well - many people bought leaseholds back in the 90s - it's going to be a wild ride.

Indeed, these contracts should technically all be null and void shouldn't they? As in the entire lease cancelled. Look at it as a 30 year pre-paid rental, anything extra is a bonus.

Yeah me too, I never touched SIP in all these years because Skype just worked perfectly for what I wanted. There are apps for the phones but choosing the right provider with a package is the key part. Now they would have accepted my UK credit card but wanted photos of both sides of my signed credit card including the 3 digits on the signature strip (illegal to store that on their end) and also a copy of my passport - so I chose the bank transfer. I could have easily chosen to pay with my Thai bank card but that may have locked me into Thai calling plans - I'm not sure on that. Anyway I got it up and running and it seems to do the job.

VOIPStudio has its own softphone app, allows calls to landlines and works on Android / IOS. The issue you might have with these SIP systems is that it is kind of compulsory to have a number attached - well it's not - but a lot of phone companies will simply reject the call if it arrives with no number attached. So they will assign you a number - which is where the issues can begin - they will want proof that you're from where you say you're from - I had issues with that Then when it comes to paying - they require the bank account to be in the same country that you're currently in - because in this world apparently nobody ever travels around the world and sets things up while on the move - I got it sorted only by doing a direct bank transfer - I guess they're paranoid about chargebacks from the fraudsters - which is fair enough as I know the world is full of scammers. Anyway - suggest you give VOIP Studio a go and try out their app - if the app is no good then something like Zoiper will also work on phones.

There's a lot of that about recently, I note that this Senator is a Republican which tells us a lot about the unhinged one making the threats.

Special rules for special people! Anything illegal can be prosecuted, especially if you happen to be a foreigner - task forces will be formed, SWAT teams despatched, etc, etc

Are you saying they should double down and make crime illegal?

It is the governments problem, not yours or mine.

The problem is - there won't be enough - and that sounds like a great problem to have - but it's not.

The problem arises when everyone else who currently purchases Nestle products swaps over to what you used to buy. Or maybe they simply switch to some kind of tea instead, regardless of what they change to - this is so big that it will affect supply chains.

Why? Because it is a bad look if he is tortured and murdered live on TV. I'm sure we've all seen the other ISIS videos which were circulating a few years back, he would get the same treatment. That's exactly what will happen if they get their hands on him and it's merely due to who he is. This demands the highest level of protection possible regardless of his personal opinions. I hate the whinging leftist views but this guy does need protecting from the enemies of the state - he is a very high value target and every move he makes will be watched by the enemies of the state.

He is still the Kings son, the Jihadists would love to get their hands on him and as such regardless of what he says or does he should be adequately protected from the enemies of the British State.

Yes, they are. The dispute between Nestle and their partners is making things spicy. The supply chain is being cut and it's nothing to do with tariffs.

Yes, see my post above about airside arrests. Something quite insidious is going on here. Not entirely sure why yet but we will find out one day. It's not new, been happening for at least a few years now.

Oh, I'm not worried, my visas are sorted until the 2040s with my Thailand Elite membership but I really don't like what I see going on, especially in Phuket. I heard elsewhere that it's now routine IN PHUKET for immigration to allow people to pass through into the departure area known as 'airside' where a whole different set of laws apply which is when they 'move in' for the arrest.

Reminds me of the word nuclear, this is one of the worst, even among native English speakers.

Just kids having fun