wandasloan

Petty my derriere. This is fraud (basic, sure, but fraud nonetheless) and thus a criminal offence

No. It isn't. "Fraud" and "criminal offence" have clear definitions. You may FEEL you have been cheated, but legally you have not. Even in Thaland, they don't charge, indict or prosecute based on feelings.

Neither dice nor playing cards are illegal as long as it is not used for gambling.

Countless Pattaya (roadside) shops offering the popular "shut the box" dice game.

Hardly a beer bar without.

Local brand of playing cards, 290 Baht:

Bad quality as with playing cards.

Thais in Germany always insisted to get good quality plastic cards from Thailand instead of the "local crap"

A popular souvenir from Thailand holidays.

As far as I know there is a specific tax on playing cards?

Hey Ben that "Shut the box" game looks interesting-------How do you play that?

Have a look at the rubbish left on all the beaches in Thailand by the Thai's.

Typical of Thai's to always blame the other people.

Where did the "Thai's" do that? Not in this thread, not in the OP, not in the Facebook posts/photos.

Have another read of the original post, and The Mirror. See if you can make heads or tails of those. See if any "Thai's" blamed any people at all.

Typical of TVF denizens to always blame the "Thai's".

They will be put to death soon and anyone who expected a not guilty verdict was a fool. Too much loss of face to get that kind of verdict here.

The one known certainty is that they will NOT be put to death soon. It is ALMOST certain they will not be put to death at all, but it is absolutely certain that the death sentence will not be applied "soon".

I often wish someone would augment the internet with some means to FIND the information we know is there. Whoever does that, they'll probably make billions. Until then, we'll just have to continue to ask others because there is absolutely no way to find anything on the internet right now. Shame.

There is good reason why Indian restaurants are not more widespread throughout the city: I would hazard that 95% of Thais will not even venture to try Indian food; the nearest they get to foreign is pasta or pizza. More fool them!

There used to be an Indian canteen or two near the old GPO on New Road. Haven't been there for years so no idea if still going, but they had basic dishes: dal, ladies fingers, various veg dishes, breads, chicken curry etc, and very cheap. Down the soi to the right of the big GPO building as you face it on New Road. Again, not easy to access unless you take bus or taxi.

The best Thai khao mok gai (purists claim) arguably is in that area near the GPO you write about, where Indian stall owners serve it up and several thousand Thais line up for it every day.

The government needs to understand that Thai people also die in these attacks, not just Russian or other Farang. You would think they should care enough to issue warnings.

What would the warnings say?

The question I would like answered is: Is there any way of finding out for sure whether the patchy, slow service is the result of the single gateway having already been implemented or tested?

Yes, in fact, there is a way to find out. You will find out definitively if you read the following:

If you notice patchy, slow service, it is not the result of the single gateway, since there is no single gateway, even to test.

And now you know for sure.

Unfortunately, THE PEOPLE never includes the Royal Thai Military that sees itself as exempt from the People's Constitutions and believes it has the sole authority to create new constitutions. There has never been a new elected government that has created a new constitution.

The military had nothing to do with making the 1997 "people's constitution". Neither did the elected government that was in office at the time, headed by the shortest prime minister in the world.

I can think of one person in particular that this news is going to irritate and anger. 5555 I wonder if this news article will find its way into the Thai news programs. Unlikely methinks.

What do you think ThaiPBS is?

I wonder what evidence pointed them to this conclusion, I was half expecting it to be a suicide.

Why do you wonder? The story is extremely clear on this point, repeatedly. Even clearer than describing where this took place, which was not Pattaya.

Interesting that the post deliberately tries to avoid using the word "Pattaya" as the scene of the crime. Bad for tourism I expect

Actually, the post deliberately (and accurately) describes the location of the crime, which was not Pattaya.

A fact. Really? So how come not one single US gun massacre has so far been stopped by law abiding gun toters. Not enough Guns Yet? What happens when one clown has an accidental discharge, and jittery John Waynes all blindly Respond? What you are describing is a world where everyone is armed, so car park disputes would be settled by duels. 1776 or 1863 were a long time ago, time to reboot that thinking.

Heh. Haha. Hahahahahaha. I get it, I get it!

If they were stopped, they wouldn't be massacres! Good one!

Actually, quite a lot of ATTEMPTED massacres have been stopped by citizens with guns in the United States. I happened to be quite close to this one, for example. This man actually killed several people, but as he headed into a church to start the real slaughter, a woman took him down so that it was NOT a gun massacre. There are many sources but here's one with links you can use to prove it if you have a mind to.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Colorado_YWAM_and_New_Life_shootings

Let all foreign nationals purchase firearms. This country would be a much better place. As it stands these criminals know that foreigner can not easily poses guns. So let them buy them freely. Good for the economy and takes the criminals edge away. This is the only way to curb the current trend. The only way......

Only the insane think that more firearms would increase safety.

Wow! How about that? Those extra police and troops in the photo are insane, and are causing less safety. I hadn't thought of that.

What about dogs? Do dogs decrease safety?

snip snip

I remember faintly that, during the governor's tenure, she visited Pattaya, stood in front of Walking Street and confirmed that there is no prostitution whatsoever in town. So, technically it could be that she has a problem with her eye sight for not seeing all those things happening around her.

Good background on the case, but this part is wrong. You (mis)-remember Miss Universe's sister the high-profile child-activist and political dabbler Pavena Hongsakul.

I think they should also get some Jail time , and a life time band , Currently politicians here seemed to dishonest with rules like this no wonder the countries broke.

I disagree. They should have to be responsible for getting their own music.

BTW, the country isn't broke. It is in the "rich nation" status of foreign reserves (No. 14 in the world, ahead of Britain) and has no truly outstanding debt. Thailand runs a deficit budget, but pretty small deficit.

Notice that it's a Phua Thai member saying that vote buying isn't the problem, let's move on.

Yup, lifetime ban (including family nominees) AND prosecution for wrongs committed.

Would you start then with the current deputy prime minister in charge of the economy? He was set down (barred from political office) for five years for corruption. A special law had to be passed by The General to make him eligible to hold his current post. All those set down with him remain ineligible of course.

Under the proposed law, he would not be in charge of the economy right now. He would be in enforced lifetime political retirement or, perhaps after a few years of prosecution and lack of conviction, shriveled and useless. You're okay with that? Do you think the current PICC (Person in Complete Charge) is okay with that?

Here's the deal: The example is a guy who was doing a good job, caught with his hand in the wrong place at the wrong time - much more bystander than perp, but guilty under the law of the day. He did some time in political Coventry. Now he's back, doing a good job again for The General (or so some say, anyhow). Under this silly lifetime-ban idea, he wouldn't be. Why lose a talent that can be redeemed, just because it makes a few people feel good about their (much less capable) selves?

On THIS (and maybe only this) The General and I agree. Prayut clearly isn't in favour of this kind of silly law.

He is right....better than having some red mob burning downtown Bangkok again.

Better less democracy than deads on the street.

Quiz time again.

Which group in Thailand has killed more Thais AND caused more property destruction in the past 50 years than any oth.... scratch that... than ALL the other groups in Thailand combined?

"Are you actually Thai?"

Er, no. They're not.

Even if they were Thai, would it be wrong to boycott slave labor caught fish?

Even after living here for 9 years the levels of nationalism in this country shock me sometimes.

Er, yes they are. This entire story and entire issue are about Thailand and McThai. The parent company or "actual McDonald's" or whatever you want to call it are not involved - or to be more precise are not quoted and, so far as we know, not aware of this ridiculous troll and its credulous believers.

The only non-Thai involved in the original story is

http://www.says-it.com/fastfood/mcdonalds.php

Basically... grow up and wake up!

If you are not prepared to share (i.e. give) everything that you own to a woman. don't marry her.

Exactly. If you are already planning for the divorce, cut out the middle part where you get married. That will save all stress, worry and ultimate pain.

The OP's question is really, "Should I get married"? And the question is obviously self-answering.

The problem with a single internet gateway, and I have seen this from my time in both Myanmar and China is one of control. I couldn't access my hotmail because the government said others were using email to spread stuff the government didn't like. Foreign newspapers were also blocked because they criticised the government from time to time. And internet streams on a single gateway were so slow it was impossible to enjoy watching a football game. snip snip

I agree with the tone and most of the content with your post, but I'm using it just so we all have the same facts. China does NOT have a single-gateway system. China has three international gateways.

Now, how China handles what goes through there is interesting, as you say. But just so we know not even China has stooped so low as one gateway.

Oh shock horror what if tactics start. It hasn't happened why try to scare munger before anything has happened.

If the sun blows up we will all die but is that likely !!!!!

It's not scare tactics. It is raw fact. Today, it can NOT happen because of normal government or military action. It would take extraordinary steps and planning, and would have to overcome very heavy pushback, for even a chance of the government shutting down the internet.

If ... sorry, when the single-gateway is done with full government (or perhaps not; perhaps military) control, it can immediately happen.

It is not scare-mongering to point out the factual, real differences between now and then, which are actually planned. In fact, the entire point of the single gateway through CAT is full, total control of the internet, and, when the internet is running, its traffic.

In short, it is the whole POINT of the military policy for "blowing up the sun", and soon they will have the untrammeled, unopposable means to do it. Unless people like you stop enabling them.

It's not about the money. It's about being discriminated against.

I do not visit any of the local attractions that have dual pricing. Period.

So if you have never been to Thailand, what's the problem for you?

notice the empty seats during Prayuths' speech at the UN

Wow! Never seen that one before.

Okay, but it was pretty hard for you not to. That exact photo was printed in newspapers, shown on TV, and posted for free re-use on government websites including the prime minister's (thaigov.go.th) and the foreign ministry's. It was also distributed (from New York) by at least one international news agency, maybe more.

There were other photos in a set of photos taken from various angles, with various lens settings during the Prayut speech,- including one quite close up. The same sets, with the same angles, were taken of every national leader who spoke, I believe - standard UN coverage, much of it by UN staff and passed along to international news agencies and the governments concerned.

Almost all speeches at the UNGA opening for the past 69 years (not counting the exciting first one) have been as scintillating, as persuasive, as emotional as Prayut's, and read in near-monotone, word-for-word from the distributed-in-advance texts, in a seldom-used language as Prayut's last week. The text and full audio and full video of every are available just in case something happens. So almost all speeches are attended as well as Prayut's and have been since 1946. It's not like the whole world was waiting for him to confirm that he thinks the Sufficiency Economy is good, even though his government doesn't use if and doesn't intend to.

It would seem the "have an election" is becoming like A44, a magic wand. Good for those believing in faery tales.

You are actually correct, although you don't think you are.

This is a country that doesn't like going without an election. All the previous dictators of the previous 80 years knew that. They either got out really fast (Sonthi, recently) or they had elections for parliament or whatever. Going without an election gets you into October 14 and Black May country. Pibulsonggram and his foes had interchangeable dictatorships but they all had elections. The former General Sarit had several elections. If this current General Sarit II doesn't have elections in an acceptable amount of time, he will get problems that are very, very predictable.

"Acceptable amount of time" will be decided in due course.