riverhigh

"During the 1990s, the introduction of retirement visas and non-immigrant visas for specialised groups bolstered the necessity of visa agencies. They offered relief from lengthy queues and cumbersome paperwork through services such as address verifications and residency certificates." Silly me I always thought it was for those who didn't have the 800,000 baht and/or medical insurance, depending on the visa. If memory serves me right, I never heard any of my friends say "I'm glad I paid the 19,000 baht for the relief of not standing in line".

"it could take up to 29 months to reinstate a functioning system, with procurement yet to commence." 29 months to fix a plug-and-play sytem! I thought when they bought the package off the shelf it had been already tested and considered "idiot" proof". Obviously not "Thai" proof (smile).

The last thing I want to do on holiday is time keeping. Now what time is it I can't buy a beer. Is it 1pm, 2pm, 5pm? Damn my brain hurts. So inconvenient.

Tonsillitis contracted in India, not covered by insurace? precondition? It appears that rather than going back to the UK from India they decided to continue their holiday to Thailand. It also appears that she was rushed to the Thai hospital after they had celebrated her birthday. Party first, hospital emergency second? Maybe some poor decision making?? Hope she gets better, but ....

The Russian was having good old gay time and unbeknowst to him fate turned on him. Situation completely out of his control. How do I can contact the GoFundMe for Russians? I want to donate.

"Wallace, a 72-year-old retired lorry driver from Sidmouth, Devon, embarked on a brief journey to Thailand." On a brief journey to Thailand and his health insurance lapsed. Give me a break! I doubt he ever had travel health insurance in the first place considering this lorry driver only knows living in the nanny state where everything is paid for. Photos of him living it up in Thailand gives me the impression that before coming here he was in good health and consequently took the gamble. Hope he recovers, but ....

Difficulty of opening Thai bank accounts has been discussed many times. You can blame the two-week millionaires for this problem. They would come to Thailand and want a cheap place to securely park their money. They would open a bank account, deposit money and then close it a few weeks. Very expensive for the banks.

"Despite these challenges, Mr. Phanuwat remains optimistic, noting that most local businesses continue to welcome tourists with open arms." .... Give me break!!! What is Mr. Phanuwat to remain optimistic about? Businesses will no longer accept tourist money with open arms?? I don't see how these businesses can handle the challenge of selling over-priced products to naive tourists.

Thanks for the horrendous photo. All doubt has been removed that I am now old ... 555. Nothing worse than a tranquil area turned into a cesspool of self-centered narcissistic young adults. I have very fond memories of Pai and intend to return in the "very low" season of July and August. As a side note, you won't be seeing me floating around in a old tire tube buzzed out of my mind on some locally procured drug.

Yup. We only get half the story, the rest is left to our imagination. On the limited information provided, my guess it that the American took some shortcuts in setting up a corporation to run an entertainment business in Thailand. Just another example of a foreign retiree living his dream of running his own business and getting over his head. Being 67 years old and American, he should have a good pension and be able to live comfortably without getting involved in a sketchy Thai business.

Wonderful service. Check that your Thai dolly is suitably drunk before taking her home. More booze better the sex ... not that I know just quoting a friend!

As long as the Thai police force is funded by the amount of fines it collects from the general public one can expect some shenanigans. Most of my foreign friends who get traffic fines see them as cheap road taxes. TIT.

Let's face it the 2pm - 5pm alcohol sale ban is just plain inconvenient! The heavy drinkers will adapt and work around this inconvenience. It is ridiculous to think that this 3 hour time ban will have any effect on the level of alcoholism in Thailand.

"On 8th February, Police Lieutenant Colonel Suwit Bunnaphen of the Mae Hong Son Tourist Police confirmed the removal of disruptive Israeli tourists from the country. These individuals were charged with causing disturbances at Pai Hospital and have had their entry permits revoked." Nothing to do with jew-hating, anti-semitism, zionism, etc., its about individuals from Israel who insist on bringing their problems and arrogant attitude to Thailand. Narcissistic self-centred young Israelis who cannot adjust to living in a foreign country and abide by the country's norms and laws. Arrogrant Israelis who neither know nor care about the amount of damage they are doing to the reputation of their home country. When the Thai governemnt and businesses start signaling out a specific nationality for unacceptable behaviour then there is problem for that nationality. In this case Israel.

"He claimed the meeting was meant to be a peaceful discussion with a former friend, "Ice," who had distanced himself from their group." It kinda of makes sense why the gang rivalries decided to meet close to the Pattaya police station for a "peaceful discussion". What could possibly go wrong? Who in their right mind would open up fire 50 meters away from the police station? A few phrases come to mind: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong", "Common sense is not so common", "Never underestimate stupidity, stupidity knows no bounds and finally for our American Vets 'SNAFU ... Situation Normal All fu&$ed up".