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Before we break out the champagne, this does not mean that four Thai universities made it into the top 100 universities in the QS annual review. It means that they made it under a specific discipline. While Kasetsart was ranked 39th in the one subject area of Agriculture and Forrestry, it only made it into the 650-700 section in the overall ranking (the server is down and I could not see the exact ranking).

It is one thing to make it into the top 100 overall. It is relatively easy to make it in one subject - for instance, not every university is going to have a medical faculty or an Agriculture and Forrestry department - therefore easier to make it in one of these subjects.

Much more difficult to make it in a large range of subjects, which is what is required to make it into the top 100 overall.

The Lao do this as well but in a different way - if you are foreign female and need to deal with Lao civil servants, you have to respect Lao culture and dress properly - if you are a woman, that means wearing a "sin" or Lao long skirt/dress. If you don't, the civil servants won't deal with you.

the Airline will 100% want to see one. No foreigner who travels to Thailand by Air without a proper Visa will be allowed on board of any Airline flying to Thailand without proof of an onward ticket.

While I have been stopped getting on a place to Manila because I did not have an onward ticket, this has never happened when i flew to Thailand (and I never get a visa in advance - only a visa waiver on arrival in Bangkok.

I got so tired of all this stuff with antivirus that worked well with this laptop and then badly with that laptop because of some conflict with some type of file or application and then I got a Mac. Never had a problem since. All I do is computing - I never have to worry about viruses. Don't seem to get malware either. And because they run on these new hard drives (that do not rotate), you don't have to worry about defrag either.

Hi

I have looked into this and have had quotes from various places - seem extortionate. May try to do myself - try to organise paperwork myself and discuss with airline direct - although confused as some airlines seem to work with these companies??

However, just wondered if anyone knew this as had 2 different answers about this:

Does a dog have to have been in GB for 6 months before (as we took our dog to Europe for 3 weeks)

One company says that she can't fly until 6 months after the visit to Europe

And another comapny says the rule is that if "The regulations state that she must have been resident in six months prior to export OR have a valid rabies vaccination (that needs to be given at least 21 days prior to departure) so as she has had a rabies vaccination this should be fine.

Anyone know???

I would not rely on just the opinion of someone on an internet forum for a definitive answer. Best you check with a vet in the UK who specialises in pet transport.

I take it that the quotes you got were for transporting your pet as cargo. Yes, that will be extortionate. But you will also pay highly with some airlines for taking your pet as excess baggage - I was ambushed by Emirates with an extortionate charge on check-in despite being given a much lower verbal quotation on booking the original ticket (you pay the excess baggage on check-in). Best to get your quotation from the airline office in writing with a signature on it.

I have flown a dog as excess baggage through Sumarabhumri (from Vientiane to Entebbe in Uganda) without problems. But I would suggest you very very carefully get the quote from the airline for the cost of transporting your dog as excess baggage, as my experience shows. Emirates office in Kampala had quoted me approx US$500-US$600 based on a weight of my dog (25kg) plus the crate. In Sumarabhumri the Emirates check-in agent was about to charge me about $560 when the Emirates supervisor told her that the charge was much higher, abut $1,700. This was more than flying a human of 120kg plus 40kg of baggage plus food and wine in BUSINES CLASS! Nothing I could do but pay. Emirates have not taken any responsibility for this mixup and offered me no refund when I complained later.

You really need to get a signed quotation from your airline for the weight of your dog plus crate.

Best you try to find a vet in the UK who is used to preparing dogs for excess baggage flights. Best to take a direct flight, if you can afford it. Otherwise, take the same airline for the whole journey - and research the arbitrary rules that some airlines impose.

You should check what docs you need for clearing your dog in Bangkok - you may have to get an import document from Thai authorities before you travel. You will need papers from the UK too - that is why it is best to use a vet who knows what is required, the appropriate size of crate, tests and shots etc. You should check all document requirements before you even think of booking your flight.

There is no tradition of communication with passengers in many Asian airlines.

I recently took a Lao Airlines flight from Vientiane to Sumarabhumri. Plane was diverted to Don Muang where we stayed for 4 hours. Not once did the pilot communicate with us during the whole episode - a member of the cabin crew told us that there was bad weather at Sumarabhumri and that was the reason for the diversion. At no time were we told about when it would be likely that we would rejoin the flight path to our destination, no word from the cockpit, no apology, no assurance. Cabin crew knew nothing except for the bad weather. Was delayed by between 4 and 5 hours. Many passengers were unhappy as they could have been released at Don Muang. No explanation as to why this was not possible. Almost missed my connecting flight. No offer of help to make that connecting flight or inform the connecting flight airline.

To Thailand's shame they welcomed Pol Pot and what remained of his army when the Vietnamese drove him out.

He later returned to Cambodia and died of old age never repenting or paying for the atrocities he committed against his countrymen.

No one comes out of the Cambodian nightmare smelling like roses. The Chinese supported the Khymer Rouge to the hilt and kept them in power. They even invaded the Vietnam to punish them for invading Cambodia when the Vietnamese were trying to stop the KR from killing Vietnamese villagers in border areas. At least the Vietnamese tried to make amends by getting rid of this menace although they had helped to put the KR in power in the first place. And they withdrew their troops after 10 years, albeit leaving behind a pro-Vietnamese government.

The UN allowed the KR to keep their seat at the UN until 1993 - this required the acquiescence of the majority of nations represented at the UN. Hmmmmm. The Thai government provided refuge and trade opportunities to keep the higher level cadre of the KR in the standard of living to which they had become accustomed for many years.

The US policy of carpet bombing the east of Cambodia is credited by at least some historians with sending the rural population into the arms of the KR on the basis that "my enemy's enemy is my friend."

After the invasion of Cambodia by Vietnam, the United States, which never maintained any form of diplomatic ties with the Khmer Rouge’s Democratic Kampuchea, showed strong support for the membership of their former enemy (Khmer Rouge) in the UN General Assembly, and echoed ASEAN's call for an immediate withdrawal of Vietnamese military forces from Kampuchea. Had the Vietnamese withdrawn then, the only alternative power base would have taken over, which was the KR.

And no country did anything about the KR when it was clear what they were doing to their own people.

Many years ago I "lost" my mobile phone while going through security at a major airport in the UK. Within a few minutes I realised that I did not have my phone and went back - no one was interested, especially the security guy who had handled my stuff. Tried to report it but no police around as this was airside. No phones to call the police either. I was in too much of a rush to get on my plane to bother with further efforts.

Since then, I always put my personal stuff into either a zip pocket or into my carry-on so that no one can "forget" to take it out of the plastic carrier before moving them on.

This kind of think happens everywhere, not just in Thailand.

You should not try to "crowd source" your diagnosis. Even if there were a qualified medic on the board, s/he would not want to diagnose you without seeing you in person and perhaps running some tests.

Your reported symptoms are completely compatible with a wide variety of conditions and you are wasting your time appealing for help to the board. How can I put it as politely as I can - GO TO A DOCTOR. GO TO A DOCTOR NOW.

Crazy Brit. You don't visit a foreign country, rent a car, and drive with reckless abandon. You don't know the roads and you are a guest.

I hope they lock up Mr. Benjamin in a Thai prison cell for a few years and not just let him go back to the island after paying off the officer's family.

My condolences to Police Lance Corporal Wiroon's family and friends. Terrible that this happens at the end of the Songkran holiday.

From the very bare facts that we have been given, I don't see the reason for pronouncing sentence just yet. According to the driver, the police officer u-turned in front of him leaving him with no time to stop the vehicle in time. Yes, he may have been driving above the speed limit but, from the way it looks, the police officer should not have u-turned in front of the Benz. It could have been the case that even had the Benz driver been driving at the speed limit, the officer would still have been killed if his move was very sudden and he did not bother to look. Or not. We certainly do not have sufficient evidence for throwing away the key given what has been written in the forum thread so far.

A quick look on the Internet (good article on Wikipedia especially) reveals that:

- The law banning Kratom was brought into force because people were using it in the 1940s to get off Opium, which the government was taxing at the time and did not want people to stop taking!

- that it is generally much less harmful than any of the other mild drugs on the market

- that the plant is indigenous to Thailand and government sponsored attempts to eradicate it have led to ecosystem imbalance in some areas and the death of lots of other trees.

- That its consumption (chewing) is part of the culture of certain parts of Thailand from ancient times, especially in South Thailand

The pic of the culprit, the evidence and the plain-clothes police has all the trappings of a chap being arrested following an expensive investigation into his improper parking practices. Yes, it is against the law to possess Kratom as it is to part improperly but so is so much else that causes real pain to real people (e.g. murder, rape to name a couple). And it would be best for the tax baht be used to catch the rapists, mafia and murderers but then this is Thailand.

In countries with less than efficient/stable Internet, be careful with versions of Office's server platforms on a software as a service basis where Office 365 or parts of it are streamed to your computer as opposed to running on your computer as a stand alone. I have never found a sustainable stable fast Internet service in Thailand (that is not to say that there is one somewhere) and therefore would never use a version of software that relies even in part on streaming to operate properly.

I believe that in Thailand/Malaysia what is usually done is literally circumcision i.e. removing the foreskin of the clitoris. Completely unnecessary but unlike more drastic procedures does not impeded sexual function.

And who performs this very delicate operation? If you had a small growth in a very sensitive area, would you agree to some local to do it or would you get a highly skilled surgeon to do it?

I hope that all of you liberals will acknowledge the fact that 'profiling' is a legitimate and effective tactic for narrowing the field in the hunt for criminals. It is, despite the liberal outcry, nothing more than a description of those who have been seen committing a particular crime. Rounding up black people in an area of drug sales is no different than would be rounding up "sexy" women in an area know for prostitution; or rounding up "white skinned foreigners of about 6' tall and 180 - 200 pounds" when a man of such description was seen assaulting a woman; or being a bit more intense in checking body and baggage of Middle Eastern people in an airport, as someone referred to earlier. All of those things, and any other general description of a group of people by appearance and/or behavior, is 'profiling"; and it is a significant aid in identifying and apprehending criminals.

This becomes a problem ONLY when authorities are abusive in their treatment of people who cooperate during detention and questioning. A "good citizen" , who is innocent of any crime, should cooperate with authorities. In the great percentage of cases, respect will be met with respect, and the innocent person will simply lose a bit of time. And in those cases, a "good citizen" should recognize that the authorities are doing their best to protect him and others from being abused by criminals. This is true here. It is true in the USA. It is true all over the world.

"Profiling" is NOT a dirty word; nor is it racism; nor is it a bad practice for principled police. Fighting against it is providing support for those who wish to feed off of, or destroy society.

OK, liberals. Take your shots!

I note that you do not describe yourself. But if I can take a guess, you are a white male between 5ft2inches and 6ft6inches tall and between 55kg and 200kg, between 30 and 70 years. Imagine that based on that category, every time you leave the house you are stopped and searched while all the other folks that do not belong to that category are let go about their business. Imagine that about once a week you are arrested because of that category and brought to the police station for questioning, piss testing etc. And about once a month your place gets searched. And imagine this was because of a bunch of Russian criminals who were giving all white males a bad name. And then tell me that you think that would not be a problem for you, when you are late for every appointment, when huge amounts of your time are taken up with the nonsense, when you worry about some bent police officer planting something on you!

But, you say, the police would never bother law-abiding white foreigners in an international city like Bangkok! Oh, but that did happen recently in Bangkok, didn't it? When the boys in brown tried to shake down all the Western tourists in the Suk area because their tea money sources from elsewhere was drying up. Wasn't so nice then, was it?

They should do for everyone, why to profile based on the color.

If race is motive, look like Thai police needs a color blind test first!

Didn't take long for someone to use the race card.

They have every right to target the Africans. They hardly come here to open legit businesses.

How do you know that "they" (black people? Africans who speak a multitude of languages and come from a wide variety of cultures?) don't come here to open a legit business? I don't encounter many black or African people in BKK but I know a Kenyan who runs a legitimate business in Bangkok.

But if we think that Thailand is racist, check out Laos. They have a policy of refusing visa at the border to any person bearing any African passport. They have to apply for a visa in BKK and wait about a week.

This started from the number of Nigerian criminals who were running their enterprises in Vientiane and causing a lot of trouble. Response - make it difficult for all Africans.

We used to have this problem in Vietnam too when I lived there. We used to buy the original parts from Honda and then stand over the mechanic who replaced them to both make sure he did a good job and to make sure he did not steal the original parts and substitute fake parts.

Let's get this straight:

If I do something that leads to the death of another person, I would expect charges and a long prison term, at the very least.

If you are "law enforcement" and do this, they just reprimand you and take away your license to practice.

Clear instructions:

Find a bank in Thailand that will let you do internet banking. Open two accounts at that bank. Get ATM cards for both.

Use one account for yourself in Thailand - and you use that account to feed the second account that you reserve for your lady - this works whether you transfer money occasionally too your lady or on standing order (regular transfer every month). Give your lady the ATM card for the second account.

You only need to send funds once in a while to your first Thailand account - that keeps the fees low. Internet banking means that you can transfer funds from one account in the Thai bank to the account for which your lady friend has an ATM card.

Opening an account for your Thai lady in the USA only works if she will be in the USA - in Thailand, she will incur fees every time she withdraws on a USA card.

About 7 years ago I took a bus to Vietnam, there was a massive queue at the border, then a mass of tourists walked by guided by a thai/vietnamese (can't recall) saying $5 for express border entry (or something like that). I declined to join them on principle, the same principle that made me decline a "factory visit" and safari holiday from a South African supplier I used to deal with. I am not perfect and have indeed paid the police instead of a fine, but its a supply and demand situation, remove either and corruption ceases to exist. Removing demand or supply is the big problem

So you would not agree with the notion of a immigration express line for business class passengers - this is something that exists in many airports, including Heathrow in London.

The point about corruption has to do with whether the activity is only provided selectively to certain individuals (cronyism) or where the payment is made against the rules.

In the case of the queue at the border, it is hard to know exactly whether it is corrupt or not. And this is often the point - there is no transparency. In Heathrow, the express lane is clear and known to everyone and is available for crew and those who have business class tickets. If you have a business class ticket, you automatically get the privilege and the money does not just go into the pockets of the immigration officers.

The South African supplier example is not always clear. If the offer is known to the board and CEO of the company (and not something cooked up between a manager or salesman and the company in question), then it is legit. I hate to break this to you but many large companies had such an offer until the tax authorities called into question whether it was really necessary to have that meeting in the Caribbean luxury resort - some tax authorise began to tax the individuals based on a "benefit in kind" and as far as I know this put an end to some of these beanos.

But there was a serious aspect to these beanos - these companies saw such "meetings" as a way of their sales and marketing people getting close to decision makers in their client companies, where everyone has let their hair down in an informal setting. And when you have gotten drunk with some person and gone swimming and dolphin spotting or whatever with them, you are much more likely to be open to answering their phone calls back at the office

One way to counter corruption is to hold accountable those convicted of corruption.And face is so important after time in jail is served the convicted should be ordered to wear a bright colored jumpsuit for 5 years after serving time so people know who they are. Police, Politicians, Judges should be held to a higher standard and judgement and jail time should be double that of citizens. That alone would make them think twice before doing something stupid.

What you say is true if there were enough incorruptible people in positions of trust and power.

But if everyone is corrupt, those put in the coloured jumpsuits are unlikely to be the most corrupt. The article make the point that corruption allegations (and possibly convictions) are politically motivated or through cronyism. Ramping up the punishments, whether through loss of face or otherwise, is unlikely to make any difference to the corrupt atmosphere.

I am one of those who believe along the lines of a quote attributed to Winston Churchill that "democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others."

But I can see examples where democracy might not be the best way to go at a particular time. Lets take Saudi Arabia as an example. Although I am definitely not normally in favour of a monarchy, let alone an absolute monarchy those who know Saudi Arabia well tell me that all the reforms in that country have taken place because of the monarchy - if there had been a democracy, the country would never have allowed women to be educated or to travel.

Plato, using Socrates as a mouthpiece in his work, The Republic, makes the point that democracy leads to worse ills - and one of his arguments is that this is because vast numbers of the population are not sufficiently educated and moderate to avoid the sweet words of the demagogues and that this leads ultimately to repression and some form of corrupt dictatorship.

I think that this is the issue for Thailand - the Thai electorate is still fairly monocultural with majority Buddhist and a Muslim minority. Like Saudi (although clearly not as conservative), this leads to a certain kind of inward-looking approach to everything - put together with the fact that a huge number of the population are still lacking education and the class system, it is no surprise that the country seems to lurch from demagogue leader to unelected leader to demagogue leader and so on.

There is no short-term solution to this. The country could try to educate the masses better and to be more outward-looking culturally. But that will take at least one generation. While I am not in favour of military governance, if this government can reduce corruption and at least make the country a bit or equitable and create opportunities for everyone, it stands a chance to generate some sort of stability.

The irony is that it is ultimately in the interest of those with power and wealth to reduce corruption and make the country more equitable and create opportunities as their wealth will rise and there will be better security and peace - but this goes against the grain of those who think that their power and wealth gives them the right to do what they want and everyone else should just keep quiet. Perhaps it is time to educate not only the masses but also the elites.

The women is 33 and the man is 66. She is half his age of course there will be a troubled relationship. I don't know what the hell is wrong with people thinking this kind of a relationship can work.

About the same age difference that was between my father and mother who were married for 25 years until he died of cancer.

And what about all those guys in Udon and nearby with second families? Many are very happy.

Why should it be that a big age difference automatically lead to a "troubled relationship?" Wouldn't it be more likely the infidelity, allegedly on both sides, that led to the trouble.

Just so we are all clear about it:

A police officer who shoots an unarmed man dead does not even get a reprimand.

A civilian shoots two police officers is charged without delay.