spongeman

His buttocks will be thrashed with nettles.

32 minutes ago, bbko said:

Well there is a requirement for visiting foreigners to have a certain amount of money &/or enough money to support themselves, and if they are tourists, where's their follow-on airplane/travel ticket? It's not just Thailand that feels this way, many countries have the same requirement.

Interestingly enough when applying for the E Visa through London I was not asked to upload a bank statement etc.

A bitten lip ?

Wouldn't mind one those myself.

It is just too risky to go there at the moment. Me and the Mrs have 3 jabs and still caught it from the son over Xmas. It is not life threatening to us but it spreads like wildfire very easily.

It probably would have been better to hold off until mid year 2022. Let this wave settle down and they will have a better handle on things then.

And I would not be bringing kids anywhere far, unless it was a life or death situation. 

Its like what my Physics teacher used to say to me...

"John, you are only fooling yourself".

I bet you will have to show tax returns to Immigration, and pay tax to the Thai Revenue before renewal.

I went through a cermony without registering in Loei in 1996. I certainly was not legally married after that.

A coup is always dangerous, but Thailand is a very unique place. It seems the coup is the natural reset Thais actually need to have a government. So many greedy snouts in the trough and so little rule of law. Eventually the spoiled little rich boys tilt the system and the army needs unplug the machine and find a system restore point.

However, for this to occur, all the safety nets come down too; and absolute power is put into the hands of an untested commodity,

All the things that the army are stopping and taking control over right now are good moves. Assuming that the intention of these executive moves is benevolent and for lack of a better word, righteous. But we just don't really know do we. Once again Thailand has placed itself upon the brink of failed statehood, just because they can't get their head around respect for the rule of law. In a land of zero accountable for the rich. Eventually two really big dogs are gonna meet and we won't be able to put it back together again. Think cops and reds VS soldiers and yellows.

Great writing good sir.

If the army think the reds will lie down they are seriously mistaken. And they have the resources to back it up.

Hi there

There is a mobile consulate which comes to Ireland every so often, check out Thai-Irelands website or the London website for posible dates, I believe you have to book through the London Embassy website.

Last time the Democrats resigned on mass it was followed by a coup. Wonder if that is the scenario playing out here. Never did like too many tourists.... it will be good to have the army on the streets again during the peak of tourism season.

And they did such a good job with the economy as well.

The yellows might do a bit better next time around, but nowhere near the level of improvement needed to put a real dent in the current government. they are still going to get hammered.

Could be a very long time before they get in, and they know it because they are pushing this "unelected government" thingy.

I am surprised that they did'nt wait until after the King's birthday before throwing the wobblies. That inevitable break lost them serious momentum.

Good ould Thailand, always entertaining if nothing else.

Red shirts all the way baby, And they have a nice bit of stuff in charge as well. Always helps.

I will be getting the popcorn and beers for this showdown. So far the yellow shirts have proved to be just that, they declared yesterday victory day and there was no victory. Tomorrow is the next deadline, and there will be no resignation.

Hopefully the BIB will stick it up them.

Ambrose had a poor game but the Celtic goalkeeper did'nt come out quickly enough for the first goal and did'nt stand up for the second.

Buffon was really solid ( best in the world I think ) but a lot of shots went straight at him ).

I was surprised to see them play Ambrose, did they not have anybody else ?

I have never flown with a budget airline in Asia so I cannot comment on the above, but I think it was because I always had the child with me so better to pay a bit more. I have been to Thailand 11 times. Everyone to themselves, but its like buying a cheap pair of shoes, sometimes you might be lucky, other times you will be throwing them out.

Several people have noted that when in another country it's not good to make trouble with the locals. True, however, there is a difference with making trouble with the locals and defending yourself against aggression and/or outright abuse. We don't know the full details of the story but from the sounds of it, it seems that some Thais made problems with the young man, he responded, and then a Thai shot him.

So are we who visit LOS simply supposed to take abuse or is there a point at which we should stand up for ourselves and not accept assaults and illegal actions by locals? Could we say the same thing to Thais when they visit our countries? I don't think anyone would. In fact, I'm willing to bet that all of those who are quick to blame the young Brit here would be the first to say that Thais should respond to abuse when abroad.

The real issue here is why is it that Thais believe they have the right to assault foreigners. I think a big part of it is the idea perpetuated by the Thai government and media that foreigners are responsible for all bad things while Thais never do anything wrong. Thais are quick to point to the foreigners at Cowboy and Nana as proof that they only bring bad things to the country, but they are quick to change the subject when you point out that Thais not only work their but own the bars/clubs and that the government is the one that builds these 'entertainment' zones to attract foreigners in the first place.

When Thais assault a foreigner locals and police are predisposed to think that the foreigner was responsible, bad, and deserving of happened. No matter if they were mugged or shot down after defending themselves. It's like blaming the victim of a home invasion for having a home filled with nice things.

What Thailand needs is a healthy dose of bad publicity regarding these events which largely go unpublished outside of the country. Let the Land of Smiles lose some face and get a bad image. If Thais start to accept the fact that maybe -- just maybe -- lots of bad stuff does indeed originate here, it might change some things.

Always helps if you use the brain that god gave you and stay away from dangerous situations no matter where you go. I've been there 11 times and lived there for a few years and never was in a spot of trouble.

Certain places in Thailand have a reputation and if you visit them then you are going to be at risk. Where the Brit died is one such area.

Sky news over here (headline) are reporting that the deceased was in the firing line of two gangs. A man has been arrested and will appear in court tomorrow ( or today as it now is in Thailand ). Suspect has denied shooting the tourist but has admitted to being there at the time.

I would say there will be a quick conclusion to this.

Crackdown on snipers ? Hopefully not.

The officials robbed ye against Wales. They were very poor.

Sweet flower of Scotland.............

Why were these players not introduced to the first team sooner ? Why did he put on Cox last night ? Why did Long come on so late ?

Will he leave ?

So many questions.

Brazil here we come !

Looks like the Germans on here have retreated from their advanced positions............

Hallo fans and friends of the Irish soccer team,

Wasn't that a thrashing?! 1 : 6 at HOME! Well, am not sure whether Mr. Trappatoni will be coach of the team for any longer. Maybe he better returns to his office at an Italian car repair shop.

Well done to the German team. Were some discussions in and around the team before the match. But now Jogi Loew has done everything right. 9 points from 3 matches in the world cup qualifying. Germany on its path to the final round in Brazil.

Carry on boys!

Germany 4 Sweden 4...........Germans blew a 4 goal lead ............

Your not singing anymore, your not singing anymore.

The way we were set up...it was like Andorra or San Marino etc. And Trap has to take the blame for that. Thing is there is no point in getting rid of him now, Austria could'nt beat Kaz and Sweden scraped by the Faroes. So in real terms everybody else is very average and fighting for 2nd place.

However at one point I thought it was going to be 8 or 9. The worst performance Ive ever seen from them ? Yes. We were missing players but Cox on the wing ? Come on. Very little tackling or effort. We were not set up properly. Why not go out and give it a go ? There was a 5 minute period where the Germans had 98% possession.

Ireland are not Brazil but it could be a bit easier on the eye.

Win or lose, you never act like that after the results are announced

Very poor loser

Not sure what is worse for Thai image

1- This boxer and his crying and actions on TV

2- Or some lady saying she is going to buy a fake rolex

My feeling also. suck it up.. be a man. At least he didn't lose to some farang. boy, that would have lit the Thai's up.

Well, he knew he was robbed. Pure and simple. Grand larceny by the Chinese. A judge bought and paid for. It was apparent, and that was what the Thais were reacting to. I thought the behavior of his coach was fun. Let them have it. Why hold back? Tell it like it is. Egg on the face of the officials, and the Chinese. The Chinese are behaving like rich thugs. It was obvious they bought this fight.

Hear Hear. kick up a stink boxing is a great sport but once again cheats and liars prosper ? Should his coach have acted like that ? Yes he should have fair play to him, stood up for his boxer.