Bangkok Barry

Lack of training? How much training needs to be done to know you stop at a crossing if someone is on it? As for the 'international standard' design, drivers will just say they were distracted by the pretty tellow colour and white line pattern as they plough into the latest victim.

A friend of mine lived in a gated community. One day his house was broken into and, while emptying the place, they found the keys to his SUV and took that too. That same day, the 'security guard' disappeared. The police refused to investigate unless my friend paid them 100,000 baht. Shortly after, he moved back to Australia and his wife was all too happy to join him and get out of her country. Another friend lived alone in Rawai, and within hours of him dying the vultures descended and stripped the place bare, taking his pickup and even the bed he died on. Lovely people. Morally bankrupt.

I guess you didn't read of the Thai student gang fights this week which resulted in serious injuries, or the video of someone being attacked by a rabid pack of Thais with a woman kicking the victim in the head several times when he was down. And so on. To adapt your statement, 'Absolutely shameful from Thais'. Kettle, black.

Where does it say that the kid was driving? Not in this article. What is your source, please.

This is in contrast to when they grossly under-estimated the capacity needed for Suvarnabhumi when it was constructed and very quickly had to re-open the old airport to deal with the overcrowding. At the same time, they are assuming that passenger numbers will keep increasing, and that is by no means a given.

And the fact that it came from the ministry tasked with boosting tourism is just beyond belief. What planet do these people live on? One where the only country is Thailand, or one where people have countless choices of where to visit where it's one price for all, regardless of passport held?

Years ago I went on-line to book a table at the Baiyoke Tower Sky restaurant, and to complete the reservation I had to state my nationality. It could only have been to assess how much they would charge. I wonder how many restaurants in the world won't let you book a table unless you tell them what passport you hold. I don't know if that system still operates.

You don't have to do anything because the tourism ministry numbskulls who dreamed up the idea have no clue how the tourist and hotel industry works, so nothing will happen. Just one of the never-ending weekly idiotic ideas that are spewed out by people who have no idea what they are talking about. It really is amazing how so many people in Thailand, a country where face is paramount, willingly make themselves look stupid.

A delightful True Scotsman argument. Btw, I see nothing in the rules about misunderstandings getting one suspended. Perhaps I'm missing something. Have a nice day. Have you replied to the wrong post? I have no idea about any Scotsman, nor did I mention any rules about misunderstandings. I wrote that saying an article is click bait is against the rules of this site and can get you a suspension from posting. But I'll let Admin deal with you if they feel fit. I'm just telling you what might happen. Have a nice day.

I wonder how many bought tickets because they wanted to see him. The majority, I'd guess.

Do they get the Thai discount at hotels that the Anti-tourism ministry is proposing?

You didn't read the linked article, obviously: Forbes Asia also noted that the collective wealth of tycoons on the list fell nearly 6%, to US$151 billion compared to last year

And it came from those whose job it is to boost tourism! I've lived here for 26 years and still don't understand the way Thai minds work. They seem to live in a parallel universe, or a through the looking glass Alice in Wonderland world where everything is reversed. How many Thais are in top jobs overseas? Hmm? I wonder why. They have no grounding in reality.

I think you misunderstand the term 'click bait' (which can get you suspended from posting on this site by the way - read the rules). The report is based on what someone said. The fact that what is proposed hasn't a chance in hell of being implemented - as the government does not control hotel room rates - doesn't mean it is click bait. It means the person who proposed it is an idiot who has no idea what he is talking about.

After a good early start in May, had almost no rain over the past month or more of the rainy season here in my part of Kalasin Province. So, yes please.

And before noon, too. Just another quality visitor that Thailand attracts.

Something like 60 posts about this report up to this point, and only four even remotely address what the topic is about - Thailand's last century and puritanical rule that a certain profession cannot take part in the contest. Instead, most posts are at about the level of what 10 year olds might come up looking through their first porn magazine. Apart from the fact that a rule is said to exist, no-one has actually told this teacher that she would be disciplined, and her own boss is fully behind her taking part. I wonder who the 'respected elder' is that persuaded her not to continue.

Entirely up to you if you are happy to be ripped off and discriminated against. Most people, though, think differently.

This raises the question why THAI AIRWAYS is still distributing TM6 cards during their inbound flights..... You are given the opportunity to experience Thai logic before you even land. Be grateful.

You know and I know that Thais are totally incapable of thinking anything through. How it would be implemented, how they would differentiate between foreign tourists and foreign residents would not have occurred to them. It would also not have occurred to them that there is something called the internet and social media, and their brilliant idea to make foreigners pay more than locals for the same room will be exposed in countless blogs, magazines, newspapers and social media platforms all over the world within days. I've done my bit by posting the thread on Facebook, and one of those reading it is a travel writer.

The fact that the proposal actually comes from those charged with boosting tourism is staggering in its stupidity.

Including Thais. My wife has several friends who over the years have gone to live overseas, and not one has wanted to return to live in Thailand. One said she would return after her husband died, and he did several years ago. She's still there. My sister-in-law went to Hungary for three months in March 2020 as her new Dutch husband bought a house there. She will return in December for three months and then go back to Hungary, as we continue to raise her kid that she all but abandoned.

Thanks for your comments. What you write emphasises what to me is a major fault in society, that anyone, anyone at all, can be a parent, no matter how unsuitable or unqualified they are. But that is the way society operates, and that is a reason that young kids brought up in the wrong environment by unsuitable parents can react negatively - and so the chain continues. All a bit primitive, really.

I was having a drink in a pub near the entrance to Suk 4 one evening and a group of some 12-15 people, non-thais, came in and asked for the food menu. And then one asked if the music, so loud the group had to shout at each other to be heard, could be turned down a little. The staff said no, so the group that would probably have spend many thousands of baht just got up and left. I quickly got my wife to call out poor service and not just accept it the Thai way. We went for coffee, and it was prepared and stayed on the counter while the two waitresses had a good long chat. And it stayed there until we judged it was getting cold, so we got up and left, with my wife telling them why. Another place we went to for dinner, and we were the only customers. First we had to go to the staff and ask for a menu. Then we had to wait 10 minutes for our drinks while the staff played around. The place closed down not long after. Now, there's a surprise. In contrast, my sister and I went to Scruffy Murphys for dinner. We both ordered roast chicken and mine came stone cold, as if it had just come from the fridge. The manager, non-Thai, came, was most apologetic, removed the charge and gave us each a free Irish coffee as a further apology. There is Thai service and there is farang service, and I know which I prefer. The locals don't have a clue and they don't care.

Humans instinctively dislike, even hate, other humans. It first shows itself in the bullying that takes place in schools anywhere in the world. Where does it come from at such a young age? People are born with it. Most go on to control it - but who welcomes a fellow human sitting next to them on a bus or train, for example? Then there are the thousands of Twitter messages sent each day, insulting or sometimes threatening messages directed at complete strangers. So many resenting people who, deep down, are just like them with the same hopes and dreams, because they look different and might have a different culture. And look at the amount of mistreatment of innocent animals, some killing them for fun. For fun!. Humans are not nice.