Bangkok Barry

Was the road well-lit? Did the motorcycle have lights? Were the couple wearing helmets? Who knows? The reporter certainly doesn't, and I suppose didn't ask.

I'm a tennis journalist and it reminds me of when I stayed at a hotel in Berlin at the same time Bill Clinton was there. Martina Hingis regularly had a suite on the top floor but the entire floor was reserved for Bill's entourage. She was most put out and told the press it was probably for all his women. The pr people went into panic mode, begging us not to quote her.

I once had a $100 bill refused at an exchange booth because it had someone's initial written on it about 2mm in size. Pathetic. Went somewhere else and suddenly there wasn't a problem after all.

The customer could do the same. Exactly. Much ado about nothing. To quote the American expression, 'Take it to the bank'.

No. Thai law says as long as he didn't do it recently he can get away scot-free. Absolutely zero punishment. The laws, of course, are written (almost?) entirely by men. Unfortunately, due to the elapsed time since the incident, the police could not charge the man.

He forgot to add 'again'. Already happened in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The parents have urged the mall to use this incident as a learning experience to develop clear procedures for handling such emergencies. Always someone else's fault in Thailand, isn't it. always. And the Mall authorities urged parents of young children to watch them carefully, especially in potentially dangerous situations. They wouldn't say that of course, but they should.

Yet another case of someone openly selling illegal goods on the internet, imagining that what he is doing is hidden from or won't be reported to the police. Sometimes it's women pimping young girls, or lads advertising their illegal bike races on public streets, helpfully giving the police time and place. To most it would be unbelievable that anyone would do that, but the IQ level in Thailand is way down there at 88% so the thought that they might receive a visit never occurs to them.

Today's Asean Now headline: Chinese tourists drop by 75,093 following shooting in Bangkok. Yesterday's Asean Now headline: Siam Paragon Shooting Won't Hurt Tourism

The sensible way would be to link it to Thai IDs. But this is Thailand, and it's anyone's guess how they'll screw it up. The only certainly is that they'll find a way.

There's a way of dealing with phone nuisances. I was on a train going from Vienna to Linz, and about three rows in front of me a girl was talking loudly on her phone. I hoped she would get off at the first stop. She didn't, so I walked up to where she was sitting and just stared at her. She got the message, said sorry (in English, which was strange as she'd been talking German) and hung up. I didn't say a word. The couple across the aisle from her smiled at me. Of course, if was a train in the UK you'd probably get a 'What's your problem, pal' and the threat of a thumping (from a man or woman). It might work in Thailand though.

The distribution is set to start on Tuesday, October 17 this year and will go on until March 31, 2027, to all foreign visitors landing in Thailand. Where does your 2.5 years come into it? Sorry. 3,5 years. My mind is already in 2024. Anyway, irrelevant. Conversation at Swampy airport in December 2023: Tourist: Oi, where's me SIM card and vouchers what I read about? It's why I came here. TAT: No hab. Solly sir. Only have one million to give away and gone already.

It is common in Europe for venues to be open until dawn. People from there might come to Thailand to have fun and wonder why they can't stay out as long as they do at home if they want to. Combine that with the bizarre alcohol laws - hours you can buy, bar closures for various reasons that have nothing to do with tourists or any other non-Thais ....

My pensions in the UK do not reach the level where I have to pay tax there. How would that affect my monthly transfers of it to Thailand? No tax due in the UK so none in Thailand? And no comments are needed asking how I can live on such a small amount. I do, perfectly well, in comfort and with all I need, on 25-30,000 a month.

Nothing new in this. The UAE did the same when I went to Dubai at the end of last year.

Maybe someone might like to re-think this statement or article. Only one million cards available for ALL foreign visitors during a 2.5 year period. Really? None of this makes sense - except to a Thai, I suppose.

Nothing at all damages tourism in Teflon Thailand. Even street riots and burning of buildings had almost no effect. In fact, if my memory is correct, the Baht actually rose the last time it happened.

If this happened in most other countries it would be as the result of a terrorist attack. In Thailand it is always because someone can't control their vehicle.

It seems to be impossible for most Thais to take responsibility for anything. It's part of their culture. I and I'm sure many of us learned at a very early age, perhaps around the time we started school, to own up to a wrongdoing, but so many Thais have the mind of a child so never truly act like adults.

Read the link. A total of 21 counts of Rungrak’s convicted misconduct initially handed him a jail sentence of 105 years which was curtailed to 52 years and six months due to confession made by the defendant and finally cut down to a maximum of 50 years. So, he got off lightly

A sad reflection of America today, then.

It's just another thing that makes Thailand - different. In most countries the police uphold the law, most of the time. In Thailand, the police are among the most prolific criminals.

The Thai way. Image is everything, ability a remote second. It used to be like that in the West a few decades back.

I think the writer was more intent on using new words they'd found and flowery language than getting their facts straight. Good effort though.

I would add that I know or know of (wife's friends) something like 10 Thais who, for one reason or another, have gone to live overseas. And not one of them wants to return to their own country after seeing what the outside world is like in comparison. Not one. That says a lot.