Bangkok Barry

And all you need to know about the RTP. In most countries you'd contact the police, but people in Thailand know that's a waste of time.

A golden rule in my life is to accept that there will always be someone better or worse looking than me, richer or poorer than me, more or less successful than me. Just live with what you have or you'll live your life in frustration.

As I've written before, the Thai system is that he has spoken, made his recommendations, and his job is done. Anything that happens later is not his responsibility. You, I, he and everyone else knows that what is said will be ignored and is unenforceable, but that is not the point. He has acted, done what he considers to be his job, while actually doing nothing. This happens all the time, at least once a week. Someone makes a declaration and the next day it's ignored and forgotten. But that person has done their job by 'acting'.

The excellent linked article says that what is needed is a meticulously crafted policy .... but what we have is a half-baked plan, a ship sailing into murky waters without a compass. Perfectly put.

I've never understood why Thailand is proud never to have been colonised. Those in the region that have been have superior infrastructure, a proper legal system, good schools and so on. Give the country back to some though, as in Burma, and see what happens.

As does any other scheme the government comes up with. But it's okay. They also usually come along with a U-turn within days, saying it's all a misunderstanding.

Do you think the government cares what you and other foreigners think?

Is the the same idiot who used to 'perform' outside Central World in Bangkok? And why isn't he locked up in a secure location if he is mentally ill, instead of endangering others?

Maybe once, but not in this century. To many, the US is a country to be pitied, with its political situation and frequent shootings. Many, if they cared, might feel the same about Thailand.

Thank you for your comment. 1 Quicker to ask 2 Quicker to ask than read through 19 pages of comments 3 Quicker to ask 4 Quicker to ask And my question was answered politely by @scorecard above. It was even useful and gave me the info I asked for, unlike your response.

So many making comments and suggestions of what happened, including blaming the van driver. He claimed the motorcycle suddenly pulled in front of him - which sounds more than a reasonable scenario to me. Do motorcyclists ever look before maneuvering?

And in Germany they are just a humble taxi. I wonder how the Thai imaginary hi-sos would think about that if they knew

Same as phone credit. They have the legal right to steal your money.

Yes. I wonder how they justify that, except on the grounds of racism. I wrote to them and asked, and you can guess the response I (didn't) get.

Which is?

I think it happens everywhere. Not just Thailand. Another strange thing is people rush in when somebody dies like there is an extreme rush. They want to do the funeral the next day, call relatives that very moment, etc. Maybe. Where else have you read of the morally bankrupt savages descending? And I don't understand your comment that people want to quickly inform a relative's death as a 'strange thing'. I think it happens everywhere. Not just Thailand.

Well, I wonder how people in other poor countries cope? You simply cannot discipline Thais. They will always do what they want, regardless of the dangers. But they don't care, so I don't care. Their country. Their culture. They roll the dice, play Russian Roulette with their kids life. Up to them.

A friend of mine in Phuket had his house stripped of everything - including the bed he died on and his SUV - within a few hours of him dying. Nice culture.

And WHY are they even going?

Didn't take long for him to jump on the gravy train, did it. Or the masses of people who are apparently so 'essential' to accompany him on the jaunt official business trip - which is meant to achieve what, exactly?

What did the clinic or doctor tell you? You did ask a professional before asking AN readers for their 'expert' advice, didn't you?

I should have written feasibility study, not survey. My bad. That's a consequence of using private companies to run a public service. In my native London, most of the services are under the umbrella of one organisation, whether they be underground trains, commuter lines or buses. Maybe river boats too which are used by commuters - I'm not sure. I thought of that after I posted, at least with bus services which already struggle financially. That was the main point of my post. I'm sure there was no thought at all given to the consequences of having a 20 baht fare. Just another example of being unable to think something through.

How many accidents, exactly, have there been due to passengers being overweight? The reason for this new and 'necessary' rule is to do with conserving fuel, as mentioned in the post. Maybe they should just take our money and not let us fly. Oh wait - they already did that in the pandemic.

This is such a typically Thai plan, isn't it. Dream up an idea and announce it, with no stage two thinking about the consequences of possibly millions more being able to use the system with the resulting massive and potentially dangerous overcrowding. Have they surveyed how many more would use it and the consequences and how the system would cope? The system in Bangkok has never been designed to cope with massive crowds. New York and London have similar-sized populations but run eight or 12 carriage trains. The Bangkok set-up just doesn't compare. They either need more trains, more carriages (which the BTS platforms are not designed for, or a new signaling system which allows trains every 90 seconds as London has now.

Indeed. That should be the priority, not lowering the fare to make it unbearably crowded as the whole of Bangkok overwhelms the system. That in itself will make it cheaper to ride.