Bangkok Barry

Those staff who do an honest job aren't the problem. The problem is that in Thailand there are those who do not and it isn't unusual to read of them. Those are the problem, and any of us could be a victim at any time. And quite often the banks deny all responsibility, the default action for anything that goes wrong in Thailand.

Not WILL happen, CAN happen.

Applies to the whole of Thailand, doesn't it? Add in the huge number who carry guns, many of whom would be willing to kill over the slightest thing.

And, meanwhile, the government demands, insists, that we keep funds in a Thai bank in order to live with our wife and/or in retirement.

Exactly. Was the girl taken from her parents, as the charge implies? Was anyone harmed in the relationship? It isn't a police matter, but might be a disciplinary case for the school to handle.

The best advice is to look in several places and then go back to the one you liked best. The comment above about Billboard, Butterflies and Spankys is sound advice, although not everyone likes the same thing. And, although some places might rise and fall in popularity over time, that can also happen on a day by day basis, or even on the same night. So - back to my opening sentence....

Anyone I know who tells me they are including Phuket in their plans when they visit Thailand are told by me to avoid it like the plague.

I've read several times over the years that, based on population, Thailand has double the number of gun deaths compared to the USA. In Thailand they are largely family-related (despite us reading in guide books and magazines how close Thai families are), whereas in the USA they are not.

And that's we must never, ever, under any circumstances get into an argument with a Thai. I've written before that Thailand must be one of the most dangerous countries in the world outside of a war zone. So many armed with a gun or other weapon, so many with very short tempers - we've recently had one man knifed to death for turning off the wi-fi, and another bludgeoned to death with a hammer for slamming a door. The place in a tinder box and anything at all can set them off.

Thailand attracts such people.

Maybe you can read the report of what happened.

Story of my life

There is a law that dictates the amount of 'darkness' a tint may have. Not only in Thailand but I'd guess in other countries too. But in Thailand it is not enforced, as are most other laws. There are some who think it makes them look important to need blacked out windows. It can be dangerous for obvious reasons, which is why there is a law. If you need evidence that what is a common sense law exists then I suggest you make your own enquiries.

Maybe that's why cars have headlights. And dark tinted windows are illegal in Thailand but, well, you know.......

Long, straight, well-lit road, and still too difficult for some to navigate safely.

Thai-style reporting. I've worked with Thai journalists and not one of them would last a week in the real world.

Here we go again. There have been fights on the beach between groups of young people. The police actually do their job by patrolling and checking for weapons etc - and sure enough, along come a bunch of idiot AN contributors slagging them off for doing their job, just as they would if the police did nothing. Pathetic.

He gets the attention as he is the only policeman in Thailand who actually does anything. No wonder people notice him.

Exactly. We might try and lie our way out of something as kids, but we soon grow up to take responsibility. We, not Thais, so many of whom go through life with the mind of a child.

Why does Thailand have a police force? Serious question. They aren't any use to anyone and by ignoring crimes are, in my mind, complicit in them.

He loaned money, asked for it back, the person he loaned to didn't have the money so killed him. We know about loan shark interest rates, murder trumps that in my book.

Yes. The e-cigarette ban appears to be aimed only against tourists as there are many Thais using them in plain site, especially at night club venues frequented mostly by Thais. Or maybe it's just another law that isn't enforced 99% of the time....

And let's not forget the policeman reported today as having kicked a female vendor in the face because she asked for full payment. A law enforcement officer, with his station then saying no disciplinary action would be taken.

Died in 2020 at the age of 89. I saw him once when I was visiting the BP building. If you wanted to invent the least likely looking person to cover Bangkok's nightlife it would be have been him, but there we are.

Would we expect anything else? To me, that is the same as aiding and abetting.