wensiensheng

The price differs and 50k is very high, but yes, there seems to be a custom that the bar gets a pay off if a farang takes a girl out of the bar. Kind of a sin sot type of deal. Of course, it’s not a legal requirement but the girl will want it paid in case the farang drops her and she has to go back to work.

People who go around sorting through rubbish bins outside houses looking for plastic and metal to sell for scrap

It’s just a pre set multiple answer question paper. No need to train any trainers.

I think the smell versus cigarettes is a subjective argument. Some people will say one, some the other, is worse. Its impossible to definitively say which is worse. I will say that when I ride my motorbike down the road, I can often smell cannabis from a shop when I pass it. I don’t notice any smell of cigarettes from a shop that sells cigarettes.

Actually not thinking about fx rates at all. The yen is very strong right now which argues against my point. No, the point I am making is take the cost of a Japanese hotel 20 years ago and increase it by 1% a year for inflation. Then take the cost of a European hotel, or US, or other country, and increase it by, say, 7/8% a year for inflation. The expensive Japanese hotel from 20 years ago suddenly becomes a much better buy comparatively speaking. FX rates have ebbed and waned over the years. And vis a vis Chinese visitors, my principal point was that Japan and Thailand are really two different kinds of holidays. You might choose one for one reason or the other for a different reason, but they aren’t really, imho, a replacement for each other because they are such a different experience

Perhaps. There are a fair few involving Russians in my area also. Speeding through small gaps with no thought to movement of other vehicles/people, seems to be their specialty.

Maybe more of a sideswipe rather than full on run over? Certainly messed up his hair anyway. But after so much alcohol he probably didn’t feel anything. One heck of a hangover over tomorrow though.

Personally I thought that was a weird quote from the army. Trust them about what? Repelling hordes of Cambodians riding over the disputed border on buffalos, or trust us when we kick out the politicians again.

Not without charm….and a hefty dose of frustration.

Yep. Every casino will need a local partner I assume

I doubt that Chinese are choosing Japan in preference to Thailand. The two countries are chalk and cheese. Chinese may well be deciding not to come to Thailand, but that is due to Thailands issues, not because Japan is preferable. Having said that, Japan is an absolute steal now in terms of value for money. Years of low inflation compared to the rest of the world means that it is comparatively cheap.

I find that when I don’t lie down in the road then absolutely nobody drives over my head. Just lucky I guess

I think that the major issue for the Vegas companies will be corruption. They won’t want any part of that because if it came to light, then they could lose their gaming licenses in Vegas, Singapore and Macao. Macao is a small place and after handover to the Chinese it was easy to turn it from a corruption ridden island into something approximating respectability. So the Vegas companies could operate there within the limits of normal business risks. But in Thailand. How can corruption be eliminated? If I were running one of the major US based companies, I would be a little wary. Of course, plenty of smaller Asian players might be up for it, with of course local participation.

“Political instability could not come at a worse time, given the unresolved border dispute with Cambodia.” This dispute has been in place for the last 100 years. It’s basically a non factor in anything. The major reason why it’s never been resolved is because it’s a dispute over a patch of scrubland/jungle that has meaningless value to anyone other than the people that live there. If it had any real value one or other side would have seized it way before now. The major decision that both sides need to take is to do nothing and let the dispute continue for the next 100 years. And both sides are quite good at doing nothing so it’s odds on favorite that this is what will happen.

If she wasn’t good looking this would never had made news.

What on earth was this guy thinking? As a business venture it had severe limitations, even leaving aside that it was illegal. I see posts referencing air guns and pellets, but can’t see that in the OP. But still, why buy 3? I do hope that the seller of the illegal items is being apprehended as we speak, plus many other customers. 1500 followers surely means more than 3 customers.

Yep. Offensive. Sorry. But I don’t like cigarette smoke either. However pot smell is stronger and carries further

Waste of time. Buy the stuff in a green zone then go smoke it outside a normal coffee shop outside the zone. Other people get effected by the smell. Live in a green zone? You guys are going to get stunk out. Supposedly it’s already illegal to smoke pot in a public place. See how well that rule has been enforced. This is another case of rushing into something with badly thought rules that in any case aren’t enforced. When will Law makers realise that RTP very rarely, if at all, enforces any rules consistently. They should know it by now.

Pretty much says it all. The most votes of all the parties and next to no role in government. Which was the point I was making in a sarcastic way

Hmm, Thai wife and kids probably costs a lot more than the 400k difference. But of course it depends on each individuals circumstances as to whether it is 800k or 400k. Health insurance is something I have hummed and ha’d at. For many years I just self insured and it worked out ok for me. I have just recently done a policy in Thailand, but it’s only for 5 million in one year and because I am elderly there are a lot of exceptions. I’m not really convinced it’s worth it in the long run because I can afford 5 million baht myself. So I could save myself the premium. But I guess I’ve done it now 🤷‍♂️

Isn’t it 800k in the bank? Unless you have a Thai wife? Plus health insurance?

The inflation prevalent in most of the worlds developed countries is the main reason why Japan is in comparative terms an absolute bargain atm.

Not sure that I follow you. Personally I don’t usually eat at restaurants if I don’t have the money to pay. 🤷

“On 18th June 2025, Pol. Maj. Gen. Cheeron Rimphadee, Commander of Immigration Division 2, revealed that Pol. Lt. Gen. Panumas Boonyalak, Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, ordered a crackdown on individuals wanted by both Thai and international authorities” why on earth isn’t t this being done day in, day out? Keep up the good work indeed, but also…..DONT STOP!

Unfortunately my wife is only too happy to tip her countrymen if she has my money to do it with. I on the other hand am not a big believer in tipping. Fortunately, there is now such a thing as QR codes!