Sydebolle

I sold my two condos in Chiang Mai for precisely the hazy smog season; it's committing suicide on installments. And, for those who want to follow, put the place up just after the rainy season as the price is significantly below 50% during the smoking delights period!

Cough up the tariff or see 'em at their place of work. How cheap can you go - seriously?

Well, the illegal gambling in Thailand keeps many, many pockets nicely lined. The legal gambling crowd goes "overseas" to Cambodia and Laos. If you legalize the business, another hole of corruption is being blocked and the local industry would flourish as well as the state's coffers in Bangkok for the tax revenue they would accrue. Your call .........

Smokescreen again, wondering what happens behind the curtains 😉

Due to the subject itself I am not taking any bets on it - but rest assured that this story will disappear like all the other "inconveniences". The education minister should be reprimanded to instruct no school excursions anymore. Reason behind is, that his own brother was Transport Minister 2019-2023 and hence is the top banana to face the music. Next is the responsible desks in the Ministry of Transport for not blowing any whistles, the various branches of the Department of Land Transport issuing roadworthiness certificates to those coffins on wheels. Then take the bus owners and operators to the cleaners and don't forget those countless garages which did the conversions. Fill the jails to the rim, fine them until they scream of pain and use this money for educational purposes of what proper rules are and the compensation of medical bills etc. Revoke transportation licenses for those bus owners and operators for life, publish their names and photos and then only I might start believing all that manure which fills the dailies here with all those "governmental endeavours to the betterment of the conditions of its people" - including bus transportation.

If you cannot beat them then join them. Tourism is about planning and creating products befitting the needs of the visitors. Over the last 40 years I could see the sheer downslide of tourism. The actual numbers of visitors might have gone up but the average spending and average stay per visitor when down the halligally. Study how quality tourism is created; starting with the completely ridiculous visa laws, rules and fees - ongoing changes on that front. Carry on by abolishing ideas like "landing fees" and the likes. Get experts in with a proven track of record, irrespective of race, religion or nationality. Thailand's tourism industry is fç*%"*%d and will not be recovering with this avalanche of Chinese zero-$ bus (and soon train loads) while the Southasian cake of the business shares a small bottle of Chang beer with straws on the staircase of 7/11. Allow foreign guides to help with group tours; they know their people MUCH better than Somchai with his "same same but different" language skills. Ensure better press on transport; exploding busses or other vehicles without breaks, the "scene-fleeing drivers", the drunk Yodsaks steamrollering pedestrians on a zebra intersection ....... But yeah, the dirty farang should shut up and buy what the semi-divine find appropriate. Result is, that the dirty farang go elsewhere, where the product befits his needs, the price-value ration is balanced, where some English is spoken without dual pricing ....... the list is endless. As long as the tourism authority climaxes each and every week over yet another printed lie on figures, facts and revenues which must have been dreamed up in a big smoke of seriously good week; there is no other way to assume this craziness.

Have a look at Jakarta or Singapore; in place for decades ...........

Well, aren't we fussy? Your question is quite interesting and indicates, that you are no stranger to the bottle 😉

Depending on which Big C Extra there is a chance to blame the French; it was Carrefour which brought Big C into the 21st century - the building though was not constructed by French but by Somchai. Architecture and execution is a Thai-only trade (see Alien Business Law) 😉

Book him for attempted murder. Driving intoxicated is done voluntarily, fleeing the scene is very Thai. Name the culprit with pictures, impound the vehicle and auction it off for spare parts = revenue for some charitable causes. Work out the salary the hurt fellow would have earned as physiotherapist until he would be 60 years old, add 25% for inflation and blacklist him for a driving license for life. The laws are here but the implementation .......... a Porsche might call some always welcome brown manilla envelopes nicely stuffed with the papers of silver-gray colour ...........

He is getting ready for canvassing for the top job among the electorate, which is usually most neglected 😞

Cancel his visa and throw him out - simple as that. Good riddance!

It is again education. Why do the dirty farang usually go to a driving school, learn the theoretical part of rules, regulations and street signs while the practical part is done with 20 - 40 driving lessons by a professional driving instructor on a one-on-one basis Glad to hear that nobody got hurt; Somchai might get a proper renovation of the residence to the former splendour of his palace.

So the "men of the cloth" can get angry at the political arm of the village ........ Gives the risk of being "defrocked" a completely new aspect 8-)

"19-Year Manhunt"; I see all those officers hunting the culprit 24/7 for the last 19 years .......... Give the Somchais and the Yodsaks of the force a solid gold medal for their dedication, passion and resilience in executing their jobs - well done and congratulations are in order. Makes you wonder, what these goons are doing 24/7; quite obviously those who can see are along the highways to collect "tolls" while the rest of the flock is endlessly manhunting. If I would have been the press speaker for the police I would be very, very silent on this particular achievement 😉

"Serious defects", i.e. there are another few hundreds with "minor defects" as far as the CNG is concerned? Anyone interested in accruing failing brakes, steering wheel issues - apart from drunk/sleepy Somchais behind the wheels?

I am not quite clear where you are going with this. Some people might save the proverbial dime as they might operate on tighter budgets, others can't deal with the cabbie lobby which is a guild of its own, some come from a background, where you take a taxi only if there is nothing each per available. If you have the time and are afraid that something might go wrong with a taxi, you're better off with the arguably more tedious way to get from A to B 😉

It's big business, the going "rate" for a Philippine worker's paperwork - to be legal - comes at a "handling fee" of 70,000 Baht. They are more expensive to the rest, i.e. Khmer or Laotians; the cheapest are the Burmese (20,000 Baht) as they flee from their homeland due to a raging civil war. If this government would facilitate foreign workers taking up legal employment in Thailand, all this would have never happened. Thailand is sooooo short on labour on all educational levels and if they want to get their tourism going, then they will have to get those alien in to work at restaurants, hotels and guest houses.

All these funny laws, regulations and the interpretation left to the individual "officer" must be accounting for billions and billions of bakshish left right and centre. This whole rannygazoo on alcohol ban due to Buddhism - to take an example - is a Thai-government-made license to extort money by the "enforcers". All other Buddhist countries have no such restriction. Same with alcohol at the beach, no beach chair on Wednesday et al. Obviously the powers-to-be do not want to touch/change anything as it would derive them from substantial income - for themselves as well as for all those greedy goons higher up. These proactive measures - stepping up enforcement to ensure compliance with standard regulations - aim to prevent illegal activities, including drug use, underage patronage, possession of unlicensed weapons, and prostitution. Officers perform random checks on entertainment venues serving alcohol, verifying business licenses and staff documents, and ensuring no illegal activities were taking place. Pull my left leg and it rings Jingle Bells, all the way to the bank 😉

I have more respect for all those nameless helpers during the recent floods in Northern/Northeastern Thailand. The costs of moving Ardern to Windsor and the avalanche of empty words is an insult to the thousands of unnamed helpers. In all fairness though, William is executing; someone else at Westmonster is compiling such lists. Good for the ego but, apart from that, pretty worthless - me thinks!

In the last few decades I could witness that, whenever the government kicked in some "recovery", then it went to the account of the already bleeding tax payers. Little to no explanation was available on a recheck later on, i.e. what was done where at what costs and what was the improvement. The less the (consecutive) governments fiddle around in affairs they have not the slightest clue - the better - but explain that to the Grannies of Isaan and the Uncles in the rice fields of Central Thailand. Marred with the rigid brainwash of inferiority towards the higher casts and the Phooyais - a guaranteed winner for the selected few politicians. Latter always in a terrible race to fill their pockets as fast as possible as they never know, how long the free sumptuous buffet at the tax payers account will last..........

Taken quite some time ago; still exactly the same. Run or die 😉

The old goat toggles between naps and changing nappies most likely. If he is missing, nobody notices it anyway and there is definitely much less collateral damage 😉

Thai Rak Thai = Thais love Thais! Only once the culprit is booked for a healthy term into Bang Kwang or Klong Prem, made him coughing up a six digit fine and get the car impounded for good, only then this pristine example of selfishness will be brought to a screeching halt. But, as we all know, Thailand is blessed with a good set of laws; the only shortcoming though is the absence of implementation. It will happen again and again and again.

They just did it again - you have to give it to the Thais to f"ç%"-up their public image all the time. If there are no ladyboys grabbing Indians roaming the beach road for the latter's beauty then there is Somchai racing through town with his motorbike. If that is also not happening, pull the "pee into the sea" story from the drawer. In all fairness, if the only pollution remains human pee, well then all those goons, clowns and retarded officers have accomplished a sterling job. But, to make everyone else laugh, throw in - for good measure - the "tarnishing the city's image and violating the Cleanliness and Orderliness Act." What a bunch of completely brainless creatures in uniform ........