Sydebolle

Once a police general, always a police general. Despite his inactivity in the police force he is still running around town being called "General". Same with the legalized junta which has been put into place as politicians. The leadership here is still addressed with general, while fugitives like Dr. Thaksin (who is and remains a titular as Dr.) is being referred to "former prime minister" rather than fugitive. Just saying; Thais are so bound to titles and face and the generalissimo in this particular case would be puzzled, if anyone would address him as normal "Khun" ......... Irrespective of still in office/power or not, they still call the shots and trust me, nobody would ever stick a parking ticket onto a general's car, be it a second hand old-battered Toyopet or a brand new Porsche!

It takes the pigs two days, read correct T W O D A Y S - without conclusion yet (or published) for which Somchai in Buriram or Somsak along Friendship Highway near Khon Kaen takes 15 seconds. Could the delayed reading and/or publication of the reading have anything to do with some financial issues? As the Pakistani per se is a low life below the dirty farang, alien etc. there would be no lengthy price bargaining over the bounty. But if you want to know how things work, then look up the recent handling of that "Tangmo" incident which apparently got settled out of court. The Red Bull darling's case will fizzle away into thin air come September this year and people wonder, why the trust in all this is apparently hitting an "all time low". As long as there is either no public prosecution at all or heavily biased experts at the helm .... What a hopeless farçe, what a shame and what a loss of face for Thailand. While its people and the country per se would be OK, the authorities entrusted with law and order .............. You're welcome!

I'm going back to bed, the script of the outcome of this case has been finished a decade ago; the little sunshine of the Red Bull empire ensured that. Unclear to me though is, if "Police General Wirachai Songmetta is one of Thailand’s most respected police officers" (as quoted) or is respected here to be understood as feared - asking for a friend.

The money is in the bank; lets go for a second helping?

Call the tourism authority of Thailand and break the news. All tourists arriving at Don Meuaiong airport are given a free entry ticket to Bangkok Stonehenge, promotion valid until yesterday!

Gen Wirachai Songmetta, former deputy commander of the RTP, what a fantastic paycheck he must have had. His brats are, as those of Chalerm or the third generation Red Bull Emperor, useless pr1cks, a waste of space and air who would not be able to earn as much money as to pay for a motorway toll. But, like Joe Ferrari, the police force seems to be the the employer of choice then ....... oh well! It will disappear into thin air, always only a matter of (ill-gotten?) cash in the land of the chosen Phooyais!

Well, that's a new one ........ GPS at fault. In all honesty though it is amazing, how - in my case - Garmin works. Given the mess in routing and one/two-way lane with direction changes during the day ....... Another beauty is trying to find a particular house number. The postmen are special people as nobody else - of any other walk of life - will be able to find a house by its house number. You're welcome!

I sit on a PR (living in Nong Khai) and wanted to travel to Cambodia. In Korat I realized that I need a re-entry permit = Korat immigration. There they told me that Nong Khai is in charge and they would not do this. I spoke to Nong Khai - approx. 400kms oneway away; they confirmed that every immigration office can issue a re-entry permit. Korat refused again, I asked for the written instruction and took photos of the officer = re-entry was stamped in within minutes. Just another idiot in uniform who was putting himself in the "I am over important" mode. Go alone, in case of queries get them to call your wife over the phone and she has no time for them - busy with cattle, farm, kids, parents or temple duty. There is no question she will not be able to answer - the questions have to be in the framework of what an outsider can ask. Worst case - ask to see the written regulation on that, take a photo of the pr1ck or ask for the supervisor while apologizing that your wife is really unable to waste a full day due to temple duty!

Mind-boggling, only USD 280 million ........? Honestly, I wonder, how big the nine-digit amount of non-receiptable outlays must be; I'm gobsmacked and wonder, what the average US citizen who pays taxes irrespective of place of work or residence, i.e. worldwide, has to say.

a) it is about the money ..... again b) cash is and remains King, despite all those cashless payment disciples ........

Talk to the airline ......

Pass the bucket on; report to the immigration while not on overstay yet and explain your present situation. Like this they cannot fingerprint you for gone into hiding etc. and they might come up with a solution by putting some issues onto your embassy. Alternatively check with in-laws back in your home country for some temporary help - unless, of course, if you are on the run ........ good luck!

Well, it took 'em only five years to find out, that the Thai subs are the first of its kind. The last time I heard of oarsmen was in connection with galley across the Aegean sea - a few thousand years ago. Well, Somchai and Somsak better learn how to swim; just in case the oarsmanship comes to an unexpected early end. What a joke, you could not make up such stories ......... I assume, that the Thai government now will pride itself for having received a "discount" as the submarines are delivered without engines, some decorations are in order and, of course, the civilian elected government will get a military promotion to super general!

Well, at least the come masked by "back home education". Curious though about the ethnic roots of Saudis; I always thought that they are Middle Easterners as well - but by terminology they are not .......

Nothing better to do as the primus-inter-primi in Thailand? Or yet just another boring week of headaches at the government house?

Recommissioning Chakri Naruebeth air craft carrier from Spain, which has been sitting idle that long that barnacles firmly fixed the boat to the harbour and no serviceable aircraft left. Same as the submarines without engines - leave it to the Thai armed forces and you get properly shafted left, right and centre - but then, it is their country. I call it a failed state with all the trimmings and buntings there are ......... how sad!

Another dinosaur rule, the dowry or สินสอดทองหมั้น! In Europe, back in the day, the bridge had to bring along house interiors into a wedding like cutlery, linen, crockery etc. The groom's job was to ensure the bloodline would continue ..... A non-Thai should never marry a girl with requires สินสอดทองหมั้น as her in-laws are from a different galaxy and millennium which, over time, will create additional inter cultural problems!

An expensive lurch then .......... but as there is no public prosecution, the file may be closed now and we can all wait for the next lurching.

Somsak Changtrakul - another pristine example of governmental incompetence. Instead of helping the province and its citizen (like getting the Friendship Highway eventually fully opened again instead of those endless construction site kilometres without anyone working there) he became a medic now and can link booze with the ongoing coronaphobia. A failed state - on all levels!

Once you turn monologues into dialogues - matters will improve. But this is exactly, what the established elite does not want. Keep 'em stupid and silly, fun and games all the way. The people who could invoke long, long overdue revamping of education are the very same who benefit of the status quo. Thailand will be haunted for its missing labour force being able to do more than just massages and plying the trade while the country's backbone in agriculture is being exploited second to none. This is a failed state and can only be fixed with a proper civil uprising against the Phoo Yais and all those tens of thousands of crooks looking down on all those minions they've been exploiting for generations! I will not be around to see it happen but ...... it will happen!

Let me get the popcorn and the blanket; it is getting good again ???? Is the date known already when they will canonize Prawatch?

While being unable to verify the figure, it remains a blunt lie, if he says to "spend 600 million Baht daily to help with keeping diesel prices as low as possible". Taken the figure as correct it means that there is 600 million Baht less in the tax coffers for submarines, helicopters and other toys for the army, 600 million Baht less to be stolen in bright daylight by some members of the public service. The government cannot spend a single cent which it did not collect from its tax payers first. So much to terminology. Speaking of savings, the all-knowingly Uncle Too might want to look into this government's staff force. Tens of thousands of braindead officers sit, sleep, eat, mobilephoneplay around with jobs for the sake of creating jobs. Stop this daily avalanche of thousands of tons of photocopies, issue people after the second renewal lifelong driving licenses, facilitate immigration and delete TM30 and the 90-days (latter must employ thousands of FTEs - full time equivalent) - then you're talking savings. Less offices, less energy and less useless waste of salaries for useless staff. So, my guess without knowing the numbers is, that one submarine less (or none of them at all) would make a positive dent in the household budget of the chosen land!

Just love it ..... "considers energy conservation". As long as I can see cars in parking lots of shopping centres and mall with running engines and nobody inside, staff running around with jackets and similar winter gear in the same premises then I - for one - consider energy prices too cheap. Education might help; today's cars cool down within no time and air conditioning can be adjusted to comfortable levels. Shops can be equipped with air curtains to prevent air outflow on permanently open doors etc. etc. but, as said, energy seems to be still far too cheap

I am surprised that not those workers were thrown into jail and the keys thrown out over the "billion" Baht business. Trust me, a serious bigwig must be behind such an operation and the article here is nothing but a decorated photo-op by BJ ???? Next please .......

Only once you get the racist officers in their cubicles of the Labour Department to move their big fat backside, change those ridiculous and bureaucratic rules and open up on Thailand in the context of AEC 2015 ..... you might see improvement. I sold my restaurant, long before the coronaphobia, due to my inability to run my business with a more or less stable work force (full head count was 14 staff). I had waiters/waitresses starting at 15,000 Baht; in the kitchen nobody had less than 18,000 Baht, plus one month paid holidays (albeit working New Year's Eve, Songkran etc.), health insurance and provident fund - in short - far above the governmental minimum, which was and still is a big joke. Six working days a week, open only evenings and nice guests leaving nice and juicy tips behind. Within 15 years of operation my running staff number had reached 400+, i.e. 400+ different staff had covered 14 staff positions. Precisely one resigned according to contract, the rest had sick buffaloes, the third funeral of a parent, floods in dry season etc. etc. etc. My attempt to get a "quota" for alien workers from Burma, Cambodia or eventually Laos took two months and I was granted ONE position which had to be below the lowest job executed by a Thai national. AEC2015 stipulates that ASEAN citizen have the freedom of travel and work among member states - well - not in Thailand. Unless your business is in Bangkok or in a province at the country's borders, it became impossible to hire "alien" staff legally. Hence I decided to sell the business and my successor, a Thai national, could not be asred with regulations; a year later his entire work force was non-Thai, illegal, uninsured and he confirmed the impossibility to hire staff. In short, if Thailand wants to recoup some of the tourism cake then get staff, irrespective from which walks of life and nationality, to get the job done!