Sydebolle

So you want to tell me that the "No Tips Please" campaign is over already?

I've seen "The Serpent", definitely worth watching. But this story with the Saudi jewelry will not be filmed anytime soon; most of the actors and beneficiaries are still alive...... Fact is, that Dr Surin Pitsuwan, a very capable politician, Thai Foreign Minister and ASEAN Secretary General in his resume, tried in vain, despite being a very moderate Muslim and Arabic speaking. Prayut will not achieve anything in this regard as the Saudis, quite rightly so, insist on the return of the heist. The Embassy got downgraded by calling the Saudi ambassador back to Riyadh "for consultation" 30+ years ago, ever since was run by a Chargé d'affairs and the Thai workers got replaced by other Asians who meanwhile must have sent a double digit of dollar trillions back to their home country - to the dismay of Thailand.

The generalissimos have needs too. While some are corrupt, others are more lucky and get 22 luxury watches from a friend. Latter most likely deceased over the joy of giving - there you go! Others take flour all the way to Sydney and are reprimanded for that; some nasty judge could not distinguish between flour and illicit powers. How unfortunate for all those honest, hard working, servants to the people who "elected" them.

Run a company here with 1'600 staff and then I'll talk to you again. The average years of employment in my 15 years company was 10.7 years - key index enough for not having done everything wrong. I would not mind, if employers would not have to pay for all those populist promises and absence days. In a 21st century country, vacation is stipulated in the law, sick leave is granted according to a certain roster and an employer can even take an insurance for absence-compensation etc. etc. Here all this is payable by the employer and populist election promises are footed by the private industry.

Give Clown-in-Chief Prawit a solid gold medal for possibly the silliest comment ever vented by a politician. Either he is completely senile or unqualified for the job - or both. The sacked "friends of friends" will do everything in their power to unseat the present placeholders as they want to get closer to the trough. The latter is, what most of those MPs are there for, money, greed and privileges. And trust me, Thammanat will stop at absolutely nothing to get to the front line, where he will possibly clash with Anutin, who is also waiting in the wings for the primus-inter-pares throne. Sad thing is, that they ransack a beautiful country with - in general - lovely people to the total disadvantage of both, people and country, so they can fill their coffers. Take while the taking is good - definitely understood by most of the generalissimos acting as tamers of the Siamese circus.

When I came ⅓ of a century ago, Thailand knew of 11, later of 13 public holidays to be given to staff. The 28 days today remain payable by the employer. Add to this figure 104 days of weekend (SAT & SUN) and you're at 132 calendar days. Then take the 30 days sick leave as stipulated in the Labour Protection Act (and some staff is professional in ensuring 30 days sick leave) you're at 162 calendar days. Some days (forgot the number) you have to give them for "administrative visits" to government agencies like renewing driving licenses and other bureaucratic bnllsh16, so the professional stretchers manage 170 days absence in 365 days. The employers love paying 365 days for a (questionable) production period of 195 days and the loyalty of most Thai workers are more than known. Walking off the job whenever they are miffed while employers get skinned alive for reprimanding disciplinary wrongdoings by the employee..... I shut down my business in Thailand years ago and took it elsewhere; never regretted it and leaving Thailand with a more than bleak future for the next two generations to come; the rest of Asia has not been sleeping the last 30 years.

Somchai caught redhanded doing some oil or fuel smuggling again and he opted to sink his illegal mule?

Excellent, so since the minister has some time on hand, may I suggest he to kick all those "developers" and get the "Moh Prom" to work as it remains a "hit and miss" application to absolutely no use to some (like me). The provincial office of public health blames the hospital for the (apparently wrong) data entry while the hospital blames the ministry of health and latter again blames the provincial office of public health. A merry-go-round with the usual ridiculous "everybody else's but my fault"!

Fly Finnair and get extra bags/suitcases at EUR 50/piece allowing an extra 23kgs each. Done that and arrived with 95kgs for a mere surcharge of EUR 150 - the deal of the century!

Keep up the good work. After all, dirty farang have to sit through two hours of infantile video replays - all in Thai - despite having had a driving license for the last 45 years while all the youngsters (in the age of grandchildren) are playing around on smart phones, chitchat or have a nap. Unlike the sleeping kiddies, the dirty farang and alien have to go through the procedure every five years. Now, since all is digital, it will make police's efforts more difficult to extract money from (not always) wrong-doers yet, the basics of it all is, that they still have no clue how to drive a car. Result is, that Thailand ranks in the top as far as accidents are concerned, mix that with poor (if at all any) law enforcements and corrupt police checks = welcome to Thailand's deadly roads! You're welcome!

Waiting for "MacDonaldsAgogo" to spring up all over the place anytime soon .......

Returning diamonds which got "misplaced" 33 years ago?

Lots of "oink, oink, oink" going on in the Land of Pork Prohibition!

You cant fix stupid. When you turn A-GoGo into, say, McDonalds-Agogo and leave some stale old Big Macs, priced at 800 Baht, for display on a table outside ........ who exactly do you want to fool now? The "rules" maker should go for serious brain check, nobody in his right mind would come just because places of ill repute remain closed where decorated with a "restaurant", "bistro" or "snack" sign can operate - all serving 99% eye candy! Stupidity explained - file closed - you're welcome!

As kiddies we called it musical chair - today I call it the fight of the Titans - or - who is the next circus director?

Busy boards, it seems ....... Whatever, it is a lot of "oink, oink, oink" and no surprised here, Thais are used to bend and break any law, rules or suggestion for the sake of personal benefit and greed!

Interesting. The borders are closed and if we believe the circus directors in Bangkok they are closed airtight. So question is - who is driving the trucks as 24 tons of cargo in one truck on the bridge? Whatever, it is a lot of "oink, oink, oink" and no surprised here, Thais are used to bend and break any law, rules or suggestion for the sake of personal benefit and greed!

What a hopeless kindergarten and no ruler to bring this ridiculous behaviour to a screeching stop. A failed state!

Well, specify pandemic or endemic - present discussion in the UK and with the Fritz'

Whatever little movies they make; what makes the news is the following Australian TV clip of devastating proportions - TAT chief indians might want to work on that rather than main news destruction information:

Please earmark another few hundred million Thai Baht for singers like Lisa (K-Pop or so?) and Bocelli on the classical site - for good measure put it on the taxpayers bill as this has proven to be sooooo successful on New Years Eve. Above entertainment ticket was noted with 200 million Thai Baht (for one night performance in Phuket) as the TAT weedies claimed, that 1 million tourists with an average spending of 75,000 Thai Baht would be the background of an expense of ridiculously little 200 million Thai Baht - hence a more than justified expense. I've attached a areal photograph of the government house which also houses the Tourism Authority of Clownville for easier reference ...... Keep up the good work and don't forget the Somtam break!

It got coined 1987 with "Amazing Thailand" and now the primus-inter-pares starts playing little songs in the government house. Well, in all fairness, then he is doing nothing worse ???? I just wait for the moment when someone will invoke the fairytale "The Emperor's new clothes". As long as it is possible for proven crooks with questionable university degrees out of a laundry shop and a history in Western jail term like Sunnyboy Thammanat to climb into an MP position - such countries are simply "failed states". Combine this with "conflict of interest" and you have "Government of Thailand"! The present circus is in power after having declared 6+ million voters choice as invalid and, instead of running new elections, just carry on with their stealing, lying and looting 24/7 - for years, unhindered and in some cases even government sponsored and assisted. Thailand has the government it deserves and only Thais, as uneducated as the big lot is, could invoke changes which we will not see coming anytime soon. Once reality kicks in, say in one to two generations, this country will be doomed. Remember the Philippines in the early 80s and compare it with this wreck of democracy which is called Pilipinas today. For every step forward since 1986 they jumped three steps backwards. I just hope that I am wrong with my clouded forecast - for the sake of my children and grandchildren which will have to clean up the mess of our generation!

Jurin Laksanawisit is obviously not aware, that there are logistic experts around too. The last year was increasingly delicate as far as ocean logistics is concerned with heavy and heavier delays in freight movement, congested ports on-/offloading cargoes and availability shortage of containers. Seafreight, which took +/- 30 days between Europe and Thailand is now seaborn 10+ weeks and freight rates went through the roof. But maybe Jurin Laksanawisit and his bosses invoked yet another emergency law doing away with reality; nobody in his/her right mind believes an increase of 1/6th although 2020 was an annus horribilus as we all know. More relevant would be a graphic display over the last 20+ years but farsightedness was never a forte of any civilian nor militarian routed government.

My point - there is none on the apron side of the passenger terminals ????

Another issue will be food; no restaurant open and the offerings at the local 7/11 ........