kimamey

Brilliant. Thanks for that.

I liked the guy so I was happy to pick bones out of the ashes but I left the choosing of which to take to the rest of the family.

A lot of religions are followed by people who spend their time trying to explain why they aren't making much effort to abide by the rules of their religion. Religions generally start from some fairly reasonable sensible concepts or guidance. Then a group of men, it's always men, decide that if they claim to have a fuller understanding of what was being put forward they can elevate themselves above the rest of the followers of that religion. This is particularly the case if there isn't actually any, or much direct evidence of the thinking at the time the religion started. That's certainly the case with Christianity and Buddhism, where nothing was written down until many years later and where, if you wanted to feel a little more important you could claim to have a better understanding and start your own version and thus be the head of it. These men have the ability to either absolve you of any responsibility for following rules or at least not pushing too hard in suggesting you should. Obviously very few people will obey all rules absolutely whether they are religious or not, but I find it noticeable here that in a lot of cases there doesn't even seem to be much effort to follow the 5 precepts. Take the idea of not taking life. If you look at the UK as an example, vegetarianism seem much more prevalent in the UK, where religion is dying out, than in Thailand. My view on the reason for this is that there are 2 main reasons to be vegetarian or vegan. One is for health and the other for moral reasons although these can often overlap. I've never been totally vegetarian but when I lived in the UK my daughter was so I moved away from a lot of meat and fish. When I was shopping I'd often see things like pork pies for example. In my head I knew I liked them but I shouldn't have them. Almost always, with the occasional weakness I'd resit the temptation. Here I think that monks don't really push that and put it as something you should try to do, if they mention it at all, so without any real pressure to avoid meat and the silly excuse that I didn't kill it, most people eat meat. Thailand kills thousands of innocent men, women and children because they won't have a proper driving test, wear helmets or seatbelts, or have a proper functioning police force. Ultimately that's their choice but it doesn't show the respect for life they like to claim. I did actually ask a monk about the killing of animals for food. He said that you have to eat meat to live. Obviously that's not true, and judging by the grin on his face he knew that as well. Lastly you say you think I read the wrong things. You have no idea what, or how much I read so you can't know if it's right or wrong. I did mention that I thought vanity wasn't very Buddhist when replying to a post saying that the loud noise was a 'face thing'. Is that incorrect?

Maybe he didn't know it was fake and did get it from another man. If it's true, which I doubt, he was taking a big risk if he didn't know this other man and will probably end up a lot worse off.

I think he's doing more harm than good to the monarchy. Attitudes and expectations change over time. The last king changed the monarchy by going out into the country and meeting people. I think he was the first king to visit the northeastern provinces. He also said in 2005 that sensible criticism should be allowed, and that he was human so makes mistakes. A far more intelligent conversation about the monarchy than that from many in government or in the country. I don't know if it's true but I heard the current King asked that prosecutions under the LM laws be reduced. If true that's another thoughtful intervention. Of course it needs the government and Thais in general to listen and take note of these suggestions.

If the driver threatened the passenger with a knife whilst in the cab it might be better to pay and then report him, but since the passenger had already got out, which I think is the advice given by the police, then I agree with you.

You do need to separate incidents occurring due to manufacturing faults from those due to pilot error or poor maintenance. Even if Boeing manage to turn things around and produce well put together planes, if passengers don't want to fly in them then they won't despite any logic. It's a production failure and a PR one as well.

True. Sounds a bit like vanity to me which I thought wasn't very Buddhist. I did read up on Theravada Buddhism when I first came here, but I gave up when I realised it was nothing like what I was seeing.

I think I remember 100 days being mentioned as the time before the bones or ashes are placed in the temple wall or in a river.

A lot of the funerals I've been to in the UK haven't been that morbid, although they were mainly for older people. In the funerals in Thailand of close family or in the case of a cousin who was 19 it would be difficult to know if someone was getting married, becoming a monk or had died. It's only at the removal or opening of the coffin that feelings are shown.

I've been to a few, in fact I went to one yesterday for a friend of my wife. He was 55 and died in his sleep. I'm not sure why but apparently he drank a lot. His wife seemed happy enough. Oddly we didn't go up to the coffin before the cremation which I've never seen before. That's normally the last thing before everyone except the family leave. There doesn't usually seem to be much grief but then even in the UK I think the funeral is a turning point when you leave it behind. In Thailand the flashpoint for grief seems to be when the coffin is removed from the house, often a precarious task down some stairs, and the opening of the coffin before the cremation. My wife's sister died in September one year and her husband on the 2nd of January, roughly 3 months later. Their son hadn't even grown his hair fully back before he has to shave it again. They lived in Phayao a few metres from the temple, but it had no cremation building onsite so we had to go about a kilometre to where the cremations were done. They had a normal cremation building but the coffin had an ornate canopy over it which made it too big for the oven. I'm not sure I can remember the name for it, but it might be something like 'bassard' The point at the top was hinged so it could be lowered to pass under overhead wires, but there were still a couple of guys with long bamboo poles to raise the lower ones. There were two raised platforms to support the coffin and canopy, between which the logs could be piled. In this case we had to leave it for 3 days and then go back to collect the small pieces of bones. I'd never done this before so I wasn't really sure what to look for. The bones were laid out in the shape of a human body and prayed over. My wife's uncle who was a monk was there and he died a few years later. HIs funeral was obviously a lot bigger and on this occasion the bones were collected the next day whilst the ashes were still hot so tweezers made out of bamboo were handed round to pick out the bones. In the case of my wife's sister and husband, his bones stayed there as that's where he was born but hers were split and we bought some back to Mahasarakham where they were thrown in the river and I think some were put in the temple wall. With the monk I got a strange video of a couple of trays of bones with members of the family picking out which ones they wanted.

It seems to differ depending on the area. In some cases there seems to be 4 days of visits by monks, which is for the deceased according to my wife, and then 4 more after the funeral for those left behind.

It's the same or worse when a guy becomes a monk. I've driven past in my car and all the doors rattle, and even my stomach. I'm not sure why it has to be that loud as it can't be a centuries long tradition.

They put up a sign with a white cross on a green background with 'Safety First' underneath it. Isn't that enough?

I'm not certain but I think he had.

They might be relying on the comment of a neighbour saying they'd never seen a man entering the premises. That might suggest the possibility she was a single mother but that may well not be the case. If she is a single mother, and depending on how long she's been here, that must be a difficult position to find herself in. I would imagine it's bad enough for anyone, let alone her.

I don't know for sure, but since there seems to be a desire to find proof one way or the other by various groups in and outside of parliament it seems odd to me that nothing can be done to set the record straight given that there are regulations regarding someone staying in an outside medical establishment over 120 days. If he wanted to provide proof, and was prevented from doing so, I'm sure he could find a way of getting his views known. Who would want to stop him providing proof that his hospital stay is legitimate? I read an article yesterday claiming he was seriously ill, which may be true. It's just that I can see why he wouldn't want to be in prison and be in a comfortable hospital or his own home instead so I can see the incentive for him and there seem to be credible questions about the current information.

Your posts are normally ones that make some sense but I'm not so sure on this. Let's be clear, I've never met the man, so apart from what I've read, and pictures I've seen. I have no proof of anything, so I don't know if he's in hospital or even if he's in Thailand. He could still be in Dubai or anywhere else for that matter. He might be dead or the pictures might be of someone else and we've no idea who he really is. But that could be said of anyone before I was born and most people since, so I'll have to just go by what I've seen and read. I've already pointed out that he apparently claimed he couldn't fly to Thailand before a medical check up, but was able to go to Cambodia. Maybe that was because he wasn't going to prison in Cambodia, but then he hasn't here either. This thread was the first time I'd heard the suggestion that he might be at home and not the hospital. I actually mixed up 'home' and 'hospital' in my post. It should have read: We also don't know that he's in the hospital and not at home because there's no evidence through pictures, video or a visit by a trusted person. Having said that you've mentioned his privacy, which I acknowledged as well, but he has, unless the reports are incorrect, released details of his admission to hospital and medical conditions of which there were a few if I remember correctly and we've been told which floor he's on. It seems strange to me that after releasing those details he doesn't want to prove he's actually in hospital. As for other prisoners that might have received the same level of treatment, that information could easily be released without identification thereby maintaining privacy. I might have seen a picture of him in hospital early on but I've seen nothing recently. Maybe I missed it Around the time he returned there was a report that he was anticipating only days in prison rather than months or years. This was from 'a source close to Thaksin' so may or may not have been true, but given the subsequent events, it might have been true. There are plausible reasons for all of these mysteries but when I look at all that has happened I'm left thinking that I can't say I'd necessarily believe him.

It was actually not meant seriously. Yes I brought over money, and still do but my wife has a masters degree, unlike me, and she is a government employee.

That's true but I think all the facts that we've been told, and what we know of him suggests that he isn't that ill, unless it's a coincidence that this all came on after seeming to be perfectly ok in Cambodia and during a medical examination in Dubai shortly before returning to Thailand. We also don't know that he's at home and not in the hospital because there's no evidence through pictures, video or a visit by a trusted person. That could be because he doesn't want to be seen whilst he's so ill, or it could be because he's not there. Are there now, or has there ever been another non elite prisoner who was given medical treatment in this way? If not,is he the most seriously ill prisoner they've ever had in the prison?

'they could be immediately arrested' Who by for goodness sake? From my experience you're very unlikely to see a policeman on a rural road, unless he's going to or from his very large property. They might be given the opportunity to make a 'charitable donation' but I doubt they'd be arrested. It's probably been illegal for years but nobody bothered about it. Having said that, a couple of nights ago I was driving back from the market with a bike close behind me, either with a very bright headlight or his main beam on, so I slowed and pulled to the left to let him pass. This was with a straight piece of road in front of me, not on a bend as some Thais seem to favour. As he went by I noticed he was a policeman.

My wife is Isaan and I wasn't poor when I met her OK!! Nice to see the UK getting more deserved recognition for having the best looking flag.

Is there an alternative that would work? Not as serious but there were a couple of tablets I used to take in the UK for high blood pressure but they didn't have them here so they gave me alternatives which my UK doctor said were fine. It would be terrible if your plans were ruined by not being able to secure, what seems to be a common treatment, or alternative.

I've heard they can gain access just with the tip of a pen pushed into the zip. My son used to travel to the US for work a lot and he had a TSA lock which was cut by customs in the US

You could try snuff for that.