spud1

43 minutes ago, Stargeezr said:

My wife's Thai family told us to stay away until next Winter, because of conditions, and the restrictions

  and even the risks of catching COVID during the long flight from Canada to Thailand.  They all stay cautious

and the older relatives stay at home mostly except to escape the city with a family vehicle and enjoy a break 

in the country at a park, and away from people.  The members who work in Bangkok are fearful every day of

catching COVID and spreading it amongst the family. When they ride the BTS, and see people who are coughing

and sneezing, they worry about just what is causing that person to be traveling when they are sick with anything.

  So 2022 Fall or Winter is when my wife and I will be taking our chances on Thailand.

Good luck to all of you.

Geezer

Do you believe in ghosts and put amulets around your house.

6 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

An illustration of just how frustrating one single facet of the process can be - and I haven't even applied for Thailand Pass yet.

 

Booking my hotel (most of these actions are 1 day apart):

 

Booking 'request' made on aq.in.th

Request transfered to the hotel.

E-mail received asking for copies of my passport, flight tickets and insurance.

The above sent to the hotel together with a request for bank details to enable payment transfer.

E-mail received asking for vaccination certificate - no mention of bank details.

The above sent with yet another request for bank details.

E-mail received as if I was a new customer enquring about a room.

Phone call asking what they are talking about, I've already made a booking, I just need to pay for it and receive confirmation - I don't think the girl understood what I was asking even though I used as much Thai as possible. - promised to e-mail me.

No e-mail received - got a friend in Bangkok to call them and explain.

Today. friend called them - they understood, said there had been an 'internal mistake' and would email me.

Today - e-mail received asking for all my documents again! But this time they at least gave me the payment details.

Today - documents sent again, payment made by bank transfer from my Thai account.

Today - transaction receipt sent, as per request - awaiting confirmation of booking.

 

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is just to make a hotel booking - I began that process on Monday!

 

I can book 2 weeks in the Canary Islands with about 10 mouse clicks!

Had,the same problem.If it wasn't for the fact,I have a GF in Thailand,that could pay the hotel and speak to them directly,it would have been impossible to make the booking.Goodluck waiting for your comfirmation.

47 minutes ago, rickudon said:

Oh dear! Didn't think there were many denialist dinosaurs left...... Do some proper research.

Seems you have been assimilated.The Borg would be proud.

My son,whom I haven't seen for 2 years lives in Chanthanburi.But I'd need to quarantine for 7 days,in a province and hotel,that I would have no interest in staying,before I could visit him.So much for free travel.They can stick the pass.

1 hour ago, placeholder said:

What's even more bizarre than this post is that there are actually 2 members of aseannow who endorsed it.

Be careful,if you ever venture outside again.You might stub a toe on the pavement.

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

He is the last person in the world, who should be heading an important meeting, much less involved in the decision making process. His mind is a jumble of confusion, and all he thinks about is protecting the rich, the elite, those in power, the corrupt cops, and his own. He is useless to the people of Thailand. The sooner they realize the, the better. 

 

You continue with your daily lies, and you are at a stage where nobody in this nation, other than some of the generals and cabinet ministers take you seriously anymore. You have undermined your own credibility time and time again, with bad information, fake news, broken promises, and terrible leadership. Do you even know what the definition of leadership is? 

True leaders really are in the service of their people. True leaders act with integrity and in doing so they establish trust. True leaders genuinely value their people and in doing so they create loyalty. True leaders are in the business of assisting people to realize their full potential, and in doing so they inspire excellence. Nobody can demand respect, loyalty or trust, like you constantly do. These things have to be earned. There are no short cuts, no way to cheat the process. Great leaders have integrity and truly value their people. And you do not inspire confidence, as you have never had any follow up in your weak game, you are highly insincere, and grossly incompetent and under qualified for the job. One would think after 7 plus years you have had time to learn. That does not appear to be the case. Prayuth, you are a terrible leader. 

So, if you were a man of integrity, the man you led the nation to believe you were, when you seized power 7 long years ago, you would now say:

I know, I know, I know. I should have reacted when the outbreak happened back in December, and done the right thing by shutting down that area in Samut. 
I know. I should have taken the vaccine thing more seriously.
I know, I should have had a more qualified health minister.
I know, my pathological fear of the optics of a lockdown are causing many more cases than need be.
And I know, I should have been more diligent with the borders, I should have cracked down on corrupt immigration officials, and kept my promise to fight corruption, and I should have and could have done better.
Do you want me to resign now? I know what is what you are thinking. I probably should. It sure would be the right thing to do. But, doing the right thing would be so alien for me. I am not sure I even know how to do that. 

 

 

 

The mug,couldn't win a battle against opponent's using bow and arrows,never mind running a country.

This is from the British government travel advisory - on the safety and security page https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand/safety-and-security Let's hope it gets stronger

The warnings have certainly expanded since this farcical investigation.I can only presume the unelected imbeciles currently in charge of Thailand are starting to piss some people off.

Have they had access to the suspects yet, taken their own DNA samples?

I would have though that would be number one on their priority list.

You're missing their purpose entirely & have outlined something that falls within the remit of the Burmese authorities & Interplod.

The other paper is reporting that the son of the bar owner is going to take a DNA test.

This maybe the start of the whole thing unravelling.

Because of course, someone may ask to see the original sperm sample. Which may well prove difficult if there has been a stitch up.

It's just a fuxxx side show unless the DNA is taken independently.Having a swab test for the cameras,doesn't mean jack shit.We'll wait and see.

"to send knowledgeable officials with decision-making power " with all the generals having posts in the illegal junta government, there is nobody else left to fulfill these positions..

And these anti PM posters keep grinding on. Government brought on by bad PTP governance--Intervention is the word.

Illegal Junta is not permissible it is no help with this rhetoric --doom and gloom.

Talk is cheap.As anything really changed since the junta illegally took control,apart from non demonstrations.

who cares what he thinks,

the Thai police are now facing real allegations of torture from a forensics specialist,

including that they suffocated these poor boys with plastic bags

not sure this link is permitted, but here it is,

no more will we hear the words, "alleged" torture,

it is now a fact

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=722122301198831&set=vb.596740650403664&type=2&theater

Your first statement of "real allegations" is accurate but then you screw it up with the claim "it is now a fact"

Why persons keep replying to your inane immature posts and give you the childish attention you crave is beyond me.Personally,I wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire.The irony in your constant moronic posts,whatever your motives are,is that you're aiding this barbaric murder more attention.I commend you for that.

What's so great about Thailand? Can someone tell me what the allure is for millions of people aside from sex mongerers and young backpackers looking to go to a full moon party or yolo?

Holidays, for normal people.

Affordable place to retire.

Sometimes the weather.

So can you give me a list of the negatives?.Maybe you don't have the time.

Not as safe as many people think.

Road traffic accidents.

Sometimes the weather.

I'd agree with you,but never had a problem with the weather.

What's so great about Thailand? Can someone tell me what the allure is for millions of people aside from sex mongerers and young backpackers looking to go to a full moon party or yolo?

Holidays, for normal people.

Affordable place to retire.

Sometimes the weather.

So can you give me a list of the negatives?.Maybe you don't have the time.

First time seen that the murder of backpackers got so much popularity. Isn't?.... Or may be they are not just backpackers.......who knows!. May be there some agencies are involved

Have you escaped from the bottle,or just been on it.<deleted>.

"At the same time, the state prosecutor of the Eight Prosecution Region, Mr Thawatchai Siengjiew, disclosed that the working group of prosecutors have ordered the police to probe into more issues and to question more witnesses and find more circumstantial evidence before the state prosecutor could prosecute them in the court.

He said that case needed to have substantial evidence as it is closely watched by people around the world."

So this investigation is then FAR from complete as stated. These are not minor details; all parts of the prosecutor's case need work.

++++++

"Human Rights Office officials said they received complaints that the two Myanmar suspects were beaten by the police during the interrogation.

They said from the interview with the suspects also confirmed they were beaten.

However a cross check of the suspects’ claim with Koh Pha-ngan police chief Pol Col Prachum Ruangthong showed there was no beating as claimed by the suspect. The officer confirmed no beating or torture."

So there are two contradictory "confirmations." Note that the Burmese can only make claims, while the Pol. Col. can "confirm" that beating them didn't happen. Isn't he just making a counter-claim?

You're correct in the staement just being a counter-claim. Thing is, Thailand is under Martial Law and anything said by the authorities eg, police, military (especially!) and judges must be treated as 'fact'.

Failure to do so could prove problematic for any member of the press. I'm no fan of the far right stance of the Thai press, but do they have any choice?

But, on the other side of the coin...

Interesting to see a few of the 'top brass' contradicting the General. Prayuth said it was ''...a perfect investigation''. He even congratulated the cops. Now, these guys are saying it's anything but perfect. We've had a top cop seemingly contradicting the General too. Even the papers have had a few critical entries on the General in recent days.The tourist board have been moaning about the General's decision not to end Martial Law. What next? Oh yep. A satirical Thai TV show has been getting really close to the bone on the political situation in Thailand in recent days. It's on youtube (the dude looks half farang and another chubby dude). I've seen the version with subtitles and...well....brave lads, is all I can say. At one point they seemed to be doing a fake ad for visiting Thailand. The gist of it was 'Amazing Thailand..we've got Martial Law..come on in!'' They also went close to bone about Ko Tao (regarding the cops/mafia).

They're all either very brave or sense something we don't. I don't think all this is a coincidence.

I've seen the vid.It really is "Amazing",those guys have some balls.

The perfect investigation,although the prosecution haven't the confidence to win a conviction.

Meanwhile back on the island the ground zero of the case the AC Bar has just rejoined Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/AC-BAR-at-KOH-TAO/350449398447632

Not many farangs in the picture,hey.

If Thailand wants to be a global player then no more "thai only" shenanigans, especially when foreign nationals have been murdered, show some respect. Either man up and allow the Brits to do their job or suffer a full blown travel warning from every country that values the safety of their citizens.

Get real man!!

Sorry to break it to you, but the Empire collapsed a while back!! Today UK is just another not very important part of Europe!

When considering the number of tourists visiting Thailand every year, I am sure that the murderrate is very low, where tourists are the victims. That the Brits are overrepresented in those statistics have more to do with the Brits themselves than the hostcountry.

Arrivals from China is 5 times higher than arrivals from the UK. How many Chinese are murdered here??

Ofcourse the brutal murder of the 2 young Brits is a tragidy, but it doesn't stop the world.

This social media frenzy, where the victims are almost forgotten, is almost more scary than the actual murders.

Been here 12 years. Never felt safer anywhere else!

Yawn!

UK - 8th largest economy in the world - "a not very important part of Europe"

This murder is about more than these 2 kids. Hopefully their deaths will spark a change for this country that, if you have any good Thai friends here, you should be eager to see happen. Why should this nation of almost identical population size's GDP be 3,720 times smaller than the UK? I'm not in this for my good, it would probably serve me better to shut up and reel my neck in. It's not about me but about the people who love and support me and my family in this country we call home.

At least the Thais and the Brits have one thing in common!! Not very good with numbers!!

According to IMF (2013) GDP per capita: Thailand 5.676$. UK 39.370$

That is about 7 times higher for the UK. 3.720 times????? (working for TAT?)

@wackybacky: As for my inferior complex in reference to the UK, same numbers for my country;59.130$

As for being the 8th largest economy, not to difficult when you print money, or as you like to call it QE!!

Apart from that most Brits I know are nice and decent people!

Us Brits can sleep contently tonight,knowing that an irrelevant knob head thinks a few of us are decent people.

The petition has reached it's goal of 100,000 signatures.

So? Great they have 100,000 esigs that mean nothing in a court of law... and this isn't England.

I think you are missing the point of the petition totally.

Nobody here has claimed this petition is to be used as evidence in the court papers. That comes purely out of your own mind for reasons only you have access to, as they reside only in your own mind.

The petition is to put pressure on the UK government to insist on Thailand playing ball with this investigation and allow some 'independent' involvement in the case.... Not only to find the real killers, but also to make sure that others do not unfairly suffer as a consequence to this incident along with police corruption. Nobody should be benefiting from this disgusting act of violence and many (inducing many Thais) are of the opinion that pockets have been lined and palms have been greased to send the investigation down this route.

All that happens is more innocent people suffer and is a stain on the memory of all those affected.

If there is nothing to hide, and a perfect job has been done. Then why not be open and transparent about it to all the nations concerned?? Surely in a proper society, that is not much to ask.

The more Prayuth and the RTP resist this, the more guilty they look and the more people are going to poke them. This petition has now enough esigs to demand a reading in British Parliament as to push Thailand even harder. But is also putting even more pressure on Prayuth and so it should.

If the UK government are forced to push this (and they will be) by the public and the press, that will probably get another out of hand rejection from Thailand pouring even more criticism on them...

If the UK really end up being pissed off by the Thai administration then relations are going to sour, and the UK know that the USA are watching Thailand very closely with regards to human rights abuses of its migrant population. We all know how the UK and US like to stick together.

This could actually force sanctions to be imposed against Thailand next time they come up for review, and this is also going to affect their tourism from said countries.

There are a lot of organizations watching this very closely.... I really hope Thailand and its very shaky self image of huge importance in the world is not going to be its downfall.... Death by Thainess.

To the rest of the world, Thailand is nothing more than a sex tourist destination and backpacker party place with nice food and cheap beer.

Nobody sees past that, and that's the truth. The amount of times I have had the same old response to me living in Thailand being along the lines of ladyboys, sex bars and crime is a searing indictment of that.

That's all Thailand is to the west, and they do nothing to help that image.... they just add to it with negative media coverage which it fully deserves.

Stupendous post.

Brown pants in Italy??

All talk,no trousers.

Come On, 99% of tourists don't know there is Martial law in effect in Thailand

What effect has it had on your life in the last , say month living here in Thailand.

You will find out in minutes that your holiday destination is under martial law, but it will take hours to find out if that will affect your holiday experience and insurance coverage.

Bottom line is that scares people away, no matter if it has a real impact.

You wouldn't care to tell us how much the insurance cost has gone up because of Martial law would you. Here today October 14, 2014?

It would be nice to see the degree of validity to your statement.

My money says it has gone down since Martial law was introduced.

You will find that it costs nothing for travel insurance Has no companies will write a policy for persons entering junta lead Thailand under martial law.Get it!

HI EVERYONE I'M JUST A NEW MEMBER HERE BUT I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS TRAGIC AND HORRIFIC CASE SINCE IT HAPPENED

I ALSO FEEL VERY CONCERNED AS A TRAVEL AGENT I HAVE SENT TOURISTS TO THAILAND AND ALSO TO THE ISLANDS .

I have also visited Koh Tao

So you have only visited KT but have managed to come up with a completely new theory that local boatmen did it , how and where did you get the info from?

Umm a very un connected source , I work with a Thai lady (married to an Aussie) living here in Au , um her eldest brother is a lieutenant in the Royal Thai Police , stationed in Pratunam HQ in Bangkok , umm he hasn't spent much time there , ( only 29 years in the RTP ) . and used to be number 4 in CID in Chiang rai , im guessing he might know some things ( but then who am i , i'm just a stupid foreigner ) Oh but he has a first cousin that owns and operates a water taxi service in Samui ! possibly some talk amongst peers there, Samui Police found 2 boatmen the next morning very heavily under some sort of influence , and released them after questioning , 1 was hiding in a cave , ( It's been reported in Thai media ) umm the funny thing they weren't tested for DNA , something about orders from Samui Police Chief under orders from his superiors in Bangkok , I guess the higher Thai authorities have confirmed they have the correct culprits ( 2 burmese men ) in custody , after all the RTP authority and the current Thai government are extremely stringent that Thai's could not of committed such a crime. Its also their country and their jurisdiction so as stupid , and ignorant foreigners who don't really understand their culture why question them .

Chief of the Royal Thai police stated yesterday , they are very careful and would never arrest the wrong suspects !

They must be very convinced the 2 burmese suspects in custody are the real culprits , but i wonder why 95% of the posters here , some of the Thais living in Thailand , doubt it /

Also some Thai Police Officers , but as the General has stated its been a perfect investigation and he is extremely happy with the current outcome .

He must know then i guess as he is the man !

I wouldn't have you giving me advice about travelling to the local shithouse.

Two foot knife.Otherwise known as a sword.

A total of 220 million baht worth of drugs,and someone had to transport them by bus.Only in Thailand.