SantiSuk

Surely there must be some way for the Cambodians to successfully get their rockets go where they want them to go. If not the chances of a rocket hitting a pam namman or any similar piece of land containing several persons is negligible given the low population density of amphur Kantaralak and most other areas in the southern halves of the four provinces impacted by the pre-ceasefire hostilities. Maybe what happened is that the missiles do have some targetting capacity but only very broadly and not precisely. It would have made some sense for Cambodia to have targeted Meuang Kantaralak as it is the largest community of people living closeish together within say 40 km of the border I think. Quite possibly this was the enemy's intention but maybe the missile overan the amphur town and hit the PTT in the smaller community of Ban Phue (near Benchalak) by all accounts, killing 8. Meuangs Sisaket, Ubon, Buriram, Korat and Surin are appreciably further north (say between 70 and 100 km from their nearest Camby border point and therefore probably just as likely to be as unsuccessful as the firings at smaller but nearer communities. Why are we not hearing anything from the journalists or authorities about the range and directional capabilities of the missiles being used by Camby. The claims made by some Asean Now members about Camby rockets a week ago seemed only to conclude that the missiles could travel more than 100km. The author of this post lives in amphur Kantaralak less than 20 km from the community that sadly suffered 8 losses last week. He and close family evacuated to Bangkok two days later and were contemplating returning imminently. Now we are unsure when but possibly not imminently.

Previous conflicts in this region of Isaan have been limited to guerilla like activity from Cambodians very close to the border and not far from the (disputed ownership of) the temple at Khao Phra Wihan. This time around the Cambodians have gone for a wider range of targets like this pam namman/gas station on the outskirts of the town of Benchalak some 30 km north of the border and other targets in the provinces of Sisaket and Surin. The impact on the resident population has been palpable. Schools in my area of Sisaket's amphur town of Kantharalak sent kids home early yesterday morning and are closed today. The mood in the villages and towns around me has been ultra-scared with many families considering moving well away until the conflict approaches resolution. We need a signal urgently from Thai government whether they are looking to negotiate or apply equally ominous attacking measures on the Cambodian communities. Now is not the time for prevarication.

Don't discount Thai towns or cities (or even villages if they are close to a decent sized town or village) in a less touristy area of Thailand. I have loved being immersed for the past 16 years in a village that is 20km from a town of 10,000 ish people (Kantharalak in Sisaket province) and 85km from a regional City of some 200,000 - Ubon Ratchathani - Thailand's 5th (ish) biggest town. The weather is great - no pollution to speak of and by being immersed in a community of ordinary Thai people and feeling part of it somehow makes life relaxing. There is typically also a community of foreigners who develop social things for local residents to do that extend beyond bar hopping - eg golfing groups, house parties, fishing, weekends away in Thailand and regionally. I'm convinced someone living in places like that develop a network of friends/acquaintances (fellow expats and Thais) far more readily than if one lived in Bangkok/Pattaya etc. I enjoy visiting Bangkok and Jomtien (latter in preference to Pattaya) and am lucky enough to own a condo in central Bangkok for monthly visits. I wouldn't want to live in Bangkok full time - traffic and time taken to get from A to B. Pollution. Rip off merchants like many taxi drivers. Nor would I live in Pattaya (sorry folks but too many falang with strong views on life, love and other people that typically don't accord with my laid-back outlook. I just feel more empathy with my fellow Isaan resident falangs. The Isaan ladies living in Isaan are just far more charming and human than the ones who have dedicated their futures to Bangkok and Pattaya. Food is not just cheap, it's very cheap. Immigration is a breeze around here. Rarely takes more than 15 minutes to get in and out of Sisaket town Immigration for annual or 90 day visits and one is treated with respect. Just my take. I accept that everyone has their own recipe for living. I only ask that, if you really want to find out what will turn you on for your future, that you widen the range of places to try out beyond Pattaya and Bangkok. Final thought is that Hua Hin area has always struck me as a possibly acceptable halfway house between BKK/Patts style and the type of regional rural style I love that is so embodied by my part of Isaan. I would like to be nearer beaches, but not at the expense of giving up my present living environment. Good luck with your quest. Seek out a Hash House Harriers group (drinkers with a running/walking problem) to extend your range of expat and local friends and to keep active. "On On" to a fulfilling life, Steve aka "Flash Git".

The usual' hang-em-high response that might be expected of falang in Thailand who respond on social media to this type of occurence. I hope y'all never have to face mental health problems yourselves (and no - I am not assuming that is the case but it certainly looks like a possibility).

The accident was my fault - I fell asleep at the wheel. First accident I've had in 55 years of driving, but that's no excuse. I was aware I was feeling a bit sleepy but thought I could focus through it. Wrong - learnt my lesson the hard way - should have stopped for coffee then stopped for walk-around a couple of times in the 80km journey (it's not rocket science, I'm an idiot). Have felt the need to do that keeping alert/refreshed act one time since and it worked well. I didn't have crash repair replacement within my then insurance. Noticed it as an option for the 1st time when I looked at my AA Insurance agent's postings after the accident! I'll deffo think hard about it at next renewal. Hiring a car locally in Isaan for a weekend (48 hours) cost about 2,000 baht and I must have done that 4-5 times in the 6 months. Otherwise my wife was good hearted about letting me borrow her car, so not a slam dunk that I will take it up, though some could justifiably comment that with my apparent risk profile I should be doing so. I'll think hard when I see the cost for renewal early next year. Another mistake - had I known it would be 6 months of repair I would have investigated notifying my local Land Transport Office that the car was off the road. I renewed my Car Tax recently (that's what my wife calls it - I'm a Brit so I call it Road Tax) - talking about that tax disc you put inside your windscreen corner. Went to renew my Road Tax earlier this week as it had expired in June - one month into the repair period. I asked my wife to enquire if it was possible that I did not need to pay for the full one year period given that the car was off the road being rebuilt from June to a few days ago, expecting that they would say you should have notified us at the right time so no, to which I would have asked 'what if I get a letter from the repairer or insurance agent saying that the car has been off the road. Unfortunately my wife gave a display that is so typical of Thai wives I believe (based on reading Asean Now and it's forerunnner, Thai Visa.com, for 15 years). She knew the answer (she never knows the answer she just guesses) - "you just have to pay up for a year like everybody else" quoth she. I didn't have the energy to try out my basic Thai with the Road Tax counter ladies against a backdrop of wifey agreeing with them; counter staff had already shown a distaste for communicating with a foreigner. So I shut up and paid up - anything for an easy life. Anybody know the rules about Road Tax and vehicles being kept off the road out of interest?

I was a bit out of it on the day after the accident and the day after. My wife took the decision to accept the offer when approached by the local dealer who had come out on call by a rescue van called by the police I think. I was not gonna grill her later over the detail as I know she will think I'm criticising her for choosing an outfit that took so long and she doesn't deserve that. For the poster who asked if I feel comfortable driving it. Yes - after taking the drive with the test driver then spending time driving it myself, cautiously then fastish, since delivery (haven't tried above 110kph yet). In the crash it was slowed down by small trees and didn't have a real hard bang against big trees. Panels up front were a bit beaten up, but the frame looked OK and engine had not been moved. Nowhere near write-off territory which is why I think the time taken to repair it was OTT.

...and I have just taken delivery of my Fortuner after 6 months in their repair shop in my local town. An unbelievble number of broken promises along the way. OK - it was a major rebuild and the car looks new and beautiful on return, but front end rebuild only and 6 months fer Chrisakes!

If you are relying n a so-called 'independent analysis' LOOK TO SEE WHAT IS ACTUALLY BEING DONE, by WHO AND LASTLY AND IMPORTANTLY DO A BIT OF RESEARCH ON THE WEB INTO WHO THAT ORGANISATION IS. Sorry about the caps. I once bought a prostate supplement from one of these typical snake oil salesman outfits promising a recovery "within days from my ever swelling gland. Obviously that was going to be BS. The product was supported by an independent website that identifies the critical factors that suggest a recommendable product and then does exactly that. They recommended this product so I thought I would give it a go. I'm still using the product - it did nothing originally but then started to work a little. My point though is that much was made by the product provider and the independent reviewer of this and other providers products that my particuar product had come out on top. Now go down to the level of detail that names the outfit that did the critical testing of the product by a survey of users specially selected. All looks hunky dory about the survey until you Google search on the name of that testing organisation. Oh dear! Apparently the staff in that independent testing organisation are raising alarms about the motives and ethics of their bosses. We know what that means - well - I suggest it means that money/profit is the objective not reliable analysis. So can we rely on this outfit, on those who hired them and on the product itself? Form your own opinion. Like I said - I have decided that the supplement industry is full of snake oil salesmen. Do lots of work on the web before spending your money. Don't buy the expensive 6 month supply mega packs. Try it for a couple of months and form your own view.

Was thinking that this is the responsibility of the restaurant owners' community to sort out, not nutters with baseball bats. If I were a customer and became intimidated by an outsider with the restaurant taking no action I would go talk to the most senior person and make it clear that if the restaurant was not going to do anything about it I would walk out without paying, or maybe with a deduction. It maybe that the customers have to take the initiative in getting ultimate police action. I remember being approached by a semi-intimidating beggar as I sat outside a Phnom Penh restaurant on a tourist street. I got up and went to the manager and asked if he was going to do anything about it. He ummed and aaghed and I made it clear I would walk and never come back. He immediately went and confronted the beggar and I did go back a few days later and the manager came over and said he was happy I had taken that action because he had since talked with a few of his neighbouring restaurateurs and they had all decided to support each other in stopping the street beggars coming to table.

I doubt that many would support your derogatary remarks about standards and regulation being applied by public authorities to public transport, particularly as regards the carriage of our kids.

Are police allowed to charge those found carrying a weapon on routine searches in Thailand, Australia or the UK? US obviously no, given the 'right to carry arms' culture This problem has to be gripped and should be adopted in any right thinking nation. Get the w@nkz off the streets!

If I compare my teenage lifestyle (60 years ago) with that of my teenage daughter mine was far more outdoors and involving physical excercise - and I think I was typical - ie not particularly sporty in any structured way but certainly out and about. Now it seems to be all about social media, sitting for very long periods with a phone or laptop and much less physical contact with friends. Do other older falang here with families recognise that as a major difference? Needs further research and probably significant action by governments.

Strikes me that living in an area where there are loads of falang is much riskier than living "in the sticks". I'm not saying that the latter is risk-free, but certainly less risky. For me the Bangkok's and Pattayas of this world are places to visit, not to live. Each to his own. You are welcome to express your contraray views that the rewards exceed the risks.

Got the dates wrong and cannot edit. First hip replacement was in August 2022 and second was in September 2023. Also the price both times was close to 650,000 baht.