spidermike007

The people will not tolerate these goons much longer. My theory is that the army brass already knows this, and are now forming an escape plan. Hopefully into exile, but far better, into prison. They can fight a few tens of thousands. They cannot possibly beat many millions. And that is what we will see when this army created debacle is over with. They are utterly desperate to hang onto power, and access to the trillions of baht that likely generates for them. Using the LM and sedition laws shows how utterly intolerant of criticism these very small, very weak men are, that they need to hide behind and utilize these laws, to attempt crush the will of the people. The time is coming, when this will no longer be tolerated. Just wait. The army is on it's way out. It could take awhile, and it could get ugly, though it will never get to the hellish level of Burma, as the Thai parents would never, ever permit that kind of genocidal behavior from their sons. You take out one Thai, and you are forever disowned by this family. That is all it would take to bring about mass defections from the army ranks. That would sure be fun to witness. Are the pompous generals going to put themselves into harms way? Never. They do not have it in them, they are cowards.

The Thai army has never been an ally of the people.

Can't handle the possibility that the US is on the decline, the quality of life is dropping, prices are skyrocketing, and very few people seem to be manifesting much in the way of and joy?

I agree but when the government lies to us, as they always do, and they use obscure commodities like magnesium ore to skew the Consumer Price Index, it has no bearing on reality. When you're actually spending time there and going into the supermarkets and buying your normal staples, that's when you have a sense of where inflation really is, and it really is truly in the neighborhood of 20% right now.

Total agreement here. I travel back to the States frequently, a minimum of twice per year and I can tell you for a fact that Americans right now are rather joyless, and lacking in humor, they don't seem to be enjoying their lives very much, they're living, working, eating, and sleeping. Not much of a life, and many of them seem bitter, disenfranchised, disappointed, highly divided, and utterly joyless, no thanks.

I agree with what you said about private hospitals here, but I also feel that I'd rather be in a public hospital in Bangkok than most other hospitals anywhere else in the world, unless I had a great healthcare plan which I don't. So, as someone who's self insured the top public hospitals here work for me very well.

I lived in working India for a long time and I've been there in several occasions before and after, and I love India, and so does my Thai woman. I'd go back there in a nanosecond, it's a fascinating country with a super rich culture. But it's not a destination I would choose as an expat, on any level.

It is no doubt a display of absolute moral bankruptcy on the part of the highly toxic CCP. They just care about the optics. They never have.

Now Sen is denying the leak. He is a pig, and cannot be trusted. Ever. I predict we have seen the last of the army coups. The biggest element is the total loss of moral authority. Next, Thai parents would not tolerate Burmese style violence against Thai people. Won't happen. The days of army rule (dictatorships) are over here. Hopefully the young PM will be dismissed. She was a terrible choice. Somehow her party was deluded into thinking she would appeal to the youth. She is an incompetent imposter. Everyone knows that. The people prefer the PP, but the toxic powers will try not to let it happen. The drama continues.

Yes. Trump is always confused. It is a combination of his extreme dogma, extremely partisan nature, and senility that seems to cause this confusion. He is lost in space. Checked out a long time ago. Which make him an incredibly dangerous man considering the position that he's in. Let us hope the circus goon doesn't start another 20-year war, by using American equipment to invade Iran. Donald Trump entered office vowing to bring a swift end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Five months in, foreign conflicts are now threatening to overshadow Trump's second term as a new war escalates between Israel and Iran and concerns grow that the United States could soon take an active role in fighting Tehran.

They put so much fish sauce, oyster sauce, shrimp paste in addition to dried shrimp, in so many Thai dishes that for anyone suffering from seafood allergies I recommend eating only in vegan restaurants, or avoiding Thailand altogether.

That can be said about anywhere in the world, covid seemed like it was a generational opportunity for people to engage in price gouging, and prices continue to go up in price. In the US I am fairly certain inflation continues to rage at about 20% annually, every time I go back things have gone up 10 to 15% in 6 months or less. So this is not exclusive to Thailand. I do notice that inflation here is less than it is in most other places, and though Thailand has gotten more expensive it's still very reasonable.

Different strokes for different folks I guess, when I travel after a few weeks more than anything I want to be back in Thailand, and when I finally get back here it's it's like a celebration. For me everyday here is a very good day.

I think most people know by now that Trump is the biggest hypocrite to ever occupy the White House, so if he says something expect that he's doing the exact opposite, if he takes a position expect that his belief system is the exact opposite.

I agree the difference is that Tony Soprano was organized, he was smart, and he had the ability to project power in a way that didn't make him look like a circus freak.

Trump is such a goon, his lack of understanding about Putin, Russia and geopolitics is rather stunning. I don't know if a more ignorant, corrupt and compromised man has ever occupied that office of US president.

Illegal and criminal activity activity in Pattaya, that's absolutely astonishing, and almost boggles the mind to think that that's even possible.

This is a good thing, the young PM was a terrible choice to begin with, she appears to have been highly incompetent, and anything that the nation can do to distance itself from her toxic father is likely a good thing in the long run.

As far as I'm concerned Trump is open to any form of criticism by anybody, anytime. The man is ripe for criticism, his grotesque personality, his juvenile, divisive and hateful antics, his policies, they all deserve criticism. Everything about the man is repugnant, and everything about the man deserves criticism from every quarter possible. Kudos to Acosta.

If this were to have some kind of negative effect on public hospitals here I would be concerned, but I could not give one hoot over whether or not it affects the private hospital industry, which makes far too much profit as it is.

I wonder what the offense was, arrested for not paying a traffic fine? That's got to be a new policy of some sort. Seems a bit draconian.

For me there are a few reasons why I would never consider Vietnam. 1. From what I understand the retirement Visa is still an issue in Vietnam it's a fairly simple process here. 2. I find a lot of the people to be a bit like cold wet fish, very similar to the Chinese people on the mainland, not much humor, kind of heavy-hearted, they still have a bit of a chip on their shoulders, and it's never been my favorite country in the region. 3. I don't feel like the culture there is as welcoming for mixed couples as it is here in Thailand. 4. I don't like the government here and I never have, they keep on reaching towards the bottom of the barrel and the policy here is incredibly regressive, but I would not want to live in a country where I'm constantly having to deal with communist officials. 5. I've had some very positive experiences with the healthcare system here in Thailand, and I consider it to be on par or better than it is in the US for a fraction of the cost. Can Vietnam rival that? The upside there is the food is excellent, access to fine wine at reasonable markup, much higher quality beer, a highly varied topography, with stunning beaches and very clear water, high quality seafood, and stunning women. I might be an exception as I see so many guys on here complaining about the Thai people, but I really like them. I find them to be quite delightful, light-hearted, humorous and fun to be around. What am I missing?

It's actually the polar opposite of being a slave to my upbringing, my upbringing dictates that the woman's in control because that's just how things work in America. The man is allowed to assume more control here, to whatever degree he wishes.

That certainly not what's needed for me to feel like a man, but my woman and I enjoy role playing and she enjoys manifesting the dignity within femininity, and I enjoy playing the role of the provider, so it comes naturally for me to pay for stuff, that combined with the fact that I love carrying cash, it's just a very natural role for us.

Putin has never had much regard for Trump. That much has always been obvious. I believe that he has regarded Trump as a useful tool but beyond that I don't think there's any affection or respect. And why should there be?