spidermike007

On November 2006 he was in police custody for allegedly confessing to murdering an Udon women, somehow

he ended being released, again thanks to the Thai police, he vanished....

He must have offered the right amount of money to the police for his release. As we all Know money talks in Thailand. You never see wealthy people go to jail unless it is political

Approximately a 30 000 Euro,...if you read the article.....

Quite amazing what one can do here with a million baht or so. My sense of it is that nearly any official or policeman can be bought for that amount. it is no wonder the wealthy, the connected, the elite, and the powerful never go to jail. They occasionally get charged, but never seem to pass go.

I am a really good man. I do not have an agenda. I have no desire for power. I have no desire to enrich myself, as I am already very, very rich. I am doing this for my people. I do not make any mistakes, I never say anything wrong, I am a perfect leader. And under my watch the country is really improving. Just look at all the amazing programs I have created, and support. I am very, very smart, and can see things most other people cannot.

Why don't the Thai people, and the media appreciate the sacrifices I am making for them, and the selfless service I am offering them? Why don't my people love me more? The media should be nice to me, especially with the massive censorship I have imposed. They are not supposed to say anything bad. Why do they defy me? What are they thinking? Am I not a superhero? Do they not see that? And why does the foreign media, and so many foreign governments choose to criticize me? I just do not understand that. I think they do not understand Thailand. But, my own people understand Thailand. None of this makes any sense to me. I am really confused.

Watch the GDP plunge 30-60%.

Just to put it in prospective almost 9 million Chinese will visit Thailand this year contributing over 300 billion baht .

That's just Chinese .

Westerners who only UK figures in the top 5 financial contributes ( 3rd)

Contributes less than a 4th that amount. ( 70 billion just UK )

All westerners combined about 400 billion.

Of this 75% are couples , back packers, families not in any way involved in the sex industry regards purchasing a Thai product service from a sex worker.

This means about 100 - 125 billion baht is estimated to flow from sex tourism.

Less than half of "" just the Chinese market""

Malaysian , Japanese , South Korea , and assorted also transcend the sex tourist market in financial contribution.

The delusion that Thais need to maintain the industry is false.

The only reason they may let it exist in some form is to allow the estimated 300 million USD that flows north to families of sex workers.

However , the 30-60% plunge is very way out .

Considering the whole industry is only worth 10% total GDP .

The replacement factor of revenue from increasing Chinese numbers.

Up 900% in ten years .

And growing fast.

Restrictions on Chinese lower middle classes leaving China on Tourist visas means an invasion of sorts will come.

Thailand doesn't need the sex tourists.

They may spend 5 to one more than Chinese tourists.

But the sheer numbers of Chinese means they contribute far far more.

Something many sex tourists mistakenly fail to see.

Their days are not numbered ( sex tourists) but a few may end up black listed in future a others detained and even imprisoned as the military step up raids.

Take another look at this woman claiming her intensions.....her parents in a portrait behind her.

She looks like a person who is not to be doubted for an instant.

It's also a military government with absolute authority who doesn't care what the peasants supplying the bulk of sex workers think.

It also taps into Nationalistic sentiment , whilst ridding the nation of unwanted westerners haunting their every move.

It's actually pay back to what we say about them in some respects.

The others living here retired will in time meet new laws that make this harder...( eg 800',000 could be lifted and examined more closely)

This agenda is just the beginning of removing people not desired .

And in general that's not just sex tourists

Those numbers just do not sound correct. Of all of the hotel owners, restauranteurs, owners of gift shops, massage shops, and travel agents I have spoken with, all say the same thing. The Chinese tourists spend less money than any other group, that they have ever dealt with. So, why this high number? Perhaps that is the total generated, but does not take into account that alot of that money either stayed in China, or was repatriated back to China?

There is no doubt in the minds of these travel industry folks, that Western tourists are of far higher quality, when it comes to spending money. No doubt. It is a mistake of historic proportions, for the tourism ministry to target the Chinese market. A massive mistake.

This is unfortunately the only link to verify the more recent numbers .

Of 300 billion .

It's only 190 billion but last year and only for a six month period.

I think you will accept numbers are greater as even the increase last year was 138% up on prior .

Meaning 300 billion for whole year is at least accurate if not more .

Given 190 billion was achieved in the six months prior year.

Also not the arrival numbers .

You need to understand the friends your talking to are not profiting as they don't spend ( the Chinese ) the Thai economy simply makes money in smaller increments like the day to day and room , tours etc.

But do it by the millions it adds up.

Other nationalities in the top-ten list of visitor expenditure in January June 2015 were:

Country (January June 2015) Amount (billion Baht) % change over January June 2014

China 190.919 +138.91

Malaysia 39.755 +64.58

United Kingdom 32.498 +4.55

Russia 31.768 -50.43

USA 29.938 +15.80

Australia 29.021 +6.18

Japan 27.972 +28.42

Korea 26.775 +29.12

Germany 25.094 +9.38

France 24.304 +16.35

http://www.thaitravelblogs.com/2015/08/top-10-nationalities-to-visit-thailand-january-to-june-2015/

Ps I did read the updated numbers and that sector (Chinese ) is if anything increasing faster each year.

The 300 billion is at least correct for this financial year 2015-2016

I consider that figure to be deceiving, as alot of that money is either held in China, or repatriated to China. And also, the sheer numbers do not mean alot, if the rack rate on the rooms is discounted 65%, and the restaurants are running at break even, in order to accommodate the huge crowds, who fill their buffet plate to the point of brimming over the edge. The gift stores, jewelers, malls, massage shops, travel agents, domestic airlines, and many others are suffering as a result of the dramatic increase in Chinese tourism. Eventually, it will devastate the industry. Never trust numbers released by any government. Never.

Though generally I am not supportive of the long arm of US justice, in this case it is a wonderful thing. At the very least, this worm will be held in US custody. More than likely he will make many friends there. Once they find out about the charges of sexual assault against a minor; using a fake doctoral certificate from World Peace University; reckless driving causing death to an individual; money laundering concerning donations; drug addiction and claiming to have super natural powers, they will really extend their hospitality to him. He will have many "very close" friends there. They will treat him warmly, with "great affection". And he can demonstrate his supernatural powers to his fellow inmates. They especially love the guys who assault minors.

​Sounds like he has alot of cash, and may be influential. So, once he returns here, there is little chance of him being convicted. Very few monks are convicted here. They are as protected as the police, and the politicians, it would appear. At least he will be treated to some American Justice System hospitality in the time being. Let us hope the extradition process takes many years. Maybe there is some way it can be delayed? Let us hope.

Relatively sane people like most of us will never be able to understand what makes psychopaths like this creep tick. All we can be is very grateful he is off the streets. Men who prey on women, and get a thrill out of causing other people pain, and ultimately death, have no right to breathe the same oxygen we do. Most of us work hard, contribute to society in positive ways, and pay for our way. Worms like this guy, do not. They just suck air, and deprive people of their lives and their dreams, and their hopes and aspirations. They strip the families of the victims of their hope along the way. May he suffer much, and may a pox fall upon his family.

This dizzy tourism minister, is just making it up, as she goes along. Her lack of experience in this industry is really starting to show, and she is really starting to look like a fool. The reality is, that Thailand has been doing a great job or losing Western tourism for many years now. The numbers are dropping for a reason. The economy is a very small reason for this, though the weak Euro, and the relatively strong baht does not help. Many are still vacationing, but not choosing Thailand as their destination. The problems that have been plaguing this country, and affecting tourism, are NOT being addressed. The scammers are not being arrested, the traffic and public safety issues are not being dealt with, the bad publicity from the attacks and the murders of foreigners is not helping, when they go viral, and the systemic reasons for the lack of prosecution of the real murderous culprits, such as the creep on Dark Tao, are not being dealt with.

This is very typically Thai behavior on her part. Try to fix this, without looking within for the source of the problem.Ignore reality, and march on as if no issues are compelling them to stay away. Repair your own house, before you start inviting more people to come inside for a visit, Mrs. Tourism Minister.

If you are serious about attracting more Western tourists, where do you start? By coordinating policy between the Tourism ministry, and Immigration. You start by offering visas of all sorts, for free, and making it as easy as possible.

The more they just fall back on the easy route, which is to attract more Chinese tourists, so they have bragging rights to high tourist arrival numbers, the deeper the hole they are digging for themselves, and the harder it will be to extricate themselves from the millions of zero baht tourists they are beginning to attract. It is a disaster of epic, historic proportions, being perpetrated onto the Thai people, the tourism industry, and the Thai economy, by this house of fools.

Generally, I try not to jump to conclusions, and in the past I have always defended the Muslims, as I have known quite a few moderate ones over the years. But, it is getting harder and harder to defend them. For me, the primary issue is that not enough of the "moderates" amongst them are speaking out, against the atrocities being committed by their own, in the name of their own religion. As far as I am concerned, this barely has anything to do with religion, nor God. This is simply a banner, or a cause they have hijacked, to wreak murder and destruction. It is a license of sorts. But, nonetheless the extremist clerics, who are being supported by the Saudi government, at the highest levels, are spreading hate, through their horrific Madrasas. And the foreign policy of the US is allowing this to happen, with their aggressive overseas campaigns, that are accomplishing nothing positive, and only resulting in the killing of hundreds of thousands of women and children. This is an ISIS or Al Queda, or a Taliban's wet dream scenario.

Unless, and until the clergy, the heads of state, the powerful, the local media, and the local Muslim people start crying out, with zeal, anger, determination, and sincerity, against the atrocities being committed in the name of their religion, people in the West will continue to become more angry, and will eventually blame all Muslims for being complicit. This could result in a terrible scenario, where many more innocent Muslim women and children start becoming the victims instead.

To elaborate, I know plenty of people here in relationships with Thai women who don't talk this kind of rubbish. I'm not trying to tar them with the same brush.

you implied only poor little asian women would accept the wests loser men, the same racist attitude spouted by western women, who simply refuse to accept that some men for a variety of reasons might prefer asian females

Even when I still lived in NZ, all my mates (except one) had Asian woman as girlfriends or wives, either Chinese, Korean or Thai.

After my lying deceitful slut of a wife ran off, and I recovered from that, I went out with an Asian woman from Hong Kong, I have never again been out with another western woman.

Also one of my sons is married to a Chinese woman and they have two very smart kids.. You see many young guys in NZ now , with Asian woman.

And quite frankly I find them much more feminine, caring, and sexy.. I worked with a white woman that went to the same dance on Sat nights, I would have a dance with her and after not seeing her for a few weeks , I asked her why are you not going now? she said "I'm sick of all you guys just want dance with the Asian woman, and my friend and I never get asked for a dance, we just sit there all night"

Western woman need to wake their ideas up or they won't be able to find a husband soon, that's if they ever want one,, as 3 of my sons female friends just wanted to get pregnant, then the government would give them a free home, and pay for them and their kids, and we don't have to work...

I know this is not all western woman, as all are different, but it seems to be a hell of a lot of them are....

You might tell that I love Asian woman and am here to enjoy as many as I can, until the right one to marry comes along ( if ever) ...

I could not agree with alot of what you said more wholeheartedly, more earnest, and more forcefully. Asian women are very comfortable being women, and wearing their femininity. It is infinitely more appealing. I love being with a real woman.

These cretons who skim money from people's account are some of the lowest scum on the planet. There is a large class of people today, who simply do not want to work for a living. Many of these worms feel they are entitled to wealth, and if they have to steal it from hard working people, they do not hesitate. I am fine with seeing these creeps imprisoned for very long periods of time, either here, or in the West. They have been living on borrowed money, for a long time.

I could not read the original article, as it is printed in Thai. I was wondering, are we talking about the work of the Thai FBI, or the US FBI? Frankly, I would be quite impressed if it was either group. Neither strikes me as a particularly effective organization.

Watch the GDP plunge 30-60%.

Just to put it in prospective almost 9 million Chinese will visit Thailand this year contributing over 300 billion baht .

That's just Chinese .

Westerners who only UK figures in the top 5 financial contributes ( 3rd)

Contributes less than a 4th that amount. ( 70 billion just UK )

All westerners combined about 400 billion.

Of this 75% are couples , back packers, families not in any way involved in the sex industry regards purchasing a Thai product service from a sex worker.

This means about 100 - 125 billion baht is estimated to flow from sex tourism.

Less than half of "" just the Chinese market""

Malaysian , Japanese , South Korea , and assorted also transcend the sex tourist market in financial contribution.

The delusion that Thais need to maintain the industry is false.

The only reason they may let it exist in some form is to allow the estimated 300 million USD that flows north to families of sex workers.

However , the 30-60% plunge is very way out .

Considering the whole industry is only worth 10% total GDP .

The replacement factor of revenue from increasing Chinese numbers.

Up 900% in ten years .

And growing fast.

Restrictions on Chinese lower middle classes leaving China on Tourist visas means an invasion of sorts will come.

Thailand doesn't need the sex tourists.

They may spend 5 to one more than Chinese tourists.

But the sheer numbers of Chinese means they contribute far far more.

Something many sex tourists mistakenly fail to see.

Their days are not numbered ( sex tourists) but a few may end up black listed in future a others detained and even imprisoned as the military step up raids.

Take another look at this woman claiming her intensions.....her parents in a portrait behind her.

She looks like a person who is not to be doubted for an instant.

It's also a military government with absolute authority who doesn't care what the peasants supplying the bulk of sex workers think.

It also taps into Nationalistic sentiment , whilst ridding the nation of unwanted westerners haunting their every move.

It's actually pay back to what we say about them in some respects.

The others living here retired will in time meet new laws that make this harder...( eg 800',000 could be lifted and examined more closely)

This agenda is just the beginning of removing people not desired .

And in general that's not just sex tourists

Those numbers just do not sound correct. Of all of the hotel owners, restauranteurs, owners of gift shops, massage shops, and travel agents I have spoken with, all say the same thing. The Chinese tourists spend less money than any other group, that they have ever dealt with. So, why this high number? Perhaps that is the total generated, but does not take into account that alot of that money either stayed in China, or was repatriated back to China?

There is no doubt in the minds of these travel industry folks, that Western tourists are of far higher quality, when it comes to spending money. No doubt. It is a mistake of historic proportions, for the tourism ministry to target the Chinese market. A massive mistake.

Being charged does not really mean all that much here. Being convicted, and sentenced to a long stint in prison is quite another thing, and typically only seems to happen to the poorest of the poor, without cash, name, connections, or the ability to hire a good legal team. So few people have been charged within a nation that is infamous for human trafficking, and the use of slave labor on it's fishing fleets. So few. It is an extraordinary indictment against this current government, that so little has been done, despite all of the hyperbole, jawboning, and threats to do so. Yak, yak, yak. All talk and no action makes Johnny a very dull boy indeed.

How quickly all is forgotten. How could the GOP and Trump have forgotten all of the water under the bridge, during such a nasty campaign? Of course Cruz would accept the invitation. The enormous question is, why invite him?

Just a few excepts from the campaign that was about as colorful as this convention is becoming:

“If Indiana does not act, this country could well plunge into the abyss,” he said. The senator’s tirade against his rival came only a few hours after Trump suggested that Cruz’s father was somehow involved in the 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy, using a tabloid story as his source. “Nobody even brings it up, they don’t even talk about it,” Trump said.

Cruz then poured sarcasm, disbelief and derision on the man who stands poised to secure the Republican nomination: “Yes, my dad killed JFK, he is secretly Elvis and Jimmy Hoffa is buried in his backyard. “This is just kooky,” he continued, calling Trump “a narcissist at a level I don’t think this country has ever seen. Trump is such a narcissist that Barack Obama looks at him and says, ‘Dude, what’s your problem?’” The businessman “describes his battles with venereal disease as his own personal Vietnam”, Cruz said, alluding to a radio interview, in which Trump likened his sex life to the war. “Morality does not exist for him.”

After all of the animosity of the campaign, all of the name calling, all of the insults about wives and families, and the relative lack of credibility that Cruz brings to the table, you would think Trump and the Republican party would be smart enough to figure this out in advance. Oh, there I go again giving them too much credit. If there was ever any question about whether or not Trump has the intellectual capacity to be a good strategist, in time of war, here is the answer. An emphatic NO!

Anyway, it is making for good drama, and some of us are finding it all terribly amusing.

If it wasn't for the sex industry cows would still roam in the single strip Don Muang airport. Totty brought all the business in, Thais should celebrate their status as the largest brothel in the world.

I rather doubt that. It might have helped a little bit. But, the Japanese manufacturing would still be here regardless (though I am sure it is an incentive when it comes to recruiting executives) and we are talking about over 7,000 manufacturing companies, that ship fairly good quality Thai made products, all over the world. In addition, the seafood, agricultural, mining, and various other sectors make up a large part of the Thai economy. Tourism at most, is contributing 13% to the total GDP. And as Chinese tourism picks up, that number will drop further quite significantly, as zero baht tourists (those that barely spend anything outside of the cost of the budget tour) barely assist the economy. The tourism minister should know this, but it is quite apparent by the recent push for more Chinese tourism, that this is not the case. There are many other factors, that are negatively affecting the future prospects for higher quality tourists.

Granted, there are alot of unseen factors, when it comes to the long term economic stimulus that the sex industry spawns, by generating long term boyfriends, and husbands, who contribute to construction, banking, and cash inflows. But, this is still a relatively small total.

The industrial sector, comprised of manufacturing as the major segment along with mining, construction, electricity, water and gas, contributes more than 40% to Thailand’s GDP, a figure which has gradually increased as that of agriculture has declined. The sector employs 17% of the country’s labor force.

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/081815/emerging-markets-analyzing-thailands-gdp.asp

I am no fan of Ted Cruz, but I applaud him for this. Anything or anyone that makes Disgusting Donald look bad, is good in my eyes! So far, the entire convention has been hijacked by one mistake, after another. I am loving it. Talk about great drama.

The "strain" of HIV now predominant in Thailand (HIV 1 type E ? This strain does not require blood interchange for contamination of the new victim. It is capable of transfer through tissue contact ( ? ) alone.. Not a comfortable situation when you contemplate the reality of this........

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugchasing

And contemplate further the very real complexities of deranged motivation whilst in pursuit of brief self satisfaction. Take care out there!

It is suspected that there is some transmission from women to men in the E type, which is a sub class of HIV 1. But, nearly all of the transmission is done through skin on skin contact. In other words, with the protection of a condom, the transmission rate drops to nearly zero. It is suspected the lack of proper lubrication leads to a rupture of the vaginal canals, and hence the passing of her blood to his unit. So, there is a fairly easy solution for this.

According to gastro specialists, and STD specialists I have spoken to, or read the writings of, the possibility of transmission through oral sex remains very low. Apparently the gastrointestinal fluids are simply too powerful to allow a low grade virus like HIV to incubate. Correct me if I am wrong about that.

Foreigners often get a bad name for going to Thailand and being labeled as sex tourists, but the Thai official in the article says the industry caters mostly to Thai men.

When someone asks me why I live in Thailand, I have a great reply. I am a student of ancient architecture and design. I am especially interested in the Sukhothai portico designs, and travel the region studying them.

Man, does this shut them up, in a hurry!

Why don't you tell them the truth?

Because most of them come from western countries, where they are completely under the spell of a feminist doctrine of emasculation. If I were to tell them the truth, they could not handle it. Well, my wife and I think Thailand is really bad. All the women there are sex slaves. And the ones who are not slaves are submissive. Not like us. We are powerful. We own our men. We control them. Nobody gets over on us.

So, by telling this lovely little story about ancient archaeology, it bypasses all of the nonsense. It cuts them off at the pass. It eliminates the drivel. They literally do not know what to say. I just do not need to hear their prudish, judgmental, ignorant opinions of Thailand. Yes, they're absolutely full of prejudices, and it's completely useless to talk about Thailand. Farang women are ultimate bigots.

In the west, they have alot of power. They have nearly full sway over their men. They are accustomed to being in full control, and like the near emperors they are, they are not accustomed to having their power questioned, nor threatened. Here, most Western women walk around like zombies. Their boyfriends and husbands are eyeing every woman who walks by, because they are dazzled by women who are comfortable with the dignity and elegance within femininity. The guys start coming to the realization that for the most part, they are living with a man, who sort of looks like a woman. Most of their own women do not have a nanogram of femininity in their entire being. So, the whole experience is totally disconcerting to both of them. All the gals can come up with is that the women here are wallflowers, they have no will of their own, they are hypnotized into being totally obedient to their men, they are totally submissive, and most of them are whores. Why else would Asian women be so comfortable being so feminine? Dressing sexy. Walking like women walk. Using their feminine wiles. Not very creative on the part of Western women. Not very soulful. And for the most part, very racist. A very sad commentary on most women in the west.

This is especially true of the US, the UK, and Australia. They are by far the worst offenders. I am not sure about the rest of Europe.

Foreigners often get a bad name for going to Thailand and being labeled as sex tourists, but the Thai official in the article says the industry caters mostly to Thai men.

When someone asks me why I live in Thailand, I have a great reply. I am a student of ancient architecture and design. I am especially interested in the Sukhothai portico designs, and travel the region studying them.

Man, does this shut them up, in a hurry!

Why don't you tell them the truth?

Because most of them come from western countries, where they are completely under the spell of a feminist doctrine of emasculation. If I were to tell them the truth, they could not handle it. Well, my wife and I think Thailand is really bad. All the women there are sex slaves. And the ones who are not slaves are submissive. Not like us. We are powerful. We own our men. We control them. Nobody gets over on us.

So, by telling this lovely little story about ancient archaeology, it bypasses all of the nonsense. It cuts them off at the pass. It eliminates the drivel. They literally do not know what to say. I just do not need to hear their prudish, judgmental, ignorant opinions of Thailand.

Fair points. I guess it can get pretty annoying having to constantly justify living in Thailand to those who have little or no knowledge of the country.

Especially when the hyperbole is coming from closeted people who know next to nothing about the world that exists outside the US, and in particular know nothing about the third world, not having traveled to these countries, but rather just reverberating useless stuff they have heard second hand. It is just dogmatic drivel. I do not have time for that. As I get older, the one thing I am noticing about myself, is that I do not suffer fools easily. And that is probably a good thing. If you have an educated opinion, or an opinion based on experience, or wisdom, I am all ears. Otherwise, keep the moralistic judgments to yourself. They do not serve any constructive purpose, other than momentarily allowing you to feel superior.

It is not surprising that they stole some of her speech. Trump has stolen alot of what he has earned over the course of his career. It comes very naturally to him. I am no fan of Hillary either. But, this man will stoop to any depth, to accomplish what he wants. Nothing is beyond him. That is why he is the subject of so many lawsuits. Have you ever in your life heard of someone who is involved in 3,500 lawsuits?

And despite his boasts on the campaign trail that he “never” settles lawsuits, for fear of encouraging more, he and his businesses have settled with plaintiffs in at least 100 cases reviewed by USA TODAY.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/

Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul continues, on a daily basis, to demonstrate her ignorance, naivete, lack of experience in the tourism field, lack of common sense, reason, or intelligence, when it comes to operating a tourism department. She is in so far over her head, and the incompetent people who appointed her have no idea, do not seem to care, or are so out of touch, that they have not even considered any of this.

The idea of offering some sort of insurance plan for travelers is basically a good one. But, to insist that it be mandatory, and to insist that travelers pay for it, whether they want it or not, may be a little over the top. And chances are, the coverage will be lousy anyway.

Every sensible nation should completely ignore US doctrine and stop waging a war on drugs. It is the greatest waste of resources, and results in millions behind bars, for non violent offenses. The war on drugs was started by a very ignorant couple, named Nancy and Ronald Reagan. They are gone now, and the world should move on. Nonsense is nonsense. Get a grip. Criminalizing drugs is half the appeal. Let people live their lives and drug not only will drug consumption drop overnight, but so will the power of the range and cartels who deal in drugs.

It was said, a long time ago, if it is not working change something. This war on drugs failed a long, long time ago. Intelligent minds would look for an alternative solution. The Eric Holders and the Barack Obamas, and the George Bush Jr's, and the Prayuths of the world do not. They trod forward, trying hard to enact failed policies, when the lessons are right before their eyes.

Are you high?

Nixon started the war on drugs in 1971.

Rijb,if he not high then this statement is the results of a mind that has been warped by ths continued use of drugs.Lots of words with no thoughts of the results.

Nah. I believe it is you that has not put much thought into this. Many countries have had success with the elimination of the war on drugs. To not question this failed policy, is to march on, in the direction of madness. The war is already lost. Is that not obvious?

The paradox of the war on drugs is that the harder governments push the fight, the higher drug prices become to compensate for the greater risks. That leads to larger profits for traffickers who avoid being punished. This is why larger drug gangs often benefit from a tougher war on drugs, especially if the war mainly targets small-fry dealers and not the major drug gangs. Moreover, to the extent that a more aggressive war on drugs leads dealers to respond with higher levels of violence and corruption, an increase in enforcement can exacerbate the costs imposed on society.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324374004578217682305605070

Absolutely correct. Thank you for your correct analysis. A voice of reason, in this heated, emotional discussion. Some are so blind to the word drug, they just do not see the facts. And some cannot differentiate between different classes of drugs. No matter what side of the argument you are on, to continue this fight against lower class drugs, such as recreational pot use, THC, hash, and medicinal marijuana is insanity.

So sorry mama. I know I betrayed the trust you have put in me. I realize I showed you that you trust was incredibly misguided. Now, I can never be trusted again. I showed you I am capable of nearly any type of error in judgment. I have no maturity mama. I do not know anything about the world, nor do I know anything about myself. A cute girl asked for something, and I had to give it to her. Since I am not earning my own money, and am lazy and stupid, I had to steal money from you. I figured she would be impressed enough with me, to track me down, and love me long time. No woman has ever shown interest in me. I keep wondering why I get no attention from women. She really liked me. She told me online how much she liked me, and she told me she would like me more if I bought her very expensive gifts. Don't hate me mama. I just want to be loved.

Mama, in a sense all of this is your fault. You believed in me too much. You trusted me, when you should not have. And you were the one who raised this irresponsible, immature, dishonest man child.

I just do not know what I was thinking. I may have to do something I have never, ever done in my life. I may have to introspect, analyze myself, and figure out why I did something like this.

Maybe some day I will become a man. I know I am not a man now. Maybe. I can keep dreaming, right mama?

Foreigners often get a bad name for going to Thailand and being labeled as sex tourists, but the Thai official in the article says the industry caters mostly to Thai men.

When someone asks me why I live in Thailand, I have a great reply. I am a student of ancient architecture and design. I am especially interested in the Sukhothai portico designs, and travel the region studying them.

Man, does this shut them up, in a hurry!

Why don't you tell them the truth?

Because most of them come from western countries, where they are completely under the spell of a feminist doctrine of emasculation. If I were to tell them the truth, they could not handle it. Well, my wife and I think Thailand is really bad. All the women there are sex slaves. And the ones who are not slaves are submissive. Not like us. We are powerful. We own our men. We control them. Nobody gets over on us.

So, by telling this lovely little story about ancient archaeology, it bypasses all of the nonsense. It cuts them off at the pass. It eliminates the drivel. They literally do not know what to say. I just do not need to hear their prudish, judgmental, ignorant opinions of Thailand.

I think a cleaned-up Pattaya would prove popular with tourists. I often hear people complain about the need for a long journey or a flight to go between Bangkok and the beach, and I know it puts people off Thailand if they only have limited time - if you're here for a week you don't want to lose two days traveling to the islands and back.

Part of Pattaya appeals to the trade, and a very large part has nothing to do with it. Pattaya is huge. There are country clubs, very exclusive estates, far from town, there is a winery up in the hills, and much more. I suppose it may have started with the trade, but it is much more than that now. And the new groups of tourists are the Chinese. They are the zero baht tourists. They take up a tremendous amount of space on Walking Street. I would imagine back home, where they sign up for the budget tours, they have a poster that says: "Including a tour of the world famous forbidden zone of Pattaya", or "See what the depraved sex workers of Thailand look like, and where they work", or something like that. They eat in restaurants, for huge discounts arranged by the tour operators, they stay in hotels that are probably offering their rooms at 40% of the rack rate, and then they will buy a soda or juice at 7/11. Maybe an ice cream. That will be the extent of their spending.

And this brilliant tourism minister thinks that by building this segment of the industry, Thailand will prosper. I have a message for her. You are making a mistake of historic proportions. You will be listed in the history books, when they talk about the people who were responsible for the destruction of an entire lucrative industry. You may be responsible for raising the number of tourist arrivals. But, does that mean anything, if most of that money is being repatriated back to China? You are a fool.

People are saying that the sex industry is a big reason for some families not going to Pattaya. Soon the masses of Chinese will replace it as the deterrent to regular families wanting to go there. Nothing makes me want to vacate an are more than a group of Chinese showing up. God forbid you are at a buffet if this happens.

My guess is there is some truth to that. But, the tour groups with young kids in tow, cruising down Walking Street at 10pm, is quite a thing to witness. Follow the person with the flag!

A lot of people seem to feel that way about the Chinese tourists. Personally, I mind them so much less than the Russian tourists. At least the Chinese are somewhat jovial. I do not find them to be all that unpleasant. The Russians used to be very, very hard to tolerate. Their behavior might work on the streets of Moscow, but it is really out of place on the streets of Thailand. Such dour people. I am extremely thankful their numbers have dropped so dramatically. And I come from a Russian family. At least 100 years ago. When I asked my great grandmother to teach us about Russia, the only thing she would say is that the only thing we needed to know, was how eternally grateful they were to be able to leave. They used to say we are not Russian. We are American. We do not want to remember that place. Ever.

The fact that these worms were never tried in the first place, tells you everything you need to know about the Indian Justice system. Sounds like it may be even more compromised than the lovely system we have here. This is all on the government, and the ineffective police force.

Perhaps they should try to recruit a Duterte (new Philippine leader) type leader, who advocates vigilante style justice, for the perpetrators. Surely the perps of a crime as heinous as this one deserve such a fate. Let society take things into their own hands, when the system is completely broken, an victims such as this one are not taken seriously.

She's a member of the lower caste strata, used to be called the "untouchables". The police couldn't give a fig about them. Neither could most local politicians or community leaders. Many lower castes convert to Christianity to escape the Hindu caster system which makes them despised even more.

I lived in India when Gujarat exploded into religious violence in 2012. Horrific random attacks and murders, gruesome reading in the press every day. The State Chief Minister was heavily criticized for doing little to protect all the people and restore order. That man is now India's PM.

If you compare to Thailand, the justice system and police are light years in front of India.

Well, apparently the society is also. As bad as the racism is here, as much as the Thai people worship light skin, and as nationalistic as some of the people and the politicians are, they seem to be fairly kind to the poorest amongst themselves, and they do not seem to judge each other too much, based on wealth. The exception being the hi-so, but for most of us, they do not count, they remain nearly invisible to us, and what they do, or think means nothing. Most Thai people treat most other Thai people in a very decent and supportive manner. I really admire that. Surely the society here is stratified, but if you are not middle class, or higher class, you are part of the majority who relate to, and like each other. That creates a fairly harmonious environment for the average Thai.

I too have spent alot of time in India. There is alot I admire and respect about the Indian people. They are smart, dynamic, industrious, creative, inventive, and impressive on alot of levels. But, the caste system is stupid, churlish, self righteous to an extreme degree, outdated, ancient, antiquated, and of no use to any but the higher castes. The fact that they even continue to acknowledge the harijan (untouchable) status, is deplorable. Indian society has to figure a way out of the very deep hole it has dug for itself.

Occasionally, tradition can be a good thing. Most of the time, it is nothing but habit, and holds back society on countless levels. Personally, I despise most tradition. This caste system in India is an ancient system, put into place, by the ruling class, to ensure the degradation, and enslavement of the low class people. It is based on nothing but greed and desire for control. It has nothing to do with Hinduism, as some would claim. It has as much to do with Hinduism, as not allowing women to drive, or wander about alone, in Saudi Arabia, has to do with Islam. Or the terror attacks have to do with religion. It is a lie, that allows freaks to behave like freaks. Nothing more.

I have lived and worked in India, and traveled extensively there. I love the country, and it's people. I have studied it's history, politics, religion, and it's spiritual beliefs. My first trip there was 40 years ago, and I have been back many times since. I can say without hesitation that the caste system today, represents nothing more than a desperate attempt by the "high borns" to maintain their place in society, at the top of the pyramid. It is a tragedy for everyone else.