spidermike007

What is required, is concern on the part of the central government, and a willingness to go after the criminals involved, regardless of who they are, who they know, how powerful they are, how much money they have, or how much they are paying to the right people. They also need to go after the top executives of the companies that are supporting slavery, and using slaves on their fishing boats, to this day, with full knowledge of it.

And a far, far less timid and compromised judiciary system. So much could be done. So little is being done. All talk and no action makes Johnny a dull boy indeed.

Of course human compassion is needed also. What these people are being subjected to is horrendous, all in the name of money and profit. But, how do you change a society or ask it to be more compassionate? It is best to start by introducing the deterrent the has been missing for decades. Shame on the authorities for doing so little.

What the prince is really saying, and possibly thinking is:

We are man children. We are some of the least secure men on earth. We have absolutely zero faith and trust in our women. We have little self esteem in ourselves. We are really small men, with no regard for women, and frankly, little regard for ourselves. If our women show their beautiful faces to the world, then every man will want them. And if a man wants them, who knows what these women are capable of. We have determined that left to their own devices, our women are not capable of fidelity. Most of that nation is absolutely locked in the 12th century, and refuse to budge. Keep the women in the house, in the kitchen, or the bedroom. Let them out only with another man, who will make sure she is not getting busy with friends or strangers.

They are a shameful nation. If it were not for their oil, they would mean nothing to the world. No significance whatsoever, beyond their continued financial support for terror, worldwide. Personally, I do not like fracking, and the costs to the communities where it is taking place. But, if that is what it takes to wean ourselves off of these worms, than it is a good thing.

The video is not easy to follow...who started what, who really knows. Though it does look like the expat put his hand on the Thai guy first, but I could be wrong. For certain... there were many drunk people on the street and no police in sight. You would think the police would have a strong presence in events like these. Songkran is an event that invites violence, especially when large amounts of alcohol are involved. Songkran needs redesigning, police need to be proactive, and special attention to crowd management is much needed... Better yet, cancel the street parties and allow Songkran only to take place in temples / wats, after all it is a Buddhist event isn't it?

The Thai Police? Who are they? What are they supposed to do? Where are they when you need them? Proactive? Very wishful thinking. That would require planning, vision, intelligence, and concern.

It seems like they always show up AFTER an accident, incident, theft, or murder. But before? That would be crime prevention. Have you ever heard of the Thai police engaging in any sort of traffic safety, or public safety campaign? Does anyone think many of them really care? Their level of apathy, and their lack of talent and training continues to astonish even those of us who have been here for many, many years. In my opinion, they are almost completely useless. Of course, I am no fan of law enforcement, in general. But, at least in many parts of the world you can count on the police, when you really need them. And they do engage in traffic safety. Here? Definitely not.

My friends who have had many dealings with the police, say that almost without exception, it would have been better to have avoided getting them involved, in almost any situation. What does that say about them?

Many Thais have a serious attitude problem when it comes to foreigners.

And kicking someone in the head deserves an attempted murder charge and conviction.

I hope foreigners find another holiday destination which is far safer and foreigner friendly.

Of course as we all know nobody ever kicks anyone in the head in the UK. They all fight strictly to the Queensbury rules when it comes to sorting things out at the end of a night.

I have seen this many times. Drunken Brit, and not just the blokes, thinking they are back in their home town on a weekend giving it the Big I am to the little thai bloke. No little Thai bloke is going to tell me what to do etc etc, even down to the classic " who are you looking at c~nt ! and then the next thing they know there are several little Thai blokes beating the crap out of them. Go to any town or city in the Uk on a weekend and you will see this and far worse. Women especially get away with a lot back in the UK because the vast majority of British blokes won't hit a woman and drunken female Brits in Thailand get rather a shock when the little Thai bloke does actually hits them.

Yes it was very nasty and it could have ended a lot worse than it did but for those here trying to make out this is a Thai thing are way off the mark.

I've spent many a drunken night exactly where this took place and never had a problem, nor anywhere in Thailand in over 12 years. Thais have their faults as do we all but unprovoked violence isn't one of them

I agree with you. With the exception just a few of the young guys who are wasted on booze, I have been exposed to very, very little thai on farang violence here, and seen or heard of very little of it. Compared to Cambodia, the Philippines, Burma, and many other areas of this region, I feel it is quite safe here. Having said that, I really go out of my way to show kindness, respect, and deference to the locals. Slapping that guy really set him off. I am not saying that little cockroach of a man child did not deserve a good slap. One was long overdue, and my guess is that he rarely if ever got any discipline from his (more than likely) weak parents. But, thankfully violence against foreigners is not a big problem here, with the exception of the occasional lady boy spat one hears about in Pattaya!

I still consider Thailand to be foreigner friendly, and take exception to the hyperbole that koolkari is dispensing.

I see the article has just appeared in THE AUSTRALIAN newspaper. So it is certainly gaining 'legs'

Whilst it is a repeat of the news.com.au , albeit a shorter version, one should take time to read the many Australian readers comments at the bottom.

Apart from crime, historically, another problem which hard economic times brings is xenophobia and racism. People need someone to blame and hate for their problems.

The world is not a great place at the moment.

A Thai violently smacks down an Elderly Farang Woman? That has to be a 'gamechanger'. never thought I would see that. Two sides to the story?

The guardian newspaper an hour ago

Three members of a British family were punched to the ground and knocked unconscious by kicks to the face during an attack at a Thai beachside resort.

The holidaymakers, including a middle-aged woman, were attacked by several men during Thai new year celebrations in Hua Hin, a coastal town about three hours south of Bangkok that is popular with older Europeans.

CCTV footage posted online shows a vicious and prolonged assault in a street, which starts when a young British man briefly touches shoulders with a Thai man carrying a bottle, who appears to push him to the ground.

The British woman takes the Thai man to the side and an argument ensues. Several Thai men punch the family until all three are on the ground. When they try to rise, they are kicked in the face and left unconscious before onlookers come to their aid.

Although the attack occurred on 13 April, the video only recently made it on to the internet. The family are believed to be still in Thailand but leaving soon.

Local media said on Thursday that police had arrested three men in their 20s and 30s who were charged. Reports said a fourth was still at large.

The victims were said to be a man in his 40s and his parents, both in their 60s.

“The perpetrators said they were drunk. They have also apologised to the family,” Police Colonel Chaiyakorn Siradecho told the Thai news website Khaosod English.

The website said the younger man had several stitches on his head, while the father had a head wound with swelling. The mother’s head injury had left her with occasional headaches, it added.

The three men were freed on bail awaiting trial for causing bodily harm.

Another local news website, Thai New Agency, posted a story on 17 April with photos of two men in the custody of Hua Hin police. The accused wore bullet-proof vests, a customary practice of Thai police when presenting suspects to the public.

During the Thai new year’s Songkarn festival, also known as the water festival, major streets are turned into a giant water fight for three days as people party continuously. The water is a symbol of cleansing and renewal.

The British embassy had launched a safety campaign to make sure tourists were aware of the dangers. Car accidents spike during the festival and revellers are often drunk – but attacks on tourists are rare.

An anonymous user posted in a Hua Hin-based online forum on 13 April, hours after the assault, giving an eyewitness account of the attack and saying he was attacked himself while trying to intervene. In the footage a man in a red and white striped shirt does step in, but is himself attacked and overwhelmed.

“By the end of the night (around 2am) as the bar’s customers were leaving, gangs of Thai youths were priming themselves to start punching westerners,” said the user, using the alias “usual suspect”, who added he had walked out of a bar in the Binta area right behind the three victims.

“The girls in the bar I was in all night waved goodbye to two elderly customers and their son, and my wife and I followed only seconds after them,” he wrote.

“Within 20/30 metres of leaving the bar the Thais were punching the 65yr old lady in the face!! The elderly gentleman was down on the floor and their son was beaten very badly.”

He said that he was left needing dental work for his own injuries. “I got severely punched and kicked for my troubles, but felt the need to protect this frail lady.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/28/british-trio-beaten-unconscious-in-thailand-during-holiday

What has the Thai Premier have to say about this?

What has the tourism minister have to say?

Why wasn't this reported sooner?

What does the PM or the tourism minister have to say about this? Absolutely nothing. Less than zero. Probably not even on their radar, as they are about as tone deaf, and incompetent as they come.

Yeah, a punch in the head can be dangerous.

The farang guy threw the first one, though.

You mean after his son was thrown onto the concrete, and potentially killed by the impact?

Let us hope the notoriously weak Thai judicial system will see fit to hand down severe punishment, to these worms who attacked this family. Their families should be recoiling in shame, for having done such an inferior job of raising these man children, and bringing them into the world. Punks like these are simply hooligans itching for a fight. That poor woman slapped the wrong guy. Of course the slap was justified, as her son could have easily been killed when he hit his head on the concrete. No excuse for this kind of surly behavior.

I do not consider this anti-fareng. I do think these punks are disenfranchised, probably out of work, young roaches, who probably resent foreigners. But, not sure how representative they are. In the ten plus years I have lived here, I have never witnessed this kind of thing before.

A good article, that demonstrates the level of genius this man possessed. A quote from the article, written by a music critic, and then the link:

Later, I came to realise how ground-breaking Prince had been rhythmically. He owned and mastered one of the first Linn M-1 drum machines - that's the sound you hear on 1999, When Doves Cry, Little Red Corvette; the sound that made those records seem like nothing else on radio. Michael B's drum solo on Shhh... (The Gold Experience, 1995) is so good, Prince uses it twice. The trippy, cascading hi-hats on The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker (Sign O' The Times, 1987) still mesmerise me, 30 years on.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36120000

Pretty disgusting and disrespectful behavior. The guy pushed the son, and he obviously hit his head on the concrete when he fell. That can easily result in death. Easily. Of course the mother was upset. Slapping the thai guy was a moderate (though stupid) reaction to him hurting her son. She just did not know what she was dealing with. There should be a warning by all embassies. Hassle or harass, or insult a Thai man at your own peril. Most simply do not have enough self esteem to walk away. And as we all know, they fight in groups, almost never alone. You simply cannot win a fight like that. Hopefully they will be severely punished. And fortunately, this kind of thing does not happen often, at least not randomly, like it happened here.

People even hail dead rappers and hip hop singers as geniuses for goodness sake, laughable really.

Are you saying Tupac and Biggie were not geniuses? If that is the case we have a very different definition of the word. Why would a dead hip hop artist as great as those two were, not be worthy of that title? Just because you do not like or understand the genre?

On my visits back, yes I have felt the "dullness" of everyday life there. Most people are focused on their SCREENS ... all day at work, on phones, and then video after work. Oh well! What really struck me was a visit to a major shopping mall. In Thailand, that can feel like fun. There, it felt really dull.

Yes, I've already experienced that the tipping culture, already ridiculous, has gotten even more ridiculous.

On the other hand, there are tip jars at some pretty absurd places in Thailand where foreigners gather ... but I think they're mostly just trying it on and don't EXPECT it.

My favorite abomination along that line is the question, "Do you need change?" from the waiter as he picks up your two twenties for a twenty-five dollar tab. "Of course, I need the change. That's why I didn't say, 'Keep the change.' "

In addition, at some point in the last fifteen years waiters turned from being temporary servants into commission-based sales people.

Had two pizzas delivered for a whopping $41. Handed the delivery man a $50. He asked if I need change. Wow. What can one say? I am a generous guy. But $9 to deliver two pizzas? It is a sense of entitlement that dominates the industry. Terrible waiters that I give a poor tip to dish out so much attitude. And if the service is really, really poor, I tip one cent. Thats right. One penny.

He was a great songwriter, a great singer, played several instruments with virtuosity, had a few great albums, and sold over 100 million records. I saw him in concert, and he was a great showman, who put on a stunning performance. How anyone can refer to him as average, or mediocre is beyond me. If you don't like him, ok? But, the facts are the facts. This guy was a genius. And he did make a difference.

I have one question for his detractors? What have you done to influence the world lately?

Look into India. About a third of the price of Thailand for this kind of work.

In other words, just say no to piracy in any form.

Be prepared for many blank stares and suspicious looks when you tell people you lived in Thailand. I have found it easier just to leave it out of conversations. Its hard because living there was a big part of my life and miss it but people just don't get it.

I am actually thinking of returning to Thailand.

My favorite explanation is my passion for ancient Sukhothai and Ayutthayan archaeology, history, and architecture. That really leaves them mystified.

Today I was in a store in Los Angeles buying some stuff to bring back. A woman noticed I was buying an excessive amount of some stuff and asked me what's up? I told her I was returning to my home in Thailand. Do you know what she said? Oh, you must like the hookers there. I responded by saying, no I like the kind hearted women who are comfortable manifesting the dignity within femininity. Real women. The vast majority of whom are vastly more womanly than most Americans, from my point of view. It was met with a very blank and uncomprehending stare.

Shows perfectly how Americans are slaves to Saudis till oil and coal are replaced by renewable energy but don't tell that to general public.

Recently - American petroleum companies and drillers had to drastically cut back on drilling, pumping and processing due to the low oil price ... The U.S. does not import much Saudi oil ... just an Urban Myth. The U.S. imports most the needed oil not met by domestic from Canada and Mexico and it has been that way for years. 'Ya really have to keep up if you are going to make snappy comments.

Monthly data on the origins of crude oil imports in January 2016 show that two countries, Canada and Saudi Arabia, exported more than one million barrels per day to the United States. ....The top five sources of U.S. crude oil imports for January were Canada (3,446 thousand barrels per day), Saudi Arabia (1,054 thousand barrels per day), Venezuela (650 thousand barrels per day), Mexico (630 thousand barrels per day), and Colombia (463 thousand barrels per day). The remaining top ten sources, in order, were Ecuador (334 thousand barrels per day), Iraq (252 thousand barrels per day), Kuwait (205 thousand barrels per day), Angola (166 thousand barrels per day), and Brazil (163 thousand barrels per day). Total crude oil imports averaged 7,675 thousand barrels per day in January, which was a decrease of 226 thousand barrels per day from imports during December 2015.

http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/imports/companylevel/

Nothing like real facts to sully a diatribe. Thanks. Good information.

When Oak Shinawatra was caught carrying papers into an exam the Deputy Director of Ramkamheng Uni dismissed it as no big deal.

There was an outcry about cheating and how it was condoned but nothing happened and the issue, all aspects, died a very quick death.

On a personal note, at the last school I worked at I warned two students about talking during an exam and indicated they would be removed if they continued.

They complained to the dept head claiming they were only talking about ' personal things ' which she accepted and said was ok so surprise, surprise I was warned not to be so strict in future.

That's nothing. I caught a whole class studying the answers to a final that was listed in numerical order the same as the final. When I asked them where they got those answers they told me their Thai teacher gave it to them. It was her final test. When I reported it with the proof, I was told they would investigate. Later, they called me into their office and told me it was OK. They then proceeded to tell me I did the same when I reviewed using questions related to the final. Even though I never used test questions and never allowed my students to write it down, and certainly never reviewed in the same order as my test questions were. Studying for a final and reviewing is not the same as memorizing their answers that their Thai teacher gave out in a list.

I am told by teacher friends of mine, that it is very difficult to fail a bad student. The loss of face is too great. How sad. How weak. How pathetic. How utterly broke the Thai educational system is.

The soi dog situation in Thailand is inane and ridiculous. It is an absolute cop out. The refusal or inability to address a glaring problem. Just act. Men act. Children sit around idly and do nothing.

Tell those filthy rats we do not need their oil anymore, we will voluntarily buy our treasury bills back from them, and then we are done with them. They are the world's largest sponsors of terror. Let's call a spade a spade.

The filters need to be thoroughly cleaned weekly. Do you do that? And the entire AC unit needs to be taken apart, and cleaned once a year. Do you also engage in that service?

Is there Culture in North America?

Tremendous culture. If you are looking for it. World class ballet, opera, classical music, some of the best jazz in the world, stand up comedy, theatre, film from all over the world, and a lot more.

A rather ignorant question you asked.

this tread is a year old and this area is changing fast.

all the property along the coast between HH and PKK is filling in with resort hotels or very expensive beach front homes.

very quite in PKK. I live in HH and ride my big bike down the coast. Great place to sit and stare out at the gulf or hike up to a temple.

good seafood restaurants. nice cheap hotels. no traffic compared to HH. not much to do at night except eat. night market.

if you have seen one small town in Thailand you have seen downtown PKK. Just a really nice beach front.

PKK is not a party town at all. But I could see a small bar complex going in one day.

That will never happen. The authorities, who control the entire province, including HH, have decided that they will continue supporting the nightlife in HH, and will keep PKK as a delightful, family town. That is why the nightlife in HH is remaining pretty good, while it is declining rapidly in places like Samui, Phuket, and Chiang Mai.

Nobody wants bars in PKK. It would erode the lifestyle overnight, by attracting the drunk punters. As of now, they stay away, as there is no attraction for them. And many who live there realize the town is a lot more than a pretty beach. It represents one of the highest quality of life, to be found anywhere in Thailand.

It addition to breaking the law themselves, this is nothing short of police harrassment. Why don't the police go stop real criminals: drunk drivers, marauding youths on motorcycles brandishing weapons, drug dealers, and the list goes on.

Strange there has been no crackdown on the "night spots." Oh wait!!! Most are owned and/or controlled by certain members society and of course promote traditional Thai culture and values.

Pathetic hypocrites.

Because that would require real police work, something they absolutely refuse to do, on any level. The window dressing, collection crew simply goes around with uniforms to give the appearance of being official.

And that is out of 850 Thais that were on the list. We all know how ruthless this govt. is, when it comes to pursuing the elite, powerful well connected, and the wealthy. NOT!