spidermike007

And all this is highly intentional. My friend at Samui rescue did not need officials figures. He saw the mangled corpses several times a week. Run the numbers.

Well, they do accept credit cards. But, you are forced to use the customer service counter, and it tends to make you look like a weak man who is unable to carry around some cash.

How do they know he was a diligent and serious worker? Why is this any more tragic than the countless deaths that happen on motorbikes every day? Why wasn't he driving slower and more carefully?

I often find here that Thai people can be very intuitive and very responsive to the attitude that you're projecting. If I walk in with a smile on my face and a pleasant demeanor and treat them nicely, that's usually what I get back. I don't find very many Thai waitresses rude at all, I get that in the states a lot but not in Thailand. I often find them to be very pleasant. So, perhaps it is a mere reflection?

Thailand is 2nd in the world for road accidents. Samui is #1 in Thailand. If people only knew how many foreigners lose their lives on Samui. If riding a motorbike, only do so if you have many years of experience. Especially on the southern islands, where huge numbers of foreigners leave Thailand in a wooden box. Wear the best helmet you can afford. And drive like a grandmother. This applies to ex-pats too. Bring along an international drivers license. This helps you to avoid being fleeced by the local police franchisee. Getting on a scooter, or a motorcycle anywhere in Thailand, much less Phuket, Phangan, Dark Tao, or Samui without a very good helmet, is like playing Russian Roulette with three or four bullets in the chamber. It is absolutely asking for problems. The degree of recklessness here is astounding. And many foreigners come here thinking "how much trouble could I get in on a little scooter, on a tropical island"? Well, the answer is alot. The amount of foreigners who are killed on the Southern islands is staggering. Most are not reported in the media. I had a friend who worked for Samui rescue for many years, and said the numbers were about 30-60 a month, on Samui, Phangan and Koh Tao. The official number is about 3 a month. Rider beware. Use as good a helmet as you can afford, and do not use these eggshells pieces of crap. They crack at the first impact, and what lies underneath them? Your skull, which is very delicate. I have been riding bikes for 52 years. Without any serious accidents. A few minor ones over the years. Riding a bike here is very dangerous. If not the highest, one of the highest fatality rates in the world. And an accident here can be very costly, to your person. Just ask yourself- do I have enough problems already, without a broken skull, or smashed head, or face injury, or lost eye? I have three friends who have been in motorbike accidents on Samui within the last several years. One still cannot walk, or talk or function on her own, from a motorbike accident, where she hit her head on the pavement going only 20 kph. The other one has lost alot of his mental capacity after hitting his head. He insisted for years he would never wear a helmet. Now, he seems 15 years older. The third one is a close friend, who was hit by a sidecar, and nearly lost his leg. 11 operations later, he can walk, but with a limp, and the leg caused him constant problems, many years later.

Covid. I forgot. What is that?

Am I the only one who gets restless standing behind someone fumbling with their phone for 4 minutes, to pay for a 17 baht item at a shop? Last time it happened I was reaching into my pocket for a 20 baht note, just to help out the sorry bugger, when he finally got it to work. Sorry, but real men always carry enough cash.

I like some of the people. And some of the women are lovely. But, otherwise the entire country reminds me of a mix of a huge Tijuana, and the Bombay slums.

A completely sold out PM makes a invitation to a completely corrupt, evil, murderous, thieving dictator. Why are there any issues with the optics, and the statement this absolute fool is making to the nation and the world?

It is dumb, pathetic, pandering to a despot, genocidal dictator, by a bad choice of a man chosen to lead the country, who seems to know nothing about optics, morality or much else, other than selling condos. It is stooping pretty low, even for a nation known for morally bankrupt administrations.

I am one of the truly fortunate ones. I decided to not have kids. Likely the best decision I ever made. However, one of the reasons for that decision was the idea that if you are going to do it, do it well. The whole parenting concept here is impossible to wrap ones mind around. You are a good man. I would have offered an emphatic "non way on earth"! Find someplace else for the runt.

True, if it was as you say. But, you are assuming an awful lot of common sense and reason, under pressure.

Many experts agree Putin is worth $100 billion, or more. Most of the oligarchs in Russia knew him well and he got a large piece of the action, when they were given these huge state enterprises to run. Many Russians tell me 90% of all Russians who are making any real money, are associated with crime. Russia is one of the filthiest and most corrupt societies on earth. Ukraine is kids stuff compared to comrade Vlad & Co.

That is not fair. Putin specifically loves targeting women and children and blowing up apartment buildings. He is an absolutely savage, genocidal maniac. No reasonable young man would want to fight that miserable war with Ukraine.

This is the behavior of a half man. An undeveloped mind, a lost soul. Absolutely nothing there. He seems to have never been taught any values, and possesses no sense of ethics, like a wild forest animal. Where were his parents when he was growing up, and why did they fail so miserably?

No it was not lawful, and no it was not honorable. Whatcha gonna do about it? The system is rigged. We all know why he was appointed. It had nothing to do with merit.

The Israeli govt. has made an incalculable number of mistakes. Beginning with the major security lapses. The countless cameras on the fences picked up nothing? Really? This is starting to seem like something else. A Pearl Harbor, 9/11 type of rallying cry? El Al can fly. Why can't countries fly in to evacuate their citizens? This is exactly why you don't allow extremists to become part of your government as Netanyahu has done. Israel has failed miserably.

They are paid 70,000 a month. I would hardly call that slave wages. Perhaps you need to find better sources for your info.

I do think the justice system takes the people as fools. I think the generals and ministers don't care. It is a 'we are the big dogs, and you are the irrelevant plebs" mentality. They desperately need to be taken down a notch. That is why so many of us found it so satisfying when the senate crook was called out recently in Iceland. This should be happening all over the country all day long. Not a Wai. More like sheer scorn.

Well, there is no question we are moving backwards as a a civilization. And to refer to us as advanced, is a bit of a stretch. We almost serve as proof that the universe is full of intelligent life, if not, and if we truly are the best the universe offers, then the universe is an absolute sewer.

This will not happen. Why? Because a deal was struck with the army and other powers, to allow him an easy ride, in exchange for the complete sellout of PT. Are the cops above the army? Is anyone?

The army drawn constitution needs to be scraped and re-written by the duly elected Move Forward party. The toxic, highly corrupt generals need to be sent into exile. Do you want to call yourself a democracy? Then start behaving like one.

Good. The man is a freak. He represents the extreme right wing. No room for extremists. He should be locked up along with Trump.

Makes total sense. A government controlled and highly influenced by the toxic and nearly useless army invites a guy who seems to enjoy the genocidal killing of women and children civilians. If anyone needed a demonstration of the moral bankruptcy of Sretta and PT, this is it.

Makes total sense. A government controlled and highly influenced by the toxic and nearly useless army invites a guy who seems to enjoy the genocidal killing of women and children civilians. If anyone needed a demonstration of the moral bankruptcy of Sretta and PT, this is it.