spidermike007

There is nothing surprising about this. They need all the PR they can get. Prayuth has been a horrendous failure, is moving Thailand backwards, has decimated the economy, nearly destroyed tourism and the nightlife and destroyed countless livelihoods. He is despised like never before. His approval rating is likely under 5%. Yet, he hangs on as if his life depended upon it. It is actually a pathetic thing to witness.

Very, very few people will miss him.

Does not matter. It will never get past the joint chiefs, the NSA, and the Pentagon. Biden does not make these decisions, and neither did Trump.

I think it's chances of getting these planes are already less than zero. There is no way the US would trust the Thais to not share military secrets with China. And they don't want the Chinese to get their hands on this technology. No way it will happen. So, participating in this drill will not have any impact on any decision.

Thailand continues to create egg on it's face. They just can't seem to help it. Think of how this looks to the world. And they say they are trying to attract tourism? HELLO! Granted this foreigner was unbelievably dumb to post something like this. It does show the incredible naivety of Gen Z, and their level of hypnotism, regarding social media, and the ensuing desire for media fame at any price. But even worse it demonstrates the draconian tendencies of this administration, and the severe degree to which they are arrogant, and tone deaf. Deport the guy. Game over.

Incoherent and inconsistent messaging is never the fault of the administration. It is always someone else's fault. There is something about this society that does not allow most people to grow up with an understanding of themselves. I think face has something to do with it. The utter refusal to take responsibility for one's actions and the unwillingness to "own" a situation, and man up when you screw up. That propels a man like Cha Cha into the ever deepening direction of denial, refusal to man up, and constant deflection.

They are spending a fortune on submarines and fighter jets. Yet, they have never really had much success addressing the issues that have faced the border provinces. Could this have anything to do with the absolute refusal to address the origins of the issues? A growing number of officials are talking about the need to move beyond conflict management to conflict transformation in order to focus on the root causes of the insurgency. This Malay-speaking region, known as Patani, came under Siam’s control in 1785, following its defeat. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Buddhist-majority Thailand (then Siam) has aggressively pursued a policy of assimilation, which Malays reject as an infringement on their cultural and religious identity. https://www.usip.org/publications/2021/09/thailand-could-one-asias-deadliest-conflicts-be-coming-end “The lack of substantive progress in conflict resolution in the deep south during the Prayut government is not primarily because of its focus on maintaining control in Bangkok,” argued Rungrawee Chalermsripinyorat, a Thai analyst who has studied the insurgency for over a decade. “It is more about the approach that the military government has taken in resolving this conflict.” https://thediplomat.com/2019/07/thailands-quiet-crisis-the-southern-problem/ A Malay Muslim, Maajid said he was tortured and wrongly imprisoned by state security forces four years ago, accused of involvement in a drive-by shooting at a checkpoint near his home. To be Muslim is to be a suspected combatant, he said, repeating a phrase widely shared in his community. “As long as the military is around, it will never end,” he said. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2020/08/03/Thailand-deep-south-conflict-coronavirus-ceasefire

Better to just book the ticket directly with the airlines. I have done so for at least 10 years now. Usually the same money or less. Travel agents are a thing of the past it would seem.

1. Is Thaksin still relevant? 2. No worries about damaging the reputations of democracy, the PM office, or the judicial system here. It has already been utterly demolished by Cha Cha.

This is a good thing. It is endemic now and we just have to live with it. People are adjusting. The fear campaigns are losing their effect. Hooray.

True that. As savage as we can be sometimes, we are tame compared to alot of the members of the animal kingdom.

It is always an extraordinary thing here, when an active cop gets a prison sentence. A victory for the people, for sure.

The great man is always finding ways to make Thailand safer and spends his days and nights improving the quality of life for all.

Notice how often they crack down after the tragedy happens? Usually for 2 to 4 weeks.

When a relationship is not working out, why not just walk away? That is what well developed adults do. Why all the madness and drama? Perhaps it is impossible for those of us who are rational, and possess a reasonably sound mind, to understand this kind of craziness. And I guess that is a good thing!

Your memory is deceiving you. I said it takes millions to live well there and I said I would live there for 3 years, if I was offered a $3 million a year gig.

In the US I recently paid over $10 with tax, for a chicken sandwich at Carl's Jr. That is crazy. Inflation is insane.

I visit the US often for work, and am here now. I do not think there is anything that would or could compel me to live here. After a few weeks I cannot wait to get back to Thailand. For a dozen different reasons. To each his own.

I don't think that was ever confirmed. There is alot of "information" floating around. Haven't heard about alot of serious cases from the subsequent variants. Alot of panic and hype, though.

I sure remember the narrative the conservative media were putting out around January 6th. Both sides are propagandists, and so are their media cohorts. It is simply a broken system.

This is just not true. They are milder. I am in the US, and caught it within days of landing. Likely B5. Very mild. Flu symptoms for 2 days, then a runny nose and cough for 2 days. Then gone. I have had far worse flus. Deaths are down. Hospitalizations are way down. I will not be getting another booster.

When I was there recently it was still quiet, but it had picked up alot from the previous year. Alot of new places opening in Ban Rak. And Chaweng was slowly coming back to life. A minor amount of talent in the soi Raggae bars. Otherwise, nightlife is still on life support. Hope the improvement continues.

Allowing ourselves to possess a belief system, that insists in believing only that which we can touch, smell, taste, see, hear or feel is quite a limitation. There is so much to this universe and creation that we know absolutely nothing about. Does that mean it does not exist? Did gravity not exist before Newton? Did natural selection of the species not exist prior to Darwin?

Very true. And as we know, juries are only as good as the legal team the defense can put together. Think OJ? Granted, the American judicial system sure beats China, Russia and Thailand. Flawed, yes. The best? Questionable.

True. But, karma is a strange thing. It may be lifetimes before it catches up with a guy like Trump. And there is another rather strange phenomenon at work. It does appear as if the universe is set up in such a way that men of very low character and ethics seem to be supported and appear to thrive. It is as if they are needed for the drama to continue.