spidermike007

The real question is, have the Thai people finally gotten sick and tired of the constant corruption, malfeasance, shenanigans, lies, deceit, power grabbing, manipulation, and have the covid related problems created by this administration soured them even more? If so, we should start seeing alot of discontent now that the KPIP (keep Prayuth in power) decree is being lifted. If not, there is no hope, whatsoever, for the future of the nation.

Righteousness? How can that word even be used in the same sentence as this completely partial court? The people consider this court to be a joke. It has nothing to do with justice. No connection whatsoever.

A crisis of confidence exists when there was once support for the court, and the people believed they were doing the work of the people. That is not the case here. Has there even been a time when the people believed in this mockery of justice? So, it is beyond a crisis of confidence. It appears the army is completely stripping the nation of any hope in the future. For goons who promised two years of rule, and now appear to want this to go on forever, the sense of hopelessness seems to be nearly absolute from the masses. Congrats to P & P. You have succeeded in tearing your nation asunder, increasing suicide, homelessness, destroying your economy, decimating tourism, and bringing unhappiness to the people. All for the sake of huge money and power.

One has to really shop around these days. There are bargains. I found BKK-LAX round trip last month for $844.

Just one of a dozen reasons for culling all soi dogs. They are not needed or wanted. They prey on people. They are filthy, and they cause accidents. Be gone. End their miserable lives. They are an infestation.

Seems he is PM for life, if he wants it. A Shakesperean tragedy for the people of this good nation. Shame in the judiciary. No spine. No integrity.

A highly partial court, which is a totally compromised judiciary hands down a decision most of us expected. Very sad nonetheless. One might have hope for better. Now they are simply lying and fudging the numbers to justify an outrageous decision. He is the last man in the world who should have this kind of power. Woe are the Thai people.

And who is going to enforce this law? The police? Ha! An avenue for extra income, perhaps.

Some will accuse me of being obsessed. But his predecessor was an embarrassment and an eyesore everywhere he went. Not exactly a diplomat. Biden by comparison is elegant, graceful and very experienced. He will be missed. By Thailand.

A blow to what credibility? I think they are living in a constant state of self created delusion. Thailand and this administration have very, very little credibility on the world stage. Only a small percent of the locals are buying into the army nonsense.

Reality can be cruel. The fact is kingdoms have been won and lost over lesser women! Men can be easily swayed by beauty. Some men. It has little effect on Bond types.

Chill and clan? A Gen Z phrase. I consulted the dictionary. Chill, yes. Clan? Often bruises and scars will identify you as a local, from a motorbike accident. We called them Samui tattoos. We left after paradise got way over developed. I don't miss the locals with their jaded attitudes. Though that may have changed, as Samui took quite a hit. It is a gorgeous island. Either on the beaches or up in the hills, once you get away from the Ring road.

Yes. A huge one. They are very expensive to use, many are used by Japanese and multi national firms, and the 1000's of blank ones at this time are a major indication that something highly dysfunctional is happening with the local economy here.

This could be government sponsored hacking. Though it is likely too small for the kinds of crimes Putin commits daily. Is there witness protection in Thailand? How does that work? Has anyone's life ever been saved with it? If this is Russian mafia, I would imagine the Bratva scums can get to you anywhere.

We were thinking about leaving last year too. My wife and I went overseas for 2 months. Inflation was raging, everything in sight was way, way over priced, people were generally grouchy, dour, unfulfilled, and humorless. I do not listen to screams of racism. I refuse to be a victim. It makes one weak. We decided to come back, and we are thrilled to be here. To each his own. I now ignore the ridiculous government here (other than griping on this forum, LOL), bury my head in the sand as much as possible, and just enjoy waking up here each morning! $6 for a very good meal. $300 a month for rent. $60 a nite for a four star hotel in Bangkok. I could go on and on all day. I love Planet Thailandia, with all it's bizarre aspects, and defects. Plenty to be happy about with this place, warts and all!

Really? Is the the best you got? As if Trump was coherent, smart or articulate? Please. Every time he spoke he made people all over the world cringe. Do you remember some of the things he said, or has time dulled those recollections? If we are going to discuss Biden, it is only fair to compare him to his predecessor. Trump on Mexico "I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Trump on September 11th "I think I could have stopped it because I have very tough illegal immigration policies, and people aren't coming into this country unless they're vetted and vetted properly." Trump on global warming "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive." Trump on John McCain "[John McCain is]... not a war hero. He's a war hero - he's a war hero 'cause he was captured. I Like people that weren't captured, OK, I hate to tell you." Trump on family "She does have a very nice figure... If [Ivanka] weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her." Trump on beverages "I have never seen a thin person drinking Diet Coke."

Does it matter. Comparing Prayuth to Prawit, is like comparing Cardi B to Justin Bieber. P & P are both equally annoying, incapable and destructive. What Thailand needs is new blood, younger leaders, and people with vision who actually care about the nation and it's people. Imagine such a thing?

I have been a bit disappointed with Biden. But, his policy is decent, and he has been able to accomplish some good stuff. And frankly anything beats Ross, Acosta, Shanahan, Nielsen, Price, Shulkin, Perry, Pompeo, Barr, Bannon, Manigault, Mnuchin, Gorka, Pruitt, Flynn, Miller, Carson, DeVos, Huckabee, Priebus, Haley, Kushner, Ivanka, Eric, Don Jr. and hundreds of stunningly incompetent and inexperienced Federal judges appointed to lifetime positions. Not to mention Trump himself, the king of incompetence. One thing he was really good at was raiding the bottom of the barrel for appointees. Frankly, I do not expect anyone as coherent, intelligent or funny as Stewart, to ever run for the office. One has to take into account that the entire experience of running for president has to be a horrendous thing. And I think the best and the brightest have no interest in it. It also takes a huge degree of both megalomania, and ego. Stewart seems way too humble, and far too smart for the job. Though I would love to see someone like him running the nation, I doubt it will ever happen. Things appear to be moving downhill, and not improving. Popular American culture has reached a level of bankruptcy never seen before.

Though his cognitive skills seem to be declining, I am not nearly as concerned or worried about his mental health, as I was with Trump during his last year in office. He really seemed to be declining, and becoming less coherent, and increasingly scary.

Though I do not think this tax will affect the arrival numbers at all, it is a move in the wrong direction, and is being done with the wrong spirit. The officials should be figuring out a way of being more generous with international tourists, more welcoming, improving the overall experience, and being more gracious. Perhaps offering a free nights stay, a 3,000 baht voucher for restaurants, or at least talking the sourpuss immigration people into thanking tourists for coming? Can you convince an arrogant grouch into at least pretending to be nice?

I agree. I do not think Thailand has the clout to attract the top players. I am amazed they were able to attract Moto GP. That is likely the most prestigious international event Thailand hosts. It is a shame it was canceled two years in a row. Likely just another black eye for Thailand. Others were eager to host it, despite covid.

Only a "very well trained man" would utter such a spectacularly ignorant statement, as what that guy said. Sounds like it came out of an "all women are goddesses" feminist college textbook. So PC. So weak.

Never said the event was world class. I referred to Paradorn as world class. Top ten. No question the event is second class. But, that is all they can attract, right now.

It barely matters. Tourism here has been destroyed through recklessness, lack of courage, lack of vision, unwillingness to address any of the problems that existed long before covid came around, and maintaining the draconian restrictions far longer than was wise or prudent. Thailand is the land of the forgotten. It will take many years for the numbers to rise, and they will never return to what they were. Wow are the Thai people, with this kind of irresponsible and incapable leadership.

You have a lovely writing style. Ever published anything? It sounds like climate is not an issue for you. Perhaps it is time to look at the legal aspects of residency there? They might be more welcoming than we think, as the population is expected to drop. National Records of Scotland (NRS) estimates that the number of people in the country will peak in 2028 at 5.48 million and then fall by 1.8% by 2045. The drop is driven in part by a reduction in net migration - the number of people entering Scotland minus the number of people leaving. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-62741746