spidermike007

He added that the Prime Minister has stressed the government’s recognition of the importance of the reform of all regulations in order to help raise Thai standards to match those adopted by the international community.

Now all he has to do is lower import duties to a reasonable level, on imported wines, luxury items, and the like, and the economy will really start to boom. Too visionary a concept for Little P? Too contrary to the wishes of his masters?

Whatever Prawit says, the opposite is true. He could not possibly have less credibility. He has done less for his people than Winnie the Pooh. 

One thing is certain. The Thai people are getting fleeced by this administration. Corrupt beyond measure. They are not doing much useful work. 

2 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Yes, Washington is doing a massive display of hypocrisy.

The previous administrations in Washington tried to not reveal their hypocrisy. The present White House, I think they don't actually care. They will say what they want to say, they don't care if their hypocrisy is on display. They will "say it, as it is".

Just another demonstration of the total lack of class, dignity, education, skill, grace, diplomacy, respect, and honor Trump lacks. He is in way over his head. And he has surrounded himself with an extraordinary lack of talent. 

2 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

So, Boeing signed a contract that turned over most of their technology to the Chinese, and in return, Boeing got a huge contract. Well, I totally agree that this is what happened.

Now, can we really say that Beijing is being a bad bunch of guys ?  The technology was certainly not stolen. It was handed over to get a huge contract. Boeing had the freedom of choice to not do this.

Getting Beijing to change ?  What, Trump is suppose to tell Beijing, "look, stop telling big companies like Boeing, that they've got to hand over technology in return for big contracts, just give Boeing big contracts, stop demanding their technology".  How is Beijing going to react to this comment ? They're not going to obey Trump, are they ?  Off-course not.  

Just another example of the neophyte's lack of understanding and lack of negotiating skills. When his name was in favor, he was able to use it to his advantage and make money on licensing deals. Now, with the presidency showing his true colors, his name is radioactive. He has lost 17 out of 19 of his merchandising deals, Inanka's company folded, and he cannot sell or rent any of his properties, due to people not wanting to be associated with his toxic name. Only Russian mobsters are signing up. 

Now, his lack of skill is really showing with his heavy handed tactics. China will never respond to his approach. Xi out plays him at every turn. 

Wait a week. The lame duck will spend his last two years deflecting the losses and will leave a humbled man, if that is possible. And the world will celebrate his fall. 

I would not be the slightest bit concerned about this dreadful woman. She is just looking to be a nuisance. Avoid her, ignore her. Do not be afraid. She is a total loser. Be happy you only wasted 6 hours of your life on her. I know guys who spent years with worthless women like her.

On 10/31/2018 at 4:55 AM, owl sees all said:

The story goes thus:

 

A Candadian spent his holiday here and visited a friend in Isaan. He rented a room for a few days in a Udon Thani hotel. Went to Nutty Park in the evening and picked up a sweet young thing. Went back to the hotel and the next morning the girl left; but not before posing for a couple of pics on her mobile with the gent.

 

Later that day, at the hotel there was a knock, knock on his door. He answered, and to his horror there was the girl from the night before, the girl's mother and a uniformed policeman.

 

The mother spoke good English. "Girl only 15. You have sex with my daughter. She just 15."  Waving the mobile about, Obviously the guy was horrified. The lady continued "You have to pay money. 20,000 baht." The policeman said nothing just stood there unsmiling.

 

The guy settled for 5k, which is all he had on him, and the three left.

 

Ray, who lives in Non Mek, told me the story. But the sting in the tail is that the girl - who is in her early 20s, - her mother and this policeman are known in the Sawang-dan-din area for this scam.

 

Beware out there guys. Thailand; land of mystery.

 

 

I need to see her government issued ID card please. Right now. Oh, you do not have it? Go away. I do not deal with scam artists. You too Mr. Policeman. You are not needed, you are not wanted. Find another stooge. Get out. Get out now.

On 9/29/2018 at 10:44 PM, unamazedloso said:

absolute insanity. my neighbours are alot like this. Not a brain between them and they think we're evil because we dont believe in bs.

Due to this we are outcasts. Its a good thing because I dont want in a crazy cult. Maybe they will start sacrificing people soon.

There is a reason why many of us just do not care what others think of us. It means nothing. Imagine being concerned of what a highly superstitious person thinks of you? It is beyond irrelevant. Less than zero. Nothing at all. Sometimes being an outcast is a badge of honor, and a sign that you are doing things right. Keep up the good work!

17 minutes ago, hobz said:

When they legalized recreational cannabis in Colorado the road safety didn't change at all. Not for the better, not for the worse...

One explanation is that the law doesn't change people's behavior.. people got stoned before it was legal and they kept getting stoned after... This is why the war on drugs is so futile.. it doesn't actually prevent people from doing drugs.. its just a waste of money..

The so called war on drugs has been an abysmal failure, in case anyone has not noticed. It has doubled the prison population in the US, and has drug use gone down, one iota?

It is the most ridiculous war ever created. Let it go. I say legalize any and all drugs. Consumption will go down, and the cartels will disappear within a month. The US would save billions on the prisoners who are locked up for drug offenses. 

Oh I forgot. The private prison industry is paying to keep these guys imprisoned. Lobbyists are visiting the very White House regularly, and Trump cannot say no to any lobbyist. Well, Thailand appears to be seeing at least one issue clearly.

21 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

If I were a high-class foreigner, I wouldn't be staying in Thailand.

(I'd be in California, or Switzerland or the Maldives or the South of France)

Definitely not California. Cali is 30 years past it's prime. Everyone I know who lives in California, and has the means, has left, or is planning on leaving. 

There are so many other spots that are infinitely more desirable. Cali is fine for a visit. I just spent a few days in Sonoma, and it was amazing. But, I sure as hell would not want to live in Cali. Lived there for many years, and I was thrilled to get out.

21 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

@spidermike007 @GinBoy2

 

Interesting comments above. 

 

I agree that it is the Thai "elite" (almost alway Thai Chinese) who are most hostile. I suppose they understand (quietly and unspoken) that they could never compete with the educated world outside their artificial, protected Thai environment. So, they necessarily fear competition they can not unfairly control. However, like most of Asia, the values of the non-elites are malleable and easily influenced by their elite power brokers. Poor Thais desire to be like rich ones. They have little other guiding principles. 

 

However, I agree that they will play nice for the time being for a couple reasons:

 

1. The country faces a real risk of being left and stuck in the middle income trap for another decade or longer if it does not attempt to learn from the outside world 

 

2. If the country pushes a xenophobic agenda too forcefully, countries like the US and others, having now tasted nationalism ala Trump, will push far harder and could quite literally destroy a tiny, insignificant economy like Thailand's. 

Thailand does not have an insignificant economy. It is around $450 billion annually, and is ranked 26th in the world. It is the 8th largest economy in Asia. Nothing tiny about that.

26 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

I agree. 

 

Though they have been exposed to mass tourism for several decades, Thais, in the main, I think it's fair to say interact with outsiders on a single, mostly superficial plane. 

 

"You like Thailand?" 

"Where you come from?" 

"You like Thai food?" 

 

For 30 years, very few Thais want to know much more than this about me or almost any Farang I know. 

 

Thais generally view Farang in a transactional sense only. 

But, I think most Thais are not curious people. They are taught in school to not ask questions of the teacher, probe an issue, or explore alternatives. Curiosity is a learned response. The system and the culture does not encourage curiosity. So, to expect the people to be curious about us, may be an unreasonable expectation. I do not think they are that curious about each other, either, or the world at large.

As far as viewing foreigners in a transactional sense, I think the resort areas, the elite, and the government view foreigners in this regard. Not the common men or women. With the exception of a percentage of women looking to hook up with a foreigner, or the working girls.

We all know the RTP is actually the RCD (revenue collection department) and the each and every policeman in the nation owns his own franchise. It is all about the level of creativity they employ. Never expect actual police work from these guys. 

Great news. This may actually bring the death rate down, on the roads. If someone chooses ganga over alcohol, that is a far safer alternative. Regardless, it is a way to move the nation forward, end the scalping for pot possession, and join the more progressive nations of the world. It is also a way to embarrass Indonesia and Singapore, which is a beautiful thing, with their silly and draconian laws.

I wonder how this will affect foreigners caught with ganga, or if the RCD (revenue collection department) aka RTP, will continue to scalp those caught with tiny amounts.

3 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

An d 5 x more cars on the road would be a good thing, right?

 

It's no different than Singapore.  I am sure you also think Singapore has a staggering lack of vision too?

No. You totally misunderstood my post. Perhaps five times as many imported cars, instead of the stunning lack of selection of domestic cars available in Thailand. Lower domestic car sales, vs. more imported cars. Same, same, when one factors in duty, etc. 

These guys are heroes to the Thai people, who have been without a voice for so long. Now they long for a way to tell these tiny heathen freaks who are desperately clinging to power, that they are not liked, not wanted, not needed, and must go. They represent only the elite, the powerful, the super wealthy, and those in power. Nobody else. Certainly not the common people. To them, the people are simply annoying plebs.

The bizarre aspect of this is the fact that Trump refuses to discuss "legal immigration". There is little being discussed on how to reform this completely broken system. The US needs the workers. They cannot get visas to work legally. Nearly impossible. And even highly skilled, best of the best from around the world, find it exceptionally difficult to get visas due to an antiquated quota system that makes it nearly impossible for American companies to hire the best nuclear physicists, neurosurgeons, surgical nurses, scientists and other top talents. Even those that study in the US, and graduate at the top of their class cannot get visas to stay and work. 

But, as usual, it is so much easier to demonize illegal workers, than talk about solutions to the immigration crisis. Millions of devotees of Trump run around saying come here legally or don't come at all! Well, coming to the US legally is nearly impossible for most, and the vast majority of Americans won't do the work that immigrants are willing to do. 

Lastly, immigrants commit less crime than Americans. Another point the fake master will not discuss. He would not want to alienate his overheated base!

4 hours ago, JemJem said:

Migration is a 'difficult' subject in many ways.

 

I think the ideal solution should be something in between the tough, at times racist, approach taken by Trump (and also by some governments in central Europe, like Hungary's) and the 'let them all in' approach taken by Erdogan. I am from Turkey, and I am definitely not happy about my country taking in millions of migrants from a variety of countries, mainly Syria, especially in the last few years. We are not a prosperous country; and our economic resources are limited, unlike those of the US and many countries in Europe. Also, in Turkey, there are hardly any 'orientation procedures' for migrants (of course this is partly due to the lack of enough resources). I am not against migration at all, but hey, in my country's case, we are talking about millions of people, man ! Some European countries don't even want to take in a few thousand migrants. This high number of migrants into Turkey will cause some major problems in the future. I believe that the main reason Erdogan has been accepting such a large number of migrants is that he will 'selectively' make some of them citizens (possibly those who are Sunni and with Islamist tendencies), ie. the ones he sees as his possible future voter base. And, of course, his aim is to Islamise Turkey as much as possible. I think that sadly Turkey is 'doomed' under Erdogan's rule ????  

 

So, anyway, the approach to migration shouldn't be either of these two extremes.

I think all countries who allow Muslim immigrants should request that their teenage daughters participate in a mandatory bikini contest within 12 months, or their residency status is revoked. It is all about assimilation and making sure the families are not of extremist ilk, right? Not too much to ask. 

In regard to the caravan, there are alot of women and children. Only a devotee of Trump would buy into the fiction that it is 95% men of military age. More election hyperbole. Believe the fake master at your own risk. Do not drink the Kool aid. 

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

No, it's just a variation on, "I didn't meet mine in a bar' argument.

Leading onto the fantasy, "mine is different".

Concluding in, "So it can't happen to me".

 

Many men are in denial, but in reality, nobody can predict the future of a relationship, but the probability is every relationship will end (badly) unless one of you is lucky enough to die first. Which gives rise to the fantasy ending of, "Our perfect love would have lasted forever if only my partner hadn't died". And of course, avoiding the ugly truth that 90% of all relationships are ended by the woman's dissatisfaction or desire for 'more'.

I am very sorry for your bad fortune, which has led to bitterness and a lack of trust and faith in women. The reality is, there are alot of very good ones out there who stand by their man, and some who even get better with age! Hope you are able to find some satisfaction in a relationship.