jayboy

Reading your post it's certainly seems to be the case we know a different kind of people.Nobody I know thinks staying in a decent hotel ( which never ever would have included a dump like the Amari Watergate) or flying business class made an iota of difference to the way they thought about themselves, or the way others regarded them.Those who could afford to do so or had business class travel as a corporate benefit, travelled comfortably.Those who didn't care or weren't well off enough didn't. Incidentally you seem out of touch with the room rates of five star hotels in Bangkok. The rate for the Rosewood or similar is at least Baht 10,000 ++. But your comment about Baht 199 7 piece English breakfast suggests you live in a different world. I have no criticism at all.But I do wonder why some people get so hit up because other people make travel easy for themselves.

More delusion here.People travel business class/stay at decent hotels because they can afford to do so. It is nothing to do with massaging egos, more to do with avoiding discomfort.

You're just repeating the delusion I identified in the first place.You appear to assume that the better off travelers don't have the same kind of rewarding relationship with local people as those on a limited budget.I don't think there's much evidence for that and in any case backpacking in Thailand is not what it was when the country was less developed. I have seen quite a few young travelers on a budget (well educated gap year types) over the last few years.I have never got the impression they are genuinely interested in digging into Thai culture.They are polite enough to Thais but it's all very superficial.In contrast I've known well heeled travelers who are genuinely interested in Thai culture and meeting interesting Thais.

It seems to be a characteristic of the backpacking fraternity that they assume they have a meaningful relationship with ordinary Thais that better off tourists are denied.I really don't think it works like that.

Excellent post.Thai Airways is now out of rehabilitation but as far as i can see, the many management and financial structural issues have not been properly addressed.

all fair comment.

More nonsense from you, The high tech aspect is that in a modern volunteer army soldiers have the opportunity to learn a trade and acquire expertise that will be useful in future civilian life. There is no need for the army to introduce rural people to urban people.This might have been the case in the 1950's which seems to be your mindset period. However the economic transformation of Thailand since then means that there is a constant flow of people into Bangkok and big cities. The army has no role as a socialization tool, whatever that is meant to mean. You skim over the reality that the Thai army's purpose is to make money for its senior officers.The bloat and corruption you speak of is not some trifling side issue.They are defining characteristics.There is much prattle of love of country, but where these clowns feel their position is threatened, they will mow down Thai citizens in the street. Thailand has no foreign enemies. Anyway keep on drinking the Kool Aid.

Agreed.I don't believe it will be. But there's the certainty that long term residents and PRs on say a 1-2 day business trip to Singapore or HK may need to seek a TDAC approval for re-entry before they have even departed Thailand.

You have obviously no experience of a modern well educated all volunteer army.

You are talking nonsense.If conscription was dropped there would be little difficulty in attracting the numbers to service a moderately sized efficient military.The opportunity to acquire technology skills would be a significant attraction and the social disadvantaged types you mention would not pass muster in the first place.It is not the task of the army to teach recruits to wash themselves anyway (but perhaps your NCO friend had a special interest). Senior officers in the Thai army like a large number of underemployed soldiers to act as servants - and the scandals associated with their abuse are a matter of common knowledge. As a fighting force the Thai army is third rate.Individual soldiers often perform well but the senior office corps is a corrupt incompetent disgrace.Their purpose is not to to excel militarily but to engage in business and make money, and of course stick their noses into politics - conducting coups when they think appropriate.They need cutting down to size which means among other things cutting down on the laughable number of generals - more than the US military. Your comment on gunfire on the Myanmar border is laughable.Of course Thailand needs to protect its borders but that is a different thing altogether from having a bloated corrupt massive military which holds democracy in contempt, and sticks its nose into the business trough.

Why does Thailand need conscripts at all? It has no enemies and there are plenty of volunteers available.

Including people like yourself who don't understand the basis of a nuclear deterrent - mutually assured destruction. A Russian nuclear attack on a major UK city would at very least result in the incineration of Moscow or St Petersburg.The whole point of nuclear weapons is to deter.

Don't know I'm afraid.I was given access when I opened my account twenty years ago.

On a slightly related topic I notice that Krungsri will not be giving new customers access to their website Krungsri Online with effect from the end of April.Existing customers can carry on using the site. I wonder what is going on.I hardly use the website because I can deal with all my banking needs on the Krungsri mobile app.Is the long term objective for banks to only offer banking services on their mobile apps which I understand have better security specifications?

Why on earth should they? They have nothing to do with how Immigration processes arrivals at Thailand entry points.