jayboy

No, it's a precise equivalence.Government might well have handled matters better but they did not cause the problem. Sure - the calm tranquillity of our cities bears witness to that.If pesky reporters ask questions about two tier policing, a Chief Constable smashes the microphone to the floor.

You say spot on , but it's far from clear what Dame Sara Khan has in mind.She blames recent governments for ignoring warnings and promoting civil strife through a culture war agenda (latter part is highly dubious). Surely, even accepting her premise, it's a bit like blaming an inattentive physician for a patient's cancer.The physician can certainly be faulted but the cancer acted independently.Wouldn't be worth spending a bit more thought why UK's very serious social problems arose in the first place.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/current-members By my count at least 15 current members have worse human rights records than Thailand.The Move Forward party should not be banned (actually it should be in power) but I don't see the argument in linking the issue to the UNHRC.

Not in Southern Thailand they don't.

I disagree.Let's look at the language that Starmer used - “Be in no doubt: Those who have participated in this violence will face the full force of the law,” Mr. Starmer said, noting that the police would be making arrests and that charges would follow. “I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves. This is not protest. It is organized, violent thuggery.” I believe that most British people strongly support this approach.But there remains a niggling question - why is this approach only used for white working class people while for other thuggish mobs it's okay to ignore or "take the knee."

Another irrelevant reference to my proficiency of which you are by definition ignorant and which in any case is irrelevant.Perhaps you have had personal experience of experiencing baffled expressions when you attempt Thai with a native speaker, just speculation but I seem to have touched a nerve.I of course agree there are some occasions when even a proficient foreign Thai speaker finds the interlocutor discombobulated - as touched on with examples previously.But general speaking, it's a reasonable assumption that foreigners who complain Thais don't understand their version of Thai - just don't have the facility they assume.

There is no problem with Kier Starmer's line on the thuggery (much of it co-ordinated by extreme right wing groups) in some of our cities.I believe he has the country behind him but there is no escaping the selective indignation involved. If some on what you describe as the political right draw attention to the application of different standards that seems completely legitimate.

But the reaction of Keir Starmer has been very different.If I remember correctly he and Angela Rayner bent the knee during the BLM riots.I loathe the white working class mobs distracting attention from the Stockport tragedy.But one cant help noticing different standards are being applied by the political/media establishment.

My level of proficiency in Thai is irrelevant and in any case from the forum's point of view is unknowable - as is yours.Your rather tortuously expressed, and if I may say rather commonplace point is regularly heard from foreigners, often though not always with an execrable level of Thai. For those genuinely interested I would recommend turning to Stuart Jay Raj who is illuminating in the subject.

That's a different point altogether.I agree that occasionally a Thai is shocked into silence when a foreigner speaks or attempts to speak Thai.If we are going to digress on this matter I would also add Thai airline staff/hotel employees etc who insist on speaking English.But my original observation holds.

We will never know. Still, I have known quite a few farang who speak excellent Thai (to the extent they are non distinguishable from an educated Thai) and a common feature is that they never ever boast about it.

Invariably when a foreigner is surprised that his attempts to speak Thai result in bafflement, his grasp of the language is rather less secure than he imagines.I've noticed this countless times over the decades.

A bloated and corrupt military that interferes constantly in politics.A feudal establishment that demands obedience on penalty of imprisonment or even death.The dominance of a few gigantic corporations that squeeze smaller concerns.One of the most unequal societies on earth with wealth concentrated in a tiny minority.Structural issues that prevent Thailand from breaking out of the middle income category. I agree the left/right labels don't fit but you have been somewhat selective in identifying the salient factors.Therefore a few other aspects to consider.

It's an inappropriate headline but so is your response. There is every reason to believe eligible resident foreigners should receive the same discount as their Thai equivalents.Everybody pays tax in Thailand and your reference to it is irrelevant.Nor is the matter of affordability of any relevance.Naturally foreigners would initially have to prove their residence status, but there are multiple ways this could be done - the pink card for example. My own view is that there is no targeting of foreigners involved.It's just indifference.

They will definitely go for Gripen for reasons that I would blush to expound on.

There is something distinctly "off" about this narrative

You should try and avoid descending into personal insults when your narrative is challenged.It simply means you have no case (or are incapable of making one) The fact that the Gaza conflict is "at hand" does not obscure the hypocrisy of the mobs in many major cities when there was no similar level of outrage over many other civil wars in very recent times. In the case of the Chinese genocide of the Uyghurs, many Muslim countries simply shrugged and continued kowtowing to China.Other genocidal movements in Chechyna, Congo, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, South Sudan,Yemen, Darfur and Ethiopia have raised nowhere near the outrage of the current hysterical anti-Israel mobs. One wonders why there is such extraordinary selective indignation.Is it because Jews were not involved?

You mean one particular alleged "genocide" not the other mass murders of civilians (500,000 in Syria alone) which are ignored because Jews are not involved.

If my grandmother had wheels she would have been a bike.

Not as simple as you seem to think https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-community-approach-alone-wont-solve-knife-crime/

I think one must definitely have the receipts/evidence to prove the money comes from savings if required.But i doubt it will be called for except in the most exceptional circumstances. No reason to think this will be the case (especially if no tax return is filed on basis no assessable income!) Agreed

I don't see why. Quite a few people I know are now funding their life in Thailand through savings incurred pre 2024, and letting tax year income pile up in their home countries.I believe, if asked by Thai tax authorities, they will be able to prove remittances were made through pre 2024 savings.If Thailand goes over to taxing world wide income,that is obviously a different situation.

Do they? Why do you think this and what is your evidence? What do you mean by long term expats? I believe the Thai government is definitely interested in foreigners who might take up the over supply of condos, but most here will be from Asia not Europe or the US. Otherwise I don't think there much interest in the economic activity of long term expatriates - quite separate from the interest in expanding tourism, a different subject altogether. Many retired foreigners genuinely seem to believe the Thai government is interested in fostering their Pattaya type life style and subsequent family supporting activity in Isaan or wherever.They really are not and I suspect would like to see this generally rather modestly well off demographic shrink and a wealthier "higher quality" demographic increase. I don't think there's any real hostility just a benign indifference.As to the economic benefits these long term Expats bring into the country, it's really just chicken feed and it's a bit deluded to think otherwise.

I've wondered about this.You are right about the number but doesn't it have to be registered at the RD before it can be used? Or is it the case when one is filing the tax return for the first time one just bungs in the number and the system just deals with it as a TIN? I just don't know.

Most Thai women don't prefer foreign men. Foreigners whose main experience has been with Thai "working girls" often think differently.But they are deluded.