Always18

It beggars belief that Thais actually see S.44 as some kind of panacea for all their gripes as opposed to the evil, pernicious power that it bestows on one man....................

"Carefully screened"...............as in, "the mesh size of our screen will be sufficient only to trap only the larger denomination notes"............

The poor dear gets headaches...................the rotten blighter that forced him into this job deserves a damn good thrashing!

Sloppy use of English can easily muddy the issue here........................."Rule by Law" and "Rule of Law" are two entirely opposite concepts.

The former, historically, has been practised by dictators - Hitler and Mussolini spring to mind - the latter is inherent in a healthy, functioning democracy........................oh! perhaps not such sloppy reporting after all....................

So, all these foreigners will be invited, show up, offer their opinions, then go home. Then the Junta will say: "Waste of time. Stupid farang not know Thainess. We are perfect so we will do it our way."

I think you missed out the A.A. period for the invitees before they are allowed to go home..................

"The Minister of Public Health, Dr. Ratchata Ratchatanawin, yesterday revealed that a lot of Thais suffer from the effects of alcohol withdrawal after the long Songkran holidays. He explained that, for the next 2-3 days after they stop drinking, revelers would suffer from fatigue, frustration, and anxiety attacks."

It's called a hangover doc.

We all get them, not just Thais.

The great leveller, the demon booze.

You really didn't listen carefully to the good doctor did you? - he made it quite clear that, unlike foreigners,Thais do not get hangovers, they merely "suffer from fatigue, frustration and anxiety attacks"...............same, same, but different.

A truly evocative classic - never fails to hit the spot whenever I hear it.

Thank you Percy Sledge.

"...............before the case gets out of control"

Call me a cynic, but might read this comment be an instruction to the Land Department that allegations of land encroachment must be carefully vetted so as to ensure that certain toes are not stepped upon?

I can't immediately see how else one would want to "control" such allegations............

"Locals found a large hole in which someone had tried to bury some unwanted rubbish and decided to excavate - the urn was subsequently discovered.............."

I might be missing something but how can anyone implicitly state that capital punishment isn't a deterrent. How could we ever know that it isn't?

It's not rocket science - this official conclusion has been drawn by comparing the murder rates per capita in the UK before and after capital punishment was abolished.

The clear conclusion was that the rate remained the same - hence, no measurable deterrent effect.

As someone who has been involved in the administration of justice for most of my adult life, the evidence is clear to me that the ONLY deterrence to crime is the fear of apprehension - if you can increase the perceived likelihood that an offender will be caught and punished, they will be far less likely to commit it in the first place.......the actual likely punishment is not a consideration in their thought processes.

"Gen. Prayut concerned for public safety after two blasts in Surat Thani last night"

Well, we can but hope that the good General will delay any forthcoming elections indefinitely, postpone a return to any semblance of democracy and retain his God Almighty powers until he's fully satisfied that the public safety has been restored.................................or am I just reading someone else's thoughts?

Can't immediately see any direct reference to improving driving skills and obeying road traffic laws............................

Only one Russian "demand" that I have personal experience of is a demand for payment from our crew and guests when we dared to moor up near "their" island off Bang Tao Beach - backed up by threats of violence if we didn't cough up...............................

"Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly..................

Not going to happen. CP Group has a lockhold on Thailand's poultry and egg industry. It is also one of the largest conglomerates in Thailand with its other interests. Too many market sectors are controlled by a few vested interests. I doubt that cement will be touched because of one major shareholder.

This is just hot air.

Absolutely agree.

Thailand's entire economic culture is one of monopolies and oligopolies supported by smug, protectionist import duties - any substantive changes to that status quo would never be allowed to happen..................

So, the Medical Council of Thailand does not like the idea of doctors being held accountable when they screw up. One has to wonder why?

This is just a microcosm of the more general truth that "Thais do not like the idea of Thais being held accountable when they screw up"....................