connda

Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning - your post just drips of disdain for those of us married to Thai women and who post about this obvious difference. Thanks for wading into this thread and beating the rest of us with a verbal club. Have a little heart as well as respect. Posers? Come on, get real. What you spewed here was really unnecessary and purposefully hostile.

Many years back there was an article (which I wish I would have saved) in ThaiVisa which explained it in the terms that the Thai government considers foreign men married to Thai women to be a national security risk to Thailand.

Anicca - all dualistic reality is in constant change. As my teacher, a Kammathana forest monk, has said (paraphrased), "We are older than the universe. Our age spans eons (the age of universes). The bodies of our past lives would create a mountain of bones." Nothing is permanent. Not the lives of "gods" nor the purgatories of the lowest hell. Putting this into context in this discussion, this is one of the reasons I'm not shocked by the very real chance that this "great power struggle between nuclear-armed nations" will result in an incinerated Earth. The Hindu Vedic texts allude to such events happening in the past to mankind. Would that be the end of mankind? Nope. Just this iteration of power-mad, hate-fill "leaders" bent on the nuclear destruction of this planet in the name of "saving their sovereign territories." Innocence lives? Unfortunate collateral damage but with karmatic causes. Anyway, slightly off-topic but relevant imho.

"It is the victor who writes the history and counts the dead, and to the vanquished in such a struggle there only remains the dull memory of an unnumbered and unwritten sorrow." - Sir William F. Butler, Bio. Charles George Gordon, 1913 "Among the calamities of War may be justly numbered the diminution of the love of truth, by the falsehoods which interest dictates and credulity encourages." - Samuel Jackson, The Idler, 1761

Russia isn't going to accept the Swiss plan. Ukraine isn't going to accept the Russian plan. Let the chips fall where they may.

1. Yes 2. No.

Let's put things into perspective. There are 193 countries in the United Nations. 100 countries out of that 193 attended the Swiss "Peace" Summit. Out of those 100 countries, only 78 signed the "peace plan." So out of the 193 countries world-wide only 52% showed up and only 40% of the countries in the UN signed the document. I wouldn't call that a mandate. To put it another way, 60% ignored the sham "peace summit plan" altogether. At least Thailand showed up. Then they get mocked for not signing? They are in good company with the majority of the world.

You're not Buddhist I see. Oh yes, there is a rich pantheon of Heaven, Hell, and all points in-between in Buddhist cosmetology. Start here:

Most of those who really hate Russia (and all other countries whom their governments tell them to hate) don't know the first thing about the Ukraine's history, or Russian history, or that of the USSR, or that of Novorossiya, nor the ethnic makeup of Ukraine population or any history of the region. Based on what they write here they read nothing longer than a newspaper article or two, and then only from an "authoritative Western newspaper which only prints the God-honest Western liberal democracy's truth." Most likely though, they limit their understanding of history to the "news" they listen to on Western cable news or the likes of BBC. They are essentially ignorant, and willfully so. Which means they have no understanding of the basis of the conflict at all. And it shows. You notice that most of them can't write anything longer than a couple of sentences, most of which is name-calling or the recitation of Western MSM talking point which they are adept at reciting verbatim. That passes as debate nowadays. There once was a time on TV 40 to 50 years ago when debate on TV was actual, civil debate. That all ended over the last 25 years when TV has become Entertainment-News where people just scream at each other and call each other names. So it's easy to see where the current crop of cable-news-network parroting ideologues have gotten their education from. It's pretty sad imho.

Those whose only outlet on this forum is to call people names and recite Western media talking points like parrots (the same lines over and over and over and over..."Polly wants a cracker Awwwk!") really don't seem to command the intellect to defend their opinions. It just ends up being, "You all are Putin's Puppets - Arrggghhh." Personally I don't care if someone is a complete Western ideologue as long as they can formulate a rational and well-thought out argument and defend it. Debate is good. I love debate. But there are not many on this forum who viscerally hate Russia, China, Iran, and all the other "Axis of Evil" countries whom their governments and media tells them that they must hate - no less explain why - without digressing to ad-hominid name calling, the use of worn-out pejoratives, and reciting GCHQ/BBC talking points verbatim. It would be a breath of fresh-air if any of these people could at least quote their favorite neocons Russian-haters or back their diatribes with passages out of Foreign Affairs magazine or write a well-thought out paragraph explaining their position with original thought and personal analysis. But instead: "Russia is a aggressor nation and Russia needs to be defeated or else they will invade the EU and march right to Portugal. Putin woke up on February 24th 2022 and decided it was a good day to attack the peace-loving, highly moral, Democracy of Ukraine without provocation. The ruble is rubble! Russia has already lost the war! And anyone who disagrees? 'You all are Putin's Puppets - Arrggghhh.'" And Polly wants a cracker. Over and over and over and vero and erov and rove and over and over again.....God it gets old. Come on ideologues - change it up a little. Make it interesting. Show us your latent intellect and surprise the rest of us "Putin's Puppets."

Dude - you nailed it. Sorta like Covid. Only "Essential Business" will be allowed to participate. "Essential Business?" Thai monopolies or businesses run by connected Thai billionaires.

Nor you nor most any other farang expat. The theme is is obvious: Thailand For Thais. All other nationalities are at the moment naught but "an afterthought to Thailand." It may change in the future if Thailand experiences another Soros-moment like 1997.

Yeah. Most of my life I didn't have roots. There are advantages to that when you are younger. Now I'm old and cranky and have roots. (hummm, wonder if there is a connection <laughs>). If you decide to pull up stakes and head to other climes, I wish you the best!

I'm thinking the Winds of Winter are coming for the West (wow that rhymes; I'm a poet and don't know it) <laughs> The Song of Spring is coming for the BRICS+. One's dying the death of empires; the other is blossoming to life.

Well, they didn't call this area "French Indo-China for nothing. <laughs> Laos - French colony - independence in 1954* Cambodia - French colony - independence in 1953* *Side-note: US bombed Laos and Cambodia back to the stone age during its war in Vietnam. Myanmar - British colony - independence 1948 So at the moment, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar are sovereign countries, not colonies of China, but all those countries were colonies of Western nations in the past. You people keep ignoring historical realities and then promote complete fiction and call it "fact." The last I checked that is the definitional of misinformation. Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar are not colonized by the Chinese, even metaphorically. So stop with the misinformation. Thanks! Does China exert an influence on its neighboring countries? Absolutely. Just like the US influences Mexico, Latin America, South America, and the Caribbeans - historically called the Monroe Doctrine. And those influences exist today. But Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar are no more "colonies" of China than Mexico, Latin America, South America, and the Caribbeans are "colonies" of the United States. Let keep to facts.

Sanctions do work. 100% For sure for sure!: They foster ingenuity, creativeness, innovation, resourcefulness, and they push sanctioned nations to align with each other to create unsanctionable unions of countries with a common interest: defying the sanctions. They work like a magic charm don't 'cha know? The Western thinking on sanctions is that their goal is to create so much pain for the civilian population of the sanctioned nations so that the "economically crushed" population of the sanctioned country will "organically rise-up and and overthrow their leaders and embrace true Western Liberal Democracy." However, the 'revolution' is seldom 'organic' although oft-times led by NGOs promoting the interests of their the government(s) imposing sanctions, and the sanctioned civilian populations, in response, end up rallying around their besieged government as sanctions create an "Us v.s. Them" mentality. So like in Russia, the majority of population rallies around Putin and the Russian government, the Russian government goes on an industrial-level war footing as they know that they are in the cross-hairs of a future NATO invasion, government and corporate interests develop alternative approaches to banking, insurance, shipping and above all, diplomacy with other nations also with a bulls-eye on their collective backs, and suddenly - viola - a Blow-Back Royal Flush in Spades: Russia's economy is predicted to have greater economic growth than the collective West1 as Germany flounders after being cut off from cheap, Russian natural gas and then dragging the rest of the EU (and UK) down with it. Just check out the EU elections - EU leaders are freaking out - so much for the efficacy of sanctions, blow-back's a b*tch. In the meanwhile Russia sells it's natural resources to the nations which will eventually be the BRICS+100. In the long run, sanctions blow-back on the countries implementing the sanctions. You're spewing "moronic anti western, anti democracy rhetoric." Nah. I deal with reality. I'm pro-peace, pro-trade, anti-sanction, anti-interventionism. I don't have a dog in this fight other than the dog that benefits from peaceful trade relations between nations. I don't see China or Russia or any of the new "Axis Of Evil" with hundreds of military bases stretching across the globe and sitting on the borders of virtually every nation in the world while threatening sanctions and promising future military interventions. "That's because the "Axis Of Evil" are aggressors!!!" Actually my definition of "aggressor" is any country who blankets the world with military bases and weapons aimed at other countries while constantly deliberating which counties that they plan to go to war with in the near future. That as well as deliberating which cheeky nations need to have new sanctions imposed on them, like possibly Thailand, for not following their the rules, for not signing the mandatory-to-sign "Zelensky Peace Agreement," and for signaling their intention to join the BRICS+. So if the US and their Western allies impose Jingthing's concern, "secondary sanction," or worse "primary sanctions" on Thailand, what will happen is pretty much what happens in most countries sanctioned by the West - the population will blame the sanctions on the West, rally around the Thai flag, and dial up the xenophobia toward the sanctioning country (and possibly most farangs) to a Spinal Tap "11" on the volume dial. And the OP is worried that it might affect his banking in Thailand. Maybe - but that may be the least of his worries if it happens. Citation: 1. Russia to grow faster than all advanced economies says IMF, BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68823399

Been here almost two decades, married and have a Thai extended family. Short of the Thai government forcing me out - I'm staying. Even if a war breaks out between the West and China. This is home. I'm not anti-China. I'm anti-war, pro-peace, pro-global-trade, pro-sovereignty. So here is where I'll stay - come what may. If I get a bullet in the back of the head for being "American" so be it. I've lived long enough. Faster than radiation sickness or freezing and starving after the nukes fly.

No. Secondary sanctions (which should not be levied in the first place hence the review of historical and Geo-politics on which Western sanctions are based) will not affect ex-pats. However, when Thailand actually becomes a member of the BRICS, those secondary sanctions may become primary sanctions. Then? Well, Argentina and the PI are aligned with the US. Start looking for another retirement Mecca to hang your expat-hat before the West begins to "punish" those counties who don't align with "the correct side" or follow the correct rules: First sanctions, then destabilize the government and fabric of Thai society, then maybe drop bombs. It's happened during my lifetime here in SE Asia. Then Thailand may become an unsafe place for Western expats. Perhaps it's time to leave before things heat up? Just saying...

If they implement this madness the pursuant inflation will destroy the economy. Which may be the goal.

Look - they are trying to weasel their way out of the campaign promise. I hope they succeed. It's highly inflationary and the plebs need to wake up to the political scams. "The mobile phone may have foreign components." Oh that's rich. Have you ever taken a look at a circuit board and viewed where the chips on the board are manufactured? There isn't a consumer electronics device in the world that doesn't have "foreign components." That is one of the most moronic statements I've seen for a long time. That's good for a laugh!

I'd look for a bulge and figure out which cat or dog it ate. But given I have 9 dogs? I doubt the snake would be in very good shape.

If you chose to wade into the stream, don't complain when the piranhas nibble at the foundations of your premises by providing legitimate arguments refuting their veracity and substance. If you can't swim, don't jump into the pool in the first place.

When all else fails, resort to ad-hominid personal slanders. Effective slanders include "MAGA" "Fascist" "Pro-Trump" (wait awhile, the OP will show us some more). OP - I consider both Biden and Trump to be over-the-hill geriatric sock-puppets, neither of whom should be running for the presidency of the United States. I'll leave it to you to sling mud. I'm not lowering myself to your level.

When you heard the same sentence repeated over and over again, it's propaganda. "Russian aggression," Over and over and over.... "Unprovoked war," Over and over and over..... "Putin has already lost." Over and over and over...... New "Putin is not in any position to dictate to Ukraine..." and you'll now hear that over and over and over.... It's effective propaganda directed at people like the OP who will then repeat the same lines over and over and over.... The West has one set of goals - the strategic defeat of Russia, the overthrow of the Russian government, and the breakup of the Russian Federation. After that (actually as soon as possible) - onward to do the same with China. Only problem being? The West doesn't have the military to invade Russia or China and break them up. So it will go nuclear. Then it's "So long and thanks for all the fish." Which is what ideologues like the OP want. They believe the West can destroy Russia, China, Iran, DPRK, ME/NA/The Sahel and the nascent BRICS with military force. Ain't gonna happen. What will happen is that the planet Earth will experience "Global Warming" at a temperature of a few hundred million degree Celsium followed by a nuclear winter. Everyone dies but the Morlocks in their continuity of government bunkers. It's patently insane, but George H.W. Bush did call the neocons crafting this insanity, "The Crazies In The Basement." There was a reason.

The West is basically gravitating toward totalitarianism while its leaders wrap themselves in flags labelled "We're Democracies." Fyi my man - you're an American. We're not a freaking "democracy," we are a Republic. Or used to be. Maybe not anymore.