indyuk

"Five carats of diamonds were also seized from their possession"

How much was stolen?

A diamond pointed observation dear friend.

Of course he's ready, he's already been told by NACC that he and Suthep will be found innocent! This is just to give the appearance that the Junta is unbiased. What a sham!!

What you claim implies that there is continuing criminality in the currently rigidly controlled management of reforms by the present government. I cannot accept that that can be true because it would invalidate the entire reform process.

People more informed than me suggest that the army fear the Democrats cutting off their money train more than PTP.

Personally i find it difficult to agree, but we shall see.

It is something the Dems could win wide support on, and they should push it.

Abhisit or Korn are still the best options for PM of the country, probably the latter, but they need to cut ties which is nearly impossible.

Dear Sir you are overlooking the fact that the Democrats need to radically reform their party and its policies before they would be a credible adversary at the next election. It is unlikely that Khun Mark Abhisit would be deemed a suitable leader after the Democratic Party reform on the justification that he has been responsible for many serious errors of judgement when in office.

I really don't know what to think. Pattaya is hurting. It's my hometown and I care about that. Already since the search for peace and order started last November. Commercially Pattaya seems to be in terminal decline. Today I visited Central Festival having heard that they are doing better than most. Wrong, most of the floors were devoid of all but a trickle of shoppers at Noon.

The inevitable conclusion for pattaya will be continuing failure of businesses and the ultimate economic collapse of our city.

The billions of Baht don't seem to be for Pats anymore.

Does anyone think that the next building seem even taller that the subject building. I suppose that it is far enough back from the road to offset the limitations of height and road width on City structures.

Where is the promised political reform going to come from if the reformers continue to allow scallywags to hound another Prime Minister. into political and financial destruction.

The Thai Judiciary continues to be motivated by the same scallywags that generated six months of discontent of 2014.

The whole conspiritus ensemble of scallywags is skilled in the art of the destruction of noteable Thai people.

This destructive force will always be there. As determined a necessity this force will destroy any future prime minister, whether democratically elected or not.

I think that Police Women would be more reliable especially in dealing with domestic crime and city center policing.

Never argue over petty sums of money in Thailand. If you do the outcome is more likely to be personal injury or even death. This is especial true if the Thai can see that you are rich. Walk away and complain to your peers they'll give you sound advice.

Get him out, hasn't done a single noteworthy thing in the past four years, not one thing.

When he was in office he did very little as well, this guys get a free pass from expats because he is fluent in English and studied in Britain. He cares nothing for your average Thai.

Thats rubbish - the democrats have always been battling against corrupt PT bought elections - we know he cares very deeply about Thailand as he is devoted to the welfare of the country as a whole - not giving into populist policies that bankrupt the country.When in office his most notable accomplishment was to clear the protestors - remember the one that burnt tires all across bangkok and set light to central world.Now he is calling for the military backed regime to be monitored - which is correct because they now have too many powers.Good governance requires a strong opposition -

DTL2014 I think that you are confused. The list of Khun Abhisit's failed projects is long and embarrassing. While his claimed successes brought him to criminal court and ridicule. I'm sure that Mark Abhisit Verejever is a loyal Thai Citizen and is personally Trustworthy. However IMO he is not a suitable candidate for reelection in Thailand.

Sorry to hear. This would be my biggest fear. I know another guy who was supposed to get 1/2 of a house he bought and he'd even bought a 30 lease on the land. But that did him no good when he went back and some Thais promised to kill him if he ever came around again.

If you can afford it, I'd just walk. Life is short enough and I hate court fights. Somehow I get bigger and better emotionally when I just walk from something rather than get into a protracted hassle. At least I know who the better man is.

I sincerely hope you can afford to put it behind you and get on with your life.

Others may disagree with me and tell you to fight it. Up to you. I wouldn't.

I agree with NeverSure Don't take her to court unless your losses are ruining you. Walk! If you don't you may well finish up dead. I know it hurts to walk away from your losses. I know because I walked on all I had in Thailand including two Thai children at the end of 2008. Now I'm married to another Thai and everything is fine. Good Luck my friend

I am so sorry that poor woman has had her life ruined in Thailand. Make rape in Thailand unlawful. including husband on wife rape. Accordingly I appeal to all good Thai men to fight for the full emancipation of women in Thailand.

Lets face it they 'Blue It' already. They are just playing their organ while waiting for it all to blow away. Those poor young people have just turned into pickings' for the sons of teflon coated Thais pleasure. I wonder who got the million Baht?

Why does Thai corruption have to make everything bad and dirty become invisible?

The death penalty for some Thai criminals doesn't impress. What the World is waiting for is for Thailand to deploy a police force that understands that a policeman's' job is crime prevention. Detectives are the people that solve crimes and the Public Prosecutors Office is responsible for submitting criminals to trial of their alleged criminality.

I think that we are missing the point. Which is that in order to make foreigners safe the Thai Establishment want to know more about we foreigners than they do already.

Given that the Immigration Police already extract more data from us than the hold for most Thai citizens, it sometime it seems that Thai police favour foreigner cash fraudulently flowing to the Thai (including themselves) via a criminal although they swear that they stopped collecting tea money a long time ago.

An alternative system that really would make Tourists safer would be to require any Thai wanting to enter a resort area apply for a colored wristband which he or she must wear at all times while in the Resort Area.

Wrist Band colors as follows:-

GOLD Has own home, Has Bank Account, Professionally employed, HIV Free, has Thai ID Card

Green Student, Lives with Mum, has part time job, never arrested, HIV Free, Has Thai ID Card

YELLOW Homeless, unemployed, no Bank Account, Has HIV, Has done time.Has Thai ID Card

PINK Ladyboy, transvestite, or homosexual, Lives from day to day, No fixed address. Medical History Unknown, No ID.

Of course the Director of Tourism will need to develop this idea further to make it acceptable to Thai people whilst making the project efficacious resource for resource operators still suffering from the delinquent conduct of Thai politicians.

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Democracy is a self fulfilling philosophy which enables a feudal system to transfer its power to the people. Once democratised the people exert their power by electing a government and an opposition to rule the nation in accordance with the laws enshrined in their constitution. The people reelect a party to government on the evidence of government's behaviour when in office. The peoples opposition moderates the excesses of the elected government in accordance with the constitution. Over time the democratic system modifies the constitution based on their experience of the efficacy of the original constitution and its amendments. These amendments to an existing constitution eventually achieve a peoples constitution thats is infallible.

And who have the right to judge the governments acts: The army and its political wing the Democrats?

Not a fan of the Shins, but it is a dangerous path!

As for the "returning happiness to the people" BS, This was never about the people, but about keeping the existing feudal system in place!

This issue should be resolved by the Junta since this issue appears to be at the root of the public malaise that necessitated the coups.

Members articles on this news item are very disappointing, and tend to be very negative. The fact is none of the responders seem to understand the project and its objectives which have been agreed both by the Thai sponsors and the UK administrators.

The objective is simple in that the visiting students are to experience the Thi teaching environment and to understand what it takes to be an expat teacher. The goal is to encourage many of the UK post graduates to come to Thailand and teach Thai students professionally within the Thai Education system.

This is not a new event. This years event is the third of a new format launched three years ago.

A few Thai words were all that you needed.

If you are a visitor to Thailand alway carry your ID,

You should carry and an English-Thai phrase book.

And Always be polite to EVERYBODY.

Follow this simple advice to have a good holiday.

I am absolutely disgusted that Charupong Ruangsuwan maybe be involved in crimes against the Thai environment. Lest we forget lets remind ourselves Charupong Ruangsuwan is a scholar of North Eastern Thai culture. Further; Charupong Ruangsuwan graduated Bachelor of Law from Thammasat University.

The Thai call their Centipedes 'Tajab'  None of the safe pest control products kill them. Most that get into our house get in via the underfloor drainage which has an inspection shaft in the garden. Tajab tend only to come in at this time of the year. We dose the underfloor drain with Bleach once a week July to November. For the last eight years that  has been effective.  We have never found any to control those that come in through doorways.

Worgeordi: No mention of the value or number of tons of diesel oil on board,

maybe it went out empty,and came back empty,now looking to

claim insurance,could that happen in Thailand?

regards Worgeordie

I'd put my money on Worgeordie's explanation. It is so Asian. An old rust bucket chartered to transport valuable cargo through the Straits of Malacca. Who insured the cargo, Was the ship certified to carry cargoes of oil. Why would an isolated buyer in Kalimantan source diesel oil so far away. Diesel always was cheaper in Indonesia, Isn't Kalimantan part of Indonesia?

The projects are very sensible. There is every reason for them to proceed as planned.

You are certainly correct. I have always believed so my self. The entire railroad package as proposed by Pua Thai Party (and the democrat Party in the past) would most likely accelerate Thailand into a rapidly growing economy just as the friendship roads did years ago. The entire set of proposed rail projects offer a major game changer, not just for Thailand but also all of South East Asia too.

Prayuth's promise to pay the farmers in full within 20 days is a remarkable " coup " in and of itself. In one stroke he manages to alleviate the plight of the farmers, as well as strongly undercut Thaksin's core constituency. By this first legislative act, Prayuth takes the wind out of the sails of much of Pheu Thai and the UDD. It also is but the latest indication that things are going to be moving very swiftly.

Of course he can spend money out of treasury that a Prime Minister cannot. Payment for pledged rice had to be paid for under the legislated rice pledging scheme's revenue.

That is why PTP were investigating so many creative ways of borrowing the money to pay the farmers for the pledged rice. Every idea was rejected by Thailand's various institutions of Law.

Dictators are the same everywhere they plunder what they need to keep the people friendly until the treasury reaches a tipping point and enters into a liquidity crises. Thier country's Sovereign status becomes unmanageable and said dictator emigrates to the country where he has hidden the mega bucks that he skimmed off of the treasury.

This is why dictatorships are scorned by the United Nations and and the Democratic Members.