https://aseannow.com/rss/44-thailand-news.xml/National and regional news from all around ThailandenSome people think that paying money to avoid suffering the full penalty for a crime doesn't happen in the developed world. Of course it does. Maybe not for murder, but it does happen for other crimes. This can be a fine, 'damages', or a negotiated sum with the authorities. My brother was a VAT fraud investigator and in one particular case involving an ethnic minority (a rich minority) the chaps lawyers turned up and just kept offering more money for the case to be dropped - 5 million GBP was the final figure I think. My brother wasn't happy to see the case dropped, but Treasury agreed it.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:30:59 +0000Implications of the 2025 Marriage Equality Act on the Nationality Act We are now at an interesting juncture in the history of Thai nationality law due to the fact that the 2025 Marriage Equality Act prescribes a review of all existing legislation to eliminate all gender-specific terms and replace them with gender-neutral language, granting same-sex couples full equal rights. The MOI has had to conduct a review of the Nationality Act in this respect and recently called for public comments. No proposed drafts have been disclosed as yet by the MOI or politicians. The amendments will likely require an act of parliament involving three readings in the lower chamber. In all amendments to the Nationality Act the legal section of the MOI plays an important role in making recommendations and historically has placed a high priority on national security concerns in considering proposed amendments to the Act. Since we are in the AI age, I decided to ask AI to do a round-up of the various options available for amending the Act to remove gender bias. The results are as follows. As AI itself points out, it can make mistakes. Also it tends to base some nuances inferences on the way the question is framed and information provided by the questioner. Nevertheless it raises some very valid points. The Imminent Legislative Collision The Marriage Equality Act uses gender-neutral language, replacing terms like "husband" and "wife" with "spouse" across the Civil and Commercial Code. By law, government agencies were mandated to align their auxiliary regulations. The Nationality Act of 1965 remains a major battleground. Parliamentary committees and legal advocates have already submitted petitions to amend Section 9 to eliminate gender bias. This leaves the Interior Ministry’s bureaucratic guardians of "national security" backed entirely into a corner, facing three possible paths: Path 1: The Spousal Exclusion (The "Foreign Husband" Rule for All Same-Sex Spouses) If the Ministry of Interior gets its way, they will attempt to draft an amendment or a ministerial regulation that restricts Section 9 strictly to the biological reality of cisgender foreign women married to cisgender Thai men based on historical precedent. · The Argument: They will claim that foreign men (in male-male marriages) or foreign women married to Thai women do not fit the "assimilation and family unity" doctrine originally intended to protect Thai households. · Why it will fail: The Constitutional Court and LGBT activism have massive momentum. The Marriage Equality Act states that a spouse is a spouse. Trying to argue that a foreign woman married to a Thai woman is a "national security threat," while a foreign woman married to a Thai man is not, will be virtually impossible to defend in court or parliament. It would be a glaring, indefensible violation of the equal protection clauses. [ Path 2: Universal Spousal Inclusion (Opening Section 9 to Everyone) This is the path human rights advocates are pushing for: changing the text of Section 9 from "An alien woman who marries a person of Thai nationality..." to "An alien spouse who marries a person of Thai nationality...". · The Bureaucratic Nightmare: For the security apparatus, this is a doomsday scenario. If Section 9 opens to all spouses, thousands of foreign husbands (both heterosexual and same-sex) would instantly gain access to a fast-track to citizenship that completely bypasses the 5-year PR requirement, the strict employment/tax thresholds, and the high-level Thai language test. The Ministry views this as opening the floodgates to sham marriages used purely to gain passports and land-ownership rights. Path 3: The Nuclear Option (Abolishing Section 9 Entirely) The easiest way for the Ministry of Interior to eliminate gender bias, avoid a constitutional crisis, and completely secure national security is to repeal Section 9 entirely. · How it would work: Parliament would abolish the special marriage track. Moving forward, all foreign spouses—regardless of gender or sexual orientation—would be funneled into a newly modified Section 10 naturalization framework. They would likely create a standardized "Spousal Naturalization" category under Section 10 that requires a basic work history, a standardized language test, and a uniform processing timeline, erasing the anachronistic distinction between husbands and wives. The Structural Irony Section 9 is a relic of the era when a woman’s nationality was entirely dependent on her husband. When Thailand stopped stripping Thai women of their citizenship for marrying foreigners, they left Section 9 intact as a patriarchal reward for foreign women "joining the Thai tribe," while punishing foreign men for "encroaching" on it. Today’s bureaucrats are likely blind to this historical context, viewing Section 9 purely as an immigration control valve. Because expanding it to all spouses is a bridge too far for the security apparatus, the complete abolition of Section 9 in favor of a unified, stricter spousal naturalization framework under Section 10 is the most legally tidy and probable outcome. If they do decide to go with the "nuclear option" and abolish Section 9 entirely, will they grandfather in the foreign wives who are currently trapped in the years-long application backlog, or will they force everyone to transition over to the stricter adult naturalization requirements, thereby jettisoning the majority of the backlog of foreign wives waiting for approval to adopt their husbands’ Thai nationality under Section 9, since most would probably not make the work permit and salary requirements to apply under Section 10? Surely this would create a bit of a backlash? So it would be advisable to grandfather in Section 9 applications made before the effective date of the amendment. But Thai bureaucrats and legislators are not always known for making intuitive decisions.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:27:52 +0000A screenshot of the girl's tattoo was posted earlier in this thread. It is an Asian "good luck" swastika. Thais are generally unaware of the meaning of the Nazi hakenkruez, but some associate it with Germany. The hakenkruez is seen by young Thais more as a fashion statement than a symbol for an ideology. The Thai school system doesn't teach much about WW2 and nothing about the Holocaust. Very few Thais are aware of Jews and Judaism, even those in daily contact with Israeli tourists. Thais know Israelis come from a country in the Middle East, but are vague about the religion there.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:24:56 +0000you are an eliminationist anti semite. the very fact that you exist is a threat, even though your threat is based on fear, envy, cowardice and mental illness.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:23:54 +0000Awww.. its ok... Tolerate them as entertainment in the "Off the Beaten Path" sub-forum. There is a place for contrarian voices. Questioning accepted ideas isn't stupid. Quite the opposite. Science advances because people challenge assumptions, test evidence, and occasionally prove everyone else wrong. That's precisely why dissent should never be silenced. In fact, it's important that those of us who accept established evidence are reminded that society contains everyone, from the merely eccentric to the gloriously detached from reality. Knowing they're out there is part of understanding the world as it really is. And, to be fair, they occasionally perform a valuable service. Every now and then, a fringe argument uncovers a genuine flaw in accepted thinking, exposes bad science, or highlights a question that deserves proper investigation. History has shown that consensus isn't infallible. The problem is that the truly committed cranks never know when they've been beaten by the evidence. When every fact becomes part of the conspiracy, every expert is corrupt, every contradiction is ignored, and every goalpost is wheeled off into the distance, debate ceases to exist. What's left is dogma masquerading as scepticism. We need sceptics. We even need the occasional eccentric. What we don't need are people so intellectually bankrupt that they mistake obstinacy for critical thinking and delusion for open-mindedness. That's the irony. Their original cause may have been the pursuit of truth. Somewhere along the way, it became far more important than the truth itself.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:18:58 +0000yep. trump renders folks insane.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:14:22 +0000Yes, Trump will pardon everyone around him for everything they've ever done. But that's only federal charges. Lots of blue states will have lots of charges they can bring that can't be pardoned federally.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:13:03 +0000they liked the way hunter invested for joeSun, 05 Jul 2026 16:11:41 +0000oh look, the shicklgruber brigade has appeared. got it. preys. skullcap. jewish family. joooooooooooooos. asean now, the internet home of jew hating cockroaches lolSun, 05 Jul 2026 16:10:48 +0000Back in the day Bill Maher did a great parody of The Silver Hedgehog (as some in the media would refer to him) with the chalkboard, would be worth the search to dig it up. Fox supposedly dumped him for a calling then-President Obama a Nazi, but that didn't make sense at the time because he had already been doing so for quite a while -- I think it was triggered by that thing with a country singer saying the same thing on their channel. A biography of him should be titled "Fear+Hatred = $$$$"Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:09:17 +0000C'mon really ???... "zombie knife" is one of those fantasy blades straight out of a post-apocalyptic fever dream. Covered in serrations, spikes, biohazard symbols and tactical nonsense... Just enough to make one wonder if it's for shaving wood at weekend camping trip or compensating for something a little more sinister. It's the sort of thing you'd expect to find hanging from the belt of an NRA enthusiast who was refused a carry license due to a previous misdemeanour of rogering his nieces nephew who turned out to be older than him anyway - turns out it was just outside of Alabama county lines....😳Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:06:57 +0000It's all getting documented and the authorities will wait until the King of Grifters is not allowed to pardon anybody (including himself) before the whole clan gets a new wardrobe of orange jumpsuits. Will match his hair.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:06:12 +0000Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:03:08 +0000Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:01:57 +0000"while continuing to behave erratically due to intoxication" Enough said..............moving on 🥱Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:57:11 +0000The feminization of AI is crucial to its ultimate dystopian success. If AI was developed to have a swinging-pair and testosterone, the Beta males and liberal lefties wouldn't stand a chance. Said it before and I'll say it again - the feminization of society that made boys into dysfunctional girls, and societal building men that actually built the world into a sad caricature of Al Bundy, will eventually be seen as the root source of the collapse of Western society. The King is dead, Long live the King.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:55:17 +0000@liddelljohn First of all you should not quote and then write your comment inside that quote. Here is some of that "made up propaganda by other jellyfish psychopathic jew haters" Fact 1: Israel is killing children. The last UN report is based on many facts and proofs and on top of that is confirmed by countless human rights lawyers and organizations not to mention all the doctors from Western countries who have seen it and who have tried to save the lives of the kids that had been gunned down by Israeli snipers. Look at 0:20. IDF shot that boy and just stood around watching him bleed to death. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcC4iooq1XY Fact 2: Israel is killing innocent and unarmed civilians. Again there are countless proofs, witnesses and even videos showing IDF cowards executing unarmed civilians who had surrendered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhgZ42msxKY Fact 3: Israel is regularly raping detainees or inserting metal rods into their anus or vagina and has even trained dogs to rape them. The government of “the only democracy in the Middle East” has even officially discussed the right to rape in their government! If this does not clearly demonstrate the level of depravity of their society then I don't know what. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wUhdh8NLe0s Fact 4: Israel was built on stolen land and keeps stealing land The Palestinians were promised their own land if they help Britain to fight the Ottomans, which they agreed on. But after the end of WW1 Britain broke its promise and instead of land the Palestinians got Jews who moved to the area and later demanded their own land, enforcing it with the first terrorist organizations in the area, Irgun, Levy and Hagenah. 1948 the UN gave the Jews more than 60% of the land despite they were less than 40% of the population, causing the Arab-Israeli war, which Israel won thanks to their allies in the West leading to the Nakba, the catastrophe, in which 10s of thousands of Palestinians were murdered and 750,000 displaced, not to mention the land theft that followed immediately. 1967 Israel initiated the Six-Day War by launching a preemptive surprise airstrike and in the days and weeks to follow stole even more land. And right now, Israeli settlers are stealing land every day and a huge number of new settlements was just authorized by the Israeli government. Common thieves who live on stolen land and keep stealing land. Fact 5: Israel has never declared its borders here the answer of AI: Israel has never officially or permanently defined all of its sovereign borders. While its Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948 did not specify borders, the country has relied on a mix of armistice lines, international treaties, and ongoing military occupations throughout its history Fact 6: Israel is an apartheid state. 1. Dual Legal and Administrative Systems: In the West Bank, Jewish settlers are governed by Israeli civil law while Palestinians live under military law, leading to profound inequalities in justice, rights, and accountability. 2. The Nation-State Law: Passed in 2018, this law asserts that the right to self-determination in Israel belongs exclusively to the Jewish people, which critics argue legally codifies the inferior status of Palestinian citizens of Israel 3. Land and Housing Policies: The state routinely limits Palestinian land use and development while expanding Jewish-only settlements, paired with policies of home demolitions and forced displacement. Fact 7: Israel has just murdered 100.000 people, which is confirmed by many organizations Including the IDF.: 1. Max Planck Institute Study: A peer-reviewed demographic study by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research estimated a median of 112,069 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, with the toll potentially reaching up to 125,000. This number includes unregistered deaths, such as individuals buried under rubble or those who died from indirect causes like malnutrition and lack of medical care. 2. Official and Human Rights Reports: While official local casualty counts previously tracked lower, major organizations and UN monitoring groups widely estimate that total fatalities, including missing and severely wounded who later died, exceed 100,000 3. Israeli Military Assessment: Internal checks by the Israeli military indicate that confirmed direct fatalities among Palestinians number in the tens of thousands, although humanitarian groups note this figure does not account for indirect deaths from the conflict. Let me guess, all of them Jew hating Muslims, even those inside the Israeli military, right? I could give you so many more facts but we both know that you are not interested in them, as you are perfectly aware that they are true. You are desperately trying to keep that pathetic victim card valid. An army that deliberately slaughters children, whose snipers use children for target practice, is a disgrace to every human being on this planet who has ever worn a uniform. And a population that, for the most part, stands behind such an army is despicable, the absolute lowest of the low, and no longer fits into our modern world. You don’t need to hope to meet me in person; I can arrange that, yet I doubt that there is much to be gained from such a meeting as by now you haven't uttered a single intelligent word. In your own interest, I can only hope that this was not meant as a threat. I take threats very seriously and react accordingly. Perhaps you would like to comment further on this. You are just a pitiful little man trying to defy critics of Israel with baseless and cheap insinuations, not even sparing yourself from making the dumbest statements: I am for peace, you and the country you defend so much are not. I haven´t murdered more than 20,000 innocent children, about 1000 of them not even one year old, yet I am the one against peace, who calls “for the total destruction of Western civilization and the total annihilation of all Jews in this world”? Again, pathetic insinuations because you have nothing to counter my facts and arguments – and you know it. What you don't know or maybe lack the intelligence to understand is that your actions are not helping your cause. You judge others by your own depraved and racist standards and therefore fail to understand why the world is siding with Palestine. Because other than you we see every person on this planet as a human being with equal rights, while you see yourself as the chosen people, the rest of humanity as lesser Goyim and some of them, especially those living on the land you want to steal, as some kind of plague which has to be exterminated. You should be ashamed of yourself that you support the mass murder of innocent civilians 2/3 of them being women and children by trying to silence any critics of that terror government with your tantrums, wrong allegations and insults.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:45:56 +0000The family that preys together stays together.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:44:58 +0000Because it involves a Brit and a "dark skinned" male, probably a dispute about the soccer World Cup and some dubious call by a referee. As only 1- 5/8 of the English team are non-immigrants, loyalties become somewhat divided when any African, non-indigenous South American, or Caribbean team are the opponents. The dark-skinned bloke probably hails from Birmingham, via the Democratic Republic of Congo.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:40:22 +0000Many sites do direct comparison. Can be biased however simple Google of eg " TorFx vs WISE would be a start. Which I just did. AI reply..... "Wise is generally cheaper and faster for small, self-managed transfers and offers a multi-currency account, whereas TorFX is better for large sums (over £8,000 / $10,000) because it assigns you a dedicated account manager and can waive transfer fees."Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:37:47 +0000Read any news from the US lately?Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:34:26 +0000There were massive protests across the country when the agreement was signed so, no, "Lebanon and its people" aren't all on one side. Unfortunately, the country has Shia-Sunni-Christian factions at loggerheads. Nevertheless, on the ground it's only Hezbollah resisting the invading Jewish Israeli animals.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:29:19 +0000So what are you trying to say? She was a normal decent girl and he corrupted her? He created a Golum that eventually turned against him?Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:20:10 +0000On that note, read a very intersting article from the NZ Herald...... Trump offers pardons to a major Republican donor and violators of the Clean Air Act All of those pardoned were convicted of violations related to the Clean Air Act, a landmark air pollution regulation passed in 1963. Many in the group were found to have tampered with emissions control equipment in vehicles, or to have sold parts to bypass the controls in violation of the Clean Air Act. Margo Oge, a former director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality at the US Environmental Protection Agency, said: “These pardons don’t just forgive a paperwork violation - they reward people who ran businesses stripping pollution controls off diesel trucks for profit”. Trump, who pledged during the campaign to crack down on the illegal flow of deadly drugs coming across the border, also granted clemency to several individuals convicted for drug-related crimes, including Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover, Baltimore drug kingpin Garnett Gilbert Smith and former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez. The day he was inaugurated for a second term, Trump pardoned most January 6 defendants - a sweeping action that granted clemency to more than 1500 convicted in connection with the riot at the US Capitol in 2021, including those who assaulted police officers. Trump is rotten to the core and dishing out pardons to those involved in the Jan 6 Capitol Hill riot is/should be a crime in and of itself. Wake up America, the clown, con man, thief and rapist is enriching himself, his family and cohorts at the expense of America's reputation and the everyday worker, https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/trump-offers-pardons-to-a-major-republican-donor-and-violators-of-the-clean-air-act/FIEHJM4BA5FHRJI3SWBWNCRH4Q/Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:19:48 +0000The fast track lane doesn’t say “Thai citizens” but it says “long stay”.Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:08:47 +0000