https://aseannow.com/rss/44-thailand-news.xml/National and regional news from all around ThailandenDebatable - the 1949 IDP is valid for 1 year / The 1968 IPD is valid for three years. Validity of 'use' from date of entry is often debated - with many suggesting that 90 days is the limit - and this limit is based on 'residency' because after 90 days, theoretically a person has conducted a 90 day report and their status here is no longer considered temporary.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:08:31 +0000Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:07:54 +0000What are you referring to. I certainly did not give thumbs down to your post.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:07:18 +0000If your home country's driving licence is already in English, you won't need an IDP when applying for a Thai driving licence. That was certainly my experience at DLT Area 3 in Bangkok, and I'm sure others who have been through the process there can confirm the same. I let my Thai licence lapse for more than 12 months a few years ago, so I had to start from scratch. I was issued a new 2-year temporary licence, followed by a 5-year licence, which I've since renewed. At no point, either when reapplying or when I first obtained my Thai licence decades ago, was I ever asked to produce an IDP. The only time an IDP would generally be needed is if your home licence isn't in English, in which case the DLT will usually require either an IDP or a certified translation.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:06:23 +0000The United States marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July Fourth with celebrations taking place across the country, although this year's commemorations reflect differing approaches to the milestone. Get today's headlines by email President Donald Trump has promoted the National Mall festivities in Washington as a large-scale patriotic event, describing the evening's fireworks display on social media as "the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all, a 'TRIBUTE TO AMERICA.'" The event is expected to feature military bands and music selected by the president after several popular music acts reportedly withdrew from the programme. Washington celebrations take a different directionTrump has also described the fireworks display as the largest in history. Freedom 250, a Trump-aligned organisation overseeing the National Mall celebrations, has said it hopes to set a Guinness World Record, although it has not disclosed the overall cost of the event. The group's month-long Great American State Fair on the National Mall has faced organisational challenges, uneven attendance and controversy, including the appearance of a Confederate flag. Not all 50 states are participating in the fair. The anniversary comes at a time of political division in the United States. Debate over the principles set out in the Declaration of Independence has continued in recent weeks, including in a US Supreme Court case concerning birthright citizenship. The court's majority upheld constitutional protections for citizenship by birth in the United States. Comparisons with the 1976 bicentennialThe country's previous major independence anniversary, the bicentennial in 1976, drew an estimated one million people to Washington for fireworks, according to historical accounts. Heavy traffic caused by the celebrations lasted into the following day. President Gerald Ford did not centre the bicentennial around a single rally in the capital. Instead, he attended events across the northeastern United States, including a speech outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where another crowd estimated at one million people gathered. Observers note that the United States in 1976 was emerging from the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, providing a different national backdrop to this year's celebrations. Separate organisations lead anniversary eventsPlanning for the semiquincentennial has been divided between two organisations. America 250, established by Congress a decade ago on a bipartisan basis, continues to coordinate commemorative events nationwide, including community celebrations branded as "America's Block Party." The Trump administration instead backed Freedom 250, a separate public-private organisation created after disagreements over staffing and planning. Freedom 250 has organised several high-profile events, including plans for a UFC event at the White House and an IndyCar race through Washington later this year. States and broadcasters pursue their own commemorationsMany states are holding independent celebrations. In Virginia, commemorations are centred on Colonial Williamsburg, where historical interpreters portray figures from the American Revolution and events focus on the nation's founding. PBS, which has traditionally televised the National Mall fireworks, is instead broadcasting its Independence Day programme from Colonial Williamsburg. The programme will include fireworks, a drone display and historical presentations. Carly Fiorina, honorary chair of Virginia 250 and chair of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, said the state chose to develop its own programme rather than focus on Washington. She said the celebrations were intended to emphasise that the country's history extends beyond any individual political leader. Fiorina pointed to George Washington's decision not to remain in office indefinitely and his choice not to seek a third presidential term as examples of that principle. Trump visited the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota before the anniversary celebrations. Roosevelt declined to seek another term in 1908, although he later mounted an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1912. Under the US Constitution, presidents are limited to two elected terms, meaning Trump cannot seek another term after leaving office in 2029. Join the discussion? Already a member? Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 3 July 2026 View full articleFri, 03 Jul 2026 11:06:01 +0000That's not quite what I found using an AI Google search. It told me that while, "the Hakenkreuz (the Nazi swastika) is strictly banned in Germany, religious swastikas, which are used in Buddhism and Hinduism, are perfectly legal."Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:05:28 +0000I have no idea what you are talking about. It doesn’t appear relevant to my post.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:04:46 +0000Knobs like anything knobby.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:04:22 +0000The above prices are one way, so it's $120 vs $40 on a round trip.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:04:19 +0000I disagree. Solar panels are getting quite cheap, so many people install more panels than are strictly needed to account for overcast days. With 12-15 kW of panels a sunny day would give you 5-6 hours of maximum export, while still leaving you 4-5 kW to cover the house load.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:02:58 +0000Reading the to and fros here, I do have a question; sort of an adjunct to my post earlier. If "undisputed facts" prove D.C. is such a rampant pool of treasonous, country-hating, Radical Left Wing Lunatics that scare off the "loyal patriotic" and law-abiding people of the Right, then Why The Fu..Hell did the organisers - whomevere they may be - decide to hold it in DC in the first place? Even using those "alternative facts" it's still, as I said, a debacle.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:02:00 +0000It's $44 from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, I use the airport bus to get out there which is $8 and I'd assume the same in PP which is $60 all in. I think the decent coach companies like Giant Ibis run at around $15-$20. With the 2 hours it takes in total to get to and from the airports to town centres plus a couple of hours pre check in at departure, for me I don't think I'd use it. I would still prefer to take the bus and use the $40 saving on a couple of extra hotel nights in the capital. Maybe business people or short trip tourists will see the benefit, can't blame them for trying in their current woefully under utilised new airports.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 11:00:45 +0000An IDP is only good for a year. You'll want an unexpired IDP when you apply for a Thai DL otherwise you'll be doing all of the tests. If you have an IDP, it's assumed you know how to drive.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:59:57 +0000That is a myth. Anyone who tells their attorney they want to submit DNA will be told get another lawyer. As judge Kaplan wrote, there would be no way to prove that non-semen DNA -- which is what it was -- from Trump did not get on the dress some way other than Ms. Carroll claimed.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:59:31 +0000Per another thread...yes, remove the emoticons...it just an excuse for people that don't have the balls to make a comment to click a thumbs down.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:57:15 +0000AphrodisiacFri, 03 Jul 2026 10:56:29 +0000Gallup polling suggests that I am right; https://news.gallup.com/poll/711938/american-pride-falls-year-record-low.aspx From the article; When combining “extremely proud” and “very proud” responses, 93% of Republicans express high levels of pride, compared with 51% of independents and 27% of Democrats, both record lows for their respective groups. From the article, during the Obama years GOP respondents who said "very proud" hovered areound 65-70%, Dems were low 50s to 40s. Biden years? GOP around 60%.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:55:20 +0000The shipper will take your LINE ID and Thai address when you sign up, and give you their USA shipping address that includes your customer ID. You then use that address as the ship-to address with online sellers like Amazon. You will pay the shipping cost via transfer to their Thai bank account once your goods are in Thailand. They then forward your package via Thai EMS.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:52:45 +0000Blow Fish are terrible.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:52:44 +0000I bought condoms at the pharmacy and the cashier asked if I wanted a bag. I said, “No thanks. She’s not that ugly.”Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:52:32 +0000Call it whatever you want - for well over 20 years the information has been 'hard to come by' regarding the precise regulations - what we do read is a lot of advice. Just look at obtaining a licence in the first place - some DLT's will accept a Yellow House Book as proof of address, some will not - this 'hearsay' becomes irrelevant when you get a Thai Diving licence anyway. Equally so - Police in Phuket and Pattaya often accept your UK Driving Licence with IDP when riding a motorcycle - even though there is no motorcycle endorsement - figure that one out ! The advice I always give - regardless of what we believe the regulations to be get a Thai Driving / Motorcycle licence - that removes any ambiguity and stops the discussion dead in its tracks if the Police or insurance were to start getting awkwardFri, 03 Jul 2026 10:49:51 +0000People need to grow-up and accept that not everyone agrees with your comment and posts a thumbs-down, grow a set and more on. However, sending a nasty or harassing PM is not acceptable under any circumstances and should receive a kicking or kicked out depending on its severity. Your call.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:49:37 +0000I've lived in BKK and Rayong for a decade, and then we moved back to the home country. In the mean time we've bought a house, a farm, and expanding the land in not that far frmo the Huai Kha Khaeng wildlife sanctuary on the Nakhon Sawan / Uthai Thani boarder. It's an hour from Nakhon Sawan city. It's a lovely place and I have spent quite a bit of time there and dengue aside, I enjoy it there. But when it comes to living there in retirement, I'm not so sure. I would welcome insights, thoughts, perspectives from others living in NS or that area please.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:49:19 +0000The swastika "belongs" to many ancient cultures. I know it was used by the Iriquois and Navajo cultures in America, and I think it was used by the Maya. I'm pretty sure it's been found in Egypt, as well. It's a way to show a moving object when there's no artistic tradition for that. I was a kid during World War II, but I think this man was out of line. I doubt any of his family died in the Holocaust. Maybe he'd had a couple too many.Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:49:00 +0000the malaysia restaurant is quiet these days it was a noisy pick up joint in the past ,open all night like the thermae, !Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:47:44 +0000