https://aseannow.com/rss/44-thailand-news.xml/National and regional news from all around ThailandenThe Local Exchange Trading System (LETS) : Argentina 2001: The Protocol That Saved Ordinary People I joined the first LETS in France [or S.E.L. in French], the 'Pyrenean' one, at the time it was formed in 1992. A great idea in both economic and social terms. When an economy collapses, society tends to come unglued. The French Social Security organisation tried to close the SEL by bringing criminal charges against some of our members on the grounds they were working outside the legal framework, which required huge social security charges. [2,400 francs per year irrespective of earnings, which could be additionally subject to income tax, when I enquired in the early 1980s] The accuseds'defence was that they were merely offering one another mutual assistance, as customary amongst rural communities since time immemorial. Surprisingly, the court ruled in favour of the defendants. We all breathed a sigh of relief.Sun, 17 May 2026 03:13:52 +0000You mention 16000 baht fee; OP mentions that he doesn't meet the financial requirements. Are you two on the same page?Sun, 17 May 2026 03:13:25 +0000I have been through the AutolifeThailand news section and the last monthly EV registrations was for January @Pib if you have access Land Transport figures I know many of us would appreciate seeing themSun, 17 May 2026 03:04:52 +0000UPDATE Rail Crossing Officer Charged Over Bangkok CrashSun, 17 May 2026 03:03:43 +0000UPDATE Rail Crossing Officer Charged Over Bangkok Crash Picture courtesy of Amarin Police have charged a railway crossing barrier operator with negligence causing death and serious injury following the train crash and fire that killed eight people near Makkasan Airport Rail Link station in Bangkok. Investigators at Makkasan Police Station questioned the railway barrier control officer throughout the night after the collision involving a freight train, a Route 206 air-conditioned bus, private vehicles and motorcycles on Asok-Din Daeng Road. On 17 May 2026, police confirmed the officer had been charged with “acting negligently causing death and serious injury”. Investigators said additional charges could follow once further witness interviews and evidence collection are completed. The officer was released after questioning and was not detained in custody. Police said no other individuals had yet been formally charged in connection with the crash, but the investigation remains ongoing. Thailand’s national police chief also commented on the crash, saying the bus driver could have acted negligently by stopping across the railway tracks. Officials said vehicles should never remain stationary on a live crossing. Authorities continue to focus on identifying all contributing factors behind the crash, including traffic conditions, railway crossing procedures and emergency response measures. Support and compensation efforts for the families of those killed and injured are also continuing. Adapted by ASEAN Now Dailynews 17 May 2026Sun, 17 May 2026 03:02:53 +0000Sun, 17 May 2026 02:57:33 +0000Grifter worshipers get grifted by grifter.Sun, 17 May 2026 02:49:54 +0000"given up earlier home in one's home country, so Thailand now is one's home." That seems like a good indicator.Sun, 17 May 2026 02:49:41 +0000Wise got licensed in Thailand. Starting July 1st, I believe, people with a Thai Wise account will not be able to use their Wise cards. There will also be other limitations. Wise may also be checking to see that people who do a lot of transfers to Thailand have a Thai Wise account and not the international Wise account if they reside in Thailand. Under the new license, Thai resident can not have an international account.Sun, 17 May 2026 02:48:01 +0000They seem to have done well enough without the likes of this misguided teen. https://x.com/visegrad24/status/2055647306771312823Sun, 17 May 2026 02:47:30 +0000That's probably what he was hoping for.Sun, 17 May 2026 02:46:18 +0000GallSun, 17 May 2026 02:44:14 +0000On Iran’s proxies, if Iran is in good-faith negotiations with Israel and as part of that stops funding the proxies, and with pressure from both Israel and Iran, they might start to see that the game is up. Hezbollah is a legitimate political party in Lebanon and could revert to normal national politics. The others are perhaps more complicated; Gaza is huge mess (I don’t know how much of Hamas is left), and the Houthis control most of Yemen including the national capital, and any ceasefire there would have to involve the Saudis as well. While I normally have sympathy for displaced peoples, in the event of Palestinian independence, I wouldn’t feel too badly for the Israeli settlers (or “colonists,” as you rightly call them) -- given that they are mostly hardline nationalists and have instigated much violence against their Arab neighbors, and gotten away with it. I think the West Bank is currently about 80% Palestinian and 20% Israeli settlers; I suppose the Israelis could be welcome to stay as citizens of the new state, if they are willing to accept majority rule and an end to the apartheid system currently in place. I suspect most would choose to resettle in Israel. I did not know that Somaliland had been mentioned as a possible relocation site for Gaza’s population; I know that some Israeli leaders had mentioned the DRC (Congo) as a possible site. These kinds of ideas are more than disgusting. I don’t know if those in Netanyahu’s coalition who have proposed them remember their history -- Adolf Eichmann and other Nazi leaders in 1940 seriously proposed relocating Europe’s Jewish population to Madagascar (I suppose considering the 4 million Malagasy people who already lived there merely part of the jungle scenery). The irony of the Somaliland/DRC proposals is astonishing, but I don’t think anything will come of them. On compassion for Palestinians -- I would like to think that the majority of Israeli Jews indeed are compassionate and would like to see peaceful settlements all around, while Jewish racists, though in a minority, feel at liberty to express their hatefulness openly under the current administration (much the same as racists in the US feel at liberty to openly express their views, without embarrassment, in the current environment there). But I don’t know; I’ve never visited Israel and don’t know how deeply the anti-Arab sentiment runs. (I am good friends with a great many American Jews, and all are sickened by the Netanyahu government. But they are Americans, not Israelis.)Sun, 17 May 2026 02:41:26 +0000Actually, without Burnham, I think Starmer has a chance of winning a Leadership election.Sun, 17 May 2026 02:39:24 +0000Overhead footage tells you nothing, especially as both sides are using AI and clips from past marches.Sun, 17 May 2026 02:38:26 +0000Question to whomever qualified that idiot as an electrician ... ... are you nuts ? I wish I could use the microwave from the car, while the car was charging. An outlet would be nice. "Honey, can we get the RD6 ? "Sun, 17 May 2026 02:36:05 +0000correction: "Trump should have been smart enough..." but we know he isn't. Due to spineless Republican majority in Congress, Trump did not even consult or inform the branch that can declare war and is said to have control of the money. It is Trump's war 100%. Second time around in WH he made sure to hire inept clueless flunkies in positions that matter. First term had some adults in the room providing limited guard rails... Trump is notorious for not taking advice, so it is Trump's warSun, 17 May 2026 02:35:53 +0000Sun, 17 May 2026 02:35:37 +0000Sun, 17 May 2026 02:35:02 +0000Sun, 17 May 2026 02:34:26 +0000The monkey should have bitten him in his member while in his shorts.Sun, 17 May 2026 02:34:07 +0000Too soon?Sun, 17 May 2026 02:33:36 +0000She'd spent hours looking for 'the Barber of Seville' - another migrant stealing jobs - but couldn't find him so settled for a Kurd.Sun, 17 May 2026 02:33:06 +0000Sun, 17 May 2026 02:31:43 +0000Sun, 17 May 2026 02:31:14 +0000