https://aseannow.com/rss/44-thailand-news.xml/National and regional news from all around ThailandenIronically - the last time I renewed my passport I complained about the financial security of having to write down my my credit-card details and 3 digit security code on a piece of paper that was going to be posted to the UK (UK Credit Card). I asked why in 2025 that there wasn't an online secure portal through which to make payment. About 3 weeks later I received an e-mail from HMPO stating they could not process my payment and directed me to an online portal to make a secure payment !!! Also - I find it much easier to fill out forms etc on PDF editors than handwriting them. Nope - VFS would not accept my 'typed' version (handwritten signature) - it had to be handwritten so I had to re-write the renewal application there and then.Tue, 26 May 2026 18:34:07 +0000Reminds me of those who will justify offensive (or criminal) behaviour in France because there also are offences (or crimes) committed by the native population. The fact that offences and/or crimes are committed by natives does not change anything to the fact that those committed by immigrants would not have occurred if the immigration policies were not implemented. IMO, In a healthy society, being an expat is a favour granted by the host country, a favour which can be revoked anytime and which is conditioned to behavioural (and financial) constraints. We are not (and I appreciate this is a controversial statement in 2026) 'citizens of the world who are at home everywhere'. I have a duty to respect my host country, and have strived to do so for the past 17 years. Of course an offence is more serious if committed by myself rather than by a Thai (if you see things through a nationalist and protectionist lens, as I do). No contradiction there, quite the contrary: Thailand is such a pleasant country because Thai culture is wonderful overall. If it opens the door to/tolerates nefarious exterior behaviour, it is setting itself on a downwards spiral.Tue, 26 May 2026 18:28:11 +0000au contraire , monsieur .......... the top of the crap are enjoying financial gains like never before !! They indeed..... are BUILDING BACK BETTER . You and many others who even still attempt to keep up (paste foto of the elites laughing at the cocktail lounge) ......... are hanging onto the sliver of hope that lives eternal and is promoted daily in Car and Beer commercials : "don't vorry, be hoppy ?" hey, i'm just a comedian . throw tomatoes if you like , but please.... not those hard colorless ones that are put on the shelves where the serfs shop.😀Tue, 26 May 2026 18:21:21 +000055555 ... See what I mean? Unhappy and angry wherever you are. It doesn't have to be like that Jonny. Reality is really not all that bad. Try it some time.Tue, 26 May 2026 18:17:42 +0000In what now feels like a lifetime ago, when I was in my mid-20s, I seriously considered moving to Patong. A group of friends and I spent about a month there before we all independently came to the same conclusion: it would be almost impossible to build a remotely normal or grounded life in that environment long term. The problem wasn’t Thailand itself, but the nature of high-density tourist zones. Almost every interaction felt transactional. There was a noticeable shift in the social dynamic compared to most other parts of Thailand - less organic warmth, more commercial expectation. It creates a kind of double-edged stigma. Many foreigners are automatically viewed as temporary tourists with money, while many Thais in those areas are assumed to be primarily motivated by extracting money from foreigners. Neither stereotype is universally true, but both become deeply ingrained over time. That makes genuine friendships harder to form because both sides are constantly second-guessing motives. Relationships become even more complicated for similar reasons. Foreign men are often assumed to be bar-hopping players, while Thai women are often unfairly assumed to be financially motivated. Breaking through those layers of mutual suspicion can be difficult. Bangkok ultimately became the obvious choice for me. It was far easier to meet similarly minded people - both Thai and Western - who were professionals, building careers, families and ordinary lives. The social interactions felt far more natural, balanced and authentic - and still do.Tue, 26 May 2026 18:17:09 +0000Jonny this is puerile piffle. The world is not like this, not even the UK. You really don't have to live in a state of permanent neurotic fear.Tue, 26 May 2026 18:12:05 +0000sources please ( concerning what "the vast majority" are "sold on" .) My source tells me it is strictly a case of sperm not being able to reach the target due to the obesity plague ..... also the middle classes (what's left of them) can not afford children due to the extreme inflation which has been thrust upon them. The only thrust occurring with any vigor (sexual that is) is done by the poor who benefit from having more kids . as for the "dramatic drop" in births .... well, i think you mean the gradual decrease in the birth RATE . the OVERALL number of people continues to go up, and is projected to reach 10plus Billion in the next ten years or so (from the present 8.3 billion.) BTW: this is the same "game" played" with inflation lies which are spread to make people believe that prices are not going up that much . Also... the rate of fertility definitely has moved in correlation with the declining mental acuity of the average homo sapien inhabiting today's world. Granted, the thumbs of humans have been advancing at a remarkable speed.... due to the vast amount of time punching tablets instead of using the outdated VOICE method of communication . Dumb looks and an apelike appearance (notice all males are encouraged to have facial hair ) are the wave of the future.Tue, 26 May 2026 18:09:55 +0000You respect the fact that being a foreigner here is an 'aggravating factor'.... quite the statement. IMO the argument falls apart quite quickly when thought through. Either an offence is an offence, or it isn’t. The seriousness of an act should be judged by the act itself, not by the passport of the person involved. Saying “being foreign is an aggravating factor” essentially means applying different moral or social standards to two people committing the exact same act. That stops being justice and starts becoming prejudice dressed up as nationalism. There’s also a contradiction in claiming to “respect” that principle while living abroad yourself. Most expats would be outraged if they were automatically judged more harshly simply because they were foreign. I think many of us are extremely fortunate that living in Thailand is generally a very positive experience socially. More often than not, I find foreigners are treated with warmth, patience and friendliness, often to a greater degree than the way ordinary Thais interact with each other day to day. And even in situations where there isn’t warmth, there is usually at least a neutral indifference, which honestly doesn’t bother me at all, because that’s quite often just the normal social dynamic between Thai people themselves. That’s precisely why I dislike seeing this growing tendency to frame trivial disputes through a “foreigner vs Thai” lens, because it risks damaging one of the very things that has historically made Thailand such a welcoming place to live and visit. I do wonder how much social media amplification is inflaming relatively minor incidents and gradually creating resentment that otherwise wouldn’t really exist. Is there actually a dramatic increase in badly behaved foreigners? Or is the impression being artificially exaggerated because social media algorithms and news outlets disproportionately focus on “foreigner stories” since they generate engagement? If millions of perfectly normal daily interactions between Thais and foreigners go unreported, but every minor dispute involving a foreigner is filmed, shared and amplified nationwide, it inevitably starts distorting public perception. People begin feeling a problem is everywhere, even if the underlying behaviour itself hasn’t materially changed.Tue, 26 May 2026 18:09:23 +0000Yeah, Trump was the one calling for concentration camps....oh wait never mind. LOL.Tue, 26 May 2026 18:07:12 +0000You must not have heard JD is finished , and Marco is too small to be US President. only 3 more years for folks to suffer and MAGA cult will be no more ,like the Tea Party. regards worgeordieTue, 26 May 2026 18:04:33 +0000@richard_smith237 "Because, in Bangkok, life is very normal - the interaction I witness first hand between Thai's and foreigners here is very normal - simply mutually respectful - nothing special, nothing gushing, just normal interactoin." You are probably correct sir, most of the bad behavior news here on AN is coming from Phuket and Patters. Having spent 11 years in Phuket fulltime, I was able to travel Thailand extensively and on my return will look to reside in other parts, where as you say there is normality.Tue, 26 May 2026 18:03:01 +0000Yes he's really winning at the moment , 5555 ,"under our boot " sounds something like the Nazi party would say , so fitting. regards worgeordieTue, 26 May 2026 18:00:56 +0000Nah, JD or Marco will continue the movement. Its not the leader, its the policies.Tue, 26 May 2026 17:57:55 +0000Because ultimately, Thailand is a nationalist country, a foreigner is not the same as a Thai and when committing an offence, being foreign is an aggravating factor… something I understand and respect (and I wish my native France would do the same).Tue, 26 May 2026 17:57:07 +0000Is that actually true though ?? - Possibly in Phuket or night life areas of Pattaya perhaps ??? Because, in Bangkok, life is very normal - the interaction I witness first hand between Thai's and foreigners here is very normal - simply mutually respectful - nothing special, nothing gushing, just normal interactoin. What I do see is media amplification of very isolated incidents from area's such as Phuket. And - Don't have sympathy for this business owner - they were about to subtract that contested 80 baht from the staffs wages - thats not a kind benevolent business owner - thats a dictator.Tue, 26 May 2026 17:56:27 +0000You will feel how worthless life is when your dear leader is no more ,and the state of his health at the moment , you better be prepared for it. regards worgeordieTue, 26 May 2026 17:54:58 +0000We're weathering the storm to the best of our abilities. 😊 Times are a little hard but IMO this is the result of the old paradigm, not the new one. A collapse is underway and collapses are never pleasant experiences.Tue, 26 May 2026 17:52:51 +0000Lots of Vory became suddenly JewishTue, 26 May 2026 17:52:20 +0000Greatest con artist in the history of politics. King of Grifters.Tue, 26 May 2026 17:51:36 +0000That very much depends on exactly what happened as we are only getting the side of the story from the cook. IF I ordered something and it wasn't as ordered, I'd complain immediately and ask for a remake. IF I ordered something and drank half of it, and it wasn't great, I'd pay for it. In the past, a wrong item has been served, it remained on the bill and we have had it removed. In the past, a wrong item has been served, and we've just accepted it along with a whole load of other things ordered, it didn't matter - in Thai restaurants, its astonishingly common that a wrong item is served (and thats with the Wife ordering in Thai - its usually down staff inattention). So, IF I ordered a strawberry milkshake and they put down a Pineapple shake - I wouldn't want to pay for it - but I'd also highlight that at the time they served it - not at waiting until the end. Something still doesn't add up here - and the story is very much an 'anti-foreigner' pile-on - The segment on the Thai news starts with "lets discuss badly behaving foreigners in Phuket"... (spoken in Thai of course).Tue, 26 May 2026 17:51:24 +0000I cannot fault the logic of that argument. My only concern is the potential loss of the £300 application fee (x2 in this case although it makes sense for daughter to try that first and, if successful, her husband then applies.) It is encouraging to hear that (unlike, say, UK visa applications) you have some wiggle room in negotiating the financial evidence)Tue, 26 May 2026 17:50:14 +0000By that you mean, winner. If you are unhappy under our boot, enjoy the alternative.Tue, 26 May 2026 17:47:50 +0000Says a MAGA cultist , regards worgeordieTue, 26 May 2026 17:46:09 +0000Have to feel sorry for a lot of the Thai business owners that have to put up with poor foreigner behavior. We used to refer to Thailand as LOS, land of smiles. I think that reference has gone away due to low life tourist trash.Tue, 26 May 2026 17:46:00 +0000Thats just your opinion most of the UK don't have your opinion and shown it with there feet at a polling booth next ?Tue, 26 May 2026 17:43:51 +0000