The week that was in Thailand news: Thailand: Where life and tomatoes don’t come cheap

[rooster59]

The week that was in Thailand news: Thailand: Where life and tomatoes don’t come cheap

 

 

A story from the south of Thailand this week about a hired gunman shooting a woman for 2,500 baht sent this columnist into a reverie of reminiscence about an extraordinary Thai man I met many years ago.
 
His name was Pira Sudham and he rose from humble north eastern beginnings to be nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature. He wrote for many years about social and political transition in Thailand. Among his subjects were the impoverished, slavery, prostitution and the drug trade. All his work is in English.
 
I was a teacher of Thai culture and he sounded like my cup of tea so I invited him to come to my international school to give a talk to students and parents. To say it was eye-opening would be the understatement of the 20th Century.
 
I had first come across Pira while reading a short story about a hired gunman. I decided to use it in my cultural classes for older pupils.
 
Pira explained in his talk that he had been born in Napo in Buriram and was a poor son of the fields. He was later educated by monks in Bangkok and went to the prestigious Triam Udom School, Chulalongkorn University then universities in Auckland and Wellington.
 
After his mesmerizing talk containing ideas I’d never heard expressed by any Thai, he invited me out to dinner. For such a humble and frank man, I expected to take a bus to Bang Na for a bowl of noodles or perhaps some curry on rice.
 
Five minutes later I was sitting next to him in a top of the range white Mercedes Benz and we were on our way to the Shangri-La hotel on the river. As we exited Bangkok Patana School his front wheel went in a pothole. He swore in English at the Thai highways authority, vowing vengeance.
 
A wry Thai smile crossed his lips but it belied a steely determination.
 
Over dinner and the most expensive bottle of Italian wine I have ever had the pleasure to drink, he regaled me with stories of Isaan and how we needed to work together to improve Thailand. He was so inspiring that I nodded and believed. Within weeks we had set up a charity that saw our schoolchildren raise hundreds of thousands of baht for poor children in his village.
 
He encouraged me to become a public speaker. I thought he was crazy as I was mid-30s and far too nervous to contemplate standing in front of anything more than a medium size class. I tried it and had the audience eating out of the palm of my hand; some children and staff were even crying at the end. He had unleashed an unknown power. I spent the next 20 years doing a great deal of public speaking and compering.
 
It was not just the hitman story that reminded me of him. Events in the kingdom in recent weeks should remind us how the wider public as well as students can make a difference in improving the country we love.
 
Well I hope you love the kingdom, because I vow that I do! For me it’s a love that stands the test, but unlike a famous British hymn, it’s a love that does ask questions.
 
Down in Phangnga, Phakorn, aged just 26, had used his shotgun to dispatch a crab forager called Leuang from Buriram (the connection to Pira again). A callous shot to the head in a palm oil plantation. Good police work soon had the shooter in custody admitting his actions for that pitifully low fee.
 
As expected, this provided grist to the mill for those who claim that “life in Thailand is cheap”. Perhaps there was a smidgen of cheapness amongst the cruelty. But generally, I loathe this “one size fits all expression” amongst some foreigners in Thailand. It ranks alongside the ubiquitous “brown envelope” and universal “saving face” explanations, “fragile Thai male ego” and criticisms of everything from Thai driving to safety standards without providing any truly workable answers.
 
Apart from the fact that the western countries they came from miraculously do everything better! Yeh…right!
 
Used in a wider context the “life is cheap” notion is patent drivel. Throughout the whole world life is cherished above all else. And the sacrifices made by those who have died for others are rightly hailed as true heroism that must be celebrated and revered for generations.
 
Such lofty ideals seemed a long way from the forum this week as stories old and new continued to bubble and come to the boil.
 
Simmering away nicely is the saga of Red Bull Boss and his now infamous tango with a Thong Lo cop under the wheels of his Ferrari in 2012. A deputy attorney general claimed innocence then resigned before being hauled back to testify afresh. A probe recommended two charges be reintroduced. The actions of everyone from Thong Lo plod through the ranks, came into question. The chief of the RTP stamped his boots as “deep flaws” surfaced.
 
Frankly, one hardly needs to scratch that deep.
 
Meanwhile the death of a star witness was once again deemed to be an accident. One wonders what Boss makes of all this. I doubt he is supping on an energy drink while reading the comments. I doubt he gives a Tossaporn. But at least us mortals can revel in the fact that he daren’t come home!
 
Like many other arrogant, obscenely rich fugitives, something that they crave the most is out of their reach but available to us. Let’s live with that solace if nothing else.
 
Hoping that his “residence” in Thailand could continue next week is teacher-cum-blogger-cum-journalist Richard Barrow. He said immigration paid a lengthy visit putting his visa renewal in jeopardy.
 
He later tried to clarify but succeeded in only muddying the waters further for his supporters.
 
His blogging and subject matter didn’t appear worthy of banishment so it will probably blow over. None of this stopped the foreign netizens from spouting every conspiracy theory along the nonsensical lines that “no foreigner can criticize Thailand”.
 
Do people really believe that complaining about double pricing warrants deportation? It’s like getting blacklisted for moaning about bargaining at the market.
 
I accept that “mysterious forces” are sometimes at work in Thailand but avoid defamation and sidestep outright law breaking and you’ll generally be left alone.
 
Many Thais are standing up to be counted and wherever Pira Sudham is these days, I suspect he is smiling into his Chianti.
 
However, at this point I must register further disgust at the “life is cheap in Thailand” claim. Mrs R just got back from the market and tomatoes – a staple in my household and usually available in Bangkok for about 25 – 30 baht a kilo – were on sale for a staggering 90 baht.
 
Needless to say, she knew a purchase would incur the “Wrath of Rooster” so came back with aubergines on a stalk. The traders blamed the price on the rainy season. My word the monsoon gets a lot of stick, doesn’t it!
 
Road accidents are blamed on it. (This week the carnage at the scene hit 8,500 and rising for 2020). Accidents at sea and drownings are because of it. Ask the curmudgeons and they’d probably blame the price of Leo and murder on a tropical storm!
 
Apropos, an air-con repairman murdered a Singaporean businessman’s wife in a bungled robbery in Korat. A Sisaket man raped and murdered a woman with mental problems leaving her battered to death by the Chonburi motorway. In Nakhon Sri Thammarat – that Rooster invariably refers to as the murder capital of Thailand – a boyfriend stabbed his better half nineteen times in the passenger seat of a friend’s car.
 
It was indeed a bad week for the living.
 
But as horrendous as these murders were, very little can compare with the needless death of a small child. I can read the most grisly carnage from Thai Rath, be expected to translate horrendous stabbings or shootings in cold blood, but the death of a one and a half year old in Bang Bua Thong splashed tears on the keyboard.
 
The little guy was sleeping downstairs with his mum, who will always regret dropping off but was hardly to blame. He climbed on a speaker to open the front door and toddled off to a fancy carp pond by the side of the house where some colorful balls floating on the water grabbed his innocent attention…
 
I don’t like blame in these circumstances, I like to learn. Anyone with very young children should cover ponds until they grow up (the children, not the adults). One child of an international school teacher I knew once died in little more than a puddle outside their house. And don’t leave buckets of water in toilets and bathrooms uncovered either. Nippers can topple in there too.
 
I really don’t want to have to translate your misery one day.
 
Top alleged “xenophobia” story of the week concerned the upcoming Chiang Mai marathon. Organizers claimed they had no intention of barring foreigners but the backlash spoke volumes. 
 
All these denials made it appear that the standard “oh no we didn’t” Punch and Judy shenanigans of the Thai government and police were as catching as the virus.
 
Covid-19 spluttered along this week rather in the manner of an irksome cold or cold sore that persists. All I will say is that the penny – if not the baht – is really starting to drop. Foreign tourists won’t be coming back at all before next year even if there are a few flights.
 
The tourism authorities can big up the prospects as much as they like but they are kidding no one, least of all the poor Thais whose livelihoods have been decimated by the pandemic. The pandemic that as we are frequently reminded has resulted in the same number of deaths as a day on the roads or a couple of week’s drownings of under 15s in the nation’s reservoirs.
 
In Krabi the local tourism business leader said that Koh Phi Phi was now sparkling clean. Volunteer divers had even tidied up the seafloor. The island was totally, 100%, completely, absolutely, ten out of ten safe for the Thai and foreign tourists she soon expected to arrive in droves.
 
Methinks she doth praise too much.
 
In QUOTES one of a myriad of deputy mayors announced how the burying of unsightly wires and cables in Walking Street could be accomplished by very little digging. They will be using the existing drainage pipes that for some reason are completely redundant and don’t actually drain water anymore.
 
Bless the good ship Pattaya and all who sink in her!
 
Motorcyclists in Bangkok protested 1000 strong at Grab HQ over the company’s general meanness and abrupt change in work practices. Some of the angst can be laid at the door of the riders’ expectations after a bonanza during the lockdown but most companies like Grab, Uber…you name them….who enter a market at the expense of legitimate and long standing services, are initially hailed by the public, then completely shaft their employees and customers because they only care about shareholders’ profits.
 
Expect these kinds of companies to increasingly crawl out of the online woodwork. I’ll hail a taxi in the street and walk to McDonald’s thank you very much even if I pay more.
 
In international news Galicia in Spain banned smoking in most places over fear of virus spread. Ole!
 
In the UK the government announced a last minute quarantine for people coming back from France where 150,000 were holidaying. Unlike Scrabble players, the Eton Mess and Co. don’t know their coccyx from their olecranon.
 
In Auckland, lockdown was extended for at least another 12 days.
 
In sporting news, the Champions league quarter finals were one leg behind closed doors. I can’t say I miss the crowds as much as I missed having no footy, racing or snooker at all. Having them back has all but saved this sporting nut’s life, with or without spectators.
 
Though the person in charge of the crowd noise button at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield will probably only get the hang of it after the final of the World Snooker Championship concludes tomorrow. Spectators were to be allowed this weekend.
 
Back in Thailand, further holidays to replace Songkran were announced for September 4th and 7th making another long weekend next month.
 
In Chiang Mai a foreign woman threatened to jump into the Ping River before wrapping herself in a purloined Thai flag and appearing naked at a shrine. Not surprisingly she was later carted off to the city’s most well-known psychiatric hospital. Sadly, stories of this nature do nothing to promote the very real issues faced by people with mental health problems. Quite the opposite.
 
Coming from a family where we have had to face up to such issues, I would like some posters – especially on Thaivisa’s Facebook arm – to show a little more restraint in the nonsense they type.
 
In Kanchanaburi a man called Ramet, 20, who has a condition called valvular heart disease (had to Google that one) reportedly came back to life. Fortunately, an alert policeman (no oxymoron intended) spotted that he had opened his eyes after he had apparently breathed his last on the toilet while taking an afternoon dump.
 
The rescue foundation had done up his flies and were just doing up the body bag when plod intervened to save Ramet going up in smoke!
 
Finally, immigration chief Big Oud gave us all some timely laughs this week reporting on the arrest of three Chinese nationals called Wang, Si and Dong.
 
Wang was operating a dodgy website without a work permit and Si was on several years overstay.
 
Even for such a stony-faced cop as Big Oud, he admirably managed to keep a straight face behind his mask when it came to announcing the third man’s misdemeanor.
 
Dong was charged with illegal entry.
 
Rooster
 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-08-16

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

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[Samui Bodoh]

An interesting read as always.

 

50 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

All I will say is that the penny – if not the baht – is really starting to drop. Foreign tourists won’t be coming back at all before next year even if there are a few flights.
 
The tourism authorities can big up the prospects as much as they like but they are kidding no one, least of all the poor Thais whose livelihoods have been decimated by the pandemic.

 

I can't say that the above statement is wrong, but I am not sure if it is correct, yet. It is the middle of August and I don't think a final decision really needs to be made until sometime around the middle or late September or early October regarding tourism in the high season, so one won't be.

 

Why am I unsure? I think to date decisions regarding the virus have been made by people in a 'virus-proof' economic situation based solely on medical grounds, but we are beginning to see a push back from those who would lose out economically; there are lots of them and they have a great deal of influence, money and power as well. 

 

Several stories in the media have popped up with a pro-tourism slant, several 'studies' have been commissioned to show that actually Thai people do want tourists to come back. Several polls have magically surfaced which claim that Thais are 'confident' about tourism. I strongly suspect that in the next two weeks we are going to see stories on how the 'world-class' Thai public health system can actually handle a few cases, and how the Thai health volunteers are capable of monitoring the country, and how all reasonable precautions have been taken. Taken together, this is a public relations campaign to encourage the opening of limited tourism in the high season, and the people funding this wouldn't do it if they didn't think there was a chance of success.

 

In a more negative sense, the next two weeks or so are going to quantify and spell out just how much economic damage has been done to Thailand, and just how much more is coming. And, there really is no room for argument; Thailand has already suffered MASSIVE economic damage and will suffer loads more due to its dependence on foreign trade and foreigners. On a personal note, I have been living in/visiting the Kingdom since the early nineties, and this is the first time that I have seen large numbers of people sleeping rough, and the numbers will only grow. 

 

Simply put, the economic <deleted>-storm is already here, and it will only grow and grow. I know it, you know it, and you can bet the current government already knows it. 

 

Authoritarian governments without popular mandates fall in tough economic times; examples abound in political history. That is something else that everyone, including the current government, knows.

 

Are the borders going to remain firmly closed for high season? I doubt that a final decision has been made yet as a final decision doesn't need to be made yet. Tune in come mid/late September.

 

Interesting times...

 

[rumak]

Did Big Oud meet Big Dong face to face ?    Or was the meeting behind closed doors ?

 

[rumak]

15 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Simply put, the economic <deleted>-storm is already here, and it will only grow and grow. I know it, you know it, and you can bet the current government already knows it. 

I am sure that the economy is suffering.  But by how much I am not so sure.  Here in Chiangmai , where tourism is a big part of the economy,  traffic jams are back to normal, all non tourist businesses and schools and services are operating as before.   The only noticeable difference is in the lack of Chinese tourists walking around the main tourist area.   Pretty enjoyable to be able to park there for once.

 

I am hurting, as there are no farangs coming to rent the house we now have open. I will survive .   And even though

condos for rent are a dime a dozen..... the building goes on.   In the rural area where i was living, nothing seems to have changed.  The markets are open,  and life goes on as before.  The price that the farmers are getting for Mangos and Lomyai are a disgrace .  But as i said,  same as before.

 

So i don't see the "storm" coming.   As Ying says.... Thais have enough to eat .  And ,  I think they are also quite good at accepting and adapting .  When they are really and truly without any other option ,  then a storm might develop.   I do not think we are anywhere near that point.

 

 

Edited August 16, 2020 by rumak

[BritManToo]

24 minutes ago, rumak said:

So i don't see the "storm" coming.   As Ying says.... Thais have enough to eat .  And ,  I think they are also quite good at accepting and adapting .  When they are really and truly without any other option ,  then a storm might develop.   I do not think we are anywhere near that point.

The Thai banks are planning on 40% of all loans going into default.

Which must be an indication of something about to happen.

 

I can't see the borders opening (in any significant way) for the coming high season.

How long can hotels and guesthouses remain in operation without tourists?

Edited August 16, 2020 by BritManToo

[rumak]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

The Thai banks are planning on 40% of all loans going into default.

Which must be an indication of something about to happen.

 

I can't see the borders opening (in any significant way) for the coming high season.

How long can hotels and guesthouses remain in operation without tourists?

For sure the hotels and guesthouses are taking a big hit.   I don't really pity the 5 star hotels,  they

have plenty of money behind them.   Many of the guesthouses are properties around tapae area that

were owned previously to the tourist boom, and then converted into lodgings.  Of course some are

owned by renters, who will have to find other work. Also the many small businesses around Tapae and nimmon area.   Hurting the landlords who have been getting exhorbitant rents for those areas.  Maybe a

case of som nam nah ?

As for defaults,  I don't know the real figures.  The question is, how much of this is because of the economy and how much is the fault of people borrowing what they cannot afford to keep paying?

I do not think the majority of CM working folks have lost their jobs ....though some in the tourist industry yes.   The problem worldwide is the mindset encouraged by the material world we live in.

BUY NOW .  LOW INTEREST RATES .  GET THAT NEW HOUSE OR CAR YOU ALWAYS DREAMED OF.

Funny that with another thread talking about how important it is to have health insurance....

Nobody mentioned (well, maybe i did)  how important it is to live within ones means and SAVE.

I know you (BM2) ..... have also supported that lifestyle choice. 

Something about "save something for a rainy day"....... i think the old saying was

 

[AgMech Cowboy]

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

...this provided grist to the mill for those who claim that “life in Thailand is cheap”. Perhaps there was a smidgen of cheapness amongst the cruelty. But generally, I loathe this “one size fits all expression” amongst some foreigners in Thailand. It ranks alongside the ubiquitous “brown envelope” and universal “saving face” explanations, “fragile Thai male ego” and criticisms of everything from Thai driving to safety standards without providing any truly workable answers.

Outstandingly stated, Rooster...  I had to stop here a applaud you. (now on to reading the rest of the article).

Edited August 16, 2020 by AgMech Cowboy

[bluesofa]

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

None of this stopped the foreign netizens from spouting every conspiracy theory along the nonsensical lines that “no foreigner can criticize Thailand”.

It does remind of journalist-cum-English teacher Andrew Biggs who criticised the length of his wait in the immigration queue on his return to Thailand.

His (I think) tweet went viral with the result he was 'invited' to immigration for a discussion regarding what he'd said.

A couple of weeks later the BKK Post decided they no longer needed his services.

 

 

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

an alert policeman (no oxymoron intended)

Ha ha! It usually goes with saying.

 

 

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

immigration chief Big Oud gave us all some timely laughs this week reporting on the arrest of three Chinese nationals called Wang, Si and Dong.

{snipped}

Dong was charged with illegal entry.

I'm still trying to work out if it was an immigration or a sexual offence.

[nausea]

What's interesting about this column is what he doesn't talk about - nudge, nudge, wink, wink, a nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat. When you're having to go to the BBC to get your real news about Thailand you know there's a problem.

[AgMech Cowboy]

4 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

this is the first time that I have seen large numbers of people sleeping rough

Yes, I do not get out of Lam Luk Ka much, but was very surprised to see so many people laying about around Lumpini Park and that area two weeks ago. It was very sad. Thailand has been smart to not incentive-ize the deaths of people with certain 'symptoms', but the lock/shut 'em down actions have hurt many people, too. We are not getting the statistics for those people locally or internationally.

Edited August 16, 2020 by AgMech Cowboy

[AgMech Cowboy]

27 minutes ago, nausea said:

When you're having to go to the BBC to get your real news about Thailand you know there's a problem.

If you're going to the BBC for 'news' you're in a world of hurt, but then TVF and Reuters isn't any better.

[nausea]

13 minutes ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

If you're going to the BBC for 'news' you're in a world of hurt, but then TVF and Reuters isn't any better.

Yeah, I know. I tend to use a diversity of resources, then make up my own mind. The bias is driving me towards right wing sources, just to get a balanced view. Everybody has their own agenda. It's so obvious.

[rumak]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

The Thai banks are planning on 40% of all loans going into default.

Which must be an indication of something about to happen.

I certainly hope that will not be the case,  but who knows.  Certainly not us little guys .  

This does not seem to be a case of massive speculation and a property bubble, such was the case in 1997 (Were lessons ever learned from 1997 financial crisis?   2018 article in the Nation ) 

 

But the ongoing disease that continues to hurt the overzealous consumer still persists.  At the encouragement of almost every govt and business enterprise..... borrow, borrow, borrow !

 

Only time will tell what this covid  feardemic will bring upon us peasants.  

Edited August 16, 2020 by rumak

[Mark mark]

Thanks Rooster, ... And in another post here on TV, the Interview with the British Embassy Crew was good also, ... As the Info on NON O- visas, in another Post, .... Though differing from what the Immigration Department had told me, some time ago admittedly, ... but well, ... the Visa Amnesty Finishing ! ... and the world is still just about totally ..... <Deleted> ...  It all should be considered I think - Thanks.  .... (Ps. I am still working on getting Insurance, with High Blood Sugar ??? ... and at 64 years old ! ....  I wonder if any one else is starting to see this Problem looming up, out of the Gloom ???) ...

 

I talked to a Nice Health Insurance man who has an accent like a Scouser !!! ... Which I did not mention to him ... like "Is that a Liverpool accent I hear" ? ... And he sounded Reasonably Honest, ...  and did get a bit personal when he said that a lot of his Friends from around the world are not going to come back to Thailand !!! Because it is now TOO Expensive !!! ... Which got me thinking ... And well did chear me up a bit, thinking about all of the other Good places around the world that I could go to ... When the Dreaded Virus pandemic is Over ! ? ... ??? ... And Like ! ...  Continue to make Video calls to the Wife and children ... and the odd bank transfer to them, as well the world Stock markets seem to be crazily going very well against the trends ..and UP a LOT just now !!! (Well if you have Gold or Silver, battery metals, and Technology ... and not Airlines or Banks !!!)

Edited August 16, 2020 by Mark mark
Added to it, added Solver and metals

[Curmudgeonly59]

7 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I can't say that the above statement is wrong, but I am not sure if it is correct, yet.

Waffle.

[Curmudgeonly59]

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Coming from a family where we have had to face up to such issues

Looking forward to the extended narrative...

[Curmudgeonly59]

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

but unlike a famous British hymn, it’s a love that does ask questions

Next line seems relevant, too:

"The love that asks no questions, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best."

[sawadee1947]

10 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Like many other arrogant, obscenely rich fugitives, something that they crave the most is out of their reach but available to us.

Actually who is on the run at present except "Boss" ??? Did I miss something?☹️

[jpduggan]

 ''But generally, I loathe this “one size fits all expression” amongst some foreigners in Thailand. It ranks alongside the ubiquitous “brown envelope” and universal “saving face” explanations, “fragile Thai male ego” and criticisms of everything from Thai driving to safety standards without providing any truly workable answers.''

 

   You may loathe these expressions but that doesn't make them untrue

[Flying Saucage]

On 8/16/2020 at 3:55 AM, Samui Bodoh said:

An interesting read as always.

 

 

I can't say that the above statement is wrong, but I am not sure if it is correct, yet. It is the middle of August and I don't think a final decision really needs to be made until sometime around the middle or late September or early October regarding tourism in the high season, so one won't be.

 

Why am I unsure? I think to date decisions regarding the virus have been made by people in a 'virus-proof' economic situation based solely on medical grounds, but we are beginning to see a push back from those who would lose out economically; there are lots of them and they have a great deal of influence, money and power as well. 

 

Several stories in the media have popped up with a pro-tourism slant, several 'studies' have been commissioned to show that actually Thai people do want tourists to come back. Several polls have magically surfaced which claim that Thais are 'confident' about tourism. I strongly suspect that in the next two weeks we are going to see stories on how the 'world-class' Thai public health system can actually handle a few cases, and how the Thai health volunteers are capable of monitoring the country, and how all reasonable precautions have been taken. Taken together, this is a public relations campaign to encourage the opening of limited tourism in the high season, and the people funding this wouldn't do it if they didn't think there was a chance of success.

 

In a more negative sense, the next two weeks or so are going to quantify and spell out just how much economic damage has been done to Thailand, and just how much more is coming. And, there really is no room for argument; Thailand has already suffered MASSIVE economic damage and will suffer loads more due to its dependence on foreign trade and foreigners. On a personal note, I have been living in/visiting the Kingdom since the early nineties, and this is the first time that I have seen large numbers of people sleeping rough, and the numbers will only grow. 

 

Simply put, the economic <deleted>-storm is already here, and it will only grow and grow. I know it, you know it, and you can bet the current government already knows it. 

 

Authoritarian governments without popular mandates fall in tough economic times; examples abound in political history. That is something else that everyone, including the current government, knows.

 

Are the borders going to remain firmly closed for high season? I doubt that a final decision has been made yet as a final decision doesn't need to be made yet. Tune in come mid/late September.

 

Interesting times...

 

Again a great post, Samui Bodoh! As always ????

[Marpa47]

On 8/16/2020 at 7:32 AM, sawadee1947 said:

Actually who is on the run at present except "Boss" ??? Did I miss something?☹️

Brother and sister act

[Marpa47]

Thank You dear Rooster for another superb foray into the passing show that is all things Thailand.  A 3-D surround sound experience.  

[Marpa47]

Dear Rooster, you said, “As expected, this provided grist to the mill for those who claim that “life in Thailand is cheap”. Perhaps there was a smidgen of cheapness amongst the cruelty. But generally, I loathe this “one size fits all expression” amongst some foreigners in Thailand. It ranks alongside the ubiquitous “brown envelope” and universal “saving face” explanations, “fragile Thai male ego” and criticisms of everything from Thai driving to safety standards without providing any truly workable answers”

 

My favorite is “TIT”.  As if (insert country, situation, belief, practices, organization of choice), do not also apply.   

[sawadee1947]

47 minutes ago, Marpa47 said:

Brother and sister act

If this would happen in UK there would probably not even one poltitician left. You might ditch them all. For example Bojo and adviser included Bojo's brother and brothel's girls.