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The one thing I've learned after living in Thailand for over 30 years is to keep your head below the radar, less problems will come your way.

The way things are going under the conmans rule, no one wants to go to the USA anyway. No real loss to anyone until the govt changes.

What a moronic idea.

O visa no health insurance required. The majority of people doing annual retirement extensions started with O visas. Not OA visas. Its not harder for most in the system. The article is very misleading.

Yet more pushing for a digital panopticon we should all hope this idiotic idea fails totally.

"Gone are the days of cash-in-hand jobs...." It'll be a cold day in hell when you can't get a hand job for cash in Pattaya.

Inconveniencing 99% of the population and 100% of tourists because they can't (or won't) tackle corrupt government workers and politicians.

just more confusion, how are customers supposed to know the licencing laws in force for any particular venue especially tourists on a 2 week holiday, this is insane

I believe some important details have ben left out.

Nice of the Thais to still remember him and pay a visit. Wishing him a speedy recovery , hope he’s bounced back from that nasty Musk slander.

Best not to invest more than you can afford to lose. Putting all your money in someone else's name is probably a bad idea.

Stupidity is gigantic in Thailand..The country wants tourist but Thailand wants to control everything just as they do with the Thai people.. Tourists don't come to a country that treat people like kids..This law is soo dumb, because you are allowed to drink a beer only from 5pm to 11pm.. No alcohol drinks on the beach when it is hot in the afternoon. Tourists are being chased away.. and not even that.. A few weeks back there was the idea to open the entertainment venue till 4 am.. Why should they do it, as the visitors are not allowed to drink?? Is only only to promote drugs?? Do they really think that people in a bar going to sit and drinking water after midnight??? The country is looking more and more as dictatorship instead a free country..

OMG.....you must be a bundle of laughs at parties.

Married to a Thai or not, this country does not welcome non-Thai's meddling in their politics. I think back to that Ozzie way back in the red vs yellow shirts protesting at Victory Monument getting arrested and kicked the hell out of LOS. This German guy should know better (as should his wife).

What is wrong with these whining people nowadays? They won't let mw in because I cannot produce 20,00 thb or its equivalent. So what was she going to live on for her holiday? Beg for money and food on the street and sleep on the beach or in a park? Grow up, read the rules, and if you don't have the money to live on, don't go on holiday. If you have the money for a mobile phone, and money for the air ticket, but you can't produce 20,000 baht, then you can't afford a holiday. Stop crying and bleating about it because nobody cares about you.

Promise?

I’ve been living in pattaya for a few months now. I met this girl on Thai friendly a few weeks ago and we have been dating since then. She told me that she has a regular job and I believed her. A few days ago she said that she needs to go visit her family. Today I was walking on beach road and I saw her wearing a short skirt and high heals. So I went to talk to her and she admitted that she is a freelancer. While we were talking, one of her old customers showed up and started to talk to her. She gave him an offer for short time right in front of me and she left with him. I was standing there like an idiot. It really made me feel like crap. After about one hour later she showed up at my condo like nothing happened. I kicked her out and blocked her. Did anybody here have a similar experience? Are most girls in pattaya freelancers?

Stupid enough to make a face tattoo, then live with the pain, man.

Are you serious? The man is in the hospital for pneumonia and you want them to potentially expose him to other diseases while he's already in a weakened state? They're wearing masks to protect him and other patients. They're in a hospital!

Welcome to the new McCarthyism. The USA is no longer a free country.

Why blab about it? Someone did something similar in Chiang mai years ago and the place got inundated with whinging boomer whiteys. Also highlighting visa agents isn’t the smartest move. Just enjoy your retirement and stf… be quiet.

Great idea, travel all the way to Thailand and buy some Sprite , Skittles and Kinder joy . Hopefully his next stop will be Tops supermarket where Western goods are double the back home price

The documentary is called "Thaliand: The Dark Side of Paradise" so one assumes it focusses on the negative elements of Thailand (which exist, as in all countries). I don't see how anyone watching was expecting a "balanced" view. 🙄

Who ?

What if Thailand does the same?

The Thai Pakdee Party has announced a plan to cancel the 1,000 and 500 baht banknotes throughout Thailand. This move aims to combat corruption and disrupt illicit cash flows. Warong Dechgitvigrom, the party leader, shared this anti-corruption policy on Facebook, asserting these notes enable grey money operations to disguise illegal wealth. Warong believes eliminating these notes will restrict corrupt networks from using physical cash for storing, transferring, and paying bribes, which are difficult to trace. Unlike digital transfers, cash transactions in large amounts leave no record, making them ideal for underhand deals. He highlighted that even though mule accounts are used to cover up such transactions, money typically ends up being withdrawn in cash. Warong cited previous instances in which investigators discovered hidden cash-filled rooms in politicians' homes. He outlined a broader anti-corruption plan, including harsher penalties for financial crimes, such as the death penalty for embezzling over 100 million baht, with executions mandatory within 15 days and no royal pardon eligibility. Additionally, he proposed empowering citizens to sue corrupt officials, offering monetary rewards upon successful legal actions. He assured that cancelling these notes wouldn't impact honest citizens, as most use digital banking. For elderly individuals preferring cash, smaller denominations would suffice. If implemented in the next three months, deposits of large cash sums would require declarations of the money’s source and appropriate tax payments. Reactions online were mixed, with some praising the boldness of the proposal, while others questioned its practicality and potential public inconvenience. In a related development, the opposition People’s Party has begun its early election campaign with a strong anti-corruption message, as the country nears a possible snap election, reported the Thaiger. Key Takeaways: Thai Pakdee wants to cancel high-denomination notes to deter corruption. Warong argues that these notes help hide illegal financial activities. Public reactions are mixed, with concerns over practicality and convenience. Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-12-26

Get rid of the silly little bronze coins first.

Yep. Obvious suicide. Hands cuffed behind own back and plastic bag tied over the head is a very popular form of suicide. What a ridiculous statement.

How many Americans are going on the dole in Thailand? Here's the key, from the OP: aiming to prevent the entry of individuals deemed likely to become a public charge.

The corrupt police will only accept 100 Baht notes now?

Rubbish Probably three people in the entire Thai government could explain Blockchain technology. I challenge this.

Don't need Smart Crossings, you need Smart drivers, and that's not happening any time soon.

'Influencer', what a stupid word to use to refer to a dick head without a real job!

They're taking a timeout to evaluate why so many approved visa candidates end up on the dole when they come to the USA. Sounds reasonable to me. Sounds like the vetting process hasn't been working very well.

I don't believe his claims that he was forced to carry the drugs

A few thoughts as an American expat in Thailand who represents the strong majority of Americans that now oppose Trump. Of course, I am very unhappy about any kind of armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. Of course I support any sincere international efforts to try to mediate between the two sides towards peace. HOWEVER, with Trump there are some big problems. Trump has ALREADY taken credit for "ending" this local what he calls a war. He accomplished this non-accomplishment by using big stick TARIFF TRADE WAR threats against both sides. In reality, a president of the U.S. imposing tariffs without congress is ILLEGAL. Now he is trying that game again. Some might say, well that's OK, the threats of illegally using increased tariffs is for a good cause -- PEACE. But people should look at this another way. Talking about Thailand specifically, Trump doing this is stepping on the sovereignty of Thailand. Whether the Thais are right about this conflict or not (frankly the issues are too arcane for me to have an informed opinion about that) doing that invites HOSTILITY by both the government of Thailand and proud nationalist Thai people. It pushes Thailand away from the USA long term and towards China. To what effect? So that Trump can amass more "wins" for the real Peace Prize that he's never going to win anyway. If fits a disgusting pattern by Trump that is without any doubt going to make America less great, less successful, and less wealthy -- trashing traditional allies. Probably worth a new topic -- but personally I have noticed an increase of negative reactions from Thais upon learning my nationality. I don't know if that is anecdotal or related to Trump's bullying actions.

At 19 all men are stupid. I know I was. (and now at 68 I'm hoping to grow out of that soon.)

From tomorrows headlines..... After suspensions remaining 5 traffic cops are wondering how to cover all of Thailand.

Here we go again,part two.

Why not get a real job ?? To lazy ??? Better exploit a system created to help people in "real need" ?? Sorry, dont feel sorry for you, only the child who cant choose its parents...

I have been demanding that Thailand give me free housing, free health care, and free money every month, as all the immigrant freeloaders get in the USA, the EU, and the UK..... So far I have not got a single baht out of the Thai government.... Expats in Thailand in Thailand need to unite and demand they give us free stuff.......lol

I would worry more about her husband's criminal and strange habit of doing a runner!

Let’s hope there will be free and fair elections as a result 555

Idiot. If it was that important. should have got there early. Also he could have paid for a taxi, costly but would have got there. One big Pussy. But well done to the cops for helping him.

Looks like Ali Baba and his 40 thieves.

Should be a deportable offense

Another shirtless chav causing trouble. No tatts though! Kick this clown outta the Kingdom and ban for 5 years.

The Brits' crown was beginning to slip so it's good to see the Brits firmly back at the top of the "Bad Boys" league. Nevertheless I don't recognise these as traditional Anglo-Saxon names: Hussain, Mir, Yanne and Malique. Perhaps they are from Wales?

That's only 150 baht each.

Falling for this, I bet the crooks ran rings around him during his whole career as a police officer as well.