[One of UK’s most wanted men arrested after 27 years on the run]

More info here:

 

 

[The UK must cancel it's triple lock for OAP]

Don't care that much. Frozen anyway. Unsustainable though, given the state of the UK economy and demographics. That's fairly obvious.

[Jail time to return for Cannabis players as PM describes the trade as a threat to Thailand]

The truth is this liberalisation threatens a lucrative income stream. 

[Toilet paper on the dinner table]

Thais use toilet rolls the same way we use tissues. A bit of a cultural shift for Western newcomers, I guess. It just doesn't have the connotation with bum wiping that we have. Once you get used to the bum gun it all makes perfect sense.

[Economy unlikely to grow in first quarter as Thai manufacturing crumbles]

46 minutes ago, webfact said:

will see Thailand become a tourist haven with an enlarged casual economy

Yeah, I'd go with that. 

[Pattaya Is Already A World-Class Destination, Says Thai Real Estate Experts]

Pattaya is world renowned as a sex tourist destination; that's it really.

[Chinese Flocking Here For Plastic Surgery, Infertility Treatment]

3 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

Most chinese go to South Korea for plastic surgery. 

Yeah, when I think cosmetic surgery I think S.Korea. Pretty ubiquitous here though. Cheaper, I guess. 

[Three Thai dishes rank in the world’s top ten best, says Tasteatlas]

Phat kahrao is a staple with me, but I don't know if I'd classify it as anything particularly special.

[Foreigner Allegedly on Drugs Causes Ruckus in Pattaya]

All adds to the flavour.

[Thai Officials Announce "Innovative" Expat Health Measure]

Stupid idea, expect it to wither on the vine.

[Parents of eye doctor killed in hit-and-run to receive 27 million baht]

No way this guy can pay 27m, which begs the question why award it in the first place. Symbolic, I suppose, and failure to pay may influence sentencing.

[Body of British Man Found in Pattaya Condo]

I remember a UK embassy guy, whose work involved sorting out these messes -  contacting relatives, arranging burial, etc., telling me this sort of thing is not at all uncommon in Thailand. Many cases go unreported.

[Why do Phuket locals seem to really dislike Foreigners?]

Yeah, I noticed this too. Put me off even going near the place, haven't visited in years. What I would say is that a lot of these guys aren't really local; Phuket is a kind of magnet that attracts people from all over the country. Case in point, my current SO is from Petchaburi, but I met her in Phuket.

[Big Drug Trafficker Shot Dead In Clash With Police]

Did the thrown grenade explode? The report doesn't say one way or the other. It does say one found inside the house with the pin pulled was a dud.

[Why am I here?]

Why am I here? Kipling summed it up pretty much in his poem "Mandalay".

[American Man Found with Bullet Arrested at Phuket Airport]

4 hours ago, AlexRich said:

The "bullet in the luggage" scam

First thing I thought about on reading the headline; all very strange, who carries (even inadvertently) a single bullet, in their luggage.

[Tell your exercise regimen]

There's a lot to be said for that old adage "walk into old age". 

[Historians rank Trump as worst president]

TDS

[Chon Buri couple offers 100,000 baht for their missing cat]

Lost, then found, one of our dogs recently, so I know where they're coming from. They really do become like family members after a while. Lost cats are even more problematic than lost dogs cos cats have so many predators in Thailand.

[Launching Medical Coverage For Foreigners is Encouraging, But Won’t Apply to Many Incidents]

Tourist visas only.

[Judge orders Trump and companies to pay nearly $355 million in civil fraud trial]

This lawfare is destroying the legitimacy of the US legal system, a heavy price to pay for some petty, or maybe not so petty, political advantage. I mean, you sort of expect it in a country like Pakistan, with all their Imran Khan shenanigans, but the US?

[Thai delegation, BRN hope to clinch peace deal by year-end]

Never really understood this conflict, but as long as it stays in the South, I don't much care.

[Big Joke Dismisses Involvement In Money-Laundering, Online Gambling Charges]

RTP corruption is pretty much a given, I doubt any of these guys has clean hands, so Big Joke is probably right when he says that this is more to do with internal politicking rather than any real concern about alleged misconduct.

[Military and vets save giant python in Thailand after dog attack]

[Ukrainian Man Arrested for Overstay at Phuket Airport]

Which is worse, I wonder, Thai immigration jail or the Ukrainian front line.