[Anwar verdict due in Malaysia court]

He was "convicted" of sodomy, not rape. Strangely enough, only Anwar was prosecuted, and not the other party, Mr Saiful, for this illegal act. The other party, has been referred to as the victim, in both the courts and the state run government mouth piece media. Also, Mr Saiful had an affair with a lady on the prosecution team, but that didn't bother any if the judges. Anwar claimed it is a conspiracy. Well, prime minister Najib has admitted he met with the so called victim at his private residence, just before the alleged act of sodomy took place, without giving any credible explanation if why. Mere coincident?

Was Anwar guilty of sodomy? Who knows, it has yet to be proven in a proper court if law. He has yet only been convicted in a kangaroo court.

Was his prosecution politically motivated? 100% so.

Was there a conspiracy? YES.

[Foreigner wanted for armed robbery at Central Pattaya Money Exchange Booth]

Clean out the vices in Pattaya and the foreign garbage visiting/residing there will disappear.

[Phuket residents in uproar over nude photo of foreign woman]

...and no uproar over mass nudity and sex shows in Patong?

[Special court and public participation proposed for anti-corruption mechanism]

Public participation? Hahaha! Without mentioning the removal of the defamation laws, the proposals come across as little more than hollow chitchat.

[Court officials inspect property development in Phuket]

Perhaps issues like this should be tried in a military court instead.

[Australian journalist Alan Morison returns to Thailand to fight criminal defamation charges]

What a brave man. He towers over the cowards who brought the case against him. All the talk about fighting corruption and making Thailand a better place, is empty talk without removing this stupid law.

[Raid makes a THB100-million dent in illegal supplements racket]

I hope they arrested the people involved.

[Private sector concerned ECB's QE will make baht too strong]

The rubber farmer in the south, who were the backbone of the "reform" protests, feels let down by the current government. The price of rubber is lower than ever. An easing of the baht's value, would increase the rubber farmers income, as they are paid in bht.

[Australian man held in Philippines over teen girl's murder]

Australian or "Australian"? Most likely an Arab with an Australian passport.

[Giant shark near Phuket ends up on barbecues]

I am glad they killed that beast, but I doubt it is edible, despite them eating it.

[Thai conservative activist warns of US 'terrorism']

Hahaha! He should be more worried about the aliens coming from the planet mars! They are planning an invasion of Thailand tomorro!

[Residents complain about construction site in Phuket Old Town]

There are very few of the peranakan style shophouses in Phuket town. They better bring in some help from Penang and Singapore in managing the preservation of these gems.

[Orient Express train locomotive catches fire but no one was hurt]

E&O or Eastern & Oriental is a Malaysian company, which also owns and operates the famous Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Georgetown, Penang.

[Police beef up operations against prostitution in entertainment venues]

Finally! I hope it's a serious effort. Thailand's reputation has long been tarnished by this filthy trade. Also, the prostitution attracts some if the worst kinds of people to Thailand.

['US sleeping as China courts Thailand']

The Chinese will invest in Thailand, well, they will "invest" in roads, bridges, railroads and other infrastructure projects, which by the way, the Thais will have to pay for. Further they will invest in the exploration of Thai natural resources, which they will soon control. Japan is by far Thailand's most important ally and economic friend, not USA, and the Japanese have a much more difficult relationship with China than the Americans have. Without Japanese manufacturing, the economy will crumble. Jobs and tax revenue lost, all the Japanese cars and the electrical appliances we use here may have to be imported, paid for in what then will be a totally devalued baht.

However, I don't believe the junta is that crazy. This policy will change otherwise Thailand will be destroyed. There are already warning signs such as internal unrest and political problems, lackluster economic growth, lack of quality foreign investment, problems in key economic sectors, such as tourism and agriculture and no credible plan to solve the domestic problems, such as a failed education system, massive corruption, relative lawlessness, lack of competition in the local markets etc. There are plenty of solutions and remedies, but no Thai government, civilian or military, has ever had the courage or willpower to deal with problems. The current government is talking a lot, but not putting in place any credible long term solutions. Corruption is the number one issue, but yet not much has happened in the fight against it, except for the arrest of a few police officers. The mass media and social media is flooding with obvious cases of corruption and abuse of power, of which none are investigated, and the culprits free to enjoy the proceeds of their criminal activity. There is no serious attempt in educating the Thai public in the damage corruption do to Thailand and the Thais, neither has there been any attempts to vilify and shame the corrupt. Another issue is the massive economic costs and human suffering when it comes to people injured or killed in traffic. The tsunami killed 10,000 people ten years ago, but since the tsunami happened, an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people have died in traffic accidents in Thailand. NOTHING has ever been done to seriously deal with this huge problem. NOTHING. It puts all thai governments in perspective.

[Rubber tappers in Trang complain they are left out by the government]

Devalue the baht, and rubber prices will go up instantly.

[Norwegian arrested for criminal damage of ATM in Jomtien]

Norway has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, but yet we read all these stories about Norwegians arrested in Thailand. The clever Norwegians have exported them all to Thailand!

['British gang' in Udon Thani beats up Frenchmen]

A group of guys attacked someone. Why are their nationalities so important in this assault?

You know that many on this forum cannot resist a gratuitous bit of "Brit bashing"........

Perhaps for a good reason?

[Tourists are reporting a dramatic surge in harassment by Thai police]

There has not been a dramatic surge in harassment of tourists by Thai police...but there has been a dramatic surge in tourist speaking up and reporting police wrong doing...

..and they are speaking up because of the surge in harassment.

[Call for Muslim army in Australia]

Deport.

Not familiar with the laws there but I don't think any country can "deport" citizens almost by definition of the word deport. I assume a large portion of Australian Muslims are full citizens.

Many of them are Arabs with Australian passports. Not citizens.

[Fury as Indonesia executes foreigners by firing squad]

All drug dealers deserves the death penalty. Time they start carrying out the sentences in Thailand too.

[Thai Police will seek to extradite key KMITL suspect from the UK]

Why have no extradition proceedings been filed against Thaksin? They know where he is? Waiting for the statutes of limitation?

[Underwater wedding in Trang to feature many activities this year]

Trang is a beautiful place. Big mountains, beautiful island and beaches and really friendly locals. Hardly any tourists there. Just a little over an hour from Malaysia.

[Italian among five held in Phuket for drugs]

........."Acting on answers to questions they asked Wilai, police then went to a rented room in Nanai Rd in Patong where Kanyaporn Khunthong, 28, and Alessandro Famondi, 38, from Italy, were arrested after being found in possession of 10 grams of marijuana."

...there is a term for such behaviour....

Heroic? I salute them for informing the police where to find more drug dealing scum.

[Govt wants Phuket to be marine hub for Asean]

The thought is good but I doubt the political will power is there. The urge to try to squeeze foreigners of every penny and treat them as unwanted aliens, still prevails. Langkawi is a much better alternative. Not necessarily because it is a more scenic and interesting place, but because it's in Malaysia, a country who treats it's visitors with dignity and respect, unlike Thailand. Hey, a foreigner can even own land there.