[Thai village evicts 48 HIV patients]

Is this what they mean by 'Thainess' ?

[Thai Shrimp Association fears EU may ban Thai fisheries products]

Sure it will be no problem for Thailand, and the Chinese friends wil come to the rescue...looks lie Thailand is playing the China card these days..

Yeah the Chinese have no ethics or morals either, like the Thais made from the same cloth !

[Thai Shrimp Association fears EU may ban Thai fisheries products]

Seems the only thing Thais worship is money. When they lose money then they react, not for any other reason.

[Police scandal shows dire need for reform, public tells Dusit Poll]

The scandal is merely smoke and mirrors for actions by a group living in a feudal past and reliant on trying to block the truth that the outside world can report freely on.

This has already been reported in the foreign media in explicit detail. Luckily we have freedom of speech, without fear of reprisal.

['All sides must agree' on south peace talks team]

In my eyes, they are just terrorists, who must be hunted down and brought to justice.

[Thai parliament sets Yingluck impeachment date]

Progress is being made, strip them of all their assets, and throw them in jail. Strong message will then be sent, that nobody is above the law !

[Thai GDP forecast to grow more than 4% next year]

It's not April Fools day already is it ?

Looking at the picture, I wonder if you can squeeze a few more microphones in ?

[Today's SMH (26 Nov) - Eviction threat for Australians who put life savings into Thai dream homes]

Countless of warnings and articles on the subject of the risks and pitfalls of buying property in Thailand, especially if your a foreigner.

[Corruption scandal: Police find Bt2-bn in cash, valuables in secret vaults in 11 of Pongpat's homes]

I think this was always on the cards, and now we see the true face of Thailand in all it's glory. How the junta will be able to treat the cancer of corruption when there are so many, is anyone's guess. All I know it will take a while to sort this problem out, as institutionalised corruption is endemic. Hopefully, the next generation will have decent law abiding individuals are role-models, not the rubbish we have now.

[Thailand: Time to limit working hours for our stressed out doctors?]

This is true, I have seen it first hand, how many cases state Doctors in Thailand have to complete during a normal working day, is just incredible.

The main problem in Thailand is a lack of state surgeries, to ease the burden for less serious cases, and the dispensing of medication.

[Yingluck says she won't run in next election, wants to be a social worker]

With her credentials, in EU she wouldn't even be considered for a house cleaner.

[Bangkok: Vendors who are unfairly pricing their food items may face legal action]

Price of gas has rocketed, aswell as food products which have risen to incredible prices, spurred on by inflation, and by dramatically increasing wages.

DIT obviously are not in the 'real' world of economics, and their answer is to dictate to vendors what price they should sell, in a so-called free market, is way off the mark.

[Deputy commerce minister to visit Russia to boost trade]

Typical, whilst most of the civilised world is turning it's back on Russia, and hitting it hard with sanctions, Thailand on-the-other-hand, is going in the opposite direction. Nice to see where the country's loyalties lie, right in their pocket ! Are there no limits to how low this country can stoop?

Actually, Thailand is attempting to stand up again... When you want to look at how low it could stoop, just start looking further back from a good six months ago...

As for Russia, on an ethical point of view, you are IMO right, but are you believing f.i. the EU is, really, truly, turning its back to Russia, with all the business it's having there and vice-versa, ...and winter is coming, most of Western Europe would freeze to death without the Russian gas, stupid from the EU, OK, but d'you think the EU will care about ethics when (bad, horrible man) Putin would start reducing the gas exports...? So why should Thailand have to give the example? Why does any democratic country do any business with China? Not worse than Russia...?

I'm sure Norway could step in to fill the gap, they have enough reserves.

But your right about EU trading with China, that should be stopped since this does breach all ethical codes.

[Deputy commerce minister to visit Russia to boost trade]

Typical, whilst most of the civilised world is turning it's back on Russia, and hitting it hard with sanctions, Thailand on-the-other-hand, is going in the opposite direction. Nice to see where the country's loyalties lie, right in their pocket ! Are there no limits to how low this country can stoop?

[NESDB: Thailand facing unemployment problem]

Well this is a huge surprise to ----- nobody!

Sorry that the Junta hasn't managed to cure all the problems in Thailand in six months. The country was running like a Swiss watch during the decade that Thaksin led governments were in power. There was no poverty, all Thai people had high paying jobs. The government even helped them accrue debt, with the first car scheme, tablets that didn't work and a master plan of a rice scheme that cost billions. But all was not lost, PTP was not without advice to help the common folk. On August 19 2012, PTP MP Sunai Julphongsathorn told an audience of 1,000 red shirts that they should " find a farang husband for a better life". Most of the businessmen on this forum are happy for the current stability, they may not be ardent supporters of coups but they understand that indiscriminate automatic weapons fire and grenade throwing do not create a prosperous climate for business. Take a short break from your constant criticism of the current regime and appreciate the fact that Thailand is still one country, which it almost wasn't.

Don't you mean farang ATM ? The husband thingy is just for show !

[Work permits to be valid for 2 years - Govt proposal]

They are probably trying to cushion the blow when the ammendment for the foreign business act (FBA) kicks in, as recently proposed.

Most of course are not that dumb, and it's predicted that investment will stop flowing into the country, as conditions are not favourable.

[Koh Tao murder suspects detained for another 12 days]

This case has exemplimfied the lack of transparency, and clearly demonstrated to the world how far Thailand will go to avoid pursuing the truth, in the hope that eventually the problem will disappear under a mountain of deception.

Firstly, I feel sad for the familly who may have hoped that there would be swift justice in Thailand, so they could at least get some form of closure. Instead, the world media gets a 'dog and pony show'.

The incompetence of the authorities is a clear reminder, that the country has a completely different agenda, especially when it comes to foreigners.

I for one am not convinced that they have the right suspects, which then leads to the question, where are the real purpertrators of this disspicable crime ? High season is apon us, and tourists are starting to arrive, and we have killer/s on the loose. How exactly are the authorities going to protect them ?

[World uncertainties linger, Thai jobless rate misleading: Supachai]

There will always be jobs for Thais given the hungry mouths, and the world must be fed with a growing population.

Rather off topic, and something to consider ... IMHO the Thai economy to a point is finely balanced, as it takes in most cases an uneducated, deprived, lacking in choice, a particular individual to produce the rice, chicken, fish, prawns, pineapples and anything else which involves labour-intensive, back breaking work to balance the books. If you educate the people, then it is quite reasonable to assume they will want to pursue a life according to their upbringing. Therefore, who will then be left to produce the food to substain the country ? The economy relies on this source to maintain the status quo, and there lies the paradox. Unless of course it would be prepared to import these commodies, but then it would struggle to balance the books. Thailand is not blessed with so many natural resources other than; quote "​Tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land". (Source: The World Fact Book) The country would have to seriously educate itself, and learn the skills to be able to compete should it wish to survive without relying on traditional methods, which at this rate will be a long time indeed.

[Thai Army hasn't grounded Bell 212 helicopters]

Quote "The Thai Army has given assurances that it will not ground its Bell 212 helicopters" ... as they have been assured at some point they will ground themselves.

[BoT is optimistic the Thai economy is doing better]

What the Governor really mean't to say that Thailand was a whisker away from a recession.

[Fake Thai fish sauce reportedly saturating the market]

Funny, when Thailand copies stuff which belongs to other countries it's no big deal. The moment it's from Thailand that's a another matter. Double standards perhaps ?

[Tiger economy loses its roar as Thailand's exports slump]

I think the roar has turned into a squeak !

[Thailand welcomes all investors]

I have been an investor in this country for the past 7 years.

All my pension disappears at the end of the month.

How have they welcomed me?

By sending me every 90 days to report to the immigration and obliging me not to touch 800K from my account.

And yes Mr JT, I can't touch that money ever.

Who is going to replenish them after they gone? You?

Was you expecting more ? Do you really think Thailand cares about foreigners ?

I'm sure there is enough evidence around you, that you haven't yet already realised by now all foreigners are glorified ATM's on legs.

There are no rights for foreigners, it has always been that way. I have come to accept this otherwise if not, I must leave for pastures new.

When the economy crumbles, and cracks are already starting to appear, foreigners can run for cover, whereas Thais will have to endure the pain of a failing system.

At least we have the choice, generally speaking most others do not !

[British police examining Koh Tao murder probe to return to UK]

Of course if the allegations of suspects being mistreated or abused whilst in custody are true, then the whole line of investigation is totally flawed. Indeed, there is widespread condemnation especially from the international media that the investigation was not impartial not transparent, and more importantly that the DNA evidence (if any) has been tampered or contaminated, which would then undermine the whole investigative process anyway. In addition, if the two suspects are say innocent, then of course the 'real' perpretrators remain at large, which then means tourists are not as safe as the Thai authorities previously suggested. Either way this is looking bad for Thailand.

[Can Thailand Tourism Rebound After Political Unrest?]

It is fair to say that Thailand is being left behind, other countries are making the effort to improve both safety and standards and value for money which is a crucial element when your considering a tropical holiday destination. In addition, it seems that expats in particular are feeling more restricted than ever before, and again this puts further pressure on the amount that intend to stay in the Kingdom, especially on a long term basis. Overall, the good-feel factor is also on the decline, and it is felt that generally foreigners are not as welcome as they were before, and again this is reflected in the somewhat bizarre legislation that currently exists. The outlook is somewhat bleek, and it is hope that the country will acknowledge that there are many problems which can be rectified if the authorities have the will to change of course.