Sydebolle

When will Thais understand the implication of burning all their fields? It enriches the feed mill operators and benefits all those using animal food, and that's a handful in Bangkok only. What will have to happen until this is brought to a screeching halt? With helicopters the burning plots can be identified; there is fantastic software on the internet (https://landsmaps.dol.go.th) to identify the title deed = the land owner = the culprit. Slap juicy fines of five and six digits and this madness will stop - overnight 😉

No, I have been completely blindfolded since 1985 by all those people driving throughout Thailand and expert advice of how to refuse a most likely justified fine.

Well, the alternative is being jobless or working for a meagre payout which does not allow living but existing only. The army feeds, dresses and keeps 'em busy. Not the first time you see an increase in voluntary conscription and possibly also not the last time 😞

Drugs on a Thai island - absolutely impossible!

Another case of gotten suicided? I am appalled, that nobody - over the last few governments - was willing, lest able, to clean up the place. The last big file is +/- ten years back and two Burmese workers were thrown into the slammer and left to rot. That case created a huge collateral damage to tourism and image of Thailand as the only acceptable verdict should have read "mistrial". The two boys, if ever pardoned, will be psychologically damaged for life. Irrespective of all this, hardly anyone believes in "accidents" in the context of Turtle Island (Koh Tao), despite the technical possibility of being ...... an accident.

Well, since me driving here as of 1985 I can tell you, that the last pit stop is the department of motor vehicles/land transport. You cannot extend the tax with open fines; getting caught without a valid tax square will cost you ....... a fine again. So - quite simple - avoid fines, and if you did wrong, pay up. Compared to Europe the fines are ridiculously low as they are based on the Thai CPI - and in many cases - are settled non-receipt able 😉

Provided the article is complete, then the TM6 still applies (along the Thai-Laotian border) at: Ban Huak Border Checkpoint - ด่านพรมแดนบ้านฮวก Huai Kon Border Checkpoint - ด่านพรมแดนห้วยโก๋น Phu Doo Border Checkpoint - ด่านพรมแดนภูดู่ Nam Hueang Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge - สะพานมิตรภาพน้ำเหือง ไทย-ลาว Bueng Kan border checkpoint - ด่านพรมแดนบึงกาฬ Nakorn Phanom Third Thai–Lao Friendship 3 Bridge - สะพานมิตรภาพไทย-ลาว แห่งที่ 3 It also applies to all crossings with the Kingdom of Cambodia except Aranyaphratet, it seems .........

Face saving step-by-step; they cannot simply abolish which they were cherishing for decades. Hence "temporary" in Thailand has a completely different meaning and, in many cases, can mean permanent. In six months nobody will talk about it anymore. Remember the customs declaration slip you had to fill in aboard aircraft arriving in Thailand? Disappeared also on a temporary basis as customs officers collected them after baggage collection and threw them into a big empty cigarette transportation box which they got from the duty free shop just next to them.

Forget about the law, the courts and the judges as the ultimate reference to everything in the form of sweet heart Anutin has spoken again. "Mr Anutin is on record as assuring the Swiss man that his appeal against the cancellation of his visa will not succeed." Bottomline, forget the law! What a farçe he makes over this particularly ridiculous case. Culprit accused, caught, brought to police, passed onto court, verdict and execution of verdict - like in 196 other countries. The former Swiss ambassador Budliger must be boiling; she was Anutin's darling, shoulder rubbing in her red shoes and too small clothes and thought that the Swiss were an exception to Anutin's clear stance of "dirty farang". If the Swiss bloke is guilty, proceed as above - after all, Thailand has a pretty good set of laws yet is not always applied, as Vorayuth's case (the Red Bull grandson who was so high and drunk, that he killed a police officer on duty with his grey Ferrari in 2012) proves. Rest assured, the collateral damage of this case will cost the industry millions, but Anutin can retreat with his private airplane back to his ranch "Rancho Charnvee" which features a private runway in Khao Yai - some might know the area as a national park - GPS reads 14.634830, 101.463031 for those who want to wing in 😉

Well, I would have to disagree; settlement is certainly not covering bribing ....... You settle a dispute amicably (or not), you settle a bill, i.e. it is the end of something when you "settle". A bribe can and is more often than not reoccurring and does not explicitly have to be based on a dispute or an open bill; it can be a "token of appreciation" which would not be covered by "settlement". As a non-native English speaker I am always amazed, how diversified and to-the-point English can be; for good measure throw in idioms and Bob's your uncle!

Excellent news, can you kindly name the medical facility by name, location or phone number please?

No other problems for the country's CEO; lovely, well done! The railway stock of Thailand is on par with Burma or India, albeit those countries' fares are even below the Thai ticket tariff and the losses clocked by the State Railway of Thailand are mind-boggling. The land they were given donkey years ago is being leased out at jokingly low rents; just check on Central Ladprao which had a 30-years lease at THB 8 million .... a year that is. Staff though is forthcoming, helpful and competent - the fish tends to start stinking at its head .......

What the fuss? You are wrong, get fined, pay the ticket and get on with life. Keep your papers in order and Bob's your uncle. Why should Thailand be more lenient than Europe, Australia or the US? Just because the locals have their means and ways it does not mean, that their wrong make it your right!

When I went to school, I was taught to keep it short and sweeeeeet. As a proof of this excellent part of my education, may I suggest to shorten "amid circulating rumors that an individual had attempted to influence the case’s outcome through financial means" into one word which could read "bribe"? Just asking as I left school more than 50 years ago already 😉

When I went to school, I was taught to keep it short and sweeeeeet. As a proof of this excellent part of my education, may I suggest to shorten "amid circulating rumors that an individual had attempted to influence the case’s outcome through financial means" into one word which could read "bribe"? Just asking as I left school more than 50 years ago already 😉

This sad incident must have a rather juicy flip side of the coin ......... but will fizzle away like anything else these days - how sad 😞

Running a spellchecker (German French) in the background seem to have created this particular beauty (corrected back from suggested "beauté") so yes, wonders indeed never cease .......

Points taken yet singing a song and talking military issues might not be on a balanced scale. On Eurovision I have a slightly distorted view after 2014, when absolutely unknown artists rocked up and Conchita Wurst from Austria (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaolVEJEjV4) walked away with gold. (S)he "confused" all other (embarrassed) contestants (to stay within PC limits) yet nobody dared to speak their mind while this bloke's 15 minutes of fame poured in enough cash for the rest of his (today absolutely irrelevant) life 😉 So, having Australia participating in the Eurovision is a blessing as the Europeans also lost the plot on that - politically speaking irrelevant - contribution to art and music in the 21st century

You summarized Thai economy and the political power grid quite nicely; as long as 1% of the people control ......... the rest is history 😉

Absolutely irrelevant, where this bird burns more piles of money which she never earned in the first place. Good riddance, if you ask me, but seriously - absolutely irrelevant. Next please ..........

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation The commodore must have been missing that particular class in geography - unless, of course, the local goons moved Thailand to the Atlantic ...... wonders never seize 😉

Well, let's wait for the evening news. He will blame the "dirty farang" again most likely - after all, without those alien Thailand would be so much more peaceful, clean and well behaved. Those arson fires could be stopped overnight but the even sweetheart Anutin would be stepping onto the wrong toes which then would assumingly arrange a booting out of ........ Chiang Mai, if he is lucky!

You simply did not get it, right?

Correct, yet overland crossings are a completely different ball game - the forms and the blue ink are celebrated like nothing else would matter. On arriving by air though you need to present your boarding pass; leaving it on the aircraft (as in my case) resulted in a shower of lectured "just to let you know" for 20 minutes after consultation with the supervisor on duty and facial expressions like if they just caught Jack the Ripper!

Well, I have to agree to disagree yet it might come to an utter surprise, that neither your nor my opinion is of any relevance - whatsoever 😉 Enjoy Wednesday all the while .....