Coss

In a fairy kingdom not so far from Thailand, the biggest market in the biggest city burnt down. Now in this Kingdom, when construction works take place, they put up a fence of green sheet steel around the site. All the sites everywhere use the same green sheet steel, the contractor must be a relative of someone important, no other kinds of fencing for constructions sites are ever seen. The aforementioned market, burnt down in the evening. There was a green steel construction fence around the considerable area of the ruins, by seven the next morning.

But then what would the country look like with all the unemployed Colonel Major General Captain Sergeant Somchais roaming about unemployed and with only (now) thuggery skills?

Or maybe we are divorced from fantasy land...

IMHO the posting of pictures on Social Media has always been a problem, zillions of feckless morons posting pictures of cats or themselves in the mistaken belief that these are somehow important. The time spent on Social Media is a net loss to Society.

past it into a text edit document first (not Word) and re-copy and paste after that.

After more investigation it seems that there should be no problem, as I'm returning to my own country, but never the less the chances of some airline staff applying a yes/no interpretation to this situation are high, so I'll renew the passport online and attempt to get it delivered. Bloody risky that.

I'm not Dutch but I'm Scum and I'm offended!

Well it's been VTE - BKK - VTE via land crossing with only 5 months on it. Valid visa for Laos in it until 2015, despite it expiring in Sept.

For travel Bkk - Sin - Akl - the passport expires in September. It's a NZ passport. Is the six months validity, a stringent rule, or as the holder is returning to the home country, will most countries allow transit? Any opinions welcome.

unlocked and loaded

I also heard from a Thai, that a son and a daughter are backing different horses in this years race.

I agree with you except they're not all yellow shirts, most of them are pink shirts.

I don't think MS needs anyone's help, MS is quite capable of inflicting pain on the world without resorting to receiving aid.

This aways gets a laugh from Thais, excuse my amateur transliteration - Pom ben puchai burisoot khrap. I think it means - I'm just a little virgin boy. Never fails, though I wouldn't use it in polite company.

Can't get an erection and also premature ejaculation. An interesting problem.

In Los it'd be foreigner's fault

My comments inline below ____ BANGKOK: -- The Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) is keen on the seizure of assault rifles on the motor vehicle belonged to a government northern politician and assures to the public that it will pursue the case closely. The assurance was given by Army spokesperson Col Winthai Suwari when he was asked by reporters about the seizure of firearms in a white Mazda parked at the entrance of Juntra resort in Nakhon Nayok province Sunday while police were investigating an unrelated theft complaint filed by a customer. The resort is owned by former government MP Sitthichai Kittithanesuan. Investigation revealed the car belongs to another politician, an adviser to a caretaker minister. Col Winthai said the ISOC of which the army chief is deputy director was very keen on the seizure and assured that the case would be pursued by ISOC closely and would not let it to be forgotten amid report of intense lobbying by politicians to release the case. After all, assault rifles in a politician's car are a right, not a crime, surely. There was report that the military and security authorities have not ruled out the possibility of the weapons being linked to the political unrest. As against shooting rates in a wood pile. Troops attached to the ISOC, who accompanied police during the weapon search, claimed high-ranking police officers and politicians had lobbied the investigation team not to confiscate the car and weapons. Because high-ranking police officers and politicians are not subject to laws, surely. The incident was reported to army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, who later gave an order not to allow the rifles to be released as the case concerns security. Whereas if they'd been able to demonstrate that the assault rifles were for shooting rats, it's be OK. The discovery prompted Gen Prayuth to order his subordinates in the army and the ISOC to beef up vigilance against people carrying weapons into the capital. Democrat party spokesman Chanvanond Intarakomalyasut, meanwhile, said the car which carried the weapons belongs to a high-profile politician in a central province. He urged authorities to pursue the question of whether the arms were intended to stir up unrest in Bangkok. He said the police should note the fact the weapons were found in Nakhon Nayok in a car registered in Chiang Rai. Source: http://englishnews.t...oliticians-car/

I've fallen into the playpen with pretty coloured baubles that is Apple, and I don't regret it. Even when working (in the past) in closed MS shops, I still used my Mac. So what if they couldn't get read receipts or calendar scheduling to work. Just tell me.

When hotmail came out all those years ago I had a look at it and decided against it. Eudora was my preference. Nothing Microsoft has done since has cause me to consider any MS product, except where business requirements were inflexible.

allegedly TAT always published massive increases in projected figures for visitors, the way they go on, you'd think the entire population of the world visits every year.

" he will surrender to police by May 27." ​Like that'll ever happen

My comments, inline in green Is 'Teflon Thailand' finally losing its sheen? by Apilaporn VECHAKIJ BANGKOK, May 16, 2014 (AFP) - Thailand's once-vibrant economy is buckling under the strain of months of political turmoil that has paralysed government policy, scared off tourists and spooked foreign investors, analysts warn. Long hailed as "Teflon Thailand" for its enviable record of economic resilience in the face of political upheaval, the fallout from a six-month crisis that has left 28 people dead and hundreds wounded is mounting. Official statistics due for release on Monday are expected to show that the economy contracted in the first quarter of 2014 from the previous quarter, and experts fear the poor performance will drag on until the deadlock is resolved. "When there is no government, people lack confidence to spend and invest because they fear constant political chaos," said Thanavath Phonvichai, director of the Center for Economic and Business Forecasting at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce. "Also foreigners will not dare to travel to Thailand." TAT will as usual report projected massive increases in Tourism Thanavath said there was a high risk that the economy would shrink in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2014. "It is possible that we will have neither a government nor prime minister throughout this year," he warned. - Rudderless ship - Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy has not had a fully functioning parliament or government since December, bringing major infrastructure projects to a halt and disrupting wider state spending. Consumer confidence is at the lowest level in 12 years while foreign tourist arrivals have slumped and foreign investors are watching the saga unfold nervously. International tourist arrivals were down by roughly eight and nine percent in February and March respectively from a year earlier, according to government figures, but have since shown signs of stabilising. A grenade and gun attack on anti-government protesters in Bangkok on Thursday that left three people dead has added to fears that the unrest could spiral, with the coup-prone army warning that it might have to intervene to quell the violence. Grenade and gun attacks are seemingly tolerated in Thailand, little if any effective action seems to be taken subsequent to any attack. Government supporters have warned of possible civil war if demonstrators achieve their goal of appointing an unelected premier following the recent removal of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office in a controversial court ruling. A clear indication that there are significant numbers of people who, on both sides of the argument, are prepared to ignore the rule of law. Poll officials say a planned July 20 general election is now in jeopardy because of the risk of a repeat of the chaos seen in February when opposition demonstrators blocked voting. Thailand's economic growth already slowed sharply in the fourth quarter of 2013, to just 0.6 percent year-on-year, from 2.7 percent in the previous quarter, according to official figures. In March the Thai central bank reduced its official interest rate to the lowest level in three years to boost the stumbling economy. The same month the Bank of Thailand cut its growth forecast for 2014 to 2.7 percent, after a 2.9 percent expansion in 2013. - Stuck in the middle - Fitch Ratings has warned that Thailand's "'BBB+" sovereign credit rating could be under threat if the deadlock continues through the second half of this year. "Failure to establish a functioning government by mid-year would have a major impact on medium-term capital investment, consumer confidence and fiscal planning," it warned in a statement. The crisis is delaying Thailand's escape from the low-investment "middle income trap" in which it has languished since the Asian financial crisis in 1997, Fitch said. Eight years of political turmoil, along with the destruction wrought by devastating 2011 floods, have raised fears that long-term investors such as Japanese carmakers could stop new investment, or even move production to other, more stable countries. Apocryphal information indicates that this process is well underway, understandably the Thai press has ignored these stories. That would be a heavy setback for a country that has earned the nickname of the "Detroit of Southeast Asia" thanks to its status as a thriving regional auto manufacturing hub. Thai car sales plunged nearly 46 percent in the first quarter of 2014 from a year earlier because of the weaker economy and the end of government subsidies for first-time buyers, according to an industry-wide survey by Toyota. Experts say it appears unlikely there will be a functioning government in place in time to pass a 2015 budget within the next few months, delaying all non-essential state spending. This could, also delay the syphoning of money from the trough. Resulting in lack of funding for the patronage networks, possible on both sides of the argument. Without this funding, these networks may prove fragile. "It will take several months before we have a new government so by the time we have the new budget, it will be next year," said Somjai Phagaphasvivat, a political science professor at Bangkok's Thammasat University. "Political calm will not come easily. The country will be polarised for quite a while," he said. A very mild and understated comment. http://www.afp.com/en

I think its's to do with Buddhists being essentially fatalists. So whilst the West is obsessed with avoiding gore and carnage so we can all get into Heaven, the East is more realistic and says "see, Buddha told you so". This is the reason for the carnage on TV and the shots of criminals - G'ma won't miss it - it's entertainment and it bolsters their 'right' thinking attitudes. But then I generalise

I see, thanks.

What kind of language is Dakota?