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Beyond the Bamboo Curtain – In today’s short story, Tim is rapidly learning how Thailand differs dramatically from America. What are your experiences with Thai builders? Let us know in the comments below; other readers will benefit from your advice and views. I saw Tim and Somsee for lunch today. Work on his house is progressing well. They’ve…
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To maintain balance and avoid bias, we will later look at 2 controversial cases. One in Thailand, and the other in England The Thai court system is made up of the Constitutional Court, the Courts of Justice, the Administrative Court, and the Military Court. Most cases are initially heard in the local provincial courts of…
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Even after 3 Days of Cross-examination by a leading barrister for the Mirror group, the Prince has made his point that the likelihood is that his phone was hacked illegally. HRH Prince Harry alleges that the newspaper group, MGN, which includes the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and 8 other national newspapers,…
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This is a short piece examining both sides of Woke Culture. “Woke” is sometimes taken as meaning, “being awake to what is going on”. Readers will note the similarity between the words, woke and awake. But are we really awake to what is going on. Or, are we just accepting, without questioning or critical thinking,…
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Thai prisons aren’t anything like five‑star hotels. You won’t find private toilets or TVs in the cells. Compared with many Western jails—where you get central heating, decent medical care, gyms and game rooms—the difference is pretty stark. Officially, rehabilitation is the goal, but the long sentences handed out here make you wonder how much focus…
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“When a government office asks you to turn a Thai street name into English letters, you quickly discover that bureaucracy can be more baffling than a broken GPS.” I’d already completed the rest of the British consulate’s form in flawless English, but for my address I used Thai script—exactly as the consulate’s own guidelines demand.…
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Comparing Western Mafias with Thailand and Singapore. Thailand’s layback attitude, mai pen rai, is conducive to the creation and maintenance of mafias. Thais believe it is wrong to challenge the mafias that exist here. They want to avoid any conflict with their “betters”, the élite, and the government. For that reason, most Thais generally accept government…
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Today’s short story in the Beyond the Bamboo Curtain series of Thailand topics. Readers will see that Thais have a strong sense of being born Free, and the importance of Thailand’s hierarchical feudal structure. “Freedom to Spit” was a term Carol Hollinger used in her excellent book, Mai Pen Rai Means Never Mind. Still a classic best-seller on…
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When Nok and Duangjai bought their dream home, they didn’t realise a paint-spraying company was about to build a spraying unit next to their land. This true short story in the Beyond the Bamboo Curtain series explains how they dealt with the problem. Even a light breeze can carry the unpleasant smell of paint into…
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How unforeseen events can force a change of plan Because there’s much I need to do in the house, in the garden, and for my writing, I always plan a schedule for the week ahead—then watch it wobble, warp, or wither by morning. When asked by a journalist why his government promises weren’t being kept…
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