......The BIB don't even bother using the two eyes they have implanted in their faces to observe a crime - let alone start using high tech drones with hi-definition zoom lenses.
This is just too funny!
By Barry Kenyon
Re: By Barry Kenyon
......The BIB don't even bother using the two eyes they have implanted in their faces to observe a crime - let alone start using high tech drones with hi-definition zoom lenses.
This is just too funny!
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Gaybutton
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Re: By Barry Kenyon
Also, I still almost daily see news reports of late night crimes on Beach Road, sometimes right in front of the police station. Maybe Big Brother is watching, but doing very little more than that . . .
Re: By Barry Kenyon
A UK HQ, possibly quite small.Barry Kenyon wrote: ↑Tue Jul 22, 2025 9:24 amA UK-based company Gorilla Technology is also contractually involved in international security enhancement, artificial intelligence and smart resource management.
A NASDAQ listing. Shares down over 80% in 3 years.
Their website tries to disguise where their operations are really based, which is a serious red flag. It looks like India.
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Gaybutton
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Re: By Barry Kenyon
British embassy consul updates Pattaya expats
By Barry Kenyon
July 22, 2025
Joanne Finnamore-Crorkin, the Bangkok-based consul in charge of consular cases, hosted a reception for Pattaya-based British expats and Thai authorities at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel. She began by introducing George Barrie, the incoming honorary consul in Pattaya currently awaiting official confirmation, who will assist the British embassy in dealing with distressed nationals.
In her report, Joanne stressed that the number of welfare cases in Thailand was rising even as the average age of British expats continued to rise. She urged those based here to register for updated travel advice and to make proper provision for their families by making a will in good order. Traffic accidents, mostly involving motorbikes, were increasing and the lack of comprehensive, valid insurance was of increasing concern.
She also touched on the rise in the number of holiday Brits accused of trying to export cannabis from Thailand. Those arrested in Thailand faced charges of lacking an export licence as cannabis was still a “controlled herb”. But those arrested in other countries, usually at airports, could face very long prison sentences. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was frequently reminding British visitors to Thailand of the dangers in becoming a drugs carrier.
Joanne pointed out that there was no single government department in Thailand dealing with road traffic accidents. Thus it was necessary for the embassy to liaise with multiple agencies including the police, immigration, the tourist authorities, hospitals, provincial administrators and governors amongst other stakeholders. She also thanked local Brits who assisted the embassy including servicemen’s organizations and local businesses.
The consul concluded by noting that 2025 was the 170th anniversary of Anglo-Thai diplomatic relations which were established with the signing of the Bowring treaty in 1855. The anniversary is a recognition of the enduring friendship between the UK and Thailand, built on royal connections, trade, investment, education and tourism. The relationship also extends to include cooperation in security and prosperity.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... ats-510859
By Barry Kenyon
July 22, 2025
Joanne Finnamore-Crorkin, the Bangkok-based consul in charge of consular cases, hosted a reception for Pattaya-based British expats and Thai authorities at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel. She began by introducing George Barrie, the incoming honorary consul in Pattaya currently awaiting official confirmation, who will assist the British embassy in dealing with distressed nationals.
In her report, Joanne stressed that the number of welfare cases in Thailand was rising even as the average age of British expats continued to rise. She urged those based here to register for updated travel advice and to make proper provision for their families by making a will in good order. Traffic accidents, mostly involving motorbikes, were increasing and the lack of comprehensive, valid insurance was of increasing concern.
She also touched on the rise in the number of holiday Brits accused of trying to export cannabis from Thailand. Those arrested in Thailand faced charges of lacking an export licence as cannabis was still a “controlled herb”. But those arrested in other countries, usually at airports, could face very long prison sentences. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was frequently reminding British visitors to Thailand of the dangers in becoming a drugs carrier.
Joanne pointed out that there was no single government department in Thailand dealing with road traffic accidents. Thus it was necessary for the embassy to liaise with multiple agencies including the police, immigration, the tourist authorities, hospitals, provincial administrators and governors amongst other stakeholders. She also thanked local Brits who assisted the embassy including servicemen’s organizations and local businesses.
The consul concluded by noting that 2025 was the 170th anniversary of Anglo-Thai diplomatic relations which were established with the signing of the Bowring treaty in 1855. The anniversary is a recognition of the enduring friendship between the UK and Thailand, built on royal connections, trade, investment, education and tourism. The relationship also extends to include cooperation in security and prosperity.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... ats-510859
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Gaybutton
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Re: By Barry Kenyon
Seems to me her lecture could have been narrowed down to just 3 words: Use common sense.
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thewayhelooks
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Gaybutton
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Gaybutton
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Re: By Barry Kenyon
Cambodian fake news dominant in ongoing border dispute
By Barry Kenyon
July 30, 2025
Cambodia has continued to blame Thailand for dastardly conduct as the uneasy border ceasefire continues to hold. Phnom Penh has dispatched a letter to the UN, allegedly from the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, to complain about the Thai military’s pre-ceasefire attacks on the ancient Preah Vihear temple complex.
Other Cambodian accusations include claims that F-16 Thai jets, prior to July 28, rained down cluster bombs on civilian populations and used poison gas in air attacks. On July 29, the day after the ceasefire, Cambodia urged the Asia Media Summit on Information Integrity to crackdown on hostile propaganda driven by artificial intelligence. It was a barely disguised assault on Thailand’s perceived hostility.
However, Cambodia has a poor reputation for honest news. It is badly placed 161st in the World Press Freedom Index, compared with Thailand’s 85th position. Although Thailand has strict laws on lese majeste, it allows critical commentary and a diversity of political opinions. Cambodia media, by contrast, are rigidly controlled with very few official outlets and a ban on even mild criticism of Hun Sen or his puppet prime minister son Hun Manet.
Cambodia’s evidence for Thai atrocities is weak. Blurred and impossible-to-verify photographs have appeared, purporting to show damage to ancient temples. A ridiculous Facebook photo, evidently endorsed by Hun Manet’s wife, purports to show a Thai jet spraying brightly-colored poison gas, in fact a wildfire retardant or suppressant of forest fires. Thai military has explained that cluster bombs are used exclusively on military targets and do not carry delayed explosive devices which are the mark of anti-personnel weaponry.
Other fraudulent Cambodian claims on social media are that her troops captured two contested temples and that a Thai jet was downed. Phnom Penh has repeated other nonsense including the claim a Thai general had been killed in action by a cluster bomb and that Thai drones have murdered Cambodian women and children. Mysterious “overseas women” have been accused of spreading anti-Cambodian propaganda on Facebook, TikTok and Telegram.
The Cambodian government’s chief spokesman, Pen Bona, said that Thai criticisms of his country were unreasonable and do not correspond to the notion of Cambodia as a peace-loving nation whose history shows she has suffered greatly. It is surely high time for Phnom Penh to rely on hard evidence when indulging in post-ceasefire politics. The fact that Cambodian citizens dislike wars or that the country has a notoriously sad history are irrelevant in this context.
https://www.pattayamail.com/news/cambod ... ute-511925
By Barry Kenyon
July 30, 2025
Cambodia has continued to blame Thailand for dastardly conduct as the uneasy border ceasefire continues to hold. Phnom Penh has dispatched a letter to the UN, allegedly from the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, to complain about the Thai military’s pre-ceasefire attacks on the ancient Preah Vihear temple complex.
Other Cambodian accusations include claims that F-16 Thai jets, prior to July 28, rained down cluster bombs on civilian populations and used poison gas in air attacks. On July 29, the day after the ceasefire, Cambodia urged the Asia Media Summit on Information Integrity to crackdown on hostile propaganda driven by artificial intelligence. It was a barely disguised assault on Thailand’s perceived hostility.
However, Cambodia has a poor reputation for honest news. It is badly placed 161st in the World Press Freedom Index, compared with Thailand’s 85th position. Although Thailand has strict laws on lese majeste, it allows critical commentary and a diversity of political opinions. Cambodia media, by contrast, are rigidly controlled with very few official outlets and a ban on even mild criticism of Hun Sen or his puppet prime minister son Hun Manet.
Cambodia’s evidence for Thai atrocities is weak. Blurred and impossible-to-verify photographs have appeared, purporting to show damage to ancient temples. A ridiculous Facebook photo, evidently endorsed by Hun Manet’s wife, purports to show a Thai jet spraying brightly-colored poison gas, in fact a wildfire retardant or suppressant of forest fires. Thai military has explained that cluster bombs are used exclusively on military targets and do not carry delayed explosive devices which are the mark of anti-personnel weaponry.
Other fraudulent Cambodian claims on social media are that her troops captured two contested temples and that a Thai jet was downed. Phnom Penh has repeated other nonsense including the claim a Thai general had been killed in action by a cluster bomb and that Thai drones have murdered Cambodian women and children. Mysterious “overseas women” have been accused of spreading anti-Cambodian propaganda on Facebook, TikTok and Telegram.
The Cambodian government’s chief spokesman, Pen Bona, said that Thai criticisms of his country were unreasonable and do not correspond to the notion of Cambodia as a peace-loving nation whose history shows she has suffered greatly. It is surely high time for Phnom Penh to rely on hard evidence when indulging in post-ceasefire politics. The fact that Cambodian citizens dislike wars or that the country has a notoriously sad history are irrelevant in this context.
https://www.pattayamail.com/news/cambod ... ute-511925
Re: By Barry Kenyon
It depends where you look.
The Pattaya Mail decided to include one of the most reliable sources of fake news, ie Facebook.
Of course Facebook has lots of fake news !
It always does & the management of that company do nothing to stop it. I'd suggest there is even a case for governments to legislate against it, since too many people are dumb enough to believe everything that is written. Or believe the parts they want to believe.
What the Cambodian government says is what matters.
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Gaybutton
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Re: By Barry Kenyon
And yet from among all those Indian restaurants, not even one American style Chinese restaurant. If I want my Egg Foo Yung and my non-noodle spring rolls, I have to make it myself - and neither ever comes out just right.
Regarding the Indian restaurants, I like Masala Twist in Jomtien, but my current personal favorite is Tarka House. I say "current" because with so many Indian restaurants, I certainly have yet to try them all. The ones I'd like to try first are the mom-and-pop hole-in-the-wall restaurants. In my opinion those types restaurants very often turn out to be the best.
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The riddle of too many Indian restaurants in Pattaya
By Barry Kenyon
August 1, 2025
According to a Pattaya Mail contact with an adding machine, there are currently 77 Indian restaurants alive and kicking in the Pattaya region. Actually he has missed the tasty New Fisherman cafe at Mabprachan lake, so the total should read 78. And yes, the total does include one or two companies on Second Road whose work permits say they are Pakistani or Bangladeshi run.
So that means there are around 2,000 customer seats (say 78×25) available at Pattaya’s Indian restaurants at any one moment during opening times. Or about 25,000 during the working day. That’s certainly a lot, but nothing to be surprised about. Social media, especially Facebook bloggers, report the same generous provision worldwide. Many attribute the numerical growth to the popularity of vegetarianism, not only in India but increasingly worldwide. This is a point often missed in debate.
Krabi in southern Thailand is evidently heaving with Indian restaurants, apparently because of sub-continental migration and the ease of opening new businesses down there. Another particularly hotspot is greater Toronto in Canada, including Niagara Falls, which is apparently humming with countless Indian students on business courses. Not to mention the Czech Republic’s Prague with a curry house on every street corner to cater for masses of curry-loving foreign tourists.
Pattaya’s alleged oversubscription to Indian food opportunities can be examined through Google’s artificial intelligence summary. The explanation there is a mixture of migration, tourism, cultural exchanges and business opportunities. Yet even Artificial Intelligence fails to notice Pattaya’s several Indian retail shops which specialize in selling the raw ingredients such as four different types of rice and umpteen spices.
Most of Pattaya’s Indian restaurants are centered on Second Road and offshoot streets. Jomtien, by contrast, is deprived but does include Masala Twist, particularly popular with northern Brits, and the elegant Indian by Nature on Thrappaya Road since 2004. The preponderance of Indian restaurants in central Pattaya suggests a cartel approach there: a similar product by the many competitors, each claiming uniqueness. Expats routinely applaud Tarka House, evidently popular with the retiree market, or what’s left of it.
Whether they all make a profit is a continual debating point on the internet with dark rumors abounding. Maybe some hire illegal Myanmar workers on starvation wages, or perhaps they provide very small portions via an expensive menu. The eateries could be a cover for other businesses, such as travel agencies or clothes shops or immigration shortcuts, or (heaven forbid) they might be dark centers for dubious money changing transactions and that flavor of the month – cryptocurrency. Some doubters on Facebook frown about cookie jar practices, namely fake bookkeeping to disguise losses. There is, of course, no actual evidence. A recent check on licences by local authority investigators found them mostly to be in order.
Still, it could be that Pattaya just has too much of everything and that Indian restaurants simply fall into that category: the revenue cake has to be shared in smaller pieces. Critics of Indian restaurants usually don’t like Indian food anyway and often resort to racist interpretations. One could equally well complain about the large number of barber shops, massage parlors or open bars with happy hours. How do they all survive? Or will they in future?
It’s best to declare a personal bias. There’s no such thing as the “best” Indian or the “best” British breakfast or the most delicious fish and chips. It’s all in the subjective mind of the beholder. My personal favorites are Ali Baba on Central Road – any family restaurant dating back without interruption to 1984 and with steep steps to climb must be exceptional – and Madras Darbar opposite Central Festival on Second Road which does have that singularly compulsory element. Many Indians eat there regularly.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... aya-512241
Regarding the Indian restaurants, I like Masala Twist in Jomtien, but my current personal favorite is Tarka House. I say "current" because with so many Indian restaurants, I certainly have yet to try them all. The ones I'd like to try first are the mom-and-pop hole-in-the-wall restaurants. In my opinion those types restaurants very often turn out to be the best.
_____________________________________________
The riddle of too many Indian restaurants in Pattaya
By Barry Kenyon
August 1, 2025
According to a Pattaya Mail contact with an adding machine, there are currently 77 Indian restaurants alive and kicking in the Pattaya region. Actually he has missed the tasty New Fisherman cafe at Mabprachan lake, so the total should read 78. And yes, the total does include one or two companies on Second Road whose work permits say they are Pakistani or Bangladeshi run.
So that means there are around 2,000 customer seats (say 78×25) available at Pattaya’s Indian restaurants at any one moment during opening times. Or about 25,000 during the working day. That’s certainly a lot, but nothing to be surprised about. Social media, especially Facebook bloggers, report the same generous provision worldwide. Many attribute the numerical growth to the popularity of vegetarianism, not only in India but increasingly worldwide. This is a point often missed in debate.
Krabi in southern Thailand is evidently heaving with Indian restaurants, apparently because of sub-continental migration and the ease of opening new businesses down there. Another particularly hotspot is greater Toronto in Canada, including Niagara Falls, which is apparently humming with countless Indian students on business courses. Not to mention the Czech Republic’s Prague with a curry house on every street corner to cater for masses of curry-loving foreign tourists.
Pattaya’s alleged oversubscription to Indian food opportunities can be examined through Google’s artificial intelligence summary. The explanation there is a mixture of migration, tourism, cultural exchanges and business opportunities. Yet even Artificial Intelligence fails to notice Pattaya’s several Indian retail shops which specialize in selling the raw ingredients such as four different types of rice and umpteen spices.
Most of Pattaya’s Indian restaurants are centered on Second Road and offshoot streets. Jomtien, by contrast, is deprived but does include Masala Twist, particularly popular with northern Brits, and the elegant Indian by Nature on Thrappaya Road since 2004. The preponderance of Indian restaurants in central Pattaya suggests a cartel approach there: a similar product by the many competitors, each claiming uniqueness. Expats routinely applaud Tarka House, evidently popular with the retiree market, or what’s left of it.
Whether they all make a profit is a continual debating point on the internet with dark rumors abounding. Maybe some hire illegal Myanmar workers on starvation wages, or perhaps they provide very small portions via an expensive menu. The eateries could be a cover for other businesses, such as travel agencies or clothes shops or immigration shortcuts, or (heaven forbid) they might be dark centers for dubious money changing transactions and that flavor of the month – cryptocurrency. Some doubters on Facebook frown about cookie jar practices, namely fake bookkeeping to disguise losses. There is, of course, no actual evidence. A recent check on licences by local authority investigators found them mostly to be in order.
Still, it could be that Pattaya just has too much of everything and that Indian restaurants simply fall into that category: the revenue cake has to be shared in smaller pieces. Critics of Indian restaurants usually don’t like Indian food anyway and often resort to racist interpretations. One could equally well complain about the large number of barber shops, massage parlors or open bars with happy hours. How do they all survive? Or will they in future?
It’s best to declare a personal bias. There’s no such thing as the “best” Indian or the “best” British breakfast or the most delicious fish and chips. It’s all in the subjective mind of the beholder. My personal favorites are Ali Baba on Central Road – any family restaurant dating back without interruption to 1984 and with steep steps to climb must be exceptional – and Madras Darbar opposite Central Festival on Second Road which does have that singularly compulsory element. Many Indians eat there regularly.
https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... aya-512241