mauRICE

Perhaps not having a plan was the plan. Oh, the farang could well have loved his Thai partner but he might have been resentful too. Perhaps the sex was great, perhaps he had become too dependent on his Thai partner and was too deep into the relationship to extract himself out of it - a very common occurrence in Thailand. First the boyfriend - that was fun. Then came his wife. Then child number one, number two, number three...none of which were part of the original plan. Presumably there were other women too as the Thai partner was straight, all supported and paid for by the farang. I don't know how wealthy this farang was but supporting a young family of four or five would be a huge financial burden on most retirees. All the love and warm feelings shared by the farang and his Thai partner described in the original post may have well been true but one could enjoy and resent something at the same time. The farang may have liked being part of a Thai family but simultaneously felt trapped by the responsibility and expense in his old age and that there was no way out of it while he was alive. Bear in mind the farang is always a guest and the Thai is playing on his own turf. Maybe the farang felt that he had done enough and decided to do something else with his money upon his death. Another thing: people lie and sometimes the entire village lies with them. And unless one lived with the farang and his Thai partner over the course of twenty years, one is unlikely to know their entire story or the truth.

I'm sure the book had its uses when it was published twenty years ago! A lot has changed in a generation, some for the better, some not. Cultures are organic beings and they change with time. I've noticed significant changes in the language, diet, education system, religious practices, reverence (or lack thereof) towards certain institutions and how I've changed too as I get older in my responses to these changes. Many of the kids don't even know how to wai properly anymore. And don't get me started on how they dress to the temple. But one good thing I've noticed is the decline of barter Buddhism which I anticipate will decline even further with the recent sex and money scandal involving monks. Another observation is the more subdued or even muted reaction of younger Thais over the Thai-Khmer dispute, as opposed to the chest-thumping and saber-rattling of the older ones.

I haven't both in my interactions with Thais and from what I've seen in popular culture, at least not in 2025. Plenty of French kissing scenes either explicit or intimated in gay and straight Thai films, TV series, porn, literature and comics. Safer sex campaigns address the issue of French kissing which means it is something that people do. Some sex workers, on the other hand, may be reluctant to French kiss for various reasons, for example, it's a deeply intimate act reserved for partners, hygiene, perceived fear of contracting certain diseases, etc. Bear in mind that sex workers see multiple customers of unknown backgrounds in a month and while the risk of contracting an STI through kissing may be low, it is much higher for them and they don't want to pass it on to their wives, boyfriends or other customers.

No, not all degree programmes at AU are taught in English. Many are taught in Thai.

It is crass and demeaning and I've seen Thais do it at Thai-type establishments, usually by the nouveau riche.

...and within the ambit of lese-majeste.

He's unlikely to be a member of the Thai bar if he doesn't speak and write Thai to a very high standard. He's probably hired as a legal adviser or foreign consultant, possibly to draw in and deal with Chinese clients.

Thousands of visitors from Asean countries fly into Thailand everyday for leisure, travel and business and I've never heard of anyone being asked to show a ticket out of Thailand upon entry although having a return ticket may be an airline requirement at the point of departure. In 20+ years of travelling to Thailand I've never been asked to show a flight ticket out of the country upon arrival. There may have been exceptions if the immigration officer in attendance suspected the visitor may have been abusing the social-exemption pass for reasons other than genuine travel and short-term business. And this applies at land borders too.

I'd be curious to know what university in Bangkok, or anywhere in Thailand for that matter, teaches law in English. Could it have been a law module instead of a full degree?

Studying for motivational reasons is great and a privilege. It would be helpful if you could tell us what you'd like to study, your academic background to-date and whether you've got a preference for a particular location or region in Thailand.

No?