macaroni21

I understand the Thai system. I've heard that other Asian cultures also apply a similar system, though I'm no authority on that. It makes sense. It's just as logical as the Western system to say "He's in his fifteenth year" meaning he's somewhere between his 14th and 15th birthday per the Western system. What I've been meaning to ask for a long time but never had the opportunity, is this: If that is the Thai system, then wouldn't Thai law be interpreted in the same way? That is, if the law says a boy needs to be 20 to enter a bar, would that mean that the boy needs to be in his twentieth year (i.e. past his 19th birthday) to enter a bar?

Yes. I noticed last week that that possibility exists. I actually think moving the check-points for hand-carried luggage to BEFORE duty-free compromises security. Now it is possible for someone to check in at Suvarnabhumi, go through passport control and bag control and then mingle with thousands of other travellers in transit in the duty-free area. Think of the possibilities of two terrorists meeting up within the transit area with the in-transit guy passing a gun or small bomb to the guy who's just checked in from the Bangkok side. The Bangkok guy can then proceed to board his flight with no further checks. How easy is it for a guy in transit have a gun or bomb to pass to the Bangkok guy? That depends... how many dodgy airports have flights into Suvarnabhumi? This means that Suvarnabhumi's security is only as good as the worst airport that connects to it. I flew from Suvaranabhumi to Changi Singapore and for the first time I saw the Singapore authorities putting up a checkpoint to screen passengers as they disembarked. All hand-luggage had to go through scanners, all pockets checked before people could enter the Changi terminal. I thought it showed how much trust the Singapore authorities placed in Suvarnabhumi's security.

When you say "Silom line", do you mean the BTS (skytrain) line that runs from National Stadium to Wongwien Yai? I think the answer is that there is no direct transfer. The website http://www.bangkokairporttrain.com/index.html says - * - * - The Airport Link to Suvarnabhumi Airport will provide 2 Transit options: * A Direct Express Train that will take 15 minutes from the City Air Terminal (Makkasan) train station. This service will connect to the city

It runs only once per hour. Costs 150 baht (before adding the cost of the taxi from Makkasan to hotel). Doesn't sound competitive.

I assume you realise that the +86 numbers are China. I believe +86 136.... would lead you to a cellphone in that country.