An interesting day in Thailand

[grantcart]

The outgoing Military led parliament passed legislation to make same sex marriages and personal use of marijuana legal (as well as changing the emergency phone number to 911).

The current government has done more to eradicate corruption from the government, the police, the Royal Family and even the corrupt temples than the last 10 governments combined.

They have also installed a constitution which makes vote buying parties much more difficult by requiring parties to have several thousand members who make contributions for membership so that the parties have some broad base of support rather than rich elites buying up votes.

They will have national elections in February.

Being the first Asian country to have both legal same sex marriage and legalizing Marijuana is an interesting first step.

(Marijuana grows easily in Thailand and my only worry is that it will become so prevalent that it will become common among teens and even preteens.)

[at140]

1. No surprise, they have city named Bangkok...nt

[grantcart]

2. Not particularly original but "Bangkok" is not the name of the city you refer to

Bangkok was an area in the city where the foreign community stayed in the 19th century and it became commonly used since then.

In Thai the name is translated into English as:

“Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.”

What it means is “The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (unlike Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.”

But most Thai people just call it Krung Thep, City of Angels.

[at140]

3. The best tasting chicken fried rice I ever ate was in Thailand!

In a town called Pattaya...if I recall correctly.