Sorry it's not the main money earner for Thailand. It's rice. A small percentage comes from tourism.

Maybe that's why the bigger picture is they could not give a monkey's.

It's not just ecconomics its wrong. Making judgement on what to charge someone based on skin colour. Come on. Ecconomics. Dont make excuses for thais. I have seen them skin tourists for alot of money and could write a book on scams.

The fact they also do it in other countries too doesn't make it right either. You want to condone it? Or do you want to stop it. I remember Thailand the helmet law was rarely enforced in Thailand for locals but foreigners acting on example looking at Thais and riding around without helmets were fined. A cartoon making light of this was in the Pattaya local papers once I remember showing a cop busting a foreighner and a thais were driving by the scene without helmets. One law for them another law for us. That's Thailand isnt it?
The cops have changed their ways now they just bust everyone for money and not public safety as most of the helmets are not capable of saving anyone.
Thais are no longer poor as they were and it's not as cheap as it was and in this world ecconomic climate tourists dont find Thailand cheap anymore. Maybe it's time to change Thailand and revamp the tourist industry. Clean up the beaches and clean the scammers off the streets. Thailand doesn't need bad publicity and there seems to be alot of it and quite deservingly too.

Regarding carrying of liquid in domestic flights, in India you are not allowed to carry any liquid which is more than 100ml. Lighters and matches are also prohibited. Now the new airports have smoking rooms equipped with electrical lighters.
For ATR planes opened bottles and lighters not even allowed in checked in baggage.

Have respect for another countries laws, social customs and people. Earn the respect of a host and you will be welcome. Have an open mind and learn.
Unfortunately too many visitors go for the wrong reasons. Thailands social customs reflect a far better morality than most western countries. Many westerners corrupt this, that is why we are not always welcome.

Thailand's customs is rumoured to be the country's most corrupt government department. I would recommend doing everything possible to avoid contact with any customs official. If I was involved with any customs problems at the airport, I'd surely want a third party, likley the police, observing

I've just moved to Thailand from Australia and intend to stay on a long stay visa (12 months renewable).

Before I left Australia, I had two large trolley cases and a guitar in a case sent by Emirates air cargo because it was way cheaper than having to pay for excess baggage at check in.

When I went to Suvarnabhumi airport cargo to collect my things, I ran into the mire of corruption that is Thai Customs. It may just be the way things are done in Government dealings in Thailand but corruption is corruption is corruption.
I ended up having to pay some little turd $100 to smooth the process of paperwork for me. This of course involved his paying backhanders (out of the money I reluctantly gave him) to every official (and weren't there a lot of them)?
Anyway, after 4 hours, I finally got my things and didn't have to pay the tax that had evidently been assessed at 30,000 baht ($1,000). This was mainly for a used bass guitar that I paid $600 for when new.

In April 2012, I'm having half a shipping container load of other stuff including a mega expensive electronic drum kit, amps, an acoustic drum kit and 20 odd basses, as well as heaps and heaps of new housewares, TV, DVD player, microwave oven etc sent through Allied Pickfords removals and I worry about whether I'm going to get screwed by Thai Customs for that lot. I intend to make the TV, MW oven, DVD etc look used but I'm not sure that'll work.

Any thoughts from you folks about how I'm likely to go with having a container load of stuff, much of it looking new, come through Thai Customs.

JMV