Buying Votes in Bangkok… With Viagra

Politics in Thailand and buying votes are nothing new, but creative ways to garner favor among the populace is a challenge for even the most resourceful candidates.

In lieu of cash, one Bangkok candidate in a recent election allegedly handed out Viagra tablets.


The rules about handing out favors to voters have always been strict in Thailand, and they even forbid the distribution of free T-shirts and soft drinks. But a new law will make that look like a piece of cake, as now criminal charges can be brought against both the supplier and the recipient of vote-buying that can lead up to ten years in prison!

The accuser, Sayan Nopcha, a campaigner for the People’s Power Party in Bangkok, whose older brother is running for office, would not identify the candidate who allegedly handed out the pills. He told authorities that the drug, which is supposed to be used only via a doctor’s prescription, was being freely distributed to elderly male voters.

The politician is giving out Viagra to gain popularity and votes. I think this is a very bad way of vote-buying, said Sayan.

There were many candidates competing for many seats in this past election. How many of them broke the law is one question. How many of them made some senior citizens very happy, at least for a little while, is quite another!

Thai Temple Made from 1.5 Million Recycled Bottles

This Thai Temple named “Wat Lan Kuad” or “Temple of Million Bottles” is literally made from more than one million recycled bottles. It is estimated that the whole structure is made from 1.5 million recycled bottles, where most of them are donated.

World's Largest Catfish

The above image is of a 646-pound Mekong giant catfish, netted in Thailand. The fish now holds the record for the largest freshwater fish ever caught. Originally there were plans to release the fish, but it died while in captivity and was eaten by a village near where it was caught.

Seriously that just is one more reminder about how little we know and understand about large species. There could be larger fish out there, and it is possible there are numerous animals in remote areas of the earth that we have never seen or photographed.

This story also shows that if you give a man a fish he will eat it, but if you give him a fishing net he will feed a village and create a fish story.