w11guy

happening alot lately! but what is this editors note: <deleted>?

Hi my friend onenut,

i wonder why a few of my mates that have been involved in trouble in the uk over the last few months didnt get a mention in the local papers.Football related and drink related incidents happen in their hundreds at the weekend in England and i wouldnt dare to guess how many in Scotland and South Wales.

We have an incident in soi 6 of all places and people jump on the bandwagon and say happening a lot lately.

Give over man

I am English and totally agree with you. I have been to a few football matches in the UK and have ended up in some very frightening situations. From my personal experience there is much more violence in the UK than in Thailand. For some reason there are lots of farangs on this forum that have nothing better to do than put Thailand and its people down all the time. It makes you wonder why some of them are here. Oh yes, most probably because it's the best place to pay for a girlfriend because they can't get a real one for free. They hang around in bars and with prostitutes and then complain if there is any trouble. You would get in trouble in any country if you hang out in those areas and with those types of people. I have found Thailand to be very safe and very friendly.

On the other hand, if he has kids, he wil want to bring them along with his wife to England. Presuming the kifs are in school and grew up in Isaan, they will now pay the prize for this by losing their entire universe, effectively paying the prize for daddy's stupidity.

With this in mind, if I was the judge I'd grant the idiot one more chance to remain in Thailand.

I think the children would be much better off without this kind of person as a role model in their life. If he cares for his family he can bring take them to the UK.

Many people seem to think that situations like this only happen in Thailand. They obviously aren't very well informed. Check out this list of riots http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_riots. <br><br>Also, someone mentioned that in 1st world countries protestors would be removed after one day. This is wrong. There have been protestors outside the houses of parliament in London for YEARS. Yes, that's right, YEARS. Police have failed to remove them and the courts have often backed their right to stay and protest. A recent court case has said they can be removed, but this hasn't happened yet.<br><br>So don't go thinking Thailand is so different. These situations happen in 1st world countries. The other thing you are msiing is that many 1st world countries take their killing abroad. US and UK troops have killed over 100,000 CIVILIANS in Iraq. That's civilians, not the army, terrorists or such people, but civilians. So don't go thinking that 1st world countries are any model to follow. UK has also locked up many of its own citizens up without trial. There are some really, really bad things that happen in the UK, USA and other countries, but it is mostly hidden. You have more chance of being killed by UK or US troops than you have of being killed by Thai trops. FACT.<br>

No doubt that protesters will return.

Don't forget that 90 people killed and thousand injured.

This is the reason why SOE must NOT be lifted.

It should be a permanent fixture in Thai society (just like Myanmar).

Frankly speaking, there is no affect in our life, whether SOE is in place or not; so keep it on forever and ever.

If there is no effect on our lices whether SOE in place or not, then why do you think it should be kept. You seem to be contradicting yourself.

Thank you for the post, March...

But... HUH????? That's a new one on me. I've never heard the criminal justice legal system here works in that fashion....

Dvornikov said Pletnev, 53, was released on bail of an unspecified sum and was not asked to surrender his passport. Thai law requires suspects to post bail even if no charges have been filed, RIA-Novosti reported.

It's similar in the UK. If the police arrest you because they suspect that you've committed a crime but they don't have enough evidence to charge you, can make you come back to the police station at a later date. In the meantime they will try to find more evidence against you or clear your name. Not sure if it is called bail, but it amounts to the same thing. Nothing unusual at all.Sometimes it takes time to invetigate a crime. You have to have enough evidence before you charge the person. Seems normal to me.

<br>How many have closed because they should not have opened in the first place.<br><br>Too many people jump on the band-wagon without first doing their homework. Some will open a bar, restaurant or guest house because their neighbour is doing it and has a few customers. Those customers won't just multiply overnight - they will spread themselves over all the available establishments and everyone loses out..<br><br>To be sure the recent protests by all colours have not helped tourism, but neither they not the government can be blamed for all the tourism ills. There is just over-supply, through lack of planning. <br><br>The government should not bail everyone out.<br>

I suspect most people not in a one day rush would use the translation service and avoid the need to travel out there two times; so you were likely the exception doing yourself and not wanting fast service.

My translation was already done, and if they had asked me which service that I may have preferred before trying to charge me $800 bhat, my reply may have been different.

From your reply its sounds like you chose the 2 day just to spite them because they didn't ask you. I'd choose what suited me. I don't see the point of choosing something that doesn't suit me just to get back at someone else.

True Inter SIM in Thailand?

What UK SIM do you have, if any? Eg. o2 offer free SMS service from their website.

I think there are many ways to send free SMS via the web these days, but obviously not useful when you're/they're out on the go.

I have Orange SIM card at the moment, but am planning get a Thai number, as I will be using mostly to call/text in BKK. So I just wanted to know which of those was best for texting UK. I also have to consider how my friends in UK can text me cheaply.

I've already told you. If your friends don't want to use the PC, you should get another phone for the Thai SIM(or get a Twin SIM mobile). Then your friends can continue to send to your Orange mobile. You can send from your new HAPPY SIMPLE SIM.

Also many services available to call you from the UK from as little as 0.5p per minute using 0844 call through numbers.

I can't see how this can possibly work. I already have a UK SIM card. If my friend texts me from his UK SIM card, then I will pay about 20-30p to receive the text. UK to UK texting is only free within the UK. If you take your phone out of the UK you have to pay raoming charges to receive the text. I have already tried this in many countries.

In any case, I don't want to carry two phones around with me and I doubt my friends do either. It would mean all of us buying a 2nd phone.

I am looking for a solution where I can text from my Thai SIM to my friends UK SIMs. I know that you can do the opposite for £3/month. Texts get routed via internet. But I can't find anything similar that works the other way.

Tourism to recover in 6 months ............ Hmmmmmmmm

The western world is broke, unemployment high, wages down.

Air fares to Thailand are two to three time what they were (2009 I paid 245UKP for a return LHR to BKK, 2010 cheapest was 650UKP)

The Baht is 20 percent more expensive (2009 I got 54Bht to 1 UKP, 2010 47bht to 1 UKP)

Western news portrayed Thailand as a war zone

None of Thailand's problems have been resolved

I don't think tourism will ever recover in Thailand, in fact I think it will get worse as new bookings are unlikely to be made.

UK travel agents don't advertise holidays to Thailand any more, and the Baht is not listed in UK currency exchange shops.

If I didn't have a Thai wife, I would have left last month.

Thailand will never be the so called "Land Of Smiles" again. I'm in Europe after eight years Thailand waiting for an operation. I'll be back because of my family, the weather and some good friends.

The truth is that the European economy really sucks and would I be a tourist, I'd travel to other countries like Laos, Vietnam or South America.

Thailand is pretty good not to tell the truth about the political situation, what about the killings in the South? What we see in the news is what they want us to think.

Of course places like Pattaya, Phuket, Koh Samui will have tourists again, but it will never be as it was before. Some people are addicted to see these bars, to hear sentences like: "Hello handsome man, sit down, where ya come from?" Even when you're 78 and in a wheel chair.

To be perfectly honest, you can come to TH, spent all your money, but we'll never have more rights. After all we still have to show a huge amount of money-on a Thai bank- to renew our visas.

All this visa crap, laws are changing more often than some people are able to change their underwear, together with the inflation makes Thailand to a country where people should think twice to settle down.

Why can't you own land after being there for more than ten years? After teaching their kids for many years, we've got no rights to have the same social security status like retirement money, a credit with almost no interest to build a house, or to buy a car.

Not mentioning those guys who lost all by marrying such a beautiful Thai woman………….

Where I'm living, in the lower North East, you can't go out in the middle of the night, there's not even one cop to protect you. No cop would take the phone in an emergency situation. We foreigners are so different. I could go on and on and on and on……….

What you say has nothing to do with tourism. You're just complaining about things you don't like from an expat point of view. Tourists do not want to own land, renew their visa, etc. This has nothing to do with the article. Tourists aren't going to stop coming on holiday because they just found out they can't own land. You can't own land in many countries. It may seem unfair to you, but that's life. You could also say why can't Thais just turn up in the UK and have a good time. That's unfair to them. If you're from a Western country, such as the UK, you have much more opportunities given to you in Thailand than Thai people are given in the West. So be thankful for what you can get and stop complaining about what you can't get. Your life is probably much easier than the life of most Thais. Don't forget that.

Wow - make a prediction that in the historic "high season" of December (6 months from now) that things will be better than now (June - low season).

Wonderful prediction.

Lets have lots of statistics to show that in December that visitor numbers are higher than June, that will really prove lots of things.

Thailand is a mess, its has no freedom of the media, it has a repressive decree in power limiting the rights of all people, its army and government are alleged to have been killing many civilians, it slams the foreign media as liars as they report the truth and not the propaganda and of course everyone is supposed to forget this ?

Thailand is not cheap now.

Its a place full of scams and rip off's,

Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia are all far better value in terms of service and value for money.

Burma should start advertising itself as a great place for tourists perhaps with the headline "We have the same freedoms as Thailand, so come here and forget the overpriced bahtland (and our people are more friendly and will not rip you off) "

Thailand may not be cheap to you, but it is incredibly cheap compared to the UK. I live comfortably here on a fraction of what I spent in the UK. Maybe there are cheaper places, but certainly for British people it offers a great way of life for next to nothing. Most things I buy here are about 25% of less of the cost back home. If that's not cheap then what is? I have met some great people here and no-one has tried to scam me, cheat me or rip me off. On the contrary, they have been extremely helpful and have help me settle in quickly. I was expecting the worst after reading this forum before coming, but now I have been here a few weeks it seems like a different place to the one many on this forum talk about.

As you have only been here for a couple of weeks I suggest you live here for a while then come back to this website and comment. I am talking from an expat's point of view who is living here and travelled around thailand extensively. You will soon see that the discussions and contributions on here are mostly well founded by people who have a history with thailand, good and bad.

I wish you good luck in thailand, with your journey and hope you don't have to experience some the unwelcoming features this place has to offer of which, believe me they go well into the treble figures...

I will be happy to come back and share my experience once I have been here longer. But this article is about tourism NOT about how expats perceive the country. I've only been here 3 weeks, but have had a great time. So why shouldn't tourists who come for a week also have a great time? That is tourism. What you are talking about is the esperience of expats. Being an expat (in any country) is completely different from being a tourist. There isn't really much of a connection. The advertising isn't aimed at you, it's aimed at tourists.

He believes the country's economy will grow 45 per cent this year.

Wow- I want some of what that guy is smoking. Why would tourists choose over-priced, scam-ridden, politically unstable Thailand over other regional destinations like the Philippines, Indo, Vietnam, Cambo, etc?

Good luck to anyone in the Thai tourist business- you need it!

The answer is simple. When people go to a travel agent to book a holiday ot choose a holiday online they see how wonderful it is. I haven't seen any brochures that say "please come on holiday to over-priced, scam-ridden, politically unstable Thailand". You may be aware of that side of things because you live here and have experienced it. But that's not what most people think of Thailand. I know very many people from UK who have visited Thailand for a week or so and most are enthused about how wonderful it is and can't wait to go back.

I know I keep repeating this, but there is a world of difference between my experience and other people I know and what I read on here. I'm beginning to see that the difference is that the opionions on here are maybe mostly expats. What they see and experience isn't necessarily what tourists experience. Of cousre they wouldn't come if they thought it was like how you described it, but the overwhelming majority don't think that at all. Now I am settled an have an apartment, my friends beack home who have never visited are lining up to come and stay because they have heard how great it is. These are the people that the tourism industry is aimed at. It isn't aimed at expats.

One final point. It's amazing how many on here are so negative about Thailand, think there are better places, etc, but they are still here. Maybe they stay because they love complaining and being here gives them that opportunity. If it's so bad, why don't you all move to the more wonderful places you all talk about? No offence meant, I'm just curious. If I had had the feelings that some on here have I'd be on the next flight out.

I think he forgot one major factor re the tourist industry recovery: faced with a weak EUR/GBP/USD I think many tourists will either stay in their home countries or look for alternative (ie even less expensive) destinations.

With the current exchange rates, holidays may just be too expensive for many Europeans/Americans.

Just a thought...

For British people Thailand is a better option than their usual holidays in Europe or America. Thailand is incredibly cheap for British people. Even at the current exchange rates.

Is this the man who proposed and implemented the 150 baht atm fee on foreign cards? Suggest that domestic airlines increase fares? Another Thai with the monopoly theory so prevalent here, but this time he forgot there is no Thai monopoly on incoming tourist. I think Thailand has entered a phase of diminishing returns on tourist investment.

This is a time for change in thinking and adaption to a new market share. It is a sick system at present with the scams, rip offs, dual prices, increase in prices, price fixing, same products as 10 year ago,(including some of the bar girls) etc. The man spouting this nonsense will probably not be in the International head hunters top 10 recruits.

What difference does it make if the products are the same as 10 years ago. Most people go on holiday to different locations every year. If someone is visiting Thailand for the first time, what difference does it make if the same products are around. I visit NYC every year and the same products are still around. That doesn't make me want to stop going.

In London there are csams, rip-offs, increase in prices, same products, etc but it is one of the most popular cities in the world. There is no logic to what you are saying.

Tourism to recover in 6 months ............ Hmmmmmmmm

The western world is broke, unemployment high, wages down.

Air fares to Thailand are two to three time what they were (2009 I paid 245UKP for a return LHR to BKK, 2010 cheapest was 650UKP)

The Baht is 20 percent more expensive (2009 I got 54Bht to 1 UKP, 2010 47bht to 1 UKP)

Western news portrayed Thailand as a war zone

None of Thailand's problems have been resolved

I don't think tourism will ever recover in Thailand, in fact I think it will get worse as new bookings are unlikely to be made.

UK travel agents don't advertise holidays to Thailand any more, and the Baht is not listed in UK currency exchange shops.

If I didn't have a Thai wife, I would have left last month.

WOW, where do you book your flight tickets. There are lots of tickets in the £300-£400 range.

Currencies are always fluctuating up and down. No big deal. Surely you knew this would happen. Or were you expecting the bhat to be pegged to the £GBP to make your life easier?

Western news didn't report Thailand as a war zone. It reported Bangkok as a war zone for a few days.

Most countries have unresolved problems - that's nothing new. Tourists still visit those countries. They don't go for the political debates. It's irrelevant if countries have some problems, as it doesn't usually affect tourists.

UK travel agents DEFINITELY advertise holidays to Thailand - what planet are you on? I've seen the adverts.

Why should the bhat be listed in UK currency shops. Not many Thai people rock up to change bhat to £s. But you can exchange at all major currency exchanges in London or at any bank. I'm not sure why you think this is at all relevant to holidays in Thailand.

Leave and take your wife with you if you have such negative feelings about the country.

Your post is riddled with inaccuracies.

Wow - make a prediction that in the historic "high season" of December (6 months from now) that things will be better than now (June - low season).

Wonderful prediction.

Lets have lots of statistics to show that in December that visitor numbers are higher than June, that will really prove lots of things.

Thailand is a mess, its has no freedom of the media, it has a repressive decree in power limiting the rights of all people, its army and government are alleged to have been killing many civilians, it slams the foreign media as liars as they report the truth and not the propaganda and of course everyone is supposed to forget this ?

Thailand is not cheap now.

Its a place full of scams and rip off's,

Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia are all far better value in terms of service and value for money.

Burma should start advertising itself as a great place for tourists perhaps with the headline "We have the same freedoms as Thailand, so come here and forget the overpriced bahtland (and our people are more friendly and will not rip you off) "

Thailand may not be cheap to you, but it is incredibly cheap compared to the UK. I live comfortably here on a fraction of what I spent in the UK. Maybe there are cheaper places, but certainly for British people it offers a great way of life for next to nothing. Most things I buy here are about 25% of less of the cost back home. If that's not cheap then what is? I have met some great people here and no-one has tried to scam me, cheat me or rip me off. On the contrary, they have been extremely helpful and have help me settle in quickly. I was expecting the worst after reading this forum before coming, but now I have been here a few weeks it seems like a different place to the one many on this forum talk about.

Personally I don't think it will ever recover fully. It's not just the danger factor associated with the unrest. It goes much deeper. Many foreigners have been forced to do a complete 360 on their views of Thailand and its people. Although most Thais are great people 5,000 paid thugs will change forever the way the world views the land of smiles.

No question over time things will stabilize and memories will fade but by this time Thailand's neighbors will have capitalized on Thailand's loss.

So you don't think things will EVER recover? Very odd. Britain dealt with a World War between 1939 and 1945 but has managed to recover. So why can''t Thailand recover after a few months of demonstrations. Nothing lasts forever. Just look at history and how other countries have recovered from much, much worse situations. Take a step back and think about this a bit more objectively.

IMO opinion they are having a laugh and not a chance will it recover in 6 months, 6 years maybe

One catastrophe after another in the last 2-3 years and this one was the worst of the lot

If you were living outside of Thailand, would you bring your family here?

I wouldn't

Yes. I haven't had any problems at all here. Focus on the news and forums like this and you will always see problems. Live in the real world and it's a completely different place to what gets reported.

I have read on here about the various scams, dodgy women, dodgy police, etc, etc, etc. I haven't come across any of them personally and neither have my friends. Yes, I'm sure bad things happen, but they happen everywhere. Keep things in perspective and focus on the good things. I'm having a great time here.

I haven't been able today to get through to thai mobiles on 1-2-call so could be a network problem or area problem

The problem isn't just today. My Mum has tried calling a few times over the last 2-3 weeks. She has never been connected.

I recently had problems with my wife's phone that international calls would not 'get through' to my phone. Even though my phone being on and at full signal strength it would not ring when somebody called.

She is on 12call as well.

It appears to be tied to the SIM card. Others suggested that replacing it (while keeping the number) might solve the problem, might be due to a SIM card problem and hers is actually a view years old. Haven't had the chance to do that yet.

The problem seemed to be more frequent with international calls, however, it might just as well be that in those cases one is more attentive and aware of the failed call.

Check out my topic.

I just read your other post. Did you replace the SIm card and did it make a difference. I've only been here a few weeks so I'm tempted to get a completely new sim card with new number.

Your Mum should try to change the last 2-3 digitis in your number to some randomly picked numbers. That way you can clear out wether the problem is in Thailand or

in her area.

How will that solve it. If she can't get through on the random number she tries, she still won't know where the problem is. I'm assuming that because there is a Thai recorded message, it must be coming from Thailand.

You think that can be explained in a forum reply? It's very hard work and takes months, if not years, to learn. And the learning never ends. There are lots of methods and for a serious business this could be a full-time job. As someone else said, PPC is the quickest option, but costs money.

I have recently moved to BKK and have a 1-2-call sim card with number 085xxxxxxx. I can make and receive calls and texts in Thailand and have also received texts from my mates in the UK. However, my Mum says she has tried calling me numerous times but can never get through. She gets a recorded message in Thai followed by a message in English saying to try again later. Has anyone had this problem or does anyone have any idea what may be wrong. She's calling from a landline. It sounds like she has got through to Thailand but something is stopping her getting through to my phone. It's very puzzzling. Any ideas? She's dialling correctly... 00-66-85-xxxxxxx.

Makes no odds guilty or innocent. Most so called "third countries" splash the dirt, (his picture, details, evidence & the like) on the front page BEFORE the trial or in many instances before the guy is charged. We are guests and it is their custom to print the details in advance. It is common to see "suspects" with heads bowed in front of the evidence, (drugs, guns, cash) etc. This guy may be innocent, i suspect differently however. Why would a 72 year old man want to be alone in an hotel room with a 10 year old girl? Perhaps he had some puppies he wanted to show her? Either way he should have played safe. Never put yourself in a position, if innocent, where others may think something is "going on". If he is innocent i pray to God he gets off. If he is guilty well so be it. Let the Thai's deal with it. As they say; "let the law take it's course". Nuff said.

The law in Britain is about to be changed, but currently the press have a field day publishing pictures of suspected rapists. Some obviously are innocent, but the dirt sticks. In one case recently the loacl paper in Swansea didn't have a photo so just looked up the suspect's name on facebook and used that picture on its front page. It turned out that they had the picture of the wrong guy. So a person that had nothing whatsover to do with the case has had his life turned into a nightmare, as people recognise him in the street and assume he is a convicted rapist.

To many people on this forum are too quick to accuse Thai people and Thai authorities of acting wrongly when the same goes on in their own countries,and often times much worse. If you don't like it here, just leave. Before you complain just take a look at your own countries first. Nowhere is perfect. Focus on the good things for a change, as these vastly outweight the bad things.

As someone else pointed out, how you get treat and the way you perceive things is down to your own attitude. Many on here have a really bad attitude problem, so I'm not inthe least surprised that they get treated badly and think the world has it in for them.

Since we can't really comment on the charge then, who is the falang looking guy in the background with all the badges on his shirt?

My question as well... what do "volunteer wannabe cops" get out of helping the Tourist Police, and do they get a portion of the proceeds of the crimes committed by the Tourist Police, which would seem fair to me.

I'm sure there are easier ways of making money. Many people like to give back to their community. Why's that so hard to understand. You should try it, you may like it.

How does a (presumably) OLD, WHITE, man get a 10 year old Thai girl into a guesthouse alone? And not once, but multiple times? Isn't anyone at the front desk, or a cleaning person, or another guest, or anyone else at all around who asks what their deal is? I mean, everywhere I go people ask me where I'm from, where I'm going, how long I'm staying, if I'm married, anything and everything about my business.... So how does an old white man with a little Thai girl not set of any alarms?

And where were the child's parents/caretakers? Do they normally just not know where she is for substantial periods of time?

Really strange.

I mean, if the guy nabbed the girl on her way home from school once, then maybe it's a little more likely to have gone un-noticed. But this happened multiple times. You would think someone would notice.

Perhaps the girl lives at the guesthouse with her family and the accused is a paying guest.