w11guy

What a joke! They should really be targeting taxi drivers, bus drivers, BTS operators, and MRT operators who pose a much greater risk while high on drugs, not someone walking the streets at night. Thailand is getting to be more anti-foreigner by the day. That's ok, because we are not stupid and we are looking elsewhere to spend our money.....I'm in the process of moving my money to Viet Nam

Enjoy yourself in Vietnam. Goodbye.

and ?

Why is the fact that they are foreigners an issue ? Doesnt matter who they are. The news is not exactly headline stuff anyway but surely this should read "33 randomly selected people" .

Thailand as usual keeping their reputation as being possibly one of the most racist countries in the world.

Maybe they want to deport foreigners who take drugs. So targeting Thai people would be pointless in this instance. But Thai people do get targeted, as many are in jail for drug offences. This was an Immigration Department initiative so they have no reason to target Thais, as they can't deport them. In general drug busts both foreigners and Thais are targeted, so not racist at all. The same happens in UK, USA and all other countries - if the issue is immigration related, then only foreigners are targeted.

I wonder what the government wants to do .....kick out the tourists from the country ? There is no better way ..... Then in a few months they will come and cry that tourism is lower than last year ...with all those restrictions I wont be surprise .

It sounds more like they want to catch people that are taking drugs. They don't have anything against tourists that don't take illegal drugs. Why would any country want to have drug-taking tourists?

No doubt you,ll be hounded for being alarmist by both those who have vested interests in maintaining the facade of Thailand as a dream holidat destination and those who prefer to keep there heads burried in the sand.

Phuket truly is a wretched place, I was beaten unconcious by two Thais outside 7*11 around 3 years ago myself, all for the grand sum of around 600 bht.

check this link http://www.thephuket...amily-31469.php

The fact is the veil is really being lifted oh Thailand these days as the crooks and skum become ever bolder, with scams and deciets getting taken to a whole new level.

Just last week I had a Thai guy come up to outside the mall in Siam square and demand 20 bht, I politely said mai pen rai cap and moved away. The nutter started screaming and frothing at the mouth calling me everything under the sun. I do not doubt he was on the point of attacking me until the mall security overheard and started coming in my direction. He walked away pretending to shoot me with his finger.

These stories are everywhere everyday and soon people will start turning there backs on the place en masse.

I've also seen incidents like that in UK and USA. Not just a Thai problem. I've been here for 2 years and haven't seen any violent incidents at all. I've spent 6 months In New York and seen a few. And I've seen plenty of incidents like this in the UK. What you describe is just one mad person. It sounds like an isolated incident. I've been to Siam Square lots of times and never seen anything remotely like what you described.

Anyone confesses after a bit of police torture and political pressure. Be you that they will get a seat sentence without being represented by a lawyer because they can't afford one. The real killers might still be out though, which is not important, case solved (maybe)

<deleted> grow up.

Wait till the rains come again!!!!

There won't be flooding on the scale we saw last year, Haven't you got anything better to do than post stupid comments?

Thanks dddave...very helpful indeed. Just the sort of creative community I'm looking for...especially the movie production studios and cafe culture. Your space sounds perfect.

There is an area near Lad Phrow called "Town in Town" that while somewhat gentrified, has also become one of the more artistic areas of Bangkok. It is a center for TV and movie production with many studios, both small and large. Since those businesses attract talented people in many artistic professions; photographers, designers, musicians, ect., there has developed a strong creative community centering around a sort of "Cafe Culture" with a wide variety of small coffee shops, many showing local artist's work centered on various artistic themes. One of my fav's is the "Ukulele Cafe", the name says it all.

While that area is somewhat "upscale", the surrounding working class areas of Lad Phrow and Payhon Yaotine

will certainly have the kind of space you seek; probably an upper floor of a joined double shophouse where the walls have been knocked through.

I live in what could be called a loft style room, 70 sq/m with 4 meter ceilings. It's a great space and I love it but it is VERY expensive to air condition.

Good luck.

Welcome to ThaiVisa. You will get some very helpful replies on here but, as you've probably noticed, you'll also get the usual suspects that post negative comments all day long. Just ignore them. They don't seem to know of anything outside the prostitute areas and so think that nothing else exists. I have seen similar comments umpteen times where they claim something doesn't exists because this is Thailand, etc. Hope you find what you're looking for and hope you enjoy your time in Thailand. It's a great country with many wonderfully friendly people. I love it here.

Yep, just copy.

Thailand never has an original idea and always fails to emulate anything 1st world.

I wonder if orchard road has protests and shopping centres burning?

They are not trying to copy anything. They want to create a similar environment. If soewhere has a great environment why wouldn't you want one as well? I bet you live in a house or condo that looks just like all the other houses and condos. And i bet you dress in a similar way to everyone else. Why don't you practice what you preach? Why are you copying everyone else. Other men wore shirts, t-shirts, trousers, etc ling before you. What are you copying them instead of innovating? And here you are complaining just like all the others - yes, another thing you are copying. At least try to be original if you expect others to be.

> "a local Thai Pub"

It's a pub, it's Thailand... what other kind is there?

An Irish pub.

There's a Viet restaurant in the lower level of Central-Silom shopping mall across from A&W. No idea of it's quality.

Central Silom has been closed for 6 months.

There's a shophouse Vietnaamese place between Silom Road and Chong Nonsi BTS - about 100 metres from Silom Road on right hand side as you walk towards Chong Nonsi.

She should get a few years in jail for this. The Australian government shouldn't be offering any help. It's funny how so many governments take crimes in their own countries seriously, but then are all to happy to let their own citizen go unpunished for crimes in other countries. Hope all the men that know her keep well away from her.

pattaydingo - have you ever considered the fact that you need lessons in how to choose a decent girlfriend. If you are so scared of an ex that you have to change your phone number, then there is something seriously wrong with your choice of women or you are seriously paranoid and need treatment. If all your exs hassle you, then it sounds like the problem could be you and not them. Try taking a close look at yourself.

Sounds like either they are bankrupt or will be very soon. Don't you lot have gyms in your condo buildings? There has been a gym in every condo building I've been in. Also, you can exercise at home. There's no need for all the expensive equipment.

Funny Thai signs...

http://youtu.be/YnMntZ3QmjI

Not sick, but very funny...

http://youtu.be/YnMntZ3QmjI

"There were neither signs of fighting, nor robbery, but we found many kinds of over-the-counter-drugs, including ibuprofen, which can cause serious effects on the stomach."

Really, ibuprofen is the most dangerous drug they found in their room?

I've never been a basher but this one has finally got to me.

Good god, where is Columbo when we need him.

They didn't say Ibuprofen was the most dangerous. They said it was one of many drugs found. Where do you get the idea that it was the most dangerous. In fact, Ibuprofen can kill.

Why didn't she hand herself in as soon as she got to the airport. There was more chance of them believing her story than actually arriving in HK and saying nothing.

If this is true, it is tragic. But I just don't see how people can be so stupid.

a farang is a human being unless you believe their not. Calling somebody white or black or a foreigner certainly is not a dehumanizing term

The difference is, in many countries in the west, the foreigner are a foreigner until you know him, then you will begin to call him by his name, and refer to him by his name.

In Thailand, you are always farang. No matter how much you get to know your family, as soon as you are not there, they will refer to you as farang, And that will give you a hint that they look at you as an alien in many ways. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. But still, very very farang, and very very very alien.

Yeah, that's the way it (largely) is. Take it or leave it, I reckon.

My point is, that, using the word farang when referring to ourselves, we will only enhance the Thai experience that we are very different and alien, and should also be treated as aliens, all the time, no matter what,

In short, by doing that, we indirectly help promote the idea, that we should be treated differently all the time, and never become accepted for who we really are.

Where do you get the idea that you can't be different and still be accepted? Do you only accept people that are exactly like you? I don't think you've though this through properly.

If you are a farang/foreigner who is a Thai citizen then you will get the discount. So race doesn't come into it at all. It is based on citizenship. Are you too stupid to understand that?

That's strange, the police haven't blamed the victims yet, I suppose more "evidence" will need to be gathered first?

<deleted>, grow up.

Same in many countries. Public transport is usually subsidized so why should tourists get cheap travel? It all works the other way around. Foreigners can get a VAT refund when they leave they leave the country; locals can't. Nothing to do with racism. You need to grow up and get a life.

There won't be any flood so there isn't a race to stop something that isn't happening. Shoddy reporting. Takes more than a few months to plan and build proper flood defences. Must be a slow news day.

BKK bars are closed during June. Open again in July.

Sounds like the police usually turn a blind eye, but with a 14-year-old involved they obviously decided to take action. If it's true about the 14-year-old then I hope this scumbag rots in jail.