MrE

My primary concern is not with lost possessions which can be replaced. It is with the tragic results of thinking one is protected when the truth is far different. An alarm, for instance gives you about thirty seconds warning from the time the attacker enters the window or door to wake from a deep, often alcohol induced stupor, grab your weapon and react properly without killing the wrong person. That is not security and too often ends badly.

HI

I see what you mean but do you prefer to wake up WHEN the burglar are in your bedroom or before?

I don’t think anybody can convince me that it’s better to NOT have an alarm

I dont think there is any wrong person in your house if you have a break in.

I am saying that depending on ONLY an alarm system on your windows and doors even with CCTV cameras, although a good start, is not enough to keep you safe. Every home needs to be protected in layers from the outermost perimeter inwards. This gives you time to get to a secure zone BEFORE the perpetrators enter your home. The WRONG person that gets shot by an untrained, panicked shooter is a too often a family member.

seconded

and in addition some alarms use GSM as phoneline backup/replacement

a CCTV camera, working or not, with a movement sensor 150W floodlight will usually make most choose another house

still trust my rottweiler and my Glock more though

as a Glock replacement, a signal pen shooting into ceiling makes burglar believe you have a gun

Signal pens available at most Marine stores, choose the shots with no light, only sound

My point was to check - all systems are not created equal. Complacency and underestimating the adaptability of criminals is a mistake as per this posting on a different thread:

Posted Yesterday, 09:51

It seems that this is not an isolated incident. We had 5 burglary's in our small Soi "Karnjana" in Nai Harn in one "1" week only.

They (or he) robbed one House twice. And there was knowledge of the Location and what to take.

In all Cases the Owner was out for a limited Period of time.

In my case they disable my Lightsystem which i had around the House by shortcutting the Fuse from the outside.

Than dislocated the high mounted cameras with a plastic Pipe which they brought.

that was my 5th. Burglary in 7 years in one Location.

My primary concern is not with lost possessions which can be replaced. It is with the tragic results of thinking one is protected when the truth is far different. An alarm, for instance gives you about thirty seconds warning from the time the attacker enters the window or door to wake from a deep, often alcohol induced stupor, grab your weapon and react properly without killing the wrong person. That is not security and too often ends badly.

Check what will happen if your electricity and/or phone lines are cut before the break-in. Also, how far away the security station or police station are in case the system is triggered. And lastly, what have you prepared for yourself and your family if someone does break in? There can be a lot of time between the time they enter and the time help arrives and you should have some place safe inside your home. As the previous poster said, don't put a sign outside announcing that you have enough wealth to justify a security system. That only benefits the security company that sold you the equipment and the criminals.

Wow. I guess it's true what they say about Thai's think all farang look alike.

Only in Thailand.

No, not only in Thailand. This kind of thing happens regularly in every country in the world. Why is it always the comment about everything bad that happens here that it's Thailand or Thai people and not just human error. Having spent at least two months on the ground in over two dozen countries,. I would love to know which paradise you come from where people don't make mistakes.

It seems that whether or not some kind of sleeping gas can be introduced via the A/C is not the important issue. The fact that so many people live in homes that can be easily entered while they are asleep is difficult to believe. There are so many deterrents and preventions available that this should not be possible so even if you are gassed in your sleep, no one should be able to get in.

A friend of mine went through the same things. He would get sick, then feel better, then get sick again. I kept nagging him to go the hospital for a blood test. Eventually he got very sick and went. Turned out it was dengue all along and the remission then resumption is typical.

If you want honest, ethical and reliable as well as creative I would recommend jpwdesigns

I lived in the UK for six years. I remember how amazed I was that people would push to the front of the queue when waiting for a London Transport double decker. It was so common that my girlfriend at the time got into a fight with a woman. She had just walked right in front of everyone and my gf asked her to go back to the end of the line and the fists started flying. Bad manners is not unique to Thailand.

I always use Mike's Bikes on Chao Fah Road East, almost opposite the Wine Connection shopping center. Cheap but reliable cars.

Just to give you an idea of how much power the Customs officials have, we imported some equipment from the US for our business. Included in the paperwork was the invoice which included some food products, but which were not in the shipment or listed on the Bill of Lading. Even with an "experienced" broker doing the importation, all of it was confiscated because we did not have FDA approval to import the food which wasn't there. We lost it all. Ignoring what they tell you or worse telling them to p**s off can not only have them at your door with a truck, it can land you in prison. If you want to fight it you will need a lawyer conversant with import law.

Last time I arrived in Phuket, around three weeks ago, my ride didnt show up. It was after midnight and I thought I was going to have to take an exorbitant taxi ride. Luckily I saw a metered taxi all by himself even though the taxi stand was dark. He took me to Phuket Town for THB 500 which was less than the others were asking. I will use him again as he was friendly, spoke some English and drove safely. His name is Ya and his phone number is 089 590 5565 or 083 172 2366. His card says to call him at least four hours in advance.

I agree that contacting the BOI is the best way to start. There are some good incentives to bring a business here.

I would disagree that the Thai work ethic is abysmal. After ten years here and in several businesses, I found that like anywhere, people who are properly motivated and managed, treated with respect and allowed to feel part of a team are productive. As a management consultant, I have had this discussion over a hundred times with foreigners who can't understand why their employees prefer to sleep on the job than to work hard. It almost always comes down to the management not being able to understand and fulfill the needs of their workers. Paying employees minimum wage (around THB 200 per day) and then requiring them to work more than the legally mandated hours per day and per week; ignoring labor the laws concerning overtime, sick leave and holiday pay; and blaming bad communication on employees not being able to speak English are all common obstacles to successful business operations here. If you go into almost any of the fast food franchises or high end retail shops, you will find their employees for the most part are well trained and offer excellent service. Yes, for a lot of workers, "western style" employment is difficult but when they are given the opportunity to advance and succeed, they respond just like anyone in any country.

We have several diverse divisions in our parent company so it is possible to merge with an existing corporation to save yourself the immediate expenses of set up costs, maintaining offices, etc. Once you have proven to yourself that the business is fiscally sound in Thailand, you can then split off and form your own corporation. Just be sure that you have a good lawyer to protect your interests so when you want to break away from the company, you can do so without any hassles. Be very careful. Trust no one. Seriously. There are a lot of very dishonest foreigners here. I got cheated twice in my first few years here, and then had my major business killed by an Aussie after the tsunami.

I'm in the process of buying a gun ..................a real one, 0.38 revolver.

I'm all for guns, this being the first place I've lived in decades where I didn't have a number of them in my home (but not for cats, dogs or even rats - there are more humane ways of dealing with them). But the first defense is just that - physical means of keeping intruders off your property and out of your house. I do not understand how so many people here can complain about the rising crime rate yet do nothing to make their homes secure. And if you are going to keep a gun, be sure you practice with it, both target shooting for accuracy (so you don't shoot a loved one by accident) and scenarios for getting attuned to reacting properly in bad situations.

The more rules, responsibilities, requirements and standards you put in writing for employees to sign as part of their contract, the more protected you will be in case of a dispute or complaint at the Labor Department. We set out pay per hour/day/week, hours, days, break times, sick/maternity leave, family emergencies, vacations, weekend and holiday pay, lateness, absence, behavior, performance, sleeping, pilferage and many other things in our employee contracts so that there is literally nothing about which they can claim "I didn't know...." or "he said....".

I would recommend Thammanat & Associates who were able to get my previous lawyer disbarred for life after he cheated me. Their address is 249/17 Soi Ladprao 122, Wangthonglang 10310 BKK, tel: (02) 539-5156.

I lived on the 40th floor of State Tower for a year from 2003-4. It was incredibly noisy, ie you could hear every cough, footstep or fart from the eight adjoining apartments including those above and below, TV, music, electrical appliances and every use of doors, cabinets and drawers. There were people on my floor who would cook the most nauseating smelling food with their door open and the stench would come into my apartment. I would often walk out of my apartment to find what I assumed were construction workers/repairmen lying around on the floor, or smoking or eating in the hallways. I never felt that my girlfriend was safe when I was not there. I complained about all of these things to management but they couldn't or wouldn't do anything to stop them. Like every other condo, serviced apartment or hotel in Thailand, their security was a sham. They had security doors and CCTV but no one was ever watching the monitors. The door guards would let in any white person or rich looking Thai or delivery person if they just said they were going to visit a fictional resident and gave an apartment number. Maybe things have changed since LeBua moved in since their management is exemplary.

If anyone feels the need to protect themselves with pepper spray, PM me.

If anyone feels the need for pepper spray in Phuket, PM me and I will tell you where to get it.

This is the normal trend for all developing nations. As more currency flows in, the local population becomes more aware of what they are worth, demand better, although still abominable wages, the cost of living for everyone goes up and so forth. I remember staying for months in Spain and Greece for almost nothing decades ago. The faster the speed of international communications and accompanying education, the quicker the days of Empire, exploitation and substandard pay scales will disappear.

I have had so many consultations with farang business owners, for instance, who come to me to ask how they can get more productivity out of their employees, whom they portray as ignorant, lazy and irresponsible. In nine out of ten cases, they are paying below the minimum daily wage and requiring that the employees spend twelve hours a day on their premises. Both of these practices are not only illegal but counterproductive as has been proven by almost every major conglomerate around the world. Over time, the local population learns what they should be earning and will eventually want it, or will accept the lower wages and not perform efficiently or loyally.

People looking to use their hard earned cash to live "cheaply" (at four or five times the earnings of what a Thai lives on) while the locals live worse, will find such locations harder and harder to find. I believe it's still possible to live like royalty in Sudan, Colombia and Burma. And I remember Afghanistan being warm this time of year.

There's a place called SmartGym that I found on the web. I haven't been there yet but it's on Chao Fah Road East about 7KM from Chalong Circle towards Phuket Town.

The overuse of electricity is contributing to environmental problems and we are interested in helping control it. We were sent information about a product that sounds like what is being discussed, including the following. We would appreciate hearing from people who have used similar devices and/or electrical engineers who can verify or dispute the facts scientifically. I left out the brand name. Thanks.

All electrical supply is subject to surges from time to time, which result in spikes or "parasitic peaks" that cannot be used by your appliances as working power. These spikes simply waste your electricity. Worse still, they result in overheating, which shortens the life of your appliances and wiring. In the most extreme cases this can cause burns, blow outs and power cuts.

Ps use a capacitor system to stabilize the flow of electricity. It reduces the spikes in the supply, protecting against surges. The system improves the power factor of your electricity and reduces your electricity bill by on average 15%-20%.

We guarantee Ps for (5) Five Years. Within reason, these units are built to last indefinitely. They are in a strong ABS case and will likely be used in just one location without needing to be moved. They do not contain any moving parts. As long as you keep your Ps in a dry temperate place, with adequate ventilation, you should see many years of continued use with your unit.

Ps work by storing electricity internally and then releasing it. It can take 2-3 days for Ps to store this electricity efficiently. If you experience a significant power surge in your electrical system, there is the possibility that the Ps fuse will blow but you can easily replace it yourself.

I have stayed at the Karon Cafe twice, each time for four months. It's maybe three minutes walk to the beach. Beautiful rooms, great breakfast buffet and good service and during low season a very fair monthly rate. I wouldn't stay in Patong if it was free.

The best connection I ever had in seven years in Phuket was the TOT WiMax which cost THB 1,500 per month. In a year it was down once and for only a few hours. The catch is that you have to have a direct line of sight to the towers on the hill in Phuket Town. If you can see them even with binoculars, you're set.

Being involved in any form of business is considered employment for which you will need a work permit. This goes as far as guest musicians getting up and jamming with a band. If you were sitting in your wife's shop and said hello to a customer walking in the door, that can be considered employment and would be illegal. It can be very complicated and difficult to do business here. Most small businesses, about 80%, fail in the first year, especially those owned all or part by farangs. But even many Thai owned and run businesses fail because the owners really have no concept of sound business practices and there is massive competition for most kinds of shops, restaurants, hotels and bars. Be sure you can afford to lose all of your investment before you start and that you have enough cash on hand to run the business for one year with zero incoming revenues.

Wouldn't any religion's "status" as a religion, philosophy, psychology or way of life only really be correctly interpreted and labeled by those who practice it?