blix99

Another money money making idea of Mr. T's goverment. Almost all Europeans have insurance anyway. Not even the very strict homeland security ask me for insurance, when i entered the US. BTW, i was in Cambo last week. Its getting better and better. Peaple in Phnom Penh speak english and i was suprised. Some students speak fluently french as well. Peaple in Phnom Penh drive Lexus instead of Vios or D Max. Another5 year. Lets see whats going on. Sometime i get the feeling that they think Thailand is the only and Nr. 1 Tourist destination in this world. Did they ever been in miami, the caribean islands, Rio or somewhere else to get an idea how for examle, a beachroad should look?

Those Lexus SUVs belong to NGOs or Govt. employees, not the "peaple"(sic). Still, Phnom Penh is a blast!

Sigh... so many typical TV knee jerk bash Thailand responses. Do you forget that Thailand just successfully extradited a Lee Aldhouse from Britain to face charges for the stabbing of an American? Justice shouldn't be written off just yet.http://http://www.te...der-charge.html

Wake up mate, this is not "knee jerk reactions" but simply ALL FACTS. And yes they did extradite Aldhouse, and congratulations to the Brit government for doing it rather than hide their violent criminal Aldhouse.

Actually, you have NO FACTS whatsoever, just an account by some internet news outfit that extends to a few hundred words with exactly zero input from anyone or any organization involved in the affair.

Don't get me wrong. I don't blame the victim. But someone should warn tourists not to wear bling especially late at night.

JT i never expected victim blaming of you

I agree with you they should inform tourists about this, but i doubt it will happen because its like admitting there is a problem in the land of smiles.

Most guidebooks to SE Asia note this as an issue quite prominently. What would you expect the Thai tourist authorities to do? Take out ads in media warning people not to come since there is an .00001 chance that their bag might be snatched? Some years back the American media often ran scare stories about violent bag snatchings in Europe and equally violent attacks on tourists in Florida. Mexico was/is known for same as are parts of Central and South America. Russia was well known for victimizing tourists who were not careful and it goes on and on. Nothing especially unusual about crime towards travelers in poor countries---tourists have money, the locals don't.

<p>As always, it's horses for courses.

I'm only able to compare UK and Thailand prices, but renting a house in Thailand is far cheaper than renting in the UK, so - local fruit and veg are far cheaper, chicken and pork are far cheaper too. Plus, no council tax.

IMO, the true basics - housing and food are far cheaper in Thailand (as long as you don't expect the same food). Not sure whether elec is more expensive or not and if you want Western food, it is far more expensive.

'Buying' land is cheaper (outside the popular areas), as is house construction costs for a basic house. But the house is likely to be sub-standard (compared to the UK).

Food in Thailand has gone up a lot over the past few years and so have petrol and houses. Petrol in the UK is £1.37/ltr (67 baht). Renting a house in South East England is very expensive, 60,000+ baht/month and that's for a small 4 bed detached house with a double garage and a small garden, nothing special. Buying local food in England is also expensive unless you shop at Lidl or similar while house and car insurance are a total rip off. Then you have council tax on average >£1,000/year, electricity is on average also over £1,000/year, gas another £1,000/year and water about £500/year. Yes you can drink the water straight out of the tap if you like the taste of chlorine. Bottled water is the choice of many and that's expensive too. So you want to drive into London that will be £5 sir! Parking well in every town or city the chances of finding somewhere within walking distance that is free and not limited to an hour at most is difficult. Parking meters abound as do traffic wardens! Then you have lots of large stores but most do not offer free parking or any parking and if you need to park at your local hospital then again you have to pay the same as at all town centre car parks. I could go on and on................... Yes I do own my house and LAND in England and I don't have to fill in a TM7 or extend my stay every year and nor do Thais with leave to stay in England. However, if you decide to live abroad you weigh up the pro's and con's first.

Now anyone telling me it's more expensive to live in Thailand must have a very poor memory.

More and more I'm getting the impression that it must be very expensive to live in parts of the UK, just as it is in some major cities in the US. However, if I choose small town US, it all changes.

I could choose to live in a town small enough that I could get around on a scooter, and rent would be very affordable. Many other things would be cheaper tha LOS too, including as I've mentioned that I'd get full health ins. coverage for $125 per month via Medicare for seniors. Gas is still under $US4.00 a US gallon here, and good food is actually cheaper.

Some forget that at least in the US, we are bombarded daily with coupons in the newspaper for big sales. Buy one, get one free etc.

Cars and motorcycles are cheap here and I pay about $500 a year per vehicle for full coverage. I could get it on a scooter for more like $200.

Here is a link to rentals in Galveston Texas. I don't live near there, but I chose it for the warm weather and the low cost of living. If one moved to a very small town 30 miles from Galveston, it would get even cheaper. Live like some do in LOS, and I can't see how the cost would increase. Not only that, but the water and all food would be safe. There would also be safety nets for the low income people.

http://galveston.craigslist.org/apa/

I keep posting links to prices, and challenging people to post links to similar in LOS, but I get no takers.

Edit. Can you really beat this by a ton in LOS, full American style with central heat and air a given? All to US standards?

http://galveston.cra...3335919280.html

Who in God's name would want to live in Galveston??? And that's the problem with most of your cheap options. Yeah, you can buy a house in Missouri on several acres for $100,000 but I sure as hell would not want to live there.

Is it really corruption if it is accepted and common? Corruption is like rules and laws in that the majority only have problems with either if they hurt or hinder them but tend to enjoy them when they benefit them.

Corruption is endemic in many poor SE Asian countries, It is simply the best, quickest and cheapest way to get things done. Despite it all, Thailand seems to be doing quite well economically.

I doubt very seriously she will get the death penality. My guess is you will not hear anymore of this story after today.

Spot on.

Drugs, prostitution, gangland, you name it and they’re into it.

I know that these women can be vicious and on a very short fuse.

These types of women, from the very depths of the underclasses of Thai society are too far embroiled in their street life existence to be able to change they’re ways; many are mentally scarred, have severe personality disorders and are beyond ever being able to conform into the ways of a normal society.

These women are already at rock bottom and when someone is at the bottom of the pile, than in fact they have nothing to lose. Even in prison these women will probably feel right at home and is a sort of natural environment for them. As for the victim, she will probably be forgotten by tomorrow, viewed as just another street worker off the scene, an Untermensch.

This is how they are viewed by mainstream society, it`s just the way it is.

You speak with what is apparently great knowledge of "these women". Or are you just spouting the usual moralistic take on them? I've known quite a few and they don't fit your pathetic stereotype.

No.

This is another murder case that appears to be swept under the carpet.

I recently discovered that the mother of Kirsty Jones, a 23-year-old Liverpool University graduate from Brecon, Wales, who was raped and murdered in the Arrie guesthouse, Chiang Mai, about 10 years ago, is offering a £10000 reward for any information that leads to the capture of Kirsty`s murderer/s. But so far this has led to nothing.

Than there was the murder of the backpacker Jayne Nixon, 26, whose body was discovered on a bed by a maid at the building in the popular backpacker district of Banglampu. Again, nothing.

So the list grows and there are rarely any updates.

The bodies were shipped back to Canada weeks ago and a further report was expected from Canadian authorities but so far as I have heard nothing yet. Seems they would have released some news if they had found something.

Has anyone heard what the Canadian autopsy/toxicology determination is on the two unfortunate sisters who died in Phuket a few weeks back?

Uh...and just what sort of sex abuse is this? This really says nothing. If it's abuse of minors, that's one thing... sort of a useless article.

you sick man, "The NIDA poll surveyed 1,235 mothers on the topic" would your comment be so ignorant if one of the 1,235 was your mother

The point is the article is "useless" unless the terms are defined. As it stands without elaboration it is even beyond useless.

For the most part...anyone in the Thai government/administration should look at the expats forums online. The expat community can offer solutions to the problems this country is apparently inundated with. If they don't take sound and good advice/solutions and act upon them, it will continue to revert back to the Thailand of the past, if not worse.

Arrogant nonsense, and just the sort of bilge that will have exactly the opposite of the intended effect.

The suspect is a known criminal who has burglarized homes in many different areas.”

Then why wasn't he in jail? Instead he was out burglarizing more homes and killing people... More wonderful police work. Does someone have to get killed before they do their job?

Just possibly police in Phuket prioritize crimes and criminals like we do in the western world. Do you assume they have infinite resources to track down everyone who has outstanding warrants? Guarantee you we have thousands here in the USA roaming free and with multiple arrest warrants on their records.

Welcome to Thai Visa, we're not all nice but some of us are honest.

I have a poor connection so I have only seen the first video. It looks like you really have a passion for video and you have put a lot of thought and effort into these. I like to see Thailand through other peoples eyes, so I am looking forward to seeing the other ones. The first one doesn't really give any impression of your thoughts or your experience. It is just full of pretty shots and demonstrates you have nice equipment and much better than average video skills. It did not show any of your struggles of travel or give us any sense of being uprooted and placed in a foreign environment. It just seems like you moved from one cozy place to another, it might as well have been down the street.

That being said, it is the first in the series so some of these things might be addressed in the next segments.

I may sound harsh, but I am just offering my critique which is useless if it isn't real.

I think you are very good at the technical just need a little help with connecting us to you.

Good point. Hope the op has not been scared off already but if he is still with us it would very informative if he shared with us the trials and struggles of moving to a foreign land as some here may well be thinking of making the same move.

I'm wondering on the legality of taking these tests. I mean can a Thai cop just walk up to anybody, Thai or Farang, who is sitting/walking in a public place and demand to take a drug test? Wouldn't there have to be some reason to suspect that the person is under the influence of drugs first, such as fighting.

If they really can then Thailand truly is a police state. Beware standing near an ATM lest some BIB arrests you for conspiracy to rob a bank.

Or, they would knock on your door and conduct drug tests...this country is a repressive state!

They conduct these raids during Friday night or weekends where Embassy is close..no one will help you..you cant also bail out until monday..

You can't be serious. A country that allows places like Pattaya and Phuket to exist and thrive is a "repressive" state??????

Sounds like Phuket and Pattaya are ideal holiday destinations - stabbings, murder, drunken orgies, corruption, jet-ski gangs, robberies etc - I can't imagine why anyone would want to visit, let alone live there.

Don't believe everything you read on this board; lots of paranoia and hysteria here. 18 million tourists visited Thailand last year and the overwhelming majority had a great time. As in most vacation spots tourists are the target for scams of all sorts. I was just in New York as a tourist and loved it but, yes, I got scammed once and a friend lost his phone to a pickpocket.....it happens everywhere. Keep your wits about you and you'll be fine. Do stupid things and you will stand out as a potential victim.

Australian woman killed in Phuket

AAP

PHUKET: -- An Australian woman has died in Thailand, after being stabbed by a man trying to snatch her bag.

Phuket Wan Tourism News says the woman, among a group of travel agents from Perth, was walking along a street on the tourist island of Phuket when a motorcycle pulled beside her and a passenger attempted to take her bag.

The woman struggled with the man, before falling to the ground with a stab wound to her heart, the website says.

Another woman walking with the victim received a gash to her arm, and the offenders sped off empty handed.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson says they are aware of the death of an Australian woman in Thailand and are providing consular assistance to her family.

"It would not be appropriate to discuss the case further while a police investigation is in progress," the spokesperson said.

Full story and video: http://au.news.yahoo...lled-in-phuket/

-- au.news.yahoo.com 2012-06-21

I must emphasize strongly that what the tour agents in OZ really need to do is WARN all their clients NOT to visit Thailand.

This bit of violence should be added alongside the two 60+ year old couple in Hua Hin that were savagely beaten to death for 2,000.oo baht

The value of life here has become akin to desperate Thais that have seen a reduction in tourists of more than 65% over the last 4 years - the government and tourism bureau are desperate to have tourism flourish but at the same time allow a populous of criminals prey on tourists with a mindset similar to slaughtering cows just to have another drink or Sang-Som or smoke some more YaBa

http://www.thaitravelblogs.com/2011/12/record-number-of-tourists-visited-thailand-in-2011/

Don't know where your 65% reduction figure comes from but it is way off the mark according to the above link. Not even the airport closure of a couple years back nor the floods of last year hampered tourism to Thailand in any significant way and in fact there has been a steady rise as per the official figures.

............The thought occurred to me that if the girls had ingested anything that they believed to be illegal, e.g., magic mushrooms, then fearing the legal consequences might explain why they never attempted to leave their room to get help when feeling so ill.

My thought too. Hard to explain why one of them wouldn't have sought help unless they were fearful of other consequences.

Pol.Maj.Gen.Jamroon Ruenrom- commissioner of Krabi police conducted a forensic investigation of room #103. The police did not find any trace of violence but found several pills in the room. Including Ibuprofen an anti-inflammatory drug which should be taken with precaution and should not be mixed with alcohol.

A policeman handing out medical advice......a simple search on internet shows:

While it is generally safe to take ibuprofen and drink alcohol, it is highly recommended that you limit the amount of alcohol you drink while taking any medication, especially ibuprofen. Alcohol can irritate your stomach and intestinal tract, and taking ibuprofen or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin, for an extended period of time can also lead to stomach and intestinal irritation, as well as ulcers and potential bleeding problems"

Instead of all the speculation about Ibuprofen, Magic mushrooms and serial killers, should the police not wait until an autopsy is completed....as publishing stuff like this make them look more incompetant than normal...

Oh sure, then this thread would be filled with rants from the usual cranks about police cover-ups, incompetence and etc. Full autopsies often take several weeks even in western countries.

Did you ever stop to think it might be THAILAND that is losing its Appeal? One poster mentioned "slimy Phuket" another Nana before the prices and pressure raised its ugl head - Pattaya do you need any further hint when at least half the establishments are empty. As usual Thailand is the last to wake up Tourists like the frivolity, the mystique, etc they do not want the Scams, the Hassle, the one sided BiB - they are a moving to brighter and cheaper shores. (Sorry I forgot the most important SAFER)

Uh, where are these "brighter, cheaper, SAFER, shores" ?? Or at least the ones that have some element of naughtiness to them......

how about cleaning up all immoral stuff. I can't recognise how it was only 15 years ago. Last year I went there in the hope to spend holidays with my family just like we did 15 years ago, I was frighten, scared. It's changed so much, thoght we were somewhere else, not Thailand!

Agree. The only time I went to Pattaya, I was totally ashamed to be a farang, utterly disgusted at the state of the shirtless tattooed morons littering the beach, drinking Chang in the sun, and the girls, giving my wife the evil eye. Never again.

Never mind the war on drugs, how about a war on Pattaya; cleaning it up!

Did you not do any research telling you what Pattaya was really about??? Never thought drinking beer in the sun was a particularly immoral act........but I will say it can be unsightly!

Wowwww.... ermmm... Need to get something off your chest?? Did diddums get his arse kicked by a 5'2" bargirl in Phuket for acting like himself in a public place?

You know what we love? - We love guys that come to Phuket and act like degenerates, and then when their &lt;deleted&gt; are handed back to them in a Lunch Bag - go home compllaining that the locals are 'degenerates' - we love 'em...

Back to your mothers' skirts boy - and try not to go through life mistaking your own nasty Bile for Wisdom.

Brilliant, funny post....almost had me spewing my morning coffee....

Hat Nappharat which is adjacent to Ao Nang.

You have the national park right there with great scenary and you are a skiff ride away from Railay which will be a nice daytrip

i'll second that! Great beach, quiet and Ao Nang has everything you might need. And definitely take the trip to Railay---more crowded but you won't regret it.

I believe all these KFC workers knew what the wages were when they went to work and i also believe they knew the benefits so...........whats the problem? If they do not like the deal quit. Unions have ruined the west and looks like it might start in Thailand.

Yep. 30 baht per hour would be the sure road to perdition....

Why there isn't a sub forum for topics of this kind?

Call it the inspector clouseau forum.

Yes, and then the rest of us wouldn't have to be bothered reading their reflexive inane conspiracy drivel every time there is a farang death in Thailand. No police report, no problem---the board members (must be really boring upcountry) will supply all the speculative details we might ever want to read. If they had their own crime forum they could all gather for the metaphorical circle jerk every time there is a questionable death in LOS---project theories ad nauseam (with no real facts to point to of course--except a feeble few paragraphs in the local rag) about police incompetence, police conspiracies, universal Thai loathing of all the simple good-hearted farangs who come to Thailand for the purist reasons, and just the general overall perfidy of several millions of Thais. Seems like the perfect solution both for them and for those of us who prefer to save ourselves the teeth-gnashing caused by accidentally starting to read this nonsense......because, really, once you start reading all the crack-pot theories it becomes almost impossible to turn away.....a little like watching a train wreck......