jspill

The FSI (foreign services institute) Thai course, is a huge free course https://www.livelingua.com/fsi-thai-course.php

Audio plus text, but a bit hard to understand the fast paced male voice, I found. So would be nice to have a tutor to go through it with you. Doesn't repeat things slowly like Pimsleur audio tapes, so not that easy to self-study from.

For something a bit more colorful, some of the L-Lingo lessons are free http://l-lingo.com/en/learn-thai/index.html

Anyway: there is no cure for stupidity.

Ironically there are several studies suggesting cannabis adds brain cells and slows degradation of the brain.

http://www.nature.com/news/2005/051010/full/news051010-12.html

http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/29/how-cannabinoids-may-slow-brain-aging/

So much nonsense. Why would anyone wish to study a dead end language such as Thai. Only reason would be possibly long term plan to work in los with main skill being able to speak thai and English. Even that's rubbish. You might get job in tour company. Or rather not. The folk pretending to wish to learn thai as a second language is rubbish. I'm happy for people to try and have extended (long) stays living in los. Seriously give us all a break. Ed visas were never about an burning love of the thai language. It was always a vehicle for the vast majority. The abuse of rules has sent the grim reaper. Happy days.

That's the same flawed line of logic as thinking anyone who chooses to retire here is a dirty old man, anyone who marries here is doing so because they can't find a good partner back home, they never had a burning love of the Thai culture, it's just that they can't afford to retire anywhere other than upcountry in a developing nation halfway down the global corruption index, etc. etc.

if you got cancer would you put your faith in it curing you,,, after all you claim that there are 34 studies that prove it. Or would you go and see a cancer specialist? I challenge you to answer.

Well I'd keep smoking it on a daily basis as I do now, yes.

Try digging out some real information that is published in reputed , peer reviewed, scientific journals and I might be interested.

Linked them to you earlier, your best retort is that they don't 'prove' anything. Things are rarely proven though, outside of pure mathematics. In science one just has to listen to the overwhelming evidence.

Land of announcements. Then nothing actually happens.

Will this be a 35 page thread like the July 2014 one, with the exact same announcement from Hua Hin, along with us carrying ID (which then quickly changed).

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747147-immigration-foreigners-must-now-carry-valid-id-at-all-times-report-within-24-hours/

^ Nope. One can't be physically addicted to pot.

If you get psychologically addicted (not the same thing) and turn into a bum then you would've become a bum anyway. Just like people get addicted to sex, fatty foods, or lying on the couch... should we ban those because they harm productivity in a few people?

No causal correlation between pot smoking and ending up a loser at all.

Plenty of artistic endeavours have been aided by the influence of pot, half the music you listen to probably wouldn't have been written.

Plenty of functional potheads too, who make it to work on time, drive, and do everything else like any other person, smoking cannabis every single day.

Pot /Weed is a pseudo-medicine.

Is that the best you can do, one doctor saying one guy (Steve Jobs) shouldn't have tried cannabis for his cancer?

Here are 34 studies proving it cures cancer. https://www.endalldisease.com/34-medical-studies-proving-cannabis-cures-cancer/

This link cites CNN, the National Cancer Institute, and National Institute of Health http://thefreethoughtproject.com/main-stream-media-finally-admits-cannabis-potential-cure-cancer/

Flawed argument. Alcohol only kills through abuse, like absolutely anything.

Much easier to overdose on alcohol though isn't it. It's one of our leading killers, the fourth biggest after things like heart disease, cancer (cannabis can help with that), smoking (smoke cannabis instead, problem solved) and physical inactivity. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/07/alcohol-remains-a-leading-killer/

One would have to consume 1,500 pounds of marijuana in 15 minutes to overdose. Similarly hard to overdose on water and die from that... although technically it is possible.

Isn't she that Butt ugly Russian lady that sits outside Subway at Soi 7/1 for the last few Years Hawking her fork

Always wonder how she gets her work permit Oh Think I know freebie for the Boys

It says Moroccan lady so no she is not Russian. I know which lady you are talking about, this lady is not the subway lady

And about 20 years age difference

Can you justify the use of the word "stupid"

Millions of people visit Thailand for a holiday and Millions leave to return to their homes and jobs.

How many Millions of "long stay tourists" are there?

Thailand does not need the serial tourist visa user !

The world is changing, more people than ever before are location independent, work in the cloud and have no need to return home. Developing countries are happy to let these people stay there for protracted periods of time and offload their foreign sourced income. As long as they're not taking jobs from Thais or involved in criminal activity, Thailand wants them.

That does NOT make the Stuff any less illegal in SEA .

Get used to it

I'm aware it's illegal. For the reasons in post #61, not because it should be illegal:

The profits from not only selling, but distribution and onward trafficking are kept within networks of people and funnelled up to very powerful people who hold establishment positions (police, military, politicians) or control senior establishment people.

The reason for the tough sentences is not the drugs and their harm to society but the fact that the competition may harm their profits.

Give it another generation and that might change, when Thailand moves more in line with developed nations. That's what you want isn't it? Your posts in other threads are all for Thailand's visa system to be the same as that of developed countries.

DaveinAsia

Here!

All the facts about a DRUG which is illegal to possess/sell in SEA and many other parts of the world

A dot.gov website has obvious bias, it benefits governments to not allow people a cheap, plant alternative to pharmaceuticals and alcohol, that they can grow in their back garden.

This is another good docu on the subject.

Isn't she that Butt ugly Russian lady that sits outside Subway at Soi 7/1 for the last few Years Hawking her fork

Always wonder how she gets her work permit Oh Think I know freebie for the Boys

I think I know the one you mean, I think she is a blonde Uzbek/Russian, my friend has spoken to her. She used to sit outside Coffee-World.

Lol yeah I know that one too. Not the same girl, huge age difference.

That one is Russian and offers short time for 1k.

Tons of them come up on Google, many kids today would get bored of them though.

A girl I knew enjoyed Skins, a TV series with English subtitles on Youtube. Helped her English a bit.

There are apps to download them, if 3G isn't strong enough to watch them on the go.

It's the equivalent of Thai series Hormones, teenage drama.

I'm aware the conditions aren't great if you can't afford a private room but detention is justified.

Why do you make comments like "Anyone in this thread wanting overstayers to be incarcerated, is presumably ok with that?" How can you possibly think people ok with overstayers being detained prior to deportation would be ok with migrant children being locked up in poor conditions for years!

Migrants and asylum seekers being detained is a whole different problem. A terrible problem that should be addressed but is in noway connected to the discussion about foreigners getting bans for overstaying or being temporarily detained prior to deportation.

The conditions are the same for western overstayers. If people were detained in conditions that didn't breach their human rights, and they overstayed of their own choosing, I'd agree with you that it doesn't deserve sympathy. But real life isn't as neat as that. Most are in appalling conditions, and most just fell on bad times due to circumstances out of their control, have mental problems, or a host of other reasons.

A German sadly died in my arms a week before my release and I really pity all those Bangla, BUrmese, Lao and Khmer woman that were locked up with their children. I have seen two people that died in front of me

From this thread - http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/780211-my-experience-at-idc-for-overstaying/page-5#entry8741823

So what you were in fact saying was that Singapore has significantly less deaths in detention centres than Thailand. I've no idea if that's true. But I'm sure you can provide links to a factual source.

I'd have thought that people that follow the law are more likely to support campaigns to stop human rights abuses. I'd also expect that those on overstay or working illegally, and facing the possibility of a stay at the IDC, would be concerned about human rights mostly for selfish reasons.

I have no idea about the conditions or human rights abuses in the IDC. I do, however, recall one report saying that you can order pizza in!

I have no sympathy for the many that choose to overstay and find themselves in the IDC, but regardless Thailand should not be committing human rights abuse.

There's not going to be an easily Google-able source to prove a negative. If there were issues, it'd be all over Google like Thailand's issues are. Surprised you aren't aware, it's fairly common knowledge.

If you have money there are private rooms where you can order food delivery yes. 3000 baht/night. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/780211-my-experience-at-idc-for-overstaying/

Also well done ubonjoe - It seems he got it right when most others really believed that this would not be made available apart from home countries.

+1

"Other countries have no deaths in detention". How did you come up with that little gem!

Show me a Singapore version of Thaivisa where several members have posted that they saw people die in detention? Check thaibreaker's thread, the conditions in IDC are well documented on this forum. In the media too.

Any decision yet?

Check back next year for another announcement.

Actually you'll see the former used more for 'vegan', as opposed to the latter for 'vegetarian'.

It isn't 100% exact, you won't see that from simple Google translate or Thai-English dictionaries, and it's common for there to be some crossover. But that's a product of veganism being quite fringe and unknown, only 2% of the population are vegan.

Source - http://travel.cnn.com/bangkok/eat/vegetarians-guide-thailand-travel-656275

And here's a Thai Facebook page making the vegan/vegetarian distinction.

Draconian Laws for overstay? The laws have been very lax for the past 30 years and now Thailand is going to do a reboot. I am not Pro Prayuth but would welcome article 44 to be called for a quick implementation.

It was lax for those turning up at the airport cash in hand, but as you know well the IDC is draconian. You posted that you were there once and saw several foreigners die, one in your arms. The conditions are nothing short of human rights abuse, and it doesn't get enough media attention.

Other countries have harsher laws but no deaths in detention.

Common sense solution would be an uncapped fine exactly equivalent to all the visa and extension costs someone would have paid if they weren't on overstay. Zero financial incentive to overstay. Then use the extra money from fines to sort out the conditions of IDC.

I can only assume that a lot of these people were from neighbouring countries who entered, and worked, here illegally.

I see a lot of African faces in the photos.

Is Africa a neighboring country now?

They use photos of a few dozen whites and blacks like the media in any far right, prejudiced country would, for sensationalism. Complete with a SWAT guy with AK47.

News articles have already said the vast majority were from neighboring countries.

Apparently this tourist cyclist was filming while riding, and had a kid on a motorbike attempt to mug him. Caught the face of one on camera. The guy who's channel its on is a bit of a troll for views, but linking here in case it's legit and benefits anyone.

Sutti Mansion II is a few steps onto Suk Soi 38 on the right, so right next to Thonglor BTS. Another entrance by the stairs leading up to the BTS.

Not very nice but you don't mind that. It also does short term stays, 5 months will be fine. About 8k and up.