madmitch

To do away with the songthaews would mean something like four thousand job losses! It won't happen. The two services will run alongside each other, I am sure. Agree with all the posters stating that there are too many baht buses. The most annoying trait: when the driver stops to pick you up when you are actually trying to cross the road, causing you to miss the elusive gap in the traffic!

Thanks.

I like the sound of the loan agreement. I'll do that.

It is for a genuine business by the way and not just a shell for getting visa and work permit.

Thanks.

It is the issue about whether I'll ever be able to send the money back out of Thailand that concerns me.

Hopefully someone can answer this.

I have recently set up a company and need to get cash into the country to finance a new business as well as provide the paid up capital required.

In theory this cash needs to come from overseas. Can I transfer the cash into my personal account in my own name and then transfer it into my company accout (this is easier because I have an internet facility to do this) or must the cash go directly into the company account?

Also what proof is required that the cash came from overseas? Is a form similar to a Tor Tor 3 required or will proof of transactions suffice?

how empty is your life that you are worried about the bars and clubs closing early? so go out earlier or spend some time at home with your prostitute, she'll be fresher if you pick her out earlier in the night.

If they also enforce the proposed opening times there's not much chance of doing this either.

As kids in England we were subjected to public information films on TV, many of which aimed at stopping public littering. Kids here just follow their parents and throw litter out of the car window, usually biodegradable items tied in a plastic bag! Along the railway track must be among the filthiest parts of Thailand. Education is needed or the new generation will destroy the remaining beautiful parts of Thailand.

Idea for the CEO: make the recipients of the village funds use part of it for establishing recycling facilities. Not a vote winner, unfortunately.

The energy saving plans also include turning off lights on billboards at 10pm. So why was the Sunsilk billboard opposite Lake Rajada still illuminated at 1am this morning?

What's the big deal. I think it's great they start organizing the nightlife a little. There is no need to have a blaring disco or karaoke in the middle of a residential area, this is the kinda of $#!7 that's being cracked down on.

There is nothing wrong with zoning but the zones should be more realistic. the moment in Bangkok it is Ratchadapisek, so the MPs and their cronies can gat a dodgy massage, New Petchburi ( including RCA), where the MPs' and their cronies' children like to party, and Patpong, where they think all tourists go, even though many of the old bars have become handbag shops. Interesting that most bars in these areas are Thai owned as well.

Sukhumvit and Khao San Road should definitely be zoned, as should just about the whole of Pattaya, Phuket, Samui and other destinations catering almost exclusively for tourists.

Incidentally, there is certainly no sign of enfoecement of the new laws on Sukhumvit tonight.

This is from The Nation today

"Deputy Interior Minister Pracha Maleenont yesterday vowed to strictly enforce closing times of night entertainment venues now that the new entertainment zoning law has taken effect.

The Interior Ministry directive designating zones for entertainment venues in Bangkok and the rest of the country took effect on Thursday.

The directive also prescribes the closing times of entertainment places in and outside the zones.

Pracha said the directive designated zones for entertainment places in Bangkok and 49 other provinces, while banning the opening of new entertainment venues in the 26 remaining provinces.

The three designated zones in Bangkok are Silom (including Patpong), Ratchadapisek (including Royal City Avenue) and New Phetchaburi roads.

New entertainment venues will be allowed to open only in designated zones.

Pracha warned that the authorities would check on venues more frequently to ensure that they comply with the closing times now that the directive had taken effect.

Sujarit Pajchimnan, director-general of the Local Administration Department, said the directive defined entertainment venues into five categories, as follows:

lNightclubs and bars inside the zones are allowed to open from 9pm to 2am, while those outside can stay open from 9pm to midnight.

lLounges and teahouses both inside and outside the zones are allowed to open for two periods, from 11am to 2pm and from 6pm to midnight.

lModern massage parlours in the zones are allowed to open from 12 noon to midnight, while those outside the zones can open from 6pm to midnight.

lPubs, discotheques, cafes, restaurants with live bands and cabarets in the zones are allowed to open from 6pm to 1am, while those outside the zones can open from 6pm to midnight.

lRestaurants with live music both inside and outside the zones are allowed to open from 6pm to 1am.

A ministry source said it might designate restaurants that offer recorded music as a new category of entertainment venue, but officials are still considering appropriate opening and closing times for them."

Madness. I know this was discussed by the cabinet some time back but I thought it had gone by the wayside.

Murder and gang rape in Thailand have made the international press this past week or so. With this as well Thailand can say goodbye to many potential tourists.

They don't have a clue here. The tourist authoritoes in neighbouring countries must be delighted.

So the whole corruption issue was discussed in ninety minutes! Maybe many ministers didn't have a great deal to say on the matter. And the result was they would start the anti-corruption campaign 3 days early. Can't wait for the results.

Randyksf, spot on! With cigarettes at 35 baht a pack, then it is no surprise that smokers are reluctant to kick the habit. Come on, Thaksin, how about a major tax increase on cigarettes. Ah, there's the problem, there's an election shortly and many rural voters are also smokers. It's the same with booze. Early closing hours are not the way to control drinking in Thailand. Put the tax up on Thai and ASEAN liquor. Again, not exactly a vote winner, is it? Maybe we'll see something in February!

Its bad enough that Thai TV insists on showing graphic images of real life murder victims (including the couple shot recently in Kanchanaburi laid out in the morgue) and close ups of car and mororbike fatalities but when these scenes are repeated in their soap operas of which half of Thai TV seems to be dedicated to, I think someone has lost a sense of perspective.

Obviously gang rape, reckless driving and extreme violence are more socially acceptable than smoking in Thailand. It has been proven that youngsters copy actions portrayed on television and film and bearing in mind that Thailand is very much a copycat society, the body in charge of censorship really needs to get its act together.

Very sad week for the country and maybe another nail in the tourism coffin.

I hope that the English language press follow the trial in this case. Regardless of any provocation, which has only been speculated upon at this stage, the guy is a cold-blooded murderer and should get life. Anything less will be a travesty.

Secondly, this is not quite what the Thai tourist industry needs at the moment. Heavy handed police enforcing unnecessary bar closing times, speculative raids on bars for drugs, shorter shopping hours, violence in the south, the return of bird flu and now tourist police shooting and killing those they are there to protect. What next?

It makes a change from the usual Thai way of increasing prices to increase profitabiity. A couple of other suggestions:

If the meters need to be reset for the new fares, this would be an opportunity to check the serviceability of the taxis. Many are too old and should not be used as public transortation vehicles. Still, a few baht in the right direction would almost certainly keep some of these on the road regardless.

Secondly how about reissuing the taxi drivers' licences complete with up to date photograph? Some of the photos are ancient and many are certainly not photos of the drivers in the taxis. I note that the new ones have English as well as Thai. This would IMHO be a significant factor in improving personal safety.

Only a thought but doing more than one thing at once? Doubtful that this would be viable.

I remember Thaksin recently stated that the Government wants to treat drug users as patients, not criminals. Doesn't that make it obvious that the police only raided the bar to look for individuals that needed medical help? The fact that all but two were perfectly healthy and had to write off the rest of the evening either at the local police station or some other venue is just a consequence of the caring nature of the government towards drug users.

Frequent engine checks? I thought engine checks took place frequently anyway. Many times I have been in a taxi that has broken down and the driver gets out, checks the engine, plays with a few wires and gets the car going for another ten minutes until he performs the same routine again.