Gerryasia

put 800k in TMB 'no fixed account'

2.5% interest and good for immigration

They only care that you have instant access to the cash, not where it come from.

Hmmm.....when I was residing in Thailand last year...I tried that particular TMB account.

They said it was only available to native Thai.

Only available to my GF and not me....I said: No Thanks. '_'

Burned there, done that.

If he was that smart he would have read the DFAT warnings about the death penalty. Whilst the PM said Australia is against the death penalty there has never been a referendum on the subject and most Australians don't give a stuff about them. They didn't exactly lose any sleep over over Barlow and Chambers or the Bali bombers.

He knew what the sentence would be if he got caught when he and his offsider planned it. They got caught so now they have to die by firing squad. Stiff Sh*t.

They didn't care how many young kids would have died from the drugs they bought back, or how many got hooked on the drugs.

NO sympathy, I for one am pleased with the outcome. DEATH.

However he and his mate have one last chance, unfortunately. A pardon from the death penalty by the President.

Another DESPOT finds "God" in a jungle prison.

Oh, spare me.

This might just be one of the most profound stats to emerge from this election. I support the idea that Peua Thai have done a much better job of securing the trust of the masses who make up this country, and that is part of the democratic process, but for those who are concerned about the future direction, economically, and good governance, will be dismayed to learn this. It seems the majority are setting the direction on blind faith. It also stumps Thaksin's claim that he's the economic guru and the Dems are 'lacklustre'.

The current Arab uprisings are clearly showing that MANY cultures on this globe are NOT yet ready for a real "democracy".

The closer we get TO this election...the more I fear that Thailand is one of those cultures.

Quan Ma '~'

What a crock, European tourists do not go to Pattaya to learn about the Thai culture they go for sex, if they arrive totally unaware that Pattaya is the biggest brothel in the world they pretty soon find out and have a disappointing holiday. I must add I admire the large expensive hotel chains that are moving in, but being a cynic I suspect they have their eye on the rich middle East guys rather than mum, dad, granny and the three kids from Birmingham.I must add this guy sounds a little crazy ( read a lot ) to suggest Mexico will be a rival to Thiland ref tourism, nobody dare go to Mexico because of the drug murders. I have Mexican relatives living in LA who are too afraid to cross the border to visit their own family. does this guy work for TOT //???????

Sorry but ur post is a crock. TUI is a package tour company that cosset their guests from the seedier side of Pattaya, they don't have planes full of sex tourists as the generally travel independently.

As for Mexico, Cancun is still a huge tourist destination regardless of the problems in the rest of the country.

Jeez, gotta love Thaivisa, old crones with no knowledge of the subject tapping away on their keyboards like the fountain of all knowledge. I heard a guy in a bar a few days ago tell another old crone 'you've got nothing to say, and you are saying too much of it'. Rather fitting don't you think....

Thailand is FULL of these types...that's why I quit going to bars.

i would like to live in a country where people respect the law and condemn bullys

then you better move to america or europe

THAT is the funniest thing I've heard all day.........

great! another year, another tourism problem..

I think (and hope) that your concern will be a little ill founded. Not only is it a relatively small spill that should quickly disperse, but you will also find that the microbes that are natural habitants of the sea will do their natural bit in converting it to harmless sea waste. Once the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was capped it was quickly dispersed naturally in a matter of days. There were even articles about reporters who went out a couple of days after it was capped having difficulty finding oil slicks to photo/film.

But.....who knows what lurks beneath the surface in the Gulf?

Speculation is rampant about vast plumes as yet undiscovered.

And also, the dispersants used CAN cause the oil to be more toxic than the natural state of the petroleum.

They are still finding oil in Prince William (Valdez) sound 20 years later.

And the Salmon NEVER came back.

Because they like to get ripped off, love their dogs to be poisoned and enjoy the listening to 5 prayers daily.

Many people, many reasons, stupid questions, let them go.

Lord Buddha

There is no fairness in Thailand. he should know that, because he was in power before. This is Krama.

VERY WELL PUT, MS T.

CLEAREST THAI WORDS I HAVE HEARD YET!

'~'

This is a simple report about a bomb blast and the governments actions regarding state of emergency. To date there is no one making any claims as to why the bomb was planted. It is very unfortunate that there are those that think this type of action will have any effect in what the government does. All a bomb blast does is kill and injure innocent people. All the posts relating to who "might" have done it are just conjecture with no basis in fact. Reds, yellows, elites, military, police: all corrupt and wanting to maintain their power for their own reasons.

Anyone who has spent any time in Thailand would know by now that the so-called democracy in Thailand is run by thugs with no other reason than for power and greed. The "elites" of all stripes and the military/police only wish to maintain the status quo to maintain their power and wealth. Thailand, for the most part, lacks any type of moral and ethical "culture" as a good number of Thais would (and do)sell their sister for gain. The fact that people can evidently be swayed at a ballot box for 100 or 200 baht is evidence of the fact that people will sell their soul for a price. Sorry to say that in general, Thai people do not share the same values as Western people. That is not necessarily a condemnation but a statement of fact. Their values differ from ours. They do not have a deep history of philosophical thought with which we in the west have been educated. Their sense of right and wrong differs from the West. Other than the teachings of Buddha by way of the local temple, the common man is poorly educated and without deep thought. The common Thai learns to survive. While I surely do not condemn all Thais for all things, many of you posters really don't see Thailand for what it is, a third world country run as a fiefdom by those in power. Until the people seek leaders who will represent their needs not just with handouts at election time, there will be no change in Thailand. Until the people demand that the police protect and serve rather than rip them off there will be no change. One of two things must happen: (1) the people really get angry and demand change, or (2) somehow/somewhere political leaders surface who want something more than to fill their pockets and will struggle to change the way things work in Thailand. Most likely Thailand will continue the coups and changes in government that have been its history since it became a constitutional monarchy. Until the economy works in a way to allow those at the bottom to achieve some sort of middle class status, Thailand will function with the "haves" trying to maintain their wealth and the "have-nots" struggling to survive. Even in so called communist states like China and Vietnam they are surpassing the Thais and are creating wealth for many of their citizens. What is wrong in Thailand: CORRUPTION at every level and a people willing to engage in it as well. Land of Smiles? I think not!

And you site China and Vietnam as examples of a "working" model?

Pick another poison, dude.

Yadda Yadda Ya,

the constant war of Terror, welcome to the G20 / NWO / <deleted> Agenda. Of course you always get another tingling feeling and a bomb goes off somewhere just when it's getting calmer and would be time to ask the right questions. Like, did the government use agent provocateurs aka blue shirts or whatever underground commando to inflict damage and keep the public paralyzed and pointing the finger towards Thaksin, especially during the Red's camping in the shopping district.

He is being fashioned Thailands Osama bin Laden, get it, the phantom on which you can blame everything. So they keep on going getting more and more British with all them jaywalking, feeding the elephant B$ fines and on the other hand play the emergency rule, so they can detain people or keep them arrested on suspicion, soon the cameras et.al. will follow. It is like America's "Patriot act" and the fallout of it, which is less freedumb and more control / suspicion / fear-mongering.

And this is how the polarization game works. No matter what you vote in, the army and the rich elite stay the same. The smokescreen out there is the pseudo fight of Democrat vs. Republican or whatever they call themselves in a little house they call parliament. Democracy is the most vulnerable system out there and perfect for the Oligarchs which do not fear the guillotine anymore since they have those puppets dancing in front of them, distracting the public from who holds all the strings. At the end of the day they all go to the same casino and fat banksters. Hope some more people wake up to this worldwide con, and I really don't like it being perpetrated in Thailand since the last couple of years full forward.

ABSOLUTELY....SPOT ON!!!!

And this country thinks, IN ANY WAY, they can handle the dangers and complexity of NUCLEAR POWER?

Why don't they just start some DEEP WATER DRILLING out there and see what happens!

OMG Amazing Thailand

<br>You don't have to tie up your money in a savings account.  You will need to show that you have available Bht 800,000 in a combination of savings account and/or monthly pensions.  As long as you have a total of 800,000 available.  I use my Stateside savings account and my pension income to cover that reqirement.<br>

Astonishing amount of emic dysentery in most of these posts. Doubtless, Thai bargirls could make a list of scams perpetrated on them by the hordes of educated, subtly turned out, elegantly tattooed foreign gentlemen who grace the portals of their bars and even homes, claiming to be wealthy, toxin-free and single. If they only had the same opportunities they could regale us with their wisecracks, well-honed complaints and lamentations. But they don't, do they?

Monkey Lek.....WELL DONE!

I hope you are a Thai chick!

:jap:

Lordy, lordy, when will they ever learn. Well, probably never because new ones get off the planes everyday with an absolute certainy that "they are just like us, only shorter". And nothing short of divine intervention can convince these men otherwise.

I have taken to telling newbies (and some longer term guys who get carried away) to read Stickman's wonderful treatise on "Why I will never marry a Thai woman". It is without doubt the finest paper ever written on the subject. It was written by an American half-Thai man who came here in his twenties to go to University and stayed and has been here for decades. Very valuable insight and information. And it's free.

People, you are in Asia the name of the game is Money and Fear, at every level.

Suggestion to the fool that made this video is to get back up on the horse and try again. Better yet get up on the horse in another country with different women as the mentally of the women here are obviously way to alien for this man.

Regards

Is there a single non-douche among you degenerates. If you live in Pattaya or Patong you are a degenerate. Period. I don't care how rich you are or how many bars you own or if your hot wife is Taksin's cousin. If you live in Pattaya or Patong...you deserve everything this guy gets and then some. If you live in those places (or visit regularly), you're either whoring or pimping and deserve the sh!t storm and drama that comes with that.

Mr Cad

Your entry is complete Balderdash.

I have lived in Thailand 5 years and in Patong for 3.

I don't go to bars...I surf everyday during season...enjoy the climate and culture.

I have a beautiful home overlooking the ocean.

I live alone and have had several great GF's.

Life is what you make it.

Your generalizations are poisonous.

Maybe YOU are a burn victim yourself?

Love can do a lot, and she does look pretty ...

Pretty???? Are you stoned my friend. She's a train wreck. have you ever been to thailand. This chick is #1 on the fugly list. And if that video is not a send up (Its gotta be) then that dude deserved to lost twice that amount. What a idiot.

BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE...er....PANTS OF THE BEHOLDER......NA?

<br>Serious or not, that was well done.<br><br>One thing that I will never understand is why men will accept an uneducated (most don't make it past the 8th grade) prostitute as a wife in this country, but would never entertain the idea for a second in their home country.<br><br>Something happens to a man when he comes to Thailand. I'm sure of it. Perhaps its at that last customs clearance where they sometimes check your bags. Maybe its while you sleep on the airplane on the way here. I think they have created something that sucks logic and common sense right out of your body and keeps it until you leave. Maybe it's gassed back into the air via the airplane vents on your way home. Maybe not. No one knows for sure but this theory is as good as any.<br>

My Bangkok Bank VISA card was stolen. The thief used it to drain my account -- over 75,000 baht -- by making purchases on 22 different occasions. Suspecting fraud, several of the merchants got the name of the thief, and in some cases even a copy of his Thai ID card. But they never rejected any of the purchases; or even called the bank to report the purchase, even they knew it was probably fraudulent (After all, a sale is a sale is a sale. Isn't it????). In no case, did the signature on the sales slip bear any resemblance to mine.

The Bank steadfastly refused any responsibility, suggesting instead that I take up the matter with the various merchants. They refused to dispute the sales with the merchants, saying that they couldn't possibly do that, as the merchants were their good customers. Ditto the merchants, saying that I should take it up with the bank.

So, what can one conclude other than this is a dirty little conspiracy between the Bank and its merchants, with the objective of cheating their customers (that's you and me, boys and girls)?

The story ends with the thief getting caught and spending over two years in prison for his transgressions, but with the Bank and its merchants getting off Scott-free, even though they were clearly accessories to the crime.

After dozens of letters to headquarters of VISA in San Francisco, and to VISA Southeast Asia in Singapore, the Bank finally called and said please to stop writing letters, and that they would reimburse me in full, including interest, on the money that they permitted to be stolen from my bank account.

Although I've been made whole, I am left with a very bad taste in my mouth, knowing that the Bank and its merchants (which include Carrefour, Tesco, and Central Department Store) can knowingly participate with impunity in transactions in which their customers are clearly being defrauded.

Incidentally, I have since observed a hundred or more credit card transactions being made before me in check-out queues, and not once have I seen the clerk make a comparison of the signature on the sales slips with that on the credit card. After all, why should they be careful, when the merchants take the position that they bear no responsibility for any fraud being committed?

My experience has been that VERY few places really check/compare signatures...even in the States. Just sayin...

I had my Kasikorn atm card stolen while I was in Vietnam and whilst I was trying to cancel it with the hopeless staff in Thailand they went shopping and cleared out my account. No PIN number needed! I lost 17,000 baht...luckily I never keep too much in my Thai bank accounts as I know there's no chance of getting it back...moral of the story? Never keep more in a Thai bank than you can afford to lose as there's no protection from fraud here like in most western countries. I even managed to get online and report the theft before it was used but the guy couldn't cancel it...I had to call the hotline in Thailand and by the time I managed to talk with somebody it had already been used! There're still a lot of countries where a pin number is not required to make a purchase so be careful guys, if you lose your card you could lose all your money to boot! By the way I also lost an HSBC UK credit card at the same time and this got hit up for 150,000...had the money refunded within 2 days! DON'T TRUST THAI BANKS WITH BIG $$!!!

If you have an "O" Retirement Visa and don't have a fat pension, we have no choice but to keep a large amount of cash in Thai Bank...kao jai?

Apple has always been one of THE most proprietary/predatory IT companies.

They want some kind of a continuing fee for virtually everything they produce.

They are blood-sucking leeches and thier stuff just ain't that great.

I was given a very nice MacBook Pro and I don't even use it.

My Chinese produced Compaq is MUCH better and easier to use.

Steve Jobs is a tyrant.

End of rant.

'~'

Fat white people.

Oh Sh_T...here we go!

'~'

The murder rate in Thailand tells otherwise.

Koh Tot

Mike....

Rent a motorbike.

Wear the helmet.

Drive safe.

Don't drink and drive.

Surin is VERY restaurant and farang friendly.

Enjoy

Phuket is just another symptom of the disease that is affecting Thailand so adversely now.

Overbuilding, greed and lack of concern over the long-term effects of the actions of a culture that truly "lives only in the moment".

I have seen/lived/experienced it all, wherever I have lived in central/south Thailand, for the last 5 years.

The islands are becoming unlivable, only good for maybe a short vacation...and even at that, plan to spend alot more money than just a few years ago.

But who wants to fly for 8 to 20 hrs to go somewhere that is becoming just like anywhere else?

As far as expats go, who wants to LIVE in a country that is on a slippery slope BACK into "bananamockracy".

Thailand has nice weather(if you like steamy), beautiful, inexpensive sex, clear, warm water(on a good day) many nice beaches and that is it.

When that is gone, Thailand will be the Philippines again like it was just a couple of decades ago.

A chaotic, passionate experiment in SE Asian human nature.

Make your own!

There is a thread here for that.