Northman061

So, the Abac poll people talked to an "Unspecified" number of children. We do not know their Soci economic status, age ranges or locations, which are all base lines for viable statistics. As has been shown, the 23 million kids watching.....and so on and so on is silly.

But it allows us to make some "vague" comments.

Firstly, all kids think about sex when they get past a certain age. Its natural to want to seek info on the opposite sex. Now we all know Thailands approach to Sex Education is laughable and almost non existent in schools. thai TV pumps trash "love" stories at the kids 24/7 and there is NO programming or conversational TV that gives kids a forumn to ask questions or to be shown/given advice on sex. So inquisitive kids will search the web to fufil their curiosity.

Then we get the quotes based on info from an "unidentified network of media"? This says "only one-third of Thai media were appropriate for young people, while the rest were "black" for their coverage of sex- and violence-oriented content".........."Thai Media"?

Now do we read "Thai Media" to mean main stream Thai TV? Thai Websites? I am a little confused as thailand operates a brutal and as hard a policy on web closures and TV restrictions as is opssible to have in a Military State (Sorry) i meant Democracy. So where is this 70% of Sex and Violence shown "Thai Media"?

Oh, and linking this to unwanted babies is not good journalism, its just lazy.

I am sure the Government looks forward to faster Internet speeds that will allow the thousands it employs and the Billions it chooses to spend in watching what Thai children post on Facebook pages, reading our texts and blogs and turning Thailand into a non discussion or debating society.

Whilst at the same time it limits, restricts and blocks the Thai peoples open access to information, advice and comment on the web for its own purposes and that of the military.

But dont worry, 3/4G will be a service that is another Thai "Elite" owned and run business. So as normal, that means it will be delievered late, mismanaged, overpriced and of poor quality........"Amazing" Thailand.:jap:

I think he fits in really well here in Thailand.

Just think about it. He has the cheek to blame some other people, claims its all a lie and the proceeds to tell us all that now everyone agrees it never happened, there was no story!!

Sounds like the standard report on a Thai MP!!

Oh and i loved "I am not a foreigner with a beer gut. I am handsome, well educated, sophisticated and I dine with the best".

This from a man who probably classes himself filming 3 women having sex for money in a Pattaya hotel as a "Highly respected and cultured International arthouse Film producer!" :jap:

Whilst the Thai Billionaire Elites and Millionaire Generals keep the law that stops Global and International businesses from owning and running National and State contracts and services 100%, Thailand will forever be at the mercy of their isolationist masters and the corruption trough they all feed from.

The CRES was created to deal with a "National Enmergency". Its powers were only to be used during these "Emegencies", and only when National safety and security was threatened.

It has now gone beyond its own guidlines and job

description. It is not a general "law making" entity, it is not a long term autonomous entity, it is a short term tool, used, then returned back to the tool box!

The CRES must not to become a fixture on the Thai political/Military map, and its recent actions prove that its time of "need" has long past.

It must go.Now!

You have to applaud ANY kind of forward movement in Thailand on anything. Of course, "database" can mean anything, its hard to believe that any great percentage of cars will be in it as the whole second hand market is "cloudy" about documentaion.

And of course just because you have a fine does not mean you will pay it.

But for me, this simply highlights Thailands problem (no, only one!).

Its all about, "look at us", "We have technology, we are modern".......Its the Emperors New Clothes attitude.

But the police are still corrupt (but its ok, whats a few 100 baht? style corrupt) and no one cares, when traffic law is not maintained or enforced and vehicles that are not "roadworthy" or "safe" are not stopped why invest in some shiny new clothes?

Thailand seems to be a top down country. Everything bad that people see those at the top doing, they do.

But a shiny new machine, a bigger airport, a newer deep sea port, a faster rail link will never cover over the fact, that really, Thailand is naked.

Getting the money back just in time to spend on securing votes for the early 2011 elections maybe??

In my previous post, i was just pulling names from the air (those i know from the UK) to highlight the way Thai business is done.

It is right that international companies can bid and CO RUN building and Infrastructure projects, but OWNERSHIP always stays in Thai hands through majority ownership (written into LAW)

DTAC has an ownership of 39.89% by TELENOR ASIA PTE LTD - Based in Singapore and is NOT the Telnor Group which we all know, but was set up to control the Thai mobile market and is owned by (amongst others Senior Thai ex politicians and generals) and 15.03% by THAI TELCO HOLDINGS LIMITED which is also run by some Major thai elite families.

Thailand has some of the most severe and draconian business "ownership" laws and regulations in Asia. For those business Thai Elites with money and infuence, its fine. That is why (in part) even Vietnam is attracting more International new business than Thailand.

Just going off OP for a second, the item below is a direct lift from retire-asia.com, the site is an independent site assisting those with cash, where to retire and what to do with your cash. Should you invest in stocks, business etc. This is what (in part) it says about Thailand and its attitude to Non thai Business.

Foreigners in Thailand are naive if they think that their knowledge, business skills, willingness to employ people or generate income and taxes for the overall benefit of Thailand and Thai people, is wanted, much less appreciated, by the Thais.

One-way investment including upmarket tourism is far more preferable and this is encouraged. There are former government-sponsored schemes to attract money from the rich and famous. Low budget tourists or retirees with relatively low resources are tolerated rather than welcomed, in spite of the overall financial benefits they bring.

nuff said i think.

This ongoing farce of Elite run businesses highlights a major ongoing and long term problem with Thai business.

As long as Non Thai businesses are banned from bidding, running and managing "National" and "State" services and projects, this scenario will continue.

Why was Nokia, Orange, Seimens, Virgin not bidding for the 3/4 G contract? Well its because they cant!

The Elite run "National and State" run services would be shown up.

Virgin would not give or accept bribes!

Seimens would build and complete on time and to buget.

Orange/Nokia would provide a modern efficient service at a lower price.

So, the money stays in the hands of the Elites and the thais end up with inferior service and delivered slow and overpriced.

No wonder Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam are years ahead of Ancient Fuedal Thailand in the 21st century!!

"With the educational expenses of Bt 150,000 Bt 260,000 per year, some middle class people have found SJMIS affordable"....<deleted>???!!!! AFFORDABLE!!!??????

I would suggest that no real rural "Middle Class" Family could afford such sums every year.

I believe that what we are seeing are strategic placement of new schools that reflect some of the richer rural politicians, businessmen and lnvestors building for the new "Anti Bangkok/Government" centralisation policy.

If you live outside bangkok, want an "International" Education, why should they come to Bangkok?

It allows rich rurals to maintain their influence in their strongholds, creates local jobs and services and shows their commitment to "their" people by not investing in Bangkok, the seat of opposition power and the home of the Military.

But its not the middle class.

I would suggest that all political advertising be classed as "Ununifyiny" and will bring "Disharmouny" and not aid "Reconcilliation" by the Military Junta.

This is a good economic move !!

Very far from the old days of Thais not want or allowing any forieng investments; this WILL bring more jobs, more skilled jobs; increase the long term wealth of the nation and be good for everybody.

A small rise in VAT of say a half or a percent will hardly be felt by most; since the poorer side and indeed most everyday bussiness such as Market trading etc happens in cash and off the books anyway it will have even less of an impact on those at the the bottom.

Actualy this will help those at the bottom as they might have the oppertunity to recieved training and earn more than the old poor occupations of unskilled labour.

Thailand has near full eMployment as it is. So much so that factories are now being advisided to locate near boarders because not enough labour available.

Thailand and Thais have never had it so good! Across all levels of society. The growth of the middle class is amazing over the last 15 years. The poor have More oppertunities than ever.

These moaning reds should consentrate on sending their kids to school and instilling a good work ethic rather than causing instability and sabotaging their own future because of their ignorance and greed. GREED it's not to say it's greedy to want to get out of poverty; it's meaning taking the polliticians money to make problems for your country rather than bettering yourself through hard work.

Lower corporate tax = more and better paid jobs = more money circulating in the economy = more commerce = more government revenue = more investment in infastricture, education and services = more equality of oppertunity

Trickle down economics, it will be the poor that will have to suffer for this.

Actually everyone in the country will suffer from it.

If VAT goes up the cost of everything that everybody uses will go up.

Food will go up because of the increase so will the cost of fuel to transport it so it will effectively go up twice.

Anything and everything will go up as businesses will need to cover their costs to keep their profit margins.

Salaries on the other hand probably won't go up as businesses will be bleating about the rise in VAT that they themselves are asking for to cut their costs thus they will say that due to the extra cost of VAT we can't afford to give the workers a pay rise.

BAU

Business As Usual

Edit for afterthought

The price for alcohol and cigarettes will probably go up as well

Wow, for a senior member i feel you are waaaaay off target on this one.

Is it not the case over 65% of Thais have the most basic of education because they are the ones up at dawn working 7 days a week in the majority of Thailand which is agricultural?

They will get little if any change in their daily lives from the top Elites getting bigger tax breaks. They, sadly, will stil have their prices fixed by these Elite Bangkok businessmen.

The average (non Red)Thai city worker, usually gets around 10 to 20k and many work 6 days with no overtime or job security through formal contracts of service.

The basic right to challange malpractice at your work is basic at best (look at the number of years the cotton weavers too to get compensation for their illnesses).

The idea that these Elites who are raping Thailand of its assests will somehow develop training programmes, pay better wages and assist the poorest is seems a very simplistic and stunningly out of touch comment.

This nation lives by the simple code of Greed first, family second and crush the poor.

So i disagree with you 100%.

Cheers

So some Elites son who was slotted into a Government job decides, in conjunction with other highly placed elites sons, that their fathers, uncles and senior business partners should have even more money.

So they cut their tax.

Thats nice isnt it.

The idea that this will draw people to this fast becoming Burma 2 is stupidity beyond belief.

Why are Virgin, Nokia, Orange or Sky not knocking on Thailands 3 or 4G door?

Its because Thai Elites will not allow outside non Thais to own, run and manage "National" contracts and run Thailands Infrastructure projects.

Why?

Because they would be run honestly, to budget, no bribes taken or given, and when completed and up and running they would offer a better service at a lower price!

Imagine you have Billions to invest. Singapore or Thailand?

100% business ownership, no bribes, honest police, and easy streamlined efficient governmet and business friendly system, clean streets and 4G everwhere..........Or........yeh, i know you know! :jap:

Wiki states ; A coup d'état (English: /ˌkuːdeɪˈtɑː/, French: [ku deta]; plural: coups d'état)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, illegal deposition of a government,^[1][2][3] usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either civil or military.

The coup, was and is an illegal act - FACT.

We can all agree that having a Military power in control over and running a Democratic State and people is wrong, in so many way, very wrong.

My concern with the OP is that even though the WORLD in general violently opposed and rejected this show of force, the Miliionaire Generals and Elites simply have not understood that this was wrong and is a violation of everything democratic.

Thailand has a new, English educated Thai PM who has been unable to control the grow of the Millionaire Generals and Business Elites. The fact these Generals have ANY part in the civil government and civil administration is wrong on all levels.

If these Millionaire Generals have "finished" with forcing their will through force of arms upon the people, then they should stick to their paid jobs as Servicemen and get out of the puplic view, off TV, off the Radio and out of the newspapers........oh, i forgot, they manage, own and run their own.

So let me get this right; "Senator Somchai Sawaengkarn, chairman of the Senate committee on human rights, liberty and consumer protection, argued that satellite and cable TV channels .......... warned that if the industry failed to regulate itself the state would step in and this may also lead to abuse through political censorship, as it could lead to a lack of true freedom of expression".

So the man charged with making sure human rights and liberty are protected warns the State may step in if Satellite and TV is not "regulated"?

At the moment, NO ONE can show a cleavage, let alone a semi naked body.

At the moment, NO ONE is allowed to debate "certain" issues on ANY TV Station.

At the moment, NO ONE can watch a movie without annoying "blurring" of smoking,nudity and gambling.

At the moment Thailand is MORE restrictive in Information and open dabate than it EVER HAS BEEN (according to International figures)

So please, can someone tell me.....Does the Senetor and those in power want MORE inane, mind numbing and dulling soaps that fill the current TV schedules? Are ALL forms of intelligent, probing and hard hitting programming to be banned?

"Then, without prompting, the Army chief went on to justify the previous coup: "I don't really want to talk about the past, but the last time that [a coup] happened, it was to prevent a calamity".........hmmm

I think you will find, the Millionaire Generals had simply had enough of a PM who was limiting their access to power and money. Once they decided to break their oaths of service, break the law, oust a democratically elected PM and Parliament and force their will onto the Thai people, they simply made sure the cash and the power were in their and their Elites friends pocket once more.

And using "lese majeste" to listen in on people phone calls, read texts and e mails whilst spending BILLIONS on checking peoples Facebook sites and web pages is simply a ruse to crush all forms of free speech and debate so as to maintain and strengthen their grip upon the Thai Nation.

There are dark clouds because there is no sun! there is no Aung Sun Suu Kyi in Thailand at present - Thailand desperately needs an honest leader.

Much much more and higher than that skinny women. There is a reason why she is arrested. Because she broke the law. She cannot stand above the law.

Oh Dear.

Do you really mean that? If so, then the Millionaire Generals and Billionaire Elites have really won the minds of Thais.

A law that allows the minority that holds power through force of arms whilst it crushes, limits and restricts the majority is no real law.

This would require the Elites to pay out money to build, control and plan for decades ahead.....with no real "profit" to be made, so why would they?

Let us not forget, Thailand is run for what the Elites and Millionaire Generals can make, not what is best for Thailand and the nations future.

The day the Elites allow Global and International businesses to own, run, manage and control National infrastructure projects and services, only then will this Elite run behemoth running Thai business die.

So only after 63 BILLION Baht was "invested" was the web site found not to be linked to the real US Markets?

If they had said something anti monarchist or anti Government, they would have been closed in minutes.

Makes you wonder where and why the Governments assests are being used i think.

"The film’s content goes against public order or morality,” the board said yesterday"

Ha ha ha ha ha.....oh please, stop it, ha ha ha .

Talk about giving the keys of the asylum to the inmates.....

Another "proof" of how those in "control" of Thailand are just too stupid to believe.

The current PM is simply the "face" presented by the real power in Thailand, the Military.

They and the Elites are still in total control of business deals, Government contracts and

have fingers in so many pies they can afford muliple Local and Internation Homes, send children abroad for Education and place family and friends

into Official/Govermental jobs.

So why would they need to start a coup?

They have all they could ever want.

Oh, and they will NEVER allow MR TS back into Thailand....NEVER!

Hi Folks,

Just back in the UK after leaving Bangkok 14th Oct, flight to Heathrow 0.45 am.

Read all the stuff on Thai Visa after i messed up as i didnt get a 1 year visa required 90 day runs (i posted about it in july here on TVisa), so i had 172 days overstay.

I got to the airport, Suvarnabahumi, with 20,000 cash and a little nervous sweat on.

Went to immigration and the man checked my passport, checked again and looked at me, i said yes, i know, overstay.

He called me up, pointed to two guys behind him at a desk and said, go see them.

Two slightly older guys (one making green tea) i sat before one who looked at my passport, i explained in really didnt know that a 1 year visa meant you had to leave every 90 days, and i was sorry about messing up.

The guy nicely explained the rules while calculating my 172 days overstay. He asked did i know i had to pay a fine. I said yes and produced the cash,20,000.

He stamped my passport, wrote down the days overstay, and passed me over to "green tea" man.

He gave me a reciept for the money and we chatted about how busy the airport was and he was on shift until 6 next morning.

All in all, i would say 5 minutes from start to finish, nice guys, no real pressure.

Summary:

- Nationality: UK

- Length of overstay: 172 days

- Where you/they attempted to leave Thailand: Suvarnabhumi

- Showed up at departure immigration on: 14 OCT 2010

- What was done by the immigration authorities: overstay fine THB 20,000

Discuss here.

Hi!

Almost at the end of my Non Imm B and my Thai friend points out that i have not "been out of the country" and i see that in my stupidity in thinking a one year visa is for one year, i find myself 20,000 baht worse off (ho hum) so i now understand i should have been popping out of the country every three months (i know, i know) there was me thinking a one year visa was just what it said!! doh!

By the way, do all (working) non thais have do do this seemingly stupid 3 month run inc bussiness leaders, foreign journalists, embassy staff, Brian Robson etc?

Anyway, a couple of questions for you experts out there.

I have a chance to do some freelance work that will move me between Thailand and Vietnam (legit work, nothing dodgy, but wont get me a work permit, drat!).

So i know i have to pay my 20,000 overstay, sorted, but can i get a 3 month (or longer would be better) extension (what type, i dont know?) and can i do that from here in BKK or do i have to get out and apply for extension from UK etc? I am 48 by the way.

And in closing, its a fantasic site (that i really never thought i would need to use), and its good to see people willing to aid the lost and pathetic (like me) in a virtual International community kind of way. Cheers :-)