philhal2

"The awards were announced on September 1, 2008."

I see The Nation is on the ball again

guess they dont think we are able to use the net , is only possible for thais in Thailand , Falang not know ,

http://jimmythejock....ations-For-2011

http://en.wikipedia....ourism_rankings

http://www.101holida...y-destinations/

http://www.lonelypla...-articles/76216

Not really into the awards and the so called top 10 , but I really dislike someone or something claiming to be better than they really are , Can only assume that they really need to give themselves a pat on the back as no one else is willing to do it for them . Love the smiles and the ladies but they really need to see themselves in a mirror that isnt distorted .

The Government are not better than the loan sharks.

Load em up with debt, own their souls.

The Abhisit govt had a very good program to refinance the high interest debt caused by the previous Sinawatra program of "easy credit" for farmers. Now here comes another Shinawatra plan to put farmers back into debt. A very good way to pick up farms for a song, making it another sad day for Thai farmers, once again.

Hopefully the last laugh is on those stealing sor bor cor land that remains the property of the

government and the <deleted> cant get channote to save their thieving souls .

It was not too long ago i read that Thailand was trying to introduce genetically modified Rice

If anyone has seen the documentary Food.inc - A GM crop of rice would certainly have total control...

Somee is fuc_king the farmers and you call it " Genetically Modified ? ""

Why do people go to phuket?

Because it is a very nice place with lots of things to see and do.

As the editor of another news source said: "It would be a shame to overstate the scale of the problem. The vast majority of people have a wonderful time on holiday on Phuket. But while there is a lawless element among the tuk-tuk drivers and jet-ski operators - and now, apparently, motorcycle hirers - Phuket will suffer. Incidents of intimidation, violence and fraud should not happen on Phuket."

In Australia we have a saying Melbourne is the asshol_e of the world and Sydney is the channel leading to it !! ( ShhhS Aussies ) ( I am one ) but this is no longer valid . Phuket is the "true' asshol_e of the world and Pattaya is the channel leading to it , confirmd by numerous actions by <deleted> and <deleted> in both towns over preceeding weeks and months and years , Flush the place and clean it out .

ok, I stand corrected. I didn't get the visa reinstated, I got an extension of stay - which appears to keep my original visa active.

Not exactly. The visa is only a permit to travel to Thailand, not a permission to enter Thailand and certainly not a permission to stay in Thailand. That is a seperate issue.

Once inside Thailand the visa is no longer important, only the kind of entry you had (non-immirgant, tourist etc) That determines what kind of permisison to stay and extensions you can get.

You can travel to Thailand without a visa ,( see in transit ) but you cant exit the airport unless you have a visa or are exempted from the normal requirements . A visa is your permission to enter , subject to the immigration officer you have to go past .

Please describe your personal case (financial situation, income, savings, etc.).

If you are financially qualified you can do a change of visa status in Thailand to O, and then as the second step apply for the annual retirement extension.

Three basic options --

800K in Thai bank (seasoned 2 months for first application)

Income letter from embassy showing 65K baht income per month

COMBO method, banked money in Thailand PLUS income letter from embassy totally 800K

Just completed RETIREMENT VISA and the Immigration people in Bueng Kan province would not accept 2 months for the 800K in the bank , had to be 3 months , said it was the " new rules " , so be wary guys , the rules " may ' have changed .Changed from a non immigrant to the retirement , seems like it doesnt matter what visa you have you just need to meet the financial requirements in one way or another and you can have your retirement visa , would be much nicer for retirement if you didnt report every 90 days and didnt have to renew every year

Sorry - Did i read that right - A carbon tax be imposed on mobile phones <deleted> - Why? Surely a carbon tax on cars with an engine of more than 2 liters would help encourage people to use less carbon (i.e. petrol), by reducing emissions, which is the whole purpose of the stupid bloody tax in the first place. Fairly sure it won't encourgae people to make less phone calls or "twitter" less as they sit on the Bts.

Maybe I'm getting on in life and a bit behind the times, are CO₂ emitting phones a new trend amongst the young??

Nah just ancient and behind the times , just one of a few links available on the subject of Mobiles

http://fatknowledge.blogspot.com/2007/01/carbon-footprint-of-mobile-phone.html

Thai passport cost 1,000 baht. For an extra 35 baht they will send it to her home by EMS. Takes about 4 working days, same day service might be availeble.

OK that's pretty straightforward about the passport, we'll contact the office in Kon Kaen and ask if there's a way to do it in Udon or not.

As far as the Thai day/night pass for her will just have to wait out others (who have a Thai spouse) in the forum who have done the day pass thing.

The main question about that is about how many days in advance she might have to get that if there's no time to do a passport in KK.

-saanya

3 days on the id card or 30 days on the passport , I also believe that if you get stuck or need more than 3 days the hotels can apply for an extension , or she just goes over the bridge and comes back for another 3 days on the id card

Based on their last experience, they should have gone somewhere else for the port of call...and given another nation their money. Too bad.

What other "nation" in the area has what Thailand has to offer? It's the perfect place for R&R, either Phuket or Pattaya, relatively safe and plenty to keep the guys occupied. What 20 year old guy wouldn't love it?

ONE WORD ! VIETNAM !!!!

Hy, guys

Here's my experience.

I purchased a brand new Honda Dream (electric starter, carburetor) for 42.500 THB in Samui. Then ordered a saleng/saleeng (side-car in Thai) and had it attached. 8000 THB. I also ordered a cushion for the passenger and a rain cover for the side car. 1500 THB altogether.

Then I went around the whole South of Thailand, from Ko Phangan to Songkla, Satun and Trang, up to Krabi, Phang Nga and Ranong and back to Donsak for boarding the ferry to Ko Pha Ngan. 3700 kilometers in 5 weeks.

I was not stopped ONCE by the police and had only encountered smiling faces from the authorities (policemen or soldiers).

Driving the thing is not easy in the beginning, but it time you get used to it. Just make sure you don't overload your saleng and keep the whole thing well balanced. If you take a passenger, make sure he/she sits in line with you, as low as possible. I purchased one pillow and put it inside the saleng for potential passengers. It's comfortable and fun.

Regarding safety now: there is no way to have a safe drive in Thailand unless you drive a Russian tank. These guys are not quite fond of safe driving regulations and, even on highways, you should get easily used with the vision of 3 children approaching on a motorbike on the wrong lane.

However, to make your ride as safe as possible, keep your speed under 70 km/h on motorways and under 50 km/h on other types of roads. Going up the hills is the most challenging thing, as your motorbike is not designed to carry such a heavy load. Go slow.

I was lucky to have avoided any accident, though there were some stupid situations on the roads, especially in towns and cities, where motor bikers try to fit in any free gap.

For long rides, make sure you have some extra gasoline with you, since the fuel consumption goes up from an average 1.5-2 on a motorbike to 2.5-3 liters pe km after you have attached the saleng and all your luggage.

Also, never drive without wearing a helmet or glasses, since a very aggressive form conjunctivitis is quite frequent in Thailand. One of my friends got it and lost 25% of his eyes capacity.

If you want to see more about my saleng trip around Southern Thailand, visit my dedicated blog: www.the-thailander.blogspot.com

You are my hero - well done!!!!!

OK HATE TO PUT THE PRESSURE ON YOU BUT ARE YOU SURE YOU WEREN'T DRIVING A RUSSIAN TANK WITH THOSE FUEL CONSUMPTION FIGURES ?? for the record , litres per klm or klms per litre and on a bike I would have thought 25 to 30 kilometres per litre of fuel

This illustrates just how helpful Thai's are not in these situations.

how do you blame to Thai's for not helping? I'm guessing the fact it was a luxury villa in Phuket would indicate most of the guests observing the incident would be foreign, so how exactly can you pick fault with Thais?!

and what exactly, would you have Thai's do in that situation? It sounds like anyone that had tried to intervene would have met the same fate as the poor Swede. Would you die for a stranger?

why do so many people have a go at Thai people all the time?

next you'll be telling me that no-one in England ever gets stabbed, and no-one in the US ever gets shot...

Lets just say that usually in most cultures they dont attack in packs like mad dogs .

Lets hope its never your turn and you dont get to see people who dont give a shit stand around and watch you die

Australia's minimum wage is Aus$590 per week

This amounts to about 75000 Baht per month.Is there someone who can confirm this as I'm interested in a low paid job in Australia in that case.

No you're not. You couldn't afford the cost of living. House and flat rents take more than $300-400 per week. And then there's the ridiculously high cost of utilities. Have you read the latest on the rising cost of food etc in Oz? And don't forget the miserable weather. Believe me Thailand is the best place to live.

Neither angry or envious !

These comments are the only sensible ones in this forum in relation to cost of living in the country where you are paid .

Having just sold my Australian business and being very happy NOT to pay casuals $21 an hour or permanents the minimum $590 plus the 9% superannuation , the government 10% vat, the exorbitant charges for electricity , water , land rates and every other charge that the various departments dream up . Believe me with the cost of living in Australia and the taxes , this is not a lot of money to live on . But try being the employer , I didnt get the money for free and truth is staff are not worth having , they are lazy buggers in Australia .For those who doubt this try being a small employer and doing 90 hours a week and more to try to keep your business alive .

I think the asian system is working quiet well without FARANG interference .

Have a look at western economies and then tell me how good all our countries are .

When we can no longer buy cheaper products , cheaper airfares , employ cheaper labour etc etc etc , we can all be economic slaves trapped in the U.S , eng , Ireland , Aust , NZ , Europe etc with nowhere to go for holidays we cant afford , clothes , cars and a thousand other items we can no longer replace ????

So enjoy Asia and what it has to offer , WHILE IT LASTS .

Do your best not to let western influence destroy what is here , and god forbid they introduce the free money and create a race of dole and benefit bludging parasites like they have in my dear old Australia.

the anticipated "minimum wage" from the incoming new "democratically elected" government, the official branch of Shin Corp.

I get very angry with overpaid farang who have been brainwashed by their "elite" masters. Perhaps they should publish on TV how their grossly excessive salaries compare with those of Khon Thai doing the same job alongside them.

I see no earthly reason why sarcastic comments about Thailand's democratic system should enter into a discussion about an Oz company's Conditions of Employment.

IMHO the pay scales should be relevant for the country in which the employee is based, if based in BKK then Thailand pay scales, if based in Melbourne then Oz pay scales. I guess the BKK merchant bankers and financial wizards (?) wouldn't like that system though. Be paid the same as a Thai for the same work? No way!

Simple really - but then I am just a simple man living in the North East and thus cannot comprehend BKK high finance. LOL.

is that "angry" or maybe "envious"?

Neither angry or envious !

These comments are the only sensible ones in this forum in relation to cost of living in the country where you are paid .

Having just sold my Australian business and being very happy NOT to pay casuals $21 an hour or permanents the minimum $590 plus the 9% superannuation , the government 10% vat, the exorbitant charges for electricity , water , land rates and every other charge that the various departments dream up . Believe me with the cost of living in Australia and the taxes , this is not a lot of money to live on . But try being the employer , I didnt get the money for free and truth is staff are not worth having , they are lazy buggers in Australia .For those who doubt this try being a small employer and doing 90 hours a week and more to try to keep your business alive .

I think the asian system is working quiet well without FARANG interference .

Have a look at western economies and then tell me how good all our countries are .

When we can no longer buy cheaper products , cheaper airfares , employ cheaper labour etc etc etc , we can all be economic slaves trapped in the U.S , eng , Ireland , Aust , NZ , Europe etc with nowhere to go for holidays we cant afford , clothes , cars and a thousand other items we can no longer replace ????

So enjoy Asia and what it has to offer , WHILE IT LASTS .

Do your best not to let western influence destroy what is here , and god forbid they introduce the free money and create a race of dole and benefit bludging parasites like they have in my dear old Australia.

<br />

<br />So we can pay 400 Baht to enter a temple, but we can't get a beer? (Foreigners who don't look Thai). I believe this is called profiling. If profiling works so well when entering temples, why can't it work the other way when ordering a drink in a bar? <br /><br /><br />Oh well, I'll just stay home, drink whiskey alone and cry. <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/jap.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':jap:' /><br />

<br /><br /><br />What are you talking about? Paying to enter a temple... never heard of it.<br />

Yes Temples do charge , so does the Palace . Yes they do practice discrimination in Thailand and not just on prices , Its a legal form of discrimination , so it must be ok .

FAILED TO READ THE BIT WHERE IT SAYS ROOM SERVICE WAS BANNED IN HOTELS

Cant see the ban affecting Thais as my girlfriend says her brothers haven't been into my booze every day , as they stay pissed naturally for several days after we have a party ? (: not to sure if she is 100% on here but they do seem to have a better hangover and get more mileage for the baht than me

There are no straight politicians , there is no integrity where $$ are involved in this world .

The only "straight" politicians , are the ones that were buried " lying " ( no pun intended ) flat in a coffin

I like this article, and I think he hits on some excellent points. It is so obvious to anyone with any amount of independent thought and/or education how PTP, Ying-Luck, and Thaksin are only abusing democracy to save the family name, and they don't care who dies, who suffers, or who pays the bill. They just think they can do anything and buy anyone in this country. I wish they would lose this mentality, and act responsibly, and stop thinking rules and laws don't apply to them, because they do. If these megalomaniacs did this crap in any modern country, they would all be in jail for the rest of their lives. Luckily they can manipulate the ignorant, and lucky for them there are so many of those people here!!! Thailand will be the laughing stock of the world if PTP wins and he comes back. So much for Thai's wanting people to view their country in a good light.....it takes more than easy girls, good food and nice beaches for people to respect you.

I seriously feel your beliefs are in error . There are no Politicians jailed or prosecuted for corruption except in a few middle eastern countries and in China . The worst corruption on this planet occurs in the so called "modern " countries , and is often accompanied by acts that a few years back would have seen them tried for treason .

most of what you are seeing in Thailand has been learnt and is often directed by the same people who have destroyed the values and standards of Western Civilisations .

"He may have had a problem with another rental outfit and got confused," said the operator.

Got confused eh ? how come you DID have his passport ?????.....

"Arguments between motorbike rental operators and their clients are a common source of problems in the Phuket tourism industry."

Yeah because they keep trying to scam the tourists !!!

RIP the Russian guy, not saying he was blameless in all this but its still a terrible wasts of a life.

2 1/2 years later my comments are now limited to

" WELCOME TO THE LAND OF WILES "

GRAB A DICTIONARY PEOPLE

forbidding something just gives me more urges to do it ...

Has a useless display of bravado exposed an exceptionally low IQ ?

Isn't Chaovarat Chanweerakul, Thailand's Minister of Interior?

Ahh a spokesman, never mind.

Perhaps this is designed to ensure a more affordable supply of bar girls and prostitutes for the locals .It will certainly increase the number of girls working as there will be no point in trying to find a wealthy old farang online via the dating / marriage agencies . No need for many Thai businesses anymore either .

.And due to the additional supply of girls there will be a more abundant and cheaper supply of young girls for the old Thai men who are tired of their wives .Cambodia has shown them how to increase poverty , prostitution and ensure a greater supply of younger girls working in bars . Purely self centred interests that will bite them in the balls as time passes and they no longer have the farang money being left in Thailand for them to spend .

Chalerm is right of course, as are the WTO.

Yes of course he must be right , someone said so , but they outvoted him with a no confidence kick in the teeth , and out smarted him with meetings with customs and excise officials and there is of course the mention of the duty free portion hooooohaaaaaaa

The .xxx domain would be established especially for pornographic websites, and Board members supporting the move said that it would protect users and visitors from viruses, identity theft, credit card fraud and exposure to child abuse images.

Uh, no, it wouldn't.

This move is just silly.

MAYBE NOT SO SILLY IF THE ONLY WAY A WEBSITE FOR THIS CAN BE FOUND OR LISTED IS IF IT IS WWW.XXX OR IT IS SIMPLY BLOCKED OR NOT ALLOWED A DOMAIN NAME unless it is specifically in that domain Category . EASY TO BLOCK ON YOUR ROUTER ETC . No more accidental browsing or kids finding the wrong material if searching for innocent words . ie pussy ***

As a Kiwi reading this post some thoughts come to mind;

Regarding the 'official travel warning' issued,, you need to understand the current culture prevalent in New Zealand; who can we blame when things go wrong.

In recent years the culture in New Zealand has become best described as a "nanny' state" with an abdication of personal responsibility.

The powers that be in New Zealand find themselves in an almost catch 22 situation. If they do not say anything then they are damned, if they say something they are damned.....

The average New Zealander would have absolutely no idea of what CM is like period! and this is not said with mean intent, this is just New Zealand is tucked away at the bottom of the world, relatively isolated from experiencing different cultures. Yes Kiwis are great travellers but not always the most intelligent about common sense...and personal well being.

Do not get get me wrong, for the families of those who have lost loved ones, the outcomes in CM are the very worst and and this coupled with death in a different land with a vastly different culture, where communication is not always like it is at home......frustration must play a big part.

But we have more chance of dying within the family in New Zealand than meeting death overseas, go and check out New Zealand's child death statistics from family violence...

And I can show you parts of New Zealand that would be comparable with some poorer parts of Thailand no problems.....

But my overall impression is how many posts complain so bitterly about Thailand and its ways and wherefores.....

People, Thailand is their country, most of you are not Thai, if you do not like how they conduct themselves or their country because it does not match your countries practices then it is quite easy; find somewhere else to go,,,,, maybe take a good hard look at the country you each hail from..... there is without doubt some really dirty washing hiding there somewhere....

And remember this part of the world has a long long history, who is to say our evolution from outside Asia is really any better....

Well said and ringing the truth drum loud and clear .The majority of this forum is just bitching about how bad the Thais are and how good and innocent the expats and tourists are . I have said and repeat , if it is so bad GO HOME . Or if Thailand is your home treat it with respect . The defensive posturing seen on here for sex predators , out and out Crims , and some really dead shit tourists , leaves no doubt that we have some home sick wallys that need to do a reality check . All the viet vets hiding here and quite a few others should really go and give the Thais some peace . They dont need your insults . Our countries used theirs as bases and sexual recreation centres for armed forces while we invaded and attacked or bombed their neighbours , time to let them have a life . As I stated in other posts , if the countries wih the known sex offenders and Crims , revoked their passports and dealt with their own trash , S.E Asia and Asia would not have 1/10th of the problems . Get me Wrong or not , its time to button the lip for a lot of anti Thais or anti Asians , just leave if you dont have something good to say or to do to help . I am not Thai . If I was I would be a lot more vocal about this .

".....it is up to individual travellers themselves to determine the risks of travelling there."

OK....I'll just get my medical degree out of the attic and give it a brush off. Haven't used it in a while.

Perhaps get your commonsense out and dust it off a little 2 dont need a degree to work out if there are a lot of people dying somewhere , its not smart to go there , Interesting part is the all of the victims seem to be women but for 1 older man . 4 of the women all under 45 and it seems that they were all staying in the same place ( Hotel ) ?

He was arrested in Thailand on the request of the UK authorities for a crime committed and to be tried in Cambodia.

What was the legal precedent for holding him in Thailand I wonder?

When he came into thaland he did not admit a previous sex crime offense that he committed in the UK.

I knew him in Phnom Penh and used to go on his dump runs to feed the people.

A real shit he was

The girls in this photo all lived at the nearby orphange that is set up at the dump site

When he came into thaland he did not admit a previous sex crime offense that he committed in the UK.

And this is the problem. They let all and sundry into Thailand, the scum of the earth can easily find refuge here and no one gives a darn until if and when they're offences come to light and only then is action taken if pressure is put on by an outside law enforcement agency.

Surely it is time to implement stricter entry procedures for those entering Thailand?

Perhaps it is time that the countries from which these a*holes originate got their act together and cancelled passports for known criminals and sex offenders . And no I dont want to hear the bleating about they have rights or have done their time . Thats a CROC load of &lt;deleted&gt; . Take the passports , deal with them at home . No issues for any other country . What criminal is going to declare he bolted or is wanted ??? Thailand , Cambodia , Myanmar etc dont need the garbage that we let run loose . If we dont have the balls to deal with these Crims then we should shut the hell up when someone else cleans our mess for us .

He was arrested in Thailand on the request of the UK authorities for a crime committed and to be tried in Cambodia.

What was the legal precedent for holding him in Thailand I wonder?

I guess for oldies like me its common kbowlege that most countries honour arrest warrants and extradition requests from other countries for most types of criminal activity . These agreements have been in place and legally binding and accepted by most countries for the last 50 years or more .So if you want legal precedents they would be there by the thousand , I know my Father often travelled internationally to return some of these people to Australia from all over Asia to face prosecution and I can remember back at least 50 years or so ..

Good that they do or some really not so nice people would be able to hide and get away with some atrocious crimes .

The word is that people are revolting against paying any form of conventional tax , so someone invented the sympathetic fear version of a tax . CLIMATE CHANGE !

Some are so afraid of what it might do they pay new fees to stop it .

Others are so sympathetic to what it might do they donate and pay new fees to stop it .

Truth is we are just getting shafted with another way of stealing our $$ .

If any of this was true and Governments were for real , they would fine polluters , close businesses who dont comply , give up their private jets , car pool , give major tax deductions to non polluters ,stop sending rockets to the moon , use the funds saved for some serious research into alternative sources of electricity and there would not be so much hot air being released in the Parliaments

And I am not so sure this is Tongue in Cheek