easyas

Read recently of a young Thai lad who was strapped for cash so he set himself up on a pavement somewhere to sell his own individual DVD's. Got pinged by the Police as he hadn't applied for an appropriate licence. Sentanced to a 22,000 baht fine, couldn't pay, now in jail for two years instead!

Caveat venditor!

I have a good friend that smokes 2 packs a day. Yesterday the smoke was seemingly worse than in many days. He started to bitch about how sh*tty the air is. I just had to laugh. My question is how many complainers on this forum smoke cancer sticks and complain about the air. Yes the air is pretty pretty bad. In a matter of a few weeks more or less the rains will come and things will be back to the abnormal normal.

Hang in there

Sorry can"t answer your question,but I smoke like a chimney and have suffered no ill effects from the bad air quality.maybe something in my genes.

And what ill effects has your smoking had on other people? You don't know? More likely you don't care! Passive smoking causes cancer too! Smoking is banned in public places in civilised countries. And so it should be, you lumpen!

Of course, and very unfortunately, Paul wasn't wearing a helmet and it was hitting his head on the concrete road as a result of the attack that fractured his skull, not a blow to the head by his assailant who reportedly was armed with a tree branch, not a club per se.

So, its not actually murder if you got pushed off a cliff.

First, no oné has died as yet - so no murder as yet.

Second, not wearing a helmet is both against the law and stupid - so even if he doesn't pull through (and I really hope he does) the police will quite probably consider his death as a self inflicted accident.

I know that this particular victim has survived.

But really, have you thought through your logic about police considering his wounds as being self-inflicted?

Yes, I did - and I still think the police will use the fact of no helmet as a more than reasonable excuse not to pursue the matter further.

In any event, nothing will happen while Paul remains in a coma. They will say they need to interview him, as maybe they do - his wife apparently has no clear recollection of the attack (understandably). If he comes out of the coma and remembers nothing, the police will do nothing. If he doesn't come out of the coma at all, the police will do nothing.

Think about how stupid he was - on a small scooter going to school with both his 12 year old son and his wife, coming back with just his wife - no one wearing helmets.

The number of macho unhelmeted farang ding dongs weaving around Hua Hin is astonishing, just as it is in Koh Samui!

At least Thais know how to drive a motorbike - they learn so very early in life!

Of course, and very unfortunately, Paul wasn't wearing a helmet and it was hitting his head on the concrete road as a result of the attack that fractured his skull, not a blow to the head by his assailant who reportedly was armed with a tree branch, not a club per se.

So, its not actually murder if you got pushed off a cliff.

First, no oné has died as yet - so no murder as yet.

Second, not wearing a helmet is both against the law and stupid - so even if he doesn't pull through (and I really hope he does) the police will quite probably consider his death as a self inflicted accident.

The more I read about Thailand the more it looks like a lawless cesspit.

When I went to Phuket over ten years ago for my honeymoon I thought it would be the perfect place to retire to, and we visited several times a year.

Three years ago when the tuk tuk mafia took control of the transport situation, and foreigners seemed to have no rights whatoever, we havnt been back, and and I doubt we ever will. There simply seems to be no place that could be considered safe anymore, Chaing Mai, Hua Hin, Phuket etc.

Why was Chiang Mai on your list? Not exactly buzzing with mafia tuk tuk drivers up here! Worse you get is a 200 baht uplift on the 20b songtaew fee after midnight when obviously drunk. Can't remember the last time I saw a news report of foreigners being beaten by Thais up here - certainly not, to my memory, in the same context as the Op. Phuket, yes - Pattaya, perhaps (some parts), Bangkok even (again some parts).

These are the stories I don't really inderstand. I can understand, not approve of or accept - but understand, why police avoid mafia and connected crooks, but a couple of thugs beating holiday makers to near death?

Wasn't Chiang Mai the place where 6, 7 or 8 farangs (I forget the exact number) mysteriously died in the same hotel? Put down to coincidence, I seem to remember. Hotel owned by relative of local police chief?

As for these people being "holiday makers" - yes and no - parents out here permently, brother in business in Hua Hin

This is old news and inaccurate. According to Paul's mother Anita, the attack took place on 21 November, not in December.

Of course, and very unfortunately, Paul wasn't wearing a helmet and it was hitting his head on the concrete road as a result of the attack that fractured his skull, not a blow to the head by his assailant who reportedly was armed with a tree branch, not a club per se.

The only way tourism will come back is if the government lowers the baht like the dollar, euro and pound did the last 2 years.. A retour flight from Europe cost already 40,000 baht and then getting 40-41 baht for 1 euro makes the holiday to expensive, same for dollar and pound.

Why should the Thai Government pander to the UK and the USA? If these two and most other countries (with the exception of China and dare I say it Australia) couldn't manage their finances and were forced by the market to devalue their currencies, begging bowl in hand, why should Tailand bail them out? You also conveniently forget that if you bought property when the Thai baht was 70 to the pound you are sitting on a major windful profit if you sell at the current rate. Stop your whinging!

They claim to have Australian burgers but had no idea that an essential component of an Aussie Burger is a slice or two of beetroot.

I was told I could bring my own!

Count me in !!!!

:burp:

I just used a car cleaning service that comes to your home.

Car clean inside and out 150 baht - polishing service not available.

Nee and her team (her son!) did a great job. Took just over an hour. Contact: 0848931064

Don't let's forget the Koreas as export markets!

North communist.

South capitalist.

Same, same - dog lovers both.

Dog meat that is!

It must be a slow news day with the Dow levelling out.

The most notorious province for dog eaters is Sakhon Nakhon in the top of isan -laos. Not all that far from dog meat heaven city Hanoi. VN. As much as 8 dollars per kilo in Vietnam.

90 % of the strays in Bangkok have disappeared over the past 10 years.. Not hard to guess where.

Thats the price of having communism ,having to eat dogs to survive. Maybe one day those people will wake up.

You have totally missed the point - dog meat is a delicacy in Vietnam, hence the high price.

Tut, tut - somebody must be making a profit - and that in a communist country.

Perhaps it's the world's largest capitalist country, the country that owes the world 14 trillion dollars (most of that to the world's largest communist country) that should wake up?

Personally, I think it's already too late.

US business prospects?

:mfr_closed1:

So what if stray dogs end up being eaten? And to the person who objected to pet dogs being rounded up, why are they outside in the first place if they are so prized? The world has a food shortage problem.. The more the mangy curs can help, the better!

There are worse things happening to animals - check out Indonesian cruelty to their Australian live cattle imports - supposedly justifiable in the name of Halal!

Next to Hilton, Mai Thai, draught beer, cocktails, large sports screens, friendly staff, no girls for sale, good food, inexpensive (pint draught 79 baht) 35-70 yo average customer

beachfront, Naebkehardt, restaurant/bars. Soi 51, Coco 51 french/thai kitchen, live music/jazz couple of nights a week. Soi 51, Dukes, Thai/Italian, live guitarist/classic

Which of those (or any others) has car parking?

Park in Hilton, then slip out to Mai Thai?

While I wish Strategic well, I doubt they will survive long as a under funded start up airline. Before opening up their passenger services Strategic's business was charter based, centred on transporting Australian military personnel. Just after opening up their passenger routes, they lost their Australian military contract and thus the income they were relying on to fund their start up airline. I travelled with them from Brisbane to Phuket on one of their first flights and it was obvious they had significant teething problems. For example, my credit card was charged twice as a result of a glitch in their online booking system. OK, I got my second payment back, but only because I noticed the two entries on my credit card statement some weeks later! They weren't particularly apologetic (I got the impression that the reservations area was under a great deal of pressure, possibly due to its flawed on line booking system), although I did manage to negotiate an upgrade to business class. The flight itself was fine, although my seat couldn't recline as it was broken. The stewardess was very apologetic and promised the seat would be fixed by their engineer on arrival in Phuket. Fat chance, with the turn round time they had, even if there were an engineer available! The return flight was delayed by two hours (sitting on the runway) due to the non-appearance of two passengers. When the two drunken Pommie louts were eventually extracted from the bar, they offered the excuse that the departure time on their itinerary showed 7.45, not 17.45! OK, they were drunk and totally stupid, but how come their documentation wasn't right?

The current problem with stranded passengers in Phuket just shows how difficult it is to run an airline with a minimum number (one, two?) of reasonably tired chartered aircraft!

Interesting that the reported tests were performed by "current affairs television program," "60 Minutes." That's a somewhat serious and popular news program back in the states (likely one of the best offered there; I think they've had Obama on a couple of times), so this sorta suggests there could be a 20 minute news segment concerning "Deaths at the Downtown Inn in Chiang Mai" aired back in the states. Maybe it'll make it to youtube, if such is indeed ever aired.

The "60 Minutes" program is out of NZ, not USA. There's an earlier post on this thread which includes a link to the NZ program.

Will Donald Trump demand to see his Death Certificate?

I am appalled at the total ignorance of the dangers of box and other jellyfish and the crass indifference shown to the loss of life in many of the posts. Rather than belittle the problem read up on it and take appropriate precautionary actions. Lobby Thai authorities to have first aid kits on popular beaches, preferably with trained surf lifesavers.