pogal

Really! as most have said, give it a miss!!! I've been there (on business) and nothing there to see that isn't newly built.
You should be heading to Bagan, Mandalay or basically ANYWHERE but Nay-Pyi-Taw

Plenty of empty but expensive hotels there.

Can't be much NZ money invested in LOS???

*Depends whether you think NZ$700,000,000 (16,821,243,410 baht) is a lot or not?

*2013 stats

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I just wish all they were all like American politicians and then the world would have no corruption and be happy and free

To those who are saying get involved or beat the guy, here is a photo (there's a video online too) of another guy in a BMW also a few days ago. Luckily the driver apologized profusely and as the guy walked away you can see a gun in the back of his pants. Heroes don't last long in Thailand.

Does anyone know if its true or just an urban myth that many of these street beggars are controlled or owned by gangs?

same old story will go on -this country was never a true democracy

What country is? lol

Brave people to complain.... environmentalists in Thailand generally have short lives.

....

JFYI, Camellian Hospital in Tong-Lor is opting out of the Government insurance scheme because they are owed 60M Baht by the government who pay late every year costing the hospital millions every year. They apparently have had enough and from 2016 will not participate in the government insurance scheme.

on a lighter note, when I went to The Ancient City Siam (In Samut Prakan), I took my parents who were on holiday and when I spoke Thai to get the tickets, the staff there asked me if I lived and worked in Thailand, I said yes and showed my Thai driver licence to prove it (they didn't ask) and so then she told me I would only have to pay the Thai price for myself, which I thought was quite reasonable of them, and also pro-active of them. I wasn't even going to bother trying to get in for Thai price

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/30/us-thailand-trafficking-idUSKBN0L31DZ20150130

You should know that it was reported on this website a while back that in the airport King Power duty free store innocent travelers were being framed for stealing to extort money from them. Wouldn't go near that place personally.

On the other hand, instead of going downtown, on your way in from Swampy you can go to Seacon Square on Srinakarin Road. This is where locals shop on this side of town and where you will definitely find the best prices on authentic brands.

If price is secondary and you are looking for the widest selection and all the premium brands, then on the way in from Swampy on Bangna Trad Road at Km 8, go to the Mega Bangna Mall.

Taxis will standby while you shop with the meter running, but be sure to snap a photo of the driver, car, and plate if you leave luggage, or at least get his mobile number and authenticate it from your own mobile. Try Seacon first is the best advice..

Agree 100% with Arrowsdawdle! Just Google King Power scam and you will realize what scum they are. TOT revoked their contracts but they continue to operate!

Wind does not blow that hard back home ,how big was the boat

I think sustained 118km/hr is classified as hurricane NZ highest recorded wind gust has been 248km/hr. The average wind speed for the year is 29=Fresh Breeze but with regular "gale" speed winds (62++km/hr winds).... it must have been a long time since you have been to NZ, .... Wellington after all has the envious nickname of "Windy City" right?

You probably want to research the poisonous snakes prevalent in your area and check at the local hospitals if they have anti-venom or not. If not you can get them from The snake farm in Bangkok (Chula-Red Cross) and keep them in your fridge at home.
Also want to have a list of phone numbers like 1669 for Narenthorn (your local government ambulance service BUT also have local foundation groups numbers handy if there are no government ambulances available. They will have people living near you who can get you to a hospital faster than waiting for an ambulance, which in most cases is better since many ambulances do not have the equipment necessary to help serious cases anyway.
As everyone else has said, use the internet to teach your kids First Aid and when they are 16 they could also join the local rescue services if they are interested in helping others too Lots of fun and a nice bunch of people, they have been my family for the last 14 years
You may even want to ask them to teach you and your neighbors First Aid. Get a group together and get involved in the community spirit

Just a story to add.

I sat the teachers exam last year as required and got 5/8 of the papers. Then this year I heard it was cancelled and then 2 weeks before my visa renewal they said I had to be enrolled in a Masters in Education! My university said it is impossible to get that done in 2 weeks and could we have more time, they said no. So my university changed my visa to some kind of administrative position and will begin to do that to all the other teachers in the future and has cut ties with the MOE further exasperating the decline of education in Thailand.

I've been a teacher (with a degree in linguistics) for 14 years in Thailand and always done what is asked of me including 2 years enrollment in the Thai Teaching Licence (one year I didn't go because I was hospitalized) but then after they wasted my 2 years and 16,000 baht, they nullified the exams I had passed and gave me 2 weeks to enroll in a masters! In the past when applying for other jobs I found out my Linguistics degree holds less value than a 3 week TESL course. I was advised to get a TESL course if I wanted to remain in Thailand teaching.
The MOE in Thailand should be disbanded by the army and start from scratch with some people who know what they are doing. Disgraceful behavior. Everyone who ever sat a Thai teaching licence should get their money back too. I wonder what the legality of making people pay for a course and then nullifying the papers you have already earned and paid for?

 

Sometimes people slip through the gaps of society but in Thailand this kind of problem for foreigners seems common.

I have been to a few cases like this and the embassies say they can't help because he has not been arrested or committed.

Finally after talking to one very elderly, gentlemanly English guy a few times, and having no luck with the Embassy, I asked him, do you want to go home? He said yes, that would be lovely thank you. So I had him committed (which was easy to do since he did have some serious mental disorders) and then called the embassy again and told them where he was and to make sure he gets home.

Anyway, if you have no success and are desperate, PM me, and we can see what we can do.

I really think Thailand or the embassies should have a service (or combined service) for people like this. Was there not talk of one some time ago? Perhaps someone could start an online petition for it?

As a 14 year veteran of Ruamkatanyu, I would like to respond to some of the questions and statements over this issue. This is my own statement and may or may not reflect that of the organization.

Ruamkatanyu (RKU) and Poh Tech Tung (PTT) volunteers all undergo 16 hours (2 days) (outsourced) First Response training. They are also registered with the police as volunteer rescue workers (which include background check and fingerprinting). Some go on to upgrade themselves to EMT's, nurses, etc.

The foundations also have their own ambulances (13 for RKU and more for PTT) These workers (not volunteers) are all Basic Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT- which is 120-140 hours training and certification. Some also go on to upgrade themselves to EMT-Intermediate, nurses, etc.

I wholeheartedly agree that the rescue service should be better, but that is a government issue, and you all know that the government has its own priorities. We do the best we can with what we have.

The volunteer in question was "unregistered", and Dispatch allowed him to do this "refer" which was against our protocol. The reason the girl was being referred was that her insurance would not cover her at this particular hospital.

In actual fact the hospital (either the sending or receiving) should have used their own ambulance but to save costs they often call rescue groups to do this job for free.

This case has shocked us all and there is no excuse for what happened but I feel it is wrong to condemn all 100,000 rescue workers for what has happened. In fact it was a management decision that allowed this to happen.

These types of rescue workers (who have been doing this for 100+ years) give their time, money, and sometimes lives to help others. I have lost several friends in the last 14 years who have been trying to save others lives. I feel it is wrong to blame us all because of one man, who was not even registered with us, rather, blame managements bad decision to allow a non-registered worker to do a job he was neither capable of, or legally allowed to do.

The registered rescue workers I work with are all salt of the earth characters; they do not drink or take drugs. They purchase their own vehicles, pay for their own petrol, equipment and more. Most spend 50+% of their meager Thai salaries to help others. They do not receive ANY money from the foundation or other source. Who do you know that gives half their salary away each month to help others?

They are kind and caring people, and they are quite professional in their work. A recent visiting NZ Paramedic said of a vehicle extrication by volunteers that is was one of the fastest and most professional she had seen.

Also some of your information may come from 20+ years ago when the volunteers were ALL unregistered and untrained but nowadays no one is “tossed” in the back of pick-ups.

The basic idea for this service is to get the patient to hospital as quickly as possible since advanced medical care can only be sought there. If you want to wait for an ambulance from a high end hospital, you will most likely wait a very long time. Having any kind of insurance will not guarantee you a ride in a western style ambulance. I would honestly rather take my chances with these rescue guys who do this several times a day for 20+ years. As many of you often like to point out, this is still third world territory and is half the reason why most of you live here. We sometimes have to accept that we will not get Western standard treatment.

It's also kind of ironic that we are labelled "Body Snatchers" since we are not allowed to handle bodies. Only police registered and paid individuals are allowed to even touch a body (Yellow jumpsuits and white pickups with the special RKU logo and call sign).. On occasion volunteers may be asked to assist these workers. Once again, no money is exchanged for this service.

Please do not condemn 100% of rescue workers because of one drug afflicted unregistered individual. It would be like saying all farang in Thailand are pedophiles because one farang was convicted of it, and there are a lot more rescue workers than farang in Thailand and a lot more convicted farang pedophiles.

Nevertheless, we do feel shame and sorrow for what happened, since that individual was technically part of our group.
It is something 100 years of service by millions of rescue workers cannot erase.

RIP “Chan”…

It's illegal without the consent of the mother (if she makes a complaint).

We have noticed many cases of dengue in the last month, from young to old, farang and Thai.

I am surprised by the prevalence of it in central Bangkok, and also surprised to hear little about it. It may just be coincidence that we have had many cases in my area (Tong-Lor) but I doubt it.

As you can see by the contributions to this forum the symptoms are varied. Some people hardly notice it while others get hit hard and of course the occasional death.

I always use lots of cream when I'm out working in the streets, and feel lucky I've never contracted it but for the most part if you get it, it will just put you out for a week or two if you are under a doctors care. It's very important to seek early treatment for the symptoms.

http://www.cdc.gov/dengue/faqFacts/fact.html

2013

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/apr/19/texas-fertilizer-plant-explosion-government-watchdog

Until Thailand has clearly defined laws, and a force that can competently and fairly enforce those laws, things will always be like this.

Officially you need to get a note in your work permit booklet(if already working) but Im not sure how it works for a edu visa since you do not have a Work Permit booklet.

On the other hand as others have mentioned I have never heard of anyone being arrested for volunteering as officials see it as innocent BUT you must be on an official visa of some sort to be in the country.

it's less than 400 bucks in my country's currency.

You still trade in your country?