saengsureeya

A police volunteer, whether it is a regular police volunteer, a traffic police volunteer or a tourist police volunteer has the same rights as any other citizen.

Of course, the volunteers are accompanied by 'regulars' and yes, they will assist with an arrest if necessary.

I think you are right, as far as Thai nationals are concerned, but I wonder if the OP meant FOREIGN tourist police volunteers, not Thai ones.

AFAIK, the foreign tourist police volunteers always have to be accompanied by real Thai police officers and THEY will take care of the actual law enforcement.

The foreign volunteers are 'just' there to assist in case a language problem should occur.

A police volunteer, whether it is a regular police volunteer, a traffic police volunteer or a tourist police volunteer has the same rights as any other citizen.

Of course, the volunteers are accompanied by 'regulars' and yes, they will assist with an arrest if necessary.

Check out the registration number of the truck in the picture and in the story, even they do not match.

The collapse could have been caused by the jetty which was constucted over 100 years ago..........yeah right!! How can a jetty cause an accident?

Underpass, fly-over......what ever they're going to create......it'll be a mess as long as the BiB think that they can control and manage the traffic flow during rush hours.

Probably, they'll start building as soon as they start with the construction of the high-speed rail connection between Bangkok and Rayong leaving South-Pattaya and Jomtien as good as isolated.

The 2 hotels I personally used are:

Queen's Garden Resort: approx. 10 minutes from the airport with free shuttle service (at the moment).

Rooms smallish but clean; restaurant available; lively but quiet area; not much airplane noise; wifi available at THB 200 per day., no pool

Convenient Grand Hotel: approx. 15 mins from the airport but also have free shuttle service

Rooms spacious and clean; restaurant available; remote area and quiet; no airplane noise; wifi available free; massage; pool.

Both hotels can be booked through Agoda at approx. 30% of the Novotel rates.

Thanks - that's encouraging news. Although I guess things might be slower around Christmas / New year. I will get my wife to contact them directly.

Anyone know if I am correct in thinking that you can not travel on a passport with less than 6 months until it expires?

Thanks again,

M&M

Don't know if that is a general rule, but for Thailand: the passport should have a validity of 6 month upon LEAVING Thailand.

Upon arrival without a visa through an international airport, the passport should have a validity of at least 6 months + 30 days.

If you enter Thailand with a visa, the passport should have a validity of the visa-validity + 6 months. Usually that is checked by the local Thai Consulate/Embassy and possibly by the airliner upon leaving for Thailand.

Maybe some activity above the Pattaya airstrip?

There was also some heavy rainfall yesterday, so it might also have been some reflection of very bright lights into the clouds/

Just a guess...............let the rest of the wanke_rs think of aliens!

With the Re-entry Permit you can leave at anytime

Its Expiry will be the same as your Current Permission to stay Extension for Retirement - in February 2012

or it expires as soon as you re-enter the country (Thailand) if a single re-entry is used.

All you need is:

- copy of your passport (all pages)

- 2 pass photo's

- a completed TM 8 form (available at immigration or online http://www.immigrati...ownload/tm8.doc

- THB 1000 for a single re-entry

- THB 3,800 for a multiple-re-entry

I usually use the "long term" car park if I leave the country for 7+ days.

It's not covered, but the regular parking fee is THB 140 per day and there's a free shuttle buss service.

Try Mittyon on the corner of South Pattaya Road and 3rd Road; opposite Tony's former foodcourt.

If you're looking for a helmet for a fast bike, then try this one: http://www.pattayasuperbikes.com/PSB_Map.htm

They do sell the fast bikes, so I suppose they also do the helmets.

So ,the current tracks are going to be replaced by the high-speed tracks.

Meaning that low-speed transport of goods and high-speed transport of people will be using one track?

Another thing is of course: a high speed railtrack requires un-even railroad crossings (e.g. tunnels), so apart from replacing the rail-tracks, some major digging have to be done.

The plus is: all the soil that is recovered during the building activities, can be dumped along Beach Road

Yesterday (Saturday) they had fenced off Central Road/Sukhumvit junction, meaning no right turn from the traffic lights from the Bangkok direction.

This meant a massive U turn was necessary at the lights at South Pattaya Road junction, resulting in utter chaos and gridlock on Sukhumvit and bad traffic on North Pattaya Road and South Pattaya Road instead- this was around 4pm.

They also prohibited to turn right from 2nd Road onto Pattaya Central Road in the evening, for whatever reason.

All traffic, took Soi 5 on Second Road and used a back road to get onto 2nd Road direction Sukhumvit.

The only measure the city can take in order to keep the traffic flow going is to send all brownies home.

As soon as the BiB start to control the traffic, prepare for the worst

It was the sign about 3 to a bike that got me really. The others I've seen for a long time. The 3 to a bike one just seems more ridiculous when you consider the antics Thais get up to on modified bikes that can carry 7 or 8 people. How can they seriously even pretend that they are going to tackle that?

Its laughable when you see a couple of cops sat outside one of their huts with various zero tolerance signs and 100% helmet signs, and in the stationary traffic line by the side of them are people without helmets, 4 to a bike etc etc. Why do they even bother?

A regular motorbike has 2 wheels and a modified motorbike or a motorbike with a sidecar has .......yes, 3 wheels! Different vehicle with different rules.

Not even necessary to wear a helmet while driving on a 3-wheel vehicle.

The ones I have been looking at are cold fill, not sure if they have a heater in built, must ask thanks for that. Water pressure is good. The salesmen have been pointing to the 10 year guarantee, although I suspect this only applies to the motor,so, will they leave at that or produce the extended warranty ( rip off of the west).

Warranty is good. Please ask the salesman were the nearest service point is.

Is it their outlet? Is it a branded-service station? Is it an all-round service-station? Or do engineers have to show up from Bangkok, or in worst case: do you have to send it to BKK? (smaller appliances)

As far as I know, Numchai has its own service-department.

Samsung has a service point near BKK Hospital - Pattaya

And there is an allround service for brands e.g. LG, Philips, Soken, and more in Soi Town and Town in Pattaya

NB Noticed too late that this was in General Topics. Sorry

Got a message from Vimto today:

Dear xxxxxxx,

Many thanks for your e-mail. Unfortunately, Vimto is not availablein Thailand but it is available in Malaysia via Kickapoo (Malaysia) SDNBHD.

Can I suggest that you contact Jeffrey Si at the following address, ashopefully he should be able to help you further:-

Ripples Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd

16 Jalan Serindit 2

Puchong Jaya Industrial Park

47160 Puchong

Selangor Darul Ehsan

Malaysia

Tel: + 603 5891 0699

E-mail: [email protected]

With kind regards

CAROL JONES - International Administrator

VIMTO INTERNATIONAL

Laurel House

Woodlands Park

Ashton Road

Newton-le-Willows

WA12 0HH, U.K.

Tel: 00 44 1925 294060

We thai people are sure not afraid of consequences...

But this kind of things,is part of our culture,and normal as we grew up whit this.

And most people stay here because of the rules.....the rules we don't have and this ...falang likes.

And it is enoying,loud music when you want to sleep...but ....if you want to put new rules in our countries to look same same your country...for sure loud music will be somewhere last on the list to review.

You want new rules,lets start giving 135 euro for a red light,100 euro for no helmet and 100 euro for no drivers license,a 250 euro for drunk driving...just like in 1 world countries....and i could going on putting new rules just to make you happy...

How much we fine for to loud music??....

And we also will look at the falang bar owners ect....we will do everything by the book...so you can sleep and the rest of the falangs suffer because you want to put new rules...

well..one solution for you,buy a small island and live there...Thailand for sure has some for sell....but if a big party boat passes by whit loud music...well.....you always could ask MR Optimus Prime from the Transformers to teleport you to another dimension whitout any noise....

And good singing or not ,these musics are not offensive!!!for sure you could not even understand what they sing.....

And dude if you have more things that irritates you about Thailand....

Get used to it ,like you said it's not your country or..

Go back where you came from ,so you can sleep or call the police if someones having a party.

Or a good shrink also could help you whit your Thailand irritations...

Some falangs just don't know what to do whit there lives like eddy murphy said in delirious...it's my house and if you don't like it get the .....out of it.

Yeah right.........things as described by you have nothing to do with written rules or law but with social behavior, and social behavior is captured in un-written rules and has everything to do with consequences of peoples actions towards other people. Social behavior is also a part of people's education and schooling. Sure, the lack of social awareness and self-respect is a part of Thailand's culture, but that doesn't mean that it is right, is it?

Another very-important culture-thing in Thailand is the "losing-face-subject". I am absolutely sure that Thai people can be and will be annoyed about noise-production, but they are afraid of losing face if they complain, so it is easier not to complain and swallow the annoyance.

Comparing traffic fines in the West with Thai traffic fines is a bit out of line.........I mean a fine of THB 300 for not wearing a helmet is percentage-wise similar to Euro 125 for the same offence in the West. The fine for loud music in Thailand.........no idea, but I only know that most karaoke-bars in residential areas are owned by the people who should enforce the law on noise-production and if they are owned by regular Thais or farangs, the joint will have to shut down eventually.

Don't get me wrong here........I am not annoyed by the fact that a regular Thai makes a lot of noise, can't behave in traffic or doesn't hold the door, I'm just annoyed about the lack of people's-awareness and social behavior.............and that people basically don't give a sh*t about the consequences of their behavior, knowing that nobody will complain in order to prevent from losing face. "People" in my last phrase can be read as Thai as well as 'guests'.

A German online shop is offering this as an Asian product

http://www.asienshop...ing062vimto.php

or this one: http://britishonlinesupermarket.com/acatalog/vimto.html

I know, I know, it's a pediatric center, but they do allergics.............http://www.holidaymakeover.com/en/pediatric_center.php

It's not only the sound, but it is with everything that has to do with other people-awareness:

- holding a door of a store or office for somebody else

- burning garbage in a busy residential area

- driving a car or motorbike

- cleaning out ones nose in a busy restaurant

- talk out loud un-necessarily, the listener is 50 cm away

- organize parties on your doorstep

- let the dog shit right in front of your home

- having discussions and family-meetings in the corridors at Tesco, BigC or any other supermarket

- and of course: loud music, noise and those bloody people who think that they are Tata Young or Justin Bieber.

In brief: it's the total lack of the awareness of the people around them (including the environment)

Have you tried carnking up some classical music, and leave your condo

for the weekend ? Make sure it will play non stop. Lets see how these

wonderful Thais will tolerate your music at all kind of hours ?!

Cheers,

rudi

Take as many pictures as possible, take your rental contract/house-papers stating that you actually live there and head for city-hall and file a complaint.

It would be good if you could find a very old Thai lady in a wheelchair. Take a few pictures of her too in front of your house.......this will do. (The old lady may end up at Fr. Ray's and you may end up in a hotel. )

Anyway, complaining on TV won't bring you any further, complaining at City Hall might.

Oh, and if you think to get the BiB involved in your dispute with the parking-lot-claimers (e.g. motorbike-taxi-drivers): Most of the motorbike-taxi-licenses are rented out by coppers!

Something general about parking: do not park your bike (or car) along a yellow-white or red-white marked side-walk; even if a few meters down the road there's a motorbike-taxi-stand along a red-white marked side-walk.

Nobody is really bothered about you parking there. Only at the end of any month, your vehicle may be impounded.

So the police can't win they do their job farang complain they don't do their job farang complain I'm sure they have managed to stop and find several drug hauls with these road blocks which is obviously a good thing,as for certain police volunteers here advising people to not stop why are you working with these people if that is how you feel about them I'm sure they wouldn't be impressed with your advise given out on a public forum.

As for me never been stopped on bike stopped many times in car 2 minute friendly chat and I'm on my way and yes my truck is a shit heap and I never carry my papers maybe I just live In the wrong parts of Thailand.

Being stopped by the police mostly means: pay up.

Whether you did or didn't something wrong, they'll find a reason to get you paid.

For me it's not the THB 100 (hundred) it's a matter of principal.........IF I did something wrong, write a ticket and I'll be 'happy' to pay. If I didn't something wrong, let me pass!!

I read something ridiculous amounts of THB 200.......amazing. The Thai get away with THB 20 or THB 50.

Once a copper stopped me (car) and he found that the tax-sticker wasn't stuck correct on the windscreen. So, I took my wallet and produced THB 100........his hand rested on the door and he showed 2 fingers . I asked: "Aw mai?" (you want?). He emphasized the 2 fingers and I emphasized the hundred baht note. In the meantime I kicked my clutch, shifted the gear into 1 and made my move to depart. He grabbed the 100 baht note, I closed my window and of I went.

Once I witnessed a spontaneous police check on the corner of 2nd road and central road in Pattaya (the police box opposite Tops Supermarket).

2 coppers were waiting for victims when suddenly a motorbike, coming from 2nd road, made a turn onto central road direction beach. The guy wasn't wearing a helmet and one of the coppers tried to stop him and in a reflex he grabbed the drivers arm, causing the driver to crash into a few parked motorbikes. There were more witnesses and they tried to complain on site but got the message from the coppers to move on. Anyway, 3 motorbikes were damaged and the drivers did have some bruises.

Once I was stopped just outside Chonburi. I just passed a truck and another truck was coming up in a hundred meters or so. So, I kept on the right lane in order to pass the other truck. Behind me no traffic.

Just after a bend in the road there he was, Mr. BiB. He stopped me and started talking about driving in the wrong lane and that if I'd like to pass trucks I should do that on the left side. Left side?

I asked again: Pass on the left side or the right side? He sais: Left side.

OK sorry, I'll do that next time and grabbed for my wallet and asked: how much?

In the meantime, he kept on going for the correct way of passing a truck and I asked again: How much?

After a few minutes of moaning he said: "Bpai, bpai!!" and he let me go without receiving any lunch money.

I thought that I didn't understand it all, but he understood less.