mick220675

Today I saw 2 dogs in our garden, one had a bone. I don't know what it's all about, but I have seen a cat on the wall. 2018 could be a bad year.

13 minutes ago, Hutch68 said:

Me and ken are alcoholic wreaks so don't worry about that mate......We get by.

There are clearly powerful scarecrow forces at work making thai visa go mad. If we all keep calm and don't rush the scarecrow construction, the alcohol may just save us all from the ghosts. 

Tell ken to be very careful,our scarecrow/plastic bag became a ghost and flew away. It left my wife's uncle a alcoholic wreck.

Its a sad story mental illness has often been hidden locked away, I hope he gets looked after.

Over the last 15 years Thailand has improved its mental health care. I have seen two people in different villages near me who were kept on chains for years, they now receive medication. One now walks the streets looking for dead dogs. Its not a good life for him but its better than being on a chain.

Cheers Extra used to be 7.3% when it first came out, like most Thai beers the price goes up and the alcoholic volume goes down.

If you can afford  it beer Lao dark it good as is kaiserdorm dark(Tesco). It is sad that you can go to Thailand's neighbors and get far superior beers, personally my favorites are Cambodia's black panther and ABC stout.

Chang has been going downhill for years, if you stop drinking it for a few months, then go back to it all you can taste is a mix of chemicals and sugar.

I have been tested few times, never had any problems. But I know a few in our village who have tested positive. It is now serious they have all been detained and fined, if they can not get the money its off to court. A piss head in our village spent 3 weeks in Nang Rong prison before his family raised the fine.

Maybe its different in Bangkok or pattaya, but the breathalyzer used hear in Buriram/Surin makes it clear if you are negative. So I don't think the police can fake the test.

A life of corruption can take its toll.

So many guns in the hands off so many poorly trained police scares me.

I remember the first time I went to our local bank a old police officer armed with a shot gun was sat on the steps drinking a can of beer. Thankfully our local town has now moved into the 1980's, but every time I have to go inside the bank it still worries me what would happen if the police officer was put in a position when he was needed.

In the village I live in farming has changed a lot over the time I have been here. when I first came only rice was grown, farmers cut by hand and were very poor. Over time there has been a change, people have moved to growing sugar and rubber. It was clear peoples income was rising, houses went from timber to block and Buffalo were replaced by tractors.

The rise in income has stopped and is declining, everyone is in debt and many have lost there cars/tractors. The last two years this decline seems to have accelerated. In our village four family's have lost there farms.

Anyone who has spent time in Thailand knows Thais find it difficult to accept responsibility for the decisions they take, any problems are caused by some one else. When I talk to farmers they all feel this government is trying to return the country to the days before Thaksin, back to when they had no money and no influence.

My wife grows rubber and sugar, she has no dept and it a income I could live on. But if she was paying interest on loans like most of our neighbors, without me she would be living hand to mouth. I think this is the big problem farmers can make money but there debt is crippling them and of course that is not there fault but some one else's.

Maybe the problem was not a foot on the temple, but posting a photo on Facebook.

At our local temple I have seen Thais fighting, drinking alcohol, taking drugs, gambling and beating dogs. Who knows what the monks get up to?

In my daughters school every Friday our local police chief takes a class, teaching the students about the police. The students can ask questions and the police officer answers.

I asked my daughter what do the students ask? To my amazement she said the students ask questions like, how much johnny walker can you drink? How many girlfriends do you have?

I think if the police want more respect it will take a lot more than taking there hands out of there pockets.

I have been in a similar position, having a friend sentenced to 14 years in a Thai prison. He spent 6 months in a well known prison, before being moved to our local prison. 

The most important thing is to be close to family and friends, who can visit and bring food etc. If you or your friend have money life can be made a lot more easy.

I should say my friend was released after three years. 

I personally know 3 market traders and a motorbike taxi driver at the crossing, they have invested in there business and spent the last few years building  them up. If anything happens and the border is closed it will be devastating to the locals, they are farmers who have diversified trying to build a future.

They have not been paid to protest they are protecting there livelihoods.

The opening of the crossing and casino in big news for the local traders for the first time in years they believe things are getting better.

Veera has caused problems for successive governments, now he is trying to stir things up again. If he succeeds it will only let the army/government say the situation is not stable and elections can not be held. 

Living on the Cambodian border we spent 8 to 10 weeks a year in Cambodia, we love the place. There are many things better in Cambodia, but Thailand is far better when you need a hospital (a experience I never want to repeat).

I have noticed over the last 2 years many of the westerners I know in Cambodia are thinking of moving to Thailand, The grass is always greener.

Good luck autanic I hope it works out. 

Wife,s brother just came back from the border, he said there were a large number of army patrolling the market/border and when he crossed to the Cambodian side around 100 heavily armed Cambodian solders.

The locals that veera talked to were market traders all who hate him. There is no support hear for yellow shirt trouble causers.

Hopefully veera will come back and try to cross into Cambodia, then he can finish his jail term and Thailand will be rid of the scum bag.

29 minutes ago, baboon said:

They didn't seem to mind in 2014, or in 2008 at the hight of the terretorial dispute...

In 2008 and 2014 the border dispute was a good way of deflecting attention away from the country's problems. Now the military have total control of the country any problems are there problems.

The casino is not in Thailand, it is in Cambodia. The problem with the casino was its access road passes through a national park, the army have tarmacked the road at the same time as pulling down resorts in national parks. Every body knows the army/government are doing very well out of running the country as have previous politicians. But a casino is no reason to try and bring down a government, as hated as they may be.

Lets not forget veera is part of the hard line yellow shirts who were anti farang. The man is a nutter.

The man is no friend of Thailand, living on the border we have had to much of of these idiots trying to stir up trouble between Thailand and Cambodia. The last time it kicked of the shelling was bad, two houses in our village were hit and we had to be evacuated.

If he turns up on Wednesday and try's to cross the border to the casino I hope the Cambodians take him away. If he try's to cause trouble on the Thai side the army will take him away, I went today and there must have been  100 solders at the crossing. 

Veera is trying to say the border is in the wrong place and the casino is in Thailand, I am no fan of the military government but they know the last thing Thailand/Cambodia needs is a nationalistic nutter causing trouble.

If the casino is in Thailand then so is Phrea Vihea, and we all know what the UN said about that.

23 hours ago, Black arab said:

I was thinking along those lines what world class sports take place in burri ram.Serious question

World super bike was at Buriram this month. They also hold the Asian GT race at Buriram. If you are into motor sport Buriram is the best place in Thailand.

I live 10 mins from this casino, it is impressive better than anything at O'smach. I like many in the area fear for the locals, I can say that a large number of people will suffer. The locals can not control them selves when gambling and the casinos are amazing at removing money. They have Thai money lenders in them that will give big credit in exchange for bike, car and land papers.

I do not know if Newin has financed this casino, but the man has done much for Buriram. It has the best motor sport venue in Thailand and a very impressive football stadium. Whoever the owners/investors are they will do well from the casino.

The new casino may bring a boost to the local economy the new border crossing has recruited 50 staff in total. The Thai market traders should benefit from the bus loads of gamblers and when the immigration is open to foreigners the local resorts may benefit from farangs visiting/border runs.

But when I look at the village I live in it has suffered so much with gambling, I think many will loose there cars and farms and some as in our village will kill them selves due to there debts. 

I can confirm the casino is not in the national park, its in Cambodia (unless Veera is suggesting the border is in the wrong place). The problem is the road to the Casino is in the national park, for the last 15 years it has been a mud and then red stone road. The contractors have been told they must wait until a survey of land encroachment is complete before they can build a road suitable for coach  loads of gamblers.

The casino and road will open as the government has/is spending a lot of money on the crossing, the road network in the local area is being upgraded and 50 staff have been employed to run the crossing.

It dose show how insecure we are living in Thailand, once you are involved with the police any thing can happen.

I live near a Danish man who likes a drink, after crashing his car while drunk he was told to go to immigration were they informed him if it happen'd again he would be deported.

Money can solve most of these problems. A American in the next village to me was convicted of underage sex in Thailand, sentenced to 14 years he served 2 before being deported. After 6 months in the US he spent a year in Cambodia then paid 40,000 baht and has been back in Thailand for the last two years.

The forum has been  a good source of info for a long time and still is for those who want to know about visas or driving licence requirements etc. But when some one has lived in Thailand for a few years I think they visit the forum to look at the news or when they have nothing else to do.

Unfortunately if you want a balanced view of the news I think there are better sources. But the main problem is for those of use in rural areas the quantity of advertising is slowing down the forum so much its simply no longer enjoyable. 

For those who need info especially if they are in there home country they will continue to use the forum, but for me sitting In the back of beyond I will visit maybe twice a week instead of twice a day.

4 minutes ago, Pomthai said:

And it looks as though the camera car doesn't even stop, just squeezes on past the inside of the wreckage and pulls out as if to continue journey.

Is certainly seems after watching countless videos of crashes the thing to do if you witness a crash is drive away. There has always been talk if a farang stops at a crash they will be blamed and forced to pay millions of baht, but all the videos I have watched involve Thais driving away.

I should say I have witnessed a few bad accidents in Thailand and no one has blamed me or asked me for money, maybe people just don't like to see a wounded person or maybe they are just in a rush to get home.

Thanks Daffy D, some good movies.