sublime

exactly, i agree with yuyi... especially about the web site.

You are an informational source, people come to the web site to get information (preferably quickly). I do not need/want to wait for over a minute for a flash page to load. You could do an eyecatching interface with high quality graphics and low bandwidth usage (small file sizes) and it would make the web site a lot more user friendly... the other thing you should be thinking about is the people who do not have flash installed, they cant see it at all without having to download the flash extensions to read it... quite a challenge for most novice computer users, which many people are.

Most content sites (such as yours) are supported by adverstising revenue. The amount of that advertising revenue is usually based on the number of clicks or views of certain pages. You could enhance your advertising revenue gained by adhering to a simple and fast interface...

Remember you are an information source where people want the information quickly not a web design firm showing off their skills in flash... a few other tips, upload your images in "jpeg" and "gif" (and not "psd" files) and lower resolution please like a medium quality "jpeg" file in photoshop would suffice for most of the images and the download speed would be alot quicker...

lucifer has a good mix

early closing times just pushes everyone to the streets... this has been seen already... it does not fix the actual problems that they are focusing on... what is next to fix the problem of all the people in the street... a curfu...

their reasoning just gets better and better fpr the early closing times... they think people only take drugs until 1am and only shag until midnight or what...

are you awake ! i don't even bother to ask

I agree, and for the majority of the visitors that come here and the people (farrangs) that live here, they are respectful.

There has been this recent increase on attacks on farrangs (or heightened awareness anyway), but there has also been a considerable increase in crime altogether, especially in the thai communities themselves, more so than against foreigners.

I can't remember seeing and hearing about so many gold snatches, robberies and shootings four years ago, let alone two years ago. But now they (multiple incidents) are for everyday viewing on the tv news and newspapers.

I am just wondering why? Is this a direct spin-off from the drug crackdown and social order crackdown? (put alot of people out of work and they have more time on their hands). Or is there some other underlying problem that has been long brewing and has just recently exploded?

... this is not to scare people off that were earlier talking about buying condos here... I still feel very safe in Thailand and still consider it a very safe country with the advice in the other post above adhered to.

and that should have been typed not "ever" have a problem... not "every" :-)

I have lived in Thailand for four years both in bkk and pattaya and have never had a problem (touch wood), not to jinx myself :-) ... so I consider it safer than my home country Oz, where there are lots of very violent crimes in all regions against both locals and foreigners. I have also lived five years throughout western europe and four years in the states... where I encountered and heard about alot more problems with foreigners than you do here.

Posting pictures of guns on the forum and declaring that we make a positive impact on their culture is not entirely true. Remember you are always a visitor here regardless of the amount of time you haved lived or have spent here... alot of people forget that, and alot of people come here thinking they can act and treat people the same way they do back at home... with alot of disrespect.

There are foreigners being shot here, but there also a whole bunch more thais being killed everyday in the same way.

As a farrang, it is normal practice to argue and snap back at people when you are confronted. I have seen this happen here in stores over the most minor communication problem with a thai person... why do that? Remember you are the guest and we have to shine with a good image to help the thai people to understand us (farrangs) so we may gain respect from them.

Respect their country, respect their people and their ways and you too should not every have a problem.

>I’m sure other people have their own but here are just a few of my pet hates I >would like the authorities to consider changing

-> The authorities time would be better spent guiding, helping and assisting all those who have been put out of work from the social order crackdown, this would seriously help these people and reduce the massive crime wave that continues because these people no longer have an income.

>Poor lighting on the beach road (beach side)

>Installing extra lighting

-> Where? On the pavement or or the actual beach? Again, money would be better spent towards charities, orphanes, aids education...

>Phone boxes in the middle of the pavement

>Move them to a more appropriate area

-> Need wider footpaths for this baby... any civil engineers ready to assist?

>Motorbikes parked at the side of the road without a gap to mount the pavement

>Paint no parking areas at the side of the roads with corresponding areas on the >opposite side and fine offenders who park in them

-> Got em already mate in most areas and where they dont, the extra walk is good exercise for you

>Motorbikes being ridden on the pavement

>Fine offenders

-> A rare site... but when it does happen, does not really cause a problem... I quite like the excitement of gauging which way they are going to go... play chicken with them and watch their face as they get closer...

>Motorbikes being ridden down the wrong side of the road

>Fine offenders

-> Shortcuts mate, come on we have all taken em... and does actually relate to your next comment... this is a world wide traffic issue... depending on your location it could always be difficult to cross the road?

Difficulty crossing roads

Provide pedestrian bridges or pelican crossings

-> As for comments on big bikes, lets not get racial, as we all know, big bikes are ridden by all races here!!! ... and there are lots of small bikes that are being ridden around which are far more dangerous, just not as loud... can't hear em comin...