Anon999

The one thing that seems to have been omitted here is the fact that the students attitude determines how much or how little they learn. Many, probably most do not have an interest in learning and see uni as a way to avoid working for few years as well! They may be subject to parental pressure due to the need to maintain face, something that is not common in the West.

My Thai stepdaughter is currently halfway through taking a BA in English in BKK and with a 6 month gap this year spent 3 months in London on a full time English conversation and grammar course. She was graded as upper intermediate on completion. The reason that her spoken English is good is due to the fact that she wants to learn English and take her Masters degree in England. Furthermore having a conversation with her in English is not a problem and she also chats to her mother in English and corrects her too, much to my amusement! If the desire and will are not there then nothing much is going to be learned, regardless of the subject. Her elder sibling, after 8 years, still cannot put a sentence together and has difficulty in understanding anything but simple English words, slowly. Apart from the will to learn some people find languages easy whereas others find them hard, however, for example, Engineering etc. may come easily to them. Each to their own.

My Thai wife prefers the colour of Thai gold and states that UK gold that she inherited would not be bought by Thai gold dealers, even though it was hallmarked. Interesting?

Very true, they look at anything less that 24 carat as 'no good'.

I wonder what the profit margin was before the cost was reduced by 35%? Sounds as though the mark up was 100%!

Back in the 50's in Oz as an eight year old cub scout we did what you call 'Jobs for Bobs' to raise money. The jobs ranged from cutting wood to cleaning yards. At 10 years old it was a paper round, and at 12 years old delivering milk from 5am in the morning. You see there was no welfare back then, so when the old man got laid of from work all off his 5 sons pitched in. The only thing I find wrong with it is when the next generations had it stopped - the beginning of the downfall of a great country, run by lazy kids brought up on government handouts.

the old "bob a job", remember it very well.

In the UK we had Bob a Job week.

child abuse in any civilised country that upholds child protection

What a load of crap. A long time ago when I was a boy nearly all of us used to get up to do a paper round before breakfast and then off to school. Maybe you were one of the lazy few.

The BIB would probably have done the same for her. Last time I heard, the commission was only 10%.

The Damrong dharma centres have only been reinstated since the NCPO took over. There is one in every province and are designed to accept complaints of any size from the grass roots population. It is one of the main ways for the new government to have access and interact with the population. How do you think the military are being so effective in catching up with so many low lifes?

It's a reflection of the Thai patronage and Thai class systems.

A minion defers to his boss, expecting directions and protection from above.

If I'm higher on the society hierarchy, I expect to lord it over those beneath me - I can even slap them in the face in public.

And don't you dare make me lose face - I know someone who knows your boss's boss.

Agreed it is part of the Thai system, however, not everyone abides by it. My wife is not cowed by her boss or the Director and has on more than one occasion taken them to task and not always privately. However, she is a Civil Servant so they have no power to move her, they tried it once and had to reinstate her.

Morals, ethics, the concept of "right and wrong" and personal responsibility in Thailand don't exist at any level of society on the whole, so he's just another fine upstanding citizen of this country who doesn't see anything wrong in doing things wrong, and of course, when called to account, it's always someone else's fault.

But hey, you reap what you sow . . . if they don't make some serious changes from the grass roots upwards, nothing changes, it just gets swept under the rug for another decade until there's yet another coup and the clock gets reset once again and the merry-go-round continues.

It's always amazing to see other countries in the immediate vicinity of Thailand make huge strides to change and improve themselves/their countries so quickly whilst Thailand seems to just go backwards more and more. If I didn't live and work here for such a long time, it'd be laughable.

Don't generalise, because you can easily be proven wrong. Having Thai friends going back to the 80's in both the UK and Thailand I can assure you your assertion is completely wrong. I have many Thai friends, not to mention my wife who take exception to people who tar everyone with the same brush and so do I. I'm also sure that many on TVF take exception to your view that their spouses or partners are of the same ilk.

How does ONE hospital's campaign translate to `Campaign to reduce teen pregnancies in Thailand is huge success'?

And then: `The Act, currently in a draft form, would promote teenage girls learning more about sexuality...'

Takes two to tango. What about the boys?

Simple tools that aren't rocket science:

Education in schools, awareness and access to birth control options such as the pill, IUDs, depo-provera (latter two's protection is unrivaled as teenagers prone to forget taking pill, condoms break), legalization of abortion pills to avoid high cost, health risk of underground abortions; pro-choice instead of banning abortions.

Thailand's head-in-sand approach to reality is the root of the problem, as it is in so many other areas.

If it is not in Thailand, where is it? Remember this is either a translation or written by someone that is not a native English speaker. Don't be so critical about a campaign that has proven to be very effective and could quite easily be adopted countrywide!

You post is overly critical and there is not one iota of praise from beginning to end.

If you both go to the amphur and agree.

She needs id card and you need passport.

No translation or legitimising needed for passport.

Palad amphur may insist the attachments for kids and shattles be translated.

As you have neither kids or belongings together.

Should be straight forward.

So there is no need for legalisation of the passport? The article I read was very clear this did need to be done, but of course it could have been bull and I can't remember where I saw it now!

Depends on the Amphur some are helpful others are downright obstructive and make up their own rules as they go along.

The property and inheritance taxs will hit the poor and middleclass alot more than they let on.. most poor and middleclass rent, rent will be raised, owners of the land that slum shantytowns squat are more likely to throw them off and sell the land in order to avoid the tax.

and if its no longer worth keeping with new taxes whose going to buy it. You should read a bit about basic supply and demand. Anyway as long as unlike UK inheritance tax is fairly low say 10% over 20 million baht then it wont be a problem IMO. In UK its 40% over a measly 315,000 gbp and only hits middle people since unless they have many millions its very costly to employ various very expensive tax accountants to use all possible ways around it. Unfair taxes is one but onto nil reason i left UK back in 1970's and have kept our assets in UK below inheritance tax threshold since then. I took rest out as soon as they abolished exchange controls (yes under socialists in bankrupt UK you were not allowed to take your money out of the country).

However if UK had a fair inheritance tax system i would not have minded my heirs paying 10 or 15%.

Provided Thailand keeps any IH tax only payable at say over 50 million baht and then say maximum 10-15% well still have most of our assets here. If not well just irk i and many have done in UK move it to a fairer place.

Ive worked all my life to build what consider a reasonable legacy which while it may seem very large to some is fairly modest and I'm not letting some government take it without a huge fight or easily. I do however believe in those like me who bare better off paying a reasonable amount to pay for a welfare system for those who deserve it but noir for as in UK millions of scum scroungers.

IMO any land or propertied tax should only be paid if its is to be fair on those very wealthy say those with over 50 million baht worth of property and land or better say only on individual bits worth over 10 million baht or in the case of land say over 5 rai.

" In UK its 40% over a measly 315,000 gbp and only hits middle people ". Facts, it is currently £325,000 for a single person and for a couple £650,000, married or partner. Furthermore there are many exemptions that can reduce the amount your beneficiaries may have to pay. A look at the HMRC website may help you to see the difference. Half the facts to suite your own agenda is never a good idea.

the general has assets of 28 BILLION?!

anyone know how he amassed this fortune?

Army surplus.

Are you dyslexic or just being crass? Quote:- "There was a rumour that I told a bank official to hide my assets of Bt28 billion. If this rumour were true, I wouldn't be standing here. I would have handed it over to farmers and built something valuable for the country... and I would have just gone on vacation," he said.

Cut health cost my eye.... new government, new taxes, and traditionally they go for luxury

items, like cars, liquor and tobacco... nothing to do with health, unlike Australia that a packet

of fags cost you around $ 20 now....

Then who pays for the care of smokers with lung disease and drinkers with liver disease? So why shouldn't the tax be raised to help offset the health costs? Extremely high cost of smoking wouldn't stop those with enough income to pay and with alcohol then locally brewed illegal alternatives would benefit.

My experience is opposite.I ask for a car or bike to get sorted, i.e you find something wrong fix it and it comes back with only essentials fixed from independent garages

Main dealers Toyota and Honda have always been good from my experience, and will always phone to let me know costs involved and give a choice on parts.They also wash and clean a car as part of the service.

Labour costs are low as a rule in Thailand, new slave cylinders on Mazda fighter cost only 800 bht plus parts for example.

What irks me the most in Thailand is the insistance on leaf spring rear suspension, it's also worth remembering cars do take a hammering here due to road conditions and climate.Especially the suspension and steering components .

If leaf springs on the back of your car 'irks' you there is a simply solution. Buy a different model!

Have not had a problem with Mitsu dealers, they have always ask if extra work was required. However, their diagnostics is not always up to scratch with tricky faults and they will argue black is white, however, that's probably true in most situations here.

Brake linings at 50% after 80,000 kms should tell you that they did not need changing, assuming you're referring to the back wheels? Disk pads had probably been replaced but no need to change them either. There is a groove down the centre of the pads that shows the minimum level. Wheel bearings, unless faulty originals, would not need changing either at such a low mileage. However, changing the leaking rear dampers, obviously, and sensible to fit high quality aftermarket replacement inserts in the front struts as they will have certainly become soft. Much cheaper than changing the complete Genuine Toyota struts.

No this is not usual. Every time I weny to a garage, they check the car and then mention to you what should be fixed and the cost for it. And then you can decide what should be fixed.

My experience has been that the big garages like Toyota Lanna try to oversell what needs to be done. And they charge a lot of money for what they do. You better of go to a small garage and get everything done there. Non-orginal parts are equally as good as original ones in my opinion.

If you buy high quality Japanese replacement parts, true.

Do some maths and work out which is the most cost effective way for the small amount you need to transfer. It's not difficult but does require a bit of time and effort.

"The survey, conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration, also showed that as many as 87.7 per cent of respondents said they were unaffected by martial law and that they also felt safer than before the coup because soldiers are placed everywhere. "

who ran this poll?

"conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration"

You quoted it, but didn't read it.

Actually we BOTH quoted it but only you didn't understand the significance of my comment.

Nor do I! The survey said "soldiers are placed everywhere." Well not in this part of Isaan and I live in a city.

I know that crossing very well having stayed in a nearby hotel on numerous occasions. It is very wide and obvious if a train is approaching. This accident doesn't make sense unless she was walking parallel to the track but not next to it, as some pedestrians do, so being a local seems to be logical assumption. Maybe she was daydreaming.

If you are a British Pensioner the British Government love it when you retire to Thailand as they FREEZE your PENSION from the moment they know you are living here, one good reason why Brits should retire to a place other than Thailand

sir

excuse me but that is the most stupid post i have seen on here, well done puppy. I can even bother to tell you were you are wrong, are you from uk???

ok i will tell you,or give you a start up, people do retire under 65 you know.

Your turn to stop people thinking you have 1 brain cell

If I remember correctly your State pension isn't frozen for the first 2 years you retire here. Other pensions maybe fixed whenever and wherever you retire.

I do understand why Thailand is one of the most welcome countries for retirees.

They only ask me to have 800K Baht in my account that I can't touch and present myself every 90 days to the immigration office.

What else could I ask for?

You do not have to present yourself to an Immigration Office every 90 days. There is the option of using the postal service but it's up to you!

 

Why are so many of you being negative? They are not here to change the world. They're here to provide students with exposure to a foreign language. Any exposure to the language is a good thing regardless of the duration.

They are here to provide cheap labour for the schools and nothing more. There are here to replace people that have been teaching here for years but don't have a BA in Education even though they are only performing speaking classes. They are here so the schools can save money and in turn put it in the back pocket. They are here so the students can be deprived of consistency in their learning (9 weeks) They are here because they are young and pretty and very likely, white. They are here so the British Council can make money. They are here without work permits and most likely the wrong visa. They are here because they are a quick fix for a system that has gone oh, so wrong .

To those of you who say, what harm will they do, they will delay the need for real change in the education system. Why address it today when we have these freebies for 3 months. We will have another look at it then. And so it goes on.............

 

You seem to think that every school in Thailand has the resources to hire English-speaking teachers. Have you been to any poor rural schools where they can barely afford chalk? Would you deprive students at these schools the opportunity to hear NESs speaking when it is offered for free when the alternative is no exposure at all? Or perhaps you have examples of how these '9 week' volunteers have stolen the jobs and therefore livelihoods of teachers at schools in which they have been sent?

Where from, and why, did the word 'volunteer' crop in?

Although the word volunteer is not used it is obviously implied. Are you suggesting they are being sent here unwillingly? Otherwise my interpretation is that they are volunteers.

Why are so many of you being negative? They are not here to change the world. They're here to provide students with exposure to a foreign language. Any exposure to the language is a good thing regardless of the duration.

I don't think 9 weeks is sufficient to teach and learn. It is not even enough to get used to the accent of the teacher. Another program run by crooks. Why not give them a semester to do it??

As you say, it is only exposure with no impact at all.

Please supply the details of why they are crooks? Link to confirm that would be appreciated. Thanks!