Steely Dan

Advocating a crime... Very nice.

BTW what do you know about Thaksin's investments ?

Actually nothing at all, you are simply lying.

I put it to you that you are firing your mouth off without using your brain or checking your facts. Google 'Thaksin down to his last $500million' and you will find several articles covering this such as one in plushasia.com to quote -

The total contracts of his oil, rice and gold future...exceeded US$450 million.They are now at risk of being liquidated because of the adverse market conditions.

I will take your apology as read for calling me a liar.

As for advocating crime - perhaps had someone bumped off Thaksin earlier at least 2000 people executed without trial might still be alive now not to mention sundry people living in the South of Thailand. Thaksin is hel_l bent on revenge and doesn't care a dam about the lives of Thai citizens, except of course for his relations who flew out before the rioting started.

76 Billion THB of his monies is frozen in Thailand....

Which just goes to show what a prolific and successful kleptocrat he was. I think if Thaksin was good for paying for his red mercenaries he should be good to pay for all the damage caused to Bangkok, not to mention damage to the Thai economy and compensation to the families of those murdered by the red shirts over new year.

Advocating a crime... Very nice.

BTW what do you know about Thaksin's investments ?

Actually nothing at all, you are simply lying.

I put it to you that you are firing your mouth off without using your brain or checking your facts. Google 'Thaksin down to his last $500million' and you will find several articles covering this such as one in plushasia.com to quote -

The total contracts of his oil, rice and gold future...exceeded US$450 million.They are now at risk of being liquidated because of the adverse market conditions.

I will take your apology as read for calling me a liar.

As for advocating crime - perhaps had someone bumped off Thaksin earlier at least 2000 people executed without trial might still be alive now not to mention sundry people living in the South of Thailand. Thaksin is hel_l bent on revenge and doesn't care a dam about the lives of Thai citizens, except of course for his relations who flew out before the rioting started.

Is it Abhisit's fault if no court has issued arrest warrants for the PAD leaders or do you guys suggest Abhisit should take influence on the courts?

I would think that a PM would have enough power to have an arrest warrant issued for someone that occupied the government house for 5 months and the airports for a week, no?

But then again, you can't prosecute those who made you PM, that would be treason.

May I suggest you learn the first page about the organisation of a democracy with separation of power before you post here.

Abhisit has earned my admiration for handling the situation, although I would have preferred him to act quicker, i.e. BEFORE the ASEAN Summit in Pattaya.

But besides this, the way he handled the situation here in Bangkok is very good. Nobody got killed except for the two killings done by the Red Shirts and law and order has returned to Bangkok within 24 hours. The leaders are under arrest and the police and the military have not used excessive force like under the Somchai government.

The big looser is Thaksin. The most powerful man 4 years ago has not been able to mobilize more than 10'000 rioters, who just came to Bangkok to have some action and let out some steam. I believe this guy Thaksin is over, finished and out.

I wouldn't sell Thaksin short. He is not stupid by any measurement. He likely funded both sides and left the Government and the taxpayers with a trillion baht bill for the messes in both Pattaya and and Bangkok. The UDD do not pay much taxes compared to the PAD, therefor do not care how big the bill actually is. The crumbling economy takes everything down and Thaksin is still standing. He comes in and fixes Thailand and his statue goes up in place of the Victory Monument. His money is worth twice as much and he is in total control.

He pulled out strategically at the point he did because the damage is done and the bill is big. He spent a few billion for a much larger return in a year or two. I am certain there are many Thaksin supporters working inside the current government at relatively high levels. It is the same thinking as Alan Pauslon when he stated that a $200 thousand dollar a year congressman is no match for a $20 million a year CEO of on of the Major US auto makers. The same applies to Thaksin and the current administration.

I think you are crediting Thaksin with greater strategic thought than actually is the case. True Abhisit, like Obama came into power at a less than auspicious time and both will probably suffer a backlash if recession becomes depression. Still it has to be bourne in mind that Thaksin has lost an absolute fortune on his investments and therefore didn't see the current downturn coming either. Still whether by luck or planning Thaksin may find the passage of time is a far more effective weapon than his paid rent-a-rabble. If I was Abhisit I would get Israeli on Thaksin and pay for someone to dispose of him if extradition is not feasible. Time will tell all I guess.

Message to the red shirts from an angry resident!

Leave us alone with your red B_S_

You are wrong!

Abhisit has earned RESPECT from the world for handling this red anarchy and violent booze stampede with utmost caution to avoid blood in the streets what you

want to see! Thailand is not the world. READ and WATCH what the world has to say! There's a world behind the Thai border!

You can be proud of your Fuhrer who was stuttering. lying and whining on TV last night.

Leave us alone with your red B_S_, we want peace!

What about the protests at the Airport a few weeks ago? Abhisit will need to arrest those guys too right?????Abhisit should call a general election and then see if he can govern with a mandate.........

I think that the world lost respect for Abhisit when he couldnt ensure the safety of foreign diginitaries for the ASEAN conference in Pattaya, most countries now look at Thailand as being a country with no future, Thailand is no a country that is ungovernable, 4 x Prime Ministers in 12 months, People consider it a joke, and a banana republic.......

Thailand is not a Republic but a Monarchy, so ...

Enough already! That's too close to the wind I'd say.

I think it went out of control. I doubt he expected the Red Shirts to be burning buses, threatening to blow up Din Deang with a tanker full of petrol, beating the residents of DinDeang when they told the Red Shirts to bugger off or the army to move in.

So a miscalculation, an undiscipline mob that alienated and frightened the masses. So no massive up rising by the people. Hence he is not here "to lead the revolution".

I think the Redshirts are escalating the violence because they probably took Toxin's money and headed down to Bangkok for some alternative Songkran fun armed with sticks bottles and ya-ba tablets. I suspect the ya-ba hangovers are resulting in more psychotic behavior, which is kind of ironic considering Toxin's war on drugs. At the end of the day if anyone puts the life of other citizens in immediate danger the authorities are within their rights to shoot to kill.

They need to end this now before Songkran is over and more hotheads from the North try and reinforce these mercenary psychopaths.

I think the visa on arrival restrictions are as much to deter putative economic vagrants from arriving to escape the collapse of western economies as they are to stop backpacking English teachers. Think about it, If you are about to lose your house and job and are facing bankruptcy would maxing out your credit cards and flying the coop to Thailand seem like a tempting alternative? I'm sure the Thai government is well enough aware as to which way the wind is blowing and would rather such types head for Goa.

For the record: The 15 day rule may cause me some inconvenience when my visa expires, but if the 400K rule has been reinstated this more than makes up for it.

Watch PAD and its supports suddenly go quiet and disappear into the shadows.....

... Or simply change their name - what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

AOT president ready to arrange special zone for PAD rallies at airports

Airports of Thailand Acting President Serirat Prasutanond Tuesday asked The People's Alliance for Democracy to leave Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, after the Constitution Court dissolved three coalition parties.

Serirat said that now that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was disqualified by the ruling, PAD has its wish satisfied. They should leave the airports which are the major airports to handle passengers and air cargo, to reduce further damage.

He added that if the PAD wants to remain at the airports, AOT is ready to arrange a special area so that the protest would not affect the operations.

It was reported that some PAD leaders agree with AOT's proposal but it is upto the decision of all leaders who will meet this evening.

The Nation

Ah, common sense at last , They can no doubt find space next to the Muslim Prayer room, I wonder whether this will include creche facilities?

Oh whats the use! I was going to give my considered opinion on this farce but unfortunately laughter is hampering my efforts. My friend in Mexico was proudly claiming the banana republic credentials of his adoptive home, what with their chief police anti corruption officer being forced to resign having taken a bung from a drug cartel. But how can you compete with a mob of yellow shirts blockading the Countries two main airports whilst a crowd of red shirts blockade the constitutional court; which bans the ruling party on electoral fraud charges causing it to.... change it's name.

It's like monty python's flying circus this. Please bring this to a close my wife is embarrassed enough and I can sense another banning of Youtube on the way.

Now I just finished reading all the links Spee so kindly have provided and if any of this stands to be the truth it is really explosive stuff especially coming from American press who normally would approach ethnic minority issues with great caution, I don't know the different commentators from the links and I know next to nothing about American journalism and their different affiliations, but that the sub prime crisis essentially is being blamed on left-wing politicians White/Black sucking up to the minority votes + pressure from same minorities to be given mortgages without really qualifying all in the name of equality, is a very serious and dangerous conclusion, I am in no position to know if this is true or not, but the ramifications could be very strongly increased negative polarisation around the world, if the facit is to be that the whole world is on the verge of economic collapse ( as some undoubtedly would choose to phrase it) "just because of the special interests of the extreme left Democrats (Carter) and the blacks in America". + The greed of a few big finance company's.

If I was living in America and any of this is true Mr. Obama could shoot a "white " stick after my vote, I am courious to the fact why this is not more widely publicised in the press at large, maybe Spee could tell if this is only the opinions of a very few? economic/political analysts.

I would if I may add my own twopenneth worth. The UK has the same sub-prime loan problem as the U.S but the problem has never been politicized in the same way. Sub-prime loans were seen as a way of enabling those with a poor credit history, or without a decent downpayment to get onto the housing ladder. There was never to my knowledge any ethnic lobby campaigning for these mortgages, simply the greedy banks and lax regulation let the problem develop.

We are six weeks away from a U.S election and there is the real prospect of America having their first ever black president, so a lot of political mudslinging is inevitable. For what it's worth I pray Obama does not get in because the present government has already pumped $1.8 trillion dollars of taxpayers money into the financial system to stop it collapsing; this by my estimate amounts to $8,500 per U.S taxpayer, and amounts to the biggest poison pill in history. God please don't let him win and face a backlash from bigots when the U.S economy collapses like 1929, as it surely will.

...and the currency exchange rate lost sixty percent in several weeks....

We live in hope.

Now that would be a most spectacular own goal for all the nationalistas who would evidently only be happy with 'democracy' resulting from another election after of course they rigged the voting process in their favour. In all of this the only redeeming unsullied feature is he who is rightly venerated and the institution he represents which we can't discuss, besides which without the aforementioned institution the words banana and republic would be on a most spectacular collision course.

TAT lowers tourism projections

BANGKOK: -- The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has sharply cut its projections for the number of international visitors and tourism revenue next year due to soaring oil prices, which are discouraging international travel and have led to cuts in inbound flights.

It targets only a 3.3-per-cent growth in the number of international visitors in 2009, a sharp downward revision from the original projection of 10 per cent. From a projected 17 million, or 10-per-cent growth, the TAT now expects only 16 million travellers to visit the country. About 15 million visitors are expected in 2008.

The TAT has also halved it revenue-growth projection for next year to 5 per cent, though spending per head per trip is expected to increase from 38,760 baht this year to 39,375 next year. The revenue projection for this year is 600 billion baht.

Although the projection figures are cut from 10% to 3.3% it's still a growth, i find this hard to beleive and understand with all the ongoing negatives that are apparent in the global economy. Any growth would be an optimistic assumption surely![/i]

I suppose it depends on exactly when the revenue is counted. 3% Growth in Baht terms is hardly growth in real terms with inflation of 8.9%.

That location has been defaced on Google Earth. You get a million of "Cambodians stole our temple" type of messages.

Well I guess that's the price one pays for stirring up nationalist sentiment (Sondhi and the Dems), and for a poorly executed public explanation of the realities of the Temple's ownership (Noppadom in particular, and arguably every preceding government who were too scared of publicly addressing the ICJ ruling).

Anyway the CC judgement is a Pyrrhic victory for Sondhi and the Dems in my opinion. They get to end Noppadom's brief reign as FM (and in theory get him tried for treason I believe), but when it comes down to it the WHC's decision to let Cambodia list the Temple without Thai support results in a worse deal for Thailand than had the joint-hosting been allowed to have proceeded as planned. That's not a criticism of any of the courts by the way - they were doing, and continue to do, their job properly.

Potential upside that the WHC recommends that Thailand sets up its own site for approval, but as that will probably include disputed territory, it'll mean going cap-in-hand to Cambodia from a weakened position.

I think that Sondhi and the democrats need to be very careful here; My wife's internet TV station seems to have them ranting on about Cambodia 24/7 - Would they like a border war and the temple destroyed in the ensuing melee? At the end of the day they are playing the nationalism card as a political device to get at Taksin, just as Taksin allegedly used the temple as a bargaining chip with which to feather his own nest with. I guess Thai history shows that land is always trumped by political necessity.

I found very... opportune... that TAT discontinued... its website with statistics of arrivals (with 2 months lag only, per country, and type of borders, airport, land etc.), based on Immigration datas.

Everything was in nice Excel files, per month. It was great to follow precisely the flows of tourists.

But they stopped in february 2008 (with december 2007 figures)... And then the website... just gone.

The link was :

http://www2.tat.or.th/stat/web/static_download.php?Rpt=nmt

Even though it's still possible to manipulate hard datas, now I guess, we will have to rely on super late press releases.

No more figures for tourists arrivals. No figures for number of work permits, for visas (per type, tourist, O, business, retirement etc.)...

No figures that could embarass the authorities...

Hmmm, An Ostrich approach to dealing with inconvenient statistics!

Look at the British Airways shareprice and their current focus on 'non-discretionary' customers to see which way the wind is blowing. The explaination for certain middle eastern airlines adding routes is blindingly simple - they are sat on lakes of oil and the revenue it brings. Of course the oil price is crazy and born largely of speculation, but even when it falls severe damage will have already been done to the world economy.

P.S Do the Thai government provide statistics of house price movements, or will they try to keep the lid on this one until all the newbuild empty condos are sold?

And just what grade did the young lady get and how exactly was it calculated?

Oral B (For dental faculties especially)

OWO = A

CIM = Distinction

who cares as long as there is som tham and rainbows............

Thailand: Consumer Confidence Falls to New Five-Year Low in Thailand Thai consumer confidence fell to a fresh five-year low in October as concerns over inflation and political uncertainty continued to weigh on sentiment. The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce's consumer confidence index declined to a reading of 75.5 points in October, down from 75.8 points the month before, according to results published yesterday. A reading above 100 points indicates that those optimistic over the economy's outlook outweigh those who are pessimistic. Surging fuel prices have added to consumer uncertainty, which has been undermined the by the protracted bout of political uncertainty that has gripped the country for the past 18 months. The index has remained below the 100 point boom/bust line for 40 consecutive months.

Significance: Having been on a long downward trend prior to last autumn's military coup, consumer confidence improved for a brief three months afterwards, as hopes ran high that the interim government would eliminate high-level corruption and restore confidence in the government machine. However, a series of misguided policy decisions has since eroded confidence in the administration, while rising prices are further denting sentiment. The risk of political volatility is on the rise as elections approach, while economic growth is in the doldrums. This means there is likely to be further weakness in confidence readings before a sustainable improvement takes place sometime in 2008.

The U.S consumer confidence figures published yesterday were worse than the most gloomy projections and tell us that the fallout from the housing downturn has spread to the greater economy. The dollar is at historic lows which has caused money to flood into emerging markets as speculators take advantage of the carry trade. It won't be long before the dollar starts rising and this will be the key trigger harpooning the carry trade and causing emerging markets to fall. Thailand is not imune to this so defenders of the realm had better stock up on lollipops.

corrupted society breeds corrupted politics and politicians

In the words of George Bernard Shaw: [Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.

Just a thought, but what with all these people falling/jumping of high rise buildings do they ever fall on somebody down below on the ground?

That happened here in 95 or 96 or thereabouts. A young expat girl was laying on a recliner at a pool where her family lived and some idiot jumped and hit her. They both died.

We had a jumper in the condo where I lived a couple of years back. Hit the bonnet of a passing Toyota, which must have given the driver a large shock and unusual insurance claim.

It took Chile ages to get Pinochet extradited, but the real point is should the UK authorities agree to extradite Thaksin even if he was responsible for embezzling more than Suharto or murdering more than Pinochet? There is the small matter of a right to a fair trial - and that is not something you would expect to get from a junta who afterall subverted the will of the people, true so probably did Thaksin but the realpolitik is that the UK would never grant such a request to a non democratic government seeking to settle old scores. Now when is the election again?

I'm sorry but I must correct you even though you reach the same conclusions as me.We must remind ourselves again and again, because of the lies being propagated by the junta and its friends, that Thaksin though an unsavoury character cannot be compared to Pinochet or Suharto.He neither murdered political prisoners nor embezzled on a vast scale.He can be criticised, even charged perhaps at some point, for altering the rules of the game so that his business interests had an unfair advantage.But he made his vast fortune quite legally.There are those who like to describe Thaksin as evil incarnate not so much for his alleged offences but because wittingly or unwittingly he changed the elite's comfortable status quo where the great mass of Thais are seen as a subordinated amorphous lumpenproletariat.Finally you seem not to understand the meaning of realpolitik:the UK will not hand over Thaksin because of a moral principle which is the opposite of realpolitik.

I was citing the examples of Pinochet and Suharto to make the point that EVEN IF Thaksin was as bad as them (I don't believe he is incidentally) he would still have the right to a fair trial, which would be difficult to argue him receiving from an unelected junta.

As for realpolitik, I have no problem with it's meaning, I would ask you whether sending British troops to Iraq was a moral principle as Tony Blair originally presented it, or realpolitik as it definitely was. Britain can play a straight bat to a request to extradite Thaksin ostensibly on the grounds of moral principle, but the realpolitik is the U.S has leverage and Thailand does not so the pretence of moral principle applies and Britain enhances it's reputation as an upholder of it.

It took Chile ages to get Pinochet extradited, but the real point is should the UK authorities agree to extradite Thaksin even if he was responsible for embezzling more than Suharto or murdering more than Pinochet? There is the small matter of a right to a fair trial - and that is not something you would expect to get from a junta who afterall subverted the will of the people, true so probably did Thaksin but the realpolitik is that the UK would never grant such a request to a non democratic government seeking to settle old scores. Now when is the election again?

I must agree that getting married to an ex bargirl is not everyones cup of tea.

But i would not judge anyone doing this, the reason why, im due to marry my girlfriend who was once a bargirl.

These girls are human, and if farangs want to send them money, why would they say no?

I have dabbled with the naughty nightlife of los over the years, i have heard the lies and all the crap, but now i met a lovely girl 15 months ago and we are due to marry.

Ill tell you something, she treats me better than any of these fat, useless, slobs of english women, who only think of them selves.

So what im trying to say is, they are not all the same same my fellow friends.

We all know there is around a 10% out of a 100 chance of a relationship working with a former bar girl, maybe less, but im in the 10% mark.

Dont judge the bloke, he has got burnt, bigtime, but now he will learn his lesson.

Unless he aint already topped himself

I think the 'mine is different' argument is a gigantic invitation to providence (mine really is different by the way because she was never a bargirl). I wish you luck and I can understand the basis of your views. Having done the dating game in England I found there to be an enormous mismatch between the expectations of both sexes. Men wanted a sex godess who was intelligent and had a professional job so they could have a comfortable double income life together. The women wanted a handsome very well off professional who would allow them to shop at the best department stores have two foreign holidays a year whilst keeping up with the Jones's, of course they had to be imasculated 'new men' too.

So Joe average comes to Thailand and suddenly finds themselves surrounded by flirtatious girls with perfect figures, skin, pretty faces and attitides not polluted by the feminist mafia of the west, who incidentally have been so successful that the boot is more or less completely on the other foot back west.

Some people are scheming and some are not, I would venture that for every marriage that breaks down due to it being a sham from the start another will do so due to insurmountable cultural differences, even though both started with good intentions.. And here comes the problem:

I remember clearing customs in New Zealand, they even searched our shoes for any stray fauna or flora which may get in an wreak havoc with their Island ecology, it is a fact that outside species used to more competition quickly outcompete the indigenous life forms and more or less take over given chance.

It is for such a reason imho that Thailand has the property laws it does. To avoid competition from those with any drive or gumption who would take over given half a chance, just as the Thai Chinese did. Therefore I suggest the authorities are at least a bit more open as to their intentions by labelling the whole place a nature reserve for workshy alco's and kleptomaniac bargirls, or am I being too simplistic?

These ID cards are all very well, but will they be used by the BIB to do spot checks on dogs which look Burmese?

Sonthi must be feeling very good. His best friends were after all very satisfied with him as he said when he left Than Shwe a few weeks ago. It is because of Thailand, India and foremost China that these kinds or criminals are still in power in Burma. A typical case of sam nam naa for all Thais who do business there.

I think it is politic for the surrounding powers to keep a despotic junta in Burma because at least by comparison it makes them seem good, I mean imagine if Burma had a rapid return to democracy then the S.E asian spotlight would be shining squarely at Thailand.

Sigh! That's another 3 years of no beer drinking. All the Thai stuff is hopelessly bland or verging on poisonous like Chang. Of Course as soon as anything vaguely decent reaches Thailand it is tariffed out of existence and we have to make do with an inferior local product or a neutered under license 'foreign' beer such as Heineken. Still, it's even worse for wine drinkers.

I'm wondering why the suicide rate should be so much higher in the North than the South or Bangkok for that matter.