Ulic

The goal is the easy part. Coming up with a compressive plan is not a whole lot harder. What is hard is implementing

the plan and sticking to it. Especially when one parts of any plan, stopping the police from taking bribes and enforcing

road rules will cost them a lot of tea money, and vehicle maintenance and driver safety/training programs will cost

tour/ transport companies money. Needs to happen, nobody will disagree with the goals. But will a plan ever be truly

implemented or just given lip service and used to collect even more tea money.

I am all for protest but turning off power and disrupting work of the rank and file employees

is not necessary. Have your rally, get your air time, state your case and move on.

Disrupt too many peoples lives and business and risk alienating your group from many

of the public.

Thailand has lots of rice it can send to those drought stricken areas. So identify them early and get that

rice delivered.

I was taught it was the "New Deal", but I guess "Square Deal" will work here in Thailand. Just hope it does not take a 50 years.

The police here are quite adept at catching the little guy but when are they going to learn to work

there way up the food chain.

I see the boys like to go commando here in Thailand.

Always use the newest bill, of the most recent version. No tares, no stamp marks, no writing.

Never had a problem in Thailand but a huge problem when I was in Kenya. 10 % exchange surcharge

changing bills older than 2007 and could not exchange bills older than 2003. ATM limit was about

220 dollars. Bank charges were 10 dollars per transaction so very expensive. While not popular anymore

Travellers checks are the way to go in many countries for safety and cost savings. Some countries

like Argentina or Venezuela have unofficial exchange rates many times your in your favour.

So there US cash is king.

There are positives and negatives when you lower the interest rate. Baht falls imports become more expensive thus they fall.

Gas prices go up exports from Thailand become more competitive so exports increase. From what I have read Thailand

is in a technical recession. So the government lowers the interest rate to lower the baht and stimulate the economy. All standard

practise of governments. However people don't like to pay more for gas and imported products so the current government looks to

blame that part of the result of lowering interest rates on the opposition. Thus the misleading headline of the article.

That is the way I see in anyway. Spin, just government spin for those who just read the headlines not the fine print.

65 million people and they can't find suitable workers.....says a lot!!

It's a sad case when engineers, IT and many other professionals are completing university....getting their Batchelor Degree.... but cannot find employment because in many instances, they are not suitably qualified!

A contractor I know needed employees......one question he put to them: How many Centimetres in a Metre......of 12 applicants....none had the correct answer.....9 had degrees!

100, do I get the job?

Come on now, you really believe what this scumbag is selling. He is just waiting till the waters calm

and then he will apply to serve his sentence in England.

Words words words, delay, words words words, PR stunt, words words, delay, words words, delay.

Has the problem (BAD PRESS) gone yet. Repeat and necessary.............

I guess they will call every ferris wheel an eye now. I would be surprised if it takes more than a half

dozen trucks to bring in what they have planned. 5% the size of the London Eye. A large travelling

wheel similar to ones that travel across the US to state fairs.

A documentary on the whole Phuket Tuk Tuk mafia would be an excellent idea. As it stands not enough

outrage so nothing is done. Just a few words meaningless words by the Governor.

Enjoyed your post, I did not know anything about the SH150i. When I google'd it I saw lots

of info but nowhere do I see it has rear disc brakes. Is that a Thailand thing?

Down to brass tacks the PCX is about 80k and the SH150i 100K is that about right?

I see the PCX gets better mileage and is the bike of choice of affluent bar-girls with generous sponsors

or ex-pats who have them done up really quite nice. I have seen a few sh150's but really did not know

what they were. Which do you think sales will increase, or will it be more of a niche bike like the Vespa.

Which I like the looks of except for the small wheels. Anyone else driven all three or any two?

I use a Nouvo SX with heavy springs, that I quite like. Just thinking ahead to my next bike.

I thought foreigners were not allowed to play the lottery. That is you can buy all the tickets you want

but you cannot collect if you win. At least I think I read that somewhere on this board.

Overreach, like them or not they were democratically elected. Go through the process. Keep things peaceful.

Get elected on the next round or do your best to keep them honest.

However the second assumption was that if warning of these countries are raised to Level 5 or prohibiting their citizens to visit Thailand, then tourist arrivals this month will decline instantly by 8-10% with growth of just 7% or 25.5 million tourists, a drop of 650,000 tourists from the projected 13% growth and the expected loss 25 billion

AND If a pig had wings it would be an eagle. No need for any country ti issue a travel warning. Peaceful protests, peaceful response.

My 78 year old mother is coming for a 2 month visit in January. She has not even hinted at cancelling.

Some people would I guess as some people are nervous Nellies, but nobody that I know would.

I take it this is going to be the Virgin Space trip with Richard Branson, not the a NASA space station adventure.

My father told me you should vote for the good of the country and what was right. My teachers in school said you should

vote selfishly and vote for whoever promises you the most and be very selfish. Never did agree but that is the two sides

as far as I am concerned. Here in Thailand I see a fairly recent poll report 70% of Thais believe corruption is OK as long

as it benefits them. I think most people with a basic education understands the rice program and other popular policies

are not good for the country. But they also know both sides are corrupt. Some individuals are greedier than others but they

just want a share or the corrupt pie. So if you are going to pay me 40-50% over the world rate for rice, rebate the tax

on cars, tell hospitals they have to accept you as patients for 30 baht and not properly compensate the hospitals who

cares, I get mine. Off course it all comes crashing down eventually but that is the future and the voters live in the now.

I love the bland, unsupported assertions like "corruption has got steadily worse since Thaksin...".

It was bad before, it was bad during, it carried on as if nothing had changed during the Dems' period at the helm, it's bad now, and it will be bad for the foreseeable future. Until the voters understand that a deep-rooted culture of nepotism and corruption is at fault - practised by pretty much anyone in a position of power - and not by a few headline-grabbing individuals, nothing will ever change. People are just so naive, and easily manipulated. And not just the Thais, going by the polemics on this forum.

Only anecdotal evidence but the last time I was stopped on my scooter (11 am, wearing a helmet, with Canadian license in English)

I was asked to produce my international drivers license. Fine 600 baht cash on the spot or 600 baht at the police station. He was

not going to be happy with a 100-200 baht shakedown. After bargaining he went as low as 400. I gave him 300 in his hand and left.

So in my experience the po po are getting greedier.

With 99.95 % employment not sure any response was required, but I would be happy if they

lowered it further to weaken the baht.

I don't see an exemption for the airlines. The TAT could really increase the length of everyones stay by conducting

breathalysers on passengers as they arrive. Not much repeat business though.

If that is correct and includes, the mortgage and all other debt, I think Thai households are in good shape.

Obviously many have no debt and others up to there eyeballs but it looks reasonable to me. I take it those

with greater debt, make more money and have more assets, house, car, and those with less debt, earn less

and have fewer assets. As long as Thai banks have not gone the way of US mortgage companies (Country Wide)

in accepting liars loans loans. I think things are fine. Asians are all about leverage and used to being on the edge.

That is a hard article to read/understand. I understand the gist of it but it reads like it was written by a bar-girl

not a journalist.