talisman01

A student at my school has recently been "expelled" for using and small time dealing drugs. It just depends on how this is done and if the family/community agree with the action a school takes.

Try www.thai-dragonfly.com who have building, conservation, teaching and wildlife projects all over Thailand. I have experience of working with them and they are first class.

Alistair

Yes, sorry about the mix up, of course Mae Sae leads into Burma and not as I originally posted!

Two crossing points into Laos spring to mind: Mae Sae, which is north of Chiang Rai and Tha Li, a more remote crossing point in the north of Loei province. I have crossed over at both with no problems.

This sort of thing is not restricted to universities. A Thai friend of mine told me recently that at his regular government school he and some of his fellow students were always puzzled when scholarships were awarded because they were often given to the most unlikely male recipient. It was only when my friend started discreetly asking around that he learned the truth: the school director gave some of the precious scholarships to the better looking boys who would take care of his sexual desires. This seems to have been the routine for several years until about three years ago when the director concerned retired.

I have a 1995 Toyota Corolla DXi and would like to know if anyone knows where I could obtain a reconditioned engine anywhere in Kalasin or Khon Kaen cities ?

I would like to buy a quality refurbished engine for my 1995 Toyota Corolla DXi. Can anyone advise me where to buy in Kalasin province, or in Khon Kaen city ?

Any help would be much appreciated!!

My school has the opposite situation to yours Scott; At my school, M3 and M6 have their O-Net this weekend. The M3 students should be ok, but the recently upgraded O-Net for M6 is going to be very tough for my students and few, if any, will get a decent grade. I have devoted two classes to preparing M6 for the test and teaching them exam-taking techniques but the style of questions in the new test do not reflect what my students, and presumably others elsewhere, have learnt (and other classes are learning) from their Access textbooks.

Another problem free way of listening to BBC radio programmes and others for free is at www.new.thelounge.com just click on the 'on demand' option on the left then search for the programme of your choice.

I can thoroughly recommend the street food at the Garden Bee 'restaurant' on Silom road near its junction with Narathiwas road. It utilises the space outside the SCB bank there and it has been there many years and opens in the early evening and remains open all night, every night.

I concur with previous posts. I have been to Laos many times and stayed off the beaten track and taken buses up and down the country and have never had any problems. But, as someone said, things are changing. Vientiane is changing fastest and other places are sure to follow given time.

A very useful site is http://bangkok.angloinfo.com

From the BBC's website:

The US has warned its citizens in the Thai capital, Bangkok, to be on the alert over a possible terrorist threat.

Its embassy in the city said US citizens should "exercise caution when visiting public areas where large groups of Western tourists gather".

Thai Defence Minister General Yutthasak Sasiprapha said the US had warned Thai authorities that two suspected Muslim "terrorists" had entered the country.

But he told the AFP news agency a general public warning was not needed.

"Our intelligence officials are working closely with the US and following the terrorists' movements closely," he said.

"I believe we will arrest them tonight. For Thai citizens, there is no need to announce any warning because it will cause panic and will affect our tourism."

The US embassy said Americans in Bangkok should "keep a low profile in public areas, particularly areas frequented by foreign tourists", without giving further details/

Bangkok has been hit by several small scale bombs in recent years in what are thought to have been politically motivated attacks, and Thai Islamist insurgents regularly carry out attacks in the southern provinces.

But attacks on or by foreigners are rare.

I know this is too late for your Christmas Day but for future reference the Bondi Bar www.bondipattaya.com overlooking Jomtien beach does a weekly pig roast for customers and if you ask they will give you all the details you need.

There are, in effect, three bus stations in Udon but it is the Central or No.1 Bus station (both names apply) you need for buses to Bangkok.

Chan Tours

Udon THani Booking Office

042343403

I have just had a look at www.nokair.com and found no problem booking a flight out to Samui (Nar Ton Pier) from Suvarnabhumi on the date you wanted. I assumed you wanted a return flight and entered a date two weeks later.

If your friends are coming from the UK, and if they prefer direct flights as I do, then the best deal at the moment is with Qantas, not Eva which have strings attached to their promotions. I have just purchased online a ticket with 12 months validity. Though the online calendar on an airline's website may only offer dates up to mid-October 2012 at the moment that's no problem because you can simply contact the airline nearer the date to change your return to a later date but this has to be within 12 months from the outward bound flight.

What expires in Ov, your visa or your permission to stay. If your vise expires, you can get another 90 days by leaving and rentering just for the vsa expires.

As for an extension of stay or a new multipe non-O, to answer that question it is useful if you tell us qhy you have a multiple non-O visa, like being married to a Thai, retirement etc.

It is my one-year non-immigrant O visa which expires at the end of November which I obtained in London, where I am from, as a volunteer teacher. If it would be helpful, I can obtain supporting documentation from not only my school where I have been teaching for all of this year. Also, as my school is a provincial secondary school, I can also obtain a separate letter of support from the provincial education authority.

What I am hoping to do is avoid having to go back to London to get another one-year visa so I am wondering if it can be obtained from the Thai embassy in another SE Asian country.

I have a one-year multiple entry non-immigrant O visa which expires at the end of November which I will need to renew/extend. Is there any way of obtaining another one-year visa without having to go back to London which is where I am from and where it was issued ?

I hope someone can help.

If you are coming to the central area of Bangkok then you'll have no problems.Everything and everybody is operating as normal. I have been travelling around town today and had no problems whatsoever.

I suggest staying at the family-run Anoma Boutique House hotel which is at 57/3 Rajpakinai Road is within the old city and about 5-10 minutes walk to the Tha Phae Gate. I always stay here when in Chiang Mai and all the rooms are very comfortable and well appointed and some do have balconies and the excellent breakfast is included. Take a few minutes to check their website at www.anomaboutiquehouse.com as it says it all.

I teach at a rural school in Kalasin province which has a number of redundant non-working computers which could be recycled and put back into use. Bangkok is too far away. Does anyone know of any recycling scheme in the north east ?

Has anyone eaten at or know anything about the Sai Thong restaurant, which has a drive leading up to it with a smart sign at the gate, on the road between Kranuan and Namphong ?

I live near Kham Yai and I am looking for somewhere different to take some friends.

Alistair