Chutney

This is why the Emergency needed to be declared.

This rash action by a mob was a forgone conclusion.

And nothing is strong enough to stand up to it at the present juncture.

Flood control can NOT EVER be left to the mercurial whims of enraged Mobs.

Lets not go overboard.. They didnt smash the gates open.. the gates were raised from 80cm to 1m.. A 20% increase..

A 20% increase in one sluice gate is being blamed for coming Armageddon.. Looks far more like a power play to me, bangkok governor wanting to take no risk, to focus only on his problem and no one elses.

We dont know (with the information given) that 20% increase in one sluice gate will play out.. It may be the best for ALL parties and bangkok still doesn't get flooded.

My issue with this is that such decisions should not be political ones. It is absolutely ridiculous that the PM would get involved in the nuts and bolts of disaster control. She should be supporting the technical officials trying to contain the damage, not undermining their decisions. That way lies madness.

Succinctly put.

Sweet platitudes don't supply much confidence either.

Double post. Ignore.

I'm 'not' PM however am I? Why not pose your 100 questions to she who is?

My money's still on the soup lady though.

"May I offer my sympathy to all parts of society, including people in Bangkok's suburbs [and adjacent areas] such as Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Ayutthaya," Yingluck said.

....and the band launches into ' Sometimes it's hard to be a woman'.

As a female I have to say at this point any lady soup stall vendor on the street would be better placed to organise a bit of actual help to 'society' than this princess drippy dope.

Really? If you were PM, what would you do? What actions would you take? Would you move people from flooded homes? There's only a few million affected by these floods, so apparently there's an easy solution. Where would you move them? Do you have a plan for making the water go away? How exactly would you keep everyone in the region happy and satisfied, given that some areas must be flooded and others won't be?

I could pose 100 more questions about what you would do or say....what is your master plan that would be any wiser than what YL has given us.

"May I offer my sympathy to all parts of society, including people in Bangkok's suburbs [and adjacent areas] such as Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Ayutthaya," Yingluck said.

....and the band launches into ' Sometimes it's hard to be a woman'.

As a female I have to say at this point any lady soup stall vendor on the street would be better placed to organise a bit of actual help to 'society' than this princess drippy dope.

Thank you gentlemen. Still no idea where my old avatar went but no matter.

Have searched and trawled through masses of instructions but:

Came on to find my Avatar vanished. Bunged up a photo under instructed kb size which seems to show up on my profile but not on my posts.

Cannot find anything to explain or rectify this. What am I missing here please?

Ta.

<br />Fair play to all Bangkok residents who need to stay to work or try to protect their homes but shouldn't the party people on Koh Sahn and around really be getting out before they become even more of a drain on limited resources? A picture yesterday of a couple happily taking pics of her becomingly posed mid calf in water in front of the Grand Palace made me feel like bashing their vacuous heads together. Do they have a clue? <br /><br />I'm due to arrive in Bangkok in a couple of weeks as I have a course to attend in Chiang Mai ( fees and air fare all paid and non refundable). Instead of trying to holiday as planned for a few days in Bangkok I'm now flying straight up on Air asia. However I'll cancel and lose all the money if the situation is still so desperate that my seat on that plane prevents someone from getting their granny safely away. <br />I doubt Bangkok needs 'Gung Ho' tourists wasting emergency services time being rescued once they find themselves up to their arse in filthy water.<br />

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As Corporal Jones of Dad's army would say Don't panic Don't panic because in most of Bangers there aint any flooding!!!!I am looking out of my downtown Bangers appartment can't see a drop. Some people seem devoid of any common sense and don't realize that most of the flood reporting is complete and utter crap designed to be sensationalist and to blag the dim.

You live there and are not prancing about on holiday. Your choice and no doubt will sit it out with candles, a crate of Chang and a pot noodle perfectly well.

Backpackers/tourists can only be a load the city doesn't need if they're scoffing all the eggs for their AB and demanding medical treatment once their feet go manky from paddling in shallow flood water with all its delightful additions.

Does anyone remember the whinging fuss made by the like during the Tsunami aftermath because they couldn't go to Koh Lak for their beach time after all? Not to mention the breast beating when the internet goes too slow to send home their pics of 'braving' being nowhere near the areas that were hit then and are now.

There's far too much important work for any services available to cope with all round the City and suburbs where flooding is causing real hardship for Thais. Resources shouldn't be wasted to babysit this lot.

Fair play to all Bangkok residents who need to stay to work or try to protect their homes but shouldn't the party people on Koh Sahn and around really be getting out before they become even more of a drain on limited resources? A picture yesterday of a couple happily taking pics of her becomingly posed mid calf in water in front of the Grand Palace made me feel like bashing their vacuous heads together. Do they have a clue?

I'm due to arrive in Bangkok in a couple of weeks as I have a course to attend in Chiang Mai ( fees and air fare all paid and non refundable). Instead of trying to holiday as planned for a few days in Bangkok I'm now flying straight up on Air asia. However I'll cancel and lose all the money if the situation is still so desperate that my seat on that plane prevents someone from getting their granny safely away.

I doubt Bangkok needs 'Gung Ho' tourists wasting emergency services time being rescued once they find themselves up to their arse in filthy water.

OK, thanks.

For what it's worth (as we're all different) when I had it I was useless for about a month but had erratic fatigue issues for around 6 months afterwards. Like any other severe illness it can be a factor in ongoing CFS problems.

I bought a DTAC sim this time instead of AIS but as have not been to LOS for several years cannot find/remember those 07/08/ or whatever numbers to call home over those time delay connections which are much cheaper(used to be about 8 b a minute etc)

I found an old note jotted from past trips which said 009 then country code and number but although it worked it still gobbled up all my credit.

Would anyone kindly enlighten me before I go bust?

Many thanks in hope.

Thanks for all the responses amd useful advice from everyone.

I've checked out VITALGIRL's suggestion but got no answer to a PM so I guess shes not been online since I saw her post.

No disrespect to anyone else but I was hoping for personal experience. Has anyone else on Thai Visa used Spa Samui or any others?

I love Chang Mai but am leaning toward Samui because it seems to be quite a hub for such centres.

My experience of most healing centers in Thailand is that they are focused on cleaning the colon in an attempt reduce the volume of toxins stored in the body and allow the immune system to strengthen. With the immune system strengthened the body can then address imbalances and conditions.

There are two healing centers I know of that go beyond this paradigm and also look at what to put back into the body as opposed to just looking at what needs to be taken out. Neither are in Koh Samui.

Dao Garden in Chiang Mai is a large center that has been around a long time. Mantak Chia is the founder he is a world authority on Traditional Chinese Medicine and has published many books.

Atmanjai Wellness on Koh Phuket is only about 2 years old but is I understand having great success with all manner of conditions. They limit the number of clients to 12 at any given time.

Good luck.

Thank you for the response. What you say about going beyond just cleansing is what I'm hoping to find as well as understanding that I may not be able to follow a standard cleanse

as I have to keep that steroid dose in long enough to be absorbed.

Do you mean Tao Garden perhaps? I looked at them and it certainly appealed as they have Qualified medical Doctors on staff which seems safer.

Also I have the other you mention jotted down as a possible. Where did you get info re their success from? i'm searching diligently t make sure I get genuine feedback.

I guess I was hoping for some examples of personal experiences at a various places from Thai Visa members.

For example Rheumatoid arthritis is an Autoimmune condition so wondered if anyone had found improvement on that.

The info you have provided is not at all clear so I don't think anone can determine if they have the same problem or not.

Are you saying you have been given a definitive diagnosis of both CFS and Lupus? because that seems rather unlikely.

My main concern re your doing a "detox" regime is the large number if herbal concoctions that are given. Many people have the mistaken imopression that "herb" equals harmless, not necessarily true at all. Herbs can have adverse effects and adverse interactions with other drugs. It will be difficult to find out exactly what is in all the supplements given and even if one could, no way of knowing if or how these might interact with the other medications you are on. Are you on anything other than prednisone? I am particulalry concerned if you are on any type of anticoagulant as many herbs have coagulative effects.

Hughes Syndrome (APS) and lupus can coexist in the same patient.

Lupus is for some reason very common in SE Asia and there are many Thai doctors specializing in it. There is also, for sure, no magic cure for it to be found in Thailand anymore than elsewhere. However you might like to take advantage of the comparitively low cost of medical care here and abundance of well trained specialists to consult a specialist in it for a second (or, in your case, third/fourth/fifth whatever) opinion. From what you describe I suspect that the problem may not be as much in what your doctors have prescribed/done as in their taking enough time to throoughly explain things to you. Anyhow, if you want a specialist recommendation let me know and bring all medical records along. It can't hurt and as it sounds like you have already had comprehensive tests doen is likely to cost you only the consultation fee, probably about 1000 Baht.

it's a long story and too complicated to go into at length but I do already know and understand the points you make. CFS however goes pretty much hand in hand with many Autoimmune conditions as well as being a side effect of Prednisolone so I am a bit concerned that you say otherwise so confidently! Particularly as decreasing the dose has shown a noticeable improvement although it's still pretty severe.

As I said although Hughes antibodies are present it does not mean I have Lupus . The positive Lupus result may only be because of the Hughes AND virtually all my symptoms apart from chronic paralysing muscle pain ( which could be simply Fibromyalgia) started after Prednisolone use which the Neurologist has strongly said I am highly allergic to.

The need to still be on the low dose of Prednisolone is why I am so particular about Detox with a Centre with practitioners trained enough to understand whether certain parts of the programme could be non compatible with these meds. That was why I made this post.

Thanks anyway for your input and trying to help.

I think the least expensive, and certainly no frills, place is Health Oasis on Samui.

For Chinese medicine, St Louis Hospital (a non-profit in Bkk) as a traditional Chinese medicine clinci

Of course, you should not abruptly stop or change your medical treatment while trying any of these approaches. If you are on steroids, stay on them (or continue gradula taoering as recommended by doctor).

Have you been evaluated for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? On what basis has it been determined that you have an auto-immune dosease? If you do, would expect to see noticeable improvement on steroids....

Thanks. Yes I'd kind of narrowed it down to Health Oasis or the Sanctuary on Phangan. I heard good things first hand of The sanctuary from someone who was helped to get rid of kidney stones instead of surgery as the only alternative in his Native US. He was high in praising the place. I've found online reviews aplenty re the Sanctuary . Mostly very good although a few extremely negative. However can't find anything other than a couple of reviews of Health Oasis.

I have CFS and Autoimmune both having been diagnosed after masses of blood tests CAT scans MRI and a lot of other examinations etc agreed between both Rheumatologist and Neurologist. However both believe the Steroids although they helped with pain etc caused a massive allergic reaction. They also agree I need to wean off as fast as possible but with obvious care and caution due to probably now being renal dependent after a year on them. The prednisone caused fits and one massive seizure which left me unconscious for 4 hours and complete paralysis of the radial and some other nerves in my right arm which just dangled for 2 weeks before slowly returning. I was hospitalised for 3 weeks at this point. I've been left with loss of dexterity in both hands also which has remained after more than 10 months. Cutting down the steroids have definitely made me less ill in many ways but the original pain and problems are flooding back the more I reduce.

I wouldn't dream of stopping steroids cold as it would probably lead to renal failure so although I'm dropping the dose as advised ( which is hel_l each time) I would still be on a small dose by the time I went to a detox centre. That's why I want to be sure they know what they're doing as I can't risk the dose not being absorbed.

also I'm not at all keen on being put on another drug with hefty side affects alongside the steroids as a kind of lets try this and see if it helps and then it might be lupus approach! This is the latest route the Lupus unit has suggested despite the positive Lupus result could in fact be down to Hughes syndrome as antibodies were found in one result for that.

I honestly think the steroids have caused more damage than good and if I had come to Thailand with my initial onset it would have probably been addressed with positive results but now steriods for so long make it more complex.

If anyone has any experience of this kind of health problem and positive treatment results to share I 'd be really grateful for their contribution.

This has pretty much wiped my life out.

I have not been able to get back to Thailand for almost 3 years now due to increasing ill health.

UK diagnosis is guesswork and prescription of horrific treatments like steroids which by themselves have probably done more damage than any initial problem have really made things much worse. I have definitely an auto immune condition which has been guessed at as everything from Lupus SLE, polymyalgia ( I'm too young for that) Fybromyalgia , Hughes syndrome, epilepsy and temporal artitis. Basically they don't know. I'm seeing neurologist, rheumatologist and a Lupus specialist.

I'm sick of their lets try this drug and see attitude. Life is one long struggle with dreadful pain and weakness.

I have been searching online for months trying to pick a health detox set up which is responsible and genuine. if they mess up whilst I'm still stuck on steriods I could genuinely snuff it as after so long I am now adrenal dependent though weaning off v slowly. They now want to stick me on another nasty sounding drug with lousy side effects alongside for a few months to try!

I was wondering about the Sanctuary on Koh Phangan or one of the many there seem to be on Samui? I'd really appreciate some advice to make sure I don't get some glossed up spa with no real understanding of my somewhat fragile medical state. I honestly think Detox, Thai massage and Chinese medicine type treatment is the way to go to get the balance back.

Incapacity and keeping my business going whilst having to pay people to do the simplest thing for me has left me much financially depleted so I can't afford some I've come across costing Thousands of pounds for a few weeks.

Can anybody help?

After 2 very grim years without a chance to get over to Thailand I've now been diagnosed with severe auto-immune disease and a lot of damage etc. no cure apparently and only horrible steroids holding it at bay.

I'm determined to get myself back over and want to spend some time in one of the healing centres and get sorted Thai style.

Not looking for pampering but holistic treatment programmes with serious practitioners.

I've heard the Sanctuary probably isn't the best choice and have been thinking about the Tao health centre in Chiang Mai.

Also heard of another place with qualified medical Doctors with all alternatives available on site as well but can't find it. ( maybe Chiang Mai too)

Can anyone give me some pointers please?

It doesn't matter how poor or rich you are, you only get one vote. Please spare me the 'impoverished Thais with no political voice'-BS.

These people sell their votes out of greed. And they vote out of greed.

I'm not saying that not everyone else does the same thing, but that is no reason to try to glorify or justify the actions of vote-sellers.

Try reading the post before going off half cocked. Thai people had the right to vote for Taksin and many of them did. You like me can have an opinion but THAT IS ALL. Whether you like their choice or not is not relevant. The right to choose is precisely that not 'You can choose your Government as long as I like it but because I have guns and tanks we'll do what I want anyway.' That is not democracy.

Taksin may be the nastiest money grabbing worm on the planet but a lot of Thais liked what he gave them and genuinely voted accordingly.

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I dunno why vote buying is approached on this forum as being done solely by TRT. A person who'd sell his vote wouldn't care who gave him the money, just so long as he recieved payment. Additionally as the vote is private, they could vote anyway they wanted no matter that they were paid.

My wife tells me that in the Thai languages sites she read yesterday many more were complaining negatively about the coup than positive. Many actually respected the man, or at least his money.

Quite. His ability to grab money and power and speak on the world stage was respected by 'the majority' I have no idea how many Taksin votes were 'bought' but can only relate my personal experience that a lot were in his favour genuinely.

Whether that judgement was naive or in error is not the point. If vote buying is making a road so Rubber farmers can get their stuff out and farmers can shift their bananas then so be it.

I'll vote for whoever makes my life better too. The difference is it's fairly unlikely that the British Army will move in and stop it.

It doesn't matter how poor or rich you are, you only get one vote. Please spare me the 'impoverished Thais with no political voice'-BS.

These people sell their votes out of greed. And they vote out of greed.

I'm not saying that not everyone else does the same thing, but that is no reason to try to glorify or justify the actions of vote-sellers.

Try reading the post before going off half cocked. Thai people had the right to vote for Taksin and many of them did. You like me can have an opinion but THAT IS ALL. Whether you like their choice or not is not relevant. The right to choose is precisely that not 'You can choose your Government as long as I like it but because I have guns and tanks we'll do what I want anyway.' That is not democracy.

Taksin may be the nastiest money grabbing worm on the planet but a lot of Thais liked what he gave them and genuinely voted accordingly.

Apparently the Thaksin family have or are just about to buy a house in London. His elder daughters are in London now and the rest of the family are expected to arrive soon.

Terrific. So we get him?

Although I have always loathed Taksin I am also sad for Thailand today.

It is not my country. I am not a Thai national with a vote so my opinion is only that.

Despite probable vote buying tactics many Thais voted for him as is their right. Whether they were fooled by cynical political wiles is not the point.

Virtually all rural Thais I know personally or have talked to in several different areas felt he helped them. Money was forthcoming for much needed roads, School equipment etc.

However much he lined his own nest they felt that some of it filtered through to them. It was their democratic right to choose.

That right was swept away yesterday.

It's not about Taksin. It's about the impoverished Thais with no political voice who have had their right to decide ( however poor those choices may appear ) removed from them.

But I do wonder why Thai fisherman are allowed to hang out at tourist venues such as Lamai or Chaweng or anywhere other such locations as it spells only big time trouble.

...and I wonder why tourists are allowed to hang out at fishermen's venues such as Lamai...

'Tourist' Katherine Horton cannot be deemed at fault for 'hanging out' at Lamai. Though possibly aware that fishermen were in the area could she really be in any way held responsible for the foul, inhuman death she met?

Not all fishermen are drunken rapists and killers.

Not all tourists are mindless ill mannered fools.

If as it increasingly appears, these men have done this dreadful thing it is their responsibility.

There is no justification for such a vile act whereever it takes place and whomsoever it involves.

Evil is evil.

Well that's all sorted then. How neat.

How can there be doubt? These two men planned efficiently ( though drunk) an effective return trip to shore via oil drum to " rape a woman". It was stated earlier in the investigation that a body could not have washed around to the point where it was found without the use of a boat. Yet now it is said that Katherines body was left in the water not far from the shore where she was abused and assaulted.

Once arrested they 'confessed'. Astonishing considering the general Thai tendency to denial and even more so in the light of the likely sentence they will receive.

I don't know if they have been fitted up or not but the integrity of the investigation appears questionable. I hope corroborative evidence regarding DNA can be found in Britain. Katherines family deserve to be in no doubt that the right people have been stopped from doing this ever again.

God help her family and give them strength. A tragedy such as this touches us all and brings every parents worst nightmare to life. We can all hug our children close and be sure they know how much we love them but Katherines parents and family will have to live with this torture forever.

I had it 2 years back. You feel like your dying and wish you were.

The most important treatment is keeping the temperature down and fluids up.

I was hospitalised and the main treatment was a drip and pain management. If you think your child or anyone has it and hospital isn't an option keep them sponged down with cold water. Feed them paracetamol and plenty of water. Rehydration sachets too if you have them.

It's the striped daytime biting Mosquito which carries it.

If Thailand hopes for the return of the tourist dollar/ pound a little sensitivity to World feeling might be a good idea.

Thailand has come across as being more concerned with loss of money than human suffering. Whatever the red tape difficulties fining volunteers looks very bad indeed. Cold hearted and cynical. Personally I think this governments lead and arrogant attitude towards Western tourists has disgusted many.

I came back to UK 2 weeks ago and this sums up the opinion of everyone I've spoken to.

I've seen Americans get a few things wrong in Thailand but no more so than any other nationality. They come across as enthusiastic and genuine on the whole.

They lack exposure to other cultures and customs perhaps. Sometimes the expectation that American 'norms' of behaviour should be followed by Thais ( and everyone else) appears arrogant and ignorant . However as soon as it dawns on them that things ARE different they are always interested and open to learning more with great good humour. Unlike the Germans who not only know everything but can be truly churlish in their need to put down everything and everyone.

You do need to book for those weeks. Islands on the East Coast are in rainy season then so you might do better to look at the West coast. Koh Chang, Trat will be fine but gets crowded from Christmas through January.

You might consider Koh Lanta or Koh Lipe. Have a look:koh lanta

and here: Andaman islands

Absolutely loads of online bookings for hotels in Bangkok. Just type Bangkok Hotel into google and away you go.