I mean, how much of a hurry must he have been in to avoid the easy path? Looking at the location, it's no easy feat to get your bike over the rails unless you're Evel Knievel. 

This is how you do it.

I've decided to go for a full body protection suit. Comes with an optional lightsaber for people that might come too close. No issue touching my face ????

I think i'll be taking my and neighbours kids to Ice Arena in Boat Lagoon for some ice skating. It's great fun for the kids, very cheap, easy parking and i'll be sipping a cold one while i watch them ????

Isn't this just plain old capitalism? In thailand Expats pay more for:

• Increased hospital bills compared to thais with the approval of the government = more profit.
• We pay more than thais for entry into government run businesses like national parks, temples etc = more profit
• All pay a higher price for alcohol which makes most prices ridiculous compared to other countries = more profit
• The street food vendor buys their wares in Macro, sells at higher price  = More profit
• Airlines increase their seat prices sometimes 100's of percent more nearer to the flight date = more profit

Do any of the above actions call for price gouging? 

So what's the difference if someone buys mask cheap and sells them at a higher price? isn't it at the discretion of the buyer to choose whether they perceive value and make the choice to buy? No one forces any one to buy a face mask for crazy prices. In my case I just walk away.

Could it be the Thai government feel they are not benefiting from any additional tax on this now high demand item? IMHO i cannot see any thai caught selling these higher prices masks getting anywhere near the punishment which calls for imprisonment of not more than seven years or a fine of not over Bt140,000 or both. We all know we may never hear the outcome of these 51 cases.

Although the "regular" price is 2.5 THB, it is said that " some of the masks were being sold at Bt15 each", I mean, these sellers must be making an absolute killing!!! I can only imagine how many more beemers and mercs there will be on the streets after this has all blown over ????

"They said selling masks, which is a controlled product....." Since when was this a controlled product? Was it always controlled? How did they relay this information to all sellers? How much is a "reasonable" price, 3/6/10 THB? 

I just checked Lazada thailand and searched for "facemasks" then in order from cheapest first.

The cheapest is 45 THB for 2 so 22.50 THB each, a bit more than the 15 THB from the accused vendors. I'm curious what the thai government plan to do about this? Yeah, I don't think so......

Just seems to me that if any price gauging has the backing of the government then so be it but don't ever copy by example or face the the wrath!!!

As expats we are used to paying higher price so who really is this policy for "over pricing" supposed to protect as it's not us for sure. 

Im just saying..............

Had it not been a Chinese person, would they have investigated so hard and fast?

In most cases I would not bother with a repair especially if it is an electrical issue. Most every day home printers are not designed to last and are sold at cost or even less. The printer manufacturers make their money on the crazy priced chipped ink cartridges that tell the printer not to print because you have no more black ink but the other 3 cartridges are almost full. You can buy a new printer say off lazada for around 1K-3K Thb

This is Why Printer Ink is So Expensive

Sometimes these Smart TV's are just too smart for their own good!! ????

Maybe this would help?  

3 easy ways to connect your Smart TV to the internet

If you prefer to watch and not read then follow this youtube link:

Connecting your TV to the Internet

When i was young, my mother sent me to church. Not to find religion but more so for peace and quite with the bonus that she could listen to David Rodigans reggae radio show on Sunday afternoon whilst preparing dinner. When I was there, this old frowning man standing way high on his pulpit would tell us 50 ways we would all go to hell with the answer to our prayers being not to be so materialistic. At the end of his sermon, a a "gold" bowl was handed out to the congregation for the "collection" with a note stating "No coins please, it scratches the plate"

That told me all I needed to know!

If religion can help someone cope through the stresses of life, I have nothing against it however, I have seen how it is used to manipulate the masses with it's vague scriptures and seemingly impossible  stories (of which that's all they are). Most every religion, their GOD has a different name but his agenda appears to be the same, guidance but who guides the guides?  I myself cannot believe in a priests conjecture just because it is said to be so.

10 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

No one in Thailand has been given 15 years for picking mushrooms.

Click the link why dont you and maybe take a read:

 pick mushrooms and get 15 years with 500k THB Bail!!

Wipe out half a dozen vehicles, kill someone then receive a suspended sentence, pick mushrooms and get 15 years with 500k THB Bail!!

The disparity between prison sentences here is just unbelievable!!!

As some posters have mentioned, had it been a foreigner, it would be a whole different case for example:

I Spent 6 Months In A Thai Prison For Shoplifting

Thailand's king has pardoned a Swiss man who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for defacing images of him

Thai court sentences Dutch national to 103 years in jail 

Compared to 

Thai former abbot was yesterday (19/02/20) sentenced by the Central Criminal Court to a suspended jail term of 36 months and fined 27,000 baht for the embezzlement of 69.7 million baht of temple funds.

Just my thoughts.......

I had the same thing happened to me from the doctor in chalong. After his initial examination he offered me a handful of clear plastic bags full of pills. I requested information regarding what he is giving me and his response was, "I am a doctor, you no believe me, get out!! ". he stood up and almost forced me through the door then said something in Thai in front of the other waiting patients while I left.   This left me a A little surprised as I only wanted to know what meds I'm taking and if they were necessary. Obviously in this case the patient is not always right. It's not the first time I have attended a doctors practice where they give off this "superior than thou, do as I say" attitude.  When i asked thai friends about this, they informed me that doctors study for years and know what is best for you!! -- Really!!

My questions are:

1. Did he have a valid bike licence?

2. Was he fined for not wearing a helmet?

3. Was he fined for riding an overloaded bike?

4. Did they check his MOT as they stated the driver had brake failure?

5. Will the driver learn from his mistake?

 Personally I unlike the policeman, I would not put my life on the line for such idiocracy. Maybe next time and there will be, he will be not so lucky.

who?

I have spend over 200,000 THB with lazada over the years including building a high grade virtual reality PC from seperate components mostly ordered from Lazada. On the few occasions things went wrong:

1. Intel processor worth 14K THB, sent me the wrong model, returned, credited full amount to my account within 3 days plus a 300 thb credit voucher for the inconvenience.

2. Computer fan, 400 THB. Ordered with red LEDs, came with Blue. Told to keep it and full refund.

3. HDMI cable, 300 THB, specifically ordered Red to match my other cables, came as blue and black. Told to keep it and full refund to my account within 3-5 days.

4. Playstation G29 Sim racing wheel at 14,500K THB. Stopped working after 13 months but came with 2 year warranty. Sent back, was exchanged for a completely new G29 within 10 days and has been working perfectly ever since.

5. Ordered another product that got stopped at customs coming in from China. Lazada informed me that the item will not be delivered and gave me a full credit.

Normally the driver calls 30 minutes before delivery and has also waited till I arrived back home to complete the order. 

Now I have opted to have my goods delivered to my place of work. I take a copy of Lazada's confirmation email, print it out and hand it to my staff with the COD money for payment. My staff know what is ordered and how much. The driver rings my staff if there is a problem. Now I get more orders without a hitch.

I like their parcel tracking service which gives you aa good idea when the product is being despatched for delivery and also good tracking from abroad. 

I understand the frustration of seeing the same priced product multiple times from multiple venders but thats seems to be the deal with Lazada. Frustrating yes but not a deal breaker.

Lazadas app on my iphone is in English except when i get thai related advertising or promos.

I have also found their customer services speak very good english and are patient when dealing with my problems (I think most are from the Philippines). 

I have reviewed almost every purchase and not always in a good way. Still my good, bad and ugly reviews are there years later.

Overall, with the time and money I have saved, although not perfect, I find Lazada easy and friendly to use. I guess we all have our own story to tell however, I am very satisfied with Lazada so far.

1. Minimum of 200 hours study

2. Stating that you are studying a minimum of 4-5 days per week.

I have never heard of point 2. That means you have to go to school almost every day. Whilst that might be reasonable if the school is just around the corner, it is not very practical for those of us who have to travel to the school, (I have to drive almost the length of Phuket to go to my Chinese language school ==> a lot of petrol if I go every day).

I can understand point 1, but what is wrong with attending say 2 days per week if the total number of study hours is achieved?

At the time of applying for my ED visa, the consulate stated that this 2 rules have been in force since last year however, they now have to enforce this "new" ruling. It does not mean you have to attend school 4-5 days per week for real but it must state these 2 "facts" on your ED visa application. Reading between the lines, she stated that too many "students" are not attending class so they are looking that you attend almost every day. I will be attending 2 days per week as per the schools real schedule but to receive my visa, this was the consulates requirement, at least in Penang.

Having just received my ED visa last week from the Thai consulate in Penang, it came to light that you need to make sure that your application contains the following:

1. Minimum of 200 hours study

2. Stating that you are studying a minimum of 4-5 days per week.

When I was there, it seemed that only one school out of the 5 schools applying for ED visas on this trip had the correct information. All the other schools, mine included was missing the 4-5 study days and hence we (17 of us) where denied our ED visas.

It seems that although this Law has been in effect for over 1 year, the consulate decided to enforce it fully the day we applied due to a memo being received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Had I not pushed reasoning and with the consulate, I finally managed to agree they would issue our visas if our schools faxed them proof of 5 days schooling. We were very fortunate that and having talked from 11am to almost 3pm with the consulate, we all finally left with our ED visas.

I do find it a little strange that only one school from so many had the correct paper work. The driver who also takes care of the correct paperwork was not aware of this rule as were non of the schools from which their visa application failed. When the driver requested a copy of this new rule, he was denied. I was lucky to record the discussion on with the consulate my phone, getting names etc and requesting a copy of this rule which they would not supply. It was only after I threatened to go to Facebook and youtube that they finally caved in. They worked an additional 3 hours to redo all the ED visas that same day.

Please make sure your school is aware of this as you will not receive your ED visa without the above 2 points I have listed.

Also be aware that a very high percentage of visa runners are being requested to show 20K THB at the border so for your own good, make sure you carry this money with youth avoid problems.

The point of the story is "Human Trafficking". These guys were using girls from a 3rd world country to make bucks. If Internet Sex is legal ...fine and dandy. These two monkeys just chose one of the worst spots in the world to do their business...hiring young local workers to masturbate in front of foreign customers is indeed "Trafficking". They should have figured out that out, and perhaps they were willing to take their chances....and failed miserably. Morality aside....Western men that utilize young (albeit legal aged) Asian girls to perform sex acts on camera for profit are just asking for jail time. No point in being stupid. Do it in Sweden...not the Philippines. Lesson learned?

Your comment barely justifies a reply other than you need to educate yourself with the facts first before you comment without good reason. You only assume and that makes you look like an ass OK. Who are the monkeys you refer too?

These guys were paid as employees to set up the IT structure in a legal business as proven by the fact they are not in jail for cyber crimes or prostitution but of human trafficking which they had no part of. Perhaps read my original post for the facts as obviously you are not aware of them.

Even the "rescued" women came to the accused defence in court under oath or you would call it mass Stockholm syndrome?

Better to educate yourself with facts before commenting than look like the fool you do.

Good these young guys throught this will make them big money for not working

They should died in Prison

Before they were caught they throught they were big shoots

Good these young guys throught this will make them big money for not working

They should died in Prison

Before they were caught they throught they were big shoots

Yes, comment from your ivory tower and even though I have furnished you with facts, your ignorance is still apparent. The women backed the accused in court and supplied statements against the NBI which is a rare fact in these cases, even the parents were stopped in their quest to help the accused.

Go to any xxx tube site and type "cam model", there are millions of feeds and movies from countries where this is both legal and illegal. Many of these are home made clips made by women for free and yet these cam women were paid a fair buck, kept safe and given some feeling of self worth considering their already previous dangerous jobs as street walkers.

I guess you are one to say there is no sex trade in Thailand. You can walk less than 50 metres between bars girls offering prostitution how many massage parlours offer you a "Happy ending"? Did you know that you could go to prison by just having a nude picture on your mobile phone?

So better to go drive your car drunk, kill someone in a fatal accident whilst recklessly driving whilst in the meantime, destroying a family and get less than 10 years in jail is acceptable? High society people like police, judges, TV celebrities and high priests getting done for kiddy fiddling, rape, falsifying evidence and killings get less time and not one of the supposed victims came to their defence.

Take note, the act of being a webcam person is NOT a crime in the Philippines, internet is very expensive (unlike in 3rd world countries where women can work safe from home as in the EU or the US). This studio was a safe haven for them not only to work in a clean and safe environment but to have no physical contact and remain anonymous. Keep in mind that most of these women were already working girls getting beaten, raped and mugged for their services. Hearing these womens stories first hand, most of the crimes committed against them were by 1st world tourists who knews better yetyou still believe in what you say?

Women and children are raped and the attacker gets less than 10 years with time off for good behaviour yet these ladies were able to do the only work they know in a safe environment, guaranteed payment from 15,000 - 40,000 peso per month which is more than an educated and fully trained white collar worker, support their family and you judge their choice of work.

Probably better to work a 14 hour day making track shoes they could never afford in a lifetime for $2 per day? So who is the pimp now selling their wares for $500 a pop in high end retail stores?

Remember who you are supporting the next time you go out to by the latest running shoes or fake handbag for your bar girlfriend.

Remember who you are supporting the next time you hire a desperate woman to performs sexual acts for your stag night, the strippers fake smile as you shove $1 bills into her bikini to show just how much of a "Man" you are or the prostitute you bring back to your business trip hotel room because we all know wifey would not approve!

Perhaps if you walked a mile in their shoes you might have a different view but alas, it's people like you that makes the justice system fail with your two tier conscience.

I am sure you are the first to condemn anyone accused of a crime that even though the media make the facts fit, the real facts do not.

Educate yourself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_miscarriage_of_justice_cases

Take a look at this facebook page. These are the woman that worked at the cam studio in question. Do they look like they were forced to work or signs of human trafficking?

https://www.facebook.com/everybodyneedsfreedom/photos_stream

Here is what they don't tell you.

1. Working as a camgirl in the Philippines is not illegal.
2. Only one of the 20 women stated that she was forced to work which is a total lie.
3. The truth is this one girl as ashamed and lied to her husband what she did for work but she didn't leave. Once he found out, they contacted a TV show called Bitag who then contacted the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation).
4. The police promised her free education and money if she would sign their statement that she was forced to work and stripped naked. Even in court she mentioned that the Swedes were nothing but nice to her.
5. The 2 other women (Shift managers) in Jail as part of the 5 were also offered the same deal but they would not sign the statement as they said it was lies against the 2 Swedes, they had done nothing wrong so the 2 women were sent to jail too.
6. All the girls had rooms a few miles away from the studio where they slept between shifts.
7. All women were over the age of 18. Before they could work, they had to produce evidence of age via a passport or their birth certificate. This was necessary proof required by the external cam companies of which they were models for.
8. At no time whatsoever where any minors working in the studio even though the papers presumed the possibility.
9. All women were free to come and go as they pleased.
10. All rooms where tastefully decorated, had piped music, they had breaks when they wanted and had a fridge for their food and and snacks.
11. Every Friday the women were treated to a night out on the town as shown in the face book pictures.
12. On their days off they would often go to the beach or get their hair done.
13. They were earning as much as 40,000+ pesos per month, as much as a trained doctor.
14. Most were ex bar girls that were often beaten and abused as working prostitutes and were more than happy to be cam girls working in a safe and clean environment.
15. When possible, they would ask to come back month after month as they enjoyed the work.
16. The job allowed them to send good money back home to their family, eat well and buy the clothes they always wanted.
17. How can the two swedes be accused of human trafficking when inside philippines borders?
18. The women made their own way to Cagayan De Oro and at no time were they accompanied to the studio. They were met at CDO airport and taken to their rooms ready to start work as they had already been explained what they should do having been met in their home town or recruited by one of the other cam girls which they were paid commission for their efforts.
19. The 2 Swedes were illegally taken at gunpoint from their hotel to the studio then arrested as the police only had a warrant to arrest them at the cam studio premises.
20. The police falsified the arrest times as it has been proven by the flight manifest that one of the top reporters present at the arrest was already on the plane back to Manilla at the time the police logged the arrest.
21. The crime of Human trafficking takes 5 people otherwise it cannot be human trafficking. Hence the police arrested the 2 Swedes, 2 shift manager woman and one of the worker men to make the case stick.
22. All the other girls were threatened if they did not sign a damaging statement against the 5 arrested, they would also be added as part of the human trafficking crew.
23. The police forcibly placed the women into care. The parents of seventeen of the eighteen girls removed them from the government social services because they were being held there against their will as propaganda for the media to show the women we’re being “taken care of”.
24. Nine of these filed a case against the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) and the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) for Habeus Corpus and for forcing them to testifying against the accused under threats of imprisonment with the accused.
25. Three of the defence witnesses were girls who worked in the studio during the raid.
26. The three testified in court that they had been forced by the NBI to sign a complaint and agree to testify against the accused.

Many of the documents that proved their innocence were lost or forgotten at the time of the case thus allowing the police to make any statement they wanted.

Please take a look at the following letter sent to the UN for additional information.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/release-the-five/letter-addressed-to-the-united-nations/302470183160707

Let the facts be known.

Honestly, this is bordering on the ridiculous!

I have applied for my work permit since the 21st of March '11 and until now, I have still not received it! I have no idea why and the labour office are not giving out any reasons. Funnily enough, when I asked them if I don't get my work permit before my visa runs out in a few days, i was told that my visa is not their problem. I suspect they will ask me for all this new information, cause delays and then I'll have to start the whole process again. More money in the Thai systems pockets.

I have to ask, how many of us expats have copies or access to our education certificates? I know I didn't carry them with me to LOS! I don't have a degree and my previous employer here in Thailand has closed his business and moved away some years ago, so where does that leave me?

It feels like another "tea money tax" coming in for all of us expats that don't fit the criteria. As some of the replies state, it seems that Thailand is constantly making it more difficult for us to live here, work here even after police visiting me for "monetary gifts" or free products. I am sure we will be able to pay if we don't have the qualifications but I have to ask, I am 40+ year old and cant think what my educational qualifications have to do with setting up a business here.. ...anyone?

"Extensions of work permits (WP 5) will now also require a map to the office and a medical certificate. The medical certificate is valid for only 6 months so annual renewal of work permits will now require a new medical certificate including the exam for the usual diseases and the syphilis test."

Really!! what has my health got to do with this and the diseases they check for are a joke too! We all know it is easy to go to a doctor and get a med cert without any testing done. Just another money making scam for us expats to dance to. Is it not enough that we pay through the nose to set up our business's? It's like a we're in a living circus with us jumping through very small hoops of fire whilst doused in petrol!

I can understand why more and more expats leave Thailand but then again, isn't this what "they want" because if it is not, some one is doing a sure fire job to make it feel this way.

Isn't it enough that us business owners that go through all the correct motions, spend money, employ thai staff, travel back and forth for visas, pay tea money, pay our taxes to make business get so much red tape when their attention should be on those that don't have work permits and just seem to be left quietly alone - what gives????

"Drop you wallets off at the airport and go back home ." is the motto of LOS.

Is there no consistency between countries and human trafficking cases?

Thiavisa presented us this 2 year old case Philippines jails two Swedes for human trafficking and yet, as seen here today, 600 Thais exploited by human traffickers in the U.S. and they get a maximum of 5 years.

The main reason the Swedes got 40 years and were fined 2 million pesos (46,000 usd) was the Philippines using this case as a statement to America that they are reacting to HT cases so the US would take them off the HT watch list.

"The Philippines is ranked under Tier 2 Watch List in the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report of the United States (US) State Department due to the Philippine government’s alleged failure to show evidence of progress in convicting trafficking offenders, particularly those responsible for labor "

Check out Human trafficking in the Philippines and then try to find out how many HT cases have gone to sentencing in the Philippines - almost none.

The Swedes hired these 17 girls (almost all prostitutes and ALL over 18 years of age) paying them a very decent salary of 15,000 pesos (US$350) a month + commission to work in a webcam studio, saving them from being beaten / raped and offering a safe working environment. Work which is considered legal and acceptable in the USA, Europe and most every country around the world. Some of these girls earnt 25-30K, more than most filipino white collar workers. These girls travelled by themselves to the studio, were not escorted, forced or threatened in any way. What the reports fail to say is, the women had their own apartments and were picked up for work and dropped back home every day, they were free to come and go as they pleased. Had money enough to send back home, party at the clubs at the weekend and have expensive hair do's at the local salon.

These Americans forced the Thais to work, paid impossibly meagre salaries, confiscated passports, threatened them and they get maximum 5 years and no fine!!

Perhaps the States needs to review their HT laws don't you think?