55Jay

^ I agree.  So what are us mere observers to do?

Sell, move to Thailand and, to the extent possible, limit one's exposure.

16 minutes ago, joeyg said:

On Koh Pha Ngan you get get Magic Mushroom shakes and pizzas, openly, today.  Had a GF who used to sell pot to kids there years ago.  I asked her why wasn't she worried about the poilce.  She laughed and said she got her pot from the police.

 

Go figure...

Your idea about public floggings is an Interesting rationalization for someone trying to be a "good Buddhist" .  

I'm not steeped in the drug trade here but the mind races with scenarios, like a squad of paramilitary Thai Border Police on patrol out in the bush being a law unto themselves.  It would be tempting to catch a smuggler, kick him back over the border (or face down in a shallow jungle grave) and sell the load on wholesale to like-minded BiB in the city.  Nice little earner there, tax free.  For the city cops, easy money with a small amount of risk vs. standing in the burning sun fleecing motorists for chump change.  Hmmm.

9 minutes ago, orange31 said:

But what exactly ARE the rules? Normally countries will stipulate what constitutes possession. Does Thai law stipulate that a positive result from a urine test is punishable?

 

I guess the cost of legal representation will be more than the BIB fine, so perhaps we'll never know

http://www.siam-legal.com/litigation/criminal-defence-drug-offences-in-thailand.php

Within the link article, Narcotics Act 2522 (1979) and the Psychotropic Substances Act 2518 (1975). Consumption of a controlled substance, including weed (Category V), is a punishable offense.  The lowest tier is 1 month in jail and 2,000 Baht fine.

1 hour ago, orange31 said:

What if they smoked pot abroad, then just recently came to Thailand with pot still in their system? Surely they wouldn't have broken any Thai laws?

Google along the lines of "strict drug laws Thailand". 

There are comments by Thai legal defence types indicating you can and should, refuse these warrant-less urine tests.   If you capitulate, a positive drug test can be defended in court with the "other country use" grounds - obviously you have to have the stamps in your passport to back it up, and will involve a full ride through the Thai "legal" system. 

The rainbow coalition in this particular event were well screwed by the optics and totality of the circumstances they were found in, and the (alleged) reason the cops were called there in the first place. 

Articles I read indicate the police seem to like the nice round figure of 80,000 Baht but for a simple "use" charge based only on a presumptive positive urine test, with patient, polite negotiation, you can purchase your freedom for around 2~3,000 Baht.

42 minutes ago, YeahSiam said:

A lot of self-righteous claptrap being trotted out here.

Smoking a bit of puff doesn't make you a drug addict any more than having a pint makes you an alcoholic.

Out-of-touch old men flapping their mouths as usual.

Ironically, the "out of touch" people are the ones mentioned in the article. 

Enjoy the posts dissecting elements and contributing factors at the root of the problem.

"Situation normal' in the comfort zone.  The guy in charge, terrified to make a decision that runs counter to the norm.

Social media has become the lighting rod of choice to circumvent layers of ineffective,  government bureaucracy.   The lady boy up north pretending to take a bath in a pot hole on a rural highway, is a great example. 

But the spasmodic, knee jerk reactions are rooted in embarrassment, not an honest follow up assessment of a system or policy that might need adjustment.  Decisive action puts out the brush fire, and if the managers get through it unscathed, they just go back to sleep.  

On 10/28/2016 at 10:03 AM, 55Jay said:

Looked at that posted link to Mobile Top Up dot com....

 

AIS website has its own top up options instead of using 3rd party.

http://www.ais.co.th/one-2-call/en/topup.aspx

 

Will try their online/iBanking payment method here in a minute.  First time, it's all so new and exciting!  

 

Logged into Bangkok Bank iBanking, clicked on Transfers/TopUps and there was a list of service providers.  Clicked on AIS 12Calltopup, did the OTP, then a 100 Baht top up.  No fee.  Too easy. 

I had to laugh at myself, again, as usual, for not thinking outside the box.  Until this article was posted on TV, topping up the phone any other way besides physically going to 7-11 (or whatever), just never occurred to me.   Even more embarrassing,  the number of times my wife has gone out shopping, always reminds me to turn my phone on, but I tell her she would have to call me because I have no phone credit.  Said whilst sitting at my desk in front of the computer.... Jeezzz! 

2 minutes ago, little mary sunshine said:

More GREED from the 7-11 Company.   Already increasing

prices on everything and reducing the portion sizes.  Soon

they will price themselves out of business...I have started

buying from Family Mart and stocking up at Tesco and Big C!!

Yep, seems to be a trend.  Buy an airline ticket, pay extra for a seat, and fuel. 

Looked at that posted link to Mobile Top Up dot com....

AIS website has its own top up options instead of using 3rd party.

http://www.ais.co.th/one-2-call/en/topup.aspx

Will try their online/iBanking payment method here in a minute.  First time, it's all so new and exciting!  

21 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

You dont find it annoying to drive past dozens of 7/11's to go buy bread and milk at Makro ?

7-11 doesn't sell bread.  They sell sliced kitchen sponges masquerading as bread.   

Just now, jvs said:

Maybe she did?

I had considered that. 

......saying: “What she promised, seemed exciting, and many of my secret desires seemed to come true."

"

Would of been additional, poetic justice had he arrived in Thailand, bedded his new found internet dream girl, and discovered she had a penis.

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

Not many old farts on this thread. 

Really?  Why do you say that?

@LostinIssan - I do have Line on my phone.  Amending my posted outline, I will turn my phone on at home (connected to the Wifi) only if my wife goes out shopping on her own or with friends or, the rare event I need to accept an OTP for 3rd party internet banking transaction.  Once those conditions are done, switch the phone off, toss it on the shelf behind my desk again.

I've always been a bit slow to adopt new tech. Once I left work, not having to keep up with trends, I stagnated because my life is much simpler now.  I'm still using Win7, never had 8, 8.1 or Win10, at least not yet.  My laptop still running the original Win Vista it came with.  I'm still on MS Office 2003 , all my finances are on Excel '03 spreadsheets, compatible with updates and newer version patches, at least for now. 

As Robblock suggested above, I acknowledge that my world contracted when I left work.  Moreover, I tend to be a lone-wolf by nature, quite happy with my little routine around the house for days and weeks on end.  However, after the first year or two here, recognized I was sliding into the abyss, and made a concerted effort to develop a social network. I took some effort to re-tune my ability to start and hold a meaningful conversation with other humanoids.   I like to consider myself a reasonable, non-religious centrist about most things in life but many of my mates around here lean right, if not far right, and a few are members of God's Army.  Having the social network is more important to me though, so I try not to upset their delicate apple carts with annoying shit like "facts" n' stuff, and just enjoy having a few beers and a chin wag.

I don't watch TV, don't even have "farang" satellite. 

Still read books, the ones with paper pages.

My phone is always off, turn it only when I leave the house.  It's a "smart phone" circa 2009 or 10.  I don't have internet on it, just 12Call credit, so I'm not one of those people walking around glued to the screen.   

I do use the computer a lot.  Email, entertainment, reading/news, internet banking, weather, booking plane tickets, hotels, cars, etc., but I've never felt the urge or need to get into tablets or the latest phone. 

When I was working,  I had a Blackberry blowing up all the time, so I appreciate NOT having one now.

Here's a question for you.  Based on the above outline, how old would you say I am?

Right, the name Suman Das isn't an Arab surname ~ Indian/Paki probably but if he's a Sunni, there is a chance he obtained Qatari citizenship.   That was going on when I finally left the region, in an attempt to offset the Shi'ite majority (such as in Bahrain).

I know it's over-generalizing but having lived and worked in the GCC for many years, it was well known that the poorer, imported labor from Southern India/Bangladesh/Pakistan, were some serious, sexually repressed dudes.   The older, often married ones, having a bit more coins in their pocket, would act out the playboy role.   

Lost count of the times my wife came home and told me some creep was shadowing her around the mall or supermarket, a few were bold enough to hit her with a pick up line and try to get her number.  Told me she got sick of it and yelled and pointed at a guy once who as obviously following her.  Other shoppers stopped and stared at the outburst, and she said his eyes got as big as golf balls at her aggressive challenge, and he scurried away like a cockroach.

OP, you said you've been using the 800k in the bank method.  Do you use that money throughout the year for living expenses, then top it up again before the next annual extension? 

Or does the 800k just sit in the Thai bank, and you obtain living expenses via US ATM Card, bank transfers, etc., as required? 

The latter course of action could be massaged to create a pattern of inbound monthly "income" into a Thai account in support of the income affidavit.  As others have said, and I've experienced first hand, Thai I/Os are generally satisfied by the USE Affidavit at face value.... but still good to keep your ducks in row.

Never really thought about all this until recently.  Maybe that I'm nearing the end of my 40's, realizing there are likely fewer years ahead than behind me, and that I'm not bullet proof like I was in my 20s and 30s.

I hang out at home most of the time but am about to start Thai language class, increasing my exposure to risk on Thai roads and highways with a 70km drive into the city for class 3x/week.   Less chance of getting flattened in the wife's SUV because it's been blessed and finger painted inside by a Monk.  My pick up truck hasn't, so I better get my affairs in order.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egX9N8yOgaU

Trump.....standing in a rain storm, soaking wet, claims it's not really raining.

Right up there with the Oklahoma Senator who produced a snow ball as irrefutable evidence that climate change isn't "real".

Gives one pause......  1 person can change the course of your life so drastically.  In this case, seems the Dutch police liaison in Thailand exercised literary creativity in his last letter to Thai officials, with the intent to incite them into finally taking the desired action.   Thais would be susceptible to manipulation if you know where to put the emphasis, risking the potential they react in a culturally/emotional way, disproportionate to the alleged crime(s).  Scary stuff.

Would be interesting compare the letter that finally moved the Thais (Junta) to take swift action, to the ones sent previously that didn't.  

Hey, color is back on the Forum!   

TV front page is still black and white but that's ok.  

^ Maybe, sure seems that way at times.

Or, it simply is what it appears to be.  That he's just not as smart as he (constantly) says he is and that he's too dumb to listen to smarter people he's hired to help him. 

There's a specter of self-fulfilling prophecy going on here.  I can't escape the niggling idea that he's a mess of subconscious guilt and self-loathing inside the intentionally obtuse, defiant cocoon he presents.  Knowing he's got a checkered past but having to present a facade of moral respectability he knows he doesn't deserve and that it won't withstand too much scrutiny.  Let's see your tax returns, Donald.  LOL. 

I'm still flabbergasted that he pulled Bill Clinton's baggage into this.  Sure, it provided him a line of attack on Hillary but the risks far outweighed the reward.  Along with all the other drip drip context, Billy Bush Bus Tape comes out and Pandora's Box blew up in his face.  He promptly dropped the Bill Clinton mantra, tucked his tail between his legs and said he only wanted to "talk about the issues facing the American people" from now on.

At this point, he's become a modern version of The Emperor with No Clothes.  The more he talks, the worse it gets. 

13 minutes ago, amykat said:

 

So, Strange, following with your logic in paragraph 2 ...you have stated before in this thread that the slut/whore cannot be a credible witness against Trump.  People will be judged by their actions. You participate in the same actions as the slut/whore, and often. Therefore, we can conclude that you are NOT a credible person.

 

You have made a very good argument and now we should feel free to ignore all you write because you are not credible.

Moreover, Trump viewed Ms. Drake as a foregone conclusion.  When she rejected his alleged advances to have sex with him, he put $10,000 and a ride home on his jet, on the table.  Surely a woman like her, a porn actress, would take the money and get to work.  This one fits Trump's character and personality like a glove.  In Trump's world, everyone and everything has a price.  He enjoys the chase, the process of dealing, exploiting leverage, and reveling in success when his target capitulates.

Trump could learn a thing or two from Ms. Drake but he's too much of an a**hole to learn anything from anyone.   In this case, Trump was flat out rejected and made to look like a married, morally bankrupt sleazeball by a lowly, lowly porn movie actress.  Man, that's gotta sting and it's no wonder he's a public relations and lawsuit disaster zone.