wrksysact

"But I would go with his word as it may make a problem for him or other family members as well as you?"

Good point...he may be making a very polite point by asking you to refrain from visiting for the present.

I'm sure you understand and wish him well.

Do Thai People Smoke Marijuana?

Ha, ha, ha, ha!

Is this a serious question...???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I guess for some dumbass backpackers its not a serious question but then they are the ones who end up crying in the clutches of the police looking to make a fast buck out of little Johnny Farang shitting him/her self in a Thai police cell on the end of the phone to Daddy and Mummy pleading for them to pay with their credit cards to get out of jail.....

No it is a serious question....Marijuana production has been happening/is still happening on a large scale in Thailand (you can buy it Amsterdam for god's sake!)...so its interesting to read about the views of people who have seen it being used....

I know the government wants to clean up Thailands act so is doing the high profile burning of drugs stuff to get the story over in the papers...but I think thats just for effect....the drug sanctioned murders is of course another thing!

I know its meant to be illegal, but must be a very profitable cash crop to poor farmers as it grows so easily. I heard it is available to buy at some markets....do the Thai police turn a blind eye to natives smoking it in their own homes?

Anyone got any experience of this?

Hmmmmmm.

I tried to tip my usual 10% at the end of a meal...but my Thai hosts laughed and said it was much to much!

What is the correct amount and how much do you tip?

Staid at Jeps Bungalows there earlier this year (just the coldest air conditioning!) really enjoyed this little paradise...hope it remains a kept secret from other Farang!...."Mr. Suwat expressed confidence that with careful planning, Koh Samet could be turned into a world-class tourism destination"...oh dear! Nooooo!

Don't believe all the scare stories.

Prices for most things are LOW in Thailand, eating out and clothes and day to day items are very cheap compared back to the UK.

Condo prices are low too and you can get some amazing bargains.

Good advice to come out to Thailand and travel around a bit, check out the country and decide if you like Bangkok or maybe prefer beachside dwelling.

Always get legal advice!

Check this excellent link with a good FAQ guide.

http://www.thaiproperty.com/index.htm

Makes me ashamed to be British.

Can't someone get Somchai Wisetsingh to do another drive on shooting?..neither Thailand nor the UK need scum like this.

"Although there are some 16 witnesses to the killings almost all were reluctant to sign statements against Sergeant Somchai."

He's a free man. Too many contacts and money for this one to suffer.

Little Bobby Backpacker and his two spliffs should watch out for the might of Thai law though!

Doh!

Thai'd down by the love of a woman flaunting her newly won gems around town!

Time to enjoy prison food!

Much better idea!

Whats the youngest age you can legally be in a porn film in Thailand?

Another useful read....

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/atoz/a...ingoverseas.asp

Browse this link...it details benefits that can be claimed by British people who have retired and are living abroad. May even be worth a phone call the the gentlemans doctor who may be able to advise him on what he can claim for...but really I would think that there are so many Brits living overseas in their retirement that having paid national insurance contributions all their lives they should be able to claim them where ever they live.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/penret/pr_...ving_abroad.asp

Good luck to the guy.

Thailand has to be seen to "doing its bit" against the drug trafickers.

In the reality we all know marijuana and heroin and yabba and god knows else what is shifting out of the country by the tonnage. God the amount of Thai Stick in Amsterdam last week...it was everywhere...all of this happens with the Governments knowledge and who knows how many millions of $$$ are going into the hands of officilas.

Its just the small fry who get burnt...nothing more than a second rate publicity stunt by the authorities.

Looks good, achieves nothing.

"Food for thought though"

Bloody magic mushrooms.

Coruption from the top down,mafia,bad human rights record,high level drug traficking,bad sewers,standards of driving.

The things I like about the country far outweigh these few points though!

From the British Foreign Office website:

Still Current at: 30 October 2004

Updated: 29 October 2004

Thailand

This advice has been reviewed and reissued with an amendment to the Summary, Terrorism/Security and Health sections. The overall level of the advice has not changed.

SUMMARY

We recommend against all but essential travel to the far southern provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla. On 25 October 2004, in Tak Bai, Narathiwat Province, over 80 people are reported to have died following clashes between protestors and members of the Thai security forces. There have also been a number of explosions in both Narathiwat and Yala, the latest occurring on 29 October resulting in over 20 injured.

Thailand shares with the rest of South East Asia a threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate and against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

Watch out for crimes of opportunity. Theft of passports and credit cards is a problem. Passport fraud is high and penalties are severe.

Penalties for possession, distribution or manufacture of drugs are severe and can include the death penalty.

There have been renewed outbreaks of avian influenza (bird flu) amongst poultry in Thailand. There have been five deaths due to Avian Influenza since September. Travellers to Thailand are unlikely to be affected, but you should avoid places where you may come into contact with live poultry.

By law, tourists are expected to carry their original passports at all times in Thailand.

We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Terrorism/Security

Thailand shares with the rest of South East Asia a threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate and against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners. Westerners were deliberately targeted in terrorist attacks in Bali (October 2002) and Jakarta (August 2003 and September 2004). The Thai authorities have stepped up their counter-terrorism measures, including increased security at major tourist resorts. They have arrested a number of terrorist suspects, most notably a senior leader of Jemaah Islamiyah. Members of this organisation were implicated in the Bali (October 2002) and Jakarta (August 2003) bombings in Indonesia.

There has been a resurgence of criminal and political violence in the far southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat and Songkhla. We recommend against all but essential travel to these four provinces. On 25 October 2004, over 80 people are reported to have died following clashes between protestors and members of the Thai security force. A curfew has been imposed from 22:00 to 06.00 in the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala. The Thai government has declared martial law in some districts of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, which gives security authorities extra powers of search and detention. The violent incidents are the latest in an irregular series, including minor bomb attacks, over past years in these southern provinces. The targets are usually Thai government personnel or buildings, although civilians and Buddhist monks have also been killed this year, adding to inter-communal tension. More recently, tourist hotels and bars have been targeted.

On 28 October, an explosion near a bar in Sungai Ko-lok town, near the Malaysian border, is reported to have killed one person and injured at least 20 others. Two bombs exploded in Narathiwat Province on 26 August; one in a market place, resulting in one death and at least 27 injured; a second damaged property, but caused no casualties. On 21 August, there were three explosions in short succession, outside tourist hotels in Yala, resulting in 13 injuries. On 29 October a further two explosions occurred in Yala, injuring 24 people.

On 28 April, there were attacks on security forces in 10 locations in these four far southern provinces. Over 100 militants and five members of the security forces were killed.

On 27 March, an explosion outside a bar in the Thai-Malaysian border town of Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat Province injured 30 people, some seriously. On 30 March, 1400 kg of ammonium nitrate, 56 sticks of dynamite and 176 detonators were stolen in Yala province, southern Thailand. (Thai authorities have since recovered 800 kg of the ammonium nitrate).

Thanks for posting that Guran! I had no idea that sort of thing was going on!

Very informative...

"Microsoft has openly stated that WinXP Service Pack 2 is available for all XP users, including those who didn't pay for it. If you think about the security implications of it all, it makes sense."

No. I now have an edition of XP Pro running and it won't let me apply SP2. It refers me to a website which questions the validity of my copy.

Clearly Microsoft do not want you to have updates for a copy of XP that is not yours.

I will now have to find a key generator that will satisy whatever checking the system does, prior to adding updates.

Nice one Boozer!...thanks for that ...

Thanks for the comments everyone....at prices of up to 8000bht (£100+) I can understand why copies are so popular! its a lot for someone like me in the UK to pay let alone someone in Thailand.

Maybe I'll be naughty and give one of the copies a go as some seem to say you can update it no probs!...and as the OS has more holes than emental it does need to be up-dated.

So where is the best place to source a good copy disc? are the police a bit hot on your tail?...someone mention "Panthip"? where is that?

Cheers!

Well how much is a fake then?...but really once you have entered that aerial number would you still be able to upgrade via the Microsoft site?

Really I wouldn't trust a fake copy...I'm sure it wouldn't work properly!

How much does a genuine copy of Windows XP cost in Thailand?...how little can it be bought for and will it be compatible back in the UK?...thinking just of home edition though any price for Pro version welcome too....thinking of upgrading while on business there later this month...

Thanks...