Shah Jahan

to make it simple for you:

forget about getting a divorce in LOS. there is no legal system here, its what ever you can get away with.

besides if the guy is smart and you initiated legal proceedings in Thailand, he would just legally move the money around to a new company/other country etc....

if you don't believe me, then you will after you spend 100k's in legal fees and all you get is a smiling lawyer and a stack of documents.

as for in england...well good luck

btw... you are sticking your hand into a basket of snakes.

if her sister was with a thai man and you tried to do the same thing to help, then the common conception would be that you are trying to steal his wife and he would have the unwritten right to defend himself against you as if you were breaking and entering into his home. at least thats how the courts would look at it.

Bottom line is that if you want to have a good advice from a competent doctor, go to a good hospital............

yes i agree, but where can you find a 'good hospital' in LOS......

Try Bumrungrad (not sure if you can afford it though.)

expensive does not always mean good

Bottom line is that if you want to have a good advice from a competent doctor, go to a good hospital............

yes i agree, but where can you find a 'good hospital' in LOS......

<medical rant on>

doctors here in thailand are pretty scary

they can do fine for childbirth or trauma, but i wouldn't let them do much else

when my wife was 9 months pregnant and due within a few days, she went into the chaing mai ram hospital for a checkup and said that she had a sore throat, the doctor that saw us (not our normal doctor thank god) prescribed a full course of paracetamol and Amoxocillain. We got home and threw the pills in the garbage, a few days later she gave birth fine. I mean come on guys.

ussally if I am unwell, I do my research on the internet and then goto a pharmacist to cross check and then we get the right medication. Pharmacists are the true doctors of thailand because they are accountable. If you goto a hospital (private or public) , it is just plain dangerous as they will just prescribe whatever pills they need to get rid of that month.

a few months back a friend of ours had jaundice and went to chaing mai ram. They told him he had a tumor and needed an operation to get it removed. So he had the operation and during the operation they punctured his bowels and caused him to be hospitalized for another month. meanwhile they discovered that the tumor was benign... but now he was laying dying in the hospital due to a botched surgery that never needed to happen.

and if the guy didnt get on a plane to America to get fixed up, he would probably be dead today.

<medical rant off>

goto your local metal shop - probably the place where they make the iron gates and bring them a picture and possibly a basketball as well and of course measurements.

but the most important thing is that you demand that the basketball is able to fit though the hoop that they fabricate (fully inflated that is)

I got stopped not too long ago when coming off loy kroh road to the night bazzar road and you arent supposed to go straight - well i went straight and a lone copper stepped out and wrote me a ticket. after he handed me the ticket - he directed me to his plain clothed friend hiding behind a garbage can to collect the fine.

it would be nice if they could replace their aging cabin crew as well

take a hint from Nok air - they are doing something right....

009 or 007...I have been told that are cheaper....how much?..no idea

Much appreciated, Torito!

I use 008 for the best rate 5 baht a minute to the US and Europe which is just stupid expensive. Assuming you have DSL or better the best bet is to use a VOIP like Skype or Yahoo Voice. I use yahoo and pay 1 cent a minute to the US and europe

what i am doing is protecting them against their ignorance.

Yet nobody protecting you against yours...................

my ignorance is great and i am thankfull when somebody will protect me against such.

as for the giving money aspects, after one of yo has lived in a village for the last 5 years while earning an income (ie..i have to work everyday for my money) then you can open joint bank account in your mother-in-laws name and I will just continue to be a money and power monger.

Have you ever considered how torn your wife may be? You blackmail her with your baby starving to get her over her cultural upbringing that requires her to help take care of the family?

You sure are the man…

TH

The family is well taken care of - better taken care of and more prosperous than everybody else in their village, thank you very much. what i am doing is protecting them against their ignorance. What i do is give me wife a 'face saving' excuse to not have to deal with the ignorant aspects of her family.

I make them come to me for requests and support rather than manipulating through my wife. that keeps her happy and focused on taking care of myself and Our family.. I give to good causes and laugh them out the door for their stupid requests. but then again I speak the language and that changes everything.

I do my best to turn my wife against her family to show her how they are ignorant and irresponsible and that if she listens to then, she will end up just like them. I use case in point examples where they have been given opportunities and they just fail and lie and never achieve anything. that all being said, if a family member wants something and if I even hear the slightest wink about it, the answer is a raging NONONO. So if one of the leechers want something, my wife knows not even to ask and has to decide whether to draw from her own limited bank account, which is also there for her to take care of our new baby. so she knows if she loans uncle keykait 4000 baht so he can buy a machate, then the baby may not have food or clothes.

on the other hand, i have been very selectively generous with my wifes family, building the parents a new house (i paid to have it built, not just gave them a lump sum to waste away) and putting a few of the sisters kids though school, (only the cute ones who listen to me and help out around the house.)

In thailand the home is the mans kingdom and if you dont claim this right, then you are doomed.

emerald is nice but they are very unfriendly to girls.

Agreed. Stay away from the Emerald. I stayed there for 1 week then moved over to the Palazzo. Emerald cost me 600baht to bring a lady up to my room!! Palazzo didn't even care.

I stayed at Palazzo for 6 months during a part time work experience, and thought Palazzo was the best all around. I got a great junior suite at a great price and everyone was nice and friendly the whole time I was there. No problems ever. I would never stay anywhere else. Girl friendly, guest friendly.

I know - its one of the best hotel room for the value money (stay in the studio room) i have found across the world (seriously) and forget about the location - easy access to the Ukraine embassy you know....

I need to know if there is some place in the area that is comparable.

Thank-you for those replies, I think the cash register is already ringing in her head so it doesn't matter what I say (her girlfriends are feeding her fairytales of new houses and cars) but it did make me realize that there must be Thai proverbs to describe such a situation and I've honestly never learned one. Let me study your answers and maybe I can make sense of it.

its funny we know a girl who went to the south to work in the industry, came back with a heap of cash and some sort of infection in her pu**y

so she checked into the hospital etc....etc....

by the time she was all 'cured' and the bills had been paid, she had no money in her pocket and a permenant frown.

isnt that a hotel that caters to the skin trade kind of tourist. those not welcome anymore.

actually most of the hotels in thailand cater to the skin trade type tourist. i stay there because it encourages my customers to come an have meetings with me due to the locality and they actually have the nicest rooms in BKK for the price. All new with hardwood floors for 1700 baht

anyways I heard that it was staked out and busted by the police and that some sort of international drug syndicate was running deals through there and a bunch of the rooms got busted up.

anyways my client told me that it would not be a good idea to stay there for a while as there might be some lingering business/watchers and i dont want to get caught in the crossfire

So now i need to find a hotel of comparable quality and price in the Ratchada area - any recommendations are welcome. any i dont mean those 4 star dumps with old green carpet and people who know how to bow in sequence- someplace nice you know....

I heard the Atrium Botquie is nice - anybody seen it?

I was actually at the Manilla Airport on Wednesday and the signs were all over the place - to the point of being in your face regarding that 'No joking about bombs'

Probably the prevalence of the signs caused the guy to set off some wisecracks

I didn't see the incident - but it was a pretty high stressed and over crowded airport aka American style - one of those places that you want to get out of as quick as possible

That's awful. I think your idea may work though, is he in touch frequently about the children at the moment? Is your g/f able to speak to them. IMHO, if the marriage has broken down and she wants rid of him, divorce and sole custody to her would be ideal. Offer the tosser some baht and a signed agreement that he won't do it again. Is it possible he stole them in order to get cash from you (does he even know you exist?.

I do live in cloud cukoo land sometimes I know, but I feel so sorry for her.

Good luck.

She isn't able to speak to her children. He won't let her. He doesn't know I exist as far as I know.

Was she abandoned by the husband? If so, when? Have divorce proceedings even begun? Do not be too quick to offer monetary compensation for a resolution. There is a strong liklihood that was the motivation all along. As others have said you may be in some danger and you ought to be keeping an extremely low profile me thinks.

They have been separated for half a year. He beat her and cheated on her. This is not a hustle. I've been in Thailand for a bit AND worked the Vegas strip for over a year where the hustlers- women and men alike were thicker than thieves. I don't ENTIRELY count out the possibility I'm being hustled, but if I could- I'd bet the bank I'm not...And I don't let go of my money easily.

Apparently she DID go to his mother's house. The mother claimed she didn't know where they were.

I just thought of something. What about paying a cop a few baht to just make a trip to his mother's house and ask a couple questions. Put a little scare into the mom for her son's well being? She calls him and suggests it might be better if he returns the kids, the cops are looking for him. This idea might get shot down by you all, but I can't think of much else. My GF goes to start divorce paperwork tommorrow. I appreciate all the suggestions. Any more ideas or thoughts appreciated...

-Damian

you are dealing in some pretty mucky karma

if you really want the kids just focus on the mother

i am sure she is the mastermind

If you read Britmavs post he says that its only for first timers really, he knows more than I do about this for sure, who told you about it anyway? did the family sugest that you needed to pay up?

Mark

my g/f told me, and she was talking about more than a hundred thousand,

several hundred I can assure you.

She earns 12.000 a month, surely this is a low income in Thailand, correct?

This is the reason I am asking here.

like i said you have the right to laugh. tell her she is 2nd hand, you get discount -

and if you cannot laugh at this request then you are doomed.

Dear reader,

I have a question about dowry (I already read all about it in this forum).

My g/f and myself have been together (apart, I'm in Europe) for 2,5 years now

My girlfriend is in her mid 30's from a farmers family in Bangkok

She went to primary/secundary school and some college

She works in a shop and earns 12000 max a month

She was married before to a Thai (not registered)

She left him many years ago (no registered divorce)

They have 2 children about 8-10 years old (he does not support them financially)

I've visited the family a few times, I like her kids, they like me.

We are talking about having a baby and getting married.

My questions:

Does the dowry also pay for the party and wedding clothes?

Does a dowry have to be paid again in this situation?

If so, what would be an estimated fair maximum?

I send her money every few months, for instance for the kids school, insurance, medical costs,

so actually I am already providing for the family

I read somewhere a dowry is from 50.000 and up to millions.

To be honest I cannot pay hundreds of thousands,

I try to save money and send them some regulary.

I love her and want her to be my wife, and have a baby asap

Can someone answer these questions from their knowledge and experience?

Thank you

Kind regards,

Mike

The idea of dowery is tradionally for young ones who have never been married/have kids

as your girl is older and had public lover/husband - any dowery you give will be a token. if you were thai due to these circumstance you would not be expected to pay much. That being said - make the parents happy and give them 40k - if anybody asks for more - you have the right to laugh

To make it easy- just go down Changpuak road (to mae rim)

Its the HUGE goverment office complex on the left (it almost looks like a palace)

The whole process took us about 50 minutes and cost around 1000 baht

Passport arrived in the mail within a week

I have heard that the hotel where I normally stay the Palazzo on Ratchada has been raided and ravaged by the police as they busted some illegal activity going on there. Has anybody who lives in the area heard of this and knows what the current status is?

Well lets just put ourselves in the husbands shoes for a moment

Wife of many years decides that she doesnt like thai husband anymore and takes HIS children away to work as a prostitute and have HIS children raised by some buffaloe forgiener she met while selling her body (not to say that your GF is a hooker, but according to the culture and the husband, that is what she is by being with you)

That is his perspective I am sure - If my wife and I separated and she wanted to be with somebody else I would take the kids away from her too., why would I allow my son to have another Father?..... Not saying that its right or wrong...but its Thai.

btw...I bet you 10 baht the kids are with his mother.

alos its quote funny and i hear the same thing my other thai speaking falangs freinds (thai speaking meaning can hold a conversation)

whenever we go most places and dont say a word, the thais will speak to us in thai.

places like the airport or 7-11 where they speak both thai and english

they can just sense when a falang can understand.

maybe is has to do with posture, dress, gold?

I learned to speak thai because all the best girls dont know how to speak english. by the time they learn how to speak english they can be a bit jaddded. I mean they had to learn that english somewhere and it certainly wasn't in school.

also by speaking in thai with your lady you have respect as a man and not just customer.

My "ideal" semi-retirement business partnership (50/50) in Patong Beach/Phuket has gone sour. My farang partner onsold the business without my knowledge and has pocketed all the proceeds (several million baht) and has gone into hiding. Has anyone any suggestions how to proceed? Or know of a good english speaking lawyer in Patong who would handle the case on a 'contigency basis' (important)?

Advise would be much appreciated

i would contact the "russian laywers" in pataya or maybe the upstanding lawyers who work their day jobs for the royal thai police. If that fails then perhaps you can contact the chinese chiu chow lawyers, inquire at your local pool hall. Be aware that all of these 'lawyers' will probably get the job done but charge a substantial fee.

But seriously man - the chances of this going to a Thai court and you getting a ruling is about the same as it snowing in chaing mai.

. if you aren't prepared to do this the 'Thai way', you might as well forget about your money.

Cabinet meeting to decide future of UHF television stations today

The Cabinet meeting today (April 24th) will decide whether UHF television stations will be managed as a free or public media. Meanwhile, the committee listening to the public’s opinions on UHF television stations prepares to draft an Act concerning broadcasting business in Thailand.

Chairwoman of the committee listening to the public’s opinions on UHF television stations, Darunee Hiranrak (ดรุณี หิรัญรักษ์) says the issue of UHF television stations will be clarified during the Cabinet meeting today. The chairwoman also voices the committee's readiness in implementing the Cabinet’s decision. However, it is up to the government whether it will launch a short-term or a long-term plan on the management of the television stations, she adds.

In addition, Somkiat Tangwanich (สมเกียรติ ตั้งวานิช), a member of the committee, says he thinks UHF television stations should be run as a public media to prevent business tycoons from influencing the stations. If the stations are managed as a free media, they need advertisements and financial support from business tycoons. However, he says a public media can be transformed into a free one if laws concerning the country’s media are amended.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 April 2007

translation: "no want thaksin run itv"