sfbandung

It's Sunday and I feel like being ridiculed.

That's a terrific picture of Yingluck. Sure she's a puppet, but a great looking one.

Just sayin'

Any interference in the free market whether pro farmer or pro middleman, pro domestic or pro foreign, is going to distort prices. By keeping the price high for the existing farmers, only encourages them to stay in the business, this year and next year, and maybe encourage more people to start growing rice, which all together will make the matter worse the next year. Let the free market work, and some farmers will surely suffer a loss, then next year, maybe they will grow soybeans, or maybe just starve to death, so then next year there will be fewer farmers and the remaining ones will each get a bigger piece of the pie.

The U.S.A. certainly has no right to talk about subsidies to farmers. The u.s. heavily subsidizes various crops and livestock.

I couldn't agree more. US farmers just don't have a good track record on monopolising markets or trying t freeze others out by other means, ie beef, GM vegetables. Also seed patents by agrochemical companies. Not too mention pharmaceuticals, etc, etc

+1. The US and the EU con all manner of governments into so called trade agreements and then blatantly, and unapologetically, subsidise their own agricultural sectors. It is typical of the US to then cry foul if there is even a perception of another government doing the same. Australia in particular has long been a victim of playing by the rules in an uneven playing field.

The free market, Adam Smith's "invisible hand" as it were, should be allowed to prevail. However it is naive in the extreme to think that this will ever happen on a global scale.

I try to stay out of this red shirt/yellow shirt stuff.

But, here you have the DPM basically saying that he will not uphold the law becasue he thinks it's a bad law and when we have good laws he will.

Wow. It doesn't matter what side of the fence you sit, that's very bad. Scary bad.

Whenever Governments interfere with the market - however good their intentions may be - it usually ends up in a total shambles for all concerned. The EU's agriculrural policy of subsidies created one fiasco after another. When will we ever learn?

Agree entirely. Look at Australia at the Australian Wheat Board and the Australian Wool Corporation debacles. At one stage they held so much wool that releasing it all at once would have killed the world market. One piece of advice at the time was to burn the stockpile.

This pledging scheme had disaster written all over it.

Odd story. He just sat there watching the money run out and did nothing? I'm 48 but still too young to retire and am focussed on accumulating wealth for later, not watching a diminishing sum with an impending sense of doom. He's only 42. Get a job.

Also we of course only know his side of the story. My missus reckons we're missing something here. So do I.

"Well-Known Australian Ex-Pat Golfer"

By who? I think he's far more "well known" now.

It's hubtastic. Again.

This isn't satire?

Off the original topic--but who isn't

I guess I have to chime in here. But first let me put my self into one of your neat little boxes. I am a happily married 65 year "old" (but not fat). Married to a wonderful 44 year old Essan "RPG". She is "younger than my daugther". I feel that I am one of the "lucky ones". Her "brothers" helped me build our house with no pay ( I]m family) and got the steel for the roof framing at wholesale though a connection of theirs. Her oldest brother that walks around the house half dressed in his orange robes when he comes to visit is a wonderful human being. I drive the family truck that is being paid for by my wife's younger sister that works for 15,000 baht a month at a factory in Bangkok. She doesn't even drive. She felt the farm needed one. I pay to keep it running but they refused to let me buy the tires. Two of my wife's sister's husbands has borrowed money from me and paid me back in the time agreed on. Beyond that, no one has asked me for money.

My wife, all 40kg of her, is true "RPG". Not at all afraid of work. When building the house. she bent steel, mixed concrete, works everyday with me in the rice paddy plugging holes and cutting out the grass (this almost "kills" me, maybe thats the plan).

What we have "in common"-- I was born in rural "Old South". Outhouses,pot belly stoves. piss pots under the bed, my grandfather shotting rabbits for dinner. She had to wrap leaves around her feet to walk on the hot roads but I can relate somewhat to poor Thais. But beyond that--we repect each others differences.

My mother, God rest her soul (What the hell has she got to do with this!?!) at the age of 50 married a man of 27. I was shocked ( I was 27) "This will never last" I thought. Jim was right there when she died at 76 (side note--she lost a leg due to open heart surgery at 59). You think you understand LOVE?

OK, enough about me. You see where I am coming from.

You look out the window of the train and see these dirty wooden shacks and notice the satelite dish. What they are watching is some "soap" with actors and actresses, quite a number of which have farang fathers to give them that "white" look, stories about living in huge houses and driving BMWs and the like. Then they get to see an ad for some fast food that "only" costs a day and a halfs wages. For better or worse, Thai women are taught to take care of their parents and many go to the cities to work where they know they can make money. At first, they are poor Thai women giving up their soul, but soon become what that Farang is looking for-- a funny talking, fun loving half drunk exotic in sexy western clothes that puts out. I don't think most of you have the slightest idea what a true "RPG" is.

Anyway--the norm. I know a little over 2 dozen Thai/ Farang couples. All but two met in a bar. Of them only one do I fear for his life (Shes a thrower, knifes, bottles, kitchen uppers) 3 others, unheathly for different reasons. I know one ex school teacher that gets money sent from 5 farang boyfriends. A good healthy western serial monagomist but maybe the terms are a little shorter than the western average.

About western women-- brings up my favorite Doonsbery. One of the regular characters (sorry I can't remember his name--The one the dark hair that is always smoking) trys to put the make on this young woman at a bus stop. She looks him up and down and says " Gees, you must be over 50, why don't you look for someone more your age". He thinks about it a minute and then looks around and sees a woman his age. He walks over to her. She looks him up and down and says " Gees, you must make under 50"

you sound like someone I would like to sit down and have a beer with.

Me too. We're a rare breed here, blokes who actually like their Thai wife and family.

I'll stick with Leo. It's the closest in taste to my South Pacific Lager that I drink in PNG, which is also owned by Heineken.

Sounds great to me. We normally fly into Swampy then overnight in BKK for a night or two before heading to Udon.

In December flying the family down (8 of us) for 890 bt pp each way on Air Aisa compared to 2,195 each for TG.

My missus had her nose done before I met her. I wonder which type she had? She said it was a big hospital in BKK and was expensive.

I've seen pics of her before and she looked different. Not worse, just different. I told her she was beautiful before and still is. No more cosmetic surgery. She probably figures, "No need now, got myself a farang".

The stats for Brasil are surprising. The women there are beautiful and they're crazy for enhancements as well. Go figure.

Sad, but a routine business in that part of the world. I lived not far from Baan Phai from 2001 to 2011. Sorry to say it, but it really is savage up there in parts and I do feel for all the nice normal people (including Thais) stuck in that situation.

To all of you blokes thinking of marrying and moving to Issan, really, just stop and think. Upcountry is not very safe.

My Isaan wife says, "Do they know that sometimes Farang husbands treat their wives very badly? Still going to bars and seeing other ladies. I don't like this Thai Visa, why do they all hate Thailand? There are good and bad people everywhere."

I know a load of people who have lived there for many years, most happy, some not. The odd disaster but hardly routine. Large age gaps (I'm 19 years my wife's senior) and cultural differences mean these relationships can tend to start behind the 8 ball as expectations are so different. Some blokes come here and expect their much younger Thai wife to behave exactly the same as the spouse they bailed out on in the west, except be much prettier of course.

And before anyones asks, only married 3 years, so I supposedly still have the rose coloured glasses on. But I've lived in a 3rd world country for 20 years (PNG) and have seen many, many large age gap, cross cultural relationships. They aren't all bad and the overwhelming majority of blokes married to Thais are in good, mutually loving relationships.

I'm not for one second condoning or making excuses for the alleged murder in the OP, just going against the trend of this thread in that it is the rare exception, hardly the rule.

Casting general aspersions on Isaan people or Thais in general (though popular on TV) just isn't fair.

Keep living the dream my friend, but be very careful you could be next. Does your young wife have a brother living at your house?

She does in fact, well they live next door. I used to think that he and his wife and their kids were so happy. But now that I've been wised up by caring, objective TV posters I know it's all an elaborate scam!

And the rest of the family are in on it too. You'd be amazed what good actors they are. Everyone in the village is on it too! He even pretends to call the actress he lives with's mother his mother in law.

Thank Buddha for TV, or I'd have gone on thinking it really was her brother, perhaps for years. When it's statistically proven that he really is my wife's lover, or maybe even long term husband. My wife told me to stop being ridiculous, but I just can't trust her any more.

You know, I don't know what to say........the urban myth made real. That poor gentleman looking for some companionship and retirement in the Sun, shot down by a greedy vicious little bitch.

A shocking and disgraceful act, cowardly and reprehensible.....that poor man. That bitch should face the death sentence herself, along with her accomplices,

Complete and utter scum,

This type of story is no urban myth, in fact has happened all too many times. A word to the wise: If your much younger wife has a "brother" hanging around, even for years and years, better make sure it is indeed a sibling and not a lover. Personally know of a couple of these cases ...

So personally you know a couple of complete idiots. This shit would be so easy to spot. A couple of years and not working it out? It makes no sense.

"oh tonight honey I'll stay with my brother"

"Sorry for coming home at 2 am honey, I was with my brother"

"Yes, my brother is not gay. He just doesn't have a girlfiend" For 2 years or more!

"My brother needs money again. I know he has no family he jst needs money again"

"I always kiss my brother like that"

"It's not that he doesn't like you honey, he laughs at everyone behind their back"

Really.

Well, your wrong, cos some of us long timers have seen it all. Many farang are blind, but thats OK, cos we don't expect it. This is LOS, totally different culture where the unexpected can happen and does.

I'm wrong then. Can't argue with a long timer. But I've seen many a scam, and managed to spot most from a long way off.

And I live in "the land of the unexpected". Google it.

You know, I don't know what to say........the urban myth made real. That poor gentleman looking for some companionship and retirement in the Sun, shot down by a greedy vicious little bitch.

A shocking and disgraceful act, cowardly and reprehensible.....that poor man. That bitch should face the death sentence herself, along with her accomplices,

Complete and utter scum,

This type of story is no urban myth, in fact has happened all too many times. A word to the wise: If your much younger wife has a "brother" hanging around, even for years and years, better make sure it is indeed a sibling and not a lover. Personally know of a couple of these cases ...

So personally you know a couple of complete idiots. This shit would be so easy to spot. A couple of years and not working it out? It makes no sense.

"oh tonight honey I'll stay with my brother"

"Sorry for coming home at 2 am honey, I was with my brother"

"Yes, my brother is not gay. He just doesn't have a girlfiend" For 2 years or more!

"My brother needs money again. I know he has no family he jst needs money again"

"I always kiss my brother like that"

"It's not that he doesn't like you honey, he laughs at everyone behind their back"

Really.

sfbandung says "The odd disaster but hardly routine" Ummm.............

you can see these guys at the airport arriving, Victims, Naive guys who dont understand the Thai Smile . It looks so honest and happy, and often the "smile of an assasin"

There are thousands who are not murdered but certainly robbed, Some of these females play the"long game", maybe "in love with a falang guy" for a year or two , and then "down to business"

Maybe I just meet happy, naive people? Perhaps I am one. Like I said, I know of horror stories but they are the rarity, not the norm. And of them very few are full on rip offs. But bad news makes good press.

He needs a good feed that's for sure. Sure, there are naturally skinny people but that's an amphetamine abuse look if you ask me. I wonder how long he's been awake?

He's Russian - never passive or jai yen yen. If he mixed it up with drugs, booze - enough said. And Robblok - are you on roids or sumfink? Why are you so defensive of this <deleted>? He smashed up his condo - again, enough said.

how is he a <deleted>? cos he isn't old and fat?

besides, if the guy decides to smash up his condo, that's his right, isn't it?

Sure it's his right if it's his gear. But it still makes him a <deleted>.

Why the complaint about it not being broke down by race? Muslim is not a race. The percentage of women in Thailand who are not Thai or Thai/Chinese is so low it wouldn't have any statistical bearing.

But forgetting all that, it is a complete BS Online Survey by a freaking condom company looking to sell condoms.

Yep. And not to mention that 4.6% of Thais are Muslim, so half of that is Thai Muslim women. Hardly representative.

So it's three fifths of nothing talking about nothing.

I mean no disrespect to anyone, but we are missing something here. Was it night time? If it was day time then surely there would have been witnesses to a horrific scene which would have taken some time.

I don't get it.

Statistics show that 100% of divorces started with marriage.