sfbandung

I have the answer to her problems! This from Prachatai in a discussion about Thais' English skills (or lack thereof):

"many Thai university students can be easily put to shame by the English ability of some bar girls and taxi drivers"

It's very true. In my wife's village at Christmas/New Year the best English speakers were invariably girls on holiday from "working" in Pattaya/Phuket etc.

Off to Pattaya you go Yingluck, you'll be fluent in no time flat.

Edit: FYI prachatai is not blocked from outside Thailand apparently.

This is yet another red shirt/yellow shirt forum. The same old people declaring Yingluck to be the anti-christ even if she were to raise someone from the dead. And of course the same old people declaring her to be divine regardless of what a brain-dead puppet she appears to be at times.

Judging her intellect by how she expresses herself in English makes no sense, regardless of how corruptly you believe she obtained her "degree".

I have an Asian doctor in Australia. Her English is shocking, her skills as a doctor outstanding. And she has her degree from Sydney University, where you'd be brave to suggest she obtained it corruptly.

I've stated before that I like her, but it's a gut feel thing. I come from neither politicial camp, but the partisan nature of the debates here sometimes staggers me.

In this particular situation I think she handled herself well, which is a good follow up to how badly she has performed previously.

I like her. But I'm from Australia where our current batch of politicians would make anyone look good. From all the commentary I've read the fact that she is quite an attractive lady works against her.

Hi,

I'm looking for a talking dictionary for windows for my wife. All the software I see on the internet seems designed for English speakers learning Thai, not the other way round.

Does anyone know of a piece of software that is readily available for this? I'm not looking for freeware, happy to pay for a quality product.

Cheers,

Steve

Better "Eerie silence" than morbid speculation.

"including crying without shyness."

For shame. Well, on me I suppose. I'm the stupid bugger sitting here reading this crap.

All typical stuff from The Nation. It is such a partisan rag.

He was making some sense until the photogenic and fashion sense comment. Showed his true colours, or colour rather. I switched off then.

Does someone just make up these stories? I'm not going for it.

Great collage of Whitney Houston's face.

I'm waiting for the day when Thai authorities start looking in to the Thai habit of putting MSG in nearly all cooked food, whether knowingly or not (it's in all cooking sauces). A significant proportion of pill popping by Thais is probably in response to the crap-head symptoms of MSG ingestion.

Whenever there's a VIP function with foreign dignitaries in Thailand, MSG is not allowed in the food. Authorties in vaulted positions know MSG is harmful - but the heck with the little people - we're just dumb peasants, and will eat whatever makes our rice taste saltier.

"Authorties in vaulted positions know MSG is harmful"

No they don't. The jury is very much still out. MSG occurs naturally in many, many foods. From what you are saying, tomatoes could never be served at a VIP function.

The idea of sending teachers overseas is not a bad one. A bit of motivation to use the language, some immersion, watching TV, shopping and actually having to use the language would go a very long way. The problem is, they need to be separated from other Thai speakers.

There also should be some structure to the program. Classes in a university setting would be a good start. A literature course and perhaps a writing class. Then plenty of everyday use of the language.

This 'program' has none of the requirements of being a program.

Other than the issue of food, I've known a few Thais who traveled abroad alone and did quite well.

You're right. We live in PNG and it's been interesting seeing my wife (and the other Thai ladies she naturally mixes with) being "immersed" in English and how quickly their language (spoken and written) improves. Necessity is the mother of invention as they say.

On the other hand I despair of ever getting on top of written Thai.

Meanwhile, there is a nearby city that is just teaming with native English speakers. They could send the teachers there for a while. Might be a bit cheaper.

I think it's called Bangkok, or something like that.

And let's hope they'd use the word "teeming" in your first sentence.

Yep I just hate that when I'm talking to somebody and they say teaming instead of teeming. Makes my ears bleed, it does.

Can I blame apple's auto-correct?

Yep, let's blame the auto-correct. Sorry, but we were talking about English teachers so I figured some pedantry was in order.

Meanwhile, there is a nearby city that is just teaming with native English speakers. They could send the teachers there for a while. Might be a bit cheaper.

I think it's called Bangkok, or something like that.

And let's hope they'd use the word "teeming" in your first sentence.

i go through the Thai side with the wife, they always let me do that and its always quick

Is this expressly permitted or is it a loophole?

Don't know but it works for me also! But sometimes they drag their heals there as well and on our last trip we would have been better off in the Farang ques. The officer did apologise to us complaining of being tied.

It's allowed. Families can stay together.

Must have commented to him how nicely his purse complimented his tatts and he misunderstood and took it the wrong way.

Nicely spotted. The old fake LV manbag.

_{How hard is it to become an immigration officer? and what are the requirements needed?}

_{PHD in criminology ? BA in pencil pushing? doctorate in sour faces?}

Even more than that.. its a highly complex job... eye hand co-ordination is needed in picking up the departure form and making sure its signed, then placing the passport in a scanner and pushing the button.. don't forget they need great skill in photography as well, focussing that little camera on a stick is intricate and tricky and requires great visual coordination. Lastly and this is probably what the hold up is in the training, is stamping both the passport and the departure card and actually hitting them with the stamp.

I think we need to be careful not to underestimate the complexities of this job.

And here's me thinking it was an easy job! Thanks for the clarification. They let our daughter move the camera around once to find me, I generally find them ok. Just sloooooooooowwwwww.

And they should fine the idiots coming from Phuket (or whatever tourist place) who get to the front of the queue and haven't filled the form in yet. It's only been sitting in their passport the whole bloody time they were there!

I go through the first class section. Sometimes I have to wait 5 minutes.

Very flash. But for myself, wife and daughter, Brisbane Bangkok Brisbane is AUD$8,000 (240,000bt) more expensive and that's for business class. I'm not bone arse poor but I can't justify that for a 9 hour flight.

i go through the Thai side with the wife, they always let me do that and its always quick

So do we normally, but it was just a madhouse in January.

About time. We were on the midnight flight to Brisbane in January and it was a riot alright. Nearly two hours in the immigration queue. We were being paged by the time we got near the departure gate.

This foreign ownership issue is a furphy. Anyone with a modicum of economic savvy knows that foreign investment is always good. Land of course is emotive, but in the words of a famous premier of Queensland, "They can't take it home with them". At the time the Japanese were buying huge tracts of Queensland at grossly inflated prices. They did their <deleted> and contributed enormously to the economc development of the state. Playing the xenophobia card is always good politics, but doesn't mean anything.

Wanted, secretary, under 30, must be female, attractive

As long as adverts are written like this, it shows that no one here understands equality anyway.

Seriously? That was an ad? I remember a bloke from Australia was in all sorts of trouble for advertising for waitresses - "Uniform supplied, to size 10 only"

I hope TV keeps following this story because we (well me) are definitely missing something here.

Are you sure you're missing something, I think there is nothing much to it.

Foreigner has relationshio with Thai girl, they go into business together from his money, putting all real estate in her name. She has enough of him and starts a relationship with somebody else, which within one year breaks off. Foereigner and girl keep seeing eachother, but she has enough and tells him she wants to break up and will keep the real estate. He gets angry and kills her.

In order to keep income of the mentioned real estate he decides to continue business as before and simply have her disappear. After 3 years of persistence the girls family manages to get the police interested, and they find her remains in the foreigner's basement. In order to get a light sentence the foreigner decides to confess to accidently killing her, hoping to get off with 10 years. Since there is no/hardly any evidence otherwise, he'll probably get those 10 years.

Ok thanks. Perfectly clear now. A few (educated I suppose) assumptions there?

Incidentally, what I find interesting is the number of married/attached women who seem to drift off (ok have sex) with policemen. A mate of mine up north headed back to the old dart for a month and his missus for a long time got pregnant to a copper while he was away. And I've read about it here too. Do the ladies have a fascination for men in uniform? The power? I dunno.

I hope TV keeps following this story because we (well me) are definitely missing something here.

She cheated him with a Phuket police officer, which is the worse in Norwegian culture that can happen to a man: she just showed no respect for farangs, just good for the money and furthermore colluding in the scam with the Phuket Police (who she married in the meantime), and who everyone from us, farangs, know how reliable they are when it is related to Foreigners.... They only have one rule they know: not what is wrong or right, but what is Thai and non-Thai... and that is all what they are relying on.

No wonder he is refused bail...

I understand Dokset, sorry... I have my feelings too when reading this story and knowing this Phuket Police...

What a bizarre post. What do you have stashed in your basement?

This story seems to have changed since last time. How does he have a fit of jealous rage when she supposedly had left him more than a year before and had a baby to the copper?

I'm confused.

And here we have a man, being fed wisdom by the spoon!

"A man with so many questions and so few answers.

Why do they not consider themselves prostitutes? Because they have the right of refusal, and to take those and how many they are willing to accept.

why keep it from their families? Because they want to move home sometime, and in Thailand (as elsewhere) a man who has many partners is a butterfly or a stud, whereas a woman is a slut or whore. Do you know what a rethoric question is?

Why don't you know one bar-girl not drunk or stoned nightly? The class of bar you frequent. Some in Patpong! In EVERY bar I frequent drugs are banned. And prostitution is illegal in Thailand! Young people with money in a bar, being offered free drinks - you expect abstinence? Does it happen in the village?

Some girls wear swimsuits, but they are expensive. None fancy sunburn or a tan.THAT is your explanation? Really?

Are you that old that you dislike shagging 4 times a night, or are you suggesting 4 customers @ B500 up? The decision is HERS.Is it? With an abusive bf/pimp at home, you gives you a nice round of slaps, if you don't come home with enough?!

Premature aging from burning the candle at both ends. My mum warned me about that. "

I see: the decission is hers, it is easy money, they are just greedy and lazy!

Stereotypes are a great thing, aren't they!?

You speak of yourself. A stereotypical judgemental tosser. You've taken an incredibly narrow focus and insist it is the norm.

Your argument holds no more water than me calling you lazy and greedy. Why? Because I don't know you, but you cast the "lazy and greedy" tag on thousands of people you don't know.