sfbandung

It only tells a very small part of the story. Do a survey at Pattaya, or Phuket or Nana or anywhere. "Would you like to go back to the rice farm and spend 12 hours in a field or paddy for 300 baht a day? Or keep doing this?" Or, as my wife was doing before she got smart and moved to Pattaya, working 10 hours a day in a factory in Bangkok.

Plenty of people in the villages are doing drugs or gambling their lives away. You don't necessarily have to take drugs if you are on the game, it is just another life decision.

The answer is to make everyone rich, but that is impossible of course. The sex industry exists at some level in every society. Of course the workers need protection and the only way that can happen is if the government accepts it exists and regulates it.

I did. 7 years and going strong. 18 year age gap. And I "did it all wrong" according to this forum. Bar girl, Isaan. Anything is possible.

My wife's family are so respectful to me it is embarrassing. I provide for my wife and son of course but her parents have the farm and can take care of themselves very well. We have a Mu 7 that sits in the garage when we are away, which is most of the time as I live and work elsewhere. The old man won't drive it. When I tell my wife it would be better if someone actually used it, she says, "Dad said it isn't his car". Most Thais I know are very proud, there is the odd leech of course, but by and large they seem to like to fend for themselves.

As for the OP, things don't tend to change overnight. Things must have been like this for some time and if that is how it is I wouldn't tolerate it for one second. If that happened I'd tell my wife to make sure they never come back again. In fact she wouldn't tolerate it either. Tell them to get their act together or bugger off.

It is in case you get thirsty while taking a dump. Make sure you wrap your lips completely around the end and be careful, sometimes the pressure might be a bit strong and you'll spill some. Water is a scarce resource in Thailand.

I just figure a satirical post deserves a satirical reply. You understand "mai pen rai" but have remained bum gun ignorant? What exactly did you do when there was no toilet paper?

What is "1 Baht" gold? I have seen it on the forum..1 baht..2 baht...but never knew what it means.

15.16 grams in jewellery form, 15.244 in bullion form. A little less than half a troy ounce of pure gold. Thai gold is generally 96.5%

Deary me, clearly the creme de la creme of Pattaya society. A pair of Norwegian Lo So's.

Bashing Norwegians now are we?

Yes, I am embarrased, but don`t think you know anything about a typical Norwegian.

This is far from it.

No TB not at all. Just this pair. I am an Aussie and if they were Australian I would have said, "A pair of Aussie Lo So's" Emphasis on the Lo So. And sadly in my experience we knock out more of them than you do.

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Deary me, clearly the creme de la creme of Pattaya society. A pair of Norwegian Lo So's.

My little Isaan wife is the love of my life. These have been the best years of my life.

He looks young. Where are his parents? Been in Thailand for 15 years, he must have grown up here then. Something is missing here.

While the questions appear valid, what seems missing is compassion for the victim.

My questions stem from compassion. Being curious and compassionate are not mutually exclusive.

He looks young. Where are his parents? Been in Thailand for 15 years, he must have grown up here then. Something is missing here.

That is what I immediately thought. Growing up in Thailand then going to a Bangkok University and graduating (remember lectures are in Thai at Uni, and technical Thai is a whole different ball game to talat Thai). I'm not saying its not true, but that is not the norm. Usually falang kids who grow up in Thailand go home to continue with tertiary studies, because they just don't have the level of Thai needed. And yes where are the parents ? Additionally, if he is an Australian national, after such a long term in hospital why hasn't he again gone home. Something is not quite right with this reporting, or his story.

From the Go Fund Me page -

He is the child of a single mother. I would guess she works in Thailand.

Kid was on scholarship at the private, English language, NIST International School in Bangkok and planning to leave Thailand to attend Uni in Australia. (Also, it's not correct that lectures are always in Thai at Uni. Thammasat and CU (among others) have undergrad and graduate programs taught entirely in English.)

Why stay here then and struggle when she can get social security in Australia and Medicare and he would be a public patient?

Sister in law next door to the right, was married to UK guy but he has bailed. Teenage daughter. Great people, like a real sister to me.

Parents in law next door behind us. Great people, like real parents to me and most importantly real grandparents to my daughter from a previous relationship. Cannot speak highly enough of them. Hard working decent people who have been excellent parents to 7 children.

Sister in law next door to parents. Interesting lady, first born and has spent time in prison (ex husband a drug dealer, still inside), makes her quiet and keeps to herself.

Brother in law who stays with various of the above. Nice bloke. Part electrician, part plumber, part carpenter and builder. Keeps all of our places working and we feed him. Drinks too much and keeps hurting himself in motorbike crashes. But is only trouble to himself.

Various aunties and uncles close by. Some good some bad but they don't really affect us.

I love it.

Do decent families have jailbirds and drug dealers in them these days?

One black sheep doesn't make the whole family bad

Thanks Sydman, correct. I replied to BMT above ...

Sister in law next door to the right, was married to UK guy but he has bailed. Teenage daughter. Great people, like a real sister to me.

Parents in law next door behind us. Great people, like real parents to me and most importantly real grandparents to my daughter from a previous relationship. Cannot speak highly enough of them. Hard working decent people who have been excellent parents to 7 children.

Sister in law next door to parents. Interesting lady, first born and has spent time in prison (ex husband a drug dealer, still inside), makes her quiet and keeps to herself.

Brother in law who stays with various of the above. Nice bloke. Part electrician, part plumber, part carpenter and builder. Keeps all of our places working and we feed him. Drinks too much and keeps hurting himself in motorbike crashes. But is only trouble to himself.

Various aunties and uncles close by. Some good some bad but they don't really affect us.

I love it.

Do decent families have jailbirds and drug dealers in them these days?

They do actually, as this experience proves. However in her defence it was her (now ex) husband that was doing it without her knowledge. She was in the house when the bust went down and got a custodial sentence much shorter than his. She has nothing to do with drugs and will choose future partners more carefully. It is a sad thing really because when it happened she was too ashamed to contact anyone in the family and effectively disappeared for two years. We only found out she has been inside when she re appeared.

Sister in law next door to the right, was married to UK guy but he has bailed. Teenage daughter. Great people, like a real sister to me.

Parents in law next door behind us. Great people, like real parents to me and most importantly real grandparents to my daughter from a previous relationship. Cannot speak highly enough of them. Hard working decent people who have been excellent parents to 7 children.

Sister in law next door to parents. Interesting lady, first born and has spent time in prison (ex husband a drug dealer, still inside), makes her quiet and keeps to herself.

Brother in law who stays with various of the above. Nice bloke. Part electrician, part plumber, part carpenter and builder. Keeps all of our places working and we feed him. Drinks too much and keeps hurting himself in motorbike crashes. But is only trouble to himself.

Various aunties and uncles close by. Some good some bad but they don't really affect us.

I love it.

I have to admit my experience was very similar. All the used cars we looked at, it the 1M range, were so close to the brand new price that in the end we bought brand new. Had cash but the finance offer was so good why use your own money. A Mu 7 for the record, had it two years, one of the best cars I've owned. Discussions I've had seem to support the view that used cars in Thailand just seem to hold their value.

So your experience was also that second hand cars here are quire expensive or that second hand cars at the tents are cheaper than the online offers?

Used cars in general. This was only in Udon Thani though, not sure if there is a regional difference, and we only went to dealers. The couple of people selling used cars around Ban Dung also wanted too much IMO.

I have to admit my experience was very similar. All the used cars we looked at, it the 1M range, were so close to the brand new price that in the end we bought brand new. Had cash but the finance offer was so good why use your own money. A Mu 7 for the record, had it two years, one of the best cars I've owned. Discussions I've had seem to support the view that used cars in Thailand just seem to hold their value.

Just stop going. I go to things/meetings when they are enjoyable or are achieving their original purpose, be that philanthropic or just entertainment. If it isn't happening any more then I'd just bail. Others will follow suit and eventually you'll gel into another group ...

It is interesting. I had only ever thought of it as a hetero thing and almost always man on woman with the woman being the victim. Same sex relationships have the same potential for possessiveness and jealousy I suppose, perhaps more so.

He is a high profile guy working in the grey areas of "business". This is what happens.

Why is he surprised? I'm not. And does he think this battle with the police can be won long term? Silly.

Does Thailand allow dual nationality? If I were to apply for Citizenship can I keep my Australian Passport? And is there a residency requirement similar to Australia?

Sham marriages everywhere are used for immigration purposes and typically the target is the local person involved. not the foreigner. I hear that some of these women have had their identity stolen but at the Amphur there had to be a local involved. They should be the main target of the investigation ...

as much as i so love thailand just the word thailand now makes my ass pucker up tight and puts me on alert if they not steal all of my money rob me of my health then theres a damm hired hit man waiting to kill me so they can get large insurance payments get me out the way fast so they work on the next dumb ass that comes along and all this is true very very true

"as much as i so love thailand ..." and then proceed to slag it in an unpunctuated piece of hate.

Troll.

Only 9,000 a month average? There are some tight @rses out there. I must be pushing that average way up.

And for the record I'm not complaining one little bit. My Isaan lady and her family (all of them) are the best people I have known. Hard working and honest. Perhaps I just got lucky but these are the best days of my life.