sfbandung

"More than 30 THA members last week offered special rates to help Thai flood victims of Bt600, Bt900 and Bt1,200 per night until November 5. All these rooms were sold within days of the campaign launch."

No talk of government subsidised rooms? Probably open to flagrant abuse I suppose. Has the government set up shelters in Pattaya, Hua Hin etc for the 90% of people for whom a hotel room is a dream?

This doesn't sound like something to go charging into. There is going to be enough infrastructure damage as it is without deliberately destroying roads based on a "maybe" scenario. Unless it's minimal damage to roads that are pretty well unusable as it is now.

A Grand Coalition?

A terrific concept that won't happen.

Bangkok is about to suffer enormously over the next few weeks and the pollies putting aside their differences and combining their experience would truly be "Miracle Thailand".

Despite all the surrounding politics she seems genuinely upset to me.

This is looking like being a disastrous weekend for Bangkokians and it would be nice to see politics put aside for a while.

I can't believe the science minister missed the opportunity to have the aircraft carriers spinning their propellors in the river.

The flood crisis would be over!

Did that silly thousand boat thing ever happen BTW?

I wonder what percentage of all replies to all threads relate to Red/Yellow Pro/Anti Thaksin rather than the actual subject of the OP?

I may have misread it, but it reads like an article about proposed changes that could/will result in a less free-speaking press.

Which is apalling and should be opposed, regardless of what colour shirt you're wearing.

Now, back to the floods... Mobile phones are definitely still working well, my wife has been on the phone to her BKK sisters and brothers ALL DAY.

Chin up Bangkokians. It's going to be a rough weekend by the looks of things.

Not that it helps, but those of us who don't live there are thinking of you.

They don't deserve to be given the benefit of the doubt?

At least persecute them after they've done the wrong thing. Not before.

I just flew this morning from Port Moresby to Rabaul, which few people probably know, as it is in Papua New Guinea (a little north of Australia).

But there was a plane crash here on Thursday afternoon where 28 people (may they RIP) were killed. So here we are sitting in the departure lounge with everyone reading newspapers with charred aeroplane wreckage strewn all over the front pages. Not that comfy, and our plane was delayed an hour, "due to technical requirements".

Happened to me once on a Malaysia flight from KL back to London.

Knew sumit was wrong when the beer service stopped.

Sure enough had a look of of the window and one of the engines was on fire.Waved at the stewardess and she indicated.. shushh please..most passengers were sleeping and prob didnt know....

No Prob.

Pilot made a very confident call,put out the fire,told us that he would dump the fuel and headed back to KL...very professional.

Spent the night in a cracking hotel in KL and raided the mini bar...

I hate all those stupid emoticons, but your attitude is sensational.

The most frequent question that I get from nervous passengers is "Do big airliners like this crash very often?"

"Usually, only once." seems to re-assure them.

Fair dinkum Mick.

I posted on another thread yesterday, but it should be more appropriately here.

Whatever the physical costs are of the flood damages, and that will be tens of billions if not more, it is the perfect excuse now for the Government to say that tablet computers, minimum wage hikes, graduate wages and free wifi zones are now off the menu because of the costs of unprecedented natural disasters What a lucky Government!!

I wonder if Yingluck was actually praying to the River Goddess to stop or to bring it on

Indeed. But I don't think they need an excuse to back away from largesse that was neither practical or affordable at any stage.

They're politicians, they lie. As in Aesop's scorpion, it's their nature.

B300-400 billion, where could they find that sort of moolah. How about dumping the rice pledging scam, and continuing the current price guarantee system, which actually gets the subsidy to the farmers?

Besides saving huge amounts of money, there would be the side benefits of punishing all those stockpiling and importing rice ready for the scam to begin, and keep the rice price and Thailand's market share (relatively) constant.

Of course it won't happen, because everybody knows it's Thaksin's baby, and the Supreme Leader must be obeyed. The barter system is his preference; everybody that had their home flooded will receive a chook, 2 cucumbers and a carrot.

Incredible.At a time of national emergency in which all sides are joining hands, he still finds the time for his bile and hatred.

I meant it as an actual suggestion on the topic as originally posted. From my home on Samui, spared during THIS flood event, should I weep, tear my hair and gnash my teeth? Should i ignore an obvious scam when the need for funds is at its highest?

Apart from the obvious jibe in your final paragraph (which I believe jb was referring to) it is indeed a good suggestion. Like just about everyone I'm married to a rice farmer's daughter and it should be left like it is.

And if Chambers of Commerce the world over suddenly took control of all the governments, what a fine world we'd find ourselves in. Seriously, here in PNG they almost all have the most sincere expats and the creme of the indigenous businessmen as members.

Sad really. Very little money in the scheme of things and he had a 100% chance of being caught.

Not the full baht I reckon.

A particularly flattering shot of Her Hillaryness.

At least they care ...

She gambled. He didn't.

He knew. She didn't and probably trusted him. I'd only say they equally share the blame if he didn't know in advance that he was HIV positive, but he did.

She is guilty of perhaps being naive. He is a c&*t.

So the game was rigged. I've yet to see a game in Thailand that wasn't.

I agree with him being a c&*t, but HIV happens, and it transmits both ways. The girls give it to the guys and the guys give it to the girls, and around they go. And you can bet most if not all of the girls he infected here, are still working in the bars, passing it on, without a care in the world.

Don't forget this didn't happen in Thailand and the lady wasn't a hooker. He was in a relationship with her, he got her pregnant, and still, STILL didn't have the decency to tell her so she could protect herself.

I agree that in the open market everyone has to take care of themselves, but that wasn't the case here.

And you can bet most if not all of the girls he infected here, are still working in the bars, passing it on, without a care in the world.

And that is the problem... before I had my fix GF (not a bar girl), I was also having loads of fun with bar girls or beach road girls... and none ever thought about protection / had condoms with them... I always had as I heard enough about HIV statistics in Thailand... and some of the girls even got mad and asked "you not trust? you think I sick?"...

Oh dear, that's a sad tale. I can imagine it happening though. I've had a scare (had a previous partner who died of AIDS) so I'm a raincoat man, and on my first trip to Thailand I asked most of the working girls if they'd be happy to go bareback. To be fair probably half said, "no way". The other half was split between, "you pay me more", and "ok, if you like me long time". One said, "Ok, but not tuud, that how you get AID". I've spoken to loads of blokes who reckon the same, about half the girls will go without a dinger if you put the pressure on or throw money at it. Like I said, sad.

Woravat has an idea to provide the tablets with basic specifications, but if any schools want higher or advanced specifications, they can apply for funds to get them.

Curious to learn what these "basic and advanced specs" might be

The advanced models will come with Angry Birds pre-installed

"......... no dead bodies or starving kids flopping about.........."

What a charming turn of phrase! Your empathy underwhelms me completely.

That quote unfortunately undermines what I thought was an informed and measured comment by GK.

Some posters have failed to read the title of the OP - "Aid Group MSF Quits Thailand Over 'Govt Interference'". They "quit", they weren't thrown out. 'Government Interference'? MSF are a great organisation, but they can't complain about 'interference' in a sovereign state. They have a right to interfere.

Refugees are a huge problem the world over and quite often the receiving countries are abused for being "heartless" because they dare to try to exercise some control over who, how many, and why people are entering their country. Now I'll sound heartless no doubt but someone's hardship does not then usurp any country's right to have an immigration policy. Look at Australia. We are regarded as pariahs by many people because we insist that you follow the rules when you want to come to Australia. Thailand is far more transparent than many countries as far as access to these camps is concerned and many NGOs remain.

I live in Papua New Guinea and despite the excellent work done by many NGOs here they often insist that the work they are doing places them above the government's right to run its own country. The Bougainville crisis here was a case in point where many NGOs were actively fomenting dissent. Once again, I'm not suggesting this is the case with MSF, merely that the government does have a right to "interfere".

Okay, he is a bad guy. but what about the women? What were they thinking when they new that having unprotected sex is dangerous?

Yes, let's blame the victims. :realangry:

You have to blame them both.

Ooops, I was playing with a gun and I shot my face off. Lets blame the gun manufacture because I'm an idiot who plays with loaded guns.

If I run around having unprotected sex with girls and catch HIV, how can I blame the girl who gave it to me? Unless they are raped, everyone has a choice to use protection or not. If they don't, you roll the dice. Sometimes when you gamble, you lose.

She gambled. He didn't.

He knew. She didn't and probably trusted him. I'd only say they equally share the blame if he didn't know in advance that he was HIV positive, but he did.

She is guilty of perhaps being naive. He is a c&*t.

The only real way to increase water flow is to increase its capacity to flow by making the river deeper and wider at the mouth. I'm not sure this is even feasible. Does it empty into deep water at the Gulf of Thailand. Is there silt build up occurring at the mouth?

"Is there silt build up occurring at the mouth?"

Are you talking about Science Minister Plodprasop?

Ha ha! Very quick for this hour of the morning. I think in the case of the honorable (?) minister there's some very arid landscape just behind and upwards of the mouth.

The only real way to increase water flow is to increase its capacity to flow by making the river deeper and wider at the mouth. I'm not sure this is even feasible. Does it empty into deep water at the Gulf of Thailand. Is there silt build up occurring at the mouth?

This thread is getting nasty. I thought threats of physical violence were outside of the forum rules.

If you have one of these stupid twitter accounts you deserve to get a good hacking. What is the point and what good do they really serve other than a bunch of hair brains can be in constant touch with more hair brains.

Yep. Couldn't agree more. 99% of stuff posted on Twitter is absolute drivel.

"I just finshed my eggs for breakfast. Yummy!"

"Off to the dentist this morning. Scared."

"Going to sleep now. Nighty night"

The fact that you "follow" someone on Twitter say it all. It's pathetic.

In PNG they use them as fishing lures. Quite effective too.

The headline certainly got my attention, as it was meant to.