Estrada

Travelers have luggage and anybody that has used the airport rail link knows that few travelers use it, mostly commuters.

Everybody that uses the link know that the travellers use the Citi-Link, along with their luggage, to save money. The Airport link fare was originally too high. In any case the Airport Link has not been running for some time now due to lack of spare parts. The last time I tried to use the Citi-Link, it was arriving at Hua Mark Station jam packed with tourists(including Thai Tourists) along with their luggage. It was so packed that no passengers could get on the trains that arrived from the Airport for a long time.

i dont think high speed rail does anything for thailand's 'tourism' they havn't even constructed light rails in cities like phuket and chaigmai, other countries like japan and china already had lightrail networks in their secondary cities before bothering to build a highspeed rail. most tourists have high speed rail in their own countries and like to ride the old trains like the open air one that goes to chaigmai, they come here to see the old thailand.. who even needs to travel between rayong and pattaya? if you do need to go to rayong from pattaya, there are plenty of busses and minibuses that will get there fast enough.. and bangkok to pattaya is only a 90 minute trip by car, there are 2 un-congested expressways that lead from bangkok to pattaya; one of which features the longest elevated expressway in the world, is a high speed to there REALLY necessary? how much more land is torn-up so they can build these high speed tracks, the environmental impact alone is worth scrapping the projects.. and this is the government that constantly obsesses over the rice pledging scheme's losses and then they build this useless thing.

Please advise where these un-congested expressways are from Bangkok to Pattaya. From the centre of Bangkok to Pattaya is 145km and takes 2hrs 25mins with traffic and 1hr 56min without traffic. When Bangna-Chonburi tollway was first opened, I have done Pattaya to Bangna in 1hr, but now the traffic is getting very congested. I came back from Pattaya during the last Thai holiday and the whole length of the expressway outbound from Srinakarin to Chonburi was one big carpark with traffic crawling at a snail's pace.

Light rails are going ahead in Pattaya and Changmai. They will be constructed to link to the new railways.

He said the Ministry had already conducted a study on the high speed train project but the report was sent back for reconsideration as the new project also involves tourism perspective, not only economic and social ones.

At every university in the world, any student who is studying tourism, would, when submitting such a term paper, fall through! Not pass the test! Inadequate! Brainless!

And the taxpayers even have to pay for this nonsense study?

In the past this would indicate that the MPs with the Tourism portfolio hadn't got their cut included in the negotiations. As a previous consultant to the Government and BMA, in my experience the taxpayer does not pay for the studies but the studies are funded by Foreign Governments with a vested interest in the projects going ahead to benefit their countries. Japan have J.I.C.A, France, the UK, Germany, USA etc all fund these aort of studies.

BKK-Pattaya-Rayong route will run alongside the existing Airport Rail Link...

This is the part I don't get. The Rail Link is fairly recent and they had planned for the possibility of extending it to Rayong when they built it. Why put up an entirely new link right beside it? Why not just extend the Rail Link and save billions? I'm guessing that the Rail link is probably not capable of going as fast as they want...but at what additional cost? The express is plenty fast going between the airport and downtown. They could probably make it go even faster.

I was involved in the planning for this project 20 years ago, when it took 3hours to get to Pattaya. At that time our proposal was a link from Don Muang via the future Suwarnaphum Airport to Pattaya. Siemens had an M.O.U. but there was a change Government. This time the Military Government are drooling at the mouth at the proposal to link Don Muang (Military Airport) via Suwarnuphum, Pattaya and Rayong,with U-Tapao (Navy Airport). As this Government is going to remain in power to reap the benefits, it is likely to get completed. Albeit 20 years late.

In our village most of the villagers are relatives which includes the Poo Yai Bahn, Kham Nam, the police, the school teachers so no problem for us. However these are the people to invite so as not to get problems and they will tell you when to stop the music.

In 35 years here I never carry my passport as I do not want it stolen, lost, or damaged, especially during Songkran. I have been stopped only a few times but I don't have a problem as I speak Thai and can show that I am not a tourist who can be subjected to a shakedown. Lately I do carry a photocopy of the relevant pages and my Thai Driving Licence, due to Military rule. Please note that it doesn't matter if you change your passport number as the data base has all your previous and latest passport details.

A German friend has a factory at 3 Pagodas Pass in no mans land on the Thai/Burma border and travels every week there by bus along with many Burmese workers returning home. The police stop the buses at several points on the route, ask for passports and shake the passengers down for B200 to B500 a time. My friend refuses to show his passport and to pay the tea money, although he carries the passport in his bag in the baggage compartment. The police are after easy pickings and not likely to waste time on a foreigner that has lived here for years, knows the game and may have connections.

In the UK we do are not required to carry any identification since 1956 after WWII when rationing ended.

Close Encounters of the Turd Kind I am afraid!

Michael Wansley was a friend of mine, as are the company's accountant and former lawyer who worked alongside Michael. At the time I warned Michael about dealing with the sugar mafia as another friend who built the first major highway here, had death threats when he tried to ban overloaded sugar cane lorries from using the road. They came with guns and made sure their vehicles were not stopped. The police assisted the owners and the road was subsequently severely damaged. The owners are untouchable and above the law. Justice will probably never be done. Currently the lawyer is working on another case over a land deal and is receiving threats against his life from other rich Thai mafia who believe that they are above the law.

We can assume that the reversal of the death sentence for two former Company Execs. signals a succession of reduction in their sentences resulting in their release.

With True, if you want BBC it is an extra and is not in a package. The platinum service with a lot of English language channels is expensive and the same movies and series tend to appear on the Gold package channels prior of after the platinum broadcasts.

Have to admit, I've always found it a bit strange when people refer to cities by their airport abbreviation. (Unless you're actually in the airport, of course.)

When I lived there we abbreviated it CM. Easy enough, I would have thought.

--Roota (born in NRT, currently in CGK, planning to spend the summer in YYZ -- can I say that now?)

You should go to Malaysia where every town in conversation is referred to by a few letters. For instance KL = Kuala Lumpur KK = Kota Kinabalu JB = Johar Baru

The man was a scam artist offering fake driving licences and probably fake wine also. He was shot with a home made gun. Perhaps another of his fakes, a fake luger that went off by accident while he was testing it.

It also has a submarine base with trained submariners - but no submarines. And bloody big balloons that don't ... err, balloon.

Yes, the King wisely pointed out, the previous time the military were in power and they wanted to buy one, that the Gulf of Thailand is too shallow for submarines. Now the new Military Government wants to buy submarines again.

My D-Max battery is just 3 years old ... I'll go for Boliden when the time comes ... hopefully change before it dies... it's true you may be unlucky and it will die without much warning. Very controversial!! but I open the bonnet after a run whenever I can ... it does keep the area around the battery cooler and temperature ages the battery ... google that if you are interested or a dis-believer.

Here is the Boliden info ... http://www.bbautobattery.com/Boliden_Dry_Price.html

I used to work for Siam Pan Group at the Boliden/Trane car battery factory. Glad you like Boliden batteries, however these are made in Thailand in Phatumthani not Sweden for the Thai and Asian market.

Whilst it is true that the higher working temperatures here in the short term (>10 years) gives a higher output through the battery life, the higher temperatures limits the battery life to 10 years whilst in UK temperatures they can last up to 30 years at 85% capacity. On commercial projects working to BS, EU or other typical standards, we specify batteries with a 10 year life. Having said that, the batteries manufactured for the car manufacturers here are lightweight to reduce weight, space requirements and therefore costs. Minimum life is 1 year to 18 months as shown on the Boliden link that you gave. I just had a battery replaced on my Honda CRV for free because it failed to hold charge after 14 months as the guaranteed minimum was 18 months.

If you want a Lead-Acid battery to last 3 - 5 years it will be bigger and will not fit into the tiny space available in a modern car.

I met my Thai wife in the UK, we came here in 1994 with our eldest daughter who was born in the UK 2 years prior to our departure. Our daughter did not have a Thai birth certificate until 2008, when we started the process of getting a Thai passport to avoid the hassle of extensions of stay and 90 day reporting. All my wife had to do was get a certified copy of the translation of our daughters UK birth cetificate by the British Pro Consul. She then took this to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs who issued a legalised Thai birth certificate. She then went to the amphur (which is the procedure your ex-wife is refering to) and got her name placed my wife's house book. She then was able to get a Thai I.D. card and with the Thai I.D. she was able to get a Thai passport. She now holds both Thai and British Nationality so she does not have to appy for a Visa to the UK or for a Visa for Thailand. She exits and enters here on her Thai passport. For the UK/EU she enters and exits on her British passport. If your ex-wife is willing, you could have the whole process completed within 2 weeks.

Suddenly after 30 years and a change in Government, they discover that the pier was built illegally. Meanwhile Walking Street Pattaya on the seaward side, that is built illegally, is untouchable due to having the right connections and owners.

i am building a 88 sm house 2 bdrm 1 story for 500000baht. i am building it myself. if i pay a contractor to do what i already can do....it will cost 2.5m screw that

if you got the time and know how....build it yourself ...save your money and buy a good truck or take many nice vacations

How much is the undertable money to avoid the fine/jail time, for working without a workpermit

We built our large 2 bed bungalow in our village in Surin province for B2.4 Million including furnishings, air cons, water pumps, tanks, landscaping fencing and gates. We ppruchased all the materials and employed my wife's sister's building company to build it at around B400,000 for labour.

PM initiates idea to build high-speed trains to Pattaya and Hua Hin

They have beating this dead horse for 10 or 12 years now haven't they?

Around 20years ago I was involved in this project. Siemens got an M.O.U. but next Government stopped the project.

Great show, thankfully there is a new series of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver who hosted the Daily Show for 7 months. Hopefully someone else will step up to host the show that bashes Fox News.

Why no working sprinkler system?

In Bangkok there are "The Office" bar on Soi 33. There was also "In Traffic".

It is very useful to drink there, if your wife or girlfriend phones you ranting and raving about where you are.

You can truthfully say "Sorry darling I am still in the Office" or "Sorry darling I am stuck in Traffic!.

Perhaps they have branches in CM too.

The rates you saw was an old advert in Bangkok Bank a long time ago. I pointed out to the Manager recently that they were advertising the old rate whilst the new rate offered was less and they still did not remove the advert. I put my money in the Thai Stock Exchange where I have earned 52% over the last 6 months. A safe bet would be BTS if you can buy at B10.00 or less. It will pay you 8% in dividends(total paid 3 -4 times/year) and value increase at least of 3-5%.

If you need the money in a Time Deposit to show immigration, then wait 3+ months to open a TD account, before you need to show the immigration officer.

Lots of things, including low life farang...

Been looking in the mirror again!

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So you think it's OK for busses to be in deplorable condition where drivers don't have any responsibility for the passengers? That makes it a third world in my book.

BTW...I was born in a third world country so I know what it is better than you.

Obviously you haven't heard of the recent boycott of a prestigious school in Wales because of the state of the buses provided by the local bus company.

Thailand is not a third world country by definition and is a developing country. Soon it will have High Speed Trains which they don't even have in the USA.

You can install Airconditioners that are of the heat pump variety, the same as in Europe or Libya. LG and others make them.