sandhurstmolonski

How would you possibly know that they are " Drunk " , hardly likely . It would be far easier selling the Scam to a Sober Female ( Generally )

Or a Sober Wild Life Fanatic .

Im guessing the Assumption is because If the Animal is brought in at 3am ..There simply are no Sober Tourists .

BUT ..if I'd had a nice night in the Bars , and was Walking home ..There is NO WAY you'd get me for 10,000 to Save the Possum ! lol

However , I wish the animals well .

Near me there is a German guy and his wife who pick the crap out of the bins for 200B a day. He's not had a passport for 12 years, let alone a visa. One night he and his wife had a beer with the wife and myself (after much persuasion).

They live in a shack near the canal which they pay 800B a month for. The cops, the Immis just leave him be. Why? Because he loves his wife, does no-one any harm and is living his life with the woman he loves.

I don't have a problem with that to be honest.

I agree with That , he keeps a Low profile lives his life , Harms No one .

How does he get 200Barht a Day picking though Bins ?

I agree with clockman. The cops, the media, are fascinated with high profile trivia. If I have to read another 'royal baby' story I will puke, but maybe no, as someone would post a pic on their facebook. Anyway, these guys broke the law, they deserve a fine, deportation, and a talking to, but are they bad people? Probably not. I read today that the Indon gov is embarking on a massive child immunisation program. How about the Thai gov doing the same? That would be worthy news, one we could feel good about.

Agree ... Hardly the Worst Crime .

And Really , who would ever be constantly travelling with a Passport while on a Bus ? ( Or Whatever ) , keep it locked up .

Sure they have overstayed , and will suffer because of it .

But hardly a major piece of information .

lots of people with lots of different opinions and views. One familiar thread that runs through most of the comments is how adept Thai ladies are at mugging off their foreign/western husbands and leaving them potless. Whilst this may very well be true it's not something that is exclusive to the Thai ladies. a lot of guys (me included) came here after a failed marriage and then getting properly roasted financially by the wife back home. My ex-wife in England was having an affair while i was workling abroad. I came out of the marriage with absolutely nothing,she got the house, car, kids etc etc So it's not just the Thai ladies that can make a bloke skint! There are plenty of comments about new arrivals heeding the warnings and the horror stories. Plenty of warnings telling new arrivals (I guess not only new arrivals as I guess I'm not the only person who knows people that have been scammed more than once!) that the smiles are false, the "handsome man" "I lub you!" is all b*llox but what everybody is not getting is that these people WANT to believe it's true. They've just had a kicking from an ex-wife back home, ego battered and now a young and seemingly beautiful lady is making a fuss over them. They WANT to believe it's for real and no warnings or relating of horror stories will make any difference! Some times it is for real, sometimes not - Just like back home! Anyway, that's enough from me, it's starting to look like a novel!!! Have a nice weekend everybody!

If the wife is cheating on you, how come you didn't win the court case?

England family court is 'no blame' system, rules of evidence also do not apply.

Essentially mum can behave as badly as she wants and still get awarded everything because 'she's their mother'.

She can also break any court order made on her because 'she's their mother'.

Woe betide the guy who brings the kids back 30 minutes late from his monthly visit, jail for him.

Same in Australia ..No Fault Divorce went out in 1972 , you are on the Back foot from moment one if you are Male .

In the West in General its just getting worse and Worse . You now have to basically apologise for being Male , as we saw recently with the " Sexist Rant " from now ex prime minister Gillard , at the then opposition leader . Sorry , Im off Topic ..But its a situation that annoys me .

At Least in Thailand Women are Women ( Generally ) 5 5 5 5 ...Unless they are Men !

One other thing that I see All the Time , especially with a " Newbie " who has found Paradise ..and thats Not thinking in Barht , constantly converting in his head . If you are here this is completely irrelevant , Think in Barht , Tour the Country ..find out what it actually Buys ..

Check Wage levels , Its soon very easy to see when you might be getting Stiffed .

The Comment heard all the Time .." Ohh it only so many Pounds/ USD / AUD " ..that doesn't matter ! That the Exchange rate for a Tourist ..

If mums " Operation " just seems a Tap Crazy ..You can count it is . Think Barht , Work and Live with Barht , you'll soon work out the Ridiculous demands . Pretty much every Farang will face this at some Point .

Give Em little ..You'll work out quickly what is Real . Its not a Case of living like a Tourist .

Its a Hard Line to have no Empathy .

Its pretty easy to Say DYOR , and you should have known this and done that . This is certainly true to some extent and I'm sure all have seen examples of the Same ,,But many of these people come with very little to begin with .

The best course of Action really is to Ship them Back to Where they came , and the argument really just revovles around how you Fund this .

Really , Dont buy property in a Nations Name ( Unless you are prepared to completely loose those Funds ) , Count it as what it is ..A Gift ,

Yes , Love is forever , and temptation awaits in Every Soi , On every Corner , they are all so Lovely . Its matters not , if we are talking " High Society ..Chinese / Thai " or an Issaan girl , there are good / Bad in Each as there are in Every Culture .

The Westernisation of Thailand and the Internet have made meeting Multiple Farangs Much Much Easier than before , and if its a Really pretty one ..Well , you can Count on it . A World of Wonder ..Paradise in which to Believe ? ..Well Yes ..But Ying / Yang always meet at some point .

I wouldn't be too Judgemental .

Thats why I live in a condo , I feel safe here with 24h security , surveillance cameras and friendly neighbours.

Indeed. One rarely hears of people being murdered in condos except occasionally when the perpetrators are known to, and are invited in by, the victim (girlfriends, boyfriends, wives, husbands, hookers, drinking partners etc.).

The likelihood of some unknown thief/murderer getting past security, up to my floor and into my room is minute indeed. In fact anyone in the corridor would be hard put to know if my room amongst all the many others contains anything worth stealing or not, or even if it is occupied at all.

Must be nice living life in such a paranoid state. I, and many friends, enjoy not living in tiny boxes in the sky and have never had a problem...and going on ten years now and 3 different locations in Pattaya.

As to this case, like many others, there's the possibility that these perps may have been at the residence before; were there any signs of forced entry?

This is an Important Part of the Issue .

Often it is mentioned About the Current Situation in Pattaya , Phuket ...Yet you can still certainly live well in both Locations ,

the heart of most of the problems is the obvious locations .

Its not mentioned if they have or have not been there before . It certainly doesn't change an Horrendous Act , but the discussion have gone to

Self preservation and general Safety .

Sometimes you can get just Unlucky of Course , But often there are other Issues .

I certainly Doubt it is ..Western Influence has destroyed the Culture ..and Increased the Violence , Sad but True ..

Power / Money ..and outside influence .

Come on! Wake the <deleted> up and smell the coffee. Western society is to blame for all of Thailand's woes? The country who believes Western society/culture has nothing to offer them!

Take a moment or two to learn some Thai and then another to watch Thai television and then ask yourself again What is destroying Thai culture!

Or better still just keep playing with yourself

Thanks for your Input ...I have taken Note . Reasoned debate may be a little more productive .

Thanks

Dont wish to Blame the Victim , far from it ..But , its certainly true if you want to live here , no matter how much you may think you can " Take Care of Yourself " you just have to Ignore , Shut up .. and look away .

"SHUT UP and LOOK AWAY" , the victim was in his own house. You thai apologists dont know when to stop

Exactly when do you wish to Leave ? ...This is a vastly different Culture , if you cant gain a decent understanding of it , its simply best not to participate . Upfront conflict , quite " normal " in the USA , simply does not work in Thailand , Its just not an " In your Face " enviroment .

Pattaya again? Cesspool!

2 teenagers? Correction: 2 ADULT THAIS The 19yo is probably a few days from his 20th birthday as well "19yo -22yo" Almost as accurate as the 7cm knife that turned out to be a 24" sword

The police who ordered the reporters to NOT report it should be charged with Obstruction of Justice is lose their badges.

I am so sorry to the family of the deceased.

Semi-Offtopic: A friend of mine had done research on Thai culture over the last 10 years and found that part of Thai culture is not show affection in public as it is looked down upon, that includes parents to babies/children or even teens/adults in consensual relationships. Now let me ask you this, in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) what is being completely void of emotion, empathy, lack of conscience or responsibility for your actions defined as? ANSWER: Sociopath/Psychopaths

Suffice to say we are living in a culture which breeds sociopaths and psychopaths.

I am YeaBiGgiEs and I have spoken on this day.

And thats to Say Western Culture .." Banging Each Other on the Train " etc etc ..As some form of Freedom is the Correct Way ??

I Think not ...The Vast majority of Problems here come from Western Influence .

I like it the way it was ..Especially the Conservative Nature , where its a Big deal to " Hold Hands " ..All this stuff is Magnified by the Bars .

I would never just want to reproduce the " Western Way " here ..Especially USA ideals ..That what I want to be away from ..At a great distance .

I know you have commented in disagreement to my post but I want you to know that I do agree with you 100% that it is the western influence that is certainly ruining this once peaceful culture.

God i hope this is sarcasm.

I certainly Doubt it is ..Western Influence has destroyed the Culture ..and Increased the Violence , Sad but True ..

Power / Money ..and outside influence .

Dont wish to Blame the Victim , far from it ..But , its certainly true if you want to live here , no matter how much you may think you can " Take Care of Yourself " you just have to Ignore , Shut up .. and look away . It shouldn't be like this ..There are 1000s of reasons why it shouldn't be ..But this is how it is . Just go about your Business ..keep your Nose Clean ..But forget the Western View , Took me time also , But avoid all Conflict and " What will be ..will be " ..No matter how strong , you will Never Win . Simple rules , but just how it is ..and It "aint " going to Change , not in the next 50 years anyhow ..You are here for a reason , Take your mind back to That reason .

I wonder how "Ignore , Shut up .. and look away" would have helped this 70's year old being blugened to death in his bed?

I'm sure we can all think of something.

Certainly Not Justifing ...But thats Not what happened . You will never beat Punks like this ..No matter how strong you think you are .

Pattaya again? Cesspool!

2 teenagers? Correction: 2 ADULT THAIS The 19yo is probably a few days from his 20th birthday as well "19yo -22yo" Almost as accurate as the 7cm knife that turned out to be a 24" sword

The police who ordered the reporters to NOT report it should be charged with Obstruction of Justice is lose their badges.

I am so sorry to the family of the deceased.

Semi-Offtopic: A friend of mine had done research on Thai culture over the last 10 years and found that part of Thai culture is not show affection in public as it is looked down upon, that includes parents to babies/children or even teens/adults in consensual relationships. Now let me ask you this, in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) what is being completely void of emotion, empathy, lack of conscience or responsibility for your actions defined as? ANSWER: Sociopath/Psychopaths

Suffice to say we are living in a culture which breeds sociopaths and psychopaths.

I am YeaBiGgiEs and I have spoken on this day.

And thats to Say Western Culture .." Banging Each Other on the Train " etc etc ..As some form of Freedom is the Correct Way ??

I Think not ...The Vast majority of Problems here come from Western Influence .

I like it the way it was ..Especially the Conservative Nature , where its a Big deal to " Hold Hands " ..All this stuff is Magnified by the Bars .

I would never just want to reproduce the " Western Way " here ..Especially USA ideals ..That what I want to be away from ..At a great distance .

Dont wish to Blame the Victim , far from it ..But , its certainly true if you want to live here , no matter how much you may think you can " Take Care of Yourself " you just have to Ignore , Shut up .. and look away . It shouldn't be like this ..There are 1000s of reasons why it shouldn't be ..But this is how it is . Just go about your Business ..keep your Nose Clean ..But forget the Western View , Took me time also , But avoid all Conflict and " What will be ..will be " ..No matter how strong , you will Never Win . Simple rules , but just how it is ..and It "aint " going to Change , not in the next 50 years anyhow ..You are here for a reason , Take your mind back to That reason .

A woman called the Commerce Ministry's 1569 hotline on Wednesday and threatened physical violence against the ministry's permanent secretary Vatchari Vimooktayon, it was disclosed yesterday. An official manning the hotline desk, which fields complaints or tip-offs about product prices, said the mysterious caller also threatened to splash acid on Vatchari.

Whatever the sins of this government are , and they have many,nothing, absolutely nothing, justifies throwing acid onto another human being.

Agreed ...This is an Horrendous Threat ( Even if not really Intended ) , and Certainly something that must be acted upon .

Little Doubt ..Its all a load of Rubbish ..Nothing Wrong with the Advert , exactly the kind of thinking that I want to get away from .

On the Other Hand the Threads till going , so its probably great advertising .

I don't believe that Thailand has such a high rate of Farang suicides because of it being Thailand. Thailand unfortunately attracts many suicidal farangs because it is obviously a great place to make a last stand. If you were depressed, down, and already contemplating suicide, or serious about suicide, a city that offers you the ability to turn up, drink like a king, sleep with a number of beautiful women, live like there is no tomorrow, because soon there wont be, and then hit the ground going out believing that life was actually better than it was in your depressed state back home, well, attraction attracts.

When I was in the police force, the number of suicides that we attended in five star hotels was quite amazing. Guys who had once had it all, drinking up, eating up, one last hurrah with a hooker, and then a rope, needle, or bottle of pills took them from this life to the next, feeling that they had lived a life. So it really is sad but true. If you were suicidal and living in a squat in London with no friends, family or future, and you were suicidal, but could use your last money to come to Thailand, live like a king and a lover before you signed out, well, many would take the Thailand option. Such is life.

I reckon thats Spot On ... The idea of One Last Crack it , And I guess , If you were going to Do it ..Why Not like this !

As per the Gent at the Honey Hotel , Its certainly Not High ..He should have stayed in my Old Room , Bottom left in the Car park with no Fridge ..

Could be Heartbroken here ..But would have to Use other means than the " Jump " .

Please please Please ....

I came to get away from all this Western B/S ..One thing I love about Thai , If someone Pom Poy , you tell em Pom Poy Mach Mach ..If Black you Black , If you Woman you Woman ..Lets not get this Utter C*ap Ploitical Correctness ...

Want to relive Life in THe Western World ? ..Then please Leave ! Just let Asia be Asia ..Memories of Distain ..Cant Stand It .

Mind you , avoid this Company anyhow , this " FOOD " is beyond the Beyond ...I remember being in LA , and they telling me " Man ..You gottaaa Haaave this Dunkin Doughtnut Coffe ..Its Incredible " ..It was as Most in LA disgusting .

Post # 178 ....

I commend you on not knowing what a Stick or bag of Dope looks like , but ones life would have to be reaonably sheltered to not know This , I certainly do and I dont smoke anything . So lucky it was not your Bag .

How does the Scam work ? ..Generally a " Fake " officer at the other end ..Can happen at any time after you land , the bags are marked , you are followed you could be picked up at Airport or at point of final destination ...Then you are told you Must Pay , or I call the Police ..You get 10 years ..etc etc .

Moral of the story is:

1. don't have checked in luggage when you travel, or

2. if you do, use a suitcase that has a lock only immigration can open with a master key, so that no one can stash any drugs in it after it has been locked. Assuming immigration would not stash any drugs in it, as they are on CCTV. Or,

3. if you use another type of suitcase, such as with zippers & a lock anyone could easily open, don't leave it with the hotel while you go out for a walk, or otherwise ever let it out of your sight till it has been checked in. Or

4. if you do let it out of your sight, check that nothing has ben stashed in it before arriving at the airport, or at least that it hasn't been cut open or had the lock broken or otherwise tampered with.

All good Points ..But Point 3 is extremely difficult , especially if a Couple of Heavy bags are involved , and you are Coming or Going from a destination . And really , difficult after a Long Flight .

The best way would be Carry On Only ..much easier in many Ways . Travel Light . So easy to get into Any Bag . It was really this guys Job , as he was naturally suspicious that got them out of this .

Very Frightening Story Indeed .. They are not inexperienced travellers either , have left bags in Hotel Lobby's on numerous occasions .

There was a similar Story Some years ago , with Australians travelling to Phuket Via Bangkok , finding a Bag of white Powder in the Bags . They were advised by the Embassy to Ditch the Powder on the Beach ..get rid of all their Clothes ..Pack up and Leave immediately , on the first day of their holdiday .

This is Nightmare Type Stuff , and Really Lock or No Lock ..As you are Travelling How could you possibly monitor this kind of stuff ? Its an extreme concern that this kind of thing is going on .

I am a strong subscriber of renting. There are many ways to leave a legacy for our loved ones in Thailand and the most practical is still cash and insurance although there are some who put an emotional attachment to leaving a house, so it's personal.

On a financial front there are many advantages of renting. There are fears that the landlord would raise the rent on renewal but there are also a possibility of better option and no loss to you.

Most landlords are reasonable and for them finding a good tenant is as important as you finding a good landlord. Most sensible landlord will not throw someone out just to get 1000,2000 baht more. They rather have someone that will turn their house into a wreck upon return

There are significant developments going on to keep the rent constant and the supply chain budging

As for having to store things, there are a load of cheap options ...just find a cheap room for 2000-3000 baht rental a month pay upfront for a year to get even more discount and you have a free storage space for more stuff

Just absolute 100% Genuine Logic . There are Few problems getting a great long term Rental in Thailand ..There will be no Shortage ..5 5 5 5

Quite the opposite . To rent is Common Sense , for so many reasons .

It depends on your financial position. Owning property is a nice place to store wealth. If you don’t have a lot of excess money then you probably have never contemplated that thought. What to do with your money? Bonds, stocks, precious metals, art, real estate all offer a place to store wealth.

Renting in some properties could be a problem but in better developments you don’t have much to worry about, the people are respectful of one another.

Of Course to " Store Wealth " the price must rise ..If the Price in Stagnant , you actually loose money taking account if Inflation .

I would suggest Rather Strongly that Thailand is NOT the place to Invest , for any number of Reasons . Invest in your desired Nation ( Property ) ..

Enjoy Thailand , Rent a Lovely place , Its extremely easy to get long term leases . If you Wish to " Store " Money ..Put it in a term deposit in a Western Country and dont touch it , you will just now Track Inflation . Better Options , on the ASX etc , if you want some Income .

I dont see that there are any Social concerns on Renting / Buying , you would have to have neighbours either way .

I’m not suggesting that this be an investment just a method of storing wealth. I understand your point but look at what just happened in Cyprus, anything over 250,000k is not insured what do you do open 100 bank accounts?

Robert ..Exactly why I question Use of the Word " Storage " ..to Store you must maintain , to maintain there must be Growth ( to cover Inflation ) . My humble opinion would be that Thailand would be one of the Worst Places to " Store " Wealth ( In property ) ..Condo's ..forget it ! Pure and simple Wealth Destruction .

Money in another Asset Class ..And Just pay Rent . The Choices are simple , either Investment ( Forget it ) or Lifestyle , fine if the property is incredibly unique ..

And great for someone with Plenty , and for some 14,000,000 Barht is Jack ..So by all means enjoy the 14 Mill , if this is the Case . Otherwise Invest in a product much safer . ..

I'm going back to the States next month so I can wash my clothes in a Maytag, with hot-water.

Good to Know and Enjoy ..5 5 5 5 5 ..Not sure the Maytag will make much difference . 5 5 5

It depends on your financial position. Owning property is a nice place to store wealth. If you don’t have a lot of excess money then you probably have never contemplated that thought. What to do with your money? Bonds, stocks, precious metals, art, real estate all offer a place to store wealth.

Renting in some properties could be a problem but in better developments you don’t have much to worry about, the people are respectful of one another.

Of Course to " Store Wealth " the price must rise ..If the Price in Stagnant , you actually loose money taking account if Inflation .

I would suggest Rather Strongly that Thailand is NOT the place to Invest , for any number of Reasons . Invest in your desired Nation ( Property ) ..

Enjoy Thailand , Rent a Lovely place , Its extremely easy to get long term leases . If you Wish to " Store " Money ..Put it in a term deposit in a Western Country and dont touch it , you will just now Track Inflation . Better Options , on the ASX etc , if you want some Income .

I dont see that there are any Social concerns on Renting / Buying , you would have to have neighbours either way .

Absolutely Nothing Wrong with Renting .

I have been Involved in property for Many Many Years ..Why would you possibly Buy ? ..Owners Corp on Condo's excessive , often about the Rent PA .

Will this be some incredible investment ? = Highly Highly Unlikely ..Ok ..Lifestyle = Is his the Only option available in this Location ? = Virtually Never

Now , throw in the element of the Stupid Farang , allowing the Thai Wife to control Ownership !! Arrrghh ..Beyond Crazy , no matter how lovely she may be .

Invest in alternate avenues where you are Compfortable ..In Thailand ..Pure and simple --PAY RENT ..many many many Wonderful options . Make sure while you are participating that you are not paying Farang Tax .

In Thailand Always Rent .