Jimmy in Bangkok

Update:

Laos jokes spotlight Thai insensitivities

A Thai entertainment magazine’s faux pas when it insultingly swiped at Laotians highlights the need for a cultural manual of dos and don’ts for journalists and the general public, according to a well-known social commentator.

In an interview with The Nation yesterday, Charnvit Kasetsiri, professor of Southeast Asian studies at Thammasat University, called the article a glaring example of “arrogance” and “ignorance” demonstrated by “well-educated urban people”.

In its June 11-24 edition, Spicy magazine ran an article listing 29 tongue-in-cheek guidelines to Thai readers about how to befriend their northeastern neighbours. One especially demeaning recommendation urged Thai men to address Laotian women as “e dok thong” (literally “golden flower”, which in Thai slang means “you little whore”). The writer suggested Laotian women are flattered by such a label.

Infuriated by the article, the Lao government called on the Thai Embassy in Vientiane to demand an apology from the publisher. The magazine then sent a somewhat apologetic letter to Lao authorities via the Thai Foreign Ministry’s Information Department. Lao authorities, however, have insisted that the publisher retract the article and issue a clearly worded public apology on its pages.

Charnvit, who is an expert on Thailand’s relations with its neighbours, faulted the magazine’s editor for being callously “insensitive” about Laotian people’s feelings. “The journalists were too ignorant to realise [the implications of their actions],” the professor said. “They did not have the good sense to understand that offending other people like this is unspeakably rude.”

Charnvit stressed that because even highly educated urbane Thais harboured petty prejudices, the journalists merely reflected mainstream opinion, however objectionable that might be.

He recommended that Thai journalists and members of the general public take crash courses in “dos and don’ts” about how to cultivate sensitive relationships with neighbours, especially Laotians and Cambodians, many of who speak Thai.

He said that such a manual might help avoid inflaming anti-Thai sentiments like the ones that led to the torching of the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh in 2003.

“In Thailand, we expect farangs [Westerners] to adhere to the precepts of a ‘dos and don’ts’ manual, but it’s high time we produced such a booklet for ourselves to learn how to behave with people in neighbouring countries,” Charnvit said.

--The Nation 2005-07-07

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It is a pretty sad day when anyone needs a manual to tell them that being down right rude and derogatory to another human being is wrong. If a farang did the same thing to a Thai person there would probably be a death involved there somewhere

Unfortuanately saving energy starts with education, if the people of Thailand knew the whys and whats they would proberly go along with what ever is suggested, if they had a set of options explained to them about what they could do to there own homes, cars etc they might take the steps to conserve energy themselves, but just saying no TV and you can't have this car might very well fall on deaf ears. Just a suggestion, how about all the teachers here getting together to put a good energy saving plan lesson together for the children of Thailand, If starting at the top don't work start at the bottom and work up, kids may very well tell parents who may be interested in what there kids are learning. Just a thought.

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Nice idea Boatabike,

If we start NOW with educating the children (that's the ones in school) as to the right way to go it may make a large difference.It has certainly worked in Aus to a good degree with smoking, drink driving etc. Of course this is a longer term project but something would have to be better than nothing

This is all very well, but with all the pharmaceutical money going into improving Viagra and none into preventing Alzheimer's, we will be spending our later years sitting around with stonking great erections but unable to remember what to do with them!!

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Ahh Yes, but you can shag the wife for the first time every night

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Yeah but then you have the problem of working out &lt;deleted&gt; is your wife although in some cases this may be a good thing

‘Never again’ is warning centre’s credo

“We are here to warn so that no disaster will befall Thailand again. We keep watch constantly. And when need arises, we will warn instantly.”

--The Nation 2005-07-01

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Keep it up guys.

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Yeah I agree. It's great to see someone doing something constuctive out there for the benefit of all of us. I, for one, give all those involved a big pat on the back. Keep up the good work.

So, kicked out of the bars at midnight and now no TV either.  Looks like there might be a baby-boom in Thailand shortly!

Ruritania.

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No, no Rumpole I think you must have missread the original post. It is an energy saving initiative and as such all baby making is about to become highly regulated.We can't have all that energy being wasted willy nilly.

There will be set hours for sex and you will have an alloted number of times per week you may indulge. It's all in the name of progress.

Accepting the fact that there will always be a small market for this kind of thing for those folks who get some kind of thrill out of the control aspect of rape.  Still seems kind of weird to have something like this increasing in Thailand.  I mean is it really that hard to get laid in Thailand?

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MMM. always fancied the idea of getting date raped,

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LOL. That would have to be up there for top prize as quote of the day as well. Nice one.

First of all the heading is surely kind of sensational in the way usually the boulevard press  employs to create an outrage impression simply for the sake of increasing the sales figures. No, a policeman has NOT killed over a red light but rather a policeman killed after a hefty argument while in fact the reason for this argument was absolutely neglectable.

"Policeman kills 2 over a hefty arument" reflects the truth much much better and does not implement that Thailand is absolutely law and orderless and populated by violent morons. 

Once again also oil in the flames of how unpredictable Thai mentality is and never mess with Thai people because for the slightest reason one may get killed on the spot. All Thai people carry guns, swords, machetes and practise Muay Thai enabling a 50kg pencilneck to beat the &lt;deleted&gt; out of any 100kg foreigner.

By the way, I personally consider the chances to get shot in Texas to be much higher than in Thailand. If you do not believe it just get mouthy on desert avenue with Joe Stetsonhat riding his pick up truck featuring a Winchester over the back widow. When I worked in the States about 15 years ago one of the first advices I received by the natives was to never show anyone the finger in a minor road argument since the odds are very high that you get shot.

Nowadays, there seems to be a worldwide tendencey that arguments escalate. The times appear to be over that a confrontation is settled with a clean fist fight. School kids carry weapons and use them or even seek to provoke when being armed. Society and morales are going down gradually and even former no. one disciplined Japan is facing the music nowadays.

Generally, hot temper appears to be in relation with hot climate means the spark to initiate an explosion is quicker in the sunny south than in the cool north. Things become even worse when alcohol, drugs and handy arms come into play.

Conclusion: Thailand and her nationals are not different than many other nations and their peoples but myths, sensationalism and the lust for it just gives a misleading impression. 

Since no one really knows the stage his/her opponent is in the spark that can cause an explosion is unpredictable. Just imagine someone is under extreme emotional pressure may it be for big financial and/or personal problems but still able to control the feelings and may it be by just a big fake smile. All of a sudden a mouthy excrement extracting hole on legs shows up and starts shouting and throwing intimidations and insults around. How much is enough and how much can a person actually bear in this situation? No, an over the edge outburst is surely not justifiable, never, ever, but well, it is human...

Not a question whether but rather when does it happen that the fuse blows and a person goes amok transfering a cuddly rabbit into a rapacious beast. It is always just the famous little last straw that eventually breaks the camel's back. Ever asked yourself how much you can really bear? Superhumans are surely excluded from this poll but all other average Joes like myself are kindly invited. 

Cheers,

Richard 

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Richard, well said indeed this coming from another average Joe. I cannot speak for the U.S. but I can certainly speak for Aus where we have unexplained gratuitous violence occuring on a quite regular basis.

It is a sad day I suppose when something of this nature fails to surprise me to any great degree as it is so common place these days in other countries we tend to become numb when confronted with something of this nature.

It is a happy day though when I see so many people vehemently arguing this post as maybe not all of us are so numb to these types of horrors and possibly shows maybe L.O.S. is not as far down the road to destruction as some other countries.

NO this type of reaction can never be justified and I certainly don't know the answer to stopping it either. Quite a few countries and better minds than mine have tried various methods to curb this sort of ridiculus overreaction and I cannot think of any that have had total success.

Sadly it is an area where I'm woefully lacking in skills but certainly not in compassion for ALL those involved. May you all rest in peace.

Update:

Serial killer arrested on brink of killing 6th victim 

BURIRAM: -- Police in Thailand's northeastern province of Chaiyaphum yesterday captured a serial killer, as he was preparing to kill his sixth victim.

Mr. Somkid Phumphuang, 41, was arrested in a Chaiyaphum hotel, where he had taken a woman whom the police believe he intended to murder.

Over the past few months Mr. Somkid had committed a spate of murders across the country. All of his five murder victims were women, and all whom were masseuses.

The last murder was carried out on 21 June in an apartment block in the north-eastern Buriram Province.

Previously imprisoned for six months for perjury, Mr. Somkid was also known to have sent threatening letters to the opponents of the Rakathewa refuse tip in Samut Prakan Province on the outskirts of Bangkok.

He then came to police attention again in January this year, when he was suspected of a murder carried out in the north-eastern province of Mukdahan.

--TNA 2005-06-30

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It is all getting a bit confusing, firstly he's arrested at his wifes' place closely followed by an arrest at some womans' house he'd just met at a bus stop a couple of days beforehand and now he's arrested at a hotel preparing to murder his next victim?

At the end of the day though I suppose it doesn't really matter where he was arrested just as long as they caught the sick #**k. Well done to the local boys and I hope they fry the prick . it's one more person the world can do without.

Hi to all,

I would just like to say a huge thank you for all the information everyone gave me with regard to my obtaining an non immigrant "o" type visa.

I went to the Thai visa section in Perth, filled out the form and 2 days later (they are only open tuesdays and thursdays from 9am to 12.30pm) had my 1 year, multiple entry non "o" visa without a trouble in the world. If only it was that easy to get my wife an Australian visa!

So once again a huge THANK YOU to all the people at Thailand Forum that gave me all that invaluable info. I just want you guys to know that you are certainly appreciated and I am constantly telling my friends about this site and how good it is so you may soon see some more Aussies registering (I hope).

Have a good one gentlemen. Jimmy

Great thing about Thai women, you don't have to wax them.

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Well.... that all depends on what they used to be before...

totster

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Yes, those kind of "women" need special waxing care.

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Napalm?

Suicide is a perminent solution to a temperary problem.

Tom Schubert

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Here, Here Tom. I hope that others contemplating the same way to fix their problems, whatever they may be, find the strength to ask for help.

I did not know you but may Budha smile upon you and may you finally find the peace in death that was so ellusive in your life.

I don't know the people involved......so don't take what I say here in a bad way....however my "Thai Owner Radar" picks up when I read statements like....

"Joining him at the Immigration Department was Khun Akaradet the license holder. Both fully cooperated with officers who charged Mr. Clearland with working in the Kingdom of Thailand without a Work Permit."

Maybe I'm wrong...but I've been around Thailand too long?

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You've lost me.............................

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and me ................

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And one more makes 3

Ima, could you please try that one again as a few of us are not sure what you mean with that post. Cheers

There's NO such thing as a malaria vaccine.

He probably said/meant that they could give a malaria prophylaxis, or that malaria could be effectively treated once someone was ill.

It was probably another case of poor translation and lamentable use of English such as the Pattaya Mail's recent reference to "soar throats" and "penile servitude."

I have no doubt that the doctor knows what he’s talking about...in Thai.

Rather than criticize what he was reported as saying in a dubious English translation, why not read the original Thai text of what was said? …assuming your apparent expertise in all things extends to understanding the language of the country in which you reside.

Of course, it's a whole lot easier to play pseudo-colonial disdainer of all you survey.

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....8..9..10 and yes folks no-one is getting up after that one

Jeez don't fret about it. It was only a Dave Yo posting.

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Yeah sorry Dave I guess you're still pi**ed about the whole motorcycle noise pollution thing and the attack on Harleys

You know what guys, I am really surprised a bit here reading this thread.  It is unbelievable to even think that all this time the authorities knew who were the drug dealers and handlers and those who pass the buck along all these years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Their background checking system has to be the absolute worst in the entire world.

No fricking way am I going to ever go towards Aussie land due to their lack of protection and security concerning passengers.

For pete's sake they could easily have bonifide terrorists working right smack on the tarmac and nobody would even notice or even bat an eye.

If those bozo's even tried to work in USA, they would never get past the application stage, because they would be arrested for other crimes instantly.

Going to BKK is a decoy for this sucker.  He is in another area perhaps right smack in Bali, which is practically the very last place anyone would think to even look, or he can still be right there in Aussie land and never left because immigrations would catch him almost right away.

In my opinion, Australia is totally all screwed up and they should be given a NO VOTE for any tourists.

Daveyo

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Yeah Dave,

It's much safer in the U.S as long as you don't happen to be in any tall buildings or on one of the flights that gets hijacked and flown into one of the said tall buildings or happen to be employed in a diplomatic position at any of the many embassies throughout the world. Iin good old dangerous Aus we try not to train the very people who are going to commit these acts against us either but hey! no one is perfect right Dave

Lat prao...AKA MO chit area of N Bus Station and Mo Chit Market and places of great pools as much for pipes as for the pavement.....######, 2 hours after rain there are .75m pools between e Bus Station and Sky Train.....&lt;deleted&gt;, you want to power shop at Cahtuchack (sp) aster a good rain you'll need a jst ski..

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But will you get a ticket if you don't wear a helmet?

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And will you be checked for compliance with regard to the new noise restriction crackdown?

Does this apply to alll bikes though?

It should just be for the stupid boys who soup their bikes up but i do hope the police are'nt going to try and fine Harley's etc.

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Generally, Harley owners show no consideration to the rest of us. Anyway, why not buy a decent bike?

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Ahh your forgeting one thing about the Harley MC most riders are actually living in the country side of Thailand and they double up the use of there bikes as farm machinery for the use of the village. You often see the converted Harley sitting there putting away pumping water to the fields, or towing the old Buffalow cart around to the market, yes sir the Harley tractor motorcyle is a great boon to village life and should be exempt from any form of tax, fines, laws etc. Of course the Bring back Buffalow appreciation club of Issan is trying its best to get them banned as it believes the more economical grass eating variety of Buffalow is the better way to go!

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Nice lightening of the general mood

Well know. All those lovely ladies with no knickers. Can I put my name down aa a volunteer guard     

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I want to be a guard also...

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Yeah I'll throw my name in for a guards job as well Maybe if we get enough volenteers we can take on a full shift

and limit driving speeds to 90 km/hour.

###### that idea!

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No, no... that limit is only for city streets! If the light turns green then do your best to try to achive 90km/hr! It's a national campaign now!

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I like it

Just a quick reply. In your post you quote 40K as being needed in a bank. You actually need 400K. Maybe just a typo on your part but i thought i would clarify.

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Thanks EVO,

Yeah it was actually a typo on my part but thanks for picking it up as you never know and sorry for the slow reply but I was in Lop Buri (no pun intended lopburi3) for the weekend and only just now returned home. Thank You once again to all those that contributed to my new found knowledge. Yes I am kicking myself I didn't speak with you guys sooner as I could of already had the *%$@(** thing.

1.  Penang is close and cheap - Oz should be fine at one of the Consulates.

2.  You should only require marriage certificate and copy of wife ID card to obtain multi entry O non immigrant visa.  Money is only required for extension of stay from Immigration inside Thailand.  That can wait local employment as your schedule now would probably not meet the timing required and as you travel every month there no need for it.

3.  You can work on the O visa but, as with any work permit, you need to find employment first, obtain work permit, obtain extension of stay.

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Thank You Very Much lopburi3

That pretty much answers everything that I can come up with so far (and a bit more). An easy, understandable answer to a tricky, hard to understand (at times) question. It is much appreciated especially as you guys must have to answer these same questions a 1000 times a day. Cheers.

Jimmy

Hello All ,

I am an avid reader of the Forum (although not a prolific writer) and as such am after some information to clear up some confusion I have regarding some issues.

I am an Aussie citizen, 36 years old and happily married to a Thai lady since last October. We have been together for nearly 4 years and for the last 3 years I have been living here in Thailand (Bangkok) but only on the 28 day entry stamp from immigration at the airport.

Due to my work which takes me to different countries at different times I really haven't needed to do anything regarding visas but we now both want to do something a little more permanent in the visa department and perhaps look for work here in Thailand itself. I am looking at applying for a multiple entry non "o" type visa.

My confusion stems from the requirements as I'm not sure if I need 40K Baht in an account on it's own or if my wages alone are enough to comply. I earn well in excess of 40K baht a year so would this allow me to qualify or do I still need it in the bank as well?

Also after reading several other posts I notice you suggest Penang as a good place to get the Visa. I was thinking of just going back to Aus (Perth) and applying there. Is there any advantage to going to Penang that I missed? or is it simply for convenience?

I am fully employed (although not here in Thailand) and I would also like to know (not having a clue as to the employment setup here) if, once having obtained the Visa then am I able to obtain a work permit BEFORE being employed or must I have a job first and then ask for the work Permit?

Any help and advice you guys can give me would be much appreciated and I'm sure I'll think of something else to ask later but that's it for the present. Cheers.

Jimmy

I too was driving past on the toll way at the time and realized anything with that much smoke in a packed residential/industrial area could not be a good sign. Thankfully it wasn't a working day or the numbers of injured or missing may have been a lot worse. My condolences go out to all those families who lost someone in the fire. It is a pretty thankless task the firefighters do and they generally don't get a great deal of recognition for their job until, as yesterday shows, something goes terribly wrong. May they rest in peace.

I must admit i'm pretty new to this forum but it's encouraging to see that I'm not the only one who thinks that these schemes of Mr Thaksins seem to become more unbelievable at every turn. The worst part being that I can't work out if he actually believes his own rhetoric or if it's just a show for the public? Great forum you guys have going here too I'll add while I'm going please keep up the good work