bulekee

Remember 1984,think about it.

Please correct me if I am wrong,but should it not read were unripe,being plural.OK I know I am nit picking,but if this is making news,<deleted>.

They never mention foreign investment in Thailand which keeps this country going.If they all pulled out it's back to rice,Wake up Thais and Thailand it's us farangs and farang companies that has enabled you to prosper.I must stop banging my head against that brick wall.

You really should try to read more, VW has anounced plans to open a production plant here, the Japanese assembly plants have existed here for years, and so on!

Perhaps better you keep banging, as it were!

I rest my case,Please enlighten my dim mind.Is VW a Thai company and the Japanese car companies,please take the time to read before you respond.And by the way it was thanks to a British army officer who enabled VW to get up and running as a company after the war.But I expect you wouldn't know that.Ignorance is bliss.

"Workers are calling on the government to raise the daily minimum wage to 388 baht to cover basic living expenses, adding that minimum daily income should increase to 498 baht in the next three years to cope with the rising cost of living."

Don't want much do they? Higher daily wage than minimum UK and US rates...... go for it!

You do realize that these numbers are PER 10-hour DAY not per hour. I can't imagine too many people in the US working for 13 dollars a day ($1.30 per hour) and whatever the pound equivalent is.

Who owns the companies?. I remember when I came to live here 12 years ago the Cambodian workers went on strike( garment workers ) for more money,they were being paid 60 baht per day,The reaction of the Thai factory owners was to close the factories.To much to say to make this a long thread ( no pun intended ).

This is fundamentally a problem of Thai attitudes to Probability. A problem therefore about Thai Culture. High traffic fatalities obviously means (to a westerner) that every time we venture out on the roads the probability we be involved in an accident is higher here than in nearly every other country in the world. But a Thai believes in Fate, in good/bad luck, in 'Making Merit', etc etc. They really do not see the connection that we do between high rates of crashes and the strong chance that we will be in one ourselves. We think : 'That could easily happen to me' - they think - 'That will not happen to me' (for various reasons we wouldn't understand).

In the UK insurance companies understand.But that is probably lost on here.

Let me help the Monitors out. Delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, Ball bags, delete, delete, delete and DELETE... RIP

You have learned quick,keep up the good work. ( Read between the lines ).

I must be getting old. What is an internet idol?

Perhaps an ageing couch potato like me on TV all day. Oh damn, wrong spelling see told you I was ageing, eyes going. Yes it does make you go blind.

Are you Chinese from Wang King?

"Thai workers continue to face a daily struggle brought on by rising living costs and prolonged political turmoil."

Stop, blaming the political turmoil, for rising costs and individual debts.

Change first, the Thai attitude, of spend now, think about repayment later.

Reduce the ample holidays, for relaxing......they are relaxing enough.

500,000 graduates will not be unemployed because of the political turmoil but because of lack of inadequate education.

And also the over staffing of all government agencies and foreign companies..I once had the pleasure of spending a social evening with the manager of HSBC bank in Bangkok.I asked him why you have such a big building and so many staff ( 90% non productive ).He told me that was the only way they could open a branch here.I think they have now pulled out of Thailand.Need I say more.

They never mention foreign investment in Thailand which keeps this country going.If they all pulled out it's back to rice,Wake up Thais and Thailand it's us farangs and farang companies that has enabled you to prosper.I must stop banging my head against that brick wall.

The red supporters are just going to love this one, can't wait for the spin to begin.

The only ones who will love this story, are the ones against corruption, whether red or yellow. However your comments are typical of a yellow blinkered farang

Very true Bernie,you one hit wonder.What's happening with the Thai aircraft carrier flying Harrier jump jets ( British ).The Swiss 40 year old Swiss personnel carriers.Not to mention the possible purchase of German U boats.Do yourself a favour,keep up with the game.You are fair game.

This is not news,it's a replay of a very bad Thai soap.I said in a previous post I have become immune to this and I still stand by my previous post.Before anyone says "What if it was your family member" I do my best for myself and my family never to travel by Thai public transport,I prefer to drive myself and then the odds are stacked in my favour.There is too much to be said on this topic,but usually all the same comments and conclusions come,in other words why bother.

After hundreds of posts I had to go back and refresh my memory by reading the OP again. Even when they/he admit what JC said was inappropriate and offensive (to some) there are still those arguing the point in JCs favour. No end of excuses, examples and explanations all trying to justify what the producer of the show admits was wrong! What they knew was wrong from the time he said it. Give me a break.

Jeremy Clarkson is capable of some excellent work. Some of his other Doccos (War) are very, very good. But he lets himself down making such utterances. In the context of what is really supposed to be a show about Automobiles it was out of line. Why they put it to air is beyond me. Did they really think it would go unnoticed. it is a good pun to use when you are having a drink with mates in a bar. But used in an International Show supposed to be about Autos and Motoring? No.

As for the White Australia Policy, this goes back to Federation. It was not originally called this BTW, the White Australia Policy was a distinctly worded Anti CHINESE Immigration Policy. The specific word CHINESE was changed later to include, and to keep out other Non Whites, not just Chinese. When the the rush subsided and the gold ran out, the whites on the goldfields in Australia needed someone to turn on. As what happens, historically, when your economy goes belly up. This was the Chinese. Some of Australia's worst race riots occurred during this period.

Interesting to read all the comments about where the derogatory term 'Slope Head' came from. More interesting to read that people reckon they have never heard it used. It goes back long before the Vietnam War, it goes back to the 19th Century. It was firmly directed at the Chinese in particular. it was a common term that the USN China Gunboat Sailors used for the 'natives', at a time when all China was a country of coolies, being raped and pillaged by the Western Powers. And not forgetting being supplied and hooked on Opium by the East India Company, who were well supported by the Royal Navy. The Chinese don't owe the west alot of favours really. But you can't change history. The Chinese really don't want to be kicked around anymore.

The term 'Slope Head', for Australians, entered our mainstream vocabulary in the Mid-Late 70's. This was after the now classic movie 'The Sand Pebbles' had become extremely popular thoughout the country. Never under estimate the power of Hollywood. it was also at a time when all the Vietnamese and Cambodian 'Boat People' began arriving on our shores. Prior to this Australians called them 'Chinks' or in referring to Chinese Restaurants 'The Chows'. There were no other Asians in Australia at the time, of any substantial number, - only Chinese. (read White Australia Policy)

In the Royal Australian Navy, where our backyard is/was SE Asia, we used the Royal Navy term - 'Chokey' - Again, this was used predominantly for the Chinese. Even during the VN War the RAN continued to use the term 'Chokey' and did not adopt the rather new term the Australian Army used. 'Nog'. As I said, by the mid 70's, after the war was over, we had dropped the term 'Chokey', and 'Slope', or 'Slope Head' became part of our vocabulary. it sure caught on in the civilian population!

Jeremy should stick to do what he does best. He lets himself down making comment like this. it may appeal to the 'Red-Necks', but most people are not Red necks. Which is why there is such a furore.

Everyone needs to have a cup of tea, a bex and a good lie down,

In those days there was the Emperor, who was called the Lord of Ten Thousand Years, who ruled by the Mandate of Heaven from the Dragon Throne in the Great Within in the Forbidden City in Peking, and China was called Chung- kuo which means Central Country, the Hub of the Universe, the Celestial Kingdom and all other peoples were outer Barbarians, Foreign Devils.

And voyages of discovery and emigration were forbidden, because there was surely no suitable food in Barbarian lands, only roots and insects and no silver, and supplying emigrants with these things would cause a drain on the Celestial economy; and it was forbidden to trade with the Barbarians, there being nothing the Celestial Kingdom wanted of them anyway, having everything already in abundance. But the Barbarians of the English East India Company, and the Dutch and the Russians and the Americans wanted tea and silk, and there was one thing the Barbarians taught the Celestial people to want of them, and that was opium.

For a hundred years the forbidden opium trade went on from Canton, on the River Pearl, with everybody getting their squeeze in the Chinese way, until it became a severe squeeze on the Celestial economy and finally the Emperor appointed Commissioner Lin to stamp out the trade in opium and teach the Barbarians to heed the Vermilion Decrees and to ‘tremble and obey.’ And Commissioner Lin held the Barbarians in Canton to ransom for twenty thousand chests of opium which they had in their godowns, and they did tremble, but it was in rage. Trembling with rage the Barbarians retreated in their clipper ships from Canton to the nearby virgin island called Heung Keung and resolved to wage war to get their twenty thousand chests (and faces) back, and to blast open the wall of China to their trade.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Lin wanted the Barbarians to come back to Canton for other trade, so he sent some junks to stop them getting fresh water on Heung Keung, and the Barbarians gave them two broadsides and blew the junks-o’-war clean out the China Sea. And sixteen British Men-O’-War sailed from Calcutta, and up the Pei-ho River to the very Heavenly Gates of Peking, demanding trade treaties for Queen Victoria and the twenty thousand chests of opium back.

The astonished Lord of Ten Thousand Years appointed Kishen to seduce the Barbarians back to Canton, there to weary them with negotiations while assembling more celestial warriors to subdue them. But when Captain Elliot got weary of the negotiations he threatened to blow Canton clean out of the Central Kingdom unless he got the twenty thousand chests of opium back, plus the island of Heung Keung as a colony for Queen Victoria. And thus the harlot harbour of Hong Kong was born on twenty thousand chests of opium, a face to launch a thousand ships.

After the Opium War there followed many Unequal Treaties, and there were many foreign settlements, particularly Shanghai, and they all bled China white. Then there was the Boxer Revolution, the rebellion of the Society of Harmonious Fists, to drive the Barbarians back into the sea, and the foreign legations in Peking were besieged and bombarded for fifty-five days before the combined foreign armies crushed the Boxers; and the Foreign Devils extracted further Unequal Treaties and concessions and imposed heavy war indemnities, and to ensure the payment they seized control of China’s customs, railways and communications, and levied heavy duties to protect their own products manufactured by sweated Chinese labour; and because of these things there was little capitalism for the Chinese in China, no prosperous middle class came about, only millions of coolies and feudal peasants and a few comprador-middlemen and corrupt Chinese imperial officials, and warlords; and China was bled whiter.

from - John Gordon Davis' "The Years Of The Hungry Tiger"

You cannot successfully impose democracy from the top down, it need to be built from the ground up.

Have you ever experienced Thai builders?

Only when the writer has the guts to question the true role of the Military can the question REALLY be answered...

And who in Thailand has the balls to ask that question.Answers on a postcard please.First one out of the hat will win ?????????????????

Please, someone explain to me how the political turmoil has affected Thai exports? The channels of distribution are still open and the THB has weakened vs the USD during the protests (making Thai exports more attractive).

Yes, non payments under populist policies have hurt production, but that has little to do with the political turmoil and more a failure of the government, in my opinion, to budget for payments they knew they had to pay that were coming due.

Please explain. What does the caretaker government mean when they say Thai exports are down due to the political turmoil? If they said tourism is down, I would agree, but exports?

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Excuse for another junket,the UK was famous for this at the tax payers expense.

Does the NNB even know what they are writhing? Normally the street value of 1 kilo marijuana here in Thailand is 20,000 THB. With this lot it is 100,000 THB. (500,000,000/5000)

You seem very informed about marijuana price.

Can I be your friend?

Get to the back of the que!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are being invaded by Thai soaps,launch Thunderbirds Brains.

Here's a few that covers both sides of the spectrum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry forgot about the word yellow.

Not!

These are just to humour you,sounds like you forgot to take your medicine today.

he doesn't know the meaning of a free and fair election .all Eton taught him was using thuggery to get your own way .

I didn't know Eton was now a comprehensive school.I better withdraw my sons name.My how things have changed since I've been away.

Why shouldn't she go?

She is the caretaker PM and has been doing a great job under enormous pressure and distractions.

Thailand has a seat at the table and it should be represented.

Quite right too,hopefully it will be the last supper.I don't think even she can rise from the dead.

English for Occupation Camp,sh** are they going to invade the UK.Vee ave vays of makin yoo tok english swine.

Only 80!

But hang on you can't arrest sutep!

He has one last final battle to fight.You know the final push

Oh hang on go ahead you know how long these final battles have been taking!

At least as long as Thaksin said he would quit politics.

Who are the two hotties, Chalerms nieces?.

Probably his bed warmers.