Baerboxer

My wife and I are both Australian and our daughter was born in Bangkok 6 years ago and 2 days after she was born a Government official attached to Bummungrad came to visit us at the hospital to clearly explain that she did not have Thai Citizenship, then pointed it out on the Birth Certificate and more. We had not even thought about the idea of it and yet they were all over us like in a panic or something.

One more note to all this, our daughter was born premature and at the time Bangkok Pattaya could not look after a premature baby and all the local hospitals including Chonburi who could look after a premature birth refused to assist us, so through the help of the Australian Embassy we had to risk my wife being medicvac to Bangkok to save our daughter.

All the local hospitals just hung up on us or said go away. The one that disgusted us the most was Bangkok Pattaya, even though they knew they could not help us they gave us a letter saying they wanted 1 million baht up front before they would assist us.

On the other hand, if 2 Thais were say in holiday in Australia and they had a baby the baby is given the option of becoming an Australian.

Rather than help you, even though you had the money, they would rather your wife get a medivac to Bangkok and risk the life of your daughter in the process. That is the sort of treatment (or lack of) that makes foreigners hate Thais.

I find it funny they sent someone to tell you that your child is not a Thai citizen. If they only knew how little it means to be a Thai citizen once you leave Thailand. There is a reason it's difficult for Thais to get a visa to some countries.

There is no shortage of Thai movie stars FLOCKING to USA and other countries to give birth so their child can have dual citizenship, because they know that the new passport and citizenship actually means something.

You're right. Reading your comments I just realized how many Thais I know who are keen to get dual citizenship for their offspring.

Why can't they just cross the border have have as many labor as they like over there.

Thailand is poor enough, and if we allow poor population to keep growing, it will only bring down the nation average income /head, or the nation average IQ / head.

Singapore Mr Lee was right.

Cash reward the poor and lowly educated (mostly the non-Chinese) to snip their birth organ.

Tax incentive for the rich and educated (mostly Chinese) to produce more and more children.

http://www.country-d...ry/r-11807.html

By the 1980s, the government had become concerned with the low rate of population growth and with the relative failure of the most highly educated citizens to have children. The failure of female university graduates to marry and bear children, attributed in part to the apparent preference of male university graduates for less highly educated wives, was singled out by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1983 as a serious social problem. In 1984 the government acted to give preferential school admission to children whose mothers were university graduates, while offering grants of S$10,000 (for value of the Singapore dollar--see Glossary) to less educated women who agreed to be sterilized after the birth of their second child. The government also established a Social Development Unit to act as matchmaker for unmarried university graduates. The policies, especially those affecting placement of children in the highly competitive Singapore schools, proved controversial and generally unpopular. In 1985 they were abandoned or modified on the grounds that they had not been effective at increasing the fecundity of educated women.

A frightening prospect ..................... but you never what's around the corner here!

There is a silver lining to this. All the muck and dirt gets washed of the streets and flushed the drains out to the sea. Some pavements are left in a disgusting state by street vendors.

Not flushed out to sea, it goes into the drains then clogs them so that there will be flooding due to drainage blockages.

last floods, it was reported that the beaches close to Bangkok were full dead fishes...so enough went out.

Some fish committed suicide in Bangkok?

Only the foreign ones !!!!!!!

Dont worry guys, The mayor of Bangkok promised last year that flooding of Bangkok will never recur- He was backed by the 1. lady.. So dont worry....

The mayor's right - any flood water will get diverted to Pathumthani again. People will have several metres of water in their homes for months, and then be generously and expeditioulsy well compensated - just like last time.

Despite the bad things happening in Thailand, it is still the land of smiles (LOS)!

Too much corruption and fake and so the only thing people can do is: Smile!

Even the police guy smiles like a monkey when he takes your 100 bath to get rid of him...

Thailands tourist industry is based on Thailand being one of the biggest brothels!

Besides the few historical places to visit I wonder why the hell somebody would choose to go to Thailand for beach holidays?

Malaysia, Indonesia...Philipines have the cleaner sea and are sure the better places to visit.

My wife (thai) gets always angry when I say so and asks why I then married her and build a home there (if this has someting to do where the better place to live is or make holidays?!

But I just answer: Don't worry, my next wife is Philipina! Discussion ended...

Where both the Thai Police and the Judicial System have a tendency to give the benefit of the doubt by a large percentage in all aspects of tourist engage ments,shows how little rule of law there is.

Thais are like the Cigarette companies, killing of their own trade; in this case the tourist trade.

Another problem is the lack of english skils amoung the thai people. No matter how good their skills may be in speaking English they lack the IDOMS and the NUANCES that are common to native speakers.

They thai mentality is they know they can cause problems to foreigners, by ripping them off, and with violence and nothing will be done about.

Until they learn thru the harashest of penalities they are quite confident nothing will happen to them.

Sadly I have to agree. 20 years ago I felt safer and more welcome. Now, it's as if lots have realized foreigners are soft targets and nothing really happens if they get robbed, beaten, cheated etc. Thailand used to be one of the politest places I visited on my Asian business trips. Now I see many examples of rudness, often deliberate to foreigners.

I never heard tourist jumping in a plane, coming to thailand just to observ locals smilling.

Thailand was , is and will be remembered as the brothel of the world.

Dont you smell the sleazy? Sex addict will still come even if they have to cross a landmine, swimm in bangkok underwater, bangkok under riot, bangkok with sniper, airport closed, wat po closed, getting stabbed, food poisoned, drink spiked, got cheated, got hiv...

For them, whatever you said, Thailand will be for ever the land of the shiny smile.

It's so sad that so many pick up on the limited "sex trade" side of Thailand. Thailand is not, never has been, and never will be the "world's brothel". There are many countires that are similar in this respect, and some much worse. It's one of those silly urban myths that spread and gets accepted. Have a look at China, Philippines, Indian sub-continent, Nigeria, GCC area - yes some parts loaded with Chinese, African and Russian whores, Eastern Europe, Netherlands (not just Amsterdam), South America, Perth, former soviet republics,USA and the UK.

Anyone who thinks Thailand is the worst in the respect really needs to travel around more and open their eyes.

Rank titles vary in different countries - but was does a "suppression" inspector actually surpress - crime? Or maybe something else .............

Visit Engeland and experience the wonderful hospitality over there. If you want to be in time for the closing ceremony go today. The queues will be intolerable. The prices of the public transport unbearable, the price quality of hotels dismal.

Go to China and experience the dirt, the inhospitable authorities and the filthy hotels. Go to any place where lots of tourists go and experience the same as in Thailand. But than again, take the bus to a Southern of Northern village, stay away from the white noses and the black scammers and you have the time of your life.

Every country has it's good and bad places. In Europe there are notorious resorts in Spain and Greece. I remember Ibiza when it was reasonably quiet before the raves, drugs, booze etc. Thailand is no different. The bad places always get the publicity. Thailand has so many good things to offer for those that want it.

Thailand land of scams liars cheats and theives, home of poluted beaches covered in deck chairs and filth plenty of better places to go in the world

Presumably your off somewhere else soon then?

Gun ownership for farang in Thailand is prudent....who's going to respond to the midnight break-in....NO ONE!! I don't own one in this country because the country makes it very difficult. I do, however, own them in the USA for hunting and home protection; I've had to draw it for both purposes. The uk folks will say just outlaw them. That would be a good idea if it had been done 200 yrs ago. The fact is that, in the event of gun criminalization, the bad guys will still have them and we, law abiding americans, will not. There are a lot of pro's and cons

I'm from the UK - but completely agree with you, as would many others. Protecting your homes and family is a basic right. Society either provides this for you, or allows you to protect yourself. Criminals in the UK still carry guns, but citizens face draconian anti-gun laws. So you are reliant on being able to make an emergency call and the response time of the local police. I've lived in several countries and wouldn't want to risk my family's lives on the speed of the local police, not just Thailand. Like you, I don't own a gun in Thailand because of the difficulties. If it is wasn't so difficult then I certainly would.

Thaksin promises to come home only if reconciliation materializes in Thailand

BANGKOK, 20 July 2012 (NNT) - Ex-Premier Thaksin Shinawatra said he is waiting for the reconciliation process to materialize in Thailand before returning to his motherland.

According to Singapore's Channel News Asia website, Mr. Thaksin gave an interview to a reporter in Jakarta, talking about his returning home. The report said the self-exiled former Prime Minister is waiting for the people in Thailand to have unity first.

Mr. Thaksin said he can now travel anywhere in the world except to his own country. He explained that he is not welcomed in Thailand due to misunderstandings. According to him, he is willing to forgive everyone; all he want is to be part of the society and to live a normal and happy life in Thailand.

-- NNT 2012-07-20

That's very big of him. Pehaps he would like for serve his prison sentence as well? The fact that other countries allow a convicted criminal and fugitve to travel freely and appear on TV and press interviews speaks volumes for the sad state of respect of law around the world. I guess if you have enough money no one really cares what you do and will fall over themselves to help you.

SO!!!.. why is Thailand advertising in the Media, for Foreign Investers to come here.....

They want the foreigners to invest - but not to own anything, have any rights or expectations of profit, interest or payback. Simple really - Miracle Thailand, watch your money disappear.

First I would like to know who is this Anti-Corruption Network, who is behind ? As far as I know it's just one of these many "independent" group that has been created by the PAD to annoy the government. If I'm wrong, don't hesitate to correct me.

Then, 30% for a government contract is nothing new. A study in Great Britain showed that civil servants are among the most corrupted people in the world. It's true in Thailand, but it's also true in GB and any other western countries. Here I should remind people that government employees in their big majority support the democrats .

Finally to know how corruption is evolving, I'll wait for internationally recognized organization to publish their finding. Here again I should remind the people that previous records showed that things were going noticeably better during Thaksin administration.

I used to work as a Civil Servant in the UK.

Some of my work involved Govt tenders. In my experience there was absolutely no backhanders involved. It just didn't exist so I would be very interested to see your evidence rhat I was part of some civil service mafia.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect App

There have been many instances of public sector procurement officials in the US and EU prosecuted and convicted of corrupt practises, along with the companies involved and some politicians. The difference is these are not the norm in those countries- the vast majority of civil servants are honest, and public sector tenders are run transparently under strict guidelines; and those convicted are severly punished of course.

Sorry, but it has and does exist in the West - but not as an everyday practice like in Asia.

First I would like to know who is this Anti-Corruption Network, who is behind ? As far as I know it's just one of these many "independent" group that has been created by the PAD to annoy the government. If I'm wrong, don't hesitate to correct me.

Then, 30% for a government contract is nothing new. A study in Great Britain showed that civil servants are among the most corrupted people in the world. It's true in Thailand, but it's also true in GB and any other western countries. Here I should remind people that government employees in their big majority support the democrats .

Finally to know how corruption is evolving, I'll wait for internationally recognized organization to publish their finding. Here again I should remind the people that previous records showed that things were going noticeably better during Thaksin administration.

As nice a selection of casual lies, implied linkages and unsupported BS as I have read in a long while.

Couldn't agree more with you OzMick! Does he really believe the Thaksin administration were cleaning up corruption................ oh yes, they were "cleaning up" all right !!

All this from the very man who filled his pockets with the countries wealth and then ran for the hills when found out.

He boasts of "this is the only way to true reconciliation" to forgive!!

Lets not forget, this is a man found guilty & prosecuted of a crime committed within his own country by a court of law elected to uphold the law of the land.

A man who is such a coward that he fled his own country in self imposed exile to escape his punishment.

A man who still try's to influence the government, his family & so called loyal followers from afar to change the law to allow him to come back, not creep in the back door but boldly through the front entrance like some hero returning from battle.

The only way he should be allowed back into Thailand is to serve his full sentence like any other convicted criminal & even then after being released from prison given a lifetime ban from holding any political position.

Why should he be pardoned for committing such a crime when the man on the street is not given such privileges, he talks of forgiveness..

He should go down on his knees before the people & beg for their forgiveness for his crimes against the country & monarchy..

Is it not a crime in this corrupt country for politicians to have contact with convicted criminals who have evaded the law?

They should send out a clear message to ignore him or be prosecuted themselves for having any involvement with him & also ask foreign countries to do likewise.

After all he is a convicted criminal on the run!!

There is a whole echelon of Thai Hi-So's, politicians and business people who are seemingly above the law. These people act like medieval barons in their own fiefdoms - vying for position on the gravy trains, protecting home markets, stunting educational growth etc etc. All aimed at preserving their privelaged and very wealthy way of life. This is not unique to Thialand in Asia. Politicians in particular don't think the laws apply to them, and use government apparatus to hound their opponents (JFK did this too, so it's more common than people think).

A simialr attitude had developed in certain poiticians in the UK - until several were convicted and imprisoned for expense claim fraud. Independent courts and impartial effective law enforcement are cornerstones of democracy. Here there is neither, nor any drive towards this. No doubt Thaksin will return, probably this year, will get an amnesty, for no sound legal reason. Then the "fun" will start. In the meantime, the current encumbents of power will continue to "rape" the country and buy luxury homes in the West to flee to when the sh*t hits the fan.

"Everyone says the same thing"

Complete lie

He is working on the principal that if you tell a lie enough times, people actually start to believe it.

Spot on sir! Hitler said that the bigger the lie, and more often repeated, the more the people will believe it !!

In thai culture when you have sexual relations with a women you are considered married. Thais are big in keeping face. If it has gotten around that you have slept with her and not making a legal marriage then it looks very bad for her family.

This is generally only true if youre not Thai. IE: Thais do this all the time. In fact, it's actually difficult to find a Thai virgin over 18. Your white. You gonna pay one way or another. You need to go into deep hide whenever you're in Thailand.

it's not hard at all to find thai virgins over 18. You must be looking in bars.

How do you actually know this? Do you go around examining ladies virtue in some kind of weird 'Gladstonion" way? Or do you conduct street surveys and take their word for it.

I hope the English profs have better accents than my UK Golf Buddies. Sometimes I can only understand every 3rd word. The Pommie accents tend to increase in direct proportion to the number of Beers consumed.

Interesting point. I have 3 friends, 2 Thai 1 Chinese, who all have masters degrees from Aussie universities. The other thing they have in common is a very low standard of written and spoken English. Yet, they all got through the Aussie university system and graduated ok.

The environment next to the Best Group's golf course should certainly be a lot nicer than the slag heaps of Preston anyway!

Slag heaps of Preston? News to me, but hey, I only grew up there.

Yes, don't think Preston had many coalmines!

What a bunch of moronic comments. You guys really need to pull your heads out your own <deleted>. If you are shining examples of graduates from "real" British Unis you make a good case for avoiding such establishments...

Polytechnic? Oh my god, how awful... I cringe at your comments. How out of touch are you people? Elitist muppets, the lot of you.

The number of universities in Britain almost doubled this fall, as 38 former polytechnic schools or colleges changed status and names - ending a distinction that had more to do with the nation's deep-rooted class-consciousness than academic reality.

For years, the polytechnics have been turning out some of Britain's best scientists and technologists - without neglecting the humanities and social sciences - while being seen by much of the general public as second best to the traditional universities.... many people looked down on the polytechnics "out of snobbery or ignorance."

I don't think anyone is saying The University of Central Lancashire is not a good university just because it was formerly a polytechnic.

The fact is standards vary between universities and are measured and compared via various rankings, none of which rank this university towards the top.

Where would you prefer your children to study if they had a choice between Cambridge University or Anglia Ruskin University (formerly Anglia polytechnic)?

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

Depends on what course they would be takling. Cambridge and Oxford are not the "be all and end all" of British universities, anymore than Eton and Harrow are for schools.

Will students be allowed to fail their exams?

This was going to be my question too.

The true test of a "real" university is to fail students that do not make their grades.

Yes - British educational standards - schools, universities and proffessional qualifications via chartered professional bodies are strictly monitored and controlled. So not everyone passes.

Guess what - students fail in Thailand. Yes, I know that 50% of a course at Kasetsart failed the English module on a master's course. They had to pay extra to do a retake. 60% failed the retake. They now have to wait until next year to resit and cannot progress to graduation until passing. The academic content and volume of work on this particular course compares with any I've seen in the UK.

A friend's son failed one module of an engineering degree at Rangsit University which has meant his plans to follow up wiht a masters in the UK have now been scuppered. Not allowed to retake.

Many European and American professors and doctors already act as visiting professors to Thai universities - have a chat with some of them if you get the chance. They'll give you a good opinion on the state of education in Thailand and their own countries. Which doesn't sound like some of the drivel I read on TV! Some American qualifactions would be hard to fail providing you turned up often enough, and paid your fees of course.

Passing exams and tests are and should not be one off experiences. If people don't meet the required standard it may be due to a combination of things that need addressing.

I was incandescent last evening when True Non-Visions decided to blank out the final stages of the Scottish Open golf tournament at 2300. My excitement had been building over the previous two hours when the result was more and more in doubt and it was becoming a very much nip and tuck affair. At the end of the month my box goes back, with the unpaid monthly invoice, and if they cock up the showing of The Open this week I shall be taking a 4 lb hammer to it before handing it in. Enough is enough.

Anybody advising me that I need a course in anger management can stick his advice where the sun doesn't shine.

Know what you mean Bagwan! Just got to the exciting finale of the film I was watching and suddenly replaced with a sign apologzing for inconvenience ! Having screwed up on EURO 2012, cutting all programs for 10 hours to "upgrade", let's see how wonderful the Olympic coverage is, if at all. Mighr need my lump hammer too.

Once again............ why not let him pass through. Follow him to the thai buyer and arrest everyone.

Why ?cause I suspect he is delivering to a bib, politician or a hi-so and we cant arrest them.

Easy as that eh? Do all international airports maintain teams of surveillance staff at the airport ready to follow anyone seen to have drugs?

They only heard about him being a courier not a seller after he was questioned.

Spot on! It's hard to set up a successful surveillance operation even with prior knowledge. Here, the customs officers stopped, searched and found the drugs - bit hard to then try and set up a covert surveillance - the Iranian might have realized !!

The Iranian authorities would have no qualms about executing this guy, particularly with his admission of many trips. Although life in a Thai prison may be a worse punishment!

The suspect is a known criminal who has burglarized homes in many different areas.”

Then why wasn't he in jail? Instead he was out burglarizing more homes and killing people... More wonderful police work. Does someone have to get killed before they do their job?

Just possibly police in Phuket prioritize crimes and criminals like we do in the western world. Do you assume they have infinite resources to track down everyone who has outstanding warrants? Guarantee you we have thousands here in the USA roaming free and with multiple arrest warrants on their records.

I agree - in my experience police in the UK aren't very interested in burglaries. If you report one you normally get a case number for your insurance and a lecture on "better house security". This is supposedly down to lack of resources and therefore having to prioritze accordingly which is what all police forces have to manage.

Here, the RTP have captured a brutal murderer, responsible for strangling a young lady. Well done for catching him and hope he gets the punishment he deserves.

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin??? Would the Lord reject a man because of mental illness???

Answer that one and you will have your answer to the suicide barred from heaven conundrum.

You can't answer it because you don't know the mental state of every suicide. The " Guilty " religion of Catholicism in particular makes great play of suicide being a Cardinal Sin. Go ask your local priest that question,

" Father, would the Lord turn his back on the mentally ill? ".............then watch him flounder.

Just sayin'

And you sir can not state he is going to heaven as you do not know for sure that god actualy exists, do you?

No one can prove or disprove this - that's down to every individuals choice of faith and beliefs. However. let's hope that this poor man found peace away from the troubles that casued him such pain that ending his own life seemed a better choice than living.