thenoilif

41 minutes ago, cyberfarang said:

Sadly, because of too many false rape accusations made by women against men in the past, it cannot automatically be assumed women are telling the truth first and take them at face value. I describe it as the boy who cried wolf syndrome, whereas those who have lied and even put innocent men into prison have made it difficult for the genuine victims of rape, unless a case of rape is obvious, woman has injuries, beaten or was drugged.

 

The problem is that these reports, as in the OP, are usually just the bare facts (excuse the pun) with many details left out, so we don`t get a clear picture to what happened and the situation involved. So I can only say; in this case I really don`t know.

 

I would agree if there was a time where a woman's word when it comes to rape was generally taken seriously but it went from women not being able to report it at all, to not being believed if they did, to only being believed sometimes. 

What we are seeing with this very incident is not dissimilar to what women face in the West. 

2 minutes ago, cheechee said:

Customers w penis and customers with a hole there are not the same.  MEN are not WOMEN and women are not men.  got it.

Why do I find this extremely ironic?

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

Yes, it is familiar because I worked in law enforcement for 30 years.  This case stinks really.  Obviously, the cops thought so. But, if you want to believe all she says and be her advocate, good for you.

 

 

 

I hope this is BS or at the very least you weren't a police officer. If you were I call for a review of every case you ever investigated. 

Making these sort of claims with only some internet news to go by and even with a slight tinge of 'she got what she deserved' tone. Are you American? You last name wouldn't happen to be Zimmerman would it?

What is wrong with some of you? I understand that TV does attract more than its fair share of men who have been disenfranchised by Western feminism but give this lady a break.

The woman reported it as a rape. I would think in this day and age we would assume she was telling the truth first and take things at face value and stop adding your own narrative to promote some bitter misogynistic agenda. It's not like this guy is some famous athlete or celebrity

Patpong is a very touristy location now and most of the massage shops on Silom Rd and Surawong are not rub and tugs. I frequent them for a foot massage or an oil and the majority do not try anything. Some will provide extra services but you usually have to prod them for it. Since certain events, they have become even more conservative about it as police are seemingly cracking down on this sort of thing.

I also often see foreigners, mostly backpackers stopping in for a foot, Thai or oil massage with no desire for anything sexual. 

And regardless of what services she did ask for, if it got to a point where she didn't want things to go any further and said 'stop' or 'no' than it ends there. Anything the guy does after that is rape and I typically don't find that being held down against your will as part of a typical massage even in this area of the city.

13 hours ago, gdgbb said:

It's not illegal if the purchase is made from a licenced/registered trader.

Actually, it can still be illegal if the ivory is not from a legal source. Not to mention the price and location being JJ makes it very suspect. 

Some of the shops selling exotic animals supposedly have licenses to do but they also deal in illegal animals as well. 

5 hours ago, pattayahenry said:

some drivers dont like to be overtaken on the wrong side, maybe someone wanted to stop him, and if you brake a heavy 1200cc bike in a sharp curve, exactly that happens. maybe he did not see the relatively sharp 90 degree bend, he was far to fast anyway.
btw,
in thailand a funeral is a place to be happy and funny, drinking lots of alcohol, playing loud musik for several days. if the victim were a thai, they would play this clip dozens of times at his funeral, children would ROFL about the crying in the car, and others would comment about the nice airplane in the background. they would tell jokes, like if my cow has such an infected leg, i would kill it anyway, and everybody would be laughing. that is thailand, and if you do not understand that mentality, better stay at home.
nothing is more superfluous than the stupid RIP comments, we are here in a different world, not in the west.

 

It's a social demographic thing. It's nothing to do with Thai culture specifically. You would see this among the less educated/sophisticated of most cultures. You also might see this when the person who died was a type that would appreciate such a joyous event.

I've been to a lot of Thai funerals and they are just as somber as any other that I've been to in the US, maybe even more so. 

We are currently going through a country-wide greiving period now and it's anything but celebratory. 

1 minute ago, KhunBENQ said:

Anyway this case is another drastic warning: either have the money for treatment (no less than a million) or have insurance.

And his case: he was fighting for 6 months with this problem!

Did he not even have the money for a low cost oneway to Germany where he would have been treated without any question.

(in his case a viable option which is not available to accident victims or the like)

 

I think this is another case of someone having their priorities in the wrong order. 

Too many times you hear of stories of foreigners ending up destitute, extremely sick, or dead because they put selfish wants ahead of their own health and once the situation becomes life threatening they end up begging people for help. Fortunately for them, Thais are extremely empathetic people and they usually will get a few rounds of charity but even the locals can spot a free-loader.

Pitiful is probably the best description for them.

There seems to be more than enough posts commenting on how a belief in a religious artifact can be related to driving aggressively on the road to lead me to believe that there are a disproportionately large amount of elderly women on this forum. 

People, especially men, do stupid shit when they feel they are in command of something that they think is more powerful than them. Cars, motorcycles, guns, nature.

Its also not uncommon for people to thank a higher power (even if they're not traditionally religious) when they have a near death experience.

There are many more 'ignorant' things to worship than a symbol of spirituality...like I don't know....Money...or a phallacy.

1 hour ago, fforest1 said:

I agree with your post....

But

What has been severely lacking in the rebranding process is the

lack of much of any thing that would draw non sex tourist

to Pattaya...

 

Shopping Malls?- Shopping malls are every where...

The Beach? A very sorry beach with nasty dirty water....

History, Culture? Zilch... 

Natural beauty? Zilch....

That leaves a few tourist attractions like water parks,the floating

market,Nong Nooch etc  and that's it.....

 

Alls I will say is they have their work cut out for them...

 

 

 

There is plenty of history and culture. Pattaya is this sort of land that time forgot. People can go and get a glimpse of real living fossils both literally and figuratively. The culture harkens back to a time when men from more misogynistic cultures were allowed to do whatever they want without the fear of rightfully being called xenophobic, racist, misogynistic, phedophiles  political correctness. 

It's about as close to a real-life Westworld as it gets and it just demonstrates that the majority of people would rather watch the show than live it. 

16 hours ago, thaianon said:

I think that many posters here are missing an obvious point. Pattaya's new mayor has just been appointed by the military junta, and he's a police general. One of the junta's goals is to clean up Thailand's image abroad, so the police chief is probably just taking his marching orders from above, and the Mirror article is just an excuse to justify what has already been planned. The sex trade in Pattaya has been tolerated in the past because it's been viewed as being beneficial by the local authorities. However, the junta's view may be different. In Thailand, the tail doesn't wag the dog, especially when the military is in charge. If they really decide to curtail it, it will happen, and no one will be able to stop it. This happened in Ermita in Manila years ago forcing many of the clubs and gogos to relocate to Angeles.

1

It was tolerated in the past because that is all that it was known for and it was also much easier to keep it 'out of sight out of mind'. Now that more and more 'non-sex' tourists are going there and more importantly, with the negative exposure it now gets on global media, the sex scene has lost its value. 

Thailand as a whole hasn't liked Pattaya since the 60s and up until recently, most Thais would avoid it like the plague. But in the last couple of years, there have been an increasing number of BKK residents who go down there due to the proximity to the capital but they have mostly stayed on the outskirts of Pattaya proper. 

The new Pattaya to Hua Hin ferry was the beginning of an aggressive new plan to rebrand Pattaya as a more mainstream tourist spot, this recent development is just another step. 

3 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

I was laughing so hard reading this story you beat me to it.

 

 

 

Not the best example of unnatural wonders given that it only showed two 60+  y.o. overweight foreigners hopped on erectile dis-function meds. 

One thing both places have in common is that they are dominated mostly by Chinese tourists at the moment which are the bulk of foreigners visiting Thailand these days. Just speculation but there has been a lot of anger towards the Chinese tourists in response to how they behave when they visit LoS.

There is also a lot of evidence that the country is trying to reduce globalization and revert back to a more nationalistic social order due to the perceived damage that large scale tourism and foreign investment has brought.

If you live here, and have for some time, you can do a direct consular filing. It's much faster. My friend just investigated this for his Thai wife and was amazed at how quickly the paperwork would get processed.

I know nothing about the PI, but is it hard for them to get tourist visas to the US? If so, I'm amazed because pretty much every nurse I encountered in the US while dealing with my father's numerous health issues over the years were from the PI! LOL

Thanks for the reply. I've lived here under a non-imm. B visa/work permit for almost 4 years. Is that enough to qualify for "some time"?

Hello all,

I would like and will appreciate your advice on my situation.

I am a US citizen and currently engaged to a Pinay national. We both live and work in Thailand. We are looking to take a trip to the US to get married and I am wondering what my best course of action would be to get her into the US legally. We are not looking to set up any sort of permanent residency for her in the US as we have no plans of living in the US at this time.

We will only be there for a couple of weeks and then back to BKK. I have done some research and I am leaning toward the K1 fiance visa. I understand that I have to petition the US first so she can apply for the visa. Everything I've read to date says I have to do this in the US and cannot do that in Bkk. Is that true?

Given my situation is the K1 the best course of action if we are looking to travel in April 2015?

Thanks for your insight.

So would I just use the TM7 application form?

I have a multi-entry visa and usually do all of my processing at the One Stop Service Center in Chamchuri Square near Chula University.

You will need an assortment of supporting documents from your employer along with the TM7 form to apply for an extension of stay.

They do not issue visas at the one stop center which makes me certain you are on an extension of stay and have a multiple re-entry permit.

Yeah you're right, I got the non-imm. B prior to entering the country and have been extending it. Thanks for the info.

So would I just use the TM7 application form?

I have a multi-entry visa and usually do all of my processing at the One Stop Service Center in Chamchuri Square near Chula University.

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if the application requirements (outside of needing to renew the Work Permit first) are the same for renewing my Non-imm. B visa if my work permit is good for another year? My visa expires at the end of the month but the WP is good until June 2015.

Thanks for your advice.

If anything caffeine and sugar should have the opposite effect but maybe there is some new chemical in the Thai formula. Sure you're not mixing a little vodka in your dew?

Damn I've been off with the spelling lately.

Perhaps you would care to name the "several others" so we can all enjoy better Mexican food than served at La Monita.

The one mentioned in this thread. I find El Diablo to have the best tacos around. I also eat at It really depends on the dish you eat. Is Tacos and Salsa still open?

I avoid this place like the plague. I ve eaten at both the Chiang Mai and Bangkok branches and the food is very subpar. The bangkok branch is run a little better than the CM branch as the one up North is a dirty little place and is notorious for giving customers a new religious idol in the form of a porcelein god.

Everyone has their tastes I guess but I personally would never recommend El Diablo to anyone.

Thanks Patrick

Sorry about the spelling and no it's not a shill or advertisement for the restaurant. I written a few other accounts of various restaurants that I thought were worth mentioning. I was editorial mode after having to write a few for work.

I want to start by saying that I had high expectations given that it is from the same guy who brought us La Monitas, which a perfect blend of atmosphere and excellent food. Billy Batista was able to bring a faithful Mexican cuisine that had been butchered by every other restaurant before it, to the LoS.

He not only captured the food but the atmosphere of a quant Southern Cali taco joint. There is not pretention, just great food, drinks, service, and surroundings.

Unfortunately he seems to have completely missed the boat with El Ocito.

Upon entering this the establishment, which is right next door to La Monitas, in a large business complex next to the Ploen Chit BTS station, I immediately got the feeling that this was going to be a negative experience.

The décor of El Ocito is basically a hodge podge of various styles that are blended together to give the place a modern urban feel. It’s a paint by numbers copy of every other new café/bistro/lounge that have been popping up in the various western dominated coves of BKK. Concrete floors, exposed ceilings, suspended light bulbs, and of course a large iron-esque chandelier. I am starting to wonder if every restaurateur in the city is hiring the same interior decorator because they all just seem to blend together. The wait staff is also dressed like they are working in some hip nightspot farther down on Suhk.

The décor wouldn’t really be that big of a deal if the food was excellent but it’s not. This is the biggest disappointment because of how good La Monita’s food is and because I have been waiting for someone to open up a quality American style deli sandwich joint. I ordered the New York Style Pastrami Sandwich on Rye; one of my favorites and my friend ordered their bacon cheeseburger. I was expecting excellent pastrami given that it seems to be a signature as they really push for you to add it to as an extra topping on many of their burgers and sandwiches. Sorry to report but the pastrami was very mediocre. In fact it didn’t even seem like pastrami at all, just a lightly season, thin sliced ham. There was generous a portion of meat but the sandwich was also supposed to have gruyere cheese but much like the seasoning on the pastrami, there was very little on the actual sandwich to the point that I had a hard time finding it. Maybe my expectations were a bit high because I was anticipating a sandwich with cheese oozing out from the sliced middle much like what you get in the states. The sandwich was also extremely dry, meat was over cooked and the bread was also overdone.

My friend’s burger was also below average. The patty was thin and overcooked, with very basic toppings. The bun was the best part as it was soft and not overwhelming. I don’t mind a basic lettuce, tomato, and cheeseburger but at least make an effort with better quality meat given the abundance of better options out there.

To add insult to injury, the prices are a bit on the high side given the quality. My sandwich was close to 350 baht with fries (which were actually decent) after VAT and service and my friend’s burger was also close to that price as well. They offer two different sandwich sizes and mine was the smaller of the two options with the bigger one having more meat but costing over 400 baht!

On top of all of this the service was very poor. We were the only customers in the place and there were 5 servers just standing around and we still had to get their attention anytime we needed anything. An older Thai women, who I think is the principle in the business even came in at one point and the servers were more interested in socializing with her than attending to their only customers. Places like this make me really hate the obligatory 10% 'service' charge that has become standard at most western style restaurants.

In closing, not only was this one of the most disappointing dining experiences I have had in BKK, it was also one of the most confusing. Much like the décor, this place doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. Does it want to be a high end Spanish lounge or a New York style deli? Personally I think they should have separated the tapas and sandwiches into two different concepts. They could have opened up a smaller, more quant joint for the sandwiches and charge less money so the value matches the product (even though the product does need some work) and left El Oconto as a dinner/late night Spanish style tapas and drinks lounge, which based on the setup would be more fitting. Either way I don’t think I will be returning anytime soon.

Mexican food seems to be the fastest growing international cuisine in BKK. As more and more Thais travel abroad to study they are being introduced to this amazing cuisine.

For years La Monitas has been the go to place for truly authentic Mexican or at least Cali-Mexican cuisine but there is a new kid on the block, El Mariachi Taqueria.

I stopped by this place the other night after hearing a few whispers about a new Mexican restaurant in town. I also got an evite to a Day of the Dead party from the same place so I thought it was about time to check it out.

I googled the address and off to Bang-na or more specifically Udom Suk I went.

The trip started out rather discering as I couldn't find a taxi driver that actually knew where Srinakarin Road Soi 61 was and it wasn't due to a lack of understanding. Three refused me until I finally simplified the directions to Udom Suk Srinakarin and ommitted the soi number.

I don't go to this part of town much but I never can say no to a new mexican food experience. Once we got to the area the driver couldn't find soi 61 so he just let me out at 63 instead. Thinking that 61 was close by I just hoofed it up the street. As I walked I stopped and asked three seperate gentlemen if I was heading in the right direction and all three had no idea where soi 61 was. As I continued to walk down Srinakarin I approached some road construction that was going to require to enter a small office/shopping plaza/shop houses. As I entered the parking lot I just happened to glance over at the shops, all were dark except one. As I peered inside I saw several red and yellow decorations and red wood tables and benches that resembled a photo I had seen of the place online, it was El Mariachi Taqueria! I have often been baffled by addresses in this but this one was easily the most confusing, no idea where the Soi 61 comes from.

The restaurant itself is very small, about 1/2 the size of La Monitas and the camparisons don't stop there. The decor is also almost identical to the Ploen Chit mainstay from the draped yellow and red paper cutouts to the red painted wood picnic tables and bench chairs.

The menu offers most of the standard mexican fare like true Mexican style tacos (open face, choices of meat, onions, cilantro) or you can upgrade to the 'special' tacos where they add a nice guac/sour cream topping. My partner and I tried the chicken, shirmp, fish, and pork tacos and all were very good besides the fish. The fish had very little actual fish and what was given was too thin and well done but everything was seasoned very well. We also had quacamole and chips as a starter and I have to give them a lot of props on the guac, it was one of the all around tastiest I have had in Bkk.

The rest of the menu included burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, chimichangas, and a few of the standard breakfast meals like Juevos Rancheros.

All in all it was a great experience, the food was comparable to La Monitas which are both some of the best true Mexican I have ever tasted. The staff was nice enough and the best part are their prices. They are comparable in price to Sunrise Tacos but with a more premium and well made product. Their food is on par with La Monitas but cheaper with the only down side being the location. It is somewhat accessible from the Udom Suk BTS and I estimate that it would take 10-15 minutes to get their on foot from the BTS station.

Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.