fire and ice

If they really were serious about getting 10,000 native english speakers (with degrees!) then the **only** way they will get 10,000 of them to work for their piecemeal salaries will be to recruit Indians & Nigerians.

I relaise there are many western expats in LOS who would be interested in this, but 10,000 is probably about 20 times the number of *qualified* westerners willing to work for these conditions.

Thai "culture" and Thai "traditions" are also “supposed” to be draped within Buddhism as the master guide. Yet Buddhism is a religion that as has, unquestionably, a number one precept, which professes accepting change as part of the flow of life.

But yet there are still lots of Thais (well actually a lot of them) who contradict their own "customs" and "traditions" by attempting to defy this fundamental Buddhist precept. These people RESIST change IN THE NAME OF Thai tradition & morals!

A beautiful contradiction is seen by anyone who can contemplate this on a higher conscious level. Accepting change is fundamental to life because resiting change (Ie: this new kissing in public is wrong because I grew up with that belief & it cannot change etc...) prevents blocking the Buddhist path to enlightenment.

The irony is also both overwhelming and hilarious, admittedly frustrating sometimes – all dependant on my mood at the time….

The truth of it all is that the morals police have yet to learn to accept (or even contemplate) that perhaps their morals need to change, rather than their world/country needs to change in order to suit their morals.

Obviously this same situation has occurred a lot in Thailand in recent years (early bar closings etc…) since the morals police started fearing their subconscious desires…

One of the major causes of Bangkok traffic is the abundance of PRIVATE parking.

Beacuse the "blocks" are mostly about 2km x 2km square with loads of sois, toks & alleys everywhere there is a too much private property vesus the bitumen area.

It is commonly known that there is not enough % of bitumen, but compounding this problem is the ample parking provided (ie: at peoples homes, offices etc..) so people are able to take their car.

I am not talking about public parking but private parking where people drive to/from every day.

As an example: (correct me if I'm mistaken) but Thailand tobacco monpoly is in the middle of things and yet has loads of parking throughout its grounds thus encouranging lots of staff to drive to work.

Also note that many places like this have no business being in the middle of bangkok & should (ideally) be moved to outer areas of Bangkok, or even another chung-wart altogether.

"Why come to Thailand to get away from the lifestyles in the west and then try to turn it into the place you just left? "

Exactly!

If Thailand looks the same as every other place in the west, why would one want to be there at all?

So where is it that people with the above view get the idea that this proposed 'modernising' of Bangkok is all about making ex-pats & tourists happy?

I think the idea is to make Thai residents of Bangkok happy as opposed to making sure the ex-pat playground isn't spoilt by westernisation.

Maybe I'm mistaken, and this is the joke of the day. What cities are truly world class: London, Paris, New York City, Los Angeles? And consider what problems those cities have!

Los Angeles?? You’ve got to be kidding! Its just a big city - there is not much that is world class about it (its too spread out & the population density is too sparse). The **ONLY** reason so many people live there & why entertainment is based there is due to the utterly perfect weather, but the city or greater metropolitan area itself isn't 'world class' by any measure of the term.

London, Paris, New York = yes & you could also add Tokyo, Sydney & keep adding some more but not LA !!!

Though who knows, if you can believe what many geologists and economists are saying, oil will be extremely expensive in 20 years, and traffic won't be much of a problem

This is not likely - the price of oil can't go up by more than about 1.5 times it's present level (+inflation) because oil can be also extracted (expensively) from coal, oil-sands and shale.

There is a zillion years supply of oil via these resources & the extraction cost, even of shale oil - the most expensive, makes the maximum price about $110 a barrel (I'm not sure this figure is still current).

Since so many countries have reserves of coal, oil sands (most oil sands are in Alberta) and shale (there are cubic miles of shale available!!), there is strong competition past certain $/barrel prices. This means the oligopoly of OPEC & other oil producers is non-existent once oil reaches a certain price - there are few supply limits with alternative oil supplies either.

Also note that **IF** Bangkok actually gets all its proposed new subway & BTS lines then traffic would be massively reduced in Bangkok. Although I think they'd need an extra line or two (such as one following Pechaburi Rd) to really do a good job of it. info on the new lines is available on the BTS & MRTA website (when the websites actually work that is... ).

Now due to US Federal statues, it is illegal for any of the residents of any of these 27 states to have sex with a 16 year old in Thailand. There are also (federal) laws that apply when someone crosses state lines for sex.

So how can the US federal court prosecute you just because of which state you are resident of? And even this is murky, some people could claim they had moved states or were no longer a US resident therefore not resident of any state etc... Seems quite absurd to arbitrarily say you're a federal criminal just because of which state you are legally resident of. This disparity is even more absurd than most Thai issues & doings which people on this site discuss / moan about.

Also this means that if a 18 year old US citizen has sex with a 17 year old in another country while on holiday, then if s/he lives in the 'wrong state' then they can be prosecuted as a paedophile under Federal laws? I might be incorrect but as I understand it there is a different crime class (within the US) for sex with a minor & child molestation, but according to the above discussion they are seen the same thing when done in another country. Also how does consent (from the 'victim’s' parents) enter into this? It is coming across that the US Federal law is draconian in contrast to the US state's laws.

As far as the law is concerned I think people are not being articulate when differentiating between any action that the Thai authorities might take, versus any action the US might take under it's laws.

Under Thai law I believe (but sure) that the only crime he has committed (if any) is paying for a prostitute aged 16-18. Since if she was not being paid for sex it would be legal (?), I doubt this is the same Thai law as those governing paedophilia & doubt the penalty is very harsh - but I might be wrong of course.

In any case (for the record) I have read on Thai embassy websites that for sex with prostitutes:

1. they must be over 18 &

2. prostitution is illegal but ONLY for the person receiving the money, the client is not breaking Thai law (unless under 18)

It should also be noted the grey area where you give a bar girl some cash the next morning after never bringing up the issue of money - Thais generally don't consider this to be prostitution in the legal sense.

If any one is sure of the exact laws and likely penalties please speak up - I have only written much of the above based on what has been said above.

Anyone reading this post should also read my post regarding the news article BEFORE they took the test:

4,000 traffic policemen to prove they know the rules

and yet 14% still managed to fail...!!

...why am I not surprised...?

4,000 traffic policemen to prove they know the rules

More than 4,000 traffic policemen will be given a test today in which those scoring less than 80 marks out of 100 will be taken off traffic duty.

Pol Maj-Gen Montri Jamroon, deputy metropolitan police chief, said the test has been prompted by complaints from motorists, who claimed many traffic policemen were not proficient in traffic regulations, and were unable to answer questions raised by drivers accused of breaking the law.

Full story click here

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This one got me laughing! Whilst I see this sort of stuff in Thailand all the time, I still can't get my head around the idea that they don't need to score 100% to be up to standard! I mean they are considered "okay" if they get 20 wrong! .....so if 1 in 5 tickets are illegally issued then that's okay....

In Australia you can't even get a learner's driving licence if you get more than 2 wrong out of 30 road-rule questions, but in Thailand you can work full time issuing tickets if you get 20 wrong from 100. Priceless!

I have only a 30-day stamp & I opened a passbook account with ATM card (200B for ATM card) at Siam City Bank at a Northern Bangkok Branch about 2 weeks ago. Was able to immediately change my PIN & successfully withdrew 500B (that night as a test) of the 2000B I put in to open the account.

The amusing part was that I though (until I read the above posts) that these restrictions were still in place and I was not going to be able to open an account. The teller also said there were restrictions but since I thought so too I wasn't going to argue with him - he knew I only had a 30 day stamp. But my GF told him I was goign to put a lot of money into the account and he then had no problem giving my an account. We put down her ID card address as my address. All quite amusing and a big releif as it has saved me a lot of hassles.

People should take note! Siam City Bank has the best exchange rates (definitely for A$, but pretty sure for all currencies). It is astounding the difference you get when shopping around, each bank makes a different sales margin on forex - they all say "no commission" which is like a shop saying they make no commission on stock. Completely true but they make a profit on the buy/sell spread - either way everyone loses a bit when changing money as I'm sure most people are aware.

But western banks make a vastly larger margin than Thai banks. I checked simultaneous exchange rates on offer between the Thai banks and my National Australia Bank back home - all within the same 30 minute period. To illustrate the relative profit margins lets say the A$ buys 100 baht (It doesn’t, it really buys about 30 baht but I want to draw attention to %s here). My Aussie bank will offer its customers about 95 baht and sell for 105 baht - that’s 5% each way. The Thai banks typically will offer 99 & 101 as their buy/sell rates. Far far better. I'm sure most western banks rip everyone off like my bank back home. But Siam City Bank's rates are a little better than even the other Thai banks - about 99.25 buy & 100.75 sell. The best rates are if you TT the money but their cash rates are equally the best too.

So when I just transferred A$15,000 into my Thai account, I only lost 0.75% on exchange (about $112.50) because I sent A$ and the Siam City Bank converted it to Baht. If I had been an idiot and asked my bank in Australia to convert it I would have lost about 5% - $750 !! I would have thrown away an extra A$637.50.

Bear in mind that when you use an overseas ATM card here you get YOUR bank’s rate from home - ie: the rip off rate. Forget the $4 or $1.25 fee the bank charges per transaction - that’s trivial - its the exchange rate margin they make their money one!! The main reason I opened a Thai account was so I could get the Thai exchange rate!

i think there's problem with definitions of "work" and "job employment"

if charity activity paid - it's a job, so charity oranisation should apply for easier procedures of some kind of temp permits.

if person does charity activities on his/her own, and there're no any wedges, salaries bonuses etc., even he/she provided with basic accomodation, transportation and other provisions - than such activity has nothing to do with jobs as emplyment and work permit is not required.

now, say a person coming to Thailand to meet thai businesses and even sign contract as rep. of overseas company - it is "work", right?

but why should businessman spend time collecting all redic. papers just to get Non-B visa for one trip here? TR-visa is enough, although makes it illegal activity, according to imm dept.

I think raids should start at every trade show and fair. Lots of farangs are working without w.p. !!!My point - guys from charities has no reason to fear, as long as they receive no cash.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Australians do not need a work permit anymore for conducting business such as described above, the Business visa is also easier for Aussies to obtain now too.

I like the TAFTA - plus it puts us Aussies a step ahead of other Farangs (giggle giggle.. gloat gloat).

Thanks for all the replies.

I guess I certainly have a good idea on 'buri' now.

Im still curious if the ไสล (salie) part of ตบสลบไสล would mean anything on its own or what it literally means - even if it is not actually significant in the phrase's meaning. From the replies I gather it (literally) means: slap-unconscious-ไสล and am still curious about the last part.

The sanap-sanun phrase I heard as sanap-sanun-doi a lot on the radio but some thais were saying the 'doi' part was the name of a product/business they were endorsing - they seemed pretty clear on this but maybe they were being "thaipically inaccurate"? Also is the sanap part the same as in the sanap-sanook expression?

Ive heard antaloc a lot as well as taloc and both were used tp imply funny/joke etc... My GF is from Hat Yai - anyone knwo if there's a difference between antaloc and taloc?

My GF usually says 'nun le' in response to what someone has said - is this like a confirmation that what has just been said is correct? she also says 'chan nun le' but i think in a different context - I presume its the femael chan (I) word in front but maybe a different tone (in case im wrong).

The ge-ga I was after is definately 'disorderly' as this fits every context where she has used it (i thought it meant untidy but that didnt quite seme to fit) - any other translations offered dont apply to my question and are porbably a result of transliteration.

Thanks again.

Can some people please tell me what are these below phrases in English.

Please provide a literal translation as well as actual translation if you can:

1. buri (as in buri ram etc.. - does buri actually mean anything? or is it just some word for city/town?)

2. ทบ สลบ สไหล = tawb salop salie (what bargirls often say when they pretend-slap you across the face - I was told it meant a slap to the left & a slap to the right but salop means "unconscious" so it cant mean what I was told.

3. sanup sanun (heard on the radio - i think it has something to do with endorsing a product?)

4. antaloc - ?? joking??

5. any other "Anta+" words except for antalie (dangerous)

6. tan nung le, chan nun le, nun le - all i think the same, my girlfriend from Hat Yai says this all the time

7. tam aeng - working? working on a task??

8. ge ga - girlfreidn says it when complaining something is untidy or messy - what exactly does it mean?

Oh, the fug part. Of course you sort of have poetic license when you're speaking in a different language. Simply saying "here!" many times in the west and in Thailand can have very different results.

Not to mention saying "yet" a lot in front of Thais!

Yep, Tizme be right. Nothing unusual.

Or to put it another way:

It's all due to speculative hedge plays by institutional traders who've got nothing better to do with their liquidity than move the currency markets...

This is nonesense - SPECULATIVE and HEDGE are total opposites - the first is where you are essentially gambling (raking a risk) on future rates to make a profit/loss and the latteris where you buy/sell forward to lock in a guaranteed future rate in order to avoid any risk at all.

Also there is this idea that currency traders making gambles on future exhange rates drastically affects exchange rates - this is nonesense - they have relatively little effect, the major causes are world trade, international investment, interest rates and central banks (although since central banks "set" the interest rates this is essentially one factor). Only in cases like where Nick gleeson (or whatever his name was) from Barings buys like 900 million$ worth of Yen etc... do specualtors have much affect.

It would be more accurate to suggest specualtive investors having a substantial affect on exahge rates (ie: people investing into assets within a country not just the currency).

A Thai friend says that initially the Thai Media were Reporting 100 DEAD !!!!

Did anybody else hear this?

Or is there a Translation problem?

--------------------

Translation problem

My Thai girlfriend came back from shopping at about 11am and turned on the TV saying 100 were dead in a train crash. When she heard the news say 100 injured she said her friend from Bangkok (we're in Hat Yai) rang her to tell her this.

So was the "traslation problem" one of translating thai to thai?? This wouldn't surprise me!! They hear what they want to hear & then tell everybody.....

Two points to make here:

1. I'm surprised they have actually given the guy a job now - I would have expected them to hide their past mistakes by pretending he never existed & trying even harder to cover up & keep him quiet.

Or was he already fairly well publicised in years gone by??

I take note about the comment of keeping your enemies closer. Then again Thaksin wasn't in charge 7 years ago so it doesn't make him look that silly re-hiring the guy when he wasn't the one to get rid of him previously.

2. Reportedly a bunch of Thais were deciding whether to issue a warning immediately after the earthquake & decided not to essentially so they didn’t look

stupid & damage tourism if no waves came. - Clearly this is a case of Thais not understanding farang. They seem to think we have the same concept of "losing face" as they do! I’m sure almost all farangs like myself are very well accustomed to fire drills at school and all sorts of false alarms - the fire alarm in my apartment building (16 floors 64 flats) goes off all the time for example. Whilst it is annoying I cannot conceive that many farangs would think poorly if a warning was issued, the beaches cleared & nothing happened. Maybe the Thais would think they were idiots but farangs would just view this sort of thing as normal & would not make the tourist industry look bad (for issuing false alarms).

The Thais seem to think they can lose face with farangs when the concept doesn’t even exist for us.

I guess having just typed this I now realise that they do this all the time, its just more obvious when it is done on an official level.

I was wonderign if anyone had any info on the new options for Austrlaians wishing to work in Thailand with the Free trade agreement startign Jan 1st 2005?

I am Austrlian citizen (and incidentally a dual national UK citizen).

I own a company in Australia

I am interested in working here - most likely set up a subsiduary of my own company here or a separate one altogether(?) and then I work for that company.

I am 35, male.

I have a Thai girlfriend of 3 years and there is a 50% chance we will marry.

Looking at an Import/Export business (mostly export to Australia). I am currently not runnign an import/export business but have many friends & associates that do this; but not with Thailand.

I would most likely employ Thais to work for me in Thailand

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Fire and Ice

PS: sorry about spelling, web cafe about to close have to post fast!!