Katipo

I can't wait until a Govt. so and so comes out and either says a) this survey is rubbish, or request that Thailand be taken off the list because they are working hard to improve the situation.

While the reality is that probably Thailand does deserve to be here and very little is/can be done by the authorities. Second hand GT 200 Bomb Detector anyone? Works as new!

Sand, Head, Buried

You know better? DO tell.

Yeah, this is one police officer who seems to have a fair idea what is going on. He seemed fairly candid. Of course the subject of protection/tea money to the police wasn't raised, and that's no surprise. Still, I'm mildly impressed by the lack of bullshit.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is ready to listen to certain group’s opposition to the THB530 billion flood prevention plans of the government.

Is this a typo or have they really increase the flood prevention budget by 25%?

Whoops! We weren’t meant to know about that 25%. That’s the

tea money.

Oh come on, what's the surprise here? In which areas on international/regional concern has Thailand made progress in recent years? Counterfeiting? Human trafficking? Border resolution? ASEAN preparation? Prostitution? Corruption? Human Right abuses? etc etc. As a nation, this country hasn't really made progress for nigh on twenty years.... well, with the exception of shopping malls. There has been plenty of progress there.

I gave up on True years ago. Since I don't watch sport I don't need it. I just use torrents to get what I want, and watch it when I want.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra told reporters that the attack might have just been a test of the security of the website

She's very tech savvy pretty!

See, this I don't understand. Most of the time she just looks like her brother, but with longer hair. The similarities between their facial features is striking.

No they don't.

I noticed better AIS 3G appear over the weekend, at least in central Bangkok. Prior to this it wasn't so much that their data connection was slow (although it was), what really bothered me was that the signal would drop constantly.

Case in point, there are 3 of us who get driven to work from Sukumvit to Bang Pa In. We all happen to use different providers. The True guy can maintain a Skype voice conversation almost the entire way. Dropped the signal only once. The DTAC guy only fares slightly worse. Me, on AIS, I can't do anything. I mean really nothing, it is so bad. Using one of the other 2 as a wifi hotspot I can get a connection that is umpteen times better.

Now I get an AIS 3G signal until I reach northern Rangsit, at which time it changes to Edge. The signal is still inconsistent and drops no matter what however. I've already submitted my documents to have my number ported to DTAC. No more AIS for me.

What will this do for condo prices?

We will see a sharp rise I would imagine.... at least for the units on the higher floors

We are going to attack you. If for some reason you defend yourselves, and happen to kill one of our honourable brothers, we will take revenge and attack you again.

Is it any wonder this never ends.

No bail? Now that makes for a pleasant change.

We all know, that a fair amount of those money, are going to end up in

the wrong pockets. Which most to us is not acceptable, simply due to the

big amounts we are talking about.

it is none of our (expats) business to judge what is acceptable/charming or not

in our "host" country. moreover, no bitching will change the situation.

I disagree. Corruption is the cancer most responsible for the relative poverty of much of Thailand.

While it is true there is little we can do about it at a national level, we can choose to minimise our own involvement. Whether that be not paying a fine under the table, or perhaps not buying a counterfeit product of some form or another.

'Bitching' can be an effective to stress reliever in an otherwise helpless situation. Getting something of your chest is much better than keeping it inside, even if it has no effect on the root problem.

Perhaps the best way to fight corruption is to find a way to empower/educate those who do not have the power to help themselves. By making the powerless less reliant on the corrupt masters who only throw enough chicken feed to maintain their own power, slowly perhaps you can help bring about change.

Find and support a reputable charity/org that give fishing rods, not only fish. Then you can take satisfaction in not only being able to justifiably bitch, but also by the fact that you are in a small way, helping Thailand rise out of current system of Lord & Peon.

If the papers were indeed signed, one would think it would be a simple matter of presenting them. Otherwise, it would be fair to say they were not. Word of mouth means little from either governments involved.

I'd expect them to help you find a new place, but to pay half (or anything) goes beyond what I am used to in Thailand. Impressed.

Huh, mine is over 7 years old, never replaced a thing.

Then that's the one I want...what brand is it?

It's a Cotto brand.

I just had my Cotto give out after over 5 years. Was in a rush and bought a cheaper replacement. Will see if I regret it.

Few could argue that this wasn't one of the best things to come from the Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai days.

I hate to break it to you, but the whole system is a copied from Japan!

Doesn't make it a not good idea. But it was not one of Mr T's.

Whether it was copied or not is besides the point. The fact that it was implemented and has helped many 1,000s is all that matters. Give credit where credit is due.

There are plenty of other good ideas that could be copied from one nation by another, but aren't.

Probably end up trashy like most of their resort area's

Sad, but true

To do this I would think closer co-operation with foreign intelligence and border control authorities is needed. Some sort of global database that just raises a flag as soon as the person tries to enter. Not easy to implement perhaps, but long term it makes sense. Wouldn't cause any more delays than we already experience too.

If they had 100 existing officers that did their jobs well, there would be no need for the extra 5,000 being requested.

So let's get this straight: They launched an offensive attack that failed. So this brave group take revenge for failing by finding a solitary marine and executing him? Disgusting cowards.

500k is a lot of money by Thai rice farming standards. Are they all eligible for it? How do they apply? More importantly, will they actually see anything from it.

Many of the big foreign owned bars and restaurants countrywide, as well as other businesses are built on money from these 'boiler room' scam call centers.

You have them to thank for the current hassle of getting a visa, as it was directly a result of their criminal actions and specifically these types of crimes that the Thais tightened the regulations on foreigners living and working here.

Quite right. A few bars in Sukumvit Soi 11, the GoGo areas, as well as certain Irish Pubs, etc etc. The network seems to be expanding.

Irish pubs? Which ones?

Allegedly the Dubliner on Sukhumvit 33 or 33/1, Mulligans on Sukhumvit 11 and another joint, Molly Malones in Silom were financed with boiler room coin.

Mulligans too? Molly Mallones and the Dubliner are already well known boiler room pubs that I won't frequent.