Ferangled

Whoa! A massive 4.0

Like hits San Francisco nearly everyday.

Good chance for some tea-money investing in quake warning systems in 12 languages, for the first MP who realises the opportunity.

-mel.

Your first line clearly indicates the difference in response.... "like hits San Francisco nearly everyday"

When an area that is not subject to frequent earthquakes experiences one it is news worthy and a source of panic to local residents. Obviously areas that experience frequent earthquakes tend to be better prepared and have more stringent building standards in place to limit destruction.

Ranong is not an area that has the most stringent building standards and is also not a "hub" of earthquake activity. The recent Phuket quake, aftershocks felt from the Sumatran quakes and ensuing Tsunami warnings made it blatantly obvious to most, that people in this region are sensitive to such events as a direct result to the 2004 Tsunami and the resulting devastation caused.

I suggest that TV members would do well to think about these events and the lives of those people effected before posting on threads such as these in an insensitive and rather ignorant fashion.

Just to be fair, Abhisit is part of the Oxford Alumni, so we know he's got true credentials. It baffles me as to why KSU didn't include her in their Alumni. You'd think it worth a mention no? Or could it be.... nah, nevermind.. silly of me to think that she didn't graduate from KSU.

Or maybe they have asked not to be listed....I sure under US law right to privacy would be applicable, if you asked a University not to put you on a public list I am sure they would comply...certainly in their case due to possible "donations" to the school..

I have suggested the above not because I am a fan of PM and brother #1 but to illustate there are always two possible sides to the story...before the conspiracy theorist get hold of this...

Then you'd have to question why would anyone opt for that, knowing that it would sure make the University really proud. Also KSU is 99% African-American, not that there's anything wrong with that but it would seem highly unlikely that it would be her first choice, It's nothing racist or I didn't intend it to be so don't misinterpret my message.

kinda racist tbh, unless you can explain why it would be highly unlikely to be her first choice without it having to do with race.

It really makes me laugh the way people pussy foot around the issue of racism. You are not being a racist by suggesting that others are guilty of racist sentiments.

Traditionally Thais look down upon those with dark skin and view African's in a very negative light. There is much racist sentiment in this country. Therefore to some it would seem strange that Yingluck would decide to study at a 99% African-American Uni...

Of course Yingluck may well have no racist tendencies whatsoever, and some would see the fact that she studied at a Uni with such high numbers of African-Americans as prove of this...

Guess it all depends what point you are trying to make...

If we are going to show grotesque pictures of people dying from self-infliced vices & unnecessary pollution, we should go either all the way or not at all. This applies to Thailand but also Europe where these double-standards are also rife.

The shameful double-standards applied to tobacco smoking, it is somehow viewed as acceptable for gory photos of random dead naked people on cig-boxes and on big posters (see OP). How about some photos on the side of junk-food containers, of a clinically obese person being airlifted in a jumbo-harness from the demolished wall of his home, because he can't get off the sofa or through the doorway by himself. Or big billboards showing a 30 year old alcoholic vomiting up his stomach lining into a huge pool of blood on the pavement after a heavy night on distilled spirits. (my friend Tommy RIP)

They should start showing big billboard pictures along the roads of people trapped in car-wrecks and of bloodied limbs scattered allover the road, to show people what happens when they drive dangerously.

Also should be full colour photos lining the roads of 'industrial breathing disorder', industrial asthma & emphysema , show us pedestrians what happens to people who breathe car-fumes all day long. What a hypocrisy.

Nobody is saying that that smoking doesn't harm your lungs, but you get lung cancer just as fast from breathing toxic industrial smog. How many of these placards in the OP are of people who smoked while living on a mountaintop breathing fresh air every day. How do you know those gory photos of tumors are not from diesel fumes & factory emissions. Fact - lung cancer is much rarer in rural areas than in towns, despite similar levels of tobacco smokers.

I would like for you to substantiate your "fact" with the citation of the study from which you quote. I won't hold my breath for your reply.

And, if there is such a study, does "rarer" mean fewer cases due to a lower population or a lower rate when population is taken into consideration? Anyone can skew statistics to suit their need. What can't be faked are the inconsiderate behaviors of smokers who light up regardless of the unhealthy environment they are creating.

Do you drive a car or motorbike?

Good points Yunla. Are you a smoker?

I'm not a smoker. My biggest objection is simply the lack of smoking enforcement by owners and police in bars and restaurants, and inadequate separation for smokers and non-smokers. I like (and in some cases need) to visit these places. But there is no separation from the smokers in many places, mostly the "open air" ones. Apparently there is an exception for that in the law, and it leaves non-smokers breathng second-hand smoke. And the most annoying thing is even when I find a place where there aren't any customers smoking, in the course of the time I will be there someone inevitably will park at a table nearby and be oblivious to his surroundings (that people aren't smoking) and light up.

I guess you're not a fan of BBQs...

Interesting viewpoints as always! I wonder if the Thai lady involved would have reacted similarly if this guy was just a different Farang and not a Nigerian... in my experiences those of darker skin colour are not always treated equally to those of fairer complexion by Thais.

Actually that's putting it fairly mildly, in terms of negative reactions based purely on appearance/colour of skin Thailand has struck me as one of the most racist countries I've ever lived in.

Clearly she was being scammed but had said scammer turned out to be a white guy, albeit not matching the photo on his facebook page, would he have been arrested?

It might be financial rather than racial. Thailand has a blind spot for financial crimes committed by rich people, there is the hi-so thing where to be hi-so is so aspirational, and rich people are treated differently, it is possible that black Africans are considered generally poorer than white EU/US people and therefor are treated differently by the law and by some overly aspirational Thais who see hi-so's as gods.

I understand and agree with your point but I see considerable importance placed purely on skin colour - I have never seen so many skin bleaching products on sale or in use in any other country I've lived in, why?

I think this goes hand in hand with the points you've raised, with the perception being that the darker the skin the more manual labour that individual has been involved in (working the fields = exposure to sun = Lo-So), while the stereo-typical image of a Hi-So Thai is one of unnaturally pale complexion.

I believe that this notion that you can tell someone's financial status based purely on skin tone is inherently racist and prevalent in Thailand. I just wonder how far these views extend past Thais views of each other and onto other nationalities...

Interesting viewpoints as always! I wonder if the Thai lady involved would have reacted similarly if this guy was just a different Farang and not a Nigerian... in my experiences those of darker skin colour are not always treated equally to those of fairer complexion by Thais.

Actually that's putting it fairly mildly, in terms of negative reactions based purely on appearance/colour of skin Thailand has struck me as one of the most racist countries I've ever lived in.

Clearly she was being scammed but had said scammer turned out to be a white guy, albeit not matching the photo on his facebook page, would he have been arrested?

Dear Ferangled:- First many Farang teachers are working closely with Thai teachers who know the mechanics of the English language. When I took my TESOL in Thailand, we had people from different countries such as Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The instructors asked us should we have to learn every language before we could teach Thai? I know extremely little Thai, but I teach English. All my lessons are in English. The Thai teachers support me as I support them, and we work together as a team. Some teachers have little knowledge of the mechanics of the English grammar that is true, but mainly they are there to help speaking. It's a hard job, but it's good as well. Some students are very good, and some are not. Yes there are drawbacks within the educational system, but there are in every country. This is not to do a Ph.D. in English but to be able to work functionality in a work setting. Relax it's happening but you don't see it, but it's happening there are some very bright Thai's out there.

I'm sorry, please don't take my rant personally, it wasn't intended that way. I'm quite sure there are some very good teachers out there with the very best motivations but I guess my point is how can we expect the students to achieve what their teachers can't/ haven't, namely proficiency in both languages?

In my own experiences learning languages other than my native tongue, I was fortunate enough to have teachers with proficiency in both English and the language being taught. I guess I'm naive as to how this can be achieved when there is no common language between teacher and student to start with, especially taken on a wider scale throughout schools.

I can say as a former volunteer English teacher that actually apart from that losing face crap,.. Yet I must say discipline is a Major problem. How can you expect a foreign teacher to keep a class of 40-70 children and students motivated in any subjects, when over 70 % of them run around in the classroom without regard to the teacher who can't speak their language anyway.

As of the worst is not over, one of the female kindergarten teachers kept beating the crap out of kindergarten 2 teachers as I was unable to stop their amok runs every day in my life, and nothing changed. Well I cannot blame the children for being so lively, because they naturally have a short attention span, but on the other hand it was frustrating not being able to do anything in disgust toy fellow teachers who are wondering about me , why is that Khun Thangchaat so soft on those children,... Because in Western society we don't beat kids...

That's the dilemma, if you're too soft Thai kids will continue to run around and do their thing, but if you beat them, you feel sorry for them.

The root of Thai behavior starts with social discipline with the other person and give them the respect and diversity that he or she deserves instead of prejudicing about stereotypes...

Thai teachers fight violence with violence!!!! From kindergarten until high school.

Let's say I can blame neither of them... Classrooms are overfilled and teachers overworked and underpaid.

It is the system that sucks, that is made by the ones who achieved power through rigid family ties and through cheating under the table... To save their sorry face from a world opening modern becoming economy..,

I don't want to appear overly critical as you made it clear that you were a volunteer teacher but employing English teachers that have no formal training, little to no grasp of the Thai language and a pretty poor handle on the English language themselves isn't a great start.

Only yesterday I found myself correcting my daughter's "native English speaking" teacher's use of spelling and grammer on her report card; two sentences and 17 words, both sentences grammatically incorrect and a total of 6 spelling mistakes!!! Having just paid out extra for split Thai and English curriculum (private school), I am now finding out that these "teachers" have absolutely no qualifications in teaching, no qualifications in English and what's worse they are unable to communicate with both the other teachers and students.

How can you start to teach someone a new language without having a handle on their native tongue? What's worse these so called teachers are getting twice the salary of their Thai counterparts, some of whom are very good at their job. My daughter has excelled under one Thai teacher in particular and I find it deeply troubling that some spotty foreign brat with no relevant education and certainly no aptitude for teaching gets welcomed with open arms and paid twice that of a proven Thai teacher.

Survey: Most Thai students afraid to work in other ASEAN countries ...

Lucky Thailand, "Most students afraid to work" would suffice for most Western countries, where that work might be would be irrelevant, the prospect of any work would be enough to scare most students off...

Edit: Sorry, having a cynical moment!

An off topic post has been removed.

??? Off topic in what conceivable way ??? I would love to hear the logic behind deleting a completely non offensive post, quoting the Amnesty report and demonstrating that every country is reflected fairly negatively by Amnesty. I simply highlighted the point that the report of the US reads far worse than that of Thailand. How is that even remotely off topic?!

This thread makes interesting reading from an outside perspective. The general trend seems to be that anyone actively taking steroids very ironically engages anyone that even suggests that they could have negative effects in an overly aggressive rant!

Some of the view points expressed range from the idiotic to the childish, with a good smattering of playground assertions of "my mate said this...!". It would appear that at least in the eyes of a steroid user, anecdotal stories hold more relevance than medical research.

Here's a few of the choice quotes that give a great impression of the mentality of those that put their vanity before their health:

just met a 23 year old girl who I've had sex with 12 times in three days…

So really I'm right, right and right...

i haven't seen many bodybuilders robbing people to pay for their habit...

I know a lot people who took steroids when they were young: zero addictions…

I know a couple who took heavy drugs, they are all watching the grass growing now...

Seeing as you're female, I've got to ask…

all the attackers of steroid users are absolutely fine with millions of girls being hooked on BC pills and it never get mentioned…

friends are black belt in martial arts and heavy weight powerlifters amongst others I have known, none of them suffered any problems either physical or psychological…

BC pill is taken for recreational usage and not a necessity…

You couch potatoes that surf the bars and the internet dont live in the real world…

My motto is if people don't know your using steroids your not doing it right…

Each to their own guys but please for your own sakes do some proper research and don't rely on what your mates think or what you "feel". You'll find a common trend with abusers of all drugs being the tendency to believe that they are the exception to the rule and that because they feel "fine" there's clearly nothing wrong with what they are doing...

I can't help but notice all the medical studies your siting here. How does anything I say imply I'm relying on how I feel? Guess you didn't read the advise of the Doctors or the results of the regular bloodwork? But then again I guess if you did you couldn't keep talking about vanity before health, or making smarmy remarks about all the quotes from other posters. Doesn't really fit in with what you felt like saying so just ignore it. I have a feeling you are one of those "perfect pictures of health" I get drunkenly lectured by from a bar stool while I sit by amused sipping a soda and lime...

Way to prove a point! Just insult anyone that posts anything that you don't agree with and take everything mentioned about steroid abuse personally... you might have noticed that the only point I made was as to the childish nature of the posts in reply to anything perceived as coming from "all the attackers of steroid users"!

Perhaps you guys should form some sort of self-help club, you could all get together and compare quads whilst swapping stories of oppression under the scrutiny of the terrible "attackers of steroid users"!

Responding with a comment like "I have a feeling you are one of those "perfect pictures of health" I get drunkenly lectured by from a bar stool while I sit by amused sipping a soda and lime..." just reinforces my point. Interesting the use of the phrase "picture of health", quite ironic given the objection you had to the expression "vanity over health"...

As for that, I'm sorry but unless you're being prescribed steroid treatment for a specific medical condition I can't see what else you could call it. It's not necessary to inject yourself with steroids to sustain a healthy lifestyle and keep fit, so in my humble opinion, vanity is one of the main reasons for steroid abuse. Another would be a lack of self esteem.

Please feel free to rage on and continue to use such pearls as "just met a 23 year old girl who I've had sex with 12 times in three days" to emphatically prove how your self imposed steroid regime does wonders for your health. I'm nearly sold; all these years I've been foolishly thinking that my balanced diet, moderate alcohol consumption and regular exercise/ passion for sport was keeping me in good condition but clearly not... evidently you are the living embodiment of the little known fact that to be really healthy one must inject steroids...

This thread makes interesting reading from an outside perspective. The general trend seems to be that anyone actively taking steroids very ironically engages anyone that even suggests that they could have negative effects in an overly aggressive rant!

Some of the view points expressed range from the idiotic to the childish, with a good smattering of playground assertions of "my mate said this...!". It would appear that at least in the eyes of a steroid user, anecdotal stories hold more relevance than medical research.

Here's a few of the choice quotes that give a great impression of the mentality of those that put their vanity before their health:

just met a 23 year old girl who I've had sex with 12 times in three days…

So really I'm right, right and right...

i haven't seen many bodybuilders robbing people to pay for their habit...

I know a lot people who took steroids when they were young: zero addictions…

I know a couple who took heavy drugs, they are all watching the grass growing now...

Seeing as you're female, I've got to ask…

all the attackers of steroid users are absolutely fine with millions of girls being hooked on BC pills and it never get mentioned…

friends are black belt in martial arts and heavy weight powerlifters amongst others I have known, none of them suffered any problems either physical or psychological…

BC pill is taken for recreational usage and not a necessity…

You couch potatoes that surf the bars and the internet dont live in the real world…

My motto is if people don't know your using steroids your not doing it right…

Each to their own guys but please for your own sakes do some proper research and don't rely on what your mates think or what you "feel". You'll find a common trend with abusers of all drugs being the tendency to believe that they are the exception to the rule and that because they feel "fine" there's clearly nothing wrong with what they are doing...

US Embassy complained over Lady Gaga's fake Rolex tweet

Really? The US Embassy has complained about Lady Gaga's Rolex tweet?! What is it with all these poorly constructed and factually incorrect headlines? You'd think journalists would have to be more careful given the ease at which defamation and libel cases can pursued in Thailand....

Reading on it becomes clear that the US Embassy have complained to no one and it's actually a Thai Government ministry that's doing the complaining... "The Commerce Ministry's Intellectual Property Department has officially expressed its disappointment on her tweet to the US Embassy"...

Sadly the use of English is still terribly misleading and it actually reads that Lady Gaga directed her tweet to the US Embassy... one thing is clear and that is Thailand may be a hub of many things but is certainly no hub of English proficiency!

Sure why not. I never advise people to use. I'm training drug free too. But I believe there should be a choice and those scare tactics are counter productive.

Look at the discussions about narcotics...Marihuana, Heroin, Cocaine, Amphetamines and LSD will be discussed as there wouldn't be any difference between them.....

I know same thing and there I'm also for freedom of choice.

For me the risks are not worth the gains. The risks are manageable depending on your use. But people are talking like all the stuff is the same and the risks are the same.

Its not, but like in many topics you can have an opinion but no knowledge. (not talking about anyone specific)

I never advise anyone to start on steroids. If they want I won't say yes or no. Their choice.

Or the same thing from another side:

Who has, the right to tell me (or anyone else) what I am allowed to do with my own body??

And where should it end? Will I go in jail, if I eat two pieces of cake, which is without doubt not healthy??

On narcotics someone may argue that the user are addicted and can not decide on themself, but steroids aren't addictive....

I suggest you research you chosen subject matter before comment; they can be highly addictive, with abusers reporting similar withdrawal symptoms to what we would associate with heroin withdrawal - cold sweats, stomach cramps, chronic depression etc.

The fact is that most steroids have been subjected to far less medical study than more mainstream recreational drugs and long term effects are not fully known. What is clear is that the majority of steroid abusers are not in a position to make any informed judgement as to what are safe levels of dosage etc although many believe they are and in turn effect others negatively by passing these misconceptions on to others.

Personally I fully support your views that individuals should have the right to chose for themselves what substances they partake in, providing that no-one's taking anything that will adversely effect other people. Some might see increased aggression and capacity to injure others relevant to that and on balance I'd have to say I see marijuana as a more socially responsible drug than steroids!

While without doubt dabbling in anything that poses any risk of turning your nuts into shrivelled empty dust sacks and induces internal organ failure is clearly inadvisable I think the bigger issue is being missed. Why do so many young men feel the need to supplement their masculinity by body building in the first place? Is it through trying to conform to some distorted media induced image of man or perhaps increased masculinity in modern females has triggered some sort of macho defence mechanism in young men?!

What people often ignore is that steroids aside, carrying more body mass than your genes intended is inherently dangerous - whether you're simply obese from a bad diet and a lack of exercise or puffed up from protein supplements and repetitive weight lifting, you're putting unnecessary strain on your internal organs. Clearly there's a point at which a controlled diet and exercise stops being beneficial and starts being dangerous.

Now it seems muscles are fast becoming fashion accessories, with steroid abuse and cosmetic surgery becoming the mainstream short cuts to achieving the desired results. In my book when general fitness or strength/ stamina building is no longer the motivation it's pure vanity... really ironic given the desired "macho" appearance! I love the relevance of the sponsors, more advertisements of body building supplements than you can shake a stick at, well done TV!

This is such a nonsense story. On the one hand they correctly say ;

Chulit said export of Thai foods to the UK had increased gradually each year from $675 million in 2007 to $938 million in 2010.

then they make this bizarre comment that sales will increase because of the Olympics. Sales will increase *anyway* because Thai cuisine is gaining popularity in the UK where they have always loved spicy food from abroad (especially curry). In addition, sensibly cooked Thai food is high in vegetables and seafood etc. and low in fat & makes it desireable in countries like the UK where they are trying to lose weight. Many Thai food dishes are also more affordable compared to other cuisines as they were designed as hearty & spicy peasant food. For this reason alone sales will certainly increase the worse the Uk /European economies get.

It is unlikely imo that the Olympics will affect Thai food eaten in the UK, many visitors to the Uk want to have the Uk "experience", bacon & egg, fish'n'chips etc..

Also nearly a third of London 2012 tickets are still unsold :

http://www.bbc.co.uk...ympics/18209178

Regarding a 3rd of the tickets not being sold, that's not down to a lack of demand but by appalling miss-management of the ticket sales. There was massive disappointment following the initial ticket sales and the whole process has been shrouded in mystery and complications since it's inception. 1000s of people that thought they had already bought tickets, having already received confirmation, were then told at a later date that their applications had been unsuccessful. The BBC's website reported back in February that all events bar Olympic football had already sold out, now we are told that organisers held back some 928,000 tickets... those responsible for Olympic ticket sales have truly shot themselves in the foot. If any events are not sold out it's not waning demand that is to blame it's purely down to bad organisation.

Thailand supplies UK with the vast majority of it's chicken and prawn, amongst other staples; undoubtedly this year will be a good year for Thai food exports to the UK but I sincerely doubt anyone is travelling simply to enjoy such internationally renowned English dishes such as "bacon n eggs & fish n chips etc"! The point isn't that people will be enjoying Thai dishes throughout the Olympics but that ingredients imported from Thailand will make up the constituent ingredients to many dishes served in UK - you'll find that Chicken Madras served in an Indian restaurant in Birmingham generally uses Thai chicken but it's still an English variation on Indian cuisine and not a Thai dish!

So in my humble opinion, contrary to many posts on here, there will be a minor upward trend in the amounts of Thai food exported to the UK this year as a direct result of the increased catering demand that comes with entertaining the boom of guests arriving to take in the sports... that said history has taught us that the Olympics doesn't necessarily mean increased numbers of tourists.

Looking at the figures from the last three venues - Bejing, Athens and Sydney, both Bejing and Athens actually experienced a drop in tourist numbers during the Olympic years (c.10%), while Australia saw tourist numbers fall in general for the 3 years following the games... and incidentally much of the damage done to the Greek economy was as a direct result of the vast overspending on Olympic facilities etc, many of which are now totally dilapidated and to date no one has put an official figure on in terms of financial costs.

Something else that few factor in are the amount of businesses that lose money as a direct result of hosting the Olympics - While Thai exporters may do well, I predict many flailing small English business going under as a direct result and I'm not talking Thai restaurants. I mean the father and son plumbers, electricians, painters etc that simply won't be able to work in the city for months on end and will lose business as a result. Meanwhile the large Olympic contracts will continue to pull in workers from mainland Europe and fill the pockets of the middlemen...

lmao . . . just over the comment on fake watches. wonder what will their reaction of others speaking on prostitution, transsexuals and drugs.

and how about hundreds of dvd's with child porn for sale on Pattaya's Beach Rd. and Bangkok's Sukhumvit area still today, same as for the last 20-some years?

Although completely off topic ... Nobody was selling any DVDs anywhere in the world 20-years ago let alone in Pattaya or Bangkok.

A bit pedantic Nisa and doesn't change the point he's making!

VCDs have been around for 20 years and many don't know the difference between these and DVDs; VCDs are actually the medium of choice in Thailand for porn and copies... You're correct, DVDs have only been on sale since 1996 (c.17 years) but VCDs pre-date these and have been around for 20 years now, first on sale in 1993!

fist of all you should know what you talking about before you make comment, thai people call dead babys GUMANTHONG, this is why you see people bring red sweet water and snack for gumanthong and if people forget to bring then they get bad luck this is real for many people

some people belive but not all people.

I think you miss the point that it's not compulsory for anyone to accept others views and superstitions before commenting on the transportation of unborn babies and the practice of covering them in gold leaf, or even the morbid fascination and superstition that certain people attach to these.

On the contrary, it's quite normal for people to react at face value to what they see and understand it for what they take it to be - a pretty horrific pastime. Whether or not you believe in some deeper significance that you have attached to such a practice is neither here nor there.

Cannibals believe in the consumption of human flesh, it doesn't make it any less barbaric to people who don't share their views, and the knowledge that they believe it's normal to eat each other doesn't change the fact that people still view it as barbaric.

Why would any Thai be upset about this comment? The should be upset about there being so many fake goods available.

On the other hand, why would Lady GaGa make such a comment when she is from New York and fake Rolex watches are available all over the place.

Because New York isn't associated with fake goods while Thailand is seen as the veritable hub of fake products, the fake Rolex being the iconic item brought back from a holiday in Bangkok...

Yes there are fakes available in most Western cities but the vendors are kept in the streets and regularly have to dodge the BiB, here they openly rent stalls/ shops and just provide the BiB a cut of the profits if they are ever even approached by them...

Then you need to consider where are all of these fakes being produced? Hint, it's not in New York or London or the production costs would be approaching the real thing!

They are openly sold on the streets in NY as well as small convenience stores. There are a number of ways they get around the law and one big one is that nobody believes they are real when they are sold for $20 and the vendors don't make any claims to them being real. But of course NY is not known as well as Thailand for knock offs. Point being is the comment was clearly not about Rolex watches and she was trying to make another point though I am not clear if it was to show she doesn't care or to bring to put attention on the issue.

Keep in mind that these twitter users that have huge followings are often paid big for some tweets and this certainly could have been a tweet concocted by the record companies and her reps.

I think you're reading a bit too what may well have been simply a flippant jibe; you asked why would she would make such a comment about fake Rolex in Thailand when she is from New York, where fake Rolex are available... you have your answer, up to you if you wish to take on board the fact that Thailand is seen as a centre for counterfeit goods or conclude that actually she was really alluding to music copyrights (a point made in Thailand why? Because of the fact that Thailand is seen as a centre for counterfeit goods). The motivation doesn't change the reasoning behind making that comment on arrival in Thailand as opposed to any other country...

The posters here seem more upset about the idea of Thais being upset about this. This is a manufactured story. Write a story based on a few tweets that says Thais are outraged when 99% don't care at all . . .

Exactly. The problem is that too many people here like to swallow this kind of story at face value so they can get all righteously indignant. A quick look at Twitter or pantip.com very quickly reveals that the silly criticisms of this Gaga person are a very small minority. But then I suspect that the farangs who get most worked up by this kind of story are generally the ones who don't read Thai and have no interest in doing so.

Actually most seem to be either making fun of or discussing the story/ Lady Gaga/ notion that any Thai could take offence to Thailand being linked with counterfeit goods, but there's always a few that will suffer some sort of righteous indignation at the points of view of others and feel the need to post about it, using their post as a platform to boast about their comprehension of the Thai language, general understanding of all things Thai and amazing grasp of what every Thai on the street happens to be thinking, while trying to belittle others in the process, demonstrating that actually they have about as much in common with your everyday Thai as a kiwi fruit.

Why would any Thai be upset about this comment? The should be upset about there being so many fake goods available.

On the other hand, why would Lady GaGa make such a comment when she is from New York and fake Rolex watches are available all over the place.

Because New York isn't associated with fake goods while Thailand is seen as the veritable hub of fake products, the fake Rolex being the iconic item brought back from a holiday in Bangkok...

Yes there are fakes available in most Western cities but the vendors are kept in the streets and regularly have to dodge the BiB, here they openly rent stalls/ shops and just provide the BiB a cut of the profits if they are ever even approached by them...

Then you need to consider where are all of these fakes being produced? Hint, it's not in New York or London or the production costs would be approaching the real thing!

They are sooooooooooo pathetic, ranting away about the Thai image on their laptops with cracked OS........

Actually I recently bought a laptop that came without an OS. The store, one of Thailand biggest electrical retailers not only offered to install a pirated OS they were unable to tell me where I could buy a genuine OS.

If it's the yellow fruit IT company, I had exactly the same experience last week... what's more it ended up being cheaper for me to order the same laptop (actually had slightly better specs abroad) in from abroad with a legal OS than buy the laptop + cracked copy here. Amazing Thailand!

Interesting story on CNN.com today

Funny subject, you have many people who are appalled at harsh prison conditions in Thailand but then have many others who feel just as appalled by a prison like this http://edition.cnn.c...cest/index.html

On the face of it, it seems like an idyllic holiday spot, shocking to our sensibilities of what a prison "should be", but Scandinavians have historically been far more forward thinking with their penal system than others. I find the re-offending statistics of great interest - 16%, compared with US currently listed at 53%... I wonder how much the tax payer is putting into the care of each prisoner comparatively between Norway and US? Be interesting when you factor in repeat costs of re-incarceration as to which makes more sense on a purely financial level.

Now clearly Bastoy is an exceptional example and more traditional high security jails exist in Norway and are much more akin to those we are used to seeing in the states, the difference being the focus is still on compassionate treatment of prisoners and rehabilitation not punishment; the national re-offending statistics are not much higher though at around 20%, still less than half that of the US.

There's a lot of sense in what this guy is saying; in my opinion the crime levels we see in most countries are a direct result of people being at odds with society, feeling they have no value and nothing to contribute. When you don't even care about yourself how are you expected to care for others or care for the laws of the land?

It's about educating people so that they actually want to be members of society and want to contribute. Giving them a feeling of self worth rather than trying to force compliance and subservience. Crime rates are generally on the rise and if we don't adopt some new methods in dealing with this issue, indeed re-assess the whole way criminality is perceived, we're going to end up with dangerously segregated societies, which we are starting to see today in the US and Europe.

It's also about general social reform and ensuring that we don't have huge rifts in prosperity between those at the bottom and the top - how do you rehabilitate someone if they know on leaving prison they will have no job, no prospects and see a life of crime as their only method to improve the conditions they live in?

Clearly certain individuals have just gone too far for this sort of care, are not capable of rehabilitation into society and simple require removing from any situation where they can hurt others but does this require us to keep them in inhumane conditions and punish them for their sins? Is that the response of a modern, progressive society? To incarcerate and punish it's own?

It's an interesting notion that a truly successful society measures it's success by the treatment and performance of it's weakest members, while a truly failed society seeks to hide and punish the weakest among them.

Prejudice is everywhere. Some people would even seriously suggest that 65% of crime in Thailand is committed by westerners. I guess if 65% of the prison population is Western, that could be some evidence. Not sure if that is true, tho.

TOP 10 OF FOREIGN NATIONALS IN THAI PRISONS (2009)

1. Myanmar (3,787)

2. Lao (1,994)

3. Cambodia (1,445)

4. Malaysia (325)

5. China (252)

6. Singapore (115)

7. Nigeria (94)

8. Taiwan (91)

9. Vietnam (85)

10. Ghana (65)

1st November 2011: Prison Population – 252,044 (men 215,920 and women 35,124).

Interesting to note that every country listed in this "top ten" bar Nigeria and Ghana are countries in very close proximity to Thailand... does anyone have figures for visa numbers granted for these same nationalities during the same year?

Good point, but in a country where you can in essence buy your freedom, looking at the ethnic breakdown of the prison population may not be an accurate representation of the crimes committed at large. Poorest country ? Burma. Largest number of foreign people in Thai prison? Burma.

Odd as Burmese people are some of the nicest and smartest people I have met here. Maybe they are construction workers arrested just before payday.

Totally agree, please see my other post!

I also sincerely doubt that the arrival figures for neighbouring countries are that accurate, especially for the Burmese, who have been known to come in "unannounced" by boat... I won't comment on the treatment of these marine border crossings when caught by the Thai authorities, that's a whole different thread...