toysupra80

It's about time!

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I'd say you have a cause for concern. It looks like the decorative piece is either pushing up against the circular balcony piece to the left of it or vice versa! Look at where the balcony and the decorative piece meet. Is that some kind of breakage on the balcony?

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If this present government tries to control the judiciary and whitewash the [snip] from Dubai, not to mention become a dictatorship, you're damn right there's a high risk of another coup!

But does that make it right? Where is the democracy in coup-making?

And since when does the military understand anything about democracy? They only understand taking the law into their own hands.

If this present government tries to control the judiciary and whitewash the [snip] from Dubai, not to mention become a dictatorship, you're damn right there's a high risk of another coup!

But does that make it right? Where is the democracy in coup-making?

Not second world. Third world, positively, and definitely. The one area that sets Thailand apart from the second world is the legal system, the police, the judiciary, and the govt. In a second world country, there is an effective judiciary. Thailland does not have one, as there is very, very little here in the way of an effective judiciary.

Some examples:

1. Thailand is one of the few countries in Asia that is virtually free of a war on corruption. Virtually nothing of consequence of being done to prosecute and jail corrupt politicians, or police officials. Remember the transport minister who was caught with 2,000,000,000 baht (yes, 2 billion!) cash in his living room? Did he go to prison? No. Was he even arrested? No.

2. Lack of a deterrent factor. Why do the police, tuk tuk, taxi drivers, etc behave like they do? No consequences to their hooliganism. When is the last time a policeman was tried and convicted on corruption charges? When was the last time a taxi driver lost his car, due to refusing to use his meter in the nearly lawless zones of Phuket or Samui, especially.

3. Crony politics. In second world countries politicians are appointed based on qualifications. Here, they are appointed based on who they know, and how much assistance they gave to the elected PM. Not an effective way to run a country. Not a sign of progress.

4. Education. A second world country has an effective educational system. Most international studies place Thailand very low on that scale. Little seems to be done to improve that. Are the elite trying to keep the masses dumbed down? What other explanations are there for such a poor system? Why are most Thais who study English unable to speak much English? Why can't they add in their head? How can they compete with their neighbors who are putting alot to time, effort and money into improving their educational systems? Will the country continue to lose their place in the world due to this lack of effort?

5. Infrastructure. Laos has 3G throughout the country. I have traveled to many areas of Bangkok that still do not have it. While many places are installing 4G systems, Thailand is still sorting through this, and is years behind the curve. They just installed a new electric cable from the mainland to Samui. They have not completed paving of the main road on the island. This kind of amateur hour politics is reminiscent of the third world.

6. Ineffective government. One of the primary issues with Thailand, is the ability to follow thought on the initiatives of previous administrations. How do you grow a country if you cannot maintain the momentum from one administration to the next? How do you continue progress? That is a third world mentality.

7. Ineffective regulation of policy. The parliament seems to be quite busy creating law, on a daily basis. But, once this law is created the govt. seems to have little ability to implement it. Much is being made of the upcoming ASEAN summit and Thailand's leadership of it. Well, they may be unqualified to do so. During the 6th ASEAN summit Thailand agreed to participate in a campaign that allowed the free transfer of all alcoholic beverages manufactured throughout all of the ASEAN nations, within the region. They signed the pact, and it went into effect as of Jan. 1st, 2011. How much Laotian, Vietnamese, I

Indonesian, and Burmese beer have you seen on your supermarket shelf lately? It is quite obvious someone bought off a senator, who then prevented the implementation of this policy to this day. So, how do you lead an organization, who's very policy you ignore daily? Why is the govt. so inept at enforcing these charters that it signs? Why don't they care? Why wasn't the senator who prevented the implementation of this policy arrested, jailed and his impressive assets seized? How very third world of them.

8. Foor safety. The lack of a health safety campaign, an effective health department, that inspects restaurants, supermarkets, distribution chains, etc, prevents the country moving forward to improve its health standards.

9. Pollution and the environment. While the Philippines, and some other countries in ASEAN are making strides in eliminating the use of plastic boxes and bags, Thailand is doing NOTHING. Absolutely nothing is being done to curb the use of plastic. How about a littering campaign? In the US littering really stopped after a fine of $1,000 was imposed on the highways. Imagine the reaction of the average Thai, if they were fined 30,000 baht for throwing a plastic bag out the window? Entire regions of Issan have no trash pickup! So, they either bury their trash, burn it, or dump it. In the case of waste, the sanitary standards are at the bottom of the third world. Though the average Thai person is very conscious about keeping their environment clean, the govt. is doing little. In Koh Samui alot of toilet waste is piped directly into the sea. So is alot of the sewer runoff. After all these years, not one sewer plant has been built to treat waste water. Not one. Is that a result of apathy? Here is a multi billion dollar tourist island, where all of the reefs have been completely destroyed due to govt. apathy and negligence. And the water continues to be fouled to this day. Tests show a frightening level of bacteria in the water, in the local beaches. The local mayor refuses to establish a litter collecting campaign on the beaches, despite years of pressure to do so. He has been effective in improving the roads, and there is slow progress in improving the place, but this kind of work should have been done a decade ago.

I could go on and one filling up many pages with this kind of detail. I could spend a week listing all of the things that are not happening here. But you get the point. Let us call a spade a spade. Thailand is definitely not second world. They have accomplished alot, in very little time. Alot of what they have done is impressive. But, so many details have been cast aside. Much attention needs to be paid to the details, before Thailand can be awarded second world status.

All of the above are reasons why I'm moving to Malaysia.

It`s called Karma

You obviously don't know the meaning of Karma.

To enlighten you, this life depends on the actions of your previous life and your next life depends on the actions of this life.

That's if you are a believer.

In Buddhism, the concept of karma is not nearly so simple and narrow as you suggest.

According to Thanissaro Bhikkhu, the abbot of Metta Forest Monastery:

"... karma acts in multiple feedback loops, with the present moment being shaped both by past and by present actions; present actions shape not only the future but also the present. Furthermore, present actions need not be determined by past actions. In other words, there is free will, although its range is somewhat dictated by the past. The nature of this freedom is symbolized in an image used by the early Buddhists: flowing water. Sometimes the flow from the past is so strong that little can be done except to stand fast, but there are also times when the flow is gentle enough to be diverted in almost any direction.

So, instead of promoting resigned powerlessness, the early Buddhist notion of karma focused on the liberating potential of what the mind is doing with every moment. Who you are — what you come from — is not anywhere near as important as the mind's motives for what it is doing right now. Even though the past may account for many of the inequalities we see in life, our measure as human beings is not the hand we've been dealt, for that hand can change at any moment. We take our own measure by how well we play the hand we've got.

If you're suffering, you try not to continue the unskillful mental habits that would keep that particular karmic feedback going. If you see that other people are suffering, and you're in a position to help, you focus not on their karmic past but your karmic opportunity in the present: Someday you may find yourself in the same predicament that they're in now, so here's your opportunity to act in the way you'd like them to act toward you when that day comes. This belief that one's dignity is measured, not by one's past, but by one's present actions."

Well said!

This is not just a 'tourist' problem. The Thais seem to ignore the 'domestic' problem on the assumption that foreigners don't know about it. Every city in Thailand has various centres where sex is readily available.

Karaoke clubs, massage entertainment centres, etc. in every city and town in Thailand - catering not to foreigners, but to local Thais of every class.

What Thais may be more concerned about is the reputation that could be gained if foreigners started frequenting places like Ratchada where most of these huge entertainment complexes, up till now geared to service mainly Thai businessmen, and owned by prominent Thai businessmen, police, army and dare I say possibly people related to the government.

Even in high schools in smaller cities and towns where hardly any foreigners visit! This is not a farang caused problem. It is a Thai on Thai problem because of the lack of economic opportunities for the lower classes.

You guys have it made. How would you like to be an overweight, over 60 dark-skinned male in Thailand? I can't get any play from old, young Thai or farang females.

One of many many monks up to naughtiness I think. Then again any cult that demands celibacy from its followers will end up with many who eventually need to blow their gasket on hookers or whatever warm body they may have access to in the temple.

Buddhism is not a cult.....although there are cult like sects within it..(such as Dhammakaya).

It does demand celibacy from the monks and novices, but they are free to leave. If you can't stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen....if you can't keep the precepts, then disrobe.

but we know that many 'monks' ordain not for the correct reason...to gain enlightenment....but because it is an easy life and can be profitable too for those with no morals.

However do not tar all with the same brush.

Why is Dhamakaya considered by many, like yourself, a cult? I've been there myself and though I don't subscribe to any religion I hardly can say that my observations were led me to be witness to cult activities. They are different from Theravada Buddhism no doubt. But they are not isolating members from friends and families or anything that I can see that is traditionally a cult like activity.

They abandoned the idea that one must live many lives to find Nirvana for a more shall we say "Christian idea" that they have Nirvana in them already. In other words they can find salvation in this life. Which is why it must be so appealing to the masses.

I beg to differ about this being a "Christian idea". Mahayana Buddhists (Japan, China, Tibet, Vietnam, Korea) have held this philosophy since before the birth of the Christ. I think they got it from their Mahayana brethren.

Did I get this article wrong? Thailand did better than other ASEAN countries. Why is everyone crying? It would seem some African countries did better than some ASEAN countries as well!

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It seems that there are a lot of arm-chair quarterbacks declaring what this guy shoulda, coulda done but, you weren't walking in his shoes. He could have had mental problems, etc, etc. As for the young lady, this is Thailand, and it is a Buddhist country. She could have built up negative karma and her demise is the consequences of her past deeds.

I am a Black person from the US living in Thailand for 4 months now. I didn't know there was a word for Blacks in Thailand. Is dam dam derogatory or is it used to describe black skin color?

And we got this from the Army????