FarangTalk

 

 What!! You mean they should accept Thailand becoming a dictatorship, because thats what will happen if they achieve control of both the lower and upper houses!!

 Why do you say that this is dubious and wrong case? It is not the PTP MP's using other peoples ID cards to vote for others in their absence that is in question, it is their determination to have the majority of the senator house representatives as Pheu Thai sympathisers/family members/friends of Thaksin etc: with no time limit on how long they can serve as senators. This is clearly a breach of the constitution as they are trying to eliminate having checks and balances on legislature and can pass anything they want without any opposition.

 They have already made one gigantic cock-up with the amnesty bill and the underhand way in which they attempted to pass it into law and not recognising the authority of the constitutional court will be their undoing!!

 Bring in the army!!

 

The irony is if you told someone who knew nothing about this situation that a government was accused of being dictatorial because they wanted to change the senate from half appointed to fully elected they'd surely think it absurd. Putting aside your opinions on PT for a moment; it is absurd isn't it? I don't think democracy should be limited in this way, I think it should be left to iron itself out. The one thing I'd agree with you on is that the clause which bars the family of MPs from running for the senate should be kept in place. That is a restriction of democracy, but an acceptable one at this juncture imo.

Anyway whatever you or I think about this amendment is irrelevant to whether it's a breach of the constitution. The court aren't ruling on the 'checks and balance' argument. They're ruling on Sec 68, which states: "no person shall....overthrow the democratic regime of government with the King as Head of State under this Constitution or to acquire the power to rule the country by any means which is not in accordance with the modes provided in this Constitution". The constitution clearly states the constitution can be amended, so that isn't an issue. So, leaving aside the vexed question of whether parliament is a person, the only relevant question is whether an amendment which alters composition of the senate to fully elected constitutes an attempt to overthrow the democratic regime or threatens the monarchy. As I say, it just seems absurd to me that having a fully elected senate could be interpreted as overthrowing the democratic regime...

As for your call for the army to step in to save the country from dictatorship. Well, again, another absurdity. Burning the village to save the village. If it does happen, it won't be like 2006 again. Recall what happened in Egypt earlier this year when the army stepped in to save the country from the elected 'dictator' Morsi? This is a guy who did far worse than anything this government has done. Yet the army stepping in solved nothing, it just threw the country further back into its dictatorial past and resulted in the killing of thousands of people. Be careful what you wish for.

 

 

 

Well you were doing good until you tried to compare the situation to Egypt. We don't have religious fanatics involved on either side here.

 

Really?

Abhisit was very vocal about his amulet collection and it is well known Thai politicians consult fortune tellers on a regular basis and often form policy based on their predictions.

Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

 

Financing of what? The vote on the amendment? They already tried that in 2007 election. The Asian Network for Free Elections said one of the few problems with that election was the amount of soldiers present at voting centers around the country. ANFREL described them as potentially intimidating IIRC.

PPP still won that election, as you know, despite that. Look, even Korn doesn't believe vote buying affects the result... "If a candidate today in Loei runs under the Democrat banner for him to try to win he would need to spend two or three times more than his PPP opponent in order to win and even then he still might lose.This is exactly what happened in the last election. “A number of former TRT MPs defected to Puea Paendin and they outpsent PPP three to one and they still lost”. This goes along way to confirming what Chris said, but money is no longer determinative of your success. What Thaksin did was to make that connection and make it directly relevant to his target group. We are less afraid to compete against vote-buying than the buying of MPs. I still believe at the end of the day that if you sold your vote it is still your decision in the ballot box. However, it would be very ineffective for the Democrats to buy a Northeastern MP. Simply at the end of the day we cannot go against the will of the people and no amount of money will help."

 

 

 

PT won the last election for 2 main reasons, leaving aside from money in the hand.

 

As an aside I don't really believe that money in the hand will be needed in future for all they have to do is approach the Po yai Baan with the threat of withholding the 100 million village fund if the area vote goes in the wrong direction

 

The first was their promises which we now see are not turning out to well, for a want of a better term.

 

These were promises that the Dems were not willing to try to trump.

 

The second was the great lie that Abhisit and Suthep were guilty of murdering the red rioters, a lie which we see repeated over and over again every day on these pages.

 

That lie is the main thing that turned the people of the northeast and north against the Dems and repeating it constantly keeps the hate alive.

 

And that hate is the main reason the Dems will not make significant inroads into red strongholds.

 

Even though a significant proportion of the people in red heartland can now see through PT and don't want to vote for them again they will not vote for a Dem candidate because of the hate.

 

And the Dems are the only real opposition that can stop PT from doing whatever they want as the parasite parties will always go where they get the best offer.

 

I have quote on my data base from Noppodon  which unfortunately I cant quote or link to as it came from another publication.

 

The gist however is that Thaksin had a survey done in red heartland which showed that 68 PT MP"S in the area had only 15% or less support and were likely to lose their seats and that he ordered them to get out and increase their support pronto.

 

As he still thought PT would lose some seats he has arranged for another 2 parties to field candidates in those areas, after the election they would then join with PT.

 

You will note that it is not me that said this but Thaksins legal advisor.

 

If you or anyone else is real keen you could hunt around and find it for yourself.

The reason the Dems are not popular in the North and North East is because of their bitter medicine policies against the rural poor in the late 90s. Long before Thaksin, red shirts or anything else. The yellow shirt actions, 2006 coup and subsequent machinations have only hardened their opinions, and justly so IMO.

Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

The 328i is B3.3m which puts it in another league cost wise. It is certainly a nice machine. The 320d they had in the showroom was a beautiful black w/ black interior with red stitching.

The 320i with a tune will do 0-100kmh sub 7 seconds if you can afford the B2.9m price tag. 328i sub 6 seconds.

If the 2er and 4er coupes make it here I would be very surprised to see them anywhere near the price of the already over-priced Thai assembled models.

Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

http://www.headlightmag.com/webboard2011/index.php/topic,33367.0.html

This forum is in Thai and they are discussing the AC Schnitzer upgrade, quoting a price of 134,000thb... anyone care to translate?

I am not so bothered about straight line performance as the ride quality and premium feel of the car more than make up for that. I suspect even with lower octane hp gains with the Schnitzer upgrade will be significant.

I have read and watched several reviews nearly all of them are positive as were my first impressions in the showroom and on the road. I am having one more test drive if they can answer my questions about upgrades. So far no response from Millenium Auto.

Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I would demand full payment from the hotel for the damage caused.

If it is not forthcoming unequivocally, seek legal advice after informing the Police.

Don't expect the Police to be of any assistance however, they are just criminals in uniform and will be looking to find a way to make money. Insist a report is filed and you receive a copy.

Bowls of fruit and wais won't cut it I'm afraid.

This 500 Bht is NOT a travel insurance and will not cover cost for medical treatment which will still need to be paid for. Just a money making exercise which will more likely piss tourists off rather than scare them off.

More of a concern is the logistics of it. Where will it be collected, at immigration? Most tourists do not already have Thai baht when entering the country. Surely this will cause huge delays getting through immigration?

I suspect there will be an arbitary amount in USD, GBP, EURO etc which will be more than the equivalent 500bts, as no change will be given ( its not a bank!). They will know what to charge and there is no point in arguing as they wont speak your language at the time.

Entry to Cambodia 20$ or 1000bts I seem to recall was a common conversion without the help of the local corruption squad.

$20 is the price for a tourist visa at the airport and still is IIRC. They are still at it demanding 1000thb if you have no US$ and shortchanging people who have paid in US$ as far as I am aware. People have cottoned on though and there's fewer suckers getting visas on arrival. eVisa is the way to go although it is $5 more.

Upon arrival by air in Siem Reap several months ago both myself and Thai gf, (myself with a business visa and she visa free) were asked at the immigration desk for money. I saw several Korean tourists paying money at the immigration desk after they had already paid for visas on arrival. In Phnom Penh there are clear signs stating 'nothing to be paid here' while in Siem Reap the scamming continues. Just be aware people.

I expect this 500thb fee will provide plenty of scope for corruption at certain entry points throughout Thailand.

Erm I don't know where you got the info regarding it being a detuned 1.8 but with German makes the last 2 numbers typically designate the engine displacement therefore a 116I is not a 1.8 but rather a legitimate 1.6 which is what BMW is using in their WTCC cars as all cars in that series have had to run since last year in turbo charged form..

It is correct that the 114i, 116i and 118i use all the twin scroll turbo charged 1.6 liter engine, which is a variety of the so called Prince engine (from the MINI Cooper S). It is just tuned differently, so theoretically nothing stands against tuning a 116i to performance up to and over the stated standard figures of a 118i.

Before (in the good old days, both Benz and BMW used to describe their engines in their model names), but this has not been the case in the past several years.

The BMW 328i for example is still a 2.0 liter engine.

The newest 535i is a 3.0 liter engine, not a 3.5 and this goes on....so screw them for confusing us!!!

Anyway a 116i tuned to 200hp is certainly a decent enough option to be mentioned here....rear wheel drive and BMW driving dynamics.

Design wise it does not really wow me....but then the other candidates probably not as well.

Not sure, but pricing were down in BMW Thailand website, but I saw somewhere it is 1.99m, plus not sure how much for the performance kit, probably another 100,000 as Schnitzer is expensive. Will it cancel the warranty? In Germany and UK it does not, but not sure here.

That is the million dollar question.

I am awaiting some other answers about the 1er from the dealership. B1.99m gets you the M Sport package which is pretty lush, and you are correct the piggyback from Schnitzer will run you another 100,000thb or so. I am hunting for some other piggyback options at the moment, will post back if I find any.

I have asked if paddle shifters are an option, and larger 18" or 19" rims and also the Nevada leather interior as the demo car only had the cloth trim.

For the Bmw 116i, there are plug n play aftermarket piggyback to boost the power by another 20%. The Kellener Power module is one such product.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk

AC Schnitzer offer a tuning piggyback that extracts 200bhp from the twinpower turbo engine.

Easy to install and no other mods required. 2 year warranty from Schnitzer and shouldn't invalidate your BMW warranty (need to confirm this).

Rear wheel drive, 200bhp, 8-speed gearbox (one of the best available on the market) and adaptive dampers have all but sold this car to me. I am now debating whether to go for this or the Volvo because there's still a lot to play for yet. I might still end up with a more expensive 3-series (which again all have the Schnitzer piggyback available). I don't like the front of the 1er and there's not much space in the rear but I could live with those negatives.

116i would be made better with the addition of a leather interior, paddle shifters and bigger rims which weren't on the M Sport version we drove. The sales lady told me they would get their English speaking staff to contact me so I can get answers to all these questions.

Front wheel drive and rumoured nasty gearbox on the Mercedes CLA-250 are putting me off, coupled with the unacceptable year long wait. I still have to test drive it though. It's a looker and will hold value. Guaranteed to turn more heads than the 1er.

So what else? Spoke to Toyota today and they said they didn't have an 86 to test drive so that's a non-starter.

Anyone?

To get the Police to enforce any laws you first have to ensure they are not criminals themselves, which 80% of them are.

Why not give police officers a commission for traffic law breakers with a percentage of the fine given to them as tea money?

Because they would just continue to enrich themselves illegally with the extra financial incentives.

The Thai tourist Police officer was in collusion with the two foreigners.

Illegal activity does not go on for long anywhere in Thailand without the Thai Police being involved directly or indirectly.

Pajero means w*nker in Spanish.

Just been informed the BMW 116i has a performance upgrade available from AC Schnitzer taking the power to 200bhp. The engine is just a detuned 118i but since it is a turbo it is capable of a lot more performance.

Worthy of consideration IMO.

I am looking seriously at the Volvo V40 T5 and the 116i at the moment.

If I can get 200bhp with a piggyback from the beemer then I might be making a purchase imminently...

You are buying the NGO propaganda. Check with the large Thai employers in the industrial centers who use large numbers of foreign workers. Thais do factory work and so do people from Cambodia. The maids that work in large hotels are from both Thailand and Burma. Same work. If there are any large employers reading Thai Visa they can tell you. My small company only has 70 employees and my Thai workers are upset I am paying new Cambodian workers more because they get free housing. But I can only speak for my one small company and the 20 or 30 companies close to mine. Perhaps you have a better source of information.

I am not buying any propaganda. I am basing my observations on my experience of living in Thailand for 15+ years and running several successful businesses.

Some may never find happiness regardless if it is the LOS, Europe, the USA or elsewhere. Their unhappiness, pain and anguish is best viewed from a distance. Peace All.

Yes, I too pity those Burmese, Cambodians and Laos workers that are abused and mistreated by the Thais.

It's unfortunate we didn't get to find out what the vast majority of foreign workers actually think about Thailand and the Thais. I suspect the result would be too unpalatable for some of the rose tinted glasses brigade let alone the Thais themselves.

What would the Burmese have to say about the apartheid style curfews imposed on them in Phuket? Or what would the Cambodians enslaved on Thai fishing vessels say?

Western expats are only a very small minority, and let's be honest, far removed from the realities of life in their Sukhumvit ivory towers.

You may also be a bit removed from reality as for many foreign workers have a better deal than Thai workers. For example they are paid for housing and transportation and Thai workers doing the same job at the same pay are not. Talk to any employer using foreign help in Thailand and they can acquaint you with the rules.

Very few Burmese, Cambodian and Laos workers have anything near like the deal Thai workers receive and they make up the vast majority of the millions of foreign workers here. You will rarely find a Thai doing the sorts of jobs those nationalities do, and for less than minimum wage and in terrible conditions.

As I said those on expat packages are few and far between especially Westerners. Those that are paid in excess of their Thai colleagues or have a 'better deal' are usually worth the extra and/or indispensable.

I recall when the global economic slowdown started there was a mass exodus of Western expats from Bangkok, and the numbers of Westerners employed on packages has not returned to anywhere near the same levels, and never will IMO.

It is all semantics anyway as we are talking about minuscule numbers in comparison to Thailand's massive legal and illegal foreign workforce of exploited Burmese Cambodians and Laos nationals.

Some may never find happiness regardless if it is the LOS, Europe, the USA or elsewhere. Their unhappiness, pain and anguish is best viewed from a distance. Peace All.

Yes, I too pity those Burmese, Cambodians and Laos workers that are abused and mistreated by the Thais.

It's unfortunate we didn't get to find out what the vast majority of foreign workers actually think about Thailand and the Thais. I suspect the result would be too unpalatable for some of the rose tinted glasses brigade let alone the Thais themselves.

What would the Burmese have to say about the apartheid style curfews imposed on them in Phuket? Or what would the Cambodians enslaved on Thai fishing vessels say?

Western expats are only a very small minority, and let's be honest, far removed from the realities of life in their Sukhumvit ivory towers.

If they are paid like many expats whereby there is no income tax and you are on a full expatriate deal, the place is heaven.

No place safer and clean than Tokyo with unbelievable variety. if you're on an expat package with rent and perqs then you can't beat Japan. If you need to cheap it up, the US now beats Thailand. Try comparing buying a car with Thailand and the US?

Unfair to pick one thing and suggest Thailand is more expensive than US.

Sure a car here is as or more expensive than the US, but in Vancouver I paid $1200 a month for a basement suite. Here $100 all in for a 2 bed 2 bath townhouse. My life here is a fifth the price. Japan is expensive as hell and they really despise foreigners.

$100 for a townhouse?

I'm calling nonsense on that one.

If everyone votes out of respect for the majority, it means the first person decides how everyone votes.

Maybe if everyone voted how they wanted, or particularly for an MP, how the people who voted for them wanted, then maybe the majority would actually vote differently.

Which is exactly what I was saying vis a vis the Friends of Newin and the abhisit coalition MP vote but you seem to think its different. I've got news for you there's a common demoninator - a reward of some sorts, usually money.

The friends of Newin group was recruited specifically to vote-buy in the North East, where the Democrats thought they could out-bid Thaksin for the rural vote.

They failed to take into consideration the underlying reasons for Thaksin's success in that region; policies the people believe benefit themselves and instead focused on financial incentive. The people saw through the sham though and recognised Newin as the corrupt gangster he was, and always has been.

Thaksin will take one for the team now by aggravating some of the red shirts, but once he's back he'll make moves to appease them and start to extract revenge on those of his enemies that received amnesty.

He's in a stronger position now than ever.

I don't see people calling for Thaksin to be assassinated. They are suggesting that he will be.

The post hoping for his assassination by sniper has now been removed as well as my previous reply.

Amusing to see the wishful thinking of the Thaksin obsessives on the demise of the PTP and calls for Thaksin to be assassinated.

However, the reality is many of the reds were always a liability, and it is no surprise that those reds wishes are now being ignored. For Thaksin to return a deal was always going to have to be reached with those behind the 2006 coup and the military with puppet Abhisit and Suthep possibly taking the fall. They were always dispensable and always being controlled when in office.

There will be no mass protests against the TRT as before. The whole premise of protests without financial support is a non-starter. Sonthi is silenced and will be made to serve his jail sentences if he stirs up trouble.

It's in the bag boys, and you know it.

Got to pay for the rice program some way

The potential major problem on the horizon is that if Mr. T comes back and it goes haywire there will be no tourist industry.

There's going to be a problem if he comes back or not.

He's involved with the split in Thailand but it isn't only about him.

There's a split in the ruling faction and he is on one side, hence he was removed by the other side.

Also: LOL @ anyone thinking they will get anything in return for their 500thb.

Sat in a V40 T5 today and was impressed with the finish and trim.

My concerns would be resale value and repairs.

Sent from my SM-N900 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app