cookiesunshinex

NHK broadcasting a dual before and after photo of the Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant, saying the outer wall of the No. 1 reactor appears to have "fallen down."

In the photo below, the top photo is the before photo, and the lower photo is the after photo... the nuclear plant No. 1 plant being at the far left of the photo

Second photo below supposedly shows with yellow highlight where the reactor wall has fallen.

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I'm coming to Bangkok from April 21 to 25th. I have to come for some specific business and cannot cancel my flights.

I've been looking around at kayak.com and agoda.com and it doesn't appear that any of the hotels are cheaper than they were a month ago.

Surely, the hotels are hurting for business with no tourists and would take a lower rate.

Any ideas on how or where to get a really good deal?

I'd prefer to stay in Sukhumvit area

3 Italian men, Thai woman arrested at drug party in Pattaya

Pattaya, Chon Buri: -- Police arrested three Italian men and a Thai woman at a drug party in this seaside town less Friday night.

They were arrested at a rented room in Southern Pattaya at 15 minutes after midnight. Police found 0.3 gramme of crystallised methamphetamine and 20 gramme of marijuana inside the room.

The tourists were identified as Davide Migliorero, 38, Davide Tomasi, 28, and Caroselli Loca, 31.

The Thai woman, Orwan Juminorn, 24, said one of the men took her from a bar on Pattaya Walking Street, where she works, to the room.

They were charged with having narcotics in possession for abusing.

-- The Nation 2009-06-20

I'm Italian and i live here since 6 years now , i always know the use of drugs here is persecuted and i hope they will have what they merit... Maybe they thought to be in Italy where everything finish in a soap ball...

I don't care who speak or who said they have drugs but i see so many people lose their life for drugs and i'm happy to see something like that.

Unfortunally i also see there are many users here (commented this 3d) that use drugs... Nice guy...

I read this forum since long , alsmost everyday, but i usually do not reply because many times i really think that the people come here and live here must know where they are and not only think thai people must change because they don't like... This is not your country , you are a guest , if they want to lose tourist is not your problem but this do not justify if you don't like their methods that they must change...

I go away from my country , Italy, because is shit more then here why you guys do not look what's happening in the rest of the world then comment everytime what and how bad is to live here ? I always read thai are bad , they are stupid , they this , they that... Ohhh why you stay here if they are bad like this ?

Thai law forbid the use of drugs and if you want to use you must understand something bad can happen... Up to you but if something happen after don't go cry and say why ? why me ? what i did ?

Think before you do...

Sorry for my english but is not my mother tongue.

Thai Law also forbids prostitution. I wonder why she was not arrested for Prostitution?

Why was it called a "Drug Party" why not "Sex Drug Party" or just Party.

Drugs are illegal, Prostitution is illegal, and many things are illegal, but this story is a clear case of sensationalism.

This is no situation for the usual drunks with keyboards to have a field day on a bunch of BS speculation

Isn't that what a majority of the posts on here are?

As far as bar mats, the rubber ones that drinks are poured on to prevent spillage from messing up the bar....they are usually given to the bar by their supplier, such as Red Bull, Absolut Vodka, Jack Daniels, etc. etc.

I'm not sure if that's the case in this situation, but any bar that you go into has been given the rubber kind for free as the advertisers want to advertise their product and it's one less thing that the bar doesn't have to purchase.

It doesn't make it any more right, but just throwing that out there.

I always enjoyed arriving at DM International and after clearing imigration and customs taking my wobbly baggage cart up to the second floor and along the footbridge to the Domestic Terminal. Don Muang had an atmosphere, a chaotic and mad hustle and bustle that you kind of expect from Asia. I was never a big fan of swampy, grandiose as it may look and purport to be it smacks of the Emirates and those other big gateways to other places that you are just passing through. As a destination airport it lacks character, it doesn't say 'welcome to Thailand' with all its warts and all .... it says 'see this fantastic and modern architecturally designed state of the art airport, well you're gonna be disappointed when you get outside'

I for one will miss DM.

Well put! I totally agree.

I don't see much of a discount from HK to BKK. Still $650 USD per person round trip.

This guy also says people were firing fireworks inside.. its a shocking video so you might not want to see it.

You know I've read through 9 pages of posts about this tragedy. It is truly horrible.

In 9 pages of comments by the thaivisa.com users, I have seen lots of comments about the thais and their lack of safety precautions, lack of placing safety as a priority, corruption, and calls for criminal punishment and so on.

I have to say that after watching these videos, I am really thankful of the Thai emergency services staff and those heroes who helped out and tried to save lives.

Alot of people make some good points here. This really seems like some sort of image posturing for the police and a bit of anti-foreigner sentiment going around on the Thai side of things.

So many people posting on this thread have such strong opinions on the matter. If you want such a sanitized lifestyle, try living in Singapore for a while. See how smiling and friendly they are. See how interesting it is. A certain amount of grey area, black market, or underground is part of civilization and makes it more interesting. There is no utopia let's face it. An example: Every Farang in Thailand has at one time or another benefited from the ability to pay a bribe at least once.

That being said, after living in Koh Samui for some time, the drug dealers are either foreigners, who eventually piss of the local mafia for making too much profit or being flashy with their assets, or the local Thai mafia themselves. The foreigners don't last too long, and they are usually ex-British gangsters that simply aren't scared off by the potential punishment for getting caught (which is much greater than in England). There are a fair amount of foreigners who smuggle enough product over with them to pay for their holiday. I have seen that stupid routine over and over again, but that is small enough quantities that it really doesn't matter and it certainly isn't affecting young Thai youth.

It could be said that the reason the Thai mafia and their end-point Thai sellers are selling drugs in the first place is to support tourist who want it when they come on holiday (if we are going to list Phuket, Koh Samui, and Pattaya). It could also be said that those same Thai mafia and their end-point sellers could become addicted to their own product. So it's really about tourism and foreigners. The problem wouldn't be there without the influx of foreign influence, demand, and the revenue made from the tourism industry in general. There are also load of young Thai men and women addicted to Yabba and methamphetamines that most foreign tourists wouldn't touch.

Class A drugs are a bad thing, but I believe that politicians who allow tobacco to be legal in this day and age because it doesn't make you high is one of the biggest crimes of our time. There is so much clinical data and proof that it kills you, but it's still legal and it's more addictive than heroin. It just kills you slower.

Some people can handle class As and most people cannot. Alot of people can handle alcohol, but some people and certain ethnic groups cannot. What's the difference?

Drugs is such an easy target for politicians to go on about and drum up dramatic public reaction.

I have to ask, Why do drugs dealers make such massive profits? Why do they go to such great lengths to create such elaborate networks and continue to stay in business? Well, that's because most people love to get high in some form. Is that ever going to change? What can be learned from the American prohibition era. What major corporations were made from the smuggling of alcohol from Canada?

Flights to Samui

are already ridiculously over priced, due to Bangkok Air owning the airport and having aand make this a fair trade!

No, the prices are not ridiculous, they are quite in line with what is seen elsewhere in the world. I just checked on the RT airfare from Vancouver Island to Vancouver. 227.20 CAD or roughly $200US., and that's for a short hop of less than 30 miles, far less than the distance between BKK and KS

Planes are planes and fuel costs are just as much in Thailand.

Similarly, interisland trips in Hawaii are pretty close to the same prices and involve much shorter distances. Time everyone did a reality check.

If the business operators at Koh Samui want to do something meaningful, then they need to get together and provide some kind of exchange coupon to cover the differences in the old vs new airfare. That's better than losing the millions they say.

But it's always the other guys fault, isn't it?

Actually, yes they are over priced. Who gives a shit about what the price in Canada for a flight is. You also have trade unions and major other factors in play there which cause the price to be high.

The fact of the matter is that Bangkok Air owns the airport in Samui, so they can charge whatever they want.

Try to fly to Phuket on Nok Air, or any of the other smaller airlines. The price will be a fraction of what it is on Bangkok Air to Samui.

I don't believe that Nation article that says that they haven't raised the prices since 2001. I've been flying on Bangkok Air to Samui since 2002. It has steadily increased over time...so much so that they offer discounted web fares for the first and last flights of the day.

When discussing with my students some of the differences between the Thai culture, and the American culture, the topic was manners. Thai people do not seem to say please, they certainly do not say thank you. A man does not hold a door for a woman, nor let her on the elevator first or anything remotely like it. Rarely am i given a seat on the bus or train by a Thai man, and often a young man will take a seat almost right out from under me. My tone must have seemed bitter, for on the BTS ride home, I sat with one of my students where she asked me, or rather stated it seemed I didn't like Thai people. I do like Thai people. Some of them are just wonderful, friendly, helpful, warm, inclusive with their activities and show that they want to involve me, and seem genuinely excited when I show up somewhere a foreigner is just not expected to show up. This made me rethink about my projected demeanor and attitude about the Thai people and remember why I am here, to do something for the Thai people I really like. I would like people around the world to think of the Thai people as polite and wonderful people. I have to remember they are who they are and we can only lead by example. What i see here seems to be people that don't really think much of the Thai, which leads me to wonder why they are here. Is living in Thailand really all about warm weather, cheap services and easy girlfriends? I see bandwagon mentallity of Thai people bashing and wonder what good it does. There is truth behind everything we say. There is no such thing as just kidding. I think the Thai people have to work with whatever they have, which in the past, and to a real extent still, isn't much. I give them credit for being a happy bunch of people considering the available resources offered to them. Remember, the minimum wage is 184 baht a day, having some education would certainly pay more, but they work with what they have, I give them credit for that. Just a thought.

I now live in Hong Kong after previously living in Thailand. Getting into and out of an elevator is an everyday necessity of life. LITERALLY. The amount of high-rise buildings here is astonishing. In my apartment building, they are testing the elevator about every 2 weeks.

So this post made me perk up and read. I don't normally see a post that is worth responding to, but I have to both disagree with you gr8fldanielle, and agree with you.

There is no way that the youth of Thailand are less polite than the youth of America, especially if you are going to generalize. The importance of politeness and respect in Thai culture is paramount.

Secondly, you are right, this board is full of a bunch of discontented moaners, who also "seem like they don't like Thai people." Most of which are "privileged in Thai terms.

But it's good for business. George, the owner of the site must be making a mint. You've got a lot of cynical people with nothing better to do in their surplus of spare time, except sit back and be arm chair critics. In turn, creating an enourmous amount of site traffic, in turn generating lots of advertising revenue.

How is this post any more relevant than any other or how effective is it in improving mankind. It's probably isn't.

But I'd rather live in Thailand, than Hong Kong. Safe elevators or not.

Residents had reported him for suspicious behaviour, saying he was flaunting his wealth in the poor rural area.

or his wife was - more likely

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If you have nothing sensible to say, why waste all of our time ? ? ? ? ? ?

What a stupid thing to say ! !

Agree, just more angry mail farang talk. Why take a shot at the wife? This guy sounds like he had it made and he blew it by showing off. He did the crime got away with it, was married in rural thai living a nice comfortable life. Like the other poster said, keep a low profile and your set for life. Hope he enjoy he enjoys his German jail cell.

Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black.

Flaunting anything in Thailand is a bad idea, money, wealth, women, cars, etc. Most of the people on this forum should know that by now.

But making a statement like "keep a low profile and your set for life" saying that it's ok to be a criminal in Thailand - is just as stupid as making the somewhat realistic insinuation that his wife was flaunting the money.

The government has recently adopted a strategy to go 'upmarket' to recover tourist revenue. The new minister wants to make a 'splash' so he has come up with this initiative to be seen to be doing something and get publicity for the initiative...a bit like the early bar closing laws.

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I have seen signs of this for 2 or 3 years. Mr. T may not be going about things the best way, but he is causing change. He is causing change in a way that Middle class Western, European, and Australian families are taking more notice of Thailand than say 3 or 4 years ago. (outside of the Tsunami).

I think they got alot of money and success out of "The Beach" and the American television show "Survivor Thailand" which was shown on prime time television...and they've got a taste in their mouth for making big money through cleaning up their act.

Let's face it, do you want a bunch of drunken 20 something backpackers who are high on "something" that they thought was ecstacy running around pissing on everything and fighting left and right - who cause a scene arguing that their 400 baht shithole bungalow with no A/C costs too much.

...or would you rather have law abiding middle class families who are willing to pay 4000Baht a night for their nice resort room on the beach, participate in the grossly overpriced tours, and eat 500 baht meals in the restaurants.

Middle class families are where the big tourist dollar is at. Backpackers have had a strong foot hold in Thailand for a long time and it's apparent that the government and local business owners are doing whatever they can to get rid of them.

The first time I went to the Full Moon party it was much different than it is now. You could get "stuff," though not openly. Now, unless you know someone, you are taking a big risk by buy any controlled substances. There is too much entrapment going on.

Let me rephrase that. You are taking a big risk anyways!

And by the way, those mushroom shakes that are 600 baht on the hilltop bar on the far left side of the beach that everyone talks about, are not mushroom shakes in any capacity. I've been too stupid to try them out too many times. ha ha ha.

The change to the infrastructure behind Haad Rin beach alone even in the last 3 years is mind boggling. Hearing stories of what it was like 5 and 10 years ago is pretty amazing.

I personally don't like the full moon parties. I usually go only when Farang friends who have never been, come to Thailand because they want to see it at least once, or with a group of Thai friends who have the time and money to go.

It's really a depressing place. I've DJ'd there a few times, and the number of punters that storm into the DJ booth and hang all over you, or try to tell you there life story because they are too drunk and incoherent is just too much to want to go back there to DJ. It's not a pleasant experience.

The littering, the level to which people get "f#cked up" on booze and other substances to the point that they don't care or have any comprehension of what they are doing, the level of shear meanness towards Thai people who are standing there trying to collect 5 baht to use their toilets, the number of fights that go on. It's really amazing that there isn't more people that die or get seriously injured because of some form of conflict that starts innocently or simply enough.

I've been to alot of parties around the world, and I think the vibe of the people there is worse than just about anywhere I've been.

That being said, I'm against banning it.

It's a huge source of income for lots of levels of people. Locals on Koh Paghnan, local on Samui and Koh Tao, hotel owners, restaurant owners, bar staff, working girls, taxi drivers, speed boat and ferry companies, dive companies, airlines, police, the samui mafia, the koh paghnan mafia, everybody is getting their cut some how. The money that comes in also helps build infrastructure on the rest of the islands. That island is getting ruined, but that's life. It's happening everywhere on the planet.

It helps people all over Thailand, because people come to the country for this party and spend an extra week or two or three travelling around seeing other things.

I have alot of Thai friends who look forward to the full moon party. It's fun and exciting. So it's not just Farangs that spend money there.

I can promise you that if you do the wrong thing to a Thai that you could and probably will be dealt with quietly.  There is no need to publicly show it.

I've got a couple of anecdotes to highlight what I'm talking about.

...[stories removed cos they were too boring to repeat!]...

I agree that thais have ways of dealing with issues quietly (though it is usually ineffective or brutally final), but your stories didn't illustrate anything except that there are a lot of boorish brits in thailand! Their actions would be considered inappropriate and rude in their own country too!

Enough said, you're clearly incapable of constructing a reasoned argument so I won't waste any more of my time on you.

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My stories may have been boring to some, but they prompted a response from you...so in effect they were constructive. My post was in response to the post by dezeure and his ensenuation that it's only foreigners who go around complaining all the time, and that the Thai's would never do anything to fix a terrible problem.

There is a lot of Thai bashing going on in these discussion forums. Mostly by us foreigners living in Thailand. We could stand to do a little bit of introspective thought on our own actions from time to time.

As far as the lady. I'll admit, that I didn't need to add the adjectives "overweight" or "older" or even "british" in the description of the situation. But they painted a little more defined picture of what was happening. I'd bet that if you (and the same goes for most of the people participating in this thread) were in the Thai girl's position, and the "lady" tried to tell you what to do, that you'd have some choice words for the "lady."

As far as the feces coming from foreigners. Thais don't typically stay in resorts on the beach along Lamai unless they are middle class or well to do Thais coming from Bangkok (or other parts of Thailand). In those cases, they stay in the more reputible resorts. I guess it's fair to say that some of the shit may have come from Thai staff working at the resort though. But that's beyond my point.

The Pavilion Resort Management would likely take the matter up with the local government authority. They are affected by it too.

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Well, only if foreigners start to complain about it. You know how thais are with their Mai Pen Rai crap. They will never report it... They dislike the smell too but leave it at that... Very few Thais actually complain about things others do.

Lets hope they start to complain about their own people doing stuff like this... so that it doesn't always have to be the 'farang' who complains about things

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Let's be very ######ing careful about what you are implying there. First of all, there are no Thai mothers and fathers that want their little boys or girls to get sick from diseases from playing on a polluted beach (polluted by feces from foreigners no less).

I have seen Thai people report or take issue with something that is clearly wrong in a Thai way. They don't make a big ######ing stink (pun intended) about it in front of everyone. Thai way of life works in a very different way than western. If you haven't figured that out yet, maybe you should open your eyes and your mind, and quit wishing it was like it is back home.

There is a difference between making something that is wrong, right, and just complaining.

I have seen many instances of westerners coming to Thailand, and "causing a scene" over the smallest little thing. If you've stayed in Thailand more than about 3 weeks you surely have seen this many times.

There is a code of communication here that is much different than what we would typically see in the west. You have to understand that or you'll never be happy here. You'll just continue to complain about no one complaining.

I can promise you that if you do the wrong thing to a Thai that you could and probably will be dealt with quietly. There is no need to publicly show it.

I've got a couple of anecdotes to highlight what I'm talking about.

Once, I was sitting on Lamai beach with an American friend who was on a business trip to Singapore and popped over for a couple of days. I was trying to explain exactly this type of thing to him.

Along walks a girl with a very small dog that was on a very small leash. The dog obviously didn't want to go for a walk, and was resisting with all it's might and she was pulling the dog along anyways. This older, overweight British woman, yells at her, and runs down to the beach where she was, picks the dog up and puts the dog in the girls arms, and you could see that she was having trouble explaining in English why she needed to carry the dog. The Thai girl didn't argue with the Farang lady... she carried the dog about 5 to 10 feet in her arms, and then when she was far enough away from the lady (without looking back) put the dog back down and went on her way. This gave me and my friend a good laugh...and also highlighted a very Thai trait of not arguing.

The lady walked back to where her friends were and watched in horror as the girl ignored her "authority" and began gossiping and complaining about it to all the friends around her and anyone in audible reach.

What gave this lady the right to tell the girl how to walk the dog? What gave this lady the authority to interject into this girl's life? Would a Thai person ever do that to her? If so, how would the Thai approach the situation? Would it be telling, or suggesting?

Another time, I was at a bar in the jungle, watching some Thai friends play ping pong. These guys worked at another local bar which shut at 2. They loved getting off of work and going to a more Thai place to relax drink whisky, and play ping pong or pool. The ping pong table was new, so it was kind of a hot commodity.

I was watching 3 or 4 of them take turns playing, but no one was keeping score. Everyone was having a good time taking turns laughing and smiling. I played football with these guys everyday before they went to work and it was the same kind of vibe. We split into teams depending on the number of people that showed up to play, but no one really kept score. It was all for fun. It was more like a celebration of the fact that they had a little free time to get exercise with their friends and comrades.

Suddenly, this british guy pulls up in a brand new truck and almost runs someone over because he was so drunk. I'm not picking on the British, but these two stories that come to mind happen to include Brits. He runs up to the ping pong table, and demands to play next round. Irregardless of the fact that there are 4 or 5 people standing around the table. So, after 3 or 4 volleys, this guy gets up there. Suddenly, you would think it was the world championship ping pong finals. He starts imposing all these strict rules, keeping score, and the whole lot. It completely killed the vibe, and became no fun. Slowly, the Thai guys edged over to the pool table a few feet away...leaving the guy who was playing the Brit stuck with him...and me watching in amazement. After the Brit beat the Thai guy, he asked me if I wanted to play and I could only say no. He gave up when no one else wanted to play him.

What gave this guy the right to demand that he play next, and demand to impose strict rules on this game?

These anecdotes are definitely a far cry from sewage pumping onto a beach, but they highlight the differences in culture that are completely ignored time and time again by foreigners living in Thailand.

We are so used to the christian moral authority that dictates our own cultures, that we are used to someone telling us what we can and can't do at all points in time.

There is a system here that governs life. It is a different system than the way we are used to, but it has been in place for hundreds of years. It obviously works. It has not created a society that is the same as London or New York or Berlin, but it works. There's nothing to say that it is better or worse than the western systems. Why don't you appreciate what is here, and quite complaining about what isn't.

My suggestion to the original poster, as Dr. Pat Pong indicates is to take issue up with the Pavillion if it is really affecting you. Do so in a private manner with the manager of the Pavillion. Don't make a big scene in front of a bunch of people.

One reason why a bunch of Thais aren't always pointing out issues is the fact that most Thais don't have the leisurely time to stroll around the country noticing the things that are wrong with it like us Farang tourists and holiday makers do. Most Thais work long hours and spend their time making ends meet, enjoying their families, and trying to have a little fun along the way. But maybe that's wrong.

Like that really helps anyone...

Why don't they make the offices they have open a bit more friendlier then opening one up that I WILL NEVER GO TO IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Like I want to go to the south 1)looooooooongest/slooooooooooowest train ride in the world, along with busssssssssssssses.....

FLy? well, tell me a good price... YET...

Why don't they improve the ones in Poipet, to do more then just visitor visas... coz the only places i know that give non-b's are Penang,kota bharu, and Vientienne... why don't they make the one in Poipet easier to obtain...

Maybe you guys have additive help, but from my perspective, it is a waste of money, in a already ruin situation.

How is the ONLINE, JUNE 1st Immigration/visa situation going, anyone know?

are we all linked and ready to serve you mode?

I don't think soooooooo....

hehehehe crazy people, in a crazy LOS....

C

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Well I'd say for a start that there are probably cases in which this consulate will help many. You just don't fall into that demographic.

Maybe you should consider that the world or in this case. Thailand does not revolve around you.

There's NO such thing as a malaria vaccine.

He probably said/meant that they could give a malaria prophylaxis, or that malaria could be effectively treated once someone was ill.

It was probably another case of poor translation and lamentable use of English such as the Pattaya Mail's recent reference to "soar throats" and "penile servitude."

I have no doubt that the doctor knows what he’s talking about...in Thai.

Rather than criticize what he was reported as saying in a dubious English translation, why not read the original Thai text of what was said? …assuming your apparent expertise in all things extends to understanding the language of the country in which you reside.

Of course, it's a whole lot easier to play pseudo-colonial disdainer of all you survey.

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That's one of the best posts I've ever seen on this board. I see way too much cynism here. It's easy to complain about this or complain about that. Everyone's a critic.

Not too many mentions of the wonderful things that occur on a daily basis in Thailand versus home...wherever home might be.

But alas, conflict and confrontation (the thing that alot of us have escaped from in the west) is the easiest and most comfortable method of communication for some.

....not to mention provides a lot of content here on the boards.

We flew from Gatwick to Bangkok on the 22nd of December.

We got to the airport and the flight was delayed 17 hours. They were offering to put everyone up in hotels close to the airport plus meals and drinks.

We made them pay our gatwick express round trip tickets back into London so we could sleep in our own beds, taxis between our flat and Victoria, and the cost of our dinner.

The return flight from Bangkok was also delayed several hours.

I went to the doctor about a month ago at the hospital. Bumrungrad.

When the doctor prescribed the medication for my ailment, he handed the whole sheet to me with a bill, and I asked. Do I have to buy the medication here at the hospital? (The bill was around 4000 baht).

He said that he cannot guarantee medicine outside of the hospital.

I asked about the hundreds of pharmacies that you see dotting the streets, and he repeated his previous statement.

I went ahead and forked over the 2000 baht for the meds - shocked at the whole bill.

I had to go in a week later.

This time the same story. However, when I went to the pharmacy desk, I asked for generics (I didn't think of doing so the first time).

The pharmacist at the hospital told me that one of the medications didn't have a generic and the other one had a generic, but it probably wouldn't be effective.

I figure that all of the above is a load of "truth twisting," but wanted to post here to see what your experiences and knowledge have been.

Thanks.

Just wondering where the cheapest electronics can be bought in Asia?

Computers/Laptops, Digital Cameras, PDA Phones, etc.

I think it's safe to say that Thailand is not the place.

What are your experiences, between Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokyo?

Thanks.

Today while walking down Sukhumvit road, around Soi 9. My friend was stopped by a police officer and kindly asked to pay 2000baht.

This had happened to another friend a few weeks earlier, and I'd seen the same police at this same little location giving out tickets before, so we have been very careful about where we throw trash or put out cigarette butts.

The irritating thing about this situation, is that my friend actually threw the cigarette butt in a trash can that one of the street vendors had sitting next to his stall. It was not an official city/public trash can, but it was a trash can no less.

He tried to argue his case, and even asked the officer to go back and look where he had deposited the cigarette butt, however, the officer was not willing to listen or negotiate and only pointed to the public trash can.

He was able to get out of it for only 1000baht however.

EXCUSE ME!!!??? What "SEWER of LIFE " did you crawel out of???

You can't be a American.. or at least a true blue American..

The lawsuit is what it is, a "freedom" to voice one opinion in America..

Thank the powers that may be... you can do such a thing in a land where freedom rules.. Here in Mickey Mouse land what freedom do you really have??? 

MONEY buys me everything I want here.. but true honesty from the people..do not make me laugh any harder than I can.. Here in LIARLAND do you really think you could even make a statement??? Hardly... AMERICA ROCKS

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Not all of us Americans feel like this.

The facade of "Freedom" in America is implanted very well to Americans through a very powerful propagana machine...mostly to the ones who do not travel and are not open minded (which unfortunately, is quite a few).

Why are you in Thailand if you feel like this is Liarland and America Rocks?

Looking for a suggestion ...

I am a strong kid (well, over 30, not so young anymore), and speak very good Thai, and some other languages which are not so useful here.  I live in BKK.  Does anyone know where the best place (as of Jan 5) to head out to is?  Where can muscle and language skills be used the most at this point in time (late in the game, I know)? 

Khao lak?

Phuket?

Thanks,

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I've had food poisoning for the past 4 days, so couldn't donate blood here in Koh Samui. Went to the hospital today and the blood bank appears to be full.

I talked to a Thai friend who had just arrived home two days ago from Khao Lak. He suggested Khao Lak since it was the worst hit. There are already alot of people on Phuket.

He rented a jeep with 3 friends and drove out there. He said that they took many things with them, but didn't need much other than face masks.

He stated that the relief efforts there were very disorganized. They were there to help and many people needed help, but no one to tell them what they could do.