donmuang37

Interesting points made by many.

Smedly has the DSI partly, correct: it was thought to be a tool of Taksin/Yingluck when they were in power, BUT it was thought to be a tool of Abhisit when he was in power and so on. You'll notice any new government appoints a new head of the DSI.

Tatsigin indicated it would "...put to rest..." Hmmm, two things I've noticed in Thailand: 1) Enforcement and prosecution appear to be highly selective based upon who is in power, and 2) Many confessions are quite questionable.

Finally, jacky54 said it would be interesting if the sharpshooter who shot She Daeng was arrested. Doubt that will ever happen; rumor has it that he had a bad accident shortly thereafter. Just rumors, of course.

My wife and I have driven from Bangkok to Singapore and return which was easy since all 3 countries are right hand drive. I believe Myanmar has a border with India as well as Bangladesh - both RHD countries. Given Myanmar's interest in supporting tourism, they might agree to allow tourists to drive through to Thailand. Pakistan to India might be trickier given their poor relations. However, buses are now running, so it might be possible.

Our trip through Malaysia to Singapore was easy from an administrative view point - very little red tape. And the driving itself was breeze until we got to Singapore, got lost because our GPS didn't have Singapore maps, and had to hire a taxi to take us to our hotel! Great fun all the way. Want to do it again while I still a can - I'm 77 and made the trip when I was 70. Cheers

The correct answer is: It depends!

At the branch where I work, teachers need a BA/BS degree (or higher) in any field plus a TEFL or similar. However, if their degree is in Education, no TEFL is required.

This being Thailand, it should be noted that some "well connected" government schools have gotten work permits for teachers without degrees. Furthermore, in Thailand all laws/rules are usually "flexible" depending upon the situation and the people involved.

Good luck!

I have been teaching on a "Supporting Thai Wife" visa for about 6 years. Each time I renew my visa, my school obtains a work permit renewal for me. Never had any problems.

Schools wanting you to go to where ever are probably just giving you the run around because they really don't want to get you a work permit.

And Immigration offices telling you that you have to change to a Non-Imm "B" visa are either misinformed or just want a bite out of your wallet.

The logic astounds me!

Q: If an attempt to change a constitution is illegal, then how could the constitution ever be changed?

A: Oh, by a coup, which is legal as stated in the provisional constitution!

Go figure!

Wait a minute!! The blue book is the title to the car. You can keep a copy in the car, but the actual blue book should be kept at home if secure, or better yet in your safe deposit box.

If you leave it in the car, the car thieves will love you!

Zaphod Reborn doesn't understand Thailand. The ruling elite essentially have an unwritten agreement: I won't put you in jail when I'm in power, if you don't put me in jail when you're in power. Thaksin was allowed to leave and take a lot of assets with him before the 2006 coup. Yingluck may get the same treatment; however, this coup is quite different, so it is uncertain. But I don't think you'll see her in jail. I could be wrong, but it would be a first.

Are all those using visa runs to stay in Thailand and teach English going to expelled from Thailand, or are they just going to pay more "tea money" because it will be more difficult to get a visa. Two rules about Thailand:

1. Nothing is what it appears to be, and
2. Follow the money!

Time will tell, but I'll be surprised if Thailand really gets "reform" - hope I'm wrong.

I have cataracts developing in both eyes at age 77. I'm still OK, but will, of course, need surgery in the future - assuming I'm still on the top side of the grass! I will have it done at Siriraj Hospital, which is the hospital favored by H. M. the King. My eye doctor there is a department head and university professor. She is also the personal eye doctor of one of the Princesses. She is excellent - one of the best in Thailand. If you are interested in her name, feel free to PM me.

Good luck

P.S. Overall medical standards of care are world class in Thailand if you go to the right places. I recently had a torn rotator cuff surgically repaired at Thammasat Hospital. Both Siriraj and Thammasat are top rated government hospitals. The top private hospitals are usually much more expensive, yet many of the doctors are moonlighting from government hospitals. Two final points: Some gov't hospitals look run down in appearance, but the better ones have the best modern equipment. Also, at government hospitals, the administration is unbelievably bad and waits can be long - but the medical treatment is good and if you are saving 50,000 baht... well, it depends on your patience and how fat your wallet is. Cheers

Cheap??? You're pathetic. Stop whining about chump change. Man up and pay the girl!

Yes, of course she wants you to buy her a house - so she can throw you out of it after, of course, you buy the new car, a new buffalo, a new... well, you get the idea. Above entries are correct, buy a condo in your name only. I'm just betting she won't want to do that!

P.S. It's an IQ test that Thais give to farangs!

My wife has my surname and she owns 3 houses, 2 of which she purchased after we were married. So no problems for you or her.

This is Mr. Suthep speaking right? Remember his D-day statements? How many D-days have we heard. He is just rehashing his announcement. He has said one too many D-days and so now he is reinventing himself by saying he will Resign. I wonder how many resignation announcements he will eventually end up making?

The reason for the reluctance to have an election is obvious to most but this is what I think the reason is. It is because of the vote buying and intimation by PTP and the whole of the red shirt moment forcing the rural poor to vote the way they want. Would you gamble in a casino if you knew the house had rigged the tables so you could never win?

I can claim that the majority want to be rid of Thaksin I think he has lost support over the last six months there are no longer any populist policies left to fool the people that they will gain anything from them. No rice scam scheme, no free tablet computers, no first car rebates.

If PTP think they can win every election why not have reforms first and see what happens?

And why should a Thailand have a PM who does not even live in this country? Nobody voted for him in 2011. Did they?

Hmm... let's see, didn't Preu Thai win in 2011 by about 4 million votes. Accusing the other side of vote buying is a Thai political game, but the likelihood of vote buying changing the outcome of a Thai election is remote indeed. First, all parties buy votes to some extent. And second, if offered money Thais take it - and then vote however they wish!

As for Democrats not being able to campaign in the North and Northeast, they don't want to campaign there because they will lose and they know it. So they claim they can't campaign to avoid losing face. But in the South, Preu Thai candidates couldn't even register due to the registration venues being blocked by Democrats.

As for "reforms", the anti-government bloc will try to change the voting districts so that only the ammart party, the Democrats, can be elected. The 2007 charter was written by Democrats/ammart to help the Democrats win, but the Dems are so unpopular that even that didn't help them. So if you think the Dems will eliminate corruption, improve education, and so on, you probably wait up December 24th to see Santa! How much corruption did the Democrats eliminate during their recent 2 1/2 years in power? Why not?

I'm an old goat, so I have no hope for Thailand in my lifetime. Corruption, dishonesty and cheating are so ingrained and systematic that I see no way to eliminate them. Regardless of who becomes the next prime minister, it will be business as usual after a short honeymoon period where some cosmetic reforms may be made for show.

At first, I the blamed the people for being corrupt, and dishonest, but the longer I lived here, the more I realized that it was simply learned behavior from the ruling elite. As one Thai told me, if all those above us are corrupt and dishonest, then we are stupid if we are honest. So we learned to play by their rules.

In order to have a true democracy, it is necessary to have:

1. Freedom of speech - Thailand has never had real freedom of speech. There has be been endless discussion about the abuse of the less majeste law for political gain and even personal revenge. This appears to be a problem. But it goes beyond that. The libel and defamation laws are written to protect the rich and powerful. And they use it to effectively suppress the truth. In Thailand, unlike an developed country, libel is a criminal offence that can land you in jail as it is difficult to defend yourself. In developed countries, libel is only a civil crime and you must prove clearly the damage that has been done to you in order to claim damages or remedy.

2. Single standard in law enforcement and in the courts - Here, the rich kids who kill people with their cars and almost never punished. The crime is published on page 1 of the newspaper and then the case is endlessly stalled during the "investigation". Finally, when long forgotten by the general public, page 4 reports that the case has been dropped for lack of evidence or similar. But if a poor kid does the same, they get swift and certain punishment. Why? Well, just look at how the judges are appointed and what class they come from. It seems they all come from the rich, ruling elite class.

3. Good education - Although large education and education reform budgets have been enacted every

year for the 12 years that I have lived here, I've seen precious little progress improving education. Why? Could it be that the rich, ruling elite believe it is easier to control the uneducated? Most vibrant democracies have a large middle class, but here the middle class is small, and found mostly in Bangkok where the work for the rich, ruling elite and are, therefore, reluctant to organize against their masters.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Cheers

I have a novel idea...why don't they take better care of the beach that they have! The last time I strolled down the beach there were tons of garbage all along the shore line....not to mention 2, yes 2 syringes with needles on them laying on the beach!

Take better care of the beach?? You must be kidding, there's no tea money opportunity in that!

Don't make this difficult; just check the installation instructions for the washer before you buy it. It should specify the proper height and diameter for the home drain pipe. If not, select a washer which provides that info. Keep in mind that if the drain pipe is too high, the water may not drain properly from the washer. Any air gap is sufficient to prevent back flow. Water doesn't flow upwards through air.

I installed a GE washer per directions: open 2 inch pipe, "x" inches above the floor. Simply hung the u-shaped washer drain pipe into the home drain pipe; not sealed. After the flood, the GE was replaced by a Whirlpool. Did not need to make any modifications. The installation has worked well for 11 years with 2 different washers. Good luck.

I'm not sure if the regulations have changed, but we moved from the USA to Thailand in 2002. At that time, a returning Thai citizen's household goods were tax exempt, so we shipped a 20 foot container with clothes, books, china, furniture, and so on in my wife's name. No hassle and no tax or tea money paid. Good luck.

You seem to be fluent in English, so why not teach English, which is the fall back employment for falangs in Thailand. I know Pattaya is a tough teaching market, but there are plenty of jobs in Bangkok. Could help carry you over until you can come up with something better. Best of luck.

Somebody please check my math:

365 days per year times 7 years = 2,555 days

1,000,000 km divided by 2,555 = 391.39 km/day

391.39 km divided by 60 km/hour average speed = 6.5 hours per day behind the wheel on average

Wow, must have cut down on a lot of other activities!

I agree with those who said that it keeps workers from pocketing cash, and keeps the booth owners honest in reporting sales to the food court owner who gets a percentage of gross sales.

Additionally, if you forget to turn in unused coupons on the day of purchase, you've lost your money and the food court keeps it! How nice for them.

While the comments that cooks shouldn't be handling germ laden cash are correct, does anybody really think that such sanitation issues are priorities in the Land of Smiles? (Can't help smiling if you do!)

In Thailand, officials have great leeway interpreting the rules. In some cases, this is to increase their income opportunities, but not always.

However, once a ruling has been made, it almost never is reversed, especially for a farang - unless he/she is very well connected. In which case, he/she wouldn't be teaching English.

So if you want the job, I suggest you just suck it up, take the TOEIC test which is easy, and get the job. Otherwise, look elsewhere. If you keep putting the school between you and the MOE, they will get tired and set you loose. Let's face it, they need good relations with the MOE more than they need you. English teachers are simply commodities in this country, so one is as good as another provided they meet minimum standards.

Good luck.