flackjacket

So much for peoples freedom....and a great excuse to bring in a law like this one.

What freedoms do Thai people have left, if the PM has control of mass media (not just his own newspapers now) and police can arrest anyone without charges.....

So long democracy....dictatorship, here we come.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thai people still have plenty of freedom, one has to clamp down on Muslim insurgents and ban subversive magazines. Thailand took a long time to acknowledge the problem but the creeping death is there.

Look at the London bombings, was there any thought given to the innocent killed and maimed by Muslim radicals ? NO. UK police can also arrest without charges and look at the results they have acheived in 7 days.

Thailand has to try to clamp down on this "cancer" in the south or it will spread.

Dont let them beat you.

Hurry, hurry, empty out those empty bottles of stale old Chang and fill them up for all your money. Tomorrow you can make a 10% profit on ALL your savings. Do it NOW!!!

:-)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Of course the Thai Government says it will not fuel inflation and cause price rises, dreamers all. Same old story "Its the rich wot gets the pleasure and the poor wot gets the pain".

Be interesting to see just how soon price increases appear on the market, one thing to be sure, it will mean another 3 passengers in the back of pickups!!

My wife and I live in Non Sang, 40km from N/L and she has a buisness there, commuting daily. If you want contact, [email protected] will get me until 2 April when I am on a UK visit.

Cheers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good to meet you, flackjacket. My wife's family is centered in Nong Soong Pleui, only a couple of kilometres west of NBL. Farmers, for the most part. The business your wife has is in Nong Bua? What's its name?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Legendrarysurfer- My wife's buisness is Tekkor, franchised noodle outlet but it may be moving to Udon soon. Flackjacket.

My wife and I live in Non Sang, 40km from N/L and she has a buisness there, commuting daily. If you want contact, [email protected] will get me until 2 April when I am on a UK visit.

Cheers.

DeHavilland Comet.... can't remember the model number and too lazy to do a google .... it was a propeller job and a School trip in 1974 .... never been more than 30" off the ground before this experience ..... a couple of years later my Mum had a jaunt on Concorde ... amazing how things changed in a relatively short space of time

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Comet was a four jet engine aircraft, in fact the first jet airliner to cross the Atlantic.

I have come across German "English" teachers who have reduced adult Thais to tears (Vee hafe ways) so Yanks must be better than that unless they come from Georgia. I taught at a summer school some years ago where I was asked what "Gonna" means, I explained that it was American slang. Previously there had been some young American religous preachers working with them. For goodness sake if you are going to teach Thais English, do not teach slang. Another one was "I know where thats at" not "That is" I know that I probably have opened a can (tin) of worms , slang is bad in UK also but at least most fully qualified teachers can speak the Queen's English.

I agree Thai is milking the money cow. Sept 2004 I went to UK, Thai quote-40,000 baht, Gulf Air quote- 27,600. Guess which I took, bonus, had two upgrades, one to business and one to First, dont ask me how!!

The age of the dinosaur is over! This is a 21st centuary aircraft so it is bound to be mechanically safer. Immigration- two examples, London Heathrow is completing Terminal 5 designed to handle AB 380.

Dubai- no sooner had they finished the "new" terminal than they were starting to build the AB 380 terminal. Dubai quotes that they could handle 5 AB 380 simultainously- they certainly have the available work force to do it!!

Had the same "extra' channels in Saudi Arabia, pretty much junk and gossip shows, certainly not worth an extra 500 baht per month. The thought of more American sitcoms is frightening enough already, no wonder Thai culture is suffering.

Will these stupid Farangs ever learn that there are some smart police around in Thailand and they get a lot of help from Western police and intelligence agencys.

Better they rot in the Bangkok Hilton than pampered in a Western jail. As for legalising all drugs, get real, there are enough messed up people already in the world, we dont need more.

I agree with many of the threads here, the local people out in "the sticks' are in general very friendly, trying to speak a few words (even in Lao) and mixing in at the occasional local festival helps too. Yes some familys think Farangs are goldmines, I have seen two local "romances" go to the wall as Mama was just too greedy over the dowery. In many cases they want top prices for second hand goods! I must be very lucky as my "family" have never asked for cash, infact I was given land to build on free. It is the luck of the draw, one just has to keep ones eyes wide open and a firm hand on the wallet.

"At the going down of the sun, we will remember them, we will remember them ".

I agree with the last entry, "bars" and brothels (even private houses) are in every town and village, have been exclusivly used by Thai males way back into Thailands distant past and sadly are the main source of AIDS in LOS. To use a condom just is not macho- I have witnessed one person this week in our village who is dying of AIDS, not a pretty sight to behold.

Rember the old saying "Johnny Durex, the best goalkeeper in the world, he saves all the shots" !!

Issan is a great place to live, dont expect Pattaya nightlife, there are a selection of expat bars in Udon Thani and Khon Kaen (which is growing at an enormous rate)

I have built a house about 40 km south of Nongbua Lamphu, although have been visiting the area for over 10 years. There are Westerners here, most are not here full time but they are friendly and drop in from time to time for a beer or two. Khon Kaen is 80 km away and takes an hour to get there, mostly minor roads but good. I seem to be well accepted in the area and my wife's family are fantastic, never ever been hands out for money, often the other way around. You do need a hobby or a past time other than drinking if you intend to settle, life can be very quiet especially in the evening. There is an Expat Association that meets in Khon Kaen once a month and plenty of help and practical advice can be got there.

Hope this is a little insight into Issan. Cheers.

Try Gulf Air via either Bahrain or Abu Dhabi to Heathrow. Bahrain is the better transplane stop as the facilaties are light years better and the airport is clean. It is not "dry". Need to book early as they fill up very quickly, I went in September this year and got a ticket via a travel agent for 27,600 baht, probably more expensive now due to fuel surcharges, Christmas is also high season.

Best of luck.

I totally agree with English Noodles comments re the events in UK involving the IRA, however the IRA did not use suicide bombers as the Muslims do and they on many occasions gave warnings of impending bomb attacks. I worked in the Middle East for 16 years and prior to that spent almost a year in what was then Aden, now Yemen and can say that the Muslim fanatic mind is a very dangerous animal, there is just no reasoning with them as recent killings have shown. Sad to say that Indonesia is in many cases just as bad, it cannot just be blamed on Arab Muslims. There are a lot of very good and honest Muslims in the world but it does not take many bad apples in the barrel to start a rot.

Yes the Thai authorities did screw up in the treatment of the detainees especially as it appears that TV crews were on location. Throw petrol on the fire and expect bigger flames! I just hope that this lovely country is not consumed by a Muslim backlash, the near future will tell.

As soon as you open a shop, five more Thai owned ones will open next door, they love to copy but market research is zilch. Then they all bitch that they make no money. All has already been said about length of time you have known girlfriend. Had a German guy round my house recently, my wife to interperate, he was shocked when Momma to be said she wanted 50,000 baht dowery AND a 5 baht gold necklace. I wonder why we have not seen him for a month>culture shock!!

The writing is often on the wall.

If you are coming to retire, keep in mind that after a while you will be looking for things to do, maybe a hobby.

In my eyes Khon Kaen is a better bet than N.K. It is easier to find things you need, be they Thai or Western items. There is a thriving shopping area in the centre of town, a Tesco Lotus, Big C and within 2 years there will be a Central department store and a version of The Mall which will even have a DIY store in it. There is a large lake in the town surrounded by many good eating places. There are plenty of bars both Thai& Western, hotels from 2X to 5X. There is also an Expat club that meets once a month whose members can help with any quiries or problems. There is quite a lot to do in the surrounding area. Hope this helps you.

Whats new, I thought there were enough Government Officials in space already.

Hopewell are to build the launch rocket, true I heard it in Nana Plaza!!!!

Thats right, blame it on the Westerners again. MTV etc. has, I agree, a lot to do with influencing young Thais. Thats life in Thailand. (TLIT).

I buy both domestic and international air tickets in Khon Kaen. The international return flight with Gulf Air was 1500 baht cheaper than any quoted in BKK.

Domestic, same price wether booked by me or my wife. Beware, Thai Inter put a loading on "open" return tickets and some midweek fares are cheaper. Air Asia is a good bet but seating is first come, first served. Caution! They add on airport taxes and other sundary charges- still a good deal if you can book a week ahead.

Once again they are trying (and suceeding) to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. Singapore made the same mistake in the 70's but at the last minute realised the error and at least some of the old ethnic areas are left. They did do a good job in cleaning up the Singapore river, some people may remember what it was like in the late 60's. Come on Thailand, preserve your heritage.

Can anyone give me information on Mandala Travel.BKK. Are they a safe company and reliable. Need to make UK run at end Sept 2004 so will have to book soon. Thanks.

I have used Parcel Force very many times from Uk to Thailand, ranging from medical supplies, shoes, model kits and only one parcel was lost (definatly by the Thai postal service as Parcel Force tracking systen is v. good. Fed Ex & DHL cost an arm and a leg, DHL only deliver to Bangkok and then it is in the hands of Thai EMS. an extra 2 days transit time. To be fair, Thai EMS is good and have never had any trouble with it.

Hope this helps.