copa8

new laws are being drafted in Queensland to ban motorcyclists riding in groups of three or more to stop them using numbers to intimidate.

Should try that here.

Also, should try that in the US.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/pack-motorcyclists-chase-man-suv-attack-upper-manhattan-street-fender-bender-west-side-highway-article-1.1471585

Read some article/post saying that this gang specifically targeted white & Asian family in expensive/luxury automobiles. They brake check right in front of you, then intimidate drivers into forking over $$$ for bumping into them. This was not the first incident, but definitely the worse.

They need to fix the welfare system so it pays less than not working. They also need to cut out the credit cards as people just get in trouble with them, stop banks from loaning money on houses at or near a 100% of the purchase price, and stop giving money to other countries as the US cannot even take care of its self very well with the extremely large debt they have run up. I guess these are opinions but all true in my mind. With just about no manufacturing jobs left in the USA it beats me how they think they can survive long term in the real world.

Name one US bank that has drafted a mortgage loan at or near 100% of the home's value in the last 4 years to anyone. Credit card issues are down substantially. If you can't show a credit score of 720 or higher (in US), you get rejected. Manufacturing has moved to Asia. It's been happening for 30+ years Not even South America can compete now. But many US manufacturers are doing quite well...., they just took it "offshore".

the continent with cheapest labor is africa. move manufacturing there then.

For all it's economic might (#2 in the world) and gargantuan population, China still has not one recognizable brand name. Quite a contrast to little countries like UK, Netherlands, Switzerland.

UK, the Netherlands & Switzerland had gone through their industrialization over a hundred years ago. In contrast, China just started recently in the latter half of the 20th century. Also, it went through turmoils such as the Cultural Revolution, which in addition to the brain drain, killed millions. Give China another 50 or years, and things would be different. Anyway, even now, if China sneezes, the world catches a cold. I doubt relatively unimportant countries like the three listed has that kind of an effect.

He worked as a waiter at this Thai restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas:

1puhGd.St.117.jpeg

http://www.yelp.com/biz/happy-bowl-thai-restaurant-fort-worth

This bit is very surprising. According to this, he was almost FLUENT in Thai, yet had only been on one visit for one month? Amazing. Smart guy I reckon:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/09/16/aaron_alexis_navy_yard_what_we_know_about_the_alleged_gunman_behind_the.html

Alexis Was a Frequent Visitor at a Buddhist Temple in Texas (source: Alexis' friends and fellow temple-goers, via Washington Post):

Alexis spoke Thai, the language of many other temple worshippers, and also worked as a waiter at a Thai restaurant. One acquaintance said Alexis had recently traveled to Thailand for a month. “He understood about 75 percent of the language,” Sirun said. “I didn’t think he could be this violent,” Sirun said. “I would not have been surprised to hear he had committed suicide. But I didn’t think he could commit murder.”

I think he had a copy of Rosetta Stone Thai at home.

Just wondering why not get a list of these homeless foriegner with name and nationality, and we all instead of debating share some bucks to get their ticket to return home. If overstay let them be in IDC till they can clear the fine either pay cash or live till you complete your period and back to home, what i feel the biggest problem for consulate or embassy is to arrange ticket for them, but usually they help in getting lost passport or travelling documents.

Frankly IDC already taking a lot of burden, by facilitating these overstayed foriegners, homeless or not homeless.

no offense but first time i can understand they had misfortune, but 2nd time i could not.. so you are homeless with your own choice..

I'm assuming by homeless foreigners, most people on this thread meant from the West? Just curious, but has anyone seen/heard of any homeless foreigners from the East (Japan, China/HK, Korea, Singapore, etc)?

I like Norton 360 and have been using it for the past 3 years.

So then all western countries should send all thai nationals back to Thailand, currently living in europe and who would be homeless if the social systems have not protecting them getting that! What one expect of a country who do not care about their poor or homeless? Deciding yourself lifing in Thailand must taken carefully because otherwise sometimes you go back only in a coffin before being robbed of all your assets!

thai nationals or thai immigrants? if they are legal immigrants, then they should be entitled to whatever social welfare systems that's already in place.

thailand (and almost all of asia) doesn't have a welfare system.

For them to acknowledge area 51, area 52 must already be finished somewhere else.

Nope, area 53.

Timing makes this look like some deflection at work. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain (or the one in Russia, either).

Let's release some juicy (but useless) information to keep the media conspiracy busy bodies busy for a few more months.

The Area 50s are so yesterday. It's now Area 151.

The end of the world is easy to predict. It is that quiet moment when every family in China owns a refrigerator.

The end of the world is easy to predict. It is that quiet moment when every family in India owns a refrigerator.

The Russian invasion looks very much like the British invasion of the Costa's in the 60's and 70's when working class Brits were able to travel abroad for the first time (without guns and tanks!). We were loud, rude and obnoxious. Ricky Gervais summed up the British abroad perfectly, " If you want something abroad ask for it clearly in English. If they don't understand ask for it again but louder. If they still don't understand, smash the place up safe in the knowledge that you tried!"

As many have said educated and richer Russians speak some English and are generally easy to deal with and polite. The new tourists who are travelling for the first time have come from a country where, up to 20 years ago, travel was restricted to the USSR. That meant Russian speaking countries. They were born into a country that was a superpower and educated to believe that Russia was everything. Then they come to Thailand!

Suddenly they are out of their depth, can't speak the language and are probably a bit intimidated. Add to that the generally perceived morose nature and lack of easy smiles and you have a recipe for a stereotype.

So lets give them a break. Who amongst us hasn't behaved badly in our lives. I expect the Russians who come a 2nd or 3rd time will be better able to handle the culture clash and will be seen to be different.

Now I am off to smash up the local mini mart because they don't understand the meaning of discombobulated.

"Suddenly they are out of their depth, can't speak the language and are probably a bit intimidated. Add to that the generally perceived morose nature and lack of easy smiles and you have a recipe for a stereotype.

So lets give them a break. Who amongst us hasn't behaved badly in our lives. I expect the Russians who come a 2nd or 3rd time will be better able to handle the culture clash and will be seen to be different."

it's funny, but the same can be said of chinese tourists traveling overseas for the 1st time. but in this case, hardly anyone says "lets give them a break". it's more likely the opposite - complete bashing of their behaviours.

I agree with Marc that the low interest rates are creating an inflationary bubble.

When I started my factory here in Thailand 10 years ago all my employee's came to work riding bicycles. As my factory grew and my employees reaped the benefit of overtime the bicycles were upgraded to motor bikes. As we continued to grow bus service was provided to attract employees from outside areas. With the minimum wage hikes over the past 2 years the employees with motorbikes have converted to cars causing me to provide an additional car park area at my factory. Now my employees are feeling the pinch of inflation and the increase in food cost so they are requesting I provide them with lunch.

If the inflation spiral continues I will need to relocate my factory to another ASEAN nation to be competitive with the Chinese who undercut my pricing.

Unfortunately the Thai government and my employees don't understand this. Maybe if they lose their jobs it will be a lessoned learned

Can always relocate to cheapest...any country in Africa.

In a country of 1.24 billion people there are bound to be sexual deviants. As awfulk as some aspects of India are, I don't think these cases are an indication of the overall nation. The positive aspect of the case is that the Indian press is reporting on the case and the Indian population is upset by these incidents.

in a country of 1.344 billion people, china doesn't have nearly as much of these cases as india.

why is zimbabwe even relevant? if it disappears overnight, no one would care. compare to say, singapore, it's over 500x larger and has almost 3x the population, yet has just 1/40th the gdp.

Satisfaction guranteed or I will return all payments

so you did actually returned all those prior dozens of payments?

Can you imagine the reaction on ThaiVisa if the Train Driver was Thai ?

Or, the Coach driver in Italy was Thai.........

or if this was a chinese train derailment? comments bashing it's rail quality would flood in. fatal accident rates are relatively low, considering it's the busiest/biggest high-speed rail network in the world.

Norway doesn't work the same way the US does. That's why its recidivism rate is 20% compared to 52% in the US.

Norway also does not have the poverty, gangs, and violence that the US has. Just sayin.

neither does singapore, which has capital punishment

My business in MBK who does deepens on tourist has its worst performance this year among past 7 years. This is a joke, tourist may be coming here but they don't have money or spend money

They have the numbers now because of Indian and chinese tourist but they spend a lot less. I doubt they can get quality tourist as there are too many problems here. You will have to go through a lot of bad roads bad neighborhoods and bad service before you get to your dream destination here.

When I travel in Thailand with my family i do spend 3000-4000 (hotel / food / entertainment) a day here but only in the south on the islands. When I live here in BKK i don't spend that at all. Parents even spend a bit more as they usually go for the more expensive bungalows but that is it.

I know for a fact that the Indians don't spend as much as my gf is a tourguide and shows a lot of Indians parts of Thailand. They are in general not big spenders.

Maybe it's true for Indian tourists, but not Chinese. Just one example (Switzerland tourism), according to the Washington Post, "Chinese visitors to Switzerland spend on average $350 per day, more than any Western nationalities. Americans spend $220 per day, Germans $150.".

This is a storm in a teacup.

Hitler is a historical figure, after all these years it's no different to a image of Genghis Khan yet it stirs up so much emotion.

Ok, so the man was a power crazed lunatic, but hey..that's politics.

Would you say the same thing to a Cambodian whose whole family were raped and slaughtered by Pol Pot (there are many, many of them around for you to ask)?

I would like to see you go to Pnom Penh holding a sign that has a picture of Pol Pot and a picture of the killing fields that reads "hey,....thats politics"

What do you think the reaction would be?

Bringing Pol Pot up in Pnom Penh isn't akin to bringing Hitler up in Bangkok. Everyone in Cambodia knows who Pol Pot is, as he's Cambodian. If you hold up that same sign and pic of him in some city in Germany, I think there might not be much of a reaction.

I think Thais see Hitler in the same way some naive Westerners view Mao - as little more than a historical Icon worth plastering over the walls of their university dorm.

A parody on the Luftwaffe logo would have been a better fit for a chicken restaurant.

exactly, i've seen westerners having mao lapel pins. no one gave a rat's @ss. same with asians to hitler.

Expensive resorts offer bulletproof wests for free, if you go out !!!

Is that actually true?

Are bullet-proof vests actually sold anywhere in Bangkok, and how would one know whether they actually are bullt-proof or fake?

Look at the label,if it says "Made in China"...

What a relief...mine say "Made in Nigeria".

... And again it is common sense that the locals resent the foreign males here.And a club where they are drinking and there are Thai ladies is a bad combination. Let them have it. There are plenty other bars and clubs.

Where the heck do people get this supposed common sense??? I've been to countless Thai-oriented bars--sometimes the only farang present--and I've had nothing but positive experiences. Man, you must be petrified stepping into a Tawandang. I went to one with a Singaporean friend, and I had several women sending over 'welcome' notes (and, no, I look nothing like Brad Pitt). The one I ended up hanging out with was a 'regular girl' with a day job and uni education. I've been to other bars where I've ended up drinking with some decent Thai guys (and no, I was not the 'wallet' for the evening). I've never had a hint of a problem. I have observed, however, farangs acting as if they are 'gods' (yes, I'm a farang), 'aggressively' hitting on women, dominating the dancing area (if there is one), and I can see this testing the patience of the locals. Happens even in Singapore where I live. Just last night, I was at a popular bar here, and there was a group of drunken white guys (albeit well-dressed) who hit on just about every attractive girl in the place, including girls who were there with local guys! Acting as if this was there playground and they could do whatever they want (jumping on stage, trying to high-five with complete strangers, etc.) ... but they actually looked like 'normal guys' (not yobs). Got on my nerves just watching it. I can only imagine how a local would feel watching their antics ... in Singapore or in Thailand.

Bit of a pointless exercise really in Singapore,as those Straits Chinese girls are all as cold as a wet fish!

What about those Straits Indian girls then?

I recognize this is a sensitive topic. However, not only do I want him to make a lot of money out of his moment of fame, I am now PREDICTING it. The American media will not be able to resist this character. He'll be on Letterman. He'll meet a PR image professional who will coach him (for a cut) on how to get a lifetime payday. Ironically it all may end up destroying him, but that's another matter. Cheers.

it does help that he's black. the hispanic guy won't see any of the fame/money. had he been asian, he'll be forgotten the next day. take a look at the asian guy that got car-jacked by the boston bombers. he escaped and informed authorities of their plans to bomb NYC. 0 fame/money.

The farang is not really a part of the equation. Our impact is negligible. The foreign currency weakness is a concern for importation and global markets.

Maybe the Thai's could devalue the baht like the Chinese did to their money for years. Now it is biting China in the large proverbial ass though!

if by farang = europe, u.s., australia, etc, then yes, your impact is tiny. per wiki, of the top 10 visiting nationalities to thailand, 7 are from asia. in 2012, 930,599 aussies visited vs 2,789,345 chinese and 2,560,963 malaysians.

all farangs could leave thailand and don't think they will be missed, as the void will be filled by others from asia.

Surely they have to do something soon.

Inevitably it will hit the tourist areas with people who come here for a holiday and the ex-pat living off his pensions, finding their currency is no longer enough due to a 10 -25% loss in value in the last 6 months. Yes most expatswill stay and touristswill still come to Thailand but less Baht means less goods being bought.

This is made worse by inflation here which has been quite noticeable over the past year.

Will not hold my breath though, the powers that be in the Thai government will continue to do the same as always, talk but no action.

I second this. As a regular visitor to the Kingdom (my girlfriend resides permanently with me here but we go home to visit her family from time to time, and it gives me a break from work), we do not travel on a fixed schedule - we are not business travelers but do spend a lot, we stay in good places and spend what we work hard for at home. I would imagine we are not the only ones with this kind of approach to visits to Thailand.

We are currently sitting at home each day, watching the exchange rate waiting for it to straighten up before we return. the NZ Dollar (where we are from) has been one of the top performers in the world the past year) has also been losing ground against the baht, and I have noticed travel agents here have stopped advertising Thailand and started advertising Malaysia (again) and also now Vietnam and South America.

Inflation will increase even more when the tourists stop - as you know in Thailand when purchase numbers decrease, Thai business ramps up its price to cover the shortfall. More tough times for the Thai economy? Sadly, me thinks so. May be a while before Teerak brings "the Farang" home to say hello to paw me.. We are considering a trip to Nepal this year to do some trekking instead.

Here in the US, they are advertising the Carribean, Mexico, Costa Rico. No mention of Thailand.. Even the Thai's who live here in the US say they can't afford to go home to visit right now and the ones who own small asian food shops can't afford to buy Thai products.

maybe they are advertising those places because they are all located a lot closer than thailand? big savings on the air ticket alone.

May I guess this happened on one of the recently delivered Chinese trains and not the original Siemens built ones

think your guess is wrong. i thought china delivered high-speed trains, not this type.

like bmw's, after the warranty expires, breakdowns will start creeping up.