Virgil

I love to see how Thais screw themselves by trying to screw Farangs. But the super joke is Farangs letting themselves be screwed.

exactly Falux.

Virgil, Out!

so what implications is there to me sending 10000 baht for my girlfriend to pay for her room and living.

1. The withholding tax only applies to deposits of over US$20,000

2. Your gf is giving 5000 per month of your money to her bf or her family

3. Tell your gf to get a job. Do you think she'd be paying you if the roles were reversed?

Virgil, Out!

I use a program called Earthbrowser, it's great for following these kinds of things, updates in real time almost.

this was 13.30 today

Nice day for the FMP!!

Depression "Durian" ... must be one big stinking storm ....

Virgil, Out!

What are we talking about - it's already 34 - 35 to $US today. Great prediction.

Looks like the so called Economic Think Tank needs to polish their crystal ball, it sure isn't serving them very well, is it?

The article is a classic case of DOA, i.e., dead on arrival.

Oh but you miss the point. You see, Thai people are being told the Baht is strengthening. Thaksin is out ... Muslim fundamentalist dictator has successfully executed a coup. Change in government ... change in Baht. Change in Baht is good .... therefore, the new government will claim that the change in government is good too!!!!

Politics and propoganda ....

Virgil, Out!

Love the map! Graphics ... something that I understand ...

According to my wife, the big red blob up in the north east corner of your map (which remains under martial law) is full of Thaksin supporters ....

Virgil, Out!

Seeing as I have nothing better to do I decided to make a Martial Law map.

I haven't bothered to check, but I assume that the majority of the areas where Martial Law will be retained in the yellow Provinces are border areas.

Look's like a lot of people posting here have never encountered the Patong tuk tuk scum.I was driving in Patong the other day looking for an address in Rat-u-thit Rd.I pulled over to the kerb to read the directions I had written down.Suddenly their is this fat slob banging on my passenger window shouting YOU,YOU.I let the window down to ask what he wanted,he was then joined by two other drivers all shouting You,You.You no stop here.You go now.I finished reading my directions and replied You,You <deleted>> off.I drove off nearly taking the fat slobs head off as he was now leaning through the window.So you do not even have to be a fare to upset these aggressive little sh-t's.They seem to be telling where you can stop now.

Life is hard in Thailand! Haven't you noticed? Seen a lot of school kids walking around in bare feet? Street vendors selling Somtum 18 hours per day? Tuk-tuk drivers baking in the sun? Sexy young Thai girls with rich farang grandfathers? Meanwhile we drive our lovely air-conditioned BM's around. Park where we want to park. Do what we want to do. Eat what we want to eat. Sleep with whomever we want to sleep with. I see it every day. I also see my wife's cousins dump their Thai BF for rich farang grandfathers. Old enough to be my grandfather. Certainly no American, Australian, German or Norwegian girls would have these old men. But .... in Thailand ... when you have no money .... life is hard.

There is no excuse for stabbing someone. There is no excuse to be rude or violent. There is no excuse for stabbing someone. But there is no excuse for being drunk and out of control either.

What if .... and this is just a what if ... what if the Welsh guy had smiled at the Tuk-Tuk driver, given him 300bt - yes, 300bt for his trouble at 3:00am in the morning, and a pat on the back and wished the guy well. Seriously, it was an arguement over 80bt - less than 2 Pound. Was it worth it? Does it matter who started it?

Virgil, Out!

I didn't follow this story right to the end but I was under the impression that they had been executed already.

If it was a Thai woman they had raped they WOULD have beeen!!

Thailand once again enhances it's international reputation!

What a load of rubbish. Death sentences are frequently commuted in Thailand. This is all normal procedure.

Virgil, Out!

Lets get things into perspective here. He's an Aussie who's been adrift at sea for 3 weeks. The Poms are in Australia playing the Ashes Series. The poor man has suffered enough - he needs a Cricket update... Will someone please tell him we are giving the Poms a thrashing? After all, that is all that matters!!!

Virgil, Out!

Australian man rescued after being adrift three weeks on his yacht

PHUKET: -- Marine police has rescued an Australian man who was adrift for three weeks on his yacht after its engine broke down on his way from Australia to Phuket.

Rocky Donald, 52, was rescued Saturday evening abut 5.5 kilometres off Patong Beach.

A marine police boat pulled the yacht to Chalong Bay pier to have the engine fixed.

Donald said his yacht' engine broke down three weeks ago while he was sailing to Phuket. He said he could not earlier send out SOS messages due to storms in the sea.

He had to live o rain waters and instant noodle after his foods and drinks had run out.

He managed to contact a fishing boat on Saturday and the fishing boat alerted the marine police to launch the rescue operation.

-- The Nation 2006-11-26

If Islamic values tend towards trying to protect life ahead of corporations wealth, then go Islam!

I welcome the kingdoms new leadership in moving us more closer to the values of Islam.

What are you two doing in Thailand then? Perhaps what you're looking for is in Iran?

Virgil, Out!

Thailand turns more and more into America ... but then, in America at least you may still drink.

I don't think that is quite right. I'd say Thailand is becoming more militant and more Muslim. I'd be drawing more parallels with middle-eastern countries than the USA. I've said it since the beginning of the coup - there is an underlying push towards giving the Muslim south autonomy and tightening Thai laws to assist with this.

Now, bow down and face Mecca, you infidel!

Until the good Thai Buddhist sees the light and stands up for his country he will get what's coming to him. My crystal ball shows Thailand being Muslim in my lifetime ....

Virgil, Out!

Just another day in politics, examples can be seen in almost every country.

I am sure if the ex-Premier of Queensland "Sir" Joh had a list like this compiled, it would be longer and uglier.

Not that I am a Taxin or anything supporter, rather an observer.

Here, here!! Taksin list of wrongdoings is lame. If he's a bad guy, he's pretty bad at it. Try comparing him to the works of other world leaders such as Thatcher, Reagan, Saddam, ... I could go on. In true Thai tradition Taksin is a "half-baked-bad-ass"!

Virgil, Out!

Gaz,

My sentiments in bold below.

Cheers,

Virgil, Out!

Many Thai women in the Northeast who have married foreigners are now keener on eating pizzas and hamburgers than somtam

> Most can't afford it unless a farang is paying agreed ... KFC, Pizza and McDonalds are all considered to be a good night out in Issan

and prefer celebrating Western holidays like Christmas and Valentine's Day to traditional Thai holidays

> farang holidays are about being given gifts instead of paying penance to make merit agreed ... my wife thinks these holidays are happier and luckier (luck is so important to Thai) than the Thai holidays. After last Christmas my wife had a new blender, food processor and microwave oven ... she'd never had such a lucky Thai holiday!!!

The head of the study, Asst Prof Supawatanakorn Wongtha-nawasu

> Now there's a real immigrant Chinese-Thai name if ever i saw one (more than 13 characters in the spelling means Chinese immigrant a reliable source once told me) .... leads to the validity of their entitlement to discuss westerners changing the cultural traditions in Thailand - Chinese have done their fair share of that too ..... think noodles - first made in China and brought here by the Chinese. Ditto for fireworks at Loy Kratong time - adopted from the Chinese New Year practise. Hmm ... I had actually heard a lot of conflicting argument about the length of someone's name indicating where they might be from. I've heard the longer names are from the south/north/east or Issan/Cambodia/Lao/Burma/Chinese-in-disguise. So I tend to ignore that stuff.

found that foreign son-in-laws had caused the community-oriented Northeasterners to become the more individualistic and give less attention to social interaction.

> More accurate would be that the spouses chose to more closely associate with their husband and the spouses believed their husband did not want to join in with community events due to language issues and feeling awkward when they didn't know what to do at events. I would say that Thai people often just go with the flow. Suddenly they have a husband who doesn't want to go to the temple to make merit ... and he doesn't "talk bad" about it either ... they no longer have the social pressure to comply with the norm ... I would say that the sons-in-law had been USED as an excuse by the Northeasterners to become more individualistic.

Cross-cultural couples had less interaction with neighbours because foreign husbands faced language and cultural obstacles, while the wives tried to adjust by becoming "farang" rather than helping their husbands to be more 'Thai', Supawatanakorn said.

> More accurate than the preceding statement? Blimey, we have the whole ###### town in our place sometimes. I would say that in some instances cross-cultural couples stimulate social interaction within the community

Thai culture in these families was thus overshadowed by Western culture, with the families' own consent, due to the pride of having foreign sons-in-law, she said.

The researchers also found most wives interviewed were either not interested or less enthusiastic about traditional Thai holidays - such as Buddhist Lent and Makha Bucha Day - compared with Western holidays like Christmas Day or Valentine's Day.

"In some Khon Kaen villages, with dozens of women marrying farangs, Christmas Day is no different from the movies with real traditional Christmas celebrations, while many Northeastern festivals were forgotten," the academic said.

> It's the gifts I tell you !!! agreed ... money talks! Ask a Thai girl what her bf or friend's bf is like and you will get either "He is good ... he always gives her money" or "So bad ... he kin-yao man!! ... agreed agreed agreed

On the other hand, many foreign husbands enjoyed celebrating the Songkran festival but did not understand the tradition and meaning behind it, she said.

> Might be true in Issaan, but not in Chiangmai - many farangs living here despise Songkran and even leave the country for a holiday to escape it ..... 10-12 days of it is way too long. If it is the gifts for Thai then it is the booze for us westerners ... of course I enjoy Songkran! Songkran = beer, whisky, girls in wet t-shirts ... um .... am I the only one????

The wives still ate somtam, which they grew up eating, but also ate pizza, hamburgers or fried chicken as a symbol of their adjustment to Western culture.

> No, not as a symbol of adjustment, but to show off the status of being able to afford it, in the same way that low paid government servants put themselves in debt for life to own a Mercedes. Same paradigm, different price tag. exactly

Many ended up eating both local and Western dishes, while their husbands found it harder to adjust to local food and stuck more to Western food.

> Yup - the longer you're here, the more you want an increase in western food in your diet - even if it's what you'd class as junk food back home. Well!? It's their fault for buggering up a good dish with that stinking shrimp paste and sour mangos ... I mean ... my underarm smells better ... and let the bloody mangos ripen for heaven's sake!!!!

Supawatanakorn said that since the wives found it more convenient to cook once for all family members including their husbands, Northeastern food - especially somtam with fermented fish - had gradually disappeared from their meals, she said.

> Not in my household - the wife BUYS her Somtam 4-5 times a week. She ONLY cooks Thai food and all western food is bought in rather than made. My wife thrives on cooking western food. She collects western cookbooks - in English - and I am spoilt rotton .... thanks Jamie Oliver ... thankyou!!!

The study found that most Northeastern Thai women married to foreigners were over 30, with an average age of 35, and had education below secondary level. More than 70 per cent had previously wed and divorced Thai husbands and most had one child from the first marriage.

> Can't help feeling the survey sample was biased in order to reinforce social stereotyping here - education below secondary level ..... meaning they never finished High School? Exactly whose fault was that? And why were the parents not punished for permitting the truancy? I've always found a very high percentage who marry farang have not only finishjed high school, but have also finished college or university, and many of the college students have also returned as adults and done vocational courses as well. Regardless of the qualifications, Thais married to westerners quickly acquire a much wider knowledge of global history, geography, and current affairs than their peers, and they get their eyes opened wide about the same topics related to Thailand itself. They quickly become "Pee" even to their own elders simply because of the wealth of knowledge transferred from being married to someone with a different perspective. This could start a whole new debate - my wife has a degree ... she's a dentist ... most of her friends are similarly educated and I would say that 4/5 of her girlfriends that I know are all hoping to meet a "han-sum farung". 5 of her friends aren't even practicing dentistry ... 3 went to work in luxury hotels and 2 at the airport ... all in the hope of meeting the right farung!!!

Supawatanakorn said most wives saw their cross-cultural marriage as turning over a new leaf.

> See my comments immediately above ..... trying to be positive here - I'll ignore the stereotyping about money digging. Supawatanakorn's comment is very superficial here

The average age of farang husbands was 50, and most came from Germany, Britain and Scandinavia. A fourth of those over 60 had brought their retirement funds to settle down with Thai wives who took care of them, Supawatanakorn said.

> Again - very different results in Chiangmai where the average must be nearer to 38-40 for the husbands. I'm in my 30's but most farang I see in Isaan are old enough to be my father ... and have wives young enough to be my daughter !!!

The foreign husbands had an average income of Bt60,000 a month, but most of their wives didn't know their husband's work or educational background. The wives were mainly interested in whether their husbands had enough money to support the family, she said.

> I'm trying to stay off the gold-digger cliches, but it's getting difficult. I don't provide for the family ... at all! They have no idea what I earn and it is loads more than Bt60,000.

The study also found that Isaan families whose members had married foreigners had changed their views on choosing spouses. From the traditional practice of parents choosing spouses for their children, the decision is now made by the individual and is based mainly on economic security. Some women agreed to marry foreigners they had never met before the wedding day as they felt that if the man had money, the villagers would eventually accept and respect them.

> Or, to put it another way - if the man had no money, the villagers would never ...... ? Why is the study blaming farangs? Many of these families have had to live on Bt5000 per month or less for decades. I don't blame them for being tired of dirt floors, rats in the ceiling, chickens wandering everywhere. Give them all a foreigner ... farang = golden goose ... jing-jing

With the obvious increase in wealth of wives married to farang, due to their husbands' financial support, some 90 per cent of residents surveyed said they wanted their daughters to marry foreigners, Supawatanakorn said.

> More fool the husbands for letting the wives be obvious about the wealth - fastest way I know to empty a wallet is to give the wive carte blanche on buying - in ANY country. I would say ALL parents want their children to be happy. I sure don't want my daughter marrying a Thai farmer without careful consideration. Geez!

Some girls told the researchers they were prepared to fly overseas to marry a foreigner when they grew up.

> But some of them never do grow up, even after having kids and a string of different husbands. agreed ... and Pat-Pong is a lot closer too!!!

Cross-cultural marriages were also supported by the older generation as these couples took care of their own children instead of placing the burden on the grandparents, or could afford nannies.

> I'm also trying to stay away from stereotyping about laziness. However, this is maybe the only genuine positive thing said about farangs as spouses for Thais in the whole articvle. Why should retired grandparents get lumbered with their grandkids day-in-day-out ? But then, that's farang thinking for you. agreed

However, the cross-cultural marriage weakened the children's language skills as parents spoke to them in a mix of Thai and English, which confused the kids and made them less fluent in the Thai language, she said.

> Not accepting that. It's up to the parents as to which language they want to be dominant in a mixed race household. Besides, the academic's statement is absolving the educators from ensuring the children reach the minimum standard requiored by academic testing. She's blaming the mixed marriages for the failures of her colleagues in the classroom. Yup

The children's English skills were limited to basic daily communication due to the parents' limited educational background or a less stimulating social environment.

> Absolute twaddle and blame shifting from the teachers in the classroom - my parents didn't teach me my language - my teachers in school did that, and my own intelligence and aptitude then allowed me to expand on that teaching and refine my skills for speaking, listening, reading and writing, building my vocabulary based on those skills, not on what my parents said to me. agreed ... and I've never seen those elementry teachers actually doing much teaching either ...

In areas with many farang residents there was the phenomenon of shops putting up signs for their goods in Thai and English and of English being spoken between vendors and husbands, Supawatanakorn said.

> And so they should if they want non-mixed race kids to learn enough English to allow Thailand to compete in the global marketplace - everywhere in Thailand should be doing it, just as they do in Malaysia, Singapore and China.

Ever seen an interesting TAT promotional banner, but the whole thing is in Thai? Really makes you feel wanted, doesn't it?

Is it just me, or does the write up of this study not sound just a tad more xenophobic and condemning of foreigners than similar ones over recent years? Yes it is just more of the same.

Gaz

The poor little Thai Baht is just getting swept along by the S E Asian economic tide. No political or economic achievement in Thailand is responsible for the strengthening of the Baht. It is a result of external factors.

After all, do you think the US$ would strengthen on the back of a peaceful coup in the USA? I think not. In fact, the strengthening of the Baht is contradictory to what we would have expected following on from recent political events in the country.

Virgil, Out!

Oh Lord,

The Streets Of Bangkok:

- Ladyboys

- Thieves

- Pick-pockets

- Con artists

- Loan sharks

... now Crocodiles !!!

What next? Politicians??

Virgil, Out!

So what is the legal age to buy alcohol ?

over 60

No Arthsch ... you're thinking of "legally AGED to buy alcohol" ... at 60, you're legally AGED mate ...

Cheers

Virgil, Out!

Pheeeew, I can now legally booze all night without the fear of being ostracised or prosecuted!

Only if you consider all night to be until 2am.

You must not live in Thailand, and if you do......... You just havent got a clue.

Eh? OK, please tell me where I can legally booze all night in Bangkok.

In disco, pools club and Karaokes open after 2AM...

[sandy]

Ummm .... discos, clubs, etc. must all LEGALLY CLOSE BEFORE 2:00am ...

Virgil, Out!

THIS WHOLE THING IS SILLY....ALWAYS HAS BEEN ...ALWAYS WILL BE.......I BELIEVE THAT THE VOTING AGE IS 18 HERE IN THAILAND LIKE IN THE STATES. SO HERE AGAIN....LIKE IN THE STATES ....YOU ARE OLD ENOUGH TO VOTE AND FIGHT IN WARS LIKE IRAQ......BUT YOU CAN'T BUY LIQUOR. IF YOU ARE MATURE ENOUGH TO DO VOTING AND FIGHTING.....YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DECIDE IF YOU WANT TO BUY A BUD OR SING HA.

THE OLD ADAGE MAKE WATER ILLEGAL AND SEE HOW COULD IT TASTES....THEY MAKE THE DRINKING AGE WHAT THEY LIKE ....KIDS WILL ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO GET BOOZE ...I KNOW I DID WHEN I WAS 18 AND THAT 'WAS THE SUMMER OF '69"......

No need to SHOUT man!!! Please turn the caps-lock off in future.

Cheers

Virgil, Out!

i really like the "sexy leo girl" ad in the bkk post of this morning - sort of flies in the face of the cabinet resolution.

Yeah .... God IS a MAN !!!

I was thinking that the advertising ban might lead to an increase in LEO girls promoting beer AT night clubs. If the brewers can't spend on print and video advertising maybe they will channel more funds into the boob-tube LEO girl promotions .... here's hoping ...

Virgil, Out!

Well i for one am happy about this. I was worrying, that when i get to LOS in 2 weeks, no one would serve me a drinky

I have NEVER seen a farang been asked for ID.

It galls my girlfriend a lot in that she gets asked for ID (she is 30) and i dont, and nor do any of the other farangs with us. Ha ha ha.

They are trying to do this for the Thai youth. They dont care if farangs drink themselves silly as long as they pay for their drinks !

My wife is a dentist in her late 20's. We went to a night club and she was asked to show her ID. She recognised the bouncer but he didn't recognise her ... until he saw the ID. She'd filled his tooth earlier in the week. HAHAHA! The guy was very shy once he recognised her. I suppose she DOES look different in a black mini and boob tube to the white coat and grey slacks at work. But this is the problem Thai women with western husbands have ... even in their own country ... they are mistaken for Go-Go girls. Never mind ... we "PLAY" Go-Go Bar at home sometimes. HAHAHA!

Virgil, Out!

CRAZY

Exactly,

As I've said before, this is the beginning. You have a coup. You have a puppet government. You have a Muslim General running the show from behind the black curtain. Watch things change. In 2 years, none of us will want to be here. It starts with the easy things like alcohol ... first they restrict the advertising, then change the age limit. Note that there is no curbing of access to cigarettes, despite the health risks. I think we all have had family members die of cancer from cigarettes here in Thailand.

Next will come changes to the red light districts. Then dress codes for women. The puppets will start to bring the audience into line. Some Thai will see the light and head east into other Buddhist countries or head to western lands. The rest will remain, thankful that there are more public holidays as Muslim festivals such as Ramadam are "Nationalised".

As the Muslim faith marches north from Yala the government will rule that the teaching of the Qi'ran will be manditory in school. Imams will be brought in to teach it. Oh, Thai will still be allowed to be Buddhist, but they will be taugh about being Muslim. Those children will grow up and one day accept the governments advice that the official religion of Thailand should be Islam.

Meanwile, I'll be old and grey. Perhaps while fishing from my little boat near Ko Chiang I'll remember the good old days when I could send the kids up the street to buy my beer and watch the hot Singa beer girls in advertisements on TV.

Virgil, Out!

This legislation was on the books months if not years before the current authorities took over, its the work of one man who's ID I can't remember at the this point in time.

Well, that's just the point, isn't it! The coup was lead by one man too. Now one man can dictate what bills are moved from "on the books" to "becoming legislation". There are all sorts of policies "on the books". In a democracy there are plenty of civil servants whos job it is to see that these policies remain right where they are ... "on the books". When democracy fails, individuals can pick and choose how the country is run. That is what is happening now. Let's go pull some more strings ....

Virgil, Out!

CRAZY

Exactly,

As I've said before, this is the beginning. You have a coup. You have a puppet government. You have a Muslim General running the show from behind the black curtain. Watch things change. In 2 years, none of us will want to be here. It starts with the easy things like alcohol ... first they restrict the advertising, then change the age limit. Note that there is no curbing of access to cigarettes, despite the health risks. I think we all have had family members die of cancer from cigarettes here in Thailand.

Next will come changes to the red light districts. Then dress codes for women. The puppets will start to bring the audience into line. Some Thai will see the light and head east into other Buddhist countries or head to western lands. The rest will remain, thankful that there are more public holidays as Muslim festivals such as Ramadam are "Nationalised".

As the Muslim faith marches north from Yala the government will rule that the teaching of the Qi'ran will be manditory in school. Imams will be brought in to teach it. Oh, Thai will still be allowed to be Buddhist, but they will be taugh about being Muslim. Those children will grow up and one day accept the governments advice that the official religion of Thailand should be Islam.

Meanwile, I'll be old and grey. Perhaps while fishing from my little boat near Ko Chiang I'll remember the good old days when I could send the kids up the street to buy my beer and watch the hot Singa beer girls in advertisements on TV.

Virgil, Out!

It is called "Farang Pays" and is the reason that Thailand is known as the "Land of Smiles" .... they see you coming ... and they watch you go ...

I'm always getting ripped off and having spent a lot of time in Thailand I think I'm pretty careful.

But they find a way.

Virgil, Out!

Has anyone been ripped off by the bar?

My husband has got done once on Friday night. What happen was....the girls will come over and say somethings in English with the bad accent that you hardly understand. He did say yes [ stupid him ] but when the bill came out it was 14 drinks in all that they asked for and help themselves for the drinks. Obviously he didn't have enough money so I had to go over and paid the bill for him. He did promise me not to go there or anywhere with the girls hanging outside again. That incident upset me and the baby I'm carrying a lot. I was his false that step in there at the first place even so he promised me not to go there before. In England where we used to live has no pub or bar like this so I never felt that I have to worry about it. I want to hear from the couple in bkk if you have any problem on your relationship since you moved here or how you manage if your husband wants to go out for a drink down Sukhumvit etc. ?/

P.S. My husband goes to Sukhumvit now and again but he only went to a good place most of the time. I have to give him that.

Chan

Did you all know that there is a little fish in South America that enters the bladder by swimming up your pee hole?

Lord only knows what it does up there .... but as far as I know it lays its eggs and dies inside your bladder. When the little fishies hatch apparently you pee them back out. I suppose that a lot of animals (and people) pee into the river or some other habitat suitable to the fish.

Bet that hurts !!!!

Virgil, Out

Then there is leptospirosis or "black leg" disease which can enter through cuts/scratches when there is rat's pee in water. (A big problem in tropical Australia too.)

Relax,

Shouldn't you change your nickname to "Lee-Lak"? .... especially if you're living in Thailand. ... Just a thought ....

Virgil, Out!

Mighty Mouse,,,, very funny,, it takes some doing to tickle me,,, but that was good!!! thanks relax

Agree 100% ... why would we get pissed off with illegal immigrants/workers in our home country and then go and commit the same crimes in Thailand?

Viig'

George wrote a lot of true stuff here

Well, what the hel_l! LOS makes it very easy to stay, just stick to the rules.

I had a company here and my proper work permit, and I was paying taxes. Now I am retired, and I got my proper retirement visa. Where is the problem? If anyone wants to stay here, (s)he should read the rules and decide if (s)he can accept it. If not, (s)he should stay where (s)he is. You always have the option to spend your holidays here.

Thank you for your attention,

a happy guy from Phuket, who got no visa problems.