HappyWanderer

You are grossly underestimating how heavily Thai companies have invested in China. Go to china and ask about chia thai, no one even has a clue it's a Thai company.

But yes, obviously, Chinese business doesn't appear to have that much of a foothold in Thailand yet. That's because they resent giving away 51% of it as much as any other.

My last sentence should have a little extra added to make it more clear. It should read "This shows that China isn't such a major influence on Thailand ... as the western world is"

Also ... "Go to China" you say ... No thanks. I'll let you do that. I'd rather stay here in Thailand and be ignorant about the Chinese

Ignorance is bliss

Well I've been there probably 100 times, and when you see the owner of CP sitting with the Chinese premier, representing SE Asian Chinese business groups, you learn a bit.

CP is an enormous investor in China, from agribusiness, to motorcycles, to property, to retail. there is lotus supermarkets, just as in Tesco lotus, and on their website they claim to be the first and largest foreign investor in china.

They have animal feed, seeds, chicken, eggs, pork, seafood production nationwide in China. They are a behomoth in the Chinese food market.

I refer you to my previous reply

Try this: ask the average 20 yr old Thai female whom she'd rather marry, and whose children she'd rather bear, a Chinese or an American. What do you think the answer would be?

What's this got to do with anything?

What's an average 20 yr old Thai female?

I'd say it would be a very close choice. So many variables though. Often a dark-skinned Thai wouldn't be asked to marry a Chinese.

If the American was colored, then it would definitely the Chinese man.

It's not racialist to say "Black man". It's ok.

"colored" sounds like they have rainbow skin or some bright green or red lol

I think Thailand is smart enough to align itself with both but as the Chins populated Thailand centuries ago and they formed part of Thai culture and history, Thailand will remain firmly favouring China.

Not disagreeing with you about your facts here but I think it's important that not many Thais can speak Chinese. It's not the norm. But it is common for Thai to speak a tiny bit of English at least, many even speak English fairly well and some Excellent.

This shows that China isn't such a major influence on Thailand.

You are grossly underestimating how heavily Thai companies have invested in China. Go to china and ask about chia thai, no one even has a clue it's a Thai company.

But yes, obviously, Chinese business doesn't appear to have that much of a foothold in Thailand yet. That's because they resent giving away 51% of it as much as any other.

My last sentence should have a little extra added to make it more clear. It should read "This shows that China isn't such a major influence on Thailand ... as the western world is"

Also ... "Go to China" you say ... No thanks. I'll let you do that. I'd rather stay here in Thailand and be ignorant about the Chinese

Ignorance is bliss

I think Thailand is smart enough to align itself with both but as the Chins populated Thailand centuries ago and they formed part of Thai culture and history, Thailand will remain firmly favouring China.

Not disagreeing with you about your facts here but I think it's important that not many Thais can speak Chinese. It's not the norm. But it is common for Thai to speak a tiny bit of English at least, many even speak English fairly well and some Excellent.

This shows that China isn't such a major influence on Thailand.

Whadda bunch o' sleuths.

It's called "constructive thinking" and it requires the use of one's brain to try to decipher possible and potential situations. Analysing circumstances and details to try to maybe get a better idea or not over look possible scenarios.

Maybe if you didn't waste so much time playing with little Mr Men cartoon characters you might've known this

actually, it seems to be your education that is lacking, because "constructive thinking" as you erroneously term unfounded speculation, is an entirely different thing.

perhaps give it a spin on google, see if im right.

nitpicker

"His right hand was still grasping 3 red roses. In his left hand, he was grasping a bottle of Thai alcohol".

I would have thought that if he had a cardiac arrest he would be grasping his chest/arm/jaw etc, or at the very least dropped the bottle and flowers. Sounds like it could have been staged.

I agree it's suspicious. Especialy with the lao khao. Sounds like someone didn't want to spend the money for a bottle of Vodka, which he would likely prefer.

*Also, few heart attack victims die peacefully as you suggest.

it wasn't lao khao it was hong tong and in other reports they show about 6 empty bottles (boxes) of it in the room.

another sad bastard chewed up and spat out by a combination of Thailand and his own weakness, why turn it into a conspiracy?

edit: phuket wan link deleted for pics of booze. sorry was unawre it was off limits

It is not "being turned into a conspiracy". It is a thought provoking situation with many questions left unanswered.

It is indeed suspicious that he was found still holding on to those items during and after a heart attack.

It is also causing a stir that the police are jumping to the most obvious conclusions and making there assumptions public without any actual known details or proofs.

Im afraid that your aggression towards natural thinking people and your suspicion and conspiracy theories may well be born from your paranoia

dam_n you are all great detectives, or have been watching to much CSI! I just see too much speculation.

Yeah,

But just a tad more interesting....

And real and on our doorstep

Whadda bunch o' sleuths.

It's called "constructive thinking" and it requires the use of one's brain to try to decipher possible and potential situations. Analysing circumstances and details to try to maybe get a better idea or not over look possible scenarios.

Maybe if you didn't waste so much time playing with little Mr Men cartoon characters you might've known this

I am a great believer that only the man upstairs decides when one is going to die I myself have been that close when I was serving in the military I can only think that I had a guardian angel looking over me, hope the guy fully recovers from his injuries and does not end up in a wheelchair for the rest of his life

Any sensible suggestions why so many people do jump to their deaths here?

I imagine excessive alcohol combined with mixed emotions over girls, who give them enormous feelings of pleasure but also equal amounts of frustration, confusion, anxiety and ultimately depression

Got to think with the 'big head' here and not the 'little head'

Every point you have made here, most people experience and I experience too throughout my life. But I and most people don't jump off skyscrapers

This is outrageous. It is medieval behaviour. This scenario is despicable. The highest authorities in Holland should be involved. Its cause for a Dutch-Thai War.

I'm sitting in a bar near a group of loud American men with their Thai girls. Being very loud they are. They are talking about this subject here.

One guy says at the top of his voice "I THOUGHT THAI PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO LOSE FACE. HAHAHAAA HOW CAN THEY LOSE FACE IF THEY CAN''T FIND THEIR FACE IN THE FIRST PLACE?!! HAHAHAAA"

I thought that was .... err ummm .... quite controversial

Strange town you live in, eh?

When I was younger I would often get my bum grabbed or squeezed or or pinched while walking through a dark disco or nightclub or busy town center.

Strange world I live in - Nowt so queer as folk

In your previous posts here you claim to be a woman, but you are not are you? Why do posters on here do this? We have had a few on TV, who claim to be female and then make the slip up (normally late at night after they have been to the pub), then they disappear and find a new name. It is stupid and pointless.

I think you are some what confused. I dont know what on earth you are talking about.

I am definately not, nor do I ever claim to be a woman

Looks like it's you who should be avoiding pubs

I apologise, I must be confusing you with somebody else. The chance to find a pub where I live would be a good thing!

really, why is that? where do you live? sahara?

In your previous posts here you claim to be a woman, but you are not are you? Why do posters on here do this? We have had a few on TV, who claim to be female and then make the slip up (normally late at night after they have been to the pub), then they disappear and find a new name. It is stupid and pointless.

I think you are some what confused. I dont know what on earth you are talking about.

I am definately not, nor do I ever claim to be a woman

Looks like it's you who should be avoiding pubs

Abuse which can cause a lifetime of mental illness, loneliness, and suicide, is a "minor event" ? Extraordinary language.

Ok I hear you, That is not minor. That sounds serious. It sounds to me as if the person is blaming themself. Which is not right.

The blame and anger and hatred should be directed at the other party who caused the person to feel like this.

If this is the case then nothing I previously said applies.

Look - I am a pretty tough skinned type of person. I have experienced some pretty tough and unpleasant things in my life. Aswell as nasty abuse.

But I am able to not allow it to get to me. Well sure it has/does always get to me but I will not let it <<Snip!>> me up. I will chin up and move on to greener pastures when and if I can. I keep a positive mental attitude. Having a hard life with lots of tough times to get through makes you like this. I know abuse. I have had many many years of abuse. Not sexually but personal abuse by people who had control over me. I had to endure it and how it made me feel.

I don't mean to be blowing my own trumpet here, I'm just saying how it is ... Im not some guy who has had an easy life simply coming along and saying "Man-up why dont you".... I really do know how it is to be abused.

But I refuse to let it affect my entire life. I absolutely refuse.

I will put it behind me and move on to better experiences. And continue to have a positive mental attitude.

This is the only way I can be. And it is the only attitude I can give to people who are not able to be like this.

It is all I know and want to know

I understand and sympathise with the feelings you have mentioned but what am I to say? ... Ok I will try ...

1) Stop blaming yourself - Try hypnosis - Hypnosis is great.

2) Confide and talk with like minded people

3) Seek understanding and caring professional help. Therapy/Councelling.

I am a true believer in hypnosis. Try getting some Mp3s from the internet. Look for Steve G Jones or Meditainment.

Look for Power of positive thinking. I do all this for recreation. It's terrific. Total relaxation and positive thinking. Almost brainwashing - For the best

Do you have any stats to support above statement?

Do you have any stats to prove him wrong? He doesn't have to prove he is right or his stats are correct. You have to prove him wrong.

This is a logical fallacy: the "burden of proof" falls upon the one advancing a hypothetical explanation, proposing a theory, accusing someone of a crime, etc.

These rather "abstract" remarks do not mean that I do not the find the situation of 14 year old girl running a prostitution ring heinous: I do ! But, we have no reliable information about how she came to be in this position (should I say "prone to be be in this condition" ?), and I am sure we will never have such information.

I agree with other posters who have suggested she was a "fall girl," who'll "take the heat" for "hidden hands," and I reject the hypothesis this is an example of some kind of "budding, young, early entrepreneurial genius, in the field of human body-rental" based on Occam's Razor, aka "horse-sense."

~o:37;

no no no. If you are saying he is wrong, prove it. Right "the burden of proof" you have the burden of proof to prove that the stats he has quoted are wrong.

Innocent until proven guilty

This is news worthy? It's business as usual here in Isaan.

Don't really understand what you mean...d'you mean that it is normal practice in your part of Isan for 14 year olds to run prostitution rings?

It's pretty common across Thailand sadly, I've heard of this happening in Bangkok and a number of other places. I always laugh when I am told by NGO's how the girls are "sold" into bars etc by their evil families, the greatest recruiters are other girls in the bar.

But that doesn't sound so good when you're a doe eyed dancer trying to convince someone you'd really don't like working there, nor as wallet opening if you're a NGO trying to "save" the same gals.

Frankly a poor reflection upon Sex Education in Thailand which is pretty dismal, the country with one of the highest unmarried teen pregnancy rates in the world.

Could you go back and retype what you wrote with some proper punctuation? Your point gets lost in that mess you just typed.

I can understand it easily. Its not a mess to me and I dont get lost with it at all (I'm not saying I agree, just saying that I can understand his point clearly).

In fact I think he's perfectly understandable.

A witch hunt, the adverse publicity has forced the investigation simply because of the fame of the alleged perpetrators.

I don't think that's true at all, I think the sheer scale of the abuse illustrates how many people must have been involved at best in turning a blind eye, or at worst assisting in a cover up.

Freddie Starr hasn't been famous since the Sun reported his alleged penchant for rodent munching.

Throughout time, throughout history, in every culture and in every nation. Older human beings will find younger human beings attractive and interesting.

It is human nature.

Always has been and always will be.

No matter how anti this fact you choose to be, it is a fact of life.

Also, the amount of people who have over-stepped the line and gone further than simply appreciating youth and have taken advantage or lost control is massive. Throughout time and history the "sheer scale" is massive and always will be.

And lizard tongue is right. It is indeed a witch hunt. These cases have come to light because of their previous fame.

The press are preying on dead people and has beens because they are easy prey and perfect objects to make it easy for the press to glorify itself in the eyes of the gullible public.

The "sheer scale" is, was and always will be massive. But only a tiny tiny percent of it all will come to the public's attention. Because of fame and familiarity.

Older people are attracted to youth and freshness. Heck, even young people are!

Personally, I prefer Jessica Biel

what was Evan doing with your crutch?

haha. i wish you told me about this while i had chance to edit it

Evan = Even

You can see that I highlighted in your previous comment about Catholic Priests and people abusing power. I am in absolute agreement with you.

I despise Catholic priests. I am an athiest (oops i nearly typed anti-christ!).

If there were such things as God and the Devil then Catholic Priests, in my opinion, would be servants of the Devil.

I also think that the media moves in despicable ways.

The human race is selfish and un-moral.

But let us remain in the present day. Why travel back in time? Concentrate on the evils which are being committed in the 21st century. The 1970s are a completely different time and space and world.

This is the future. We are not what we used to be. We don;t think as we used to think 40 years ago.

As I said before, are we to prosecute all of the 1970s police for police brutality because its less acceptable in the 21st century?

Are we to disallow 50% of all goals scored in a 1970s football match because in the year 2012 we dont play like that any more?

May I remind you and stress to you that you know nothing of my history. I am not discussing it here but I will say Don't you even think about trying to explain to me about being a victim of abuse

The only thing I'm trying to explain to you is that this case is not about re-writing history (nor about your personal situation) but about giving those victims of Savile & others some sort of closure to those that need/want it.

You are being too self-centred - try to show some feelings for others.

Well I think now, in this reply here, that you are being ridiculous. I will say to you "Man up why don't you?"

"Closure" my left (soccer) ball. Tell them to go spit on or slash on his grave or something.

You wont see me even thinking about stuff that went on in my life in the past - That is until I am faced with those who cant stop crying about and going on about their troubles 40 years ago.

When I was younger I would often get my bum grabbed or squeezed or or pinched while walking through a dark disco or nightclub or busy town center. Evan getting my crutch grabbed by strangers or mysterious persons. I dont need closure lol.

And yes, it's obvious now, that I was a victim of abuse as a child by people in power.

I dont need "closure". Sh*t happens. Such is life. Worse things happen ... MUCH worse.

I suggest you stop wasting your time pitying people who dont need it and start concentrating on and feeling for the real victims of this life.

I thought Freddie Starr was a singer not a comedian..... ah well.

No it should not be left in the past. Ask anyone who has been sexually molested by a priest (for example) when they were young & they will tell you that they never forgot it. Going as far as groping might be a bit over the top but covering up or ignoring blatant abuse by someone in a position of power should be brought to light & relevant punishment handed out.

Frivolous court cases won't get very far. But the BBC has a case to answer, not only with respect to those who knew about the abuse, but in dropping the Newsnight programme at a very convenient time.

I agree. And yes the BBC have a case to answer for.

They did nothing about it at the time so they should be punished now, 50 years later.

And the people who knighted Jimmy Savile, they are guilty.

IN FACT LET'S TAKE THE 1970s TO COURT ! (Sarcasm)

It's not your sarcasm that's showing but your lack of knowledge of the aspects of the case.

Newsnight's programme was dropped in late 2011 (less than a year ago).

The whole investigation revolves around virtually untouchable people abusing ordinary people. If you have any knowledge of the worldwide Catholic church priests & their pedophilia, you would know that many of the victims did raise the alarm at the time but the whole thing was covered up by the church authorities.

The Savile case is similar in that the victims had no one to turn to for help. Before condemning them without knowing (or apparently caring) how it affected them, why don't you do some research on how long victims of this type of abuse have to live with it without any form of closure. That would, of course, prompt one to actually understand what other people feel - maybe too much to ask.

You can see that I highlighted in your previous comment about Catholic Priests and people abusing power. I am in absolute agreement with you.

I despise Catholic priests. I am an athiest (oops i nearly typed anti-christ!).

If there were such things as God and the Devil then Catholic Priests, in my opinion, would be servants of the Devil.

I also think that the media moves in despicable ways.

The human race is selfish and un-moral.

But let us remain in the present day. Why travel back in time? Concentrate on the evils which are being committed in the 21st century. The 1970s are a completely different time and space and world.

This is the future. We are not what we used to be. We don;t think as we used to think 40 years ago.

As I said before, are we to prosecute all of the 1970s police for police brutality because its less acceptable in the 21st century?

Are we to disallow 50% of all goals scored in a 1970s football match because in the year 2012 we dont play like that any more?

May I remind you and stress to you that you know nothing of my history. I am not discussing it here but I will say Don't you even think about trying to explain to me about being a victim of abuse

I thought Freddie Starr was a singer not a comedian..... ah well.

No it should not be left in the past. Ask anyone who has been sexually molested by a priest (for example) when they were young & they will tell you that they never forgot it. Going as far as groping might be a bit over the top but covering up or ignoring blatant abuse by someone in a position of power should be brought to light & relevant punishment handed out.

Frivolous court cases won't get very far. But the BBC has a case to answer, not only with respect to those who knew about the abuse, but in dropping the Newsnight programme at a very convenient time.

I agree. And yes the BBC have a case to answer for.

They did nothing about it at the time so they should be punished now, 50 years later.

And the people who knighted Jimmy Savile, they are guilty.

IN FACT LET'S TAKE THE 1970s TO COURT ! (Sarcasm)

Yes, those pesky Jews, it's time to leave the poor Nazis alone, right?

We aren't talking about shoplifting here but rape and other sexual abuse.

If you don't take it seriously, then perhaps someone raping your own child would change your ignorant perception.

Would you tell your own kid to "man up"?

IF somebody raped my kid I would do something about it IMMEDIATELY. I wouldn't cry about it for 50 years and then come crawling out of the woodwork one day and try to jump on the band wagon, like a sheep, because everybody else is, because I can see an opportunity to make something, and because the glory seeking press are pulling strings.

If you feel strongly about something then you react to it there and then. You do something about it.

You can't put it aside for 50 years into the future and then when the world is a completely different place, go back in time and try to fix it. The world is a different place now. Times and attitudes have changed. .... Deal with it. Grow up.

Anyway you know nothing of my past.

You are clearly a bitter person with a chip on your shoulder and my advice to you/them is if you didn't have the balls to deal with (for whatever reason) your problem when it occured then that's too bad. Get over it. It's history. Stop crying about it.

This alleged offence happened in 1974. How an earth can you prosecute and get a firm conviction after so long. Who can remember what they were doing in 1974 ?

Absolutely. It is ridiculous isn't it.

Do you have Alzheimers then?

I would imagine teenagers of the 70's could have quite clear memories of sexual abuse if it took place.

Get over it. Stop crying about it forever. Sh*t happens to everyone in life. So what. Worse things happen at sea etc.

When I was 4 years old the wheel fell off my tricycle and caused me to cut my knee but Im not going to prosecute the cycle company half a century later.

They are all just a bunch of hypocrites. They see a chance of an opportunity and suddenly they come slithering out of the woodwork - Half a century later.

Bunch of creepy losers they are.

Life is too great and too fast to be crying about a minor event that happened 30/40/50 years ago.

Stop Crying. Stop dwelling on past silliness ... Get a grip on yourself man. Move on. Get over it. Enjoy life to the maximum