huwgo

The welfare system is the greatest government initiative to alleviate poverty, and one of the main reasons western countries are so economically powerful.

It means taxpayers have a safety net if they lose their jobs or cannot work because of health or other problems.

All the money that is spent on welfare flows through the economy. It means more people buying goods and services, and that means jobs and opportunities.

silly question...

but from a non English-native's point of view:

Thai, and by far, being a tonal language. yep, i am not chinese, nor come from another native tonal language, so, this is a major difficulty for me, and i believe for most.

throw in writing...thai is completely different alphabet, so, ground zero, cant use even my own letters i got used to...

so, conclusion: thai is by far more difficult, doesnt matter what you feel, really

test your skills with strangers, where they dont have to be polite about it. and get ready for a surprise.

PS:

i am not sure why the thai kids in most case cant speak English after leaning it for 12-18 yrs in school...

They are probably just shy. This is what I have found. Thai people's comprehension of English is really good (in my experience) but they don't get the chance to practice speaking with English speaking people.

Talk with them in thai and have them reply in English and you'll both get better

"Not treating his death as suspicious " - well they should. Suspicion on neglect abuse and maltreatment from his father. May he get his cummupance for obviously being the indirect cause of his sons death. Horrible man. Sadly I bet he feels no sense of responsibility in this or remorse.

Let the Western paranoia stay where it is and not bring it into the other countries. The man has already learnt a lesson and sticking a criminal badge on him and throwing him behind the bars will not fix anything, will not make anything better and will not make anyone happier except the zealots suggesting this.

I don't agree. By penalizing the deadbeat dad, it will send a message to other parents around Thailand - possible averting similar problems in the future.

If parents can't take the right action because of lack of moral compass, then perhaps they'll do the right things due to fear of criminal repercussions.

Slightly related: I just read about a farang who wants to come to Thailand and inseminate as many young Thai ladies as he possibly can. He mentions wanting to make as many children as possible, though an added factor is he doesn't like to wear condoms. I found his email address, and chastised him for the profound irresponsibility (and harmfulness) of his plan - among other things.

I think the family has been penalized enough

The general tone that Thai's are lazy has not been my experience. I see them work long hours and travel far for work. I see them battle with each other over who can stay back the latest, the first one to leave silently losing face.

I don't think that helps. Long hours reduce productivity and contribute to dissatisfaction

I bet that professor has never lived overseas. People with that attitude never do.

Everyone I've ever met in Thailand has treated me very well. That's why I am often surprised by the negativity towards Thais I encounter here in this forum.

Nonetheless, in my country -Australia- our system treats foreigners far better than the Thai system. The 'paying guest' analogy is definitly true when it comes to our legal status here but is completly untrue- in my experience- when it comes to the treatment I've received from Thai people.

Lol

Capo means gangster

The last thing Thailand needs, is this ridicoulous "gender ideology" copied from the West.

Surely you are being sarcastic. If ever a country needed a sexual revolution & a feminist movement it's Thailand.

Dude, many people here will tell you 'welcome to Thailand'... 'it is what it is'... 'get used to it' etc etc

DON'T GET USED TO IT

If/when he crashes... you'll regret not pushing harder. Saying nothing will save his face for sure, but you know the right thing to do already. Keep at it.

Did any of you people even READ the article?!!

It's pure speculation about the motives of people who were spotted near the school and then drove away when approached.

In an obviously slanted article people in this forum swallowed this unsubstantiated rumour mongering hook, line and sinker.

So often in this forum, i read people complaining bitterly about Thai people, as though their own native countries are so much better. Yet such is the gullibility of the responders in this forum, I can't imagine how they could contribute to their own countries political processes any better.

If you can stay above it, stay above it. You already know that's the right course.

It's hard to divorce yourself from pride and emotion, we've all been there, but stay strong buddy

Only one way to deal with protestors in government offices - hire them. What's that? They've already been paid?

Red shirts get paid. Red shirts have been exposed many times. There are videos on YouTube of them lining up to receive 500 baht a day etc

These protesters are not red shirts, they don't protest for money. They protest because they love their country and they are fighting against the corruption and nepotism that is strangling their democracy.

I find it very ironic that most people on this forum are so cynical about Thailand because of its corruption but still criticize Thai people when they try to do something about it.

My gf sent me photos from the protests. Heaps more people than they are reporting. She also saw government workers covering up security cameras during the night. I think the government will make an aggressive move on the protesters soon.

Refuse to divorce her or sign any papers. It may take a while for the penny to drop, but eventually she will look for security in another man and she will need to seek you out and acquiesce to your demands. Its a long term strategy but maybe threatening her with this will help in the short term. Good luck buddy

You could last up to 24 months. I've been working in Bangkok for 6 months now and I've spent AUS$4000

That has covered all my expenses -rent, food, transport, entertainment etc plus my border trip and my flight home.

It might be a bit easier for me though, my girlfriend is Thai, so she makes sure I don't get taken advantage of. No Farang tax for me

I'm taking about living on a daily basis, not going full steam at it every night in pattaya!

Heya peeps,

Im an aussie, ive got a non immigration visa type B, double entry visa, which for the non aussies means I get to stay in thailand for two consectuve 3 month periods. A single entry visa would be only one three month period.

My first 3 months is up, and I understand that I will need to leave thailand and return. Because i have a double entry visa already, my understanding is that I dont need to apply for another visa to return to Thailand.

However I am not sure what I need to do, other than just leaving the country and coming back. Do I need to go to the Thai consulate in Cambodia for a stamp or something?

And do I need any documents other than my passport and personal ID?

Also, this may or may not be relevant, I am in thaialnd working, but my contract is short, so I didnt get a fullnlown work permit, however when I applied to the thai consulate in Melbourne for my visa, they required a letter of confirmation from my employer her in Bangkok. Do I need to bring this with me to cambodia?

THanks in advance netizens

Hello forum geniuses

I have an unusual situation and would appreciate some advice.

I am an Australian animator. A group of my friends (also animators) have scraped together some funding to create an animated series. It is a moderate amount of funding for this type of project and will not last long in Australia. However, if we can produce our series in Thailand we can afford to live for 12m - the right amount of time to complete the project. It all comes down to the living costs - the lower the living costs are, the more animators we can afford and therefor the more work we can accomplish.

There are 6 of us currently, and we may need to hire 2 more people in Thailand.

This is an unusual situation as there is NO REVENUE being generated from this project. It is not like a regular business with a products to sell and a regular cashflow. We are entirely self funded and when that funding runs out we are finished.

Because of the nature of our enterprise I am unsure of whether we need to formally establish a company. My understanding of the visa situation is:

Option 1.

To establish a company I will need $2 million baht which will be held in some form of a bond, and hire 4 locals. The problem with the 'bond' is this will tie up the majority of our funding and we wont be able to function, making our project dead before it even starts.

Option 2.

We apply for type B working visas and apply for work permits. However, in this situation there would be no formal job offer to go with the visa/work permit application as there is no company.

Option 3.

Go for the single entry type O visa and just chance it without a working permit. I would be very unhappy with this scenario. I don't want to break any laws.

I also have a Thai partner and I was originally planning to move to Thailand in 2014 to live until this opportunity arose. I don't know how relevant this is but I would very much appreciate any feedback and advice

Thanks very much