delgarcon

We have a foot bridge, across a main highway, right outside the local high school. I would estimate not even 20% use it, although I haven't done a scientific study

It's obviously a good idea but in reality, many folk are too lazy to climb the stairs !

Rip lady...

Thais seem to be noted for laziness, so why do so many of them prefer to stand on the Skytrain and Underground when

there are many unoccupied seats?

I don't know ? Why ?

Maybe some kind poster can tell us.

Hemorrhoids?

Hopefully the bridge will now be built which would be a fitting memorial to this unfortunate woman

She was on a zebra crossing.....................

What else can one say?

Thainess Patheticness.

Where did it mention a zebra crossing?

The only known in this article is that a woman was killed by a motorcyclist while crossing a street.

Don't assume things about the incident that aren't said.

There is, as usual,a link to the original article which quite clearly states that she was on a zebra crossing.

If I had the same set of circumstances as you Simon, it's a no brainer, I would head home. A visit to the 13th floor would not enter my head, but I couldn't stay here on my own with no money, no pension and no welfare. Stacking shelves in Tescos in your great country wouldn't be so bad once you got used to it and found some friends.

Fortunately I have a pretty good pension from the UK and France and have a decent Thai partner. Health out here can always be an issue and I have to say that I miss my friends and family, but I guess I'll stick it out. Good luck to you whatever you decide.

just realised that this was a what if thread so I guess I jumped the gun in wishing you good luck, or did I?

If I had the same set of circumstances as you Simon, it's a no brainer, I would head home. A visit to the 13th floor would not enter my head, but I couldn't stay here on my own with no money, no pension and no welfare. Stacking shelves in Tescos in your great country wouldn't be so bad once you got used to it and found some friends.

Fortunately I have a pretty good pension from the UK and France and have a decent Thai partner. Health out here can always be an issue and I have to say that I miss my friends and family, but I guess I'll stick it out. Good luck to you whatever you decide.

Sure wish I didn't have to wade through page after page of drivel to get to the pertinent news articles. Couldn't they be pinned to the top of this thread?

I agree 100%.

Come on moderators, let's have some proper reporting of the trial

Never has so much been said about so little and nobody thought to ask Payanak if he is coming back! If not, don't bother to report, if yes, just get on line and do it and don't forget your re-entry permit at the airport on the way out. As the wise old owls have told you on here, stick to the regulations and you'll be ok.

But a return to the drachma would cause chaos now that all bills are paid in euro

Well they did it back in 2001 when they changed from the Drachma to the Euro.... Just the same in reverse.

Bank accounts will be converted to Drachma at the push of a button and the people will likely have 3 months to surrender their Euros to the banks to exchange for Drachma. Not so hard really.

Then they have control of their currency and their future. They devalue making all their exports much cheaper than their EU competitors who are still chained to the very expensive Euro which to be honest is valued to suit the huge German and French economies.... ONLY.

Tourism will explode as it will be a very cheap destination for the near future at least.

If they stay in the Euro, they will face more misery and their economy will NEVER recover.

Why would Greeks have to surrender their euro? The euro will still be legal tender and quite probably devalue much less than the drachma. I'd hold on to my euro just as shrewd Russians have avoided rouble ruin by holding on to dollars.

It wouldn't cost you too much to ask a lawyer to meet you at the bank, that's what I'd do. A bilingual lawyer that is.

What do you mean, pensions are "welfare"? You mean

When you work you don't pay into your pension? If you

Pay for the benefit it is not welfare.

In The States every working person pays 7.5% of their

Salaey into Social Security . The Employer must match

This and pay 7.5% also. Not at all a Welfare Program

If UK pensions are not paid by the employee and employer,

Than it's welfare and cut it too by 30%... To start.

When I worked in England the government took around 20% of salaries in social security charges, the company paying 55/60%. Pensions are certainly not welfare payments.

A couple of safety tips for surviving anywhere .... The right of way is given not taken, so, regardless of the colour of the traffic lights or the position of the crossing barrier, always look both ways before proceeding.

All respect to the lady who died, but it's beyond me how she couldn't have seen the carriages trundling down the track. I guess my view of Thai motorcyclists is correct .... they don't look further than their front wheel!

Sorry to hear about yet one more totally preventable accident involving the railways in Thailand. And condolences to the lady involved in this latest tragedy.

One thing I noticed after only a short time in Thailand was the way motorcycles come up to a corner to turn left and plainly do not look to the right, they just assume there is nobody coming, or so I thought. When I asked a Thai friend about this dangerous practice he said it was so that if there was an accident the motorcycle rider could say he did not see anyone coming so he was not responsible for the accident ! Has anyone else ever heard of this crazy way of thinking ?

The 2 of you ought to be ashamed. A poor woman dies and probably leaves a family behind and all you can say is that it is probably her fault for not seeing the carriages coming. She saw the barrier raised you morons, that should have been enough to guarantee her safety!

Here's your answer FACTOR

Thanks a lot guys, I was running about like a headless chicken thinking I had to be on the midday ferry from KP to Samui!

Hi, I'm sure the answer is here somewhere, but this is pretty urgent, I was due to report on the 1st June, but in between my visa extension on 5 March and yesterday I used a re-entry permit, returning from Malaysia on the 27th March. When do I have to report?

Thanks

If you use a private currency exchange company make sure you are protected. A company that I used in the UK a while back went bust a year or so later, not with my money I might add, so I'm quite happy using the banks. I just received £4000 pounds worth of THB into the Bangkok bank @ 51.28 (with no commission) and was charged £22 by the NatWest.

I've used both TOT and 3BB on KP and 3BB is by far the best. They have opened a shop in Thong Sala recently as well which can only improve their service

Dead bodies always soil themselves, was that really necessary to include in the report.

I've seen a few dead bodies and can't remember any of them having shit themselves.

What time frame are you talking about that this happens?

I reckon it would be about the time that the pathologist gets his knife out!

And what is the relevance of stating that he had Bt 325 in his wallet ?

Well, as we are expected to solve the mystery here on TV, it helps us by suggesting that he wasn't robbed! Come on steve, I know you Aussies are a bit slow but this is pretty elementary!

Buy anything that's made in China

Hi Danny, I hope that you are aware that you need a work permit to even do voluntary work in Thailand, be careful if you haven't got one!

Try the nearest ladyboy bar!

http://www.siam-legal.com/realestate/thailand-property-financing.php

Reminded me of this 2 Ronnies classic.

If every government leader in the world was made accountable for every failed scheme or policy, all former and current Prime Ministers, Presidents etc. should be jailed. They've all had failures that have cost their respective countries billions.

By inference, all world leaders are therefore inept to a (usually) greater or lesser degree.

Every government scheme/practice/activity in Thailand is rife with unstoppable corruption.

Yingluck has not been charged with any personal corruption - she is therefore being tried for being inept.

Maybe George Dubyah and Tony Blair should be tried for their joint cockup that makes Yinglucks efforts look decidedly third rate by comparison.

You're right and I think I'm missing something here. Didn't she appear in court voluntarily? She was never arrested and put in prison on remand, so why bail? If she was going to do a runner she's surely had plenty of opportunity!

He's in police custody while the guy that killed the cyclist in Bangkok is out on bail! Is there another nation in the world that attaches so much importance to money and so little to seeing justice done?