jat1012

Thailand's negative credit rating?

Don't they mean PTP's negative credit rating??

Why penalize Thailand, it is the government that can't be trusted with money, and they will be gone soon.... thank Christ.

IF there is an election, PTP or Clone PTP will be re-elected, assuming the normal 1 man 1 vote rule is followed. Then the situation will return to Thai normal. The Elite and Southern Thais will again be in the minority, because they cannot sell their brand of politics to the majority. No government can be trusted with money.

RIP 5 star, at last.

I would be interested to know why he was homeless, after all he must have had funds otherwise he could not get a visa, so he would be living here illegally. Why is it that he was not stopped and checked, and arrested and deported. Or is this business of visas, funds etc all boll@cks as no one gives a shit anyway? We all jump thru hoops to remain legally here, why bother, when you can doss on the streets with impunity.

These incidents reflect badly on all foreigners visiting Thailand, even though it is an individual committing the crime, on a subconscious level in the Thai public mind these crimes tarnish the image of all visitors. We are honoured guests, and as guests should behave properly and maintain high personal standards regardless of how the local corruption situation may be.

Shameful.

Nah, I think Thais are smart enough to distinguish the antics of a drunk (whatever the nationality) vs normal tourists.

I wish that were the case, but that's not how stereotyping works. We are more prone to attribute negative qualities to the 'other' (whomever that might be) than to our own group. This is especially true in the case of minorities: we are more likely to associate infrequent behaviour (e.g. theft) with numerically smaller groups (the "illusory correlation"). This is exacerbated by the fact that it's mostly criminal behaviour that gets into the news... the good things that a typical westerner does in Thailand just aren't newsworthy. All this conspires to create a negative stereotype of a minority group, in this case 'farangs'. Just reflect on your first reaction to seeing a middle eastern male with a long beard, white cap, and robe and sandals in our post-911 world.

Those with high school physics and common sense dont react much to seeing middle eastern muslim men in their traditional garb in the post 911 world.

Really, I believe I have a modicum of intelligence . When I was a young man, many years ago, I would see Moslem people and think nothing, now I am extremely wary around these people. I think the main reason is the possibility of being killed. I do not feel mistrust when I walk in the streets of Thailand, I am just careful not to offend, in other words I am polite. Perhaps if the followers of the Moslem faith actually stood up and 'excommunicated' (so to speak) those that besmirched their faith I might regain a level of trust. I had a similar feeling about ALL the Irish when we were undergoing 'The Troubles' in the UK. Not now, they are not randomly killing Brits any more, the Moslems are randomly killing non-moslems tho (sometimes fellow Moslems too).

"For years, Myanmar's minorities had been totally ignored by the Burmans, the dominant ethnic group. Now, Premier Thein Sein says their demands for constitutional change must be considered."

Interesting comment. If the society is democratic , there is a decent constitution and the rule of law is followed all ethnic groups should be treated the same, under the law. If not , then the building has faulty foundations and will eventually collapse. Perhaps that is what is meant by demands for constitutional change? Equality under the law? In the Europe there are minorities constantly whining for more rights, the only right that should be enforced is equality under the law, anything else automatically degrades the rights of other religious/ethnic groups and should be rejected.That does not apply here in Thailand as there is in reality no such thing as 'Equality under the LAW', until that basic precept of democracy is understood and enforced Thailand will continue down the road to being a real 3rd world failed state. Ie. NZ <deleted> facing 5 years in jail for minor theft and resisting arrest, Red bull heir languishing in luxury in Singapore for killing a police officer, squareheaded rich man convicted of crimes living comfortably in Duba, allegedly known criminal allowed to interfere in the constitutional rights of Thai citizens. There must be many,many more instances where equality under the law is NOT demonstrated in this wonderful country, Thainess? Rather like England pre Magna Carta, France pre revolution. As those who are not treated 'equally under the law' get better educated and more organised, or just thoroughly pissed off, eventually they will impose their will upon there 'oppressors', and that could be bloody. (unless the country is North Korea or Zimbabwe). I will dream on, never happen here, I am getting ready to bend over again to rejoin the masses in getting shafted.

These incidents reflect badly on all foreigners visiting Thailand, even though it is an individual committing the crime, on a subconscious level in the Thai public mind these crimes tarnish the image of all visitors. We are honoured guests, and as guests should behave properly and maintain high personal standards regardless of how the local corruption situation may be.

Shameful.

Boll*cks, since when has a farang on a sexy pissup been classed as an honoured guest. At best we are tolerated and sometimes treated as a friend. We cannot own land, own our own companies, qualify for Permanent Residence without jumping through hoops. We are 2nd class , don't understand Thainess (whatever that is). If a Thai goes to Europe the Thai can own land, own a company, acquire permanent residence. He was probably arrested , not for stealing, which could have been smoothed over with a donation, but for the dominating of some BIB, until overwhelmed by numbers. (Loss of farce). I behave properly, I don't get drunk, obey traffic laws, I am polite, self controlled (very hard sometimes), but I don't feel like an honoured guest.

Where is Costas, Why is he not commenting on this Disgusting cowardly act. Anyone remember the joke where the punch line is 'With a crowbar'.

14 to 18 years old.

Feel sad and disgussed.

Why couldn't this world be a better place to live?

Get real. These young girls make a choice, they have minds of their own. They are horny, they want things. They make money. Older men like young girls. In some countries girls as young as 8 are married. (Mostly in countries practising the religion of hate) .

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/10/us-yemen-childbride-idUSBRE98910N20130910

So stop pontificating and complain about something that IS disgusting like the way this society treats it's animals, cheats it's poor food producers, ignores it's laws (according to the social status of the offender). Not a few poor girls making a few baht for luxuries they could normally never have. The only reason they were busted was that the BIB was not getting it's cut, split should have been, 25/25/50. (maybe I am too cynical)

Travel towards Sattahip.

Straight thru Bangsarey traffic lights.

Straight on at next traffic lights, at Naval Base T junction.

U turn at traffic lights at Che junction, Rayong T junction.

Large shop on left going back towards Pattaya, about 400 metres.

They stock all kinds of Poly sheets, 6m by 1.2 m, 1.2m by 2.4 m etc.

This horrific, unprovoked and cowardly attack - hurling a grenade onto innocent Thai men and women, walking hand in hand down a street - will only inflame the protests, not quell them.

And then run away leaving all those 'clues' as to the source of the attack. Positively disgusting. The organization and personal intelligence of those responsible for this 'highly professional operation' is so lacking, even for a member of the indigenous population. It makes one wonder whether this is just another effort from Suthep's lot to inflame and escalate the situation to force a coup. As an aside, I do not support TS/YS , their operations have been responsible for bringing Thailand to near bankruptcy (no money to pay farmers?) and seriously damaged the international standing of Thailand , what little it had in the first place. There are many good hard working honest Thais that are being dragged downwards by the corruption driven from the top, seemingly all of the top. As a Falang I can only stand by and watch with a level of frustration the slow poisoning of Thailand. My immediate family (in Phitchit) is starting to feel the pinch already, they sell food in a market, no customers, no money. This will get worse, as usual, the poor will suffer more. the elite will not even notice. Unless the rank and file of the Army/Navy turns on it's leaders and joins the people in a French Revolution type exercise then I can see no end to this endless cycle of corrupt stupidity, the hold of the Elite is too strong at the moment. In 20 years it may not be, but, by then,Thailand will have disappeared up it's own anal orifice.

Well done Denmark! Just because Thailand's immigration laws are xenophobic doesn't mean that the caring countries of the West have to reciprocate

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Why not? A little reciprocity might jar the xenophobic Thais into realising that there is a world out there that they (Thailand) has to co-exist with. A little less Thainess and a little more global understanding would benefit both foreigners and Thais.

I live about half way between Bang Sarey and Sattahip . When I moved here Bang Sarey was quite civilized, very quiet, some nice girly bars. It has been 'upgraded' with new builds and new condo's. Now I rarely go there, it has become very bland.

I have noticed that in the last couple of years that the volume of traffic between Sattahip and Pattaya has increased dramatically, mostly during morning and evening commuting times. The standard of driving has deteriorated considerably. With the opening of the new waterpark and the increased popularity of Nong Nooch + a couple of new resorts, tourist buses will increase in numbers. Their driving standard is aggressive and careless.

If you do not have a serious hobby/responsibility there is not much in the way of Falang entertainment, apart from sitting in the bar and yakking.I keep busy caring for my dogs and keeping my property clean and tidy so do not have a lot of spare time for bars ( I am very boring, I suppose). Sattahip has a fairly large Tesco + many hardware shops, a good bakery and some reasonable restaurants. It is a Navy town and one does not see many Falangs, on the whole the populace around here is friendly and honest.Between Bang Sarey and Sattahip there is a small village called Dow Tan(phonetic spelling) ,there are Bars/Karaoke establishments there for servicing the troops, as there are in Sattahip, they are accommodating to Falang, A new bakery has opened in Dow Tan, the owner speaks English, so easy to purchase food. Not far is a small town called Bang Chan, on the way to Rayong. There are some falang friendly girly bars there, also a large Tesco.

There is a lot of new development in the area, So one would expect that the volume of traffic will increase yet again. There are some properties near where I live that are for rent, some at a very reasonable rate. They are new builds , unfurnished, no a/c, 3 beds, no Falang neighbours. Pattaya , with all the shopping convenience, is 25 kl from my home.

As has been stated in other posts there are some good beaches, some fairly decent, quiet bars/restuarants in Bang Sarey and nearby Ban Amphur

I like living where I am.

Instead of wasting your time rallying, what about doing some policework to catch the killer??

Or is that too simple?

Unless their 'Superiors' order them to actually undertake an investigation they cannot 'Do some policework' as you so aptly phrase it.

I understood that the demonstration was to indicate to their 'superiors' that they are dissatisfied with the current ROE that they are working under and would like to be more proactive in their approach to blatant disregard of the rule of law by Suthep and his followers.

Sympathy for the dead and injured. I hate fireworks,the noise is intrusive and terrifies the animals ,so one less production facility goes well with me. Elf and Safety rules , OK!

'On behalf of the Thai people, we ask for your understanding of the true situation in Thailand and to support the patriotic and selfless Thai people in exercising their rights to protect their country from the tyrannical government of Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra who is a puppet of her brother Pol. Lt. Col. Thaksin Shinawatra.

All Thai Citizens'

The uneducated/poor Thai people are not stupid. There should be an election on Feb 2nd 2014. Most of them know they have been duped, but they will not vote for the Dems.The populace need an alternative to PTP and Suthep/Dems, where is it? If someone offers them an alternative party with a proper set of objectives, reduce corruption, uphold the rule of law (regardless of who you are, Red Bull beware), upgrade existing infrastructure (no high speed rail dream), replace rice mortgage scheme with a sensible alternative (direct subsidies to farmers) and reduce rice stockpiles (perhaps right off some as animal feed, donate some more to starving nations etc.), then , perhaps the endless cycle will be broken and Thailand can move forward. No amount of ranting and demonstration will do this. The Thai people will choose whom they want, give them an alternative to RED/YELLOW. If not then PTP will be returned by MAJORITY vote of 'All Thai citizens'. So PDRC stick your arguments and demonstrating up your fundamental orifice and PROVIDE an alternative for the majority to vote for OR live with your short sighted noisy wasteful actions.

'The lack of depth and research in most possibly indicates the lack of real interest in Thailand.' A quote from a previous post. Really, I was given to believe that Thailand was the centre of the sentient world, and that external opinions/views/personal and political standards were not apllicable here when they conflict with 'Thainess'. Is 'Thainess' the inability to take responsibility for one's own actions? To admit an error?

I had to search the western media for reports on Thailand. When I found reports they were very basic. There was nothing proclaiming that 'Thainess' seems to mean the acceptance of a very corrupt feudal structure and that one-man-one-vote democracy does not fit comfortably in this structure.One side has the political power of vast numbers of ill educated (not their fault) voters, the other has little political power (not enough votes) but the support of the 'educated', the 'elite' and rich, so wields great fiscal/administrative/military power . No mention that stability of the country is held together by the love of the people for the current King. I can see no short term answer to the current problems, long term would be to vastly improve the 'education' system, instil basic concepts of honesty and truth into Thai society from kindergarten upwards. I fear that the situation will deteriorate , possibly even a civil war, before Thailand , as a nation starts to extract itself from the cesspit if incestuous corruption it is decending into.

I was in my local food shack last night watching Suthep on the box - i didn't understand what he was saying but.. Is it me or was his speech delivered in the style of Hitler?

I agree, when I first saw him I was reminded of Hitler. This man would be a despot. Perhaps a solution would be for the King to suspend the constitution for a period (a fixed period) and for the monarchy to run the country updating the checks and balances in the political system so that these vile corrupt politicians cannot usurp the rule of democracy to line their own pockets on the backs of Thailand' s poor.

Can anyone explain the logic behind these rules. If I work as a teacher for 25,000, providing I have the necessary 'qualifications' I can get a 12 month B/work permit, and presumably if the contract is rolled over every year, I can stay forever. If I have a monthly pension of 35,000 I cannot get a retirement extension unless I can show a total of 800,000. Why is this? What is the logic?If a teacher/worker can live on 25,000 per month, without showing a total annual cash availability of 800,000 why can't a non working individual, who has invested a considerable sum in property, so pays no rent, be allowed a retirement visa. Providing of course that the necessary health care cover insurance is paid. Thai families live on far less that 25,000 per month.

Perhaps these 'University Presidents' should concentrate on proper educational standards, free thinking, free speech, a decent non xenophobic school curriculum. Not possible, they are all from the 'elite' (sorry spelling error , sh replaces el) I suppose, so do not want the feudal hierarchy to change, might lead to meritocracy.

Thais don't care either way. As long as they get to eat and watch their soaps they are happy. In 20 years I have never heard a Thai use the 'go home' line. They know which side their read is buttered. Foreigners drop Thailand and it becomes North Korea. Idiots like this alleged University Lecturer obviously haven't thought that far ahead.

Education does not mean common sense/intelligence, just the ability to absorb knowledge and pass exams. This 'lecturer' cannot possibly have the ability to realize how unimportant Thailand is in the eye's of the world. I live here, it is my home (until some xenophobic pri*k kicks me out). I know I am a second/third class citizen, I mind my own business, I keep my temper. I have come to the conclusion that the Thai's as a whole do not have the ability to plan properly for the long term , only for short term visible gain and 'Face (farce). There are many exceptions who have risen above this level , but they are a very small minority of the whole. Until this country evolves from it's 'feudal' organization and becomes properly democratic it is my sad belief that the country that I love and live in will eventually fly around in ever decreasing circles and disappear up it's own orifice and become an official 'Failed State'

Sooooo what's the plan ?

Only count every other death, ergo 50% reduction.

there none, why you want to train aikido, it dosent really work in real life bro!

Really? There speaks a person who has studied martial arts for years and has respect for others who study. We bow to your experience and knowledge. Bro!

Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying (with) life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit."^[ Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury.

TIT land of Retarded Arrogant Politicians. The world would not give Thailand a seat in the loo. Such a beautiful country too. Lots of very good hard working people.

Try Physio/Acupuncture Nigel Kelsey. 0890993845. Soi 16 Pattaya Thai. About 80 metres on the right from Pattaya Thai.