Squeegee

But he was the penetrator. Parents should show some pride in their daughters virtue,even if it is to late.

Sounds too late for you.

Convex, therefore more guilty than concave. What utterly idiotic logic, and at your age too.

What patronizing garbage to throw at women, that they are not responsible for their actions and that they must protect their "virtue." Weak and kept in their place. Meanwhile, boys must face the law alone because they are a "penetrator."

Thank you for the stupidest view of the day.

Looking young for one's age has nothing to do with what anyone tells us.

Anyone who really does look young for their age should already know by experience from the reactions of other people, so they shouldn't need to be told.

Whether taking different paths equates to 'progress' is a moot point.

No, it's not a "moot point," according to the international agreements Thailand is supposedly obliged to uphold.

Here's an idea, why not hire 1000's of professional native English language speaking teachers to deploy all over the country and pay them a decent competetive salary. When I say competetive I'm talking about competetive on an international scale.

In my opinion until this happens and continues over a long period of time (decades) Thailand will continue to be at a disadvantage on a worldwide scale.

Right now there's an exemption in the work permit regulations which allows English language teachers to be paid less than other foreign workers. So the previous governments have made calculated and deliberate choices to do it on the cheap.

You get what you pay for and the results are very clear !

Yet another 'Colonel Blimp' rears his ugly head.

Whether it be Thailand, England, USA, Australia etc etc, teachers are rarely paid anywhere near what many regard they should be. Same goes for nurses.

Go to any average school in Thailand and one of the biggest grumbles is the differential in pay between khun Farang and Khun Thai.

Your statement suggesting previous governments have made calculated and deliberate choices to do it on the cheap is at best fanciful but for here the typical slanderous claptrap that old, self loathing unhappy expat is unable to resist spouting.

Throwing money at something doesn't mean it's going to make it better or work. All it does is encourage corruption.

The syllabus needs overhauling, testing needs reviewing, school administrations need to be closely looked at, and for me one of the most damning aspects of English teaching in Thailand are the language schools and agencies , usually manned by little more than unscrupulous farang bagmen. I've worked as a teacher in schools in Southern Thailand, however I did it on a voluntary basis. Many of the teachers presenting to the schools were little more than philandering drunks looking for a way to finance their pithy existences. They weren't worth paying 3000thb per mth, never mind 30000.

But hey you know all about it. Pay them more money and if that doesn't work, revert to your sort's preferred stance, ie it's Thailand's fault

Damning vast swathes of people based on generalizations, a sure sign of poor judgement and lack of insight.

In other words....

"An announcement for the benefit of all mafia: be vigilant and keep your heads down for an in-coming token cull of low-hanging fruit and political opponents."

If I were mafia I'd be thanking him for the heads up.

"Suthep denied that the collapse of the election was not the fault of the PDRC...."

Yeah, he's right to deny that it wasn't their fault, because it was their fault, but something tells me Thai PBS need to sack the translator.

"People commenting on the incident on social media claimed incidents like this happen regularly and little can be done to prevent them happening in the future."

RUBBISH, Thailand. It's very easy: take care of your guests and enforce the law.

It's not difficult and we know you barely really care.

Once again, Thais bringing the name of Thailand into disrepute: Thai police, authorities and population - you are all to blame for this.

Investigators concluded a search was fruitless because the tourists "eluded" the authorities by leaving the country "as scheduled."

So there we have it: no need for an expensive getaway driver, just book a cheap flight and the Royal Thai Police can continue to bring the name of Thailand into repute.

During the first year following their coup they were mostly focused on propaganda to convince everyone that a huge percentage of 'the people' were happy with them.

During this second year we've seen a clear shift away from that towards propaganda intended to stifle information and expression.

From "Everyone's happy" to "Do as you're told."

I wonder if we'll ever be in a next stage that isn't a violent one.

Where tipping is concerned, stand your ground. It's the one sure situation where you can do so. Being over-charged may be a scam but it's the actual price being asked for and is more difficult to avoid. Much of the time it's best to pay then vote with your feet.

For tipping, it's voluntary. In the tourist areas of Thailand a non-tipping culture has learned some nationalities bring their tipping culture with them, resulting in everyone being expected to give. These days that's exactly what it is: an expectation on the part of the service provider, except the service itself isn't important. They have learned the idiots never stop coming so they can be abused and will often still give out money.

Thai service staff in tourist areas expect a tip with no regards as to the service given and if no tip is forthcoming they can sneer and insult because you exist only to give them money.

No is the answer unless you choose to give. Always stand up to them.

But you need to be able to recognize and nip it in the bud early if someone is playing you for tips, like some guy massaging your shoulders in a urinal. No. Handing out towels: I can do it myself, no. The beer you gave? No, it was just one beer and you didn't so much as look at me.

A nice big Thai smile helps as soon as they look at you, if you understand the Thai smile: 'And you've got two hopes, pal, Bob Hope and no hope'.

I doubt it's about the money for the owner, she's probably trying to make a point. That's the cultural and legal environment she is in. Why act in any other way?

In a situation like this it should be up to the law - either the police or the courts - to determine what is the recompense and not allow one of the parties involved to use the law how they see fit.

For me this is more about the Thai legal system, showing it up as a tool to protect the powerful and not really as a servant for the population as a whole. It shows the Thai legal system is completely broken with regards to a civil society and decent people will be well advised to stay clear because balance, fairness and justice are rare commodities where an angry 'hi-so' can set the terms.

More reason not to invest, buy, rent or make deals in Thailand. More reason to not be in an accident, be involved in a dispute or otherwise get out from under your bed in the morning.

He needs to be arrested and locked up before the locals beat him to a pulp!

He needs to be arrested and locked up after the locals beat him to a pulp!

Fixed!

Damaging the reputation of Thailand, those responsible should answer to the junta.

Oh, that's alright then, because the junta only answer to themselves

(and they are "good people").

My advice:

Go to Cambodia now. It's more open and easier for you to stay longer term to do your own business and it's easier for you to get a teaching job and stay longer term doing that.

As far as teaching is concerned....

See how you feel about teaching and if it's really for you. Your potential students deserve that. If you think you can make a go of it teaching, start thinking of qualifying yourself later so you have options (including doing it in Thailand).

At 23 years of age you are in a great position to explore the world and its options and you have time to make any necessary changes later on once a direction becomes more clear.

You can easily, quickly and cheaply reach Thailand from a base in Cambodia for now.

If you want to teach English - IRRESPECTIVE OF WHERE - you will eventually need a degree and a Teaching English as a Foreign Language qualification (TEFL) and you will be on borrowed time until you can meet these requirements. You will be limited to working for the lowest pay with few if any rights, no contract, benefits or security for the worst kinds of employers who use and abuse people who are in a weak position.

Teaching whilst unqualified works out more expensive. Being legal means no border runs, saving you a fortune over time, but there are many other costs, like not getting paid for days off - not just sick days - extending the tourist visa you are working illegally on: that school will likely want to deduct a day's pay for your trouble, such are the people you would be dealing with.

It's possible to 'get lucky' as an unqualified teacher in Asia, but a thread like this will not give you a proper idea of the true scale of 'getting lucky' because two or three posts out of twenty in this thread (where more of these people are likely to be) will not reflect the reality which is more like a few dozen in thousands. Don't base your life on relying on lottery tickets. A 23 year old unqualified and inexperienced newbie with no contacts will not be offered a position as an IT adviser when there are many better positioned than you with better reasons for doing it than you (maybe he has a family there, knows the country's system inside out, has a career already behind him as an IT adviser but he just never got the degree - he will beat you to that job and there are MANY experienced people here like him).

So, get teaching experience in Cambo for a similar lifestyle and see if it's for you, whilst you are able to chip over the border if you want to visit Thailand. After a year, invest in a TEFL certificate and ENSURE it is either a CELTA or a Trinity Cert TESOL. Look them up. With either of these doors will open for you across the world. With a TEFL of any other name fewer and fewer doors will open.

By the time you have a little experience and a TEFL you should be in a position to know exactly what you want to do (within teaching) and where. Only then would you need to consider the commitment of getting a degree to take it further. If you are serious about teaching English make that degree a PGCE or linguistics related. Choose anything English related for the next best thing. Since you are 23 years old you easily have time for that decision. Many folks here start out unqualified (no degree) and then get qualified by doing a distance course whilst getting on with their life... you could do that too.

1. Cambodia for a year of teaching/your business, then take it from there.

If you decide on teaching:

2. Get a reputable TEFL cert, one of the big two (see above) if you are smart, for easy access to the whole world later on. Many doors will now start opening for you already.

3. Save some money and get qualified with a degree. Go home or distance learning with a reputable institution from the West if possible.

4. The whole world is your oyster now and all doors can open for you.

But additionally for Thailand....

5. Be aware that Thailand has some of the highest requirements for qualification, and although you have recognized TEFL and degree certificates you will still only qualify to stay teaching legally for 2 to 4 years unless your degree is a PGCE or equivalent (that means qualified to be a subject teacher in your own country).

Some nicknames may be English words like Sky, but many are the Thai equivalent like Fah. So what may be seem overly mundane or silly to our ears is traditional logic to theirs, albeit with a fashionable English slant.

The most frustrating thing is when you have to teach children whose name may be something like Jam, apparently in English meaning the spread, but they misspell it as Jem and find it highly amusing that you pronounce it wrong!

Some nicknames are just shortened versions of their full name.

Nicknames are fun!

If it's someone I will know both the real and nickname of I will ask them which they prefer me to use, as it's not always necessary to use a nickname.

Sometimes if I know the Thai person well enough as friend, colleague or student I will choose to call them by their real name just because many have very beautiful names.

Many Thai (real) names are not all that long.

70% surely gone fishing....

I think he's right that people can be educated in a variety of settings, away from the classroom.

I actually feel sorry for the sod who got a copy of the CCTV and posted it online. He has to live and work in that city and NOW he has to look over his shoulder always wondering if the policeman or a friend or coworker will come and make a problem with him.

It makes me wonder that if the police will twist this into a charge for using the internet to make the police look bad in the world's eyes.

Then they are just as foolish as we think they are for not seeing that would further make them look bad in the eyes of the world. The genie is already out of the bottle anyway.

It's not just about the crime it's the way they handle it and who handles it when it happens. Perfect example is today's news about the policeman taking a photo under a school girl's dress and getting a 500 baht fine. First the crime happens, then the criminal gets a slap on the wrist, then you discover that the police is protecting it's own . The system is Rotten all the way from start to finish.

Including the rotten apologists supporting the status quo with banalities like "Nowhere is perfect and it never happened to me."

Disgusting Thai establishment that think this is acceptable behaviour for a police officer.

Allowing this dirty pervert to keep a position of responsibility shows they are not civilized and shouldn't be trusted. Yet again, we have evidence that the best thing for tourists is to stay away from Thailand where its lawmakers and law keepers keep sexual deviants within their ranks.

Apologists for Thailand should also be ashamed of yourselves. This is why stories of rape, murder and corruption should rightly be used to judge the country until it cleans itself up.

Junta, you are not a part of the solution.

I want to know the specifics about the 70% of learning outside the classroom. It's not the first time he's said he wants the kids away from studying in class but I've not seen him say what the benefits really are, how to achieve them or what the learning will actually be.

I feel so sorry for the children. We can only hope this man fails to destroy their potential.

I agree with the OP so far as sometimes the Thais make it too spicy. By that I mean that it seems like a competition who can be the most Thai or something where the chilli overpowers everything else.

In BKK though I often felt the somtam or whatever wasn't that spicy at all compared to food in Isaan. In fact, I was shocked when the kids weren't served heavily spiced somtam in schools in BKK because even the KG and primary kids of the village could eat spicy that blew me away at first until I got used to it.

I can eat super spicy, but I don't enjoy it if it's making my body uncomfortable in some way. I also don't want to be hiccupping or sweating whilst eating. Eventually I just decided that overly spicy food isn't for me except upon occasion or depending on the dish. On the other hand, I can't bear certain dishes without it now. A simple plate of something fried rice is just too bland without adding some chilli.

Another point though is it can simply be fun to eat spicy, especially when it's so spicy even the Thais you are eating with are sucking air into their mouths to cool down and 'complaining' how spicy it is. It's a great opportunity for banter and mickey-taking, especially if you can handle it yourself.

So there are various ways in which it becomes more than just the taste: it can be a cultural pissing competition or just a fun way to rib your friends.

Someone enlighten me why this went, guessing social media (referring to "online") and not directly to the police station instead? The way I'm reading the article, it would indicate that and no mentioning of "went to the police first, nothing has happened and went online afterwards to get it's due punishment".

It does, however, read that it isn't his first out of the line action and just adding a pathetic 500B fine on that seems too low to call it even.

Also, why didn't the student file a complain with the police? By the video footage she may not have been aware of it, but since she will have been shown the footage afterwards....why not? This just feeds right into the hands of those that can and will blow things out of proportion...I'm looking at you feminism and your obsession for the patriarchy.

This makes for extremely tedious reading. Try to rewrite this in a more educated manner.

Perhaps you could act like it, too. There's more to education than grammar, Mrs Bucket.

Why would they want to deal with the West, all the Western countries are broke, and their "Leaders" a bunch of war criminals. Put your prejudice's aside, China and Russia are the future economically as they have no external debt, and they have vast quantities of Real gold. Regarding the safety of travel in Thailand, its as safe as you can be if you understand Thai people, who are generally a emotionally immature People, and unsure of themselves, observe their faces when they are unaware, usually tight lipped or scowling, many rural Thais are filled with bitterness, (this from my Thai wife of 21yrs) and as another post noticed they are the most dangerous, I know this from personal knowledge and experienced, avoid rural Thai teens they are Very! dangerous if they have even sniffed the fumes from a bottle of laow khaow. But after all this apparent negativity, I love living here, I avoid ALL contact with Thais other than shopping.Every month or so I will get into my Vigo champ and take off for a 2 day drive around the quiet rural roads of jangwat Loei, admiring the views and tranquillity of the silence when I stop and go for a stroll. Thailand safest place in the world for this Farang.

A finely observed (albeit negative) post that definitely reflects part of my experience too (having lived in the Thai city, suburbs and countryside). I wouldn't subscribe to avoiding all Thais though, as the people are a large part of what makes a place what it is and amazing experiences in a foreign field are only partially gained by looking at the nature. Reality is there are a lot of happy positive Thais still in the countryside.

Some of the nicest people I know are Thais from poor backgrounds and those with old money, though not so much the middle classes who are too busy aspiring to have much of a thought for others. Whilst I will never forget the kindness and generosity I have received from individuals I do get frustrated by the masses and particularly their blood-sucking overlords.

That should be the same in the West really: lowest common denominator behaviour and dodgy politicians etc. but in the West a lot of dodgy stuff is better concealed where the Thais have a knack for parading their buffalo dung. Culturally ironic really, on both counts given the stereotypes of Thais keeping their indiscretions hidden and Westerners supposedly being more overt.

For the most part though, I find they are generally looking more happy in organized happy situations, whether that be formal or informal, but just going about their daily lives they don't smile much at all other than for functionality. Perhaps that's another disconnect between East and West though: for us smiling is very emotional but for them it's very functional.

Squeegee, on 02 Mar 2016 - 02:30, said:

Note to users: the website with this video may - depending on your browser - try to scam you into downloading Silverlight claiming it is necessary to play the video. This is not true. If the website covers the page with this claim it is called an overlay, the modern equivalent of pop-up adverts that prevent you accessing a whole page, holding it to ransom unless you give an email or install whatever they are peddling. You'll know an overlay when you see one: the whole page is greyed out with some crappy message over the top.

Google Chrome apparently has a built in 'overlay blocker' but for Firefox users you can install an add-on called 'BehindTheOverlay' which places a button into your browser. Any time an overlay appears just press the button and it will be banished, leaving you to access the content you actually wanted.

Once the overlay is gone the video will play just the same as on any flash video website, no Silverlight required!

Trust me, this post won't just help you access the video in the link, it will greatly enhance your quality of browsing life across the whole internet

I'm not having any problems viewing it with Internet Explorer 11 and Ad Block Plus.

The regular AdBlockPlus add-on doesn't normally remove overlays. Perhaps IE 11 does something about them, though it wouldn't really justify using it when the better browsers can remove them as well.