marchawkes

There are different kinds of trolls but most of them just want to generate outrage. This comment was so ridiculous that it clearly was created for that purpose. It reads as if written by somebody much older who's trying to imitate the voice of a younger person. Another sign is to check out other comments by the same person. Note the recent join and then check out some of the other comments.

Sori, I don't share your views. After doing the checks you suggested first for SC and then going on to check some other people contributing - I chanced upon over a dozen current ThaiVisa blogs which by your definition are "trolls". I know I'd keep silent and not contribute to a debate if such "troll" paranoia & imaginings gripped me. I think ThaiVisa is a broad church which encourages contributions from "all types". In fact I'd love to hear from young people, however outrageous, even if it does not fit a 1920s view of things. Think the ThaiVisa pages are no place for the paranoid or prescriptive.

Would be nice if girls remembered to take the pill. No good coming out suddenly and saying "pregnant". Have had 2 bad experiences. In 2010 a school friend who was going steady with me for 6 months. She suddenly got pregnant. I was shocked. The girl just 16 y.o. was thrilled and so were her Thai parents. It took Dad's intervention (my last resort and I was made to suffer ) to get the girl's family to re-consider. A second time just a few months back a lady working in one of the family businesses began going out with me. She's about 15 years older than me. Almost my Mum :-) LOL. Anyway, during the weekends I stayed at her home I became friends with her 17 y.o. daughter. Before you knew it the daughter got pregnant. They were delighted, the mum included. Again it took my family intervention to get them to understand that it was not okay.

sigh.....Thai women all seem to want babies whenever things are going well.

Never a care for the right time or the future or how the bloke feels.

For me its been two very expensive involvements, and I'm not even 20 as yet.

Never a care? Yeh, right. Perhaps, just perhaps, she didn't get much of an education, didn't see much in her future, and thought that a foreign boyfriend with rich parents would lift her out of this cycle of poverty. Wouldn't be the first time.

And you say your Dad made you suffer for his having to bail you out? No, if he wanted to make you suffer, he'd have told you to live with the consequences of your own actions, and sort it out yourself. Perhaps he should have done just that.

Grow up. There are people's lives at stake here.

SC appears to be a student who from age 15 or so has been sleeping with female students. These girls may have either made a mistake or may have decided to cement their future by tying the knot with a wealthy family. Who knows. We can only wonder.

The 2 pregnancies are ones SC knows about. Will not be surprised if there are 1 or 2 others SC does not know about......for the present. What is astonishing is the casual manner in which SC mentions it, explaining how reckless some girls can be and how men can feel trapped etc..etc..He hopes that Thai girls reading it will learn and be more responsible.

It confirms my view that Asia's wealthy live on another planet. Clearly SC has not expected the sharp, critical responses from readers to his carefree post. SC may be surprised by the sharp responses which convey that hardworking middle-class Thais do not consider "the hi-jink which wealthy Thais get up to" as okay.

It may be trolling

Don't think so. Trolls leave a signature like - keep a conversation going (by returning to interject). By contrast SC seems to have disappeared these past 2 or 3 days. Also trolls try not to embarrass themselves but express strong antagonistic opinions. This is not the case with this post. SC seems to have inadvertently embarrassed himself. By all accounts SC probably is wishing he could delete the post as he has all but disappeared - after so much ire his comments have drawn. Its important that we do not hastily call a post "trolls" without some forensics or else we lower the value of a debate - to which many people have contributed with well-thought-out comments.

Would be nice if girls remembered to take the pill. No good coming out suddenly and saying "pregnant". Have had 2 bad experiences. In 2010 a school friend who was going steady with me for 6 months. She suddenly got pregnant. I was shocked. The girl just 16 y.o. was thrilled and so were her Thai parents. It took Dad's intervention (my last resort and I was made to suffer ) to get the girl's family to re-consider. A second time just a few months back a lady working in one of the family businesses began going out with me. She's about 15 years older than me. Almost my Mum :-) LOL. Anyway, during the weekends I stayed at her home I became friends with her 17 y.o. daughter. Before you knew it the daughter got pregnant. They were delighted, the mum included. Again it took my family intervention to get them to understand that it was not okay.

sigh.....Thai women all seem to want babies whenever things are going well.

Never a care for the right time or the future or how the bloke feels.

For me its been two very expensive involvements, and I'm not even 20 as yet.

Never a care? Yeh, right. Perhaps, just perhaps, she didn't get much of an education, didn't see much in her future, and thought that a foreign boyfriend with rich parents would lift her out of this cycle of poverty. Wouldn't be the first time.

And you say your Dad made you suffer for his having to bail you out? No, if he wanted to make you suffer, he'd have told you to live with the consequences of your own actions, and sort it out yourself. Perhaps he should have done just that.

Grow up. There are people's lives at stake here.

SC appears to be a student who from age 15 or so has been sleeping with female students. These girls may have either made a mistake or may have decided to cement their future by tying the knot with a wealthy family. Who knows. We can only wonder.

The 2 pregnancies are ones SC knows about. Will not be surprised if there are 1 or 2 others SC does not know about......for the present. What is astonishing is the casual manner in which SC mentions it, explaining how reckless some girls can be and how men can feel trapped etc..etc..He hopes that Thai girls reading it will learn and be more responsible.

It confirms my view that Asia's wealthy live on another planet. Clearly SC has not expected the sharp, critical responses from readers to his carefree post. SC may be surprised by the sharp responses which convey that hardworking middle-class Thais do not consider "the hi-jink which wealthy Thais get up to" as okay.

Will Thai justice finally dare to lock up somebody from a wealthy & influential family? Don't hold your breath. The law is only for the poor and middle-classes in Thailand. Apart from selective justice, this incident talks to a common problem in Thailand - at all levels. That is, a total lack of respect by drivers for other road-users evidenced by the huge loss of life or limb in road accidents in Thailand. Anyone who can drive a bullock-cart gets a licence to kill.

"Police are investigating the cause of the crash". Another "speeding" fatality for the "File & Forget" warehouse. If road deaths (and disabilities) are anything to go by life is very cheap in Thailand.

Hard to have confidence in a country with regular Army coups, mafia police force, crooked politicians, invisible hand running things,, politicized courts, gunning down democratic protesters, storming airports and instigating a war with Cambodia.

Do not forget burning its capital , holding its capital hostage for months, pouring blood over the Parliament House and rebuilding Parliament House to bring good luck

Some of us would'nt have Thailand any other way. Purrrfect for business given its many faults. Tough to operate if people refuse tea-money or if Thais were logical & calm or far-sighted or if things 'worked' like they do in OECD countries. In fact the neighboring Greater Mekong region is even more pock marked by faults making it business friendly. Look to the other border we have Burma now open for business and very attractive - making this a small geography grouping of 5 morally bankrupt but dollar-driven states . "Lemoncake" you will not need to lament over tourists who try to save 1 baht on bottled water or pick up the 1 baht change returned on check-bills !! You can actually spread your wings and leave the nickle & diming behind, mate.

The advise "to see a doctor if unwell" seems absurd since going to a doc when unwell is common sense. Then again looking at news items over the past month plus chatting with doctor friends working at public hospitals in Thailand its hard not to miss the increasing number of expats (farang) whose bodies are found in their homes - sometimes several days after their sudden passing. Often warning signs were ignored and then it was too late. Another common sight is farangs rushing to hospitals only once a condition is well-progressed. Just yesterday a "farang" arrived at Banglamung Public Hospital with well-progressed health complains. Arguably, there was little that could be done to reverse his condition. By day's end he had passed away - alone !! Tragedies which get reported in the news are 1/20th or less of avoidable situations if one goes by hospital stats.

The problem with common sense is that it isn't very common. Hence, the experts advise though silly probably comes on the back of a growing problem of dying farang's who should know better (and Thai's of course).

On a seperate note - One of the blogs mentions an ayurvedic treatment for High Blood Pressure. I am not going to debate the pro's and con's of the treatment suggested in one of the blogs here. Am simply conveying what people who use this have posted on a web link (as attached) http://homeremediesf...-blood-pressure

In short, many bloggers after taking MUKTA VATI for a few days experienced one or more of the following :

- Nasal congestion-

- Lethargy and/or tiredness.

- Knee joint pain

A qualified surgeon needs to advise on which medicines suit your body, lifestyle, other medication you are taking, etc..... Reading self-help material (+) asking questions is encouraged before you opt for a medicine - whether it be homeopathy, ayurvedic or modern day treatments.

Amazing Thailand a place where every 1 in 10,000 visitors becomes a casualty. Which other tourist destination the world-over can claim such an amazing reputation. Maybe its something in the water.

....seriously....check out the average age of Thai Airways craft.....I think it is between 20 and 30 years.....

....as for the airports....post-scandal...and post-flooding....'volume' of passengers does not reflect quality in any way either....

....apparently, most facilities are acquired at inflated prices.......you know the rest....

Average age is a not a good way to think of aircraft safety - aircraft are replaced when the cost of maintenance exceeds limits determined by RPK and cost of replacement equipment.

But if I take some FAA figures Thai's average fleet age is about 12 years - yes some of the 744's and 737's are approaching 20, but replacements have already been ordered. (those figures don't include turboprop - couldn't be bothered looking them up)

Edit - There is nothing wrong with flying on a 20-30 year old plane that has been properly maintained - before they went bankrupt and reformed, JAL had some 747-100's that were approaching 40 years old doing inter-city runs in Japan - while they were expensive to maintain, there was not a viable replacement in the market, as on the short runs the newer 744's were more expensive.

As a traveler I have no interest in the "cost of maintenance or if it is exceeding limits determined by RPK or cost of replacement equipment." Also, I have no interest in sitting in an aircraft which is 20 years old or more anymore than I have interest in sitting on a horse-drawn carriage to travel from Dubai to Timbuktu.

Air travelers have no time for analysis of make, model, age......when it comes to making choices. That's what airline executives are paid to do.

Smart travel is all about picking an airline which demonstrates 4 basics ie: a well-regarded 'safety track-record', some comfort, fares which compare reasonably and journey time. Going by news updates - SIA, NZ Air, Emirates & Etihad have constant upgrades to fleets. This in turn delivers the 4 basics. These airlines also supply used aircraft to a hungry "secondary market" whose buyers are Garuda, Philippines Airlines, Thai, Air India, some Aftican carriers, many ex-Soviet national carriers.......In fact all 10 carriers listed at the bottom of the safety list fly well-used aircraft purchased in the secondary market from the leading airlines. My simple mind needs no more analysis.

If your husband works "remotely" for a Canadian company and is not "working" in Thailand there are 3 ways to overcome visa issues 1) for over 50s a retirement visa can be obtained from the Thai Consulate in Canada. Obtaining a retirement visa in Canada where your husband has residency is far easier than presenting docs at a foreign embassy in India, I am told 2) Get a visa to teach English 3) Get a visa to stay & learn Thai (as explained in an earlier post). As these visa type's are for a minimum of 1 year they require some documents which one can best do when on home-soil eg. Canada.

Personal situations differ so going through the detail in each of the above alternatives is important so that you have no surprises. I am told that for Indian passport holders getting visa's arranged in a third country where they hold residency eg. Singapore, Canada, U.K. is faster & easier than were these same Indian passport holders to apply in India or Thailand. Also, from the way you've described your situation the tourist visa seems the least suited and could push you into a tight spot after the 3 months or whatever tourist visa expires.

Pattaya is 50 sq. kms according to Land survey records. The warren of little Soi's running off Beach Road,1st Road, 2nd Road and the surrounds is a tiny tongue of land 3kms x 3kms. Drive around the perimeter and your dashboard will tell you just that.

Relative to this tiny tongue of land and small population the violence, accidents and other mishaps is significant. In "percentage terms" the crime rate for this tiny stretch exceeds every other ASEAN country. We can gild the lily, pretend there are stars in the sky upon which to gaze or even imagine a UFO will drop something sweet smelling over this tiny tongue of land - 3kms x 3 kms. Its all quite delusional and will remain the stuff of essay-writing.

Balance in essay-writing is important. Its something you have done well. However, comments by bloggers (which you mock) are "in response to" newspaper stories of murder & mayhem in Pattaya this past month. To ask bloggers sommenting on a news item to look at the bright side when offering comment on acts of mindless violence is quite idiotic. Your article is akin to asking bloggers who come home and discover a body on the kitchen floor to then look up at the sky and count the colors of the rainbow. I'd need to be drugged to do that.

Many love Pattaya. Nobody has a monopoly on this affection. However, many refuse to be one-eyed Pattaya diehards. Most are balanced in their views. Comments on blog sites refer to a particular new item such as death or violence. They can be blunt, succinct, sound exasperated. Not everyone turns poetic and dreamy when reading crime stories much as people may love Pattaya. In fact the acidic scathing tones of bloggers are intended to draw attention so that a clean-up (hopefully) ensues.

Your little essay reads well. I liked the prose and choice of words. However, mocking people with concerns about spiraling crime is puerile. It will hardly stifle honest, blunt comments from people on this blog site to mindless violence. Taking their comments out of context and asking them to write about a rainbow each time they are commenting on a grisly murder is quite mad.

I do know at least 4 people who have left these past six months for Bali, Bantam and Manila. I'd need to live on another planet not to know long term residents of Pattaya who move. With the ease of travel and so many markets opening up Pattaya is just one of many resorts. Importantly, there are no sacred cows.

You wrote, "Taking their comments out of context and asking them to write about a rainbow each time they are commenting on a grisly murder is quite mad." But the OP wrote, "My bottom line is, it is good to debate the pro's and cons as well as raise awareness but, "Pattaya is disgusting, period" serves no purpose other than to increase your posting numbers and decrease your credibility."

I don't think he was asking anyone to write about a rainbow. He has a problem for those who only condemn with no explanation. For example Pooddaimai says, "There is a reason Pattaya is constantly bashed by both falang and Thais alike." That says nothing. It implies that Pooddaimai is the expert and bashing a place establishes guilt.

People who say they are "shocked" or "its terrible" in describing 3 shootings in one week (Week 4 in Dec) or recent rapes or other problems have no need to write an essay explaining - where they are coming from or what they see as solutions /remedies or how a problem can be resolved - if they don't wish to !! People will continue to "vent" online in one word or two lines. It does not follow that they "do not like" Pattaya. I vent in whatever way I am comfortable with (1 word, an essay and if they want a thesis) about my local council in my home-country along with a dozen other neighbors but still we continue to live in the suburb.

The writer asks - "If you hate Pattaya so much then why read the forum and post". The writer happily assumes that anyone who complains in monosyllables "hates Pattaya". Wrong! The writer goes on to wonder why they read the forum and post. At the end of this debate I'm sure the writer will still be left wondering - since people who vent in one word or one sentence will continue to actively participate in the way they feel comfortable and I'd love to hear them vent even in one word (hopefully it wakes up somebody in City Hall or the police). Often essays go unread and one has only to look at the white papers on Pattaya's problems gathering dust in City Hall to understand that the lovely essays on this blog do not travel far.

"Unhelpful venters" can still love Pattaya and still actively participate in a way they are comfortable with even if its just one word they blog about crimes, accidents or whatever. Many of these are business people who support a huge payroll and donate to orphanages. Who are we to decide that they need to explain each time they wish to vent.

If one word and one-line vents irritate some readers could consider a way to use the block function or skip avatars which annoy.

Pattaya is 50 sq. kms according to Land survey records. The warren of little Soi's running off Beach Road,1st Road, 2nd Road and the surrounds is a tiny tongue of land 3kms x 3kms. Drive around the perimeter and your dashboard will tell you just that.

Relative to this tiny tongue of land and small population the violence, accidents and other mishaps is significant. In "percentage terms" the crime rate for this tiny stretch exceeds every other ASEAN country. We can gild the lily, pretend there are stars in the sky upon which to gaze or even imagine a UFO will drop something sweet smelling over this tiny tongue of land - 3kms x 3 kms. Its all quite delusional and will remain the stuff of essay-writing.

Balance in essay-writing is important. Its something you have done well. However, comments by bloggers (which you mock) are "in response to" newspaper stories of murder & mayhem in Pattaya this past month. To ask bloggers sommenting on a news item to look at the bright side when offering comment on acts of mindless violence is quite idiotic. Your article is akin to asking bloggers who come home and discover a body on the kitchen floor to then look up at the sky and count the colors of the rainbow. I'd need to be drugged to do that.

Many love Pattaya. Nobody has a monopoly on this affection. However, many refuse to be one-eyed Pattaya diehards. Most are balanced in their views. Comments on blog sites refer to a particular new item such as death or violence. They can be blunt, succinct, sound exasperated. Not everyone turns poetic and dreamy when reading crime stories much as people may love Pattaya. In fact the acidic scathing tones of bloggers are intended to draw attention so that a clean-up (hopefully) ensues.

Your little essay reads well. I liked the prose and choice of words. However, mocking people with concerns about spiraling crime is puerile. It will hardly stifle honest, blunt comments from people on this blog site to mindless violence. Taking their comments out of context and asking them to write about a rainbow each time they are commenting on a grisly murder is quite mad.

I do know at least 4 people who have left these past six months for Bali, Bantam and Manila. I'd need to live on another planet not to know long term residents of Pattaya who move. With the ease of travel and so many markets opening up Pattaya is just one of many resorts. Importantly, there are no sacred cows.

"However, mocking people with concerns about spiraling crime is puerile."

As is attempting to elevate childish, tantrum-throwing mud-slinging to a level of adult "concern."

The pointless one-liner bashing of Pattaya serves no lofty purpose and the people who relentlessly offer the same comments in many threads regardless of the discussion that came before their contribution have no interest in the improvement of life in Pattaya or in providing a balanced discussion of the pros and cons of living here.

Your correct some posts serve "no lofty purpose" given they were never intended to be "lofty" but simply call out what people thought. Also, if as you say some blogs have "a level of adult concern" whose "sameness" offends or seems childish or lacks balance - one does not have to read them !! Find a way to use the "block function" or skip our "Avatars". Nobody needs your permission to post and some of us are committed to offending dogmatic one-eyed Pattaya diehards, cos' we love the place too much.

Pattaya is 50 sq. kms according to Land survey records. The warren of little Soi's running off Beach Road,1st Road, 2nd Road and the surrounds is a tiny tongue of land 3kms x 3kms. Drive around the perimeter and your dashboard will tell you just that.

Relative to this tiny tongue of land and small population the violence, accidents and other mishaps is significant. In "percentage terms" the crime rate for this tiny stretch exceeds every other ASEAN country. We can gild the lily, pretend there are stars in the sky upon which to gaze or even imagine a UFO will drop something sweet smelling over this tiny tongue of land - 3kms x 3 kms. Its all quite delusional and will remain the stuff of essay-writing.

Balance in essay-writing is important. Its something you have done well. However, comments by bloggers (which you mock) are "in response to" newspaper stories of murder & mayhem in Pattaya this past month. To ask bloggers sommenting on a news item to look at the bright side when offering comment on acts of mindless violence is quite idiotic. Your article is akin to asking bloggers who come home and discover a body on the kitchen floor to then look up at the sky and count the colors of the rainbow. I'd need to be drugged to do that.

Many love Pattaya. Nobody has a monopoly on this affection. However, many refuse to be one-eyed Pattaya diehards. Most are balanced in their views. Comments on blog sites refer to a particular new item such as death or violence. They can be blunt, succinct, sound exasperated. Not everyone turns poetic and dreamy when reading crime stories much as people may love Pattaya. In fact the acidic scathing tones of bloggers are intended to draw attention so that a clean-up (hopefully) ensues.

Your little essay reads well. I liked the prose and choice of words. However, mocking people with concerns about spiraling crime is puerile. It will hardly stifle honest, blunt comments from people on this blog site to mindless violence. Taking their comments out of context and asking them to write about a rainbow each time they are commenting on a grisly murder is quite mad.

I do know at least 4 people who have left these past six months for Bali, Bantam and Manila. I'd need to live on another planet not to know long term residents of Pattaya who move. With the ease of travel and so many markets opening up Pattaya is just one of many resorts. Importantly, there are no sacred cows.

Another meeting to "Discuss Rising Crim and Pattaya's Reputation".

Stop the meetings, press conferences, photo-ops and so much other drama.

Recruit a police force which is smart and effective; not the rabble & drongo's we presently call Pattaya police.

It would have been even nicer if the entire Pattaya police force were to retire ? The recent downward spiral into shootings, violence, crime, mishaps makes one wonder if Pattaya does have a police force or simply Leggo men.

Really now, I'd never have placed Uncle Alexander as the sort who chased cock in a frock. There needs to be a special area for ladyboys. Somewhere like the wilds of Sattahip so that they can ply their trades with wild west abandon leaving the rest of Pattaya/Thailand to move on.

The man in the potato field was Irish please. He did nothing wrong. Was busy sowing his wild oats. This turned the neighbors green.

I bet the UFO carried away SIX p's from Thailand viz. property developer, pharmacy, prostitute, politician, policeman and pub. We have so many of these - many adding dubious & doubtful value - one could almost export them to the Milky Way and make Thailand a better place.

Nobody can save a people or a community from itself. Just watch people tailgate, overtake, turn into main streets, jump lights, speed....... Its part of Thai-DNA to do whatever is necessary from early in life to end up on a funeral pyre or in a wheelchair. Life is cheap in Thailand and can be visibly evidenced on the roads.

Change comes from the grassroots through education at all levels and information kits for the sub-literate villagers. Year round rigor when enforcing traffic laws enforces the learning. It is quite idiotic for police to wake up for 7 days each year; in the hope that traffic will flow safely. The 7-days effort smells of third world thinking for a country aspiring for first-world status.

Thailand has laws for everything under the sun. Like the ban on prostitution all the other laws are rarely & selectively implemented. The absence of community information/education kits for the sub literate in society - on everyday things like vaccination, driving, hygiene.......is compounded by the buy-yourself-out-of-trouble lifestyle. No wonder life in Thailand is sooo cheap. For a traffic policeman work is limited to attending road accidents and submitting stats. Of course they have brief interludes when lunch-money or tea-money mean spotting a "farang" for an imagined traffic offence.

For all its grandiose bluff and bluster this country's govt/leaders/police/bureaucrats have zero ability to drag Thailand from the third world into the first world OECD or G20 grouping. Apart from being corrupt to the core and wildly inept the key drivers ie: agriculture, tourism and manufacturing cannot compensate for "mind-set".

One has to looks at the basics to get an idea of why Thailand must forever remain mired in the third world. Basics like - absence of sidewalks (even in new & upcoming developments), wires hanging like washing over streets (even in just released land being developed into new suburbs), the absence of respect for the law evidenced in 80% of Thais (just look at the way people drive, park, tailgate, push each other aside and even shoot each other in extreme cases !!).

Thailand has laws for everything (even a ban on prostitution which in Thailand often goes down from grandparents to parents to children.......) but sadly nothing ever gets enforced given the police are ATM-focussed and sacred cows like prostitution are more easily called other names like bar girl.

Third-world is a mindset and for all the talk of progress in Thailand it looks set to remain mired and behind unless mindsets change. Most unlikely.

The usual scaremongering by the Australian media. SMH is probably in bed with the current Qantas CEOs. Just for those that dont know. Geoff Dixon the former CEO of Qantas is now running Tourism Australia and Virgin airlines has all ready been striking deals with him.

All the Australians stay at home and you will be safe safe safe..... very 1984 that country

I am Australian, visited Thailand for 25 yrs before settling down here. Calling a spade a spade is important and that is just what Australian authorities are doing. Thailand - except, for one eyed diehards - has got above average levels of corruption, amongst the highest road accidents in ASEAN and the tourist areas are infested with prostitution & crime ranking Thailand among the Top-10 for 'Tourist crime' globally. People should not expect first-world settings when visiting a third-world country. Getting this point across loud and clear to potential tourists and other visiting is important - even if some delicate feelings are bruised. Australians, Chinese, Russians.......would do well to stay home rather than arrive to a shock discovery.

If norms of the road and accidents are anything to go by - Life is cheap in Thailand and police ohhh so CORRUPT !!