Milo

Reckon you'll be surprised how quickly she picks it up? Used to scoots from age 5(days), the basics are already ingrained!

Wasn't looking forward to teaching my wife, I could see the fireworks coming a mile away! However, a couple of scribbled sketches on scrap paper covering general positioning (including the l/r of centre in a lane to indicate intention as well asindicators , the best line around a bend without cutting the corner to such an extent ending up in the bike lane on the wrong side of oncoming traffic plus positioning for junctions, U-turns (pickups' a bit longer than cars) and especially preparing to reverse.

Reversing has remained 'my job' to this day however

Isaan as flat as a witches tit, so practised hill starts on the ramp leading into the village. "Forward 6", good, now back a foot..." to the smell of gently roasting clutch plates! Reversing and general manoeuvring through the tighter sois, but only those with a grass verge before concrete wall!!

Followed with 4 x 4hr duration driving lessons, once weekly on different loops so it was all new to her. 4hrs duration because it's Bpuk's responsibility to drive our service vehicle on tour, and she may as well learn to drive distance first as last! 1st hour a bit tricky, although she was fine through the tight sois, steering geometry changes at speed caught her out a few times. You know yourself just by watching the wheel where it should be so correction's less stressful than you'd imagine.

Overtaking properly, by giving plenty of space, then accelerating towards the vehicle in front before smoothly slipping past was a doddle. Getting rid of that bladdy stupid habit they have of using their flashers to indicate back IN to the running lane (single carriageway) was a different matter!

And if I may blow my own trumpet I'd like to think I did a fair job? Assisted of course by wifey being no slouch 4yrs on, 200,000Km covered, and she's not put a scratch on my baby? Fair play, touch wood! However, it continues to concern me every time we pull up to a stop/attraction (on the MHS Loop for example, not many overtaking opportunities) after seriously HOONING it on the bikes for the last couple of hours, squeezing through minute gaps every time oncoming traffic allows, engines pinging, brakes smoking, and less than 2min later she pulls up, big white grin only visible behind the dark tint, door/roof panels bouncing from some Mor-Lam at full-blast, cool as a flaming cucumber?

It never ceases to amaze our guests, jaws visibly drop, and by the 2nd or 3rd day the gauntlet has been picked up, alas 5min is the best a party has beaten her by?? I've asked some who've travelled with her for an honest appraisal so I could issue a (safety ) bollocking but all have remained incredibly deferential and positive about the entire experience. Ashen-faced, wild-eyed, visibly shaken, but still full of praise

Go for it, it's pretty amusing to see your own bad habits transferred if nothing else!!

Be prepared for a FULL day at the test centre. Also be warned the track is probably tighter than anything she'll have been used to so far. My lady failed the first lap, touched a couple of cones (and I wasn't about to bribe the supervisor, lol!) but I was actually VERY impressed by her performance, the extra length on the pickup (in hindsight better to use the little Micra provided?) didn't do her any favours.

Another excellent reason to teach her yourself is you can demonstrate forward planning, intuition and foresight while at it essential to keeping your shiny new motor in that state?

I've a mate selling a 30,000b clunker if you're interested...? :jap:

Motion sensors on cel phones so they turn off when the phone is in motion. I can't recall all the number of Thais I see riding motorbikes with one hand while the other is holding a cel phone and the rider is talking on it.

But, the turning signal automatically turning off after so many seconds would be easier to install.

What about being able to locate stolen mobiles using the phone's mfr #? Or failing that, at all?? It might prevent them vanishing like the morning mist, and the visit to the police station reporting the theft a slightly less pointless exercise

increase IQ level pills

:lol: Everybody appears to be REALLY polite today, 3 pages and 'Brains' nowhere to be seen?

I'll go with;

Maturity

Even though I don't place a great deal of emphasis on it personally

If self canceling is not easily added then beeper to indicate light is flashing. I would like one as I am not always perfect in daylight. ALSO a inexpensive ice cream machine but maybe more for me than them.

Your wish is my command;

http://www.indicator-buzzers.com/index-3.php?region=international I've seen/heard a few Thais with them on, so obviously available here.

Ice cream machine? 22-25b too steep for a Cornetto then is it?

i think it's hilarious how people WANT thailand to come up into 2nd world status. they come here to get AWAY from the western world, yet they want western comforts and complain when they don't get western standards. ask and ye shall receive. it's coming and coming fast.

You are right you know.

Yup, crying shame

Tony's right about the roads Nw of Kk, there are some cracking routes up that way! We're nowhere near the Golden Triangle I'm afraid, a good day's ride away, if not two.

Do you know anywhere you can hire your bikes from in Kk? Afraid I don't, a couple or three retailers but no hire shops. There used to be Lek Car Rental http://www.lekcarrentaludonthani.com here in Udorn, but he was losing interest in bike hire last time I spoke to him a couple of years ago. He was running 400cc Honda Shadows, it might be worth an email to see if he's still any hanging around?

We can't help you with bikes either I'm sorry to say, I only keep my personal machines here. The rest stay at our base in Chiang Mai, where our commercial tours are based from.

I am running a specialist tour in this area from 14th-21st Oct though if you're interested? A few guests who've been back with us on numerous occasions, and have turned into very good mates. Non-profit basis; offering this as a bit of a thank you for their continued loyalty over the years. You'd be more than welcome along on the same terms!

Sounds like a proper, pukka hard-wood one does that. They're pretty good with the woodstain though, so be careful! Sorry, can't be a great deal more helpful than that, I travelled to Phrae for all my teak furniture, very reasonably priced and all the items I couldn't strap to the pickup (Thai-style ) they posted back for me.

A pair of teak wardrobes, 1x2door & 1x3door only cost 1,500b to post from Phrae to Udorn thani. What I spent in diesel visiting the place was saved many times over vs the locally retailed identical items. In all I saved over 50% on buying locally. These guys certainly know how to make a profit on those unable/unwilling to travel a little!

I used a company called Robinson's International Shipping Agents. Prices undoubtedly out of date, but 8yrs back they charged me 2,000GBP for a full container, door to door including marine insurance. They will also take part containers, you simply share with others using their service.

Not a hitch during the whole process, sat and watched them load it in England, left everything in storage for a couple of years (now THAT was more expensive than the shipping, beware) while deciding where I wanted to live, rang them, two weeks later watched a bunch of incredibly polite and careful Thai blokes unload and place exactly where I wanted. Amazing for this country, they even tidied up all the packing materials and took them away, leaving the place spotless!!

Checked http://www.robinsons-intl.com/contact-us and though they're UK based they're able to organise worldwide shipping from/to any destination.

Simply ensure you arrive in Bkk after midnight, park up at the hotel and then abandon your car for the duration, who wants to drive in that hel_l-hole anyway? Taxis aren't a great deal more expensive, and those guys' knowledge of the sois easily surpasses any gadget anyday.

Getting lost often part & parcel of discovering new stuff anyway! Navigators; for those who like to be told what to do.

Where's your sense of adventure?!

Just how many different ways can you cook Kow Padt, Pad Thai, Kai te ow, Kai hut Sai or fried chicken? Of course I do know at least 5 diifferent recipes for curry. Over cooked tiapia in the skin isn't all that difficult to prepare. Fried water beetles are a tastey treat... if you like that sort of thing. So tell me what I'm missing when dining in an over priced restaurant.

My thoughts exactly. Over all Thai food is good but there isn't as much you can do with it. You would think there would be a foreign place that would be world renowned in Thailand but I can't think of one. Almost every major western city in the world I can think of at least one place that is known for it's excellence. In Thailand the only sort of famous places in town are just known for their prices and that attracts the tacky hiso sorts that go there more to be seen than to actually eat.

The average food in Thailand is pretty good but when it comes to upscale dining it is a culinary wasteland. The best chefs in the world don't congregate in Thailand which would not be a very prestigious place to work when compared to Tokyo, London, NYC, etc.

Agreed anotheruser, but only to a point...

I can certainly taste one hel_l of a difference between market food & restaurant cuisine, and not overpriced 'Hi-So' joints either! Two MAIN dead giveaways before you even taste the dish;

1) More MEAT!! Better cuts too. Only one or two egg-plant for variety & texture rather than a meat substitute.

2) Far richer sauce, more variety in the veggies with more colour & discernible quality, less MSG. Yes, you can both see and smell huge differences the moment the dish arrives.

Admittedly not on the street corner with the ever-present two-stroke haze!

There's only one market we visit with our guests (and many would say not a real Thai food market), the Night Bazaar in Chiang Rai. Purely because most of those units are spotless. On a bike tour we can't afford the risk of any guests falling ill to dodgy food. At best they'd have to be pulling over frequently diving off into the bushes with many Km's between amenities, add sickness too and we suddenly have a spare motorcycle that needs to take up space we'd planned for something else, worst case scenario a couple of days in some village hospital on a drip, the rest of us forced to continue, then somehow we've to get them back to civilisation? Not an option, why take stupid risks with somebody's holiday dreams and especially health for a few measly baht?

Admittedly upsets can happen to anybody at any time, invariably in our experience one guest may be off-colour one day when the rest are fighting fit, after a shared meal so all have ingested exactly the same. If the risks are minimised, so are the consequences. For those on here who "can't tell the difference" (???) I've only one comment; do you actually live here and sample a reasonable variety on which to base this supposition?

There may not be many world-class/world-famous restaurants, but there certainly IS a WORLD of difference between restaurants, never mind restaurant & market fayre! No difference my foot, talk about showing your ignorance I'll bet a 'Thai meal' for you is an MK with the family? The Thais sum this up perfectly, keeniow! "I can eat for 20b/meal" whoop-dee-dooh, we're not worthy of your spendthrift manner! Cheers Beer anyone?? No thanks, I need to ride my bicycle home...

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with market food, often pick up a bag of something for convenience, but kidding yourself that there's ANY comparison to justify a purely financial decision?

Frankly stunned at some of the comments here, never cease to amaze...

I tried to get a phone verification code to use for certain internet payments... twice at ATM Machine, several times by phone, I gave up, yes the slightest mistake or interruption, (time expired!!!) why they can't issue one at the branches?

Agreed, the web site managers need to make such things less difficult. I've done purchases (and rec'd payments) with c.cards online, and it can be a relatively painless experience if the webmasters make it so. In contrast, some establishments make it so difficult as to be essentially unworkable. I got my Thai c.card to function for an online purchase only with dogged persistence (about 8 long phone calls) and numerous repetitive filling out of online forms (for one item!). Some of the info asked for was redundant, other info was unnecessary. the customer doesn't know if the process will fail until the last moment - after spending many minutes filling out the same info he/she's filled out several times already.

Since I now know have an odd name on my credit card (two first names spelled differently, and my middle name replaces my last name), I'm wondering, 'should I keep this name when using the card (it's the only way the card will work), or should I try to get my correct name on the account (?) as it could cause problems later, if asked to see ID. The downside of getting it straightened out is; I'll likely have to go through the same tedious process of numerous phone calls, reams of signed papers, weeks of waiting, and more phone calls ....in order to try and get it fixed.

I only got the card for emergencies, as I abhor using credit. I have zero debt, and for 30 years in the States, had platinum cards which I very rarely used.

A note to the poster who said he was given a card at a Thai bank without even asking for one: He probably put a sh*tload of money in the account he opened. That's my guess.

Great to see you winning one :jap:

I've just succeeded 5yrs on to get a Cheque (rather than savings) business a/c with SCB. Manageress kept saying NKD and moving the goalposts. Last time her excuse was that "We moved around on tour too much", at this one I blew my flaming lid, after all those years of nodding, smiling and 'mai pen rai' I believe the whole branch was a little taken aback? Demanded her thoughts over the safety of my missus carrying stacks of cash in the pickup just for her stupidity?! And yes, I did call her stupid, also saying head office would be hearing about this in no uncertain terms and I'd be going with the main branch in town who had already started the paperwork, not you 'country people'(Ouch!), my Thai may be only just passable but I believe she got the point.

Forced to walk into the branch just three days later (admittedly head only held high to 'show face' ), statement required, the assistant manageress approaches us and asks how we were progressing with the application? I was about to diplomatically attempt to pour oil on troubled waters but the missus had no such compunctions, "Well the stupid cow in the corner office there, you know, the fat one?" at the top of her voice, pointing; the entire staff and customers are rolling up, plenty of embarrassed looks and frantic top lip rubbing, "Says that we can't this time because we travel?" She then proceeds to loudly list all previous excuses while ticking them off on her fingers... The Assistant Manageress quiets her vitriol with an "Of course we can, she's only making life difficult for you because you won't buy insurance from her" (interesting?) I interject asking if she can guarantee the a/c if we deal with her personally instead? Confirmed. Some paperwork necessary, the last couple of years' tax returns & such-like, but altogether a very easy process I believe, which will have the a/c opened by the end of the month. Our accountant has long been offering to organise this for us with them but I'm the type who'd rather go through it myself and learn the process?

Back on topic; we were told we could have a credit card around 4yrs ago, once we'd proved we could behave ourselves with a cheque a/c (another 4yrs then?), but thanks for your post and the encouragement its given. I've little else to do in the rainy season and often enjoy butting heads with the pen-pushers! Back to work next month, the credit card can keep me amused next year...!

Allegedly my problem with most credit troubles here is because I insisted from the start I'm the sole signatory for the company? They don't appear to like that. As with yourself I'm only exploring for the sakes of it, I've always rather have paid for everything up-front. Far more fun when I walk in to buy a couple of bikes, allow the retailer to push the credit option, sit down with the finance rep, smile sweetly while saying 'no' to each and every of his conditions and watch them vaporise on the spot! The only one they won't let go of is to have a Thai guarantor, I could get one/half a dozen but don't see why I should bow to their demands? Shrug, "No problem, I pay cash". Worth 30-45min intense 'negotiation' every time just to see the look on their faces Financiers lose business, the retailers lose their cut, I enjoy putting them through it because I believe they need to lose money a few times before anything begins to sink in?

I'm guessing that these huge centipedes won't just sting you for no reason if you're lying down or sleeping. A bit like a bee, it has to feel threatened or be harmed first?

What do they eat in the wild....small insects or do they use their stings and poison to kill small mammals?

Actually they are quite quick to bite, but they prefer to run. They eat whatever they can kill, I have seen one eat a mouse on you tube, but I think mostly it is other bugs. And they don't sting, they have venomous pincers on their mouth, so I think it would be called a bite.

Not just the mouth, back end stings too I've been told? Centipede had me once while gardening in flip-flops, you won't catch me without my boots on these days, at least with a snake there's only one end you have to be careful of! We had two of those bright green pit-vipers in the missus' wardrobe one day (mating couple come in to nest allegedly?), that was a tricky extraction process.

They also say the big, black scorpions are the least venomous; larger pincers, less toxic venom? Don't fancy trying it all the same...!

Take it you're after Non-O based on marriage?

I was over there 5mnth ago and no problem. I get 3mnth non-O then 2mnth extension, though immigration here told me I've to stop doing that. No matter, business able to support me from November onwards; another long story I won't bore you with!

They don't actually ask what type of visa you require on the application form, just tourist or non-imm. Maybe this is why not on their website? Just checked my passport for you, and they obviously organise what type you need by using some common sense?? Fair Play to them, as it does indeed state Type of Visa; Non-imm, Category; O. :jap:

Vientiane open for applications until lunchtime, we usually arrive around 9am. Queue, submit, queue, pay. Visa costs 2,000b. Friday's best, zero queues, rent a motorbike and head up-country for a couple of days. Might as well make it a holiday?

You'll save a fortune changing some THB into Kip. Otherwise you're paying 10-20% extra on each purchase?

Pick up your visa the following afternoon.

Let me know if you need any further info?

Chiang Mai driving is pretty bad - don't know why, BKK for example seems much saner even though traffic there is much worse - but late at night it's a death zone.

If you're on a motorbike and you get hit it's usually your own fault. Pay attention! Yes, people do crazy, unexpected things in their vehicles in this country, but you know that, and it's up to you to adjust to it.

I agree about paying attention, but it's sometimes hard to adjust when they come straight out of a side turning.

Clearly, there's some situations where you have no chance. But shooting out of side sois is to be expected, and you have to adjust for it. That is, stay clear of the left side of the road when there's a soi there. Or... at any time, actually, TIT

Agreed, never had a problem once adjusted to Thai style. Personally find 95% of them very polite and certainly more aware of you than back in the UK at least. Never once felt intimidated, that's for sure, though I'm a pretty aggressive rider.

I am going to guess that you, or someone else, brought the Coopers Kit over from the UK. Home brew kits aren't on sale (as far as I know) because home brewing is illegal. A licence is needed to brew beer. There used to be some information on this subject on Bangkokchat.

I hope I am wrong as I used to brew my own and would do it againg if equipment was available.

Believe you're right, my missus went ape, worried about visits from the BiB when she saw what I was doing? Even in January without a temperature controlled room it was a little warm on occasion (I wasn't about to spend good money on a/c for it, lol!), turned out ok but not brilliant. The month I spent with her fretting wasn't worth repeating anyway. Anybody would have thought I'd an opium plantation/meth lab or similar running?

All the same, her reaction taught me they take it pretty seriously here? She's usually pretty laid back.

These ones are the orchids you see for sale in big quantities - in a shade of purple or white. They sell them in the flower markets by the clump.

They do well if they can get a bigger root base. Try hanging them on a tree trunk and the roots will spread onto the tree and they will soon shoot and flower. They also like 50/50 sun. And some pellet orchid food would get them started as well as some fresh coconut husk in the pots.

Maybe good for the orchid, but not so good for the tree. Over-wet conditions on the tree trunk can create conditons for wood rot fungal colonization and decay; some tree species can take it, some cannot. If the tree is important to you, best not to mount orchids or other plants, wrap cloth, post signs or other obstructions that can trap moisture, harbor insect pest activity or impair regular inspections.

Oops, we've (missus & me) always just tied them to any tree around the garden we fancied? Various species of both orchid & tree, must have just been lucky? Never fed, never watered and all thriving. A few to such an extent I've learned to place them higher, they don't half get in the way when I'm mowing!

Speaking of which, I've heard pruning back the dead heads as soon as they stop flowering really helps them? I just leave them to their own devices currently...

I have the same problem, and I just posted a "give-up" message about getting my dog trained just to behave...

I cannot recommend any place, but I can recommend that you DO NOT send him to Pet Oasis in Nonthaburi. I wasted nearly 20K for a 2-month training course there and my dog came back the same if not worst...

Besides that I have heard about one place in Bangna, behind Central Bangna shopping mall. I think they are long-time established and I wish I had tried that place instead of the Pet Oasis...

Good luck!

I've just replied to that other thread too and fully agree with WarpSpeed, training MUST be undergone together. Can't stress that strongly enough. Pet Oasis will probably still be able to control your dog perfectly, it's just that he knows he can take the piss out of you; they're not stupid you know?

Not sure about the neutering bit though, couldn't bring myself to do it to another male!

dam_n shame, I've two bitches and would have been interested in taking on your dog at the beginning of the rainy season with time in hand to train him? Piece of cake.

However, our touring season commences at the beginning of next month and we too will be away for 3weeks out of every month, I'd need way more time with him than that I'm afraid. Currently looks like this season will come to an end for us around the end of March. If you're still stuck then, give me a shout.

The 'Alpha male' assessment was right, you should have bought a bitch? You can't send a dog away to training school either, with a one-man-dog like these it MUST be done personally.

I'm used to terriers, which are far harder to train (especially in the packs we used to run!), training doesn't take long you know? 1hr/day MORE than enough. You could try this too; http://www.viatekproducts.com/SPD/bark-stop-professional----ultrasonic-bark-stop-trainer-by-viatek--730000-1092346761.jsp or similar, there are other citronella collars & all-sorts, remote controlled, you name it.

I use a 3' length of Alcathene (the blue water pipe?) 1" dia to keep the soi dogs away from my girls when walking them if they're on heat. I've never used a lead with any dog after training. Back in the UK I worked on the motorways, my dogs were allowed to wander around on-site with me, well, when the RE or safety officers weren't around to object!

http://www.onestopenglish.com/

http://www.eslcafe.com/

Both these sites with masses of ideas that can easily be tailored to your mixed classes.

There have only been a couple of replies, but almost 300 views of this post, so I'm asuming some level of interest and reporting back.

I registered with NameCheap. Got a good .com, with WHOIS privacy, for 10years, with plenty of evidence of ownership, at a good price. WHOIS privacy is offered on .com, .net, .org, .info and .me; it does not seem to be available for any others, e.g. .uk.

Although it was sleepy-time in the US when I transacted, 5 minutes later all the documentation arrived, and about 2 hours later a parking page was up for the http://www.<domainname> including a redirect to it from http://<domainname> (i.e. without the ‘www’), and my account had full access to re/configure the domain. A good experience.

Why didn’t I buy in Thailand? I couldn’t find a .com provider for less than twice the cost of NameCheap. Also, here the focus seems to be primarily on .th TLD’s. In that space, the perfect .in.th domain name for me is available. However, you can only secure a .th for 2 years at a time, and to be eligible for a .th you must reside here - I may move from Thailand one day and I don’t want the hassle of changing email addresses, etc again.

I’m still looking for a host. This time around I won’t buy in Thailand because hosting appears quite expensive, and according to various public forums both the providers and the pipes in and out of the country are not so hot.

Now, some of you may suspect me a Thai-bashing khwai (no offence Winnie!), but this is my cost- and risk-based decision for a small private site. Every day I support as many Thai businesses as I can and am gaining some fantastic friends/experiences in the process. If I needed a business web presence here it’d definitely have a .th domain and I’d most likely work with a Thai host.

I don’t know about the approach to data privacy in Thailand, but it’s not relevant to me since I’ll be hosting ‘offshore’ for other reasons.

I’ve looked at the US approach to data privacy and am 'concerned' – either this precludes some of the best offerings or will force me to reconsider my requirements.

I’ve also looked at the UK situation – kinda like that in the US, except it appears (to me, so far) that no UK provider is even allowed to offer WHOIS privacy.

Australia and Malaysia need more investigation. Any others?

<end of post, the dinner gong has sounded>

I believe 123.com offers WHOIS privacy?

http://www.123-support.co.uk/support/answers/how-do-i-purchase-whois-privacy-for-my-domain-names-464/

Our M/C club also had a private, log-in only site built awhile ago. PM me if you'd care for any further details.

Found their reply, just for the record;

Dear Mr Nadin

Thank you for your interest in opening a corporate account with HSBC in Thailand.

Please provide your company information by complete ALL fields on the below HSBC Corporate Customer Introduction form.

(See attached file: HSBC Corporate Customer Introduction Form 5JAN09.ppt)

Please complete ALL fields and return this HSBC Corporate Customer Introduction Form to this email address for our consideration.

Remark:

The initial deposit requirement is THB50,000 and monthly minimum average balance requirement is THB5 million. A monthly service fee THB1,200 will be levied when the account's monthly minimum average balance falls below THB5 million.

Regarding your questions, For HSBC Thailand please find below brief information. But for HSBC England, please refer direct to HSBC England which your nearest branch or visit website www.hsbc.co.uk

According to the Bank of Thailand's regulations, the restricted for resident Thai baht account please find the detail as follow:

For incoming fund from abroad

1) If the fund remit in THB currency, the purpose of payment is required. If the purpose is for investment, purchase stock or related securities or amount

over than THB5M. the document support is required.

2) If the fund remit in foreign currency, the foreign exchange transaction form is required if the amount is at and above USD20,000.- or equivalent.

For outgoing fund to oversea

1) If the fund remit in THB currency, the supporting documents for overseas obligations ie invoice, debit advice, related etc. are required

2) If the fund remit in foreign currency, the supporting documents for overseas obligations ie invoice, debit advice, related etc. and the foreign exchange transaction form are required for any amount.

Should you have any further query please do not hesitate to contact us at:

- [email protected]; or

- Corporate Customer Centre +66 (0) 2673-7733, from Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6:00pm

Yours sincerely

Corporate Customer Centre

HSBC Thailand

They are an oligopoly and need to be regulated. Pure and simple.

The inter-provincial charges are indeed ridiculous.

Yes the provincial charges are insane but sadly the majority of the punters in this blog would not understand the word 'oligopoly'. Very appropriate and well defined.

For those who have no dictionary:

Oligopoly - a state of limited competition between a small number of producers or sellers (Concise Oxford dictionary, 8th edition)

Just let HSBC and a few others in to set up in Thailand without the petty Thai protectionist laws, and within a year there shouldn't be any more of the "family-owned" Thai banks......

HSBC are as bad as the rest, I asked them about opening a corporate a/c to unify our Thai & UK a/c's, the answer was yes, but if we didn't keep an average 5,000,000b monthly balance in the a/c we'd be penalised 1,200b! Not a huge penalty sum I know, but there's certainly a great many things I could be doing with 5mil other than keeping it in their a/c for them!!

Everybody is making a lot of noise now.One generation back it was normal that they did that on schools in several European countries,like Holland.

They caned me me and several friends many times and we never told that to our parents or they caned us as well.

We had a lot more respect for the teachers and police,then it's now with all these soft minded parents.

Agreed, though unsure if it's primarily down to corporal punishment or the lack thereof? I firmly believe we've gone TOO far though with the lily-livered liberal PC brigade. As a race we prove time & again we ALL need controlling to a degree, whether it's your parents, teachers, police? Usually the wife once married

Everything in moderation, this guy stepped well over the line. Two hits or twenty, you can't lose it like that in front of a class! How the hel_l can you control your Sts if you're not able to control your own temper & frustration? Just given them a HUGE hole in your armour, "Let's see how much we can wind Sir up this week?!", the guy's his own worst enemy. What a prize dick, that's what he needs sacking for.

Yes, it can be tough, and I still offer all teachers my utmost respect after a short stint at it myself. The main thing I did learn though; you need to be completely bullet-proof up there, and Teflon coated! He'd lost the battle the moment he walked in the classroom on that very first day. I've been into colleague's classes to put the 'hard word' on their Sts as a favour, but hardly needed to resort to any more than that 'tutting' noise they use to quieten my own classes. A clap of my hands on the odd occasion, that was it.

Good kids, the problem was the Thai teachers butting in when they THOUGHT they knew which direction I was going in, drowning me out in Thai, so I'd have to pull them up rather sharply before they took the Sts too far from the path? Big loss of face, they don't like being corrected (even pleasantly, with a smile!), after which they'd be absent for 2-3weeks from that class. Marvellous, we could all now apply ourselves fully to the task in hand without distraction!

What's the problem? They each got just one stroke of the cane.

Actually, what you saw was 54 seconds of an ordeal that likely was much lengthier in time:

Art teacher Somchai Limthanmaporn was fired after he was exposed hitting at least 40 students

Nine News article

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/7953466/phone-exposes-teacher-who-beat-students

Additionally, the other photo posted would indicate that the cycle of students was repeated. Either that of perhaps the multiple bruising was a result of:

a cane wrapped with electrical wire

same article link as above

---------------------------------------------------------

btw, a different 25-second snippet of the ordeal showing different students than the OP video is available on the link provided above.

The cane will often bounce off & whip back in experienced hands, causing 2-3 bruises per stroke.

That's one heck of a ricochet or "bounce":

Thai Rath newspaper (article in Thai)

http://www.thairath.co.th/content/region/107369

That's only two hits, obviously. And certainly no wire around the cane!

Pawpcorn

I find that all Thai full managers in the company I work for know that the terrorism labelling invalidates insurance claims

I am sure that the whoever chose / approved usage of the word "Terrorism" knew exactly what it meant too – they did indeed know that it invalidated insurance claims all over the country

Obviously being able to charge Thaksin with the crime was more important...

And before you jump all over me, I'm NO Red!