Keith67

Farang seem to have selective corruption syndrome.

If they directly benefit from said corruption, everything is fine, motoring offences comes to mind, how many Farangs would jump at the opportunity to buy their way out of a serious offence, like causing death whilst under the influence for instance ?

And anyone here who says they would refuse the opportunity to pay their way out and spend years in Prison instead is a liar or mad or both.

Yet they rant and rave if a Thai does the very same thing.

The fact that Farangs have nothing to offer in Thailand that could ellicit a bribe embitters them, but they are willing to pay bribes that are of benefit to themselves.

It's the Thais that get the monetary gains though, that's what really hurts, once again they are outsiders, once again they are not on the recieving end never can or will be, all they can ever do is pay, never recieve, and look on as a Policeman gets in his new Mercedes.

Absolute BS, most farange are raised in a society where corruption is not acceptable any more, so why would you assume that they would want to be involved in it in a country where they would never really have the ability to know or trust the people they would be bribing? paying off a police officer for a few KPH over the limit is 1 thing being involved in something that could put lives in danger is completely different. Paying off a ploice officer for a drink driving offence is still something i feel would be frowned upon by most farang.

most Farangs were raised in a society which was/is too stupid to realise corruption exists in all societies/countries.

I didn't say it didn't exist, i said it's seen as not acceptable, if a police officer stopped 10 people in Europe or America for speeding and demanded cash payment how many do you think would pay and how many would report it? Corruption exists throughout the world we know that, it doesn't make it right though even if we can do nothing about it.

^ You forgot the garlic...

never seen garlic used in larb.

Do you cook it for yourself too?

No but I was thinking this morning that I should be learning some of the basic dishes, I would imagine it's relatively easy to make.

Very easy, rice powder, minced pork, spring oniions, dried chilli powder, fish sauce, the pork flavouring you get in the green and white packets and lemon is all you need, fry off the mince leave a little juice in the pan, chop and add spring onions, add about 2 tbl spoons fish sauce, i tea spoon chilli powder and rice powder, a sprinkle of pork flavour and about 1/4 squeezed lemon and then mix it all together but do not re-heat or it will dry out, it's also a case of try it and decide what you need to add more of for your taste. Remember too much fish sauce or pork flavour willmake it taste salty.

A pay off would not be offered for the offence you stated as a far larger sum of money would be gained through the legal chanels, i.e. payments to the family plus fines and the fact a conviction for a more serious crime was achieved.

Tell me, have you ever been to Thailand ?

Only for the last 9 years and you?

Ok so you want to prove me wrong i can live with being wrong, how many farangs do you know that have killed someone whilst driving under the influence and paid a bribe to get off scott free.

And now your turn to be honest.

Larb is a really tasty dish and i eat it alot, do you eat it cooked or raw, and with or without blood?

On a Pizza.

I used to eat pizza when i was back home and one of the topping was spiced minced pork, never really considered the fact they are quite similar.

Larb is a really tasty dish and i eat it alot, do you eat it cooked or raw, and with or without blood?

Not tried it with blood, I would if I could guarantee the meat was a fresh as could be.

Just be a little careful what you order with larb, i will only eat certain types of larb, for instance one of the original ingredients of larb is the use of the stomach contents. Not for me, i never had the will to eat cow or pig sh*t in any context.

Do you cook it for yourself too?

Farang seem to have selective corruption syndrome.

If they directly benefit from said corruption, everything is fine, motoring offences comes to mind, how many Farangs would jump at the opportunity to buy their way out of a serious offence, like causing death whilst under the influence for instance ?

And anyone here who says they would refuse the opportunity to pay their way out and spend years in Prison instead is a liar or mad or both.

Yet they rant and rave if a Thai does the very same thing.The fact that Farangs have nothing to offer in Thailand that could ellicit a bribe embitters them, but they are willing to pay bribes that are of benefit to themselves.

It's the Thais that get the monetary gains though, that's what really hurts, once again they are outsiders, once again they are not on the recieving end never can or will be, all they can ever do is pay, never recieve, and look on as a Policeman gets in his new Mercedes.

Paying off a ploice officer for a drink driving offence is still something i feel would be frowned upon by most farang.

Yes, on an internet Forum it's easy to frown upon everything one percieves as wrong, but in the cold light of day, they would do whatever was neccessary to save themselves, so would I and so would you.

A pay off would not be offered for the offence you stated as a far larger sum of money would be gained through the legal chanels, i.e. payments to the family plus fines and the fact a conviction for a more serious crime was achieved.

Larb is a really tasty dish and i eat it alot, do you eat it cooked or raw, and with or without blood?

Farang seem to have selective corruption syndrome.

If they directly benefit from said corruption, everything is fine, motoring offences comes to mind, how many Farangs would jump at the opportunity to buy their way out of a serious offence, like causing death whilst under the influence for instance ?

And anyone here who says they would refuse the opportunity to pay their way out and spend years in Prison instead is a liar or mad or both.

Yet they rant and rave if a Thai does the very same thing.

The fact that Farangs have nothing to offer in Thailand that could ellicit a bribe embitters them, but they are willing to pay bribes that are of benefit to themselves.

It's the Thais that get the monetary gains though, that's what really hurts, once again they are outsiders, once again they are not on the recieving end never can or will be, all they can ever do is pay, never recieve, and look on as a Policeman gets in his new Mercedes.

Absolute BS, most farange are raised in a society where corruption is not acceptable any more, so why would you assume that they would want to be involved in it in a country where they would never really have the ability to know or trust the people they would be bribing? paying off a police officer for a few KPH over the limit is 1 thing being involved in something that could put lives in danger is completely different. Paying off a ploice officer for a drink driving offence is still something i feel would be frowned upon by most farang.

privacy laws prevent information from being recorded unless specifically required by law, and I think Shengen systems (SIRENE) do not record all movements by default.

Due the terrorism situation being the way it is at the moment i would assume record of movements between countries were being kept.

We all know, that a fair amount of those money, are going to end up in

the wrong pockets. Which most to us is not acceptable, simply due to the

big amounts we are talking about.

it is none of our (expats) business to judge what is acceptable/charming or not

in our "host" country. moreover, no bitching will change the situation.

The op did in no way say it was wrong or invite other members to make a stand against anything that happens in our "host" country, he simply asked what others might think, this is neither derogatory to the country or the people in it.

Thaivisa is swamped since years with "simple questions" which, on the surface, are not expressis verbis derogatory. i said what i had and wanted to say and don't need any of your lectures.

Forums are based on normal people having repeat conversations and disscussions on everyday topics and events, just because you have made in excess of 22,000 posts does not give you the right to berate or judge other members for their opinion or choice of topic, and if i want to comment on a post you make or anybody else for that matter i will, if you don't like it block me, sign out or just crawl back under your stone.

I hope the BiB never introduce fines for grammar

A cheap shot at a not native speaker from the "postmaster" himself !

I know the topic headline is not good English, but can't edit it! Mods feel free to do it.

If you knew it was poor then why did you write it? Don't be pretending that your some kind of newcomer to the language, we've seen plenty of examples of your fine grasp of English when you like to denigrate people.

At Keith67..........the OP shall reap as he sows.

I don't know anything about the OP all i was saying that on

an open forum like this as long as the topic and comments are not derogatory to the

country or people in it, i see no problem with giving opinions, realistically

you could look at most if not all topics with the thought of not being able to

change anything so it's not worth talking about, it would be a pretty uninspiring

forum though

.

We all know, that a fair amount of those money, are going to end up in

the wrong pockets. Which most to us is not acceptable, simply due to the

big amounts we are talking about.

it is none of our (expats) business to judge what is acceptable/charming or not

in our "host" country. moreover, no bitching will change the situation.

The op did in no way say it was wrong or invite other members to make a stand against anything that happens in our "host" country, he simply asked what others might think, this is neither derogatory to the country or the people in it.

Bt500k isn't anything if sitting in a bank. It does feel like a lot when carrying it. I've never carried that much money before which is why I started this thread. I didn't know if people actually brought the full amt in cash or simply displayed their bank book, etc. Never been to a Thai wedding.

I have a little bit of doubt because I have only met about a dozen of her family members and they seem fine. About 100 people have been invited. A lot of people I've never met will be there. It only takes one or two young, stupid and desperate idiots to make an attempt. I will go forward and not worry too much, but I will be on alert.

Yes, I do have a bank acct here. Bank has a branch in nearby town. A withdrawal and prompt deposit is the plan.

I didn't take offense to her father's $50k request. I just thought it was ridiculous and funny. He knows I'm not rich. I told him.

To be honest if as you say you are the first falang to set foot in the village then i could only assume these figures that her father came out with must be based on stories that he has heard from other villages in the area.

^^^^^^, Keith no need to apologise, all I am trying to find out is, are there Thai teachers earning 45k per month in Issan, by teacher I mean kru not ajarn.

As i say i don't know a great deal about him only he is a teacher in Sakhon.

Is he Thai or farang?

Reason for asking, I know many Thais working here in Bkk for way less than that, they would be more than happy to relocate to Issan for 45k per month, sorry if I come across as rather obtuse.

Do you know the difference between khru and ajarn?

Khru is an old word which many University lecturers prefer to be called, any teacher really is called ajarn.

Funny you should say that, when i did ask my wife the first thing she said is "they are the same", To be honest i wouldn't know the difference, but after i showed her the question she said she thought he had the impression an ajarn is the boss so he will be soon, another example of Thais not being openly able to say he's wrong i supose.

Privacy laws de exist and no, the movements of EU/Swiss citizens are, AFAIK, not recorded.

Well if that is the case what are your concerns? give her the divorce and when she tries to screw you in court for half of everything you have, you can point out to them PRIVACY LAWS DO EXIST and refuse any details of bank accounts and assets.

thanks, but I'm already divorced.

It's the OP's case we are discussing here, not mine.

Sorry i thought you were the OP.

What do privacy laws have to do with this? If a court want to know something about you or an implication you are making in a court of law they can and no amount of privacy laws can stop them, the same with the police, government and tax office can.

A confirmation letter from Swiss immigration as to her entry into Switzerland over the past 6 mths would do the trick, a Swiss lawyer or court should be able to request this should they not,

I do not believe such database exists, and if it existed, access to it would be denied.

If you have to have your passport scanned when you enter exit immigration it most certainly exists.

Access to this information would be denied to you definately but possibly not to a lawyer or court.

Privacy laws de exist and no, the movements of EU/Swiss citizens are, AFAIK, not recorded.

Well if that is the case what are your concerns? give her the divorce and when she tries to screw you in court for half of everything you have, you can point out to them PRIVACY LAWS DO EXIST and refuse any details of bank accounts and assets.

Stated by who and in what sense.

No legal rights in the UK, I would take that with a very large pinch of salt.

Staff in the consulate in Bangkok, i asked what gains were to be made from registration and they told me without it she would have no legal rights in the UK.

^^^^^^, Keith no need to apologise, all I am trying to find out is, are there Thai teachers earning 45k per month in Issan, by teacher I mean kru not ajarn.

As i say i don't know a great deal about him only he is a teacher in Sakhon.

Is he Thai or farang?

Reason for asking, I know many Thais working here in Bkk for way less than that, they would be more than happy to relocate to Issan for 45k per month, sorry if I come across as rather obtuse.

No problem atall, he is Thai and as i said i really know very little about him he spends most of his time away as we live mear Udon and he works in Sakhon, his familylive next door to me in his house and they speak alot to my wife, his salary could be family bragging but when i do see him i tend to think it is true due to his dress, car and his general ways, i know from my wife she has known him for most of her life he is very well educated to the highest possible standard, i have just spoke to my wife and she says he is now midway between the two, soon he will become (big boss)....lol.

^^^^^, is he Thai or farang?

Are we not talking about a teacher in a Thai - Thai wedding?

^^^^, I honestly dont know, from a previous post you made,

the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view.

No mention of Thai or farang.

I stand by my claim, there aint many Thai teachers in Issan earning 45k per month, thats assuming we are talking kru and not ajarn, you do know the difference do you?

So please verify, was this guy a Thai or farang, is he a kru or an ajarn?

I appologise as i just corrected my original post to your question, i was having a disscussion with another member about how much sin sod can be paid in Thai - Thai weddings and the post about the teacher was my reply, somewhere in the middle you came into the disscussion without me realising i was talking to somebody else.

As i say i don't know a great deal about him only he is a teacher in Sakhon.

A confirmation letter from Swiss immigration as to her entry into Switzerland over the past 6 mths would do the trick, a Swiss lawyer or court should be able to request this should they not,

I do not believe such database exists, and if it existed, access to it would be denied.

If you have to have your passport scanned when you enter exit immigration it most certainly exists.

Access to this information would be denied to you definately but possibly not to a lawyer or court.

^^^^^, is he Thai or farang?

A Thai

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.

Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

You have not been to too many thai-thai weddings in Issan then, most farang would be classed as equivalent to at least middle class Thai or above, middle class Thai would be teachers, police or industry management types in any village, the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view. It was brought to the wedding just before the counting and returned to the bank straight after, Thais more than most understand the security issues with displaying large sums of money and should have no problem with a small time frame for show and counting in your presence before returning it to the safety of the bank vault.

B500K has already been agreed and there is no desire for them to keep the money, flip the coin how would he feel if they suddenly for no reason decided B500K wasn't enough and they wanted him to display B1M.

And before the ditch her or run for the hills comments are made, i didn't ask what he would do, i asked how he would feel.....

the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold

I can assure you that certainly aint the norm for Thai/Thai marriages in Issan.

Anywhere from 10k to 100k is more usual, I would sure like to know what type of girl and family he was marrying into to pay that sort of sin sot.

Another question, you say teacher, earning lets say 20k per month, thats over 10 years salary if we assume 5 baht of gold at 20k per 1 baht.

In fact the above would be considered above the norm in Bkk, unless you start getting into HiSo types.

I didn't say it was the norm, but then again a farang marrying in his village is not the norm either.

The teacher in question earns 45K+ per/mth

The teacher in question earns 45K+ per/mth

I am not trying to be funny here, do you mean teacher as in kru or ajarn?

45k for a teacher is Issan certainly aint the norm.

Or are we talking about some TEFLr?

Jeez teachers in Bkk aint making 45k per month, by that I mean govt teachers at govt schools.

Salaries of 12/15 or 20k are the norm, not unless we are talking of someone at an international school with international qualifications to back up the salary.

I don't know where he works only it's in Sakhon or what level he is, although i was offered 3 jobs teaching here in Udon (although i'm not a teacher) i just speak English, the first was in the local town 50km outside Udon 40K p/mth for 30hrs per week, the second was in Sakhon that was 45-50K + accomodation and the third was a village school about 20km from me and that was 17K p/mth. All these were offered to me in the restaurant my wife owned by the heads of the schools also the offer to sort out work permits and all paperwork at their expense and these were all state run schools.

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.

Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

You have not been to too many thai-thai weddings in Issan then, most farang would be classed as equivalent to at least middle class Thai or above, middle class Thai would be teachers, police or industry management types in any village, the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view. It was brought to the wedding just before the counting and returned to the bank straight after, Thais more than most understand the security issues with displaying large sums of money and should have no problem with a small time frame for show and counting in your presence before returning it to the safety of the bank vault.

B500K has already been agreed and there is no desire for them to keep the money, flip the coin how would he feel if they suddenly for no reason decided B500K wasn't enough and they wanted him to display B1M.

And before the ditch her or run for the hills comments are made, i didn't ask what he would do, i asked how he would feel.....

the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold

I can assure you that certainly aint the norm for Thai/Thai marriages in Issan.

Anywhere from 10k to 100k is more usual, I would sure like to know what type of girl and family he was marrying into to pay that sort of sin sot.

Another question, you say teacher, earning lets say 20k per month, thats over 10 years salary if we assume 5 baht of gold at 20k per 1 baht.

In fact the above would be considered above the norm in Bkk, unless you start getting into HiSo types.

I didn't say it was the norm, but then again a farang marrying in his village is not the norm either.

The teacher in question earns 45K+ per/mth

"Can anyone anticipate problems I might have" ?

You mean except from posting it on a public forum with a picture of yourself ??

Relax. Thailand is very much a cash-society, so a lot of money is moved around every day in different fashions. And 500k isn't THAT much, so why the safe (!) in the car? A Tesco plasticbag and in the pocket will do the trick. When the "showing" is over, count the money, back in the plasticbag and to the bank you go, Hope your new inlaws are going to keep some of it ??

I agree with Soi41 THB500k is not a lot of cash in Thai society. I know many locals in my village who buy a 900K pickup with cash. I have not heard of any robbery during any weddings in my village either. Best not to show the safe. I think you will be the laughing stock in the village thereafter - the first farang to bring a safe (and from your description a 'portable' one) to keep his 500k safe!

Just have a buddy take 100% care of it, from the time it is out of the bank (or money changer) to the time it gets deposited back into the bank account. And make sure he or she doesn't drink on that day! Good luck and congratulations.

I am supposedly the first falang to ever set foot in this village. this village does not have any nice houses. only one nice pickup truck.

also, with all due respect.....I am not worried about what a bunch of people in an Isaan village think of me. they don't determine anything in my life. Do you think they worry about what we think of them?

thank you for the congrats and your post.

Not atall, the only people to be affected by what you do before you get back in your car and drive away are the parents and family of your wife to be, a little thought and consideration for their feelings during and after your wedding would not be amiss, after all a small Thai village is a relentless place to live if you are the focus of all the gossip and trust me they would be and for along time. A cheque and small amount of money would cause your future wifes family to "lose face" and could therefore soil future relations with you and them, also remember any deemed wrong doing by you would put excessive pressure on your wife and in turn possibly on your relationship.

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

You have not been to too many thai-thai weddings in Issan then, most farang would be classed as equivalent to at least middle class Thai or above, middle class Thai would be teachers, police or industry management types in any village, the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view. It was brought to the wedding just before the counting and returned to the bank straight after, Thais more than most understand the security issues with displaying large sums of money and should have no problem with a small time frame for show and counting in your presence before returning it to the safety of the bank vault.

B500K has already been agreed and there is no desire for them to keep the money, flip the coin how would he feel if they suddenly for no reason decided B500K wasn't enough and they wanted him to display B1M.

And before the ditch her or run for the hills comments are made, i didn't ask what he would do, i asked how he would feel.....

I've lived in Eesarn for 24 years, so actually been to many Thai, Thai weddings. The average village school teacher will not give 500k, let alone 1.5 mill. I remember two teachers got married and the sinsod was 50k.

There are extreme cases, I was at the wedding of a friends daughter and an ex provincial head policeman and ex senator(very very wealthy.) The cash on show was 500K.

When you've been here for a while you get to know that farang are equivalent to no Thai and cannot be placed on any of their social levels.

Fortunately i have been here a while, i might not have made it clear what i meant though, i was refering to the mindset of the people in the villages when i said how they view class, as in a teacher, policeman or industry leader outside the village i.e. in the city or bangkok are seen as middle class, also that farangs financial level would be of a middle class Thai or above, the teacher next door to me works in Sakhon and earns in excess of 45K per/mth.