EBlair48

Problem is that LM it is used to silence political opponents. It's a crap law, get rid of it first if Tland really wants its democracy to take hold. Of course the ruling, er elite doesn't, not really, just wants to pay lip service so as be seen as so. All about the appearance here, no substance whatever.

You see what happens when you have a lese majeste law? Where does the censorship stop? It trickles down until anyone in power is protected from any criticism. It's a slippery slope.

It's only a slippery slope if you make it one. I for one appreciate the Thai respect for the monarchy and loathe to see Thailand sink into the daily trash that tabloids report in England for example on its monarchy. How you can make the logical connection between political commentary and lese majeste is beyond me. One is an institution by birthright and another a political office decided by popular vote.

The problem is the concept of criminal defamation.

Defamation should only be a civil issue.

Agree completely. The defamation laws are akin to a nationwide gag order.

Change that second after LM .

Inured? Immune...?

How about enamored.

So what should people do when approached for graft, when the visa extension depends upon procuring,"agents" to be granted, the Or Bor Tor squad descends and makes up rules? Where can foreigners call or write? Can they do so in English?

Seems the govt and people are quite happy with the status quo, it's a very eastern thing, after all and the incoming masses of EaEur's and Chinese are well versed in it.

I see very little in the way of real concern in stemming it but if
someone were serious, first steps would be to amend the libel and that other seriously deficient law, but above all, allow a free press.

If you want to live in an honest, just society, Thailand just isn't it, and it has no mechanism for change. It really is a dictatorship by committee.

It was probably the Minister of Sports and Tourism, ( Sports and tourism? ) on his way to diss Phuket's cheap foreign tourists.

I vote Pistachios as our communication liason in the ThaiXpat rebellion !

This especially :

But the most disgusting statement isn't on this article but on the other news source. He said that cheap tourists have destroyed the environment.
You can't make this up. So the cheap tourists are responsible for the
lack of forward planning. The cheap tourists are the reason hotels,
restaurants, condos are throwing away their crap straight into the
klongs. The cheap tourists are letting illegal dumpster sites florishing
everywhere on the island. The cheap tourists didn't build any efficient
water treatment facilities. The cheap tourists forgot to upgrade the
garbage incinerator. The cheap tourists are also throwing away their old
fishing nets and used engine oil into the sea.

"We have to address this" "We need to find a solution" "we need to discuss with the authorities" blah blah blah

Good to know his government has done SFA for tourism since they were elected, and that they still have no clue on how to solve problems, that are actually badly analysed.

He misses the point at so many levels it is scary such person managed to get a minister seat.

An international driving licence will not help to pay the bills at the hospital after an accident.

According to him, the fact that "cheap tourists" are driving away "high quality tourists" isn't caused by poor infrastructure, pollution, scams, proliferation of cheap and unregulated accomodations, the general destruction of the island, but... wait for it... marketing!

The obvious lack of chinese speaking tourist guides will be solved by teaching young students to speak chinese. Really? I think a student clever and hard working enough to master a very difficult language will find a much better job than a low paid guide for low cost tour operators...

But the most disgusting statement isn't on this article but on the other news source. He said that cheap tourists have destroyed the environment. You can't make this up. So the cheap tourists are responsible for the lack of forward planning. The cheap tourists are the reason hotels, restaurants, condos are throwing away their crap straight into the klongs. The cheap tourists are letting illegal dumpster sites florishing everywhere on the island. The cheap tourists didn't build any efficient water treatment facilities. The cheap tourists forgot to upgrade the garbage incinerator. The cheap tourists are also throwing away their old fishing nets and used engine oil into the sea. Duh.

Thank you Khun Pureesrisak, now we know for sure phuket is doomed to become a second pattaya, or even worse.

I went on a reef clean up today. More than 100 Thais and from the 14 Dive centers in Ao Nang owned by foreigners there was zero participation as usual.

My friend, a tourist on holiday for 3 weeks, and me where the only farangs who participated in this clean up session.

Did you have a work permit to do this work?

If not, you and your tourist friend were breaking the law, liable to arrest a deportation, just as bad as the arrested Russians.

I'm guessing no other foreigners participated because they obey Thai law.

I'm' hoping you are being facetious. I doubt the Labor dept would harass foreigners for picking up trash,. Maybe they don't participate as they are sick of picking up Thai's trash. I've never seen a foreigner throwing his lunch wrappings out the car window or dumping a week worth of household garbage in a field by the road. And I pick up plenty of garbage on my own around my neighborhood.

But it brings up a question of mine about forbidden occupations. The list is extensive and includes the sentence, " ..And all other services.." So it seems that really all occupations are forbidden, if we are going by the law here.

Is it just another rule to be used as a stick ?

What if the Government do not like our club and a few of us start disappering each night

No, the government will not like our club. As long as our concerns will be represented by a well established Thai-Law-Firm, representing xxx-tousands Farangs, no Farang will "disappear"!

The cost: If every long-term Farang would be willing to contribute 100 Bht per month to a "war-chest", designed to give us a voice in Thailand, things will improve dramatically for expats in no time at all. I am absolutely convinced of that.

Cheers.

There is a law about foreigners unable to participate in political demonstrations, which is what I'm sure any kind of cohesive movement would be labelled

MAybe better to appeal to our home governments to institute some kind of penalties, like is done for copyright infringement.

I"d love to see Thais banned from owning land in the US, but of course that would be contrary to the constitution. SO if you choose to live in a developing country, you have to put up with the third world aspects of it, which is using foreigner inflow without allowing them to safely invest.

I have no doubt it is the sex industry that facilitates these unfair practices- expats will put up with it for access to the prostitutes.

It is absurd that legal workers must leave the country every 90 days. I got a one year extension on the visa last year using an agent that cost 10,000 baht, but this year on my own, no extension. travel to the consulate, got a new one year but am only given 90 days on entry ?

As I had to leave over a long holiday, and the 5000 visa fee, ended up spending about.. 15, 000 baht. So I can see how this adds up when it needs to be done four times a year.

Seems Thailand wants to discourage a,... er.. certain sort, but instead they end up harassing everyone and discouraging honest expats. Not that they care..

I suspect the attitude is if you aren't rich, you do not belong here.

Not sure why you think it needs to dissolve in water ? Just sprinkle it around where the ants seem to originate from

I've heard that borax works on most insects, cockroaches, termites etc. It attacks their exoskeletons and all insects have exoskeletons and I can easily find borax at my local chemical supply shop, but in a crystal form and not easy to desolve in water. Any tips??

Why doesn't someone tell an expat market like Villa that there IS a demand for Borax in retail stores in Thailand? It's weird that basic and very useful product like Borax is so hard to buy here.

Ditto ammonia and whole bean coffee.

Posting under your real name is a recipe for hassle, but posting under someone else's is a good way to get revenge on a person .

What ever happened to Tony Clifton?

The good old days.

And what always happens when they ban everything? It becomes a problem. I don't ever recall drugs being out of control like they are now. Seems to be the case everywhere, ban it and everyone wants it.

That's what happens when something that is not a real concern is criminalized, makes a lot of criminals and becomes a problem for everyone. In the US it was to fill empty jails that were being built by certain interest groups, here I think it was about getting funds from US if they went along with the , " War on.. (fill in blank ) program.. Off topic but wanted to respond.

I think a lot of models in Thai advertising are not the most attractive women in the country, there is a real difference in the ideal of beauty. Skank seems to go over well here.

Thai women are often very small bodies with big heads, it's a very child-like quality and seems to be a point of attraction for a lot of men, child- women.