HaroldB

Its amazing how many experts are on this forum, I owned and operated one of these OCTOPUS rides for a number of years (a 1940s version)

There is and always was a weakness in the Arm Carrier bolts, We changed ours to 80 tonne bolts sourced through Caterpillar.(never broke another one)

It also has the chains to guard against the arm (in event of a failure) hitting another arm, an upgrade we did in the 80s. although the drive system is very old

ie 40s 50s system we upgraded to hydraulics in the 70s. On viewing the footage it would appear the arm locator bolt broke allowing the arm to move far enough sideways that it either hit the ground or more likely the drive control rod wrenching it to a stop and probably breaking the second arm locator bolt.

The operator did all he could to stop the ride in as shorter time possible the ride turns at 8rpm and counter rotates at 4 rpm.

The operator would have risked having his wrists broken performing the emergency stop.

These are a very good and safe ride when operated properly, we personally never had an accident in over 20 years of operation. they were built in the USA and over engineered which has given them an excellent lifespan with good maintenance and upgrades they will perform for a long time yet.

There is a lot of talk on standards and I admit after looking at some carnival equipment in Thailand at being less than impressed but there must be some standards being set and adhered to as the anti clash chains on this particular device only came into being in the 70s so they would have been installed in Thailand unless this machine had been sourced second had since that upgrade came along.

Such a shame if its the lady I have seen so many times, very pleasant, lovely smile.

I never bought flowers from her but she works very hard, get well soon, its such a shame you can't get about your own business without being caught up in someone else's idiotic fracas.

No matter how it gets spun by either sides supporters today is another sad day to be entered in Thailand's history books.

I could like some TV posters use this as an excuse to vent my opinion of who is wrong and right but I think this would be selfish.

Some of the posts I have read today are nothing more than biased opinion being foisted on other readers, in some cases I am disgusted.

I would just like to say how sorry I am for the family's who have lost there parents, children or relatives on this day in this Country that I

love so much.

For those who have died please rest in peace and God or Buddha bless.

As in this quote....."Four wishes of the people"?....Since when are these electoral minority coup-mongers and their shadowy supporters "The people"?........The people spoke on Feb. 2nd. and he is so afraid of what they said. He wants to 'deep-six' their opinion.

The people (most of them) voted already.

43 million (roughly) of the population were eligible to vote, yet only 20 million (roughly) did so out of a population of 70 million or so. That's less than 30% of the entire population. And (let's say) PT got around 50% of that vote, it means PT are only approved by around 15% of the population.

Is my maths correct? Did "the people" really vote for PT this time around?

1. The people were denied the opportunity to vote for the Dems by... the Dems.

2. There are not 70 million voters in TL

I said population of 70 million (the people).

And the Dems stopped 20 million people voting? Wow, gotta give them credit.

I dislike getting involved in the throwing around of numbers but;

43 Million allowed to Vote (unless Suthep gets his way)

20 Million voted

8 Million unable to vote (due to unrest)

12% not Valid

16% No vote (possibly Democrat voters)

If 50% Vote PT that is approx 25% of Eligible voters not 15%, who have voted so far and of the people who have voted it IS 50%.

Same situation as you last visit, I miscalculated my days as my plane (Thai Airways) arrived early and I passed through customs at 11:45pm then I was checking in at 3 am to depart. Decided to risk the fine for two days over, just fined and stamped at the Airport. The main worry was being stopped by the BIB for any reason so I returned the car and kept a low profile for a couple of days.

Stopping people from going to work, going about their daily lives uninhibited and being able to vote is effected the majorities rights also. I guess only one side (Sutheps) is entitled to rights

To a Bangkokian, the right to protest for months, to block roads, to have motorcycles zipping up and down crowded sidewalks, to ride a motorcycle with 3 toddlers and 2 adults (no helmets of course), to throw rubbish anywhere, to take over public thoroughfares as personal domain to set up shops, feed and maintain a growing population of street dogs that are never vaccinated against rabies, etc. are regarded as intrinsic rights of Thainess.

Outside Bangkok, those uneducated rubber, rice farmers and peasants in general (in this predominantly agricultural country) are not entitled to the same benefits Bangkokians enjoy.

Remember: Bangkok IS Thailand !!!

Sarcasm doesn't translate well, and I have to assume this is what this post is!

I guess the negotiations are underway, the Army was paid 1.5 Billion to stage the last coup; need to take inflation into account how many people that will need to disappear again, how long its going to take to (rewrite) woops I mean amend the constitution again, how many Generals will need to be paid off again, 3 Billion should just about do it!

Have flown Thai from Australia about six times in the past three years, and always happy with the service and meals esp out of BKK,

flew Qantas last month and remembered why I had promised myself never to fly with them again, lousy food and rude and unwelcoming staff,

it was a red eye but would fly Air Asia any time in preference to Qantas economy.

Maybe Thai could look to Air NZ for a plan to turn them around?

Many of the TV trolls hate Suthep. If you are one of them, please feel free to offer alternative ideas on how to rid Thailand of the Shin wannabe dictatorship.

The way to get her out is to vote her out in a democratic election, its called democracy. As for Suthep the sooner someone puts a bullet in his head the better off Thailand will be.

Perhaps the concept is a little too difficult for you to grasp. An election where votes are BOUGHT in cash or with populist programs is very much like stuffing the ballot box before the votes are counted. Is that really a democratic election or is it in effect rigged? Re-electing the Shins will NOT solve the problems that exist now. The protests and now violence will continue and will get much worse if they stay in power.

Time and again " Its only the the Shins or Reds that pay!

My sister-in-law got paid three times at the last Election and then wandered down and voted for who she wanted.

Stop burying your heads in your supposed principles, Rural Thai families love elections and the bonus money that gets

handed around.

This is just a repeat of the past and until the self interested dumb asses that keep stopping Governments running

full term, leave people to vote on the issues then you won't get quality governance, you will continue getting a constantly lower quality rabble.

My opinion of course.

It is patently obvious that Suthep is losing the battle so he is trying to win the war, by creating enough chaos in Bangkok

in the New Year he and his cronies are trying to force the Army to stage a Coup to "help the People of Thailand".

This would achieve probably achieve the same result of the 06 coup where the

Quote 2006 "The constitution would be amended for a rapid return to democracy through a national election in a year's time."

I am sure the people financing this unrest would be more than happy to assist in the amendments to the Constitution, for them it

is win win.

The oldest saying I was taught by my English teacher at school 45 years ago "If you don't learn from history you must relive it"

I guess and of course as usual this is my opinion, SAME SAME.

Looking and having watched this all unfold for the past months, while the losers from the last election have done there utmost to destabilise the present Government, Yingluck has shown a maturity of a positive leader. There hasn't been the raging violence of the past couple of encounters (yet). The Democrats have shown their true colors joining the marches ( a clear fear of losing their own support to Suthep ).

Once again Yingluck has at this point out maneuvered the opposition by saying lets get a new mandate from the sixty nine million not the two hundred thousand. This is what a democracy is and how it works contrary to the views of a few of the TV Forum subscribers?

I hope personally that the protesters now step back, work toward new elections and if they (the Thai people) want change they get it but let it be in the hands of the majority not the few!

Marcos and Suharto claimed the same kind of democracy. It most definitely is anything but democracy when all the decisions of a government are being made by a criminal fugitive who lives overseas, all the while continuing to claim that he has no interest in politics anymore. The Dems and Suthep are horrid in what they are doing, but the Shin clan are about as ugly and low as you can get and the country cannot and will not ever move forward until they are completely banned from ever having anything to do with politics here. If the Reds are so strong that they can win an election without paying people, why don't they just renounce the scumbag, give the Dems what they wish, and still come out on top? Looks like the only happy endings you get here are in massage parlors.

Do you believe the Dems don't pay for votes? One of the women in our village lost all her money going around paying for votes, after the Dems didn't get enough votes from the village they refused to repay her. Try to understand they are all as corrupt as each other. Power is what they are all fighting for not the good of Thailand!

Looking and having watched this all unfold for the past months, while the losers from the last election have done there utmost to destabilise the present Government, Yingluck has shown a maturity of a positive leader. There hasn't been the raging violence of the past couple of encounters (yet). The Democrats have shown their true colors joining the marches ( a clear fear of losing their own support to Suthep ).

Once again Yingluck has at this point out maneuvered the opposition by saying lets get a new mandate from the sixty nine million not the two hundred thousand. This is what a democracy is and how it works contrary to the views of a few of the TV Forum subscribers?

I hope personally that the protesters now step back, work toward new elections and if they (the Thai people) want change they get it but let it be in the hands of the majority not the few!

Yingluck has "shown maturity" she has not been here half the time. The biggest problem and you know it, it's not so much the 48% majority government (with it's partners a#se licking with noses in the trough, in return for their joining. IT is the SHINAWATTA clan that all the problems have arisen from. just this select money ,greed driven lot drunk with power.

Any outsider looking at the situation disapproves of a convicted man on the run running a greedy government. That is the reason they should go, NOT so much the actual elected coalition.

When you have so much money, as the Shinawatra Family does the only other things you can pursue is "power and heritage".

As a government this lot have at least tried to head in the right directions....anti drugs, improving minimum wage, trying to improve the lot of the average Thai (things that are not popular with those who hire maids and want cheap labor) corruption is endemic in Thailand unfortunately and will take a long time to ever stamp out (and I mean generations) but Sutheps history tends to make me feel his piece of the TROUGH is no longer big enough and to get his snout firmly back in, it will require the decimation of the Shinawatra led parties.

It is for the good of Suthep he is leading this war on Shinawatra not for the good of Thailand this is only my opinion

"Although the premier did not inform the coalition partners herself, she was quoted as telling her allies that she "had done the best that she could", the source said."

In the 2.5 years she has been the Prime Minister the best she could do was to lead Thailand to the point of no government today!!

to be honest with you and as a totally unbiased onlooker she seems to have handled the whole thing with some class. I think (and it's only my opinion of course) is that this Suthep chap is a first class sociopath. he can't win an election so he tries another way to rig it in his favour by doing his best to rid Thailand of democracy and lead by mob rule, anarchy is the word. He wants to tear down a democratically elected government (which shows what the people think of him, right? They'd rather have a convicted criminal's sister at the helm than Suthep or anybody else) and install an unelected "people's council". Who decides who will be on this council? Suthep? So he wants to be a dictator and some people (like you for example) think this is better than a democratic option? You might be right but back to your statement, it seems to me Suthep is responsible for bringing down the government not the PM.

"it seems to me Suthep is responsible for bringing down the government not the PM."

Had her government (and make no mistakes because she says it was her government) done its job then there would be no mass demonstrations and dissolution of parliament.

Also the previous three????

I feel the concept of Government is lost upon these politicians? in Thailand.

Get elected, do what is right for the people and the country and let the people decide at the polls how well you have done or not done....

Not lose an election, get enough people to protest (i.e. paid protesters) try and bring down the Government so your party can get their noses back in the corrupt trough again!

Until Government and Governing is understood and accepted by the majority of Thai people and the corrupt lose control political stability cannot be achieved.

Agree with Smedly on this one, have been in similar situation, people all react differently and conditions on the ground are always different,

better to be an living person than a dead hero!

RIP to the poor souls lost, feel for their families.

I personally have no problems with having insurance and proof, I have never come over without full and adequate cover, the company provide me with a printed copy of the policy and their quick call card, which I always carry with my travel documents, easy to show immigration upon request....really its not that hard. They even offer full year round cover for multiple trips if required.

The only drawback is possibly people who can't get reasonably priced cover, after all most insurance companies are in the business of making money i.e. my mother had a heart bypass and has trouble keeping her walfrin levels correct so she can't get cover, oh and my friend who attended our wedding, as she had suffered a minor stroke the insurance premium rivaled the airfare costs so she just took the risk.

So that probably rules out a lot of older people, well they don't need to be visiting they only get in the way of younger people?.

Wait a minute, last time I arrived in Bangkok 60% of the people at the airport were older!!!!

I realize this is just a discussion topic but the most sensible thing would be a levy or tax on all tickets of people coming to the kingdom as a health insurance premium if the true costs were worked out, and balanced against the spending (money being bought to Thailand by Tourists) the fee would most likely be quite insignificant.

Have a friend, a Fire-eater and Juggler who was sent up from NZ on a cultural tour, they were trucked in army vehicles with escorts and backed up to Hall doors and performed behind wire mesh to stop the bottles hitting them, then straight back on the trucks and back to their hotel where they were guarded by the army at night. He couldn't wait to get on the plane back to NZ and vowed to never go back....

I am not sure how different it is from New Zealand but I married in November.

We required a Statuary Declaration from the NZ Embassy which only required my Passport and NZ or Australian Drivers license, we had the Stat Dec translated and sent off to be OK'd, We then received the paperwork at our house (within a week) and went to the local Amphur office, who issued the Marriage Certificate, Issued my Wife with a new ID card in our Married name and also changed the name on her house paper, We required two witness (from the village) the whole process took about an hour and a half.

We are living in Australia at the moment so haven't gone into the best long term visa yet but we do support her Mother, sister and niece and have done for the past five years, so we keep bank records and now have them on auto bank payments from our Thai Bank.