hobz

1 hour ago, Myran said:

I really hope they make an example out of these two disgusting individuals.

Why? Is this type of disrespect a priority issue for Thai society? Does it affect your every day life somehow?

I thought examples needed to be set when there was a big problem, like i dont know, drunk driving or corruption.

The two mooners meant no harm. But they did break Thai law.

And they are unbelievably stupid for doing what they did.

I think they should get a large fine and maybe 1 week or max 1 month in prison. 

Putting them for years in prison makes no sense imho. Prison is for people that are dangerous to society. These people pose no more danger.

The large fine will work as deterrent for future would be offenders.

On a side-note, the buddha preached non revenge, i think the buddha said about insults that if someone givea you something and you simply refuse to take it, then who does it belong to? 

He also said something like "what you resist persists". If thai society was buddhist they would simply ignore these insulting pics and they would not have spread far as they did and no damage done... The true buddhist way.

1 minute ago, cardinalblue said:

I find it more offensive that 61 people die every day on Thai roads...

 

not a big deal...indecent exposure charge unless it's a threat to national security or a threat to pattaya's Boys Town?

 

Get real and start to focus on so many social ills this country faces....

 

nothing but a low-hanging fruit deflection from real and important issues that the authorities don't want to deal with...

The people in charge of roads are busy planning border tolls.

Every day there's videos posted online with pickup drivers committing vehicular manslaughter and doing hit and runs... Not much done about it i guess..

Be a corrupt politician facing jail = let out of the country

Be a rich brat kill a cop = let out of the country

Be american retards posting super disrespectful photos online = arrested when trying to leave country.

555555

"Office of Transport and Traffic Policy" Glad to hear that they have their priorities in order. It's not like Thailand has some of the highest levels of road deaths in the world...

5 minutes ago, adammike said:

And not forgetting nobody has seen their pay rise since 2008,no interest on savings,cost that we all have rent,energy,travel and transport and now food are all still rising,the exchange rate especially for the pound and euro for the baht are down significantly, 

Personally I don't think we will ever see the days of plasterers getting a grand a week, normal service will not be resumed ever.

Or to sum up, everyone except the elite is getting poorer, the elite is getting richer. Everywhere in the world (roughly). Soon we will see the next huge financial crisis perhaps, because we are in the biggest economic experiment ever conducted in known history with several countries having negative interest rates.

2 hours ago, bodymassagemyfriend said:

Something like inflation maybe ... What could get you a 100 sqm condo 10 years ago , now you get 20 sqm 

Yeah, and same goes for all other prices right?

Marijuana leaves? What is this? 1930?

3 hours ago, fanjita said:

Really?  Only two years ago it was still occasionally over 50 baht to the pound.  That's a big difference.  

 

Carry on in your day to day life with your blinkers on.  

Lets talk again next time it reaches 50 and we will see if everyone comes back .

I think this is fitting somehow, https://youtu.be/vUgs2O7Okqc

7 hours ago, timewilltell said:

Once there was a place called the Costa del Sol and the Costa Brava. British and other Europeans went there in droves. They built hotels and ripped off, scammed and raped their way out of favour until no 9ne goes there Any more. History is a worthwhile lesson!

I think a big part of it is the coolness/hipness/wow factor. Like how some clubs are cool until everyone goes there and then prices go up and it loses the coolness factor and then on to the next club.

10 minutes ago, Jen65 said:

its very true - the poor exchange rate for euro and sterling (ie the high value of the baht) has contributed to a significant reduction in europeans and we are left with Chinese (who desecrate monuments and shit in the street ) the Indians and Arabs (not al but the majority)who are just plain rude and with dirty habits .Most of them are sex tourists because they can't get what they want in their own country . The Chinese are a joke - they wander round in groups with a flag and selfie sticks gawking at everything , look for the "eat all you can chinese buffet's" and certainly don't come to buy property . They don't spend anything .  What benefit is that to Pattaya and Thailand ??     

The exchange rate EUR/THB has not changed that much... It had a peak around 50THB sometime 2008,, but since then it's been pretty steady around 40THB .. I think there must be something else at work....?

8 hours ago, jojothai said:

That not true from the who figures. and Thailand isn't number 1 either. See below Posted a day ago

 

61 - That's based on last years figures. (22356/365)

But the headline is pointing out a big increase in 2017 , with 2500 more its going up to 70 this year.

 

Note that the numbers seem to have big jumps in 2016 and 2017.

Rather than big increases, is it possible that the last couple of years the reporting has simply been improved and figures have become more accurate?

Is it because they are now adding into the total those who die after on the way to or at hospital?

 

With perhaps a 2017 total of 24856, this figure is nearer to the WHO estimated total in 2015. (24237)

If the premise above is true, then maybe we could see the figures stabilise next year.

 

Note: 24856 would give about 36 deaths per 100,000 population. Now similar to what WHO had in 2015.

In the WHO report it looks like only Libya was more, at 73.4 per 100,000.

From that, it looks like Thailand still has a long way to go to get to number 1 

Ok, I also wonder if it's actually getting worse or just reporting improving. 

The main argument for it getting worse is perhaps that there's more vehicles per capita now.

For Swedes Thailand is still nr 1.

Not sure where other europeans etc are going instead? Is economy worse and people from EU/US travel less?

2 minutes ago, JGV said:

I have said it before severe financial penalties for all infringements and a police force that will enforce this - if people plead  no money then confiscate their vehicles until they pay up and a curfew to prevent vehicles being used - yes curfew dawn to dusk No exceptions

Reasonableness has proved totally ineffective - people with vehicles and motor bikes need to be controlled like you would a child

Exactly, but look at this: 

Thai people don't want law enforcement.. So in a democracy it's only fair that the people get what they want (not that we live in a democracy, but you know what I mean :))

1 minute ago, tryasimight said:

What is road tax?.... I don't recall ever paying a road tax.  I just pay the vehicle registration as required.

Something special happening in CM? 

Vehicle registration = road tax i think?

2 minutes ago, Sid Celery said:

 

Insufficient teaching of how to drive, and non-existent teaching of how to drive safely. Occam's razor.

But how does this corelate to an INCREASE in accidents? The driving license now has MORE TEACHING.. Before it was 1 half day of instructions now it's 1 full day... so with your logic we should see a DECREASE in accidents, instead we see an increase,, what am i missing?

1 minute ago, Sid Celery said:

The more I think about it and watch them, the more I think that many if not most Thais function on auto-pilot for a good part of each day. Given their willingness to rush off and get a skinful of cheap whiosley, I wonder how happy they really are. Not very I think, which could be one reason why when Thaksin comes along and makes them feel worthwhile, they flock to him and remain loyal, possibly for life, certainly until the next election.

Yes, and poor are getting poorer in Thailand according to recent news... Having debt is a horrible weight on any person... Poor uneducated people tend to get in debt.... Miserable people are more likely to be speeding or driving recklessly or get into a state of road rage... Says me the couch psychiatrist :)

They have made the driving license harder to get. Now it requires a couple of days before it was all done the same day.

Less and less people believe that road accidents are caused by "fate" or "bad luck" ... 32% now, 50% before.

So why do we see this increase in accidents? Is it an actual increase? Or are they just counting / reporting differently now?

If there is an increase, is it related to that poor are getting poorer in Thailand? Poverty = more Debt. More debt = More alcoholism = More stress = More drug abuse = More frustration = More anger = More road rage = More speeding = More reckless driving?

What are your theories? 
 

6 minutes ago, rwill said:

looking at past WHO reports in regards to 'official' traffic fatalities vs. actual fatalities you can about double that number.

Exactly.

Until thai government increases all traffic related fines at least 10 times current amount I will think that current situation is what they want.

Probably cars parked illegally there blocking the view for the pickup.. Or maybe the curb is not marked correctly,, then I blame whoever designed the road or failed to mark the curb.

5 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

There is actually something in that, the law states that bikes, tuk tuks etc must travel to the extreme left of a roadway. It is somewhat the cars responsibility to merge with and give way to the bikes.

I've read the law again and again and it's not clear if they should stay in the middle of the leftmost lane or stay to the left of the leftmost lane. 

There's nothing in the law saying that motorbikes are allowed to undertake.

There's also nothing in the law that differentiates motorbikes from slow vehicles. When they say stay left in the law they talk about slower traffic in general and not motorbikes specifically.

I dont see anything in the law that would allow motorbikes to drive in paralell with other vehicles in the same lane except when overtaking. And overtaking should happen on right side. 

Anyway, laws are interpreted at the whims of police here.......

3 hours ago, fishbrando said:

I've just used them. 

 

On the plus side, they are very good at updating you with the status of your order.

 

On the minus side, my package got held up in customs which is exactly what I was trying to avoid with this whole program.  It seems that it is a restricted item so I have to register as an importer.  So I have the choice of either mailing my passport to the logistics provider so they can register for me (not going to happen) or I can go to a customs office in person and register myself.  The item is worth about 250 USD.  I'm still considering whether it will be worth my time to possibly stand in line at a government office for hours.

 

Edit: they were nice enough to tell me that there would be no additional charges.

May i ask what type of item it is? Im thinking about ordering a diy home alarm system. Wonder if that is restricted as well.

Meanwhile poor get poorer in thailand.... Perfect for a populist party to win an election.... And thats why there will not be an election because current junta is controlled by these clans.