BritTim

The temple might not be as bad as you think. The monks may be able to place the kittens with a foster feline mother if (as I would expect) there are already cats there. If you wanted to raise them yourself until they were old enough to give away, perhaps you could borrow a suitable female cat to be mother to them. You would not need to be there much after the first day.

If you are planning to be in Jomtien for an extended period, I would really recommend an ADSL connection. If you are only there for visits, I guess you could try the services that are convenient to where you are staying, and see which works best. In some cases, the time of day (morning is better than late afternoon and evening) has more impact on performance than the specific cafe or wi-fi service.

I personally consider this sad news. When I first visited Luang Prabang in 1981, it was a magical place with very little tourism. It was also very poor, and a certain amount of tourism was helpful for the local economy. However, the place it very ill suited to mass tourism. The special atmosphere is disappearing, and it will shortly just be one more destination ruined by package tours.

Do you know at what time departure from Suv. to northeast?

21:00. In the past, I have been able to get a ticket for this bus at the last minute. Of course, that would not be a good idea close to a Thai holiday.

My mobile phone (1-2 Call) is showing network failure, emergency. I am near Udomsuk (Sukhumvit 103) Are other people see4ing this? Is it the result of sabotage? Has the government temporarily closed down the system during a crackdown?

Medical treatment is good and inexpensive in Thailand. IMHO, you are in safer hands than in the UK simply because the medical staff are not overworked. I cannot make specific recommendations for Hua Hin, but I think there have been a couple of threads in the past. Perhaps, you could consider using a hospital in Bangkok. There are no legal restrictions on standard prenatal or postnatal treatments.

If you are traveling fairly light, my choice would be skytrain to Phrakhanong and then a taxi. You want to depart from the station on the side of Sukhumvit with outbound traffic (with the odd numbered sois). The taxi will need to negotiate the lights at Soi 71, but then you are on the expressway and quickly at the airport.

This does not work as well in the other direction, coming from the airport.

Allow some time to wait for a taxi, as they can be scarce on a Saturday afternoon.

My thanks for some useful replies.

I have no idea of the best section for this question.

I have an American friend over here, who is on Federal Social Security Disability Income as a result of being permanently disabled. The question is: can he declare his address as being in Thailand and continue to draw it? Does anyone know the answer. I believe I have met people in the Philippines in a similar situation, but I do not know if they were just there on the quiet. For reasons that should be self evident, we are cautious about putting the question directly to the responsible authorities.

As a general rule in Thailand, if ADSL works at all, the distance from the exchange is not an important factor. It can become important for higher speeds, but not what you can achieve through a TOT provided international Internet connection. It is usually fairly easy to check the strength of the ADSL signal, though, if you want. Look for a status screen in your router that talks about "upstream" and "downstream" "Db" or "SNR". If this specifies 10 DB or above, you are fine.

I have had lousy experiences with TOT ADSL. At a price, you could probably get a better ADSL service through CS Loxinfo or KSC, but this is usually only an option for those where reliability and performance of the ADSL service is critical. It would not hurt to call them and talk about it though.

When Internet performance is really bad, it can be interesting to run a command called "TRACERT" to some well know site to see where the bottleneck is. Open a command window (sometimes called a "DOS box") and issue the command

TRACERT yahoo.com

(Over simplification) this measures the time taken on each hop of the way to the destination site. Some hops will probably consistently give a "*" rather than a response time. This is because the equipment is not configured to respond. If, however, there is sometimes a "*" and sometimes a response time, this suggests a problem. The hardware at that node may be faulty or overloaded.

It can also be interesting to issue the commands

PING 203.146.237.237

PING yahoo.com

The response time to the first (a fast reliable server, actually a DNS server in Thailand) should be very fast, probably around 20 ms. Anything much slower definitely points at a major issue at TOT. The response to the second should be under 300 ms. If higher, there is likely a bottleneck on TOT's international links.

This is probably a lot more information than you wanted!

Have you checked your system restore settings? Turn off system restore on all drives?

Yes I have I had a virus at the time I like to restore my system and I have been told

due to my anti virus program it my block to restore to that time but I did turn off the

system restore on all drives (as advised) and turned it on again but it will not let me restore

I can not change the month I like it to restore it just won't let me do it

When system restore is turned off, all the information needed to restore to earlier checkpoints is deleted. Unfortunately, you will not be able to use system restore to go back to a point before system restore was enabled again.

For the future, I strongly recommend that you take proper backups to a separate harddrive, and not rely on system restore. There are many circumstances where system restore cannot help you. The kind of backup I suggest is called an "image backup". It takes an exact copy of the harddisk in a compressed form. Two programs that can take an image backup are Acronis TrueImage and Norton Ghost.

Is anyone else having problems with TRUE high speed at the moment? Most US- and Europe-based websites time out for me ...

I think the DNS servers are having problems. I have switched temporarily to 203.144.255.72, 203.144.255.71 and 203.146.237.237 and things seem to be running better (except that a couple of torrent trackers also seem to have gone offline for some reason).

User is a complete technophobe and would probably have problems coming to terms with linux.

While a technophobe who has struggled with Windows for several years is not a good candidate for Linux, for total newbies, Linux (Gnome) is actually easier than Windows. There is data to prove it, including a study done here in Thailand three years ago when Linux was not even as friendly as it is today.

Contenders if Macs are out and you are looking for quality:

Dell D420

Lenovo Thinkpad X Series

Toshiba M500-1400X

I would suggest you also get a port replicator with big LCD monitor, keyboard and mouse for when you are at home base. If you have never had this, it is hard to explain why it adds so much convenience and comfort. Just pull the notebook out, click it into the port replicator and (without messing with any cables including power cables) off you go with a setup as comfortable as a high quality desktop.

Do not skimp on RAM (get 2GB). Bonus if the machine has an eSATA port.

Dear Forum,

How are you?

A couple of people have brought external media for me to copy files. I plug them in and cannot read the files.

USB MP3 player - songs had garbled characters as filenames and I couldn't copy the file.

CD - couldn't read anything.

I told them that it was because they had recorded using Thai Windows and my windows is English. I am now beginning to question whether I am correct.

I use XP SP2.

I have the language bar installed and can type in Thai in Office, but that is not the same thing.

Do I have to install Thai windows? Enable Thai windows?

Could someone lead me through it?

Hope you are keeping well,

All the Best

Bill Z

It is not clear exactly what the problem is, but I have my suspicions. If filenames were in Unicode (as they would be if created by any Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista system) they should show up just fine. I think that an old non Unicode Windows 95/98/ME system was used to create the files. [As an aside, and I do not remember all the details, some language versions of 98/ME support Unicode and some, including the US English version, do not.]

One thing to try (though I am not optimistic that it will help in this case) is to set the "Language for non Unicode programs" to Thai under the Advanced tab of Regional and Language Settings in Control Panel.

Since this is probably a not uncommon issue, it is possible someone may have written a utility to deal with it. I am not aware of one, though. A search of the Microsoft Knowledge Base may turn up a solution. Worst case, you may need an old version of Windows 98 Thai to get around the problem. Good luck!

What a farce, are they not owned by the elite of Qatar. They are only free to bash other regions policy and right

up there with TRT and Thaksin run propaganda. Of course most of you find that ok.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Qatar

(snip)

... the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television channel (founded late 1996) is widely regarded as the only example of free and uncensored source of news in Arab countries.

In answer to your question" no, they are not owned by the elite of Qatar, though they do get most of their funding from that source. They are very up front in acknowledging this. It is to the credit of the Emir that Aljazeera seems to enjoy complete editorial freedom. Aljazeera Arabic channel has broadcast commentary critical of Qatar's system of government.

Some relevant information on Aljazeera:

* as others have mentioned, there is a significant difference between the Arabic and English channels; this is largely due to the different journalists involved as the editorial policies are little different;

* the Arabic channel went online in late 1996; many of the early senior staff came from the BBC World Service's Saudi channel that was forced to close or accept Saudi censorship; this perhaps explains the channel's difficult relationship with Saudi Arabia over the years;

* the Arabic channel can fairly be accused of bad taste; certainly, broadcasting videos of people being beheaded is shocking; it can also be argued that delivering the news (whatever it may be) unfiltered and allowing the viewer to make up his own mind is good journalism; the US establishment was very supportive of Aljazeera when it was campaigning for democracy and press freedom in the Middle East (which it still does); the US only started demonizing Aljazeera (and bombing its offices, killing and imprisoning its staff) when it started reporting on US massacres and other transgressions in Iraq and Afghanistan;

* the English TV channel, that went online late last year, is not that different from some Western channels, like Deutsche Welle or the BBC; it tries to be balanced; it definitely does filter distasteful content, I suspect because the journalists involved are used to doing so;

* the English web site is limited, but occasionally has some good stuff; for instance, how many of you have seen this: President Bush knew about Abu Ghraib

* Aljazeera also has sports, children, documentary and live politics channels that are separate from those above; I have no idea how good, or otherwise, they might be.

In the turbulent world of the Middle East, complete press freedom exists nowhere. However, Qatar is one of three countries in the area (Kuwait and UAR are the other two) that do not apply censorship to political coverage. According to Reporters san Frontiere, Qatar ranks 80th in press freedom with 18.00 "penalty" points. The United States controlled territories, outside protection of the Constitution, is 119th on 31.50 points (the US itself is 53rd on 13.00 points). Iraq, that bastion of US instigated freedom, comes 154th on 66.83 points.

In my view, Aljazeera provided an excellent addition to news coverage and political coverage when first established, and continues to do so today.

Aljazeera has a pretty interesting report on the airport woes, including a story about Sermsuk Kasitipradit, the Bangkok Post reporter who broke the news about the cracks two years ago and was sacked under pressure from Mr Thaksin for his temerity.

See http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/06B...3F9742DD368.htm

Of course, facing up to the problem over 18 months before the airport opened might have made it easier to deal with, but that would not be very Thai!

Ive been in Thailand 11 years now, and never once use an Agent. I speak very good Thai and find that helps considerably, as im very polite and try build up a good relationship with immigrations.

Im due to make a run pretty soon at Ranong (Burma). Does anybody here know if the border is open there, and has anyone experienced any recent problems? Am I likely to experience anything different to my previous visits at Ranong?

Good luck to all

I did a Ranong run on September 17. All went well, and it is not very different from before, but there were a few adjustments on Burmese side. Instead of $5 at the offshore immigration point, you must pay $10 direct to a fairly senior looking official at an office on shore. This office is just across from the one where you used to get the stamp on exit. They gave me both the entry and exit stamps at the same time.

I quite like the Ranong run, except for the fact that it is always bloody raining.

I hate Taksin, but I am always very suspicious of the motives of coup leaders. They usually simply see a good opportunity to increase their own power. In this case, we have been given a good benchmark against which to judge their sincerity.

The coup leaders have promised to handover power to a civilian interim administration within two weeks. If they really do as they promise, I shall be ready to accept that they acted for the good of the country.

A big question: who can they find with the required stature to take control at such a critical juncture? If he was 25 years younger, the obvious candidate would be Prem Tinsulanonda (the prime minister who steered Thailand through the troubles of the 1980s and who everyone agrees was a clean politician). Unfortunately, he was already seen as too old when Thailand needed such a figure 15 years ago. I would be happy to see Anand Panyarachun back in power. He would reassure the investment community and proved able actually to simplify business regulations. Further, he seems to have intelligent ideas about how to start dealing with the problems in the South.

What I fear is some kind of weak figurehead with the generals retaining real power.

Obviously, it is all speculation right now, but my own guess is that the basic rule will be maximum 90 days in any consecutive 180 day period. I think if you spent less than 60 days total in your last three visits (and none in the last several months before that) they would give you a further 30 day entry without any problem. The question arises: what will they do if, say, you have spent 75 days in Thailand in the last 150 days and ask for a new entry? One possibility might be that they would only give you 15 days. You would need to wait 15 days after that before entering again.

For sure, I am very keen to see an official detailed announcement (in any language).

I rarely post here. I draw no conclusions, just try to present some facts of which the vast majority of those here seem to be unaware.

First of all, Arab does not imply Moslem. Second, Moslem Arabs should not be stereotyped. Even two individuals from the same country can be as different as, say, two Spaniards. There may be some typical traits, but they are not universal.

Arab countries differ greatly in their levels of religious freedom. In many cases, there was a greater degree of religious tolerance in Arab countries up until around 1940 than in many Western countries. Countries like Syria, Iraq and Lebanon have long had Christian communities that lived peacefully with their Moslem neighbours until relatively recently. In Iraq, Christians only began to have problems after the Americans, in their infinite wisdom (not!) decided to replace an (admittedly brutal) secular government with one controlled by Moslem mullahs, and not the more moderate ones either.

Posts that suggest all Arab men (or all Moslems: the posts are not always clear about that) are only here for alcohol and sex is a gross generalisation that, like most generalisations, is off base. Many Arab visitors are here with their whole families. Many are, in fact, rather conservative and about as likely to be seen in Nana Plaza as the pope.

Terrorist groups that are often portrayed in the media as "moslem fundamentalists" are nothing of the kind. If they are to be described in religious terms at all, they are members of "extremist cults". They are no more representative of Islam than David Koresh or the Lord's Resistance Army is of Christianity; Aum Shinrikyo of Buddhism; or Nathuram Godse of Hinduism.

It is a fact that Islam in some societies takes a strict, even (to Western eyes) barbaric approach to law enforcement and general regulation of human affairs. It is also a fact that these societies normally have the overwhelming support of their members, men and women. Those bemoaning the sight of fully covered Moslem women, assuming them to be dressed in such a manner under duress would be well advised to talk to some of them. I have yet to meet a Moslem woman dressed in this manner, who indicated she would prefer to dress differently. I have read, and believe, that women have been forced to dress in a way they do not choose by religious police in places like Afghanistan. In cases where people themselves choose a different form of society than that I would choose for myself, I am not going to tell them that I know better.

The Koran provides no more justification for mass murder than the Bible, inaccurate and selective quotes notwithstanding.

Unfortunately, identification with ones own kind while demonising groups that look different is part of the human tribal instinct. One would wish that the media would try to educate people on the realities in the world and defuse these kinds of mindless hatred. Unfortunately, as with anti-semitism in the 1930s, the media today seem bent on inflaming the situation by presenting events out of context and using inappropriate language.

I wonder where he was in hospital. Many years ago, the brother of a Thai girlfriend contracted malaria while working in Cambodia. He ended up in hospital in Ubon, multiple times, blowing most of the family savings and nearly dying in the process. The doctors up country are often incompetent. Eventually, during a remission, I arranged to get him up to Bangkok. Two outpatient visits to Bumrungraad fixed him up.

If you want advice on Malaria in Thailand and Burma, get it in Bangkok. If you think you may have contracted malaria, get to Bangkok or Chiang Mai immediately and go to a top hospital. For the most serious forms of malaria, the best treatment is usually the Chinese drug Cotecxin. Western trained doctors, except the best in places like Thailand, will neither have access to it, nor use it.

Cotecxin can be used as a prophylaxis: get good advice on the appropriate dose. This is only indicated if you are planning to spend a lot of time in malaria infested jungles of Burma or the Thai-Burmese border areas.

Usually, malaria will NOT remain in your system if properly treated. Sometimes a different drug is required to totally eliminate the protozoa from the system than is used for initial treatment during an attack.

Great ! This is going to be very interesting, especially if they start t the top . . . . . . . I guess this then finally the demise of our 'beloved' PM ? ? ? ? ? ?

C'mon, guys - just more hot air and no true achievements !

T.I.T.

As usual, any such crackdown would be highly selective, and will NOT start at the top. I would not dismiss this announcement as meaningless: it could represent an excellent opportunity to eliminate some unwanted competition.

Until this last announcement, I assumed the recently announced measures were seriously meant. This newest statement makes it clear that we are all the victims of a massive practical joke. Since we were all too dumb to get the joke when it was subtly presented, they have now had to go completely over the top in order to help us dimwits see the humour.

Will bars be able to bypass this effort to reduce alcohol consumption by only serving beer after midnight in huge 10 litre jugs