Ve37

Well done Chiang Mai immigration, good news indeed.

Good News? What's good about a limited hours (open 11am) Immigration at the Prom? 85% of expats needing services live within 3 km of the Old City,...not the LONG ride to the Promenada. In 2 years I've only been there twice,...transportation there is a headache (and costly) from Nimman neighborhood.

Dumb, dumb. dumb,...accept those getting a bonus for creating this inconvenient hardship.

FYI:

CM IMMI services 3 (three!) provinces. Chiangmai, Lamphun and Lampang.

Do you have a map?

I was not aware of that,...nevertheless,...with the exception of Doi Saket and the area within 3 km of the Old City, is there a sizable population of expats? Been to Lampang a few times,...never saw a single expat,...maybe they only come out at night. Yes,...I have maps,...and from a geographical POV, the Prom is a good location for a Chiangmai, Lamphun and Lampang area.

The older expat population, predominately residing at the numerous condos within 3 km of the Old City, generally don't have cars,...whereas those fewer expats who live outside that area, must have their own vehicles to live so far out of the city.

All in all,...I hold my position,...the Prom is not only a bad idea for the majority,...but a hardship.

Yes,they are an eyesore,also dangerous,when they have them at

road junctions,blocking sight of oncoming traffic,no thought at

all from the people that put them up,Thai people need to realize,

and care more about what they are doing to their environment,

with noise,air and visual pollution,all out of control.

regards worgeordie

Every time I walk over to the Airport Plaza, along Huey Kaew Rd, or nearly anywhere, I have to remove large signs from the walkway, or be forced to step into traffic. Another HUGE danger is motorbikes parked on the walk ways. I'd suggest a b10,000 Pedestrian Endangerment Fine,...with 10% going to the cops who write the ticket. That should get things cleaned up quickly.

Well done Chiang Mai immigration, good news indeed.

Good News? What's good about a limited hours (open 11am) Immigration at the Prom? 85% of expats needing services live within 3 km of the Old City,...not the LONG ride to the Promenada. In 2 years I've only been there twice,...transportation there is a headache (and costly) from Nimman neighborhood.

Dumb, dumb. dumb,...accept those getting a bonus for creating this inconvenient hardship.

All countries listen up; Thailand has found the answer to getting rid of criminals. Look to Thailand for the solution to your problems.

Yes! An Unelected People's Committee chosen by the Elite.

A daunting task........this should lead to a decrease in population!

No,...will lead to Civil War.

" new departments to deal with cases of human-trafficking, drug-related crimes and corruption as well as unscrupulous activities of state officials."

The first two parts are to appease international concerns,...but the second two (corruption as well as unscrupulous activities of state officials) is designed to keep the Unelected People's Committee's powerful, and squash the Rural Majority from having any say.

The thing is this,...the Bangkok Elite is not going to change.

"Thailand's conflict is largely rooted in the conflicting egos of the elitist few." Bangkok Post

It's time for Lanna and Issan to declare an autonomous zone. In just a few more years, the Muslims from the South will take care of Papa Prayut and the Bangkok Elite.

checkmate

well played PM

No,...the game has hardly begun.

Thailand's Traditional elites have a steel grasp on state organs, like the Constitutional Court and the National Anti-Corruption Commission, which fabricated a corruption convictions against both Shinawatra’s, and anyone else who they feel threaten them.

"Thailand's conflict is largely rooted in the conflicting egos of the elitist few." Bangkok Post

Checkmate will be after a Lanna/Issan independent State is formed, and the Bangkok Elite are overthrown by Muslims from the South,...unless the Elite wake up by then.

366 days now.............

Every day with a new meaningless statement !!

Dear General Prayut,

If you ever become seriously determined to Return Happiness to Thailand,...you must immediately do to the PDRC what you've been doing to the Red Shirts, and allow an immediate 1 vote per 1 Thai People.

As is, the majority of the Thai People know that you have no interest in Returning Happiness to them, but only happiness for the Elite.

“Before martial law was declared, Gen Prayuth told me ‘Khun Suthep and your masses of PDRC supporters are too exhausted. It’s now the duty of the army to take over the task’, ” Mr Suthep (aka Paphakaro,...the Enlightened One) said.

I guess both sides, the ladyboys and the homophobes, should learn to exert some restraint.

Wishful thinking I know.

True,...the Irish dude (who should not have been in Pattaya) is likely a homophobe,..but doubtful the Lady is homosexual,...she's an arse-kicking woman in a males body,...thus the correct "phobia" in this case would Transphobic Irish dude,...even though his homophobia saw her as a man.

in today's news.. biggest smiles, smallest penises, surely this can't be correlated?

This survey left out Southern Thailand, where Muslim indoctrination has been growing exponentially, and smiles decreasing daily. I was overwhelmed this year during three separate trips to the South (Phuket, Krabi, PhiPhi, Trang), and seeing, AND HEARING, the growing Muslim presence.

General Prayuth should take heed,...because his (and the PDRC's) focus on persecuting the Northern Thai (rural majority) is going to lose them Thailand to a Muslim population that does not like the King.

In other words,...half of all Korean men have fully erect penises under 3.8 inches. By consequence, the average Korean female vagina must be pretty small.

Please explain to me what common Thai is going to be able to afford this thing. It will likely be cheaper and easier for most foreigners to fly. This is a big boondoggle to blow millions and billions on a train that in the end will never work. They can barely run the broken down outdated trains they have. The money should be spent on just standard trains and dual tracks. The best thing they could do is fire the train boss. One of Yingluck's many brain dead ideas.

Yes,...I understand that it's very difficult to explain things to a conservative like yourself

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Society/Conservatives_Deconstruct.html

Progressives, like Yingluck, understand that High Speed encourages job growth, even before being built, lifting Thailand out of it's decline into less and less, towards a more prosperous future.

IMO, only an insane person could not see the value of a High Speed Line between Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, Chiang Mai, Chaing Rai. The reason why the PDRC folks reject such a train is merely to spite the Rural Majority in the North,...but that will be soon taken care of through the new Constitution, which will make government officials appointed positions, through the superior Bangkok Elite,...a Conservatives Dream.

Thai custom is not to shake hands.

That's a Farang thing anyway.

Even Thai males will "wai" each other on first meeting.

By the way the "hearty handshake" thing goes back to the long ago times when robes and even Togas were common.

The reason then was that if you grabbed the person you were meeting and shook his or her arm vigourusly, you might shake loose any dagger they were concealing in the sleeve of his or her robe or Toga.

The "handshake" started out centuries ago as a protective grabbing of the arm of the person you were meeting.

Wow! Really, as a student of history, can you give me the toga hand shaking reference?

Watch the film Ben Her,...Charlton Heston

Thai custom is not to shake hands.

That's a Farang thing anyway.

Even Thai males will "wai" each other on first meeting.

By the way the "hearty handshake" thing goes back to the long ago times when robes and even Togas were common.

The reason then was that if you grabbed the person you were meeting and shook his or her arm vigourusly, you might shake loose any dagger they were concealing in the sleeve of his or her robe or Toga.

The "handshake" started out centuries ago as a protective grabbing of the arm of the person you were meeting.

This reminds me of growing up in North Philadelphia, Pa.,...where if someone asked you for a match, you punch them as hard as you could in the face, least you put your hand in your pocket (to get a match) and they punch you first.

Possibly because shaking hands is not a Thai custom. Nor is the current craze for fist-bumping. You never know where those sweaty hands have been! Some Thais view a handshake as merely the symbolic touching of hands.

The 'wai' is both hygienic and respectful.

Good answer!

Thus the real question is,...why do westerners expect firm, non-hygienic handshakes,...I personally find the custom competitive and apalling.

Most non-Thai martial artists use gentle shakes,...they know they can kill a Western in seconds,...don't need to exhibit strength.

I prefer gentle handshakes if I'm forced out of politeness to do so,...but forget about the firm crap,...you're lucky I shook your hand at all.

Actually, handshaking is a practice that should ended. It's the number one way to transmit disease.

I'm sure the Western allies will understand before the week comes to an end, and in addition will 98.6% of the Thai population support that general happiness once again blew a fuse.

General Happiness....love it!

Damn foreigners. If they didn't complain then we wouldn't have these problems. Don't they understand Thainess? It's our country and you must accept that this is the way it is here. Curse you foreigners.

I take offense with such cynicism. Many foreigners, going to Karaoke bars thinking the girls time they are using is free, or worth a B10 tip. If a troupe of Malaysian Muslims raked up B150,000 in charges,...who says they didn't,...the customers? For those who haven't been to Chiang Mai,...these karaoke girls are not Soi Cowboy bar girls,...but usually middle class university students who see their time worth more than a few hundred baht. Instead of condemning the karaoke bars without trial,...perhaps the TAT could suggest that karaoke customers sign a price list when they enter.

As for Thainess,...if I didn't live in North Thailand, I wouldn't know what that was.

In the past 18 months, I visited South Thailand 5 times,...each time a little more disgusting than the last. I'm not a sociologist, nor know why Thainess is waning,...but I have seen, too numerous to count, Thai people exasperated with (predominately Russian) tourists in the South. In the North, the problem is more with obnoxious Chinese visitors. I'm not saying that New Age Gadgets, like "smart phones," have not become a huge problem in distracting what was once Thai considerateness,...but their are many problems,...and not very likely that the Thainess of pre-Russian tourism and pre-cell phones will ever make a come back.

“Phuket currently has no beaches ranked in the 100 most beautiful beaches in the world" - that's not so much because of the beaches themselves, but rather all the BS that is around them.

The problem with Phuket's beaches is simple,...arrogant, hateful, pushy Russian tourists. I visited Karon and Patong beaches a couple weeks ago, and was shocked by how Russians as a whole, treat Thai people, others, and themselves. Was so glad to leave,...and have no desire to ever return as long as it's packed with Russians, as it was. I felt threatened every minute, both on the beaches, and in the towns.

Russian tourists have already negatively influenced Thai people in Phuket,...contracting their culturally happy demeanor with Russian traits. I hope they stay out of North Thailand,...although a few have been trickling in. What good will be Thailand if Thai people become like Russian people.

"...stop focusing on stats and focus more on improving their offerings for tourists..."

Isn't that what TAT should be doing?

A decline in Russian tourists, is good news for Thai people,...as rude, cruel, arrogant Russians have had a very negative effect upon the easy-going happiness of Thai people. I don't agree much with Gen Prayuth,...but I do agree with him, that Thailand needs more considerate, vibrationally expansive tourists,...not the contractive types that are nearly the whole of Russian tourism.

maybe should have a few laminated cards in other languages to show people the problems but then it goes down to education and the fact that for years people have been allowed to mistreat holidaymakers with scams and threats of violence and the Police have stood by and done nothing about it as for the Jet skis it is know far and wide about that scam yet still people hire them if you dont hire them it will dry up and go away ( but some other scam will replace it) till the law is seen to be done and fair on both sides of the line:wai:

I'd wager that jet ski scams were introduced by South Thailand's Russian gangs.

someone needs to explain to these guys that the way of the thug has no place anywhere when dealing with touristsThe guy in question should be spoken too and if he still doesn't get it then sack him

All these arrogant posts have me frustrated. Go visit the Russian filled beaches in Phuket, and you would want to scream. Their rudeness, and outright cruelness towards Thai's, to me, is criminal. I was so glad to leave Karon Beach last week, after a few day visit,...but I feel so sorry for the Thai's who live there, and feel they have to put up with these Russians (and Muslims).

This is just the beginning of the retaliation against arrogant tourists,...a beginning that anywhere else, would have began long ago,...when the first Russian tourists came.

I wonder who controls the naughty Life Guards ....

Go visit Karon Beach,...and you would not make a comment like that.

The Russians in Phuket are BAD for Thailand,...I witnessed a week ago, countless times, how their cruel arrogance affects the Thai people. I'm afraid "happy" is in steep decline throughout South Thailand, where Russians (and Muslims) infiltrate.

I am thinking Hua Hin is a better choice. The over 50 crowd can't do knife fights.

I'd consider living in Phuket if the Thai government took steps to ensure Thailand is a Buddhist Nation,...even making all government jobs only available to Buddhists.

There are too many folks of the Abrahamic faiths in Phuket,...which makes safety a top priority.

I'm not saying that anyone should be banned from the delusion of their choice,...but proselytizing Abrahamic practitioners are of the belief that they can Muslimize and Christianize the South,...which breeds terrorism and the contracted vibrations of Abrahamic religionists.

I visited Phuket last week and could see the impact that Abrahamic religionists have already been having on the normally expressive, smiling Thai population.

Where Thai Buddhist celebrate happy,...."There is no heresy or no philosophy which is so abhorrent to [the Abrahamic religions] as a human being." James Joyce

How could they fly without permission?

From what I understand,...it was a scheduled flight, but left early (for some yet unknown reason),...which was not cleared. Because of the earlier take-off, there was already air traffic above them, and thus did not have permission to go higher. We'll know more by the end of the coming week.