dhream

I guess these guys aren't celebrities...

(photo credit http://www.ericsdamsite.com/Morlam.htm)

LEO (Law Enforcement Officers in Internet-speak) doing 'Leo', if that isn't a plug, I don't know what is!

14 posts and nobody gets it.

Just as with the prohibitions on tobacco advertising in many countries, Thailand has a prohibition on alcohol advertising. It's not all that draconian. Actually, many Western countries could do with less influencing young drinkers through media advertising.

It is obvious that the beer company has breached this prohibition via celebrity social media.

The authorities are not cracking down on beer. They are enforcing a law that has existed for a long time.

Did the celebs knowingly break the law? Possibly not. Did the beer company knowingly break the law? Probably.

It was a clever idea, and would have worked, IF they didn't get 24 celebs simultaneously....that made it obvious that it was an intentional campaign.

It's about priorities.There is plenty of crime in Thailand for the RTP to deal with, but it involves work, or the offenders are Hi So, or their own superior officers. The pay is shit, so keep your nose clean and concentrate on celebs advertising beer, or shops selling penis shaped soap.

penis shaped soap !!!

Don't know how I would go washing myself with one of those bad boys ! Imagine washing your face, or your bum..................

Or delinquent yoof taking nude selfies at country road signs up north. It's the end of the world as they know it! Send for backup! Where are the forensics guys? There must be a pube at the scene that will bring these monsters to book!

And the clown circus continues.

I'll drink to that..

I notice these icons green 'Heineken' bottles are way smaller than the brown 'Leo' ones, such realism!

here are a few more Hogarthian icons as I sip my cold suds (I can't afford beer so washing up liquid will have to do).

It's all great fun, until somebody gets it in the eye!

Lighten up guys, a little 'chak-wow' never hurt anyone.

It's putting it where it fits best that causes all the grief down the track.

As the ol' schoolboy one liner goes, "Some people toss-and-turn all night, I just toss."

One thing that's happening, is the raising of the pensionable age in the developed countries, and in Australia for one, they seemingly go out of their way to penalise citizens who decide to retire elsewhere, why this is so seems petty, we are not leaning as heavily on 'society' as the ones who stay, and they're clearly worried about the cost of the so-called tsunami of Baby Boomers, so why do they penalise those that opt out of the system?

Could it be because we're not contributing to that over-inflated economy they created by the unintended consequence of turning the fundamental necessity of having a roof over one's head into a speculative feeding trough for investors?

If any Aussie accountants reading this have a better clue than me, i'd be happy to stand corrected.

There must be some elderly 'goat cheese' guys in LOS who have hit the skids, and are just too old and broke to go back and regroup. I really feel for them, not everyone comes to grief through their own hand. While it sucks to be poor here, it is relative, and I'd hate to have to consider being homeless or living in a Western Sydney slum, at any age.

Frankly, if I lost everything, I think a nice lethal dose of pure Thai heroin would be the best way out.

SoiBiker

No offence intended, that's just the impression your post gave - especially the 'franchise' bit and the assumption that farang wives lived in fear of their men straying.

If i was living in Thailand with a Western wife and she wasn't paranoid every time i left the house alone, then i would assume she wasn't into me !!

We trusted each other before we came to Thailand. Why wouldn't we continue to trust each other here?

This is a fair comment, and an entirely reasonable premise, thus I can only speak for myself in reply.

Rather than make excuses, suppress my lustful drive, betray and deal with the guilt, or whatever, I came here free of encumbrances, and I have learned it's best to be upfront from day one, and to be open about being open.

There are a high number of women here who can live with the idea of sexuality within their relationship(s) being fluid. This place is unique in one respect, the feudal hangover of wives in a pecking order, for those who can afford it, and the modern-day 'Mea-Noi' (little wife/mistress) which is practically a given in Thai society.

My own gal is a mature 'mea noi' to a very old, very wealthy, Thai man, and I'm fine with that, she lives with me, and visits him.

Ironically, since I have a hall pass to have a bit on the side, both implicit and explicit, I just haven't felt the need, it's the old 'Br'er Rabbit' effect I guess, at play in real life.

But it's nice to know I can. Not many guys can deal with mutual and open infidelity, (not quite swinging, more polyamory) but if one can, it opens up yet other possibilities.

We Thai all know who the biggest Maffia is in Thailand. It's those ones who are supposed to combat the Maffia; we call them Tamluad

Agree with you, my thai girlfriend, laughed derisively when I told her about this latest announcement.

She supports neither Red or Yellow as a small business person, she just wants the place to straighten up and fly right. I think a lot of Thais with an education wish the same, but there's no particular 'middle' group to follow, unless they decide to support the Junta, which many of the same group also treat with a healthy scepticism.

We both agree that the only way this anti-mafia drive can happen is if the Government do what the current Chinese President is doing, as he makes a real example of the highest figureheads in the CPC. It seems to have got the message across in China clearly enough. Whether even that degree of ruthlessness is going to be effective in the long term, or is not even a smokescreen for darker machinations to cement the power of one (likely) remains to be seen.

I saw a 'Chang' promotional night in the gardens of Promenada Mall this week.

It had a Thai headline act, and the usual illuminated promotional blimps, even a table at the front of house reserved for the 'PRESS'.

The green machine was not gonna let a thing as paltry as the law come between them and the thirsty young punters.

You don't think that sounds even a tiny bit creepy?

I have my own reasons why I prefer dating women closer to my own age, but if some young lass has a 'Lolita' fixation, if that's the right word for it, then, so long as she's legal, more power to the guy.

Creepy to me means people being creeps, not Stephen king creepy, which young western women seem to have co-opted and popularised to define their weird uncles leering and/or leery behaviour.

But language is a living changing thing...

I also just saw the post made by that farang lady kickboxer, that was educational.

Not really, loads of Thai guys hang out at the Muay Thai training camps looking for free foreigner sex.

One of my pals is always at it.

And lets face it, no risk to them.

If they marry her, she can't have their Thai house, if they get her pregnant, no come back.

If we get her pregnant, we would be in court looking at maintenance charges.

Not really what? Could you clarify please? Not really educational?

I doubt, a fit (in all aspects) farang girl is gonna put out for Thai guyz 'hanging around' a training camp. Maybe they'll jump the male boxers, but not just a young horndog from the soi next door. Smells like a barstool claim if you ask me. You got a picture of your Thai mate and Lara Croft there to back it up? i mean, he's always at it, right?

I'm not saying you're untruthful, just that maybe your Thai mate is a little economical with reality.

Good luck getting a farang guy based in Thailand to pay for a kid in the west!

Women, regardless of their nationality, are not going to tell you what they want. ..... You gotta be constantly scanning em for what it is they want and then give it to em in an acceptable amount of time.

Or you could save the effort and just not bother with what she wants.

Get another one, if the current one goes.

It's not as if there's any shortage of replacements.

'Constantly scanning', I don't think so!

That kind of cuts both ways, but it depends what you want out of her (and her out of you).

There is a lot to be said for the social graces, in other words, mutual respect, in easing one's passage through life. it applies to women, or anyone else, for that matter.

Anyone who is happy giving precisely zero fcuks, is going to find it coming back at em, more often than not.

When i play nice, it usually pays back with surprising dividends.

I know quite a few Farang couples here, and I wouldn't say the women feel any less secure than they would elsewhere.

You're making the error many here do of assuming that your preference for Thai women is somehow universal. This is not the case. They don't have 'the 'franchise' on feminine charm'. Some men find them attractive for sure, but it's just a personal preference.

You're making the error here of underestimating my 'emotional intelligence' based on a single post you've read with your own preconceptions, it would appear.

I never said or even inferred the attraction of Thai women was 'somehow universal', that's an assumption you have grasped from my praise of the ones I have met! Some of my friends don't find Asian women attractive at all.

I myself am under no illusions that many are manipulators, and use their charms to extract maximum personal benefit at the expense of ANY male, Thai or otherwise. But that's not expressly Thai, just seemingly more 'visible' here.

Having said that, I have moved through life watching many of my peers 'discover' an attraction or perhaps a 'preference' for Asian (not necessarily Thai) ladies at around the age of 30-35.

I also just saw the post made by that farang lady kickboxer, that was educational.

'treat em right'

Treat them as you would wish to be treated. (The Golden Rule)

Seems to me that here, the Golden Rule is:

He who has the gold, rules.

But it's kind of universal, Willie Nelson once quoted a friend who called him just to say: "I've just figured out money makes women horny!"

I'd just like to point out that I was referring to relationships in Thailand - not necessarily relationships with Thai people.

Like many here, I cannot speculate on what it might be like to arrive here as a farang couple.

As per most if not all the previous posts, I am in a Farang/Thai domestic arrangement. And I agree with what many have said here, particularly about the patriarchal bias being quite agreeable, compared to the west. I also find Thai women to be more volatile, and charming, and generally more feminine, than their western counterparts, or indeed other Asian females. They seem to have the 'franchise' on feminine charm.

Unless the male half of a farang couple is not particularly enamoured of these quirks and charms, I'd say it would take a strong woman from any other culture to feel secure in her relationship here, but since few of them are likely to share here, we're left with (probably inaccurate) speculation.

I've personally met/seen just three unusual partnerships here :

The career expat, now retired, who lost his farang wife to illness here, then married a Thai, lost her in similar tragic circumstance, and then decided ladyboys were where 'it was at' for him all along!

A mate (and lifelong 'butterfly' of note) who decided to Honeymoon with his pretty blonde wife in Pattaya (Why, out of all the beach options, Sin City!?) They're still together back home, now with an adult daughter, amazingly...

A guy I saw at Immigration with his Filipina partner (I just happened to see her passport, or I would have assumed she was Thai) Input from him would be interesting indeed!

T'would also be interesting to hear some candid opinions from those who arrived as a couple, however, I'm not holding my breath.

Here's how it happened.... with maps. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_invasion_of_Thailand

Interestingly, Japan shared a philosophy at the time similar to IS 'world domination' ordained by the ancient seers. Actually not quite, but then I could not say...

Come back Enola Gay, all is forgiven!

Roll on driverless EVERYTHING!

We humans are just monkeys with tools we barely understand. Read how the 3 pilots of AF447 thought they were better than their machine, ignoring every warning alert, until they pancaked into the Atlantic at terminal velocity. http://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a3115/what-really-happened-aboard-air-france-447-6611877/

On the 'American Dream' theme, middle class Thais keep building beautiful homes -that are designed for Canada or Switzerland!

They've abandoned the practical, traditional, raised pagoda style, that not only works with the climate, but looks stunning.

We have but one 'traditional' raised wooden home in our baan, and it is for lease, and going begging. I would have grabbed it myself had I known about it beforehand.

Of course wood is protected now, and therefore more expensive than brick and tile, but nothing to stop them taking the concept and using suitable synthetic materials.

I my former Thai construction company we needed at least five people to do the same amount of manual labor that one average worker in Europe would have done. Because of this low productivity, combined with low work ethics and a total lack of pride in their work, Thai labor is indeed expensive.

Stick a few of those Euro construction heroes out in the Thai sun, at 38 degrees and 95% humidity and see how much they can do before they're spent.

Then make them come back and do it again, 12 months a year, with no relief from the heat in the winter...

Edit: In fact, if you want an eye opener, look up the Euro safety regulations for the maximum time it's safe to work at 35 degrees and 95% humidity before risking heat exhaustion.

Agreed. They could also consider introducing more machines and less manual for the 'heavy lifting' here, and have shift crews work overnight, in relative coolness, as is done in Singapore. Construction there only stops for public holidays, otherwise, it's full throttle until it's built.

One thing that does amaze me here is in every nice cool aircon Mall outlet, there are about 6 people standing around doing nothing most of the time.

But at least they look good in those ubiquitous tight little uniforms!

Edit: I'm not sure if I recall seeing night work in BKK recently, asian cities are becoming a bit of a blur lately, must be getting old...

Last year, a friend of mine who imports from China, came to LOS for a look at a plant that produces the same thing.

I have personally seen both factories, and the Thai one was streets ahead in just about every respect. They even have a side contract with a major Japanese brand.

Although we were warned about the snail's pace of doing business here, and the endless 'karaoke parties' and lunches, we were dealing with the western educated nephew, and we thought that we had made very clear to him that if we had a 'deal', we would need things to get happening immediately to ensure the merchandise flow was uninterrupted.

We should have known we were on a hiding to nothing, when we had to sit through the factory promotional video twice, they showed it again at our SECOND meeting. After an ostentatious golf course clubhouse lunch, the so-called 'decision maker', a big bejewelled Auntie, could not be found to sign a simple confidentiality agreement we had gone to some pains to get translated urgently.

By this time we'd figured out that the original business brains of the family had long since passed away, and spoiled clueless offspring were being kept in luxury by their admittedly talented middle management engineers.

Their email the following day more or less read: "So what business would you like to do with our Company?"

He is still struggling with the inferior output of the Chinese, and still looking for a better option.

Legalize marijuana. Allow citizenship or some kind of secure residency to people who can build the future.

If they did the first option, their tourist worries would end tomorrow, and never look back.

Cue flames from all the fear mongers who think the 'only' herb users are 'trash tourists' (wrong, they love their lager n bourbon) degenerates, benefit thieves, hippies, and ravers.

And that the sky would collapse.

Massive swathes of middle class, middle aged people enjoy the herb with relative impunity worldwide.

More fake!!

But must admit, I've never heard of fake black magic before!

I don't know if this qualifies for fake black magic or not. My next door neighbor scratched his foot in the rice patty and it became infected. After a few days his foot started swelling and turning red. They called in the local witch doctor. I eased over and witnessed the process. The lady witch doctor poured a copious amount of lao khao whiskey over his foot and whispered a secret message then proceed to blow on his foot for about five minutes while still whispering. When she finished she announced that in two days his foot would be back to normal. After four more days of waiting for "back to normal", his foot was double in size. I finally talked his wife into taking him to the hospital. He was in the hospital for a week and almost lost his foot.

No it works! She turned me into a Newt... but I got better.

How many times has Thaksin promised and sworn he would not get involved in Thai politics anymore? Yeah, right... So what does that make him, on top of being a compulsive liar? How long will he further be allowed to play his evil, egomaniac games? Should he really have to wait until Kharma punishes him?

his Karma is not yours to judge friend and if it's Karma you are talking about 99% of them should be trembling from ALL sides

Karma is utter nonsense that people who should know better insist on believing because there is no other way to exact revenge (QED because karma does not work!) the universe is arbitrary, and unfair.

Does anyone know if the Government guarantees customers against bank run outs, like they are currently reducing in the UK? And ain't that a cynical move, but don't worry! All is well.

And the follow up by BOT to confirm what action if any is taken will be?

Didn't this territory belong to a Sultanate 100 years ago? So hand it back, its not worth the aggro and expense. (Not holding my breath).

A bit brave of the Nation to post this critical op ed, I'm surprised!