Expat Brad

But the intent of the governments of the West are generally good so comparing what goes on in the West with what goes on in some other parts of the world (wrt. human rights) goes way beyond comparing apples and oranges - it's just ignorant.

Why? I mean they are still humans doesn't matter which country is treating them poorly it shouldn't be happening in any country. Still pot calling kettle black for me !!!

MO, Throughout the last XX years the army has stood back and observed the rampant corruption and mismanagent of the Thai economy by both sides of the Thai political fence. Of course the army is not perfect and free of corruption either, but at least they seem to addressing many issues previous governments wouldnt touch.

It never stops amazing me how seemingly intelligent westerners bang on with this "overthrowing a legitimate government" BS and demonising Thailand because of "no democracy", when very few countries worlwide will suffer a "democratically elected government" that runs their country to near ruin through mismanagement, corruption and downright contempt and disregard to the law.

I think youll find many countrys have measures to get rid of rogue governments one way or another should the occasion arise.

The difference is that such a thing rarely happens in those countries, since people with zero experience, zero qualifications and family links to criminals very rarely make it to the post of prime minister.

I know at least of one countrys history where a governor general sacked a democratically elected government. Theres nothing to say that country couldnt do it again if it had a government that didnt do as it was told. Then we would all have to call that country undemocratic as well!!

100% agree with your views particularly with regards to the replacing of a dysfunctional YS Government by the military. Nothing else was going to get rid of her. Although they are possibly far from perfect the current mob appear to be tackling the job on many fronts. Whether for their own benefit or not that is another thing.

Who would or will Thais vote for in an election any way. There has been only one political voice thus far so who is the opposition party for Thais to vote for. The election when it does take place will be a done deal & you know what most Thais will be happy with that. Thailand has been under military rule more than civilian rule so this situation is normal & funnily enough life goes on for them.....IMO mae pen rai can be a good place to be sometimes. I also think that westerners think too much about things that they in reality are powerless to change any way. If governments want to do something it usually happens no matter what the people want......I'm not saying that people should just bend over & take it but people power rarely works even in western countries unless through violence that is........

Are you serious, or jesting?

Mai pen rai? You fell for it already?

I guess your glass is half-full and half-empty all the time but, as you say it; 'mai pen rai'.

Maybe I have & maybe it is. Please tell us who are the other candidates, do you even know what they look like, what are their policies & how many Thais are asking these questions too???

Who would or will Thais vote for in an election any way. There has been only one political voice thus far so who is the opposition party for Thais to vote for. The election when it does take place will be a done deal & you know what most Thais will be happy with that. Thailand has been under military rule more than civilian rule so this situation is normal & funnily enough life goes on for them.....IMO mae pen rai can be a good place to be sometimes. I also think that westerners think too much about things that they in reality are powerless to change any way. If governments want to do something it usually happens no matter what the people want......I'm not saying that people should just bend over & take it but people power rarely works even in western countries unless through violence that is........

It makes me vomit every time I read crap like this. I mean the US criticizing other countries on their human rights injustices what about the poor bxxtards from Mexico & so on that are abused by Americans on arrival. Same for other western countries such as Australia they are sending refugees to Cambodia where the already persecuted will be further persecuted in a 3rd world country. I say people in glass houses !!!

With a new board what is next for foreign teachers regarding the hurdles to be jumped to remain teaching in Thailand. This could/should be a good thing but who really knows what to expect. They will probably want to sit up & beat their chests for the PM & make yet more changes to application criteria which could be anything. IMO if they turn around & push for teachers with teaching degrees I think they will find schools with no teachers. I came here for the lifestyle not the money. I certainly don't think with regards to the 39,000 government schools in Thailand with I don't know but say 80,000 foreign teachers that they would find the numbers that just wanted the Thai life. I mean 30,000 baht for a qualified teacher isn't that attractive really thus a massive shortfall could be seen.......then OOPs.

My comments are directed primarily at ESL Teachers not Maths or Science Teachers. Although how many of them would work for 30,000 baht when they could command much more elsewhere.

I have now been an ESL Teacher with a degree (Non-Education) for the last 2 years & have just renewed my contract with my school for a 3rd year. I will be requesting my 2nd waiver mid June which would have been fine prior to the reshuffle but who knows now.

Many young Thais particularly males simply put their hands out & their parents give the cash to them.......why save, they only need to ask. Until the day comes & it will that the old money dries up due to the parents self induced spiraling debt & they are going to be well & truly stuffed. These kids, the adult Thais of tomorrow have absolutely no knowledge or skills regarding the use of money other than spending it as quick as possible.

As a visitor talking to HOTEL staff, waiters, sales people - the usual when one comes for vacation - I found that the situation is reverse: many young people working in at least tourist industry come from rural areas and actually support their families/parents back there.

Agreed that certainly does happen. I live & work just outside of CM & I see it. Somchai gets a new motorbike or iphone after he just passes his school year, I mean just passes or he or she just wants one & the parents stupidly buy it, whatever.

Maybe this observation could placed to another topic but over time I have noticed time after time this for example : A male & female (Thais) are at a restaurant & 9 times out of 10 it is the female that pays the bill or the male actually takes money from her purse to pay it. Similarly at say 7 Eleven. Male Thais seem to have no control on their spending thus bleeding their GFs OR are they smarter than others by not spending their own money. I doubt it is the later.

Many young Thais particularly males simply put their hands out & their parents give the cash to them.......why save, they only need to ask. Until the day comes & it will that the old money dries up due to the parents self induced spiraling debt & they are going to be well & truly stuffed. These kids, the adult Thais of tomorrow have absolutely no knowledge or skills regarding the use of money other than spending it as quick as possible.

Tablets will not work NOTHING will work until the unofficial "0" fail is dealt with. Except for the few students that actually wish to learn there is no incentive for many as they will pass anyway. It's a joke. In Thailand education is basically free for 15 years meaning that if a student was to repeat a year that then would extend the cost to the government hence the immense pressure placed on both the schools & the teachers to pass them. IMO if a student fails & has to repeat a year then the last years cost (15 year) should be born by the students parents.That would pressure them to pass or have their axx kicked by Mum & Dad. Regarding the pressure placed on the teachers I had failed 36 students out of 670 & I was told that those failures COULD have a very negative impact for my contract renewal......fix it !!!

Why are there more than 2 million immigrant workers from Myanmar alone........They are employed in GREAT numbers here in CM

1. Thais don't want to do LOW work such as well just about anything really from labouring, service staff to retail

2. Thai employers don't want to pay either. Cheaper to employ & abuse migrant workers

Doh, they took the risk of not doing things legit as many do.......got ratted on & busted / shutdown !!! A business openly operating like this one was would be shutdown in any country not just Thailand, why is this even news ???

Here's one way the number is skewed, according to Bloomberg:"If, for instance, you lose your job as a bank teller and return home and lend a hand at your dad's farm for at least one hour a week, you are considered as employed."

I'm assuming that rule applies throughout the economy: Work 1 hour per week = employed.

Australia does exactly the same with it's unemployment stats

I don't know but with all the proposed projects he's coming up with & the rice scheme payouts, where is the capital coming from. OMG Thailand is going to drown in debt. Then what about the return to happiness for the Thai people.

Well done to Ampapan Amornwanich. Great to see wealth being used to help the less fortunate in society.

Far more beneficial than "buying" merit from local temple.

Bravo to that........I'm certain that the spiritual powers that be would honestly see far more merit making from this act by this woman than most anything else. She has enough & she is happy to share with those that don't. To many people out there, enough is never enough.

IMO the base root of the problem is the unofficial NO Fail Policy. If the student moves on to the next year no matter what, why study. With this system only the handful of keen students per class will really move on to a better future leaving the rest to just flounder along playing on their phones in their Mom & Pop business. This problem would probably occur in western countries if it were employed there. NO incentive to learn & NO punishment either...........NO future!!!

If CM was listed would that not pose issues for development / developers here.........I mean they are knocking down as many Lanna Style Wooden Buildings as fast they can & replacing them with ugly concrete ones everywhere. Plus Condo after Condo. I went with my GF to her home town just outside central CM, she wanted to show me the street scape of traditional wooden shops that were on either side of the road. When we got there she was shocked all but a couple of the traditional shops were gone. She had not been back over the last 3 years. She said that now it looks the same as anywhere else. IMO it's too late for CM, they have gone development crazy already. CM has some amazing heritage sights for sure but to list the city & outer provinces, not sure about that reality.

I was watching a Thai television program (Thai PBS) some time ago about this English guy somewhere in Isaan. He is married to a Thai & he works his farm with no issues in fact he has spoken at several farming seminars. He speaks very good Thai (Isaan dialect) & has assimilated into the local community where he lives & people appeared to respect & like him. The one thing that I noticed on top of this was that he lives no differently to his neighbours which is very simply, small wooden Thai house which was more like a shack actually. I don't know how in this case that this farang is okay to the point of being on national television but others are not. It cannot be his location because of the television program etc. IMO maybe food for thought.

"Let's do the math:

A backpacker that stays in a family-run home stay, eats meals at a family-run noodle shop and drinks a few beers in a small family-run bar...

Backpacker stays 26 weeks and spends an average of 1000B/day = 182,000B or $6000USD.

Most of that money stays in the pockets of family businesses, and is spread out to other family businesses in the local area.

By contrast, The Ugly Rich Tourist stays in hotels owned by Corporations, which pay their employees little because they should be "grateful" to work in a "resort".

The Rich Tourist eats inside the hotel, because they're "afraid" of eating better food on the street. They hit only a few tourist attractions, enriching the local economy little.

They fly back home in a week or two, because they are "impotent" people with "things to do and places to go".

The Rich Tourist spends far less than the $6000 dropped by the "dirty" backpacker."

I completely agree High End is not the way to go, they don't spend where it's needed (locally). I remember in Cairns roughly 2008 (Australia) they local government rallied to get rid of the dirty backpacker types then they realized just how much they actually spent locally.....Oops!!!

IMO the ones wanting the high end tourists are the very ones that own the high end hotels etc & who owns these hotels the elite.......and they could not care less about the ordinary Thai worker or business.

Oh, the rich gods NOT.......I was at a nice cafe in CM dressed clean casual & was just waiting to be served & waiting anyway a couple (USA) then sat down & looked the goods, immediately the waiter charged over to serve them. 1 OJ & 1 Fruit smoothie..........I on the other hand ordered eventually a Burger with the lot, fries & a large bottle of beer........A quality tourist is one that spends money not one that just looks like they could.

Mandatory classes in Chinese schools to learn about western culture is the only way.

We automatically learn "common sense"

Sorry but are you forgetting where you are........This issue is happening in an Asian country. Why would they need to be educated in western culture?

Westerners automatically learn common sense........The most hilarious comment ever !!!

My take on this is good luck to them & the pizza would probably be better than the the norm (cooked by a Thai). At the end of the day they wont have a problem until they have a problem them it's all over for them. I have seen many farang obviously operating the business here in CM with no probs until someone makes it a prob then bye bye. My Thai wife & I set up a small noodle shop where I was helping a little bit. All was good initially then custom dropped off dramatically. She had people comment that it doesn't matter if business is down "You have farang & you don't need money" & one even said that "You & your farang compete with Thai people". It appeared that they did not want to support a farang owned business, did not want money going into a farang's pocket. We closed soon after. It's sad because Thais are more than happy to have a farang give / lend them money to start a business, but that's different.

That's right it's a report from an NGO not actually representing the UK government. More importantly to me is this, what the hell is this tier list anyway & where does it come from.........Oh, America. For gawds sake that's like the pot calling the kettle black isn't it as far as human trafficking is concerned. I am not saying that there isn't an issue here but IMO how dare the US impose such a thing on Thailand. Damn hypocrites......do as I say not as I do.

"Its a piece of wood for christ sake and the owner gave permission. If it were up to many of the nut cases in the world, everything would be organically grown, no additives, no killing of animals, no driving of vehicles etc.....you get what im saying"

It's the not give a fxxxk mentality like yours that is helping destroy this world & hey whats wrong with eating organic food with no additives either?....................you get what I'm saying?

TECHNOLOGYBYTES...........You are either a wanna be biker or a goodie goodie civil libertarian type tosser. I was employed in the Australian Prison Service for over 10 years & my jail had for than a few Bandido inmates. For sure they were all wrongly convicted, NOT. There is no denying that they are a CRIMINAL GANG & whilst they are they should be stamped out for good. Pechy could not have got his position by being a boy scout now could he? It's people with your mentality that allow these CRIMINALS free run in our societies by hobbling the AFP do do their job. Hence the QLD Governments blanket laws regarding bikers & association etc. The AFP could NOT hassle the real criminal gangs because it would be seen as discrimination by some of your kind.......So they walk among us free to do their Shxxxxt.

Just do it Indonesia these creatures were caught red handed no if but or maybe. How many lives in Australia would be ruined if they were not caught. Australia should bring in the death penalty too (If beyond doubt like these two). After being employed in the Australian prison system for ten years there is NO deterrent........To many that are incarcerated being locked up is just part of doing business. Australia has just got too many goody goody civil libertarians for it's own good IMO.