sambum

You can never get a taxi in Sukhmvit easily. You need to try several before the driver condescends to take you. I usually if I am going out of the city get the BTS as far as possible then get a taxi. Never have any problem then. Taxi's down Sukhumvit obviously get too much money if they can say no to a fare

Same as I personally experienced numerous times since late '90's.

Can be many valid reasons for refusing a fare. Shift change is a big one. Getting stuck in hours of traffic for a Bt xx fare.

And, very honestly, why shouldn't a person be free to decide when, where and how they work?

In answer to your question, wouldn't it be nice to tell your boss that you weren't going to work the hours that you were employed to do in the first place, that you weren't going to work in the place that you were employed to work in, and you were going to work the way you wanted to?

Don't forget your coat on the way out!

That's a pretty convenient spin on what I wrote. Do you not understand the concept of a 2 shift or 3 shift taxi operation?

re. " .. the hours that you were employed to do.."

In many cases the drivers are employed to work a shift. If the work significantly longer than their shift, they actually take compensation away from the next driver.

re. ".. you were going to work the way you wanted to .."

In some case the driver is a sole owner/operator .. i.e. own boss.

re: ".. In answer to your question .. " "Don't forget your coat on the way out!"

Since you made this personal .. I tried to find a coat but all mine have been lost, misplaced or tossed out after almost 20 years here, so despite your rude "invitation", I think I'll stay a bit longer.

"Don't forget your coat on the way out!" was a statement - not a question, and certainly not a "rude invitation"!

A statement that certainly would be made not just to you (so I wasn't being personal), but to anyone who treated their employer with the contempt that you are describing i.e. "why shouldn't a person be free to decide when, where and how they work?" If they are indeed self employed, I agree to a certain extent but when you say "a person" I presume you mean "anybody" and that includes employers and employees as well.

I do not know too much about the concept of 2 shift or 3 shift taxi working, but I do have some experience of shift working, and if I had tried to "cherry pick" which shifts I was going to work, I know what my boss's reaction would have been - hence the reference to the coat! And aren't all "Meter Taxis" equipped with an illuminated sign in the windscreen which tells you that they are available? End of shift - knock it off - simples!

However, self employed or not, aren't all taxi drivers supposed to have a licence, and is one of the conditions of that licence that they are not to refuse passengers unless they have a valid reason for doing so?

I can understand why Keith Richards got a bit upset a few years back when the group was introduced as "Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones" and this headline shows why - it is belittling the other members of the group.

It is like saying "Paul McCartney and The Beatles", or "Roger Daltrey and The Who".

Donald Trump and the Fascist Five doing the monster mash. It wuz a political graveyard smash.

November 8th 2016.

USA and now finally at last Cuba -- two countries with their best years ahead of 'em. Mic and the Stones sort of highlight the bright package.

Now we know the Who of it.

Sorry but I have no idea what you are talking about! - it's a bit like a Bing translation! Total nonsense!

Personal insults are cheap. But all you have to do is study the two examples of UK police malpractice I mentioned and learn something. And you should try to be less arrogant towards the Thai police and towards people who have more life experience than you and more knowledge. Your predudices are based on scurrilous gossip. My views are based on fact, research and real experiences.

It wasn't an insult.

It was simply a definition.

Neither institutional police racism nor incompetent murder investigations in the UK have anything to do with a bunch of incompetent buffoons showing up at a bar en masse and demanding to see passports just because the big boys were staying at the Empress.

If you think they were acting on intelligence suggesting a terrorist attack or terrorist suspects drinking at Zoe's, then I would suggest you have a more than fertile imagination.

If you know you have more "life experience and knowledge" than me, then you should add telepathy to your seemingly boundless list of skills.

"And you should try to be less arrogant towards the Thai police and towards people who have more life experience than you and more knowledge. "

That statement says it all about who is arrogant!

I can understand why Keith Richards got a bit upset a few years back when the group was introduced as "Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones" and this headline shows why - it is belittling the other members of the group.

It is like saying "Paul McCartney and The Beatles", or "Roger Daltrey and The Who".

You can never get a taxi in Sukhmvit easily. You need to try several before the driver condescends to take you. I usually if I am going out of the city get the BTS as far as possible then get a taxi. Never have any problem then. Taxi's down Sukhumvit obviously get too much money if they can say no to a fare

Same as I personally experienced numerous times since late '90's.

Can be many valid reasons for refusing a fare. Shift change is a big one. Getting stuck in hours of traffic for a Bt xx fare.

And, very honestly, why shouldn't a person be free to decide when, where and how they work?

In answer to your question, wouldn't it be nice to tell your boss that you weren't going to work the hours that you were employed to do in the first place, that you weren't going to work in the place that you were employed to work in, and you were going to work the way you wanted to?

Don't forget your coat on the way out!

Mentioned earlier on. This clown is threatening the world - in third generation meanwhile. Get the Americans off South Korea and North Korea will implode on its own. But as long as the grandson of the Great Leader rattles the cage, followed by 6 nations talks and an ultimate cheque over a few hundred million dollars for humanitarian reasons ......... oh well, the boys in Washington will never give it!

More than likely the Americans are covering your county's ass. And, they have probably saved your county's ass in the past, even though they didn't need to

Had to happen I suppose - the anti American brigade getting the world's policeman all wound up again!

Surprised nobody has brought Thaksin into the thread yet - still there's time yet!

In answer to luke000:-

Really ? The Police have been raiding these kinds of places "for years "?

So, in the last few years, which other places similar to this have been raided ?

Are you being deliberately obtuse? This ground has already been covered many times, and at the risk of repeating old dialogue, let me put it more plainly for you as you are having such difficulty in understanding.The Bridge Club had been meeting for years, and as far as I can make out, someone with a grudge reported to the Police that there was gambling going on. Instead of checking beforehand, they went in "mob handed" expecting to find some kind of underground illegal casino, and found a bunch of elderly expats indulging in a Bridge competition, with no gambling whatsoever going on - not even any prizes. The sensible thing to have done would to have said "Sorry, we've obviously been given some wrong information" and walked quietly away, But no, the officer in charge HAD to try to justify that the raid was justified and after trawling through the Law Books, found some obscure, outdated law that said that it was illegal for one person to be in possession of more than 124 (?) playing cards, and hence the arrest of 29 (?) elderly farangs, and worldwide ridicule for the BIB - all because of "face".

However, in answer to your question, I believe that this was a first, and probably (I won't say definitely, for obvious reasons!) the last time that such a place has been raided.

If you follow the dialogue in the thread, you will see that I was questioning a person who claimed that raids on such establishments are a common occurrence .

Only your last sentence is relevant to my post and you are in agreement with me

No, you were either deliberately misreading MY comment when I said that it was an "anomaly" , or you do not appreciate sarcasm. I suspect both to be true:-

Please note the inverted commas! However, I am glad that you agree with me that such a fiasco should not happen again.

In answer to luke000:-

. The Bridge playing raid was an anomaly , the Police probably had a report that there was many people secretly playing cards and gambling and they decided to carry out a raid

An "anomaly" that had been going on for years, and if the "report" had been checked out beforehand, they wouldn't have been left with egg on their faces - oh, sorry I meant "lost face"!

Really ? The Police have been raiding these kinds of places "for years "?

So, in the last few years, which other places similar to this have been raided ?

Are you being deliberately obtuse? This ground has already been covered many times, and at the risk of repeating old dialogue, let me put it more plainly for you as you are having such difficulty in understanding.The Bridge Club had been meeting for years, and as far as I can make out, someone with a grudge reported to the Police that there was gambling going on. Instead of checking beforehand, they went in "mob handed" expecting to find some kind of underground illegal casino, and found a bunch of elderly expats indulging in a Bridge competition, with no gambling whatsoever going on - not even any prizes. The sensible thing to have done would to have said "Sorry, we've obviously been given some wrong information" and walked quietly away, But no, the officer in charge HAD to try to justify that the raid was justified and after trawling through the Law Books, found some obscure, outdated law that said that it was illegal for one person to be in possession of more than 124 (?) playing cards, and hence the arrest of 29 (?) elderly farangs, and worldwide ridicule for the BIB - all because of "face".

However, in answer to your question, I believe that this was a first, and probably (I won't say definitely, for obvious reasons!) the last time that such a place has been raided.

In Sukumvit area very hard to get a taxi mostly prefer going to airport or farang.

Nonsense, usually no difficulty at all in getting one of the thousands of taxis around that area.

How would you know that "most prefer going to airport", do you ask them? Ridiculous comment.

I have stayed frequently in Soi 1 Sukumvit, and find great difficulty in getting a taxi to take me to the airport, especially at busy times of the day. In spite of the "Meter Taxi" sign on the top, most of them refuse to use the meter, and quote an exorbitant price, or just shake their head and drive away without a word of explanation (In spite of the fact that I am accompanied by my Thai wife, so no comments needed about taxi drivers not speaking English, please!)

The latest proposal by the PM might hold a bit more credibility if the BIB stepped in when they saw a taxi driver refusing a fare - are they not supposed to be doing that already?

So I fear that once again, this "proposal" will carry as much weight as a bag of feathers!

A whole 30 days and they'll be afraid to repeat the offence !

To start with how many will bother their backside at such a slap on the wrist then comes the ever popular question of enforcement and we know how good the BIB and other agencies are at that.

Actually 30 days loss of earnings is a significant "slap on the wrist" - much more so than the usual say, 500 baht fine. However, I agree with you regarding the enforcement, and being stopped without a licence would probably incur just such an "on the spot" fine.

They raid a bar-area mostly visited by a bunch of low-budget wannabe hippies. Honestly who cares?

When they start raiding 5-stars hotels, you should start worrying...

You mean when they start harassing the more decent, sober and upright members of society, like retirees, Hon Consuls, etc.. Perhaps enjoying an afternoon Bridge game..

..Ohh hang on..

The Bridge playing raid was an anomaly , the Police probably had a report that there was many people secretly playing cards and gambling and they decided to carry out a raid

An "anomaly" that had been going on for years, and if the "report" had been checked out beforehand, they wouldn't have been left with egg on their faces - oh, sorry I meant "lost face"!

Probably it made the news because there was the Police involved, but most of the Thais, and most of the people in general, are good-hearted . i heard a few times of normal Thais helping foreigners in distress out of their pocket.

The young lady was probably having too many parties, and lost the plot a bit.

I am stunned at the idiocy of some comments here. Some people have never been young in their life.

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Had it been a drunk (white skinned) Englishman , Mr. Racist would likely purse his lips, and point a crooked finger at how the fool sullies the entire demographic. But that wouldn't be racist, because the subject was white.

Japanese are a (mostly) homogeneous people with lingering ideas about their superiority among their dark skinned Asian neighbors. I'm not that surprised an apology was issued for an act that, in their eyes, associates them with the less refined.

When Thais loose face, they tend to smile it away. Apologize? Not likely. Just smear on some more whitening-cream, ignore, and move on.

"When Thais loose face, they tend to smile it away." I think that is quite an underestimation of what can happen when a Thai loses face, and there are probably a few doctors and morticians that could bear witness to the results!

If she was going to walk to Bkk from koh Chang, she would have been raped and killed on the way by those pesky Burmese and Cambodians several times over.....

How do you get killed several times over?

".....reduced-size, laminated copy...."

That seems like a bunch of messing around.

I just carry a folded, full-size copy of the photo page, extension of stay stamp, and latest entry stamp, on one sheet of paper.

I want the inspecting official to be able to read it, and the photo to be at least somewhat recognizable.

A laminated copy is more durable. If, for instance, you get a good soaking at Songkran, a paper copy will be somewhat "unrecognisable"

Funny how the sheep are cheering for their own enslavement !

1. Helmets are for PERSONAL safety and as such should be a PERSONAL choice

2. Helmets do NOT make traffic more safe !!!

Samui has no bigger problems I guess ... but that's not so popular like the Helmet-band-waggon BS !!!

Yes, helmets required by law are for personal safety and some riders personal choice is not to wear one then complain about having to pay a fine for not doing so. Either you do not care for your own personal safety or you have no respect for the law or maybe both. I chose to wear a helmet for my own protection and that makes it legal for me to ride. Been doing it for over 45 years. I also wear my seatbelt and require my passengers to also. I feel safer and it saves me money if I didn't. That's not BS.

I've never seen a seatbelt on a motor bike! Is this another new rule to be broken?

Don't know Zoe in Yellow, but one of my neighbors owns a gay massage place (yes, a male brothel). Ran into her early Thursday night. She told me she had closed and sent all her "boys" home. They're all Burmese and don't had ID's. The cops were rousting bars, etc. looking. From Bangkok, she said.

I wonder how many of these tourists were actually tourists?

P.S. She said they were fining places B50,000.

Ah,so it was to do with money, then? Wot a surprise!

This and the similar raids in Pattaya lately arresting people for not carrying passports....

The military government just deciding to flex its muscles, or, a response to the reports of some kind of IS terrorist threat inside Thailand?

Yeah, those nightclub loving fundamentalist terrorist fanatics. Wonder how they handle a gay man neck massage in the bog. Just the place to find them lurking around the night before a good bit of suicide bombing.???

try to write in english that is understandable to the rest of us "english" speakers! what the hell is a bog?

FAO TallGuyJohninBKK:- . A nightclub could be the ideal place for "a bit of suicide bombing", as has happened elsewhere. Lots of people in one place indulging in "forbidden" practices - least of all - drinking.

FAO catspectre :- A "bog" is English (not english) slang for a "toilet" What the hell is a "john"? A toilet or a guy?

I always have a copy of my passport with me, that's what some of high rank police officer said before that it was enough.

In the case I need to produce my passport and before in the day I had to leave my passport to a motorbike shop, then how come am I suppose to show it to them ?

Also, I heard a lot of people saying that one should never give his passport to a motorbike rental shop but whenever I go they always ask for it, they will never take a copy or any other ID documents...

Moreover, my company often take my passport with me for a few days before reporting me to the immigration, in that case again I would have to stay at the police station all night until the HR department of my company is able to bring the passport back.

Bit difficult to understand your post - have you actually been detained in the police station overnight because your company "had your passport for a few days, before reporting you to Immigration"?

And NEVER give your passport to a motorbike rental shop. If a photocopy is not sufficient - go somewhere else. Too many cases of passports being mislaid, lost or stolen in this way.

It's a good idea to keep a (reduced size) photocopy of your passport about your person. Technically the law requires you to carry the original at all times; but in practice a photocopy will do.

Agreed! I do the same myself (Laminated copy - credit card size), and was stopped once and the officer accepted it, but did say that I was supposed to carry the original. He also seemed to accept my reasoning regarding the associated problems regarding a lost/stolen passport, but I think as per usual over here, it depends whereabouts in Thailand you are, on the mood of the officer concerned, and how the instructions from above are interpreted!

Still BS , you dont need a permit to pick up trash from the beach whether its your own trash or someone else. Just do it , pick up any trash you see , you will feel much better.

We'll obviously have to agree to disagree on this one! I don't agree with the "BS"comment, but I also don't agree with the law as it stands on volunteer and charity work.

I don't visit the beach much, but do pick up trash from the lane/soi leading to my house. It doesn't make me feel better, just angry that some people don't even appear to be housetrained!

Even is there was NO warning at the time, is it smart to swim in seas that aren't protected? Alone?

In the UK almost no beaches had protection ever.

I used to swim out as far as I could, until exhausted, no matter what the weather or sea conditions.

Then slowly make my way back to shore. The beach would be totally deserted as always.

(always wearing a steamer, cos it's too cold to swim far in the UK without)

This is the way you swim in Europe.

We aren't quite the nanny states that the US and Oz appear to be ......... yet.

You, sir, are a nutter, or a liar, or taking the p**s! Or maybe all three!

"I used to swim out as far as I could, until exhausted, no matter what the weather or sea conditions."

"The beach would be totally deserted as always."

And I am not from the USA or OZ, I am from the UK where you would probably, quite rightly get locked up for such senseless and inconsiderate behaviour.

I in all honesty, I got no sympathy for this terrorist and care nothing about his present or future. Terrorists deserve no sympathy ever!

You're as bad as the RTP - Guilty until proved innocent, eh?

It's a pity more Ambassadors don't take a leaf out of his book, and take time out to air the grievances of the people they are supposed to represent. "Another G & T, old chap?"

Sad. Should follow the warning sign.

Yes, the red flags are not put there for nothing. And at the risk of being labelled macabre, I do think that the photographer should be given a pat on the back for the covering photo - says it all.