plachon

I'm no mathematician, but I can count more than 30 people on the platform in the photo, so guess bang goes the "safety" aspect.....wonder how long before we read about this tourist attraction collapsing? I sincerely hope not, but it would not be beyond the realms of possibility, given the temptation to squeeze as many people on as possible for income reasons, and letting safety slip down the list of priorities. 

Should raise serious questions about the SFO's commitment to transparency and accountability, as well as seeking justice in this case. UK should be setting a example here of good corporate governance, but seems they might be protecting some sleazebags in high places, all for keeping face. That Prayut has to be the one who outs them, says a lot about official and corporate corruption on both sides. 

I suspect this kind of thing is commonplace in Thailand. I recall being in an Internet cafe near a technical college entrance a few years ago and sitting behind a small group of teenage gatoeys having a whale of a time watching  a boy masturbating online on a live chat App. Shrieking and laughing in a typical katoey-way, they didn't seem to possess any self-awareness or shame that they were in a public place and young kids might have been watching the same online show. I got the sense that this was rather normal for them. 

10 hours ago, 8OA8 said:

There are many different nationalities of asylum seekers in Thailand. Pakistani Christians and Pakistani Ahmadiyya, Sri Lankans, North Korean (they are usually resettled very quickly by South Korea), Somalian and Vietnamese.

Thailand's government isn't perfect, however the current government has been on the right track with regards to their attitude towards over 100,000 refugees living in the camps along the border areas.

Yes there have been cases of refoulement, most recently the case of the Uighurs to China, but bear in mind that was done under heavy political pressure from the Chinese government 

I'd heard that the Pakistani Christians, and so I presume the other groups including these Syrian refugees, come to Thailand because it is relatively easy to get in given the open tourism policy, but find it very hard to leave and end up living a miserable existence there. The Thai government makes life very hard for them and many don't get recognition from UNHCR, meaning they live in a kind of limbo for years on end, while awaiting a slim hope of resettlement in a third country. I am sure some of them end up wishing they had never left their original nation, as grim as it must have been. Thailand is not the land of milk and honey some naively imagine. 

1 hour ago, Inepto Cracy said:

What. A prediction on betting. Is that not a no no?

No, apparently not. I once taught a class of monks English. One would regularly tell me his betting predictions on upcoming matches in the English league. He proudly told me had won 20,000 baht once on his bets. Didn't seem to have any sense that this might clash with one of the basic tenets of Buddhism, let alone being a man of the cloth. In fact, whether its selling lottery number predictions or football match outcomes, gambling seems to be a core business pursuit of the modern Thai monk. 

If you're expecting this to be a "jungle temple", in any normal sense of the word "jungle", then I think you are in for a disappointment. It is just a small area of fertile forest that you can walk round in about 5 mins that is centred on a mineral-rich spring, which has been tarted up to take advantage of Thais' beliefs in the supernatural. There are various statues and signs, while visitors are encouraged to take a drink, pray to the deities and part with money. Up until a few years ago, there was no proper temple here, just a modest shrine to a naga spirit built around the mineral spring, but since then it has boomed as a tourist attraction. The only thing of potential interest might be the rich plant life in the mini-forest, which is quite different from surrounding remnant forest patches in that part of Isaan. In other words, it is a biodiversity island in a bit of a biodiversity desert, and from what I saw when I last visited in about 2006, was being poorly managed by the venal guardians. 

On 3/16/2016 at 9:06 AM, isanbirder said:

Makes it rather difficult to discuss, doesn't it?

Maybe it's just one of those myths which everybody believes but which rarely happens. (No proof of that either)

I too can confirm that this practice is not a myth, but very much a normal part of Thai karachagan recruiting practices. It is nothing new however. I recall over 20 years ago when still just engaged that an acquaintance of my wife in Mahasarakham, graduate from the town's Rajabhat College, had paid 200,000 baht to get her secondary school teacher position. And I've hear lots of similar cases in the years since. That's not to say every teacher has had  to pay ngeun dai tor, but it is common within many departments, of which the RTP and Customs are reputed to be the worse. I should think a position is pretty steep in the Land Dept too.

I know people personally who had to pay to work in the TAO or Or Bor Tor, including one who eventually resigned, because she couldn't hack the endemic corrupt practices within the office. It really is tamada and people are unphased with requests by bosses at or after interviews for the position, or it is just common knowledge that XXX,XXX baht is the going rate for a given position. And as the OP's step son graduated in law, he should be aware that there is a massive over-supply of law graduates in Thailand, far in excess of the number of positions available in the public and private sectors, so it is almost certain to lead to corruption within the various departments or firms that may need a new recruit (which includes the aforesaid TAO, incidentally). The 500,000 B may have been better invested in a Western uni education (but not UK, which now cost £9 k per year for fees alone). Perhaps Germany or Netherlands, for something more affordable, but you'd still be looking at several times more than the Thai education system, and need a youngster smart and prepared to work had in the first place, which of course, can be rare qualities amongst M6 graduates.

If actually built, this would make Khon Kaen the leading city in Thailand at applying a modern public transport system, outside of Bangkok. Chiang Mai is still beholden to pretty much the same model of a songtaew mafia controlling "public" transport that has operated since the 1960s and suffers the consequences with traffic jams. Other cities are getting increasingly congested and polluted. The fact there is a plan and early design is promising, but as others point out, there is always a wide gap between concept and application in Thailand. Will watch this development with interest.

5 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

"Nadia" the giant croc terrorizing southern Thai town"

Nadia hasn't terrorized anybody.................yet.

Until she is reported as having attacked a hapless flood victim, it's just another escaped croc. I hope the creature is captured and returned to a secure and safe place and not shot by some local hero who wants a pair of boots, belt and wallet.

Nevermind the local heroes....it's once ol' Plod gets wind of it and heads down to NST with his rifle that I worry. You'll remember his reaction when there was a flood round Nakhon Sawan many years back and all the crocs escaped from the local farms......but you are right, "Nadia" is the one who will be terrorized as soon as she is spotted and hasn't harmed a flea yet....though one kind of hopes that she makes it to freedom without the local rednecks finding her whereabouts first.....swim, Nadia, swim! 

16 hours ago, Shroud said:

 

So you're saying that your western media is free and smart, or just a propaganda media output to dumb people even further down the road?  

But this story isn't about the media, as such, but rather the government's policy announcement to create a new type of citizen, the stuff of totalitarian regimes. So I wasn't commenting about "my western media" nor any other nation's media. I was commenting on a policy, pure and simple. Thus, I suggest you learn to more carefully read and interpret posts, before jumping in with an irrelevant comment. 

Classic stuff, straight out of 1984! How about creating "Thai cyborgs" and "smart soldiers" whilst you're at it General.

At first I thought, getting "beaten" sure beats getting "eaten" by a croc......but having seen the latest Khaosod offering, I now realise Thai PBS in their haste to get this news story out there, confused getting "bitten" with "beaten".  They almost got the right French pronunciation : "Come quick monsieur, my wife was beaten by a crocodile!" 

Inspector Clouseau could have fun solving this crime, especially given the number of minkees in Khao Yai.

On 12/30/2016 at 4:43 AM, Wilsonandson said:

A school trip outing was all it was. Not the Hitler youth Mr Draper. Nice story though, should help sell a few newspapers.

 

You seem to be unintentionally backing-up and illustrating perfectly Draper's article. This is rather unsubtle indoctrination and brain-washing with military-royalism for the mass population, starting with the youngest in society, of the sort which the Thai education system has always meddled with, but now seems to be pursuing once more with an unhealthy gusto and taking it to a more extreme level. Why you felt you needed to post the picture of Draper, suggests you are well indoctrinated yourself in the dark arts of McCarthyism.  

2 hours ago, Brer Fox said:

".......small-scale local reservoirs instead".

More opportunity for the local boys to skim off the funding. 

 

 

Whatever size the project, there is bound to be skimming going on. The dispute seems to be whether it is better to let lots of lower level phu yais skim on the local projects at provincial, district and tambon level, or concentrate the skimming opportunities at the central level amongst the top elites. Nobody seems to be considering the possibility that maybe Thailand has more than enough irrigation projects already, and perhaps it is time to look at which existing ones are working, which ones aren't (and why) and maybe the money could be better spent on maintaining existing infrastructure and removing the ones that don't work, thus freeing up water and land in the process. Learn the lesson of Yai Hai in Ubon, for instance, who lost her land to an irrigation reservoir that was useless, fought for 30 years to get it back and eventually won. In reality, there are tens of thousands of Yai Hais in Thailand who would benefit from irrigation system removal. 

8 hours ago, hanssna said:

Strange ( and too bad ) that there were no 'farang' dive Instructors ( like me ) around that saw this...   around this time of year, it can get busy around the Similan Islands. I have seen many Asian divers in the water, and many times I had to pull them out of the reef, because of very poor diving skills. But this deliberate damage really takes the cake.

As a dive instructor, perhaps you can tell me if the coral in the photo looks healthy or not. To me it looks pretty dead and lifeless, including the sea around it, but maybe that is how much of the Similan coral reef looks these days? And on a connected note, has the Similans been affected much by coral bleaching or die-off from ocean acidification, as with the northern Great Barrier Reef and many other reefs, so I understand? In other words, discounting idiots scratching their names on the reef, how does it match up as a dive site these days, compared to other coral reefs in SE Asia?

13 hours ago, Mook23 said:

in thailand it was like this:

1. we were never colonised

2. we never collaborated with the japs

3. we won from france (anu sawari!!!)

4. we invented the tuktuk!

;-)

joke aside, i always said the thai are the americans of SEA!

Having just returned from the USA, I was struck by just how similar the average Thai and American is. Here, I am not talking about college degree educated people,  but the ordinary person on the street who has maybe a high school education at most, though admittedly Thai university degree educated folk can be more ignorant than your average Bor Hok -educate villager, who at least is generally gifted with a modicum of common sense.

But back to the US - I was genuinely surprised at just how insular, nationalistic, dumbed-down, uncurious and poorly educated the average joe blow in the street was. For example, I met a woman at a farmers market, who asked me what my accent was. I asked her to guess, and she ran through Australian, Irish, Scottish and then inexplicably, "London" as her guesses.  I said, "now you are getting warmer. What country is that the capital of?" The question stumped her, as she genuinely thought London was a country. This is a common occurrence in Thailand, where ordinary Thais are at pains to distinguish between many cities and countries of otherwise large and well-known nations. Oh well, I guess the American and Thai education systems still have some way to go, both at home and abroad....trying to disabuse their citizens that their country is not the centre of the universe, let alone the greatest country on earth would be a start, I suppose. 

6 hours ago, Ulysses G. said:

 

Every big businessman has successes and failures. Things change with time. The FACT is that he has always maintained an opulant lifestyle and has many millions of dollars of assets at his disposal.

You seem unusually desperate to defend this despicable specimen of humanity at all costs, even when the "facts" are consistently against your untenable position. I think this is a mark of a die-hard Trump supporter, and does not bode well for the future of the US, or indeed the rest of the planet. He is a demagogue of the worst kind, and is proving to be damaging to the interests of your country, even before his inauguration. But it is going to take a considerable dose of reality to shock his supporters from their collective stupor.

By the way, did you know that the quote you adopt below your name is mis-attributed to Orwell, who was a pacifist, and would be disgusted at the spectre of Trump as POTUS?

http://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/11/07/rough-men/

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

Hmmmm, not so long ago I was ticked off (but not fined) by a cop for driving with my car headlights on during the day, apparently reserved for VIPs and military convoys.

 

I also understand that after-market running lights are illegal too (along with decent air-horns).

 

So, a whole new avenue of tea supply for the BiB all with the blessing of The Council of Engineers.

I used to lose count of the number of people who would tell me my lights were on in the day time when I used to ride a motorbike. When I said it was for safety reasons, they would retort that it would run down my battery. In the end, I got bored of the hassle and kept them switched off til pitch black night, Thai-style. Seems like  I might just be able to get away with daytime lights these days.......

On 12/16/2016 at 4:02 AM, Enoon said:

Terminal 21 on the corner, Amway a bit further up the road.

 

What more could the people of the province need?

 

PS Korat is more on the edge ("The Gateway") than at the centre of Isaan isn't it?

Definitely not in the centre. The arse-end of Isaan, I'd say. Or possibly the sphincter of Isaan as everyone/thing has to pass through it from Isaan to Bangers and vice versa. This looks like one more reason to avoid Korat, a city I never warmed to since the first time I visited back in 1990. 

Sounds like Dhammachayo could exchange some useful lessons on impoverishment of devotees with the Scientologists. 

48 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

Maybe not behind bars, but possibly in them?

Possibly bars attached to bowls; goldfish bowls......

6 hours ago, sanemax said:

 

   I have a better idea what you can do with the excess money to stop sex trafficking

Why doesnt your Daughter use the money to fly back to Thailand and make a detailed report to the Police , so that they can capture the people who abducted your Child .

   She will be completely safe , as its now such high profile and Thailands top Police will probably get on the case and catch the perpetrators .

   Why doesnt She come back to Thailand to help catch the people ?

Make a complaint at a Police station and they will take her to the place where it happened and get CCTV evidence and witness statements .

   After her terrible experience, she may not want to come back, but she really needs to help the authorities catch these men .

   Is there any reason why she may now want to come back to Thailand to catch these people ?

    

Clearly you don't have a clue about how things work in Thailand, especially when men in uniform are implicated in a serious crime, in particular when the victim is foreign. Her safest and best course of action is to get back home, as she has done, never return to Thailand and publicise her story as widely as possible. It seems her mother is in a good position to do this, and hopefully no one else will have to go through what she suffered. However, it has happened before and it will likely happen again, as Thailand is generally not a safe country for young women traveling alone.

At least the cops are treating this case as probable rape. A number of years ago (some with long memories may remember the case and year), a Hong Kong woman was in a similar situation, i.e. drunk and hailed a tuk-tuk back to her hotel. She was allegedly raped or molested, not only by the tuk-tuk driver, but by a policeman guarding a key govt building in Ratchdamnoen area. Her story seemed to add up and she appeared to be a victim of serious sexual assault, but then it suddenly flipped, and she was accused of making it up to damage the reputation of Thailand. Thus, the woman was arrested, prosecuted and found guilty of false rape accusations in double quick time, thus saving Thailand's good name as a safe place for tourists. 

In truth, her main crimes were being drunk, being alone late at night and being a woman. These are serious no-no's in LOS and can result in jail time, should you fall victim of a rapist. Let's see how this case pans out, but I wouldn't hold out a great deal of hope her case will be given high importance or credence by the boys in brown. 

3 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

If you too reside in the village" with the boys, I suggest you try some grilled rat. It's a bit like chicken and the rats are rice field rats and not Bangkok style sewer and garbage rats. Don't forget the som tam.

Hhmmmm......those were the good old days......shooting rats in the rice fields with muzzle-loaded shotguns and enjoying pad-pet noo an hour or two later with a side order of somtam and multiple shots of lao-kao to wash it down with the village lads.  Yes, not unlike a scrawny old farmyard chicken, but got a taste of its own. Totally clean and healthy meat of course, as they feast on rice and field-fare, not your disease-ridden sewer rat that pees and shits on townies' food.  And then there were the bamboo rats, more like mini-coypu, for a more substantial meal.......

The amount of bigotry and racism against Thais in general shown in this thread is revolting. Rather than show sympathy or concern for whether the boy survived or not, so many seem to have used it as an excuse to demonstrate their small-minded prejudices against Thais. And a lot of the worst offenders (though not all) seem to be American. Perhaps it is a post-Trump phenomenon, where more racism and bigotry than usual is deemed acceptable? 

Hell, young kids of this age get run over regularly in America and elsewhere too. Only a week or two ago, a 9 year old girl was killed in rural Massachusetts when getting down from the school bus and he school-bag was caught in the door and caused her to be dragged along. A horrendous accident, but no one is blaming Americans, her parents or bus drivers (or whatever other demographic you care to mention) in general for it. Accidents occasionally do happen, and while there are obviously more per head of population in Thailand than America, which most people are well aware of, it should not be seen a green card for petty-minded bigots to have a rant at an entire nation. 

How about a little more empathy with the little boy, who I hope pulls through from this shocking accident without life changing injuries.