Spock

Never liked cats and always considered them destructive vermin who are causing the extinction of native animal species in other countries. They kill for fun and there is no place for them.

"They kill for fun and there is no place for them."

Kind of like Homo Sapiens, in other words.

Doesn't mean they should be buried or skinned alive. The torture of living creatures is unacceptable.

Nice photos. Will seek out the park.

can a replay of that interview be heard, possibly via internet stream?

The radio station told me that this is not available. I didn't record it myself because my 55 year-old brain couldn't remember the date of airing...

Hans - thanks for the compliment, which confirms that at least 1 person listens to that radio station.

Getting a job at 50 is not easy in any country. Apparently, this vacancy specifies no applicant to be over 50 years old. I'll consider it their loss and go back to relaxing in my hammock.

That's too bad Simon.

I can tell you that older teacher's are desirable and highly respected in Myanmar though.

Can you elaborate on the Myanmar situation for older teachers?

Beggars belief that this kind of punishment is employed in the 21st century in such a wealthy country, particularly against a harmless blogger.

Am very interested in the outcome of this as I have a similar need to provide for a Thai friend currently doing a 13 year jail sentence, hopefully reduced eventually to seven.

I cannot set up anything in his name while he is in prison, but like the OP, the possibility of not being around at the time the money is needed and able to be received worries me. Some good ideas have been suggested by posters which have at least given me some hope that a permanent solution will present itself. Have bookmarked this thread so that I can follow it through to its conclusion. Cheers guys.

I'll be interested to see where Thailand is in ten or fifteen years. As HeijoshinCool said, they got a big bump from the Vietnam war. The US poured money and technology into the country as Thailand allowed the US to use air bases. Later it brought in a lot of manufacturing. Thailand and the US have been friends and allies since just after WWII right up until about NOW.

The US isn't going to put up with this China alliance and has already pulled a lot of income away from Thailand since the coup. I don't expect Japan to put up with the China alliance either and the US and Japan are close.

If the US and Japan pull significant manufacturing out of Thailand and move it to Burma, Thailand will be hurting. The US and Japan already bought huge tracts of land in Yangon, and Japan promised to build a deep water port there. This was over Yingluck's behavior. Imagine what they think of the current government's moves.

Thailand has had it's Marcos. Thaksin and Yingluck robbed the country blind and left it deeply in debt and not just over the rice scheme. They at least temporarily destroyed the rice export business.

Thailand is slipping. It's stupidity, greed and corruption is catching up with its economy from rice to tourism. Next if it loses the US and Japan as Cambodia, Vietnam and Burma take business, it could slip a long way down. I'm not predicting anything, I just see the possibility.

As usual, in agreement. EXEPT: While Thaksin and sister "plundered the country", during the "plundering-process" , the poorest of the poor felt for the first time in their lives, that during the "Plundering-Phase" by Thaksin, some crumbs were falling off the table of corruption in their favor. Infrastructure: Roads were built, electrification of isolated villages. etc. etc. Unheard of before.

The impoverished Thai's (the red-shirts) have understood, that they will be ruled by some sort of Elite for the next 2 generations. But they will certainly prefer to be ruled by a corrupt Elite, that allows for some "crumbs" to fall off the table in their favor. They also know that there will be no "crumbs" falling off the table, as long as "the General" and his yellow-shirt- entourage sits at the table exclusively and with the sole purpose to cement the Feudalistic- Power-Structure that they prefer to call "Thainess".

Interesting times ahead. Cheers.

Your post pretty much nails it, explaining the positives of the Thaksin appeal to the poor and their lack of hope in their prospects under a military junta.

Dealing? He won't make much with that amount! Seriously, he probably just picked that up for himself or a group of mates going out for the night. What a waste of taxpayer's money. Meanwhile, guys are openly drug dealing in front of the police on Sukhumvit road (the stretch between Nana and Asok).

Kratom leaves?? Are you f'ing kidding me? It's a tree that grows on Mother Nature's earth. You can't make a tree illegal. Meanwhile, thousands died yesterday from alcohol poisoning, drink driving and alcohol related violence - but that's a legal substance. What complete idiots we are. Who is making the rules and why are we letting them?

"Kratom leaves?? Are you f'ing kidding me? It's a tree that grows on Mother Nature's earth."

So opium, heroin and cocaine don't originate in nature?

Where did you get the information of the thousands of people in Thailand that died from alcohol poisoning, drink driving and alcohol related violence. I think you're way off there.

"What complete idiots we are."

Speak for yourself, oh, sorry, you probably were.

The difference being that opium and cocaine are class 1 but kratom is class 5. And there is no doubt that alcohol kills many more

Thais than any other drug. Do some research.

Half a valium is a good test of your requirements. Sure you will feel a bit groggy next day but you can't have everything. So long as you do not abuse valium and do not have it with lots of booze you will be OK. You'll soon know if it suits your needs and personality. If you really need a good night's sleep, valium is useful. Take it several hours before bed and have it as a replacement for the alcohol. Your body will thank you for the rest from the booze. Valium is not the most unpleasant drug around. Horses for courses.

It's not too unreasonable to expect some kind of anti-Muslim backlash in Australia. It's not fair but it does happen in the wake of such incidents.

Why is it not fair

If the muslim population does not come out onto the streets in their tens of thousands to protest Islams name being taken in vein and denouncing these acts in the name of Islam how do they expect people not to think that they are complicit and SUPPORT that these people are doing .

A guy danish guy drew a cartoon of their prophet with a bomb on his head as a turban and the whole Muslim population were out out on the streets all over the world burning flags shouting kill him I am talking hundreds of thousands of muslims from London to munich ALL OVER A CARTOON

Then again tens of thousands on the streets protesting Israels latest attack on the Palestinians and again there they are in their tens of thousands marching through the streets

Now lets look at the murder of Lee Rigby on the streets of London all in the name of Islam

NO MUSLIM protest on the streets

How about the 7/7 bombings

NO MUSLIM protests on the streets

THAT SENDS A MASSIVE MESSAGE WHERE THEIR ALLEGIANCES LIE and what is important to them

Cartoons

50 Islamic groups in Australia had condemned the actions of the crazed lunatic in Sydney by Monday night. Non Muslims came out in support of Islamic people feeling scapegoated by the incident, offering to ride with them on public transport if they were afraid to wear hijabs or appear Islamic. I have often thought as you do that Islamic groups need to voice their disapproval of extremism, but have to say that they did on this occasion. If anything, the Sydney incident may help initiate a more genuine understanding and trust between Muslims and non Muslims. Nobody in Australia feels empowered by the actions of the Iranian lunatic who decided to be a one man representative for Islamic extremism, least alone the Muslims themselves who do not wish to be further marginalised by being linked to his lunacy by religion.

My plan is as follows. 10 minutes after they have arrived and i have said hallo and welcome i will leave for a friends apartment who wont be there in jomtien. My house is in pattaya. I will return at about 9pm to share a beer or two and then go back. I will avoid all trips to the market. I paid the sin sod about 3 months ago at my wedding and will remind them this when i have a joke with them and say "mai mii tung" which means i dont have money. Then i promptly go and keep returning and doing the same thing until they leave.

'Sin sod' means what? Never mind - bride price. If you can truly pull this off without ruffling feathers then your method is not without merit.

As if the Thais would stick uppers and downers into the drinks! For what purpose? Are they going to spend money on the pills just to get the foreigners wasted? Reminds me of the days in Australia when it used to be claimed that marijuana was laced with heroin. The fact that heroin importation attracted a far worse penalty than marijuana in itself would have ensured this did not occur.

I would have liked the reporter to follow up one of his drug offers and find himself part of a police trap. Thailand is not the drug paradise it was 20-30 years ago. Even then drugs weren't that easy to buy or safe to consume. Seems to me that booze in buckets with mixers is the main intoxicant in this day and age in Thailand. Police raids and on the spot urine tests for all patrons in entertainment establishments have been occurring for years in Bangkok. Thaksin famously set up a squad of police with a licence to kill to wipe out drug dealers. Foreigners no longer travel to Thailand for drugs. Laos and Cambodia are much safer destinations for those seeking marijuana and ecstasy.

I emailed A Current Affair after watching their story and told them that their story and show are a crock of shit. Gave me some sense of satisfaction though I am sure their target audience were suitably shocked and appalled by the report.

The military government are so terrified of Thaksin. It shows how weak they are.

Yeah really...

Who's running the country, and who's living in the desert?

Who was democratically elected and who seized power through military coup? Why do so many TV posters wish on Thailand what they wouldn't want back in their home country?

OP , I don't get you. Glad I'm not a mate relying on you. We all make mistakes. He is your partners brother. You have a beer tonight and hope he reflects on his mistakes.

Hide behind umbrella of don't want to interfer with family stuff. $300 geez take care of it. What's this post about. Hoping some farang will give you pat on back.

Jellyfish springs to mind

Anybody who does time in a Thai jail knows the tedium and fear associated with life inside. If I could provide someone I knew with the opportunity to avoid the experience of third rate food and sardine tin sleeping arrangements, i would willingly spend 10000 baht. The arm-chair moralists and defenders of Thai family value systems and face-saving say to let him rot. If you like him, help him. Talk to the cops at the station which arrested him and get an idea of the situation and your options.

If you miss him then pay the $300 and tell your wife that you have spoken. In all seriousness.

Yes, I think we will go that way and the wife won't mind. Dad is possibly trying to put the wind up him so he will learn a lesson.

Du really is a good dad and a top bloke.

What he did was on the lower end of the scale, but illegal never-the-less and he got caught.

Ok gents, he got caught smoking a joint and in possession (personal use only, as far as I know). He was away on a building job so there were no kids around. We don't know the full story, but this is as close as I can get.

Please don't hang him.

Oh I wish people would get to the point and clearly, he was smoking cannabis right?

If so, SO WHAT, its better than him drinking alcohol, about time they foooking decriminalised it worldwide.......pathetic!!

So for this Dad in his "wisdom" has decided to do this............tells me a lot about DAD!!

There is no way you'd get a year's prison for a joint of marijuana. When I lived in Thailand in the 90's, 48 days incarceration was the norm for possession. The penalty is surely still much the same.

Otherwise, I totally agree with the comments above. Marijuana is no more evil than alcohol.

What do teachers actually do in the classroom? How are the lessons structured to take pressure off the teacher and keep students busy? Is there a balance struck between conversation and reading/writing?

This is crazy, I have been here for 1 year on an ED visa, go to my classes and actually try to learn thai.

I'm under 50, I work online. I make a lot of money and bring a lot of money into Thailand. Recently spent 250,000 baht on hospital bills for my partner, have a car, pay rent on a home, I spend over 100,000 baht a month in Thailand and I love it here. But what I cant put up with is the uncertainty of never knowing if I'm going to have to pack my bags and leave with a months notice, I have dogs, a car etc. I'd be screwed if i was given one week to up and leave.

Have also been told that we must now read and write, and that when I extend my visa in December I will be expected to know the alphabet, apparently my schooll was informed last week! Previously the first year was speaking only, so I have a couple weeks to learn the whole alphabet (good luck) even though when I extended 9 months ago immigration asked the school to bring the curriculum and were fully aware that year 1 was speaking only!!

So what are my options? Pay 100,000+ baht a year in school fees now to cover the extra hours, possibly pay 3800 baht a month for my partner and i if we have to keep extending? (my friend was given one month extensions every time with the "under consideration" stamp on it)

Paying over 200,000 baht a year to stay in Thailand is crazy, I'd rather go elsewhere but I don't know what options I have right now.

Going to research Vietnam and other places, but for work purposes I need a very reliable and fast internet connection, a bit of security would be a bonus. A visa stamp saying 12 months would be nice.

I know technically i'm "abusing" the ED visa since I work, but I do nothing but spend money here and I'm not doing something a Thai could do (it's very niche), and it's money that would not be in the Thai economy if I went home to Europe and worked, and it's another empty house on my Soi.

Having me here adds at least 1.5 million baht to the thai economy every year, but it's getting to the point where considering the cost and uncertainty I'm not sure it's worth the effort of staying here.

Anyone else know a good place in SE Asia where it's a bit more welcoming in regards to working etc?

100,000 baht "a month " God 100,000 baht is my total yearly outgoings " All In" how can you possibly spend so much money in what is mostly a 3rd world country ( almost ) - " amazing " And then to say he may have to leave because of the expense of maintaining an education visa!

I would like to know the all up cost because I am intending to reside in Bangkok on an education visa. I can speak Thai in a limited but fluent way but need to learn to read and write it. I'd be happy to sit the immigration tests but don't want to pay for monthly extensions etc.

10 hours a week isn't that much .. I did 25 a week and after 3 or 4 months at a reputable school I could read and write.

If you haven't picked up enough language ability after a year to run rings around an immigration officer then its time to think if learning a foreign language is for you.

Have to agree 100%. If you have lived in Thailand on an Ed visa, you should be able to converse on a basic level with a Thai person. 2 hours 4 days a week in Bangkok does not seem excessive. Why will the visa cost rise from 25000 - 80000? Tuition costs will stay the same, won't they?

Trigger, don't sweat it. It's an easier language to read that you'd think, and showing a basic understanding of it- even if flawed- is what immigration will be looking for- evidence that you've tried to learn. They won't be throwing the daily newspaper at you and demanding you read it out loud.

Take a moment and watch these two videos (they're about five minutes long each) - by the end of them you'll actually be able to read some basic Thai. Great videos, they totally demystify the process

Anymore of these videos available?

some posts, rather than adding to the discussion, just reveal how little people know or understand about animals and their behaviour.

Agreed. Plus many posters just ignore the fact that the thread is about the inhumane treatment of dogs in this barbaric trade and lecture people about tolerance of cultural practices etc. Some of the posts here are appalling ignorant and an insult to the posters who treat the topic with the serious moral attention that it deserves.

Should be a topic that encompasses every farmed animal tbh regarding suffering and treatment, nothing especially moral or immoral or more serious about eating dog above another animal though.

Farmed animals in western countries are killed as humanely as possible whereas dogs (and cats) eaten for food in Vietnam, China and Korea are basically tortured, during transport and actual killing. If you cannot see the difference between this and the methods used by civilized nations to dispatch animals farmed for food then you are indeed blind to the realities of life. It is a waste of time debating this topic with people who ignore the cruelty of this trade.

Not read every page, so don't know if anybody else has commented on this:

And dogs are not ordinary animals.

I would like to assure you, they are. You may have a dog that loves you, does tricks, is obedient, blah, blah, blah, but there are many animals that can be taught. Usually responding well to affection - or food.

I do tricks, am obedient (most of the time), love my owner, blah, blah, blah. And in return I get affection and food.

And guess what? I'm an ordinary human being (aka animal) - just like you.

For those that have eaten dog, does it taste like chicken? And that's a genuine question, no sarcasm or anything else intended.

More like pork IMHO.

PS

Almost any animal can rival a dog for love, affection and tricks, if you have the time.

Done it myself with rabbits, chickens and ducks.

Friends have done it with rats, parrots and sheep.

I can't see any limitation.

some posts, rather than adding to the discussion, just reveal how little people know or understand about animals and their behaviour.

Agreed. Plus many posters just ignore the fact that the thread is about the inhumane treatment of dogs in this barbaric trade and lecture people about tolerance of cultural practices etc. Some of the posts here are appalling ignorant and an insult to the posters who treat the topic with the serious moral attention that it deserves.

Strange, it seems like most teachers would come to a new country to learn about and appreciate the customs and people of the new country rather than ridicule and point fun at that culture.

I appreciate most Thai culture, but I a sort of disagree with people who blame ghosts for anything they don't understand.

My point being is that it doesn't seem to be the rule for Thai teachers. At least not at schools.

My post was no intention to make fun out of Thai culture, I apologize.

P.S. There's a possibility that such rules are more common in rural areas?

Can't see why you should apologise. Seemed like you were asking a legitimate question without any intent of ridiculing the person or culture.

seriously though, patience would be number one without a doubt.

Maneuvering a problem so that the solution appears to come from the person who caused it in the first place.

Never judge a book by it's cover. There have been certain things happen here that I have thought to be very different to what they actually were. (My apologies to the foreigner in Pattaya walking on Beach Road with his 12 year old Thai son) Although that happened 17 years ago, it was a life changer...............

Work in progress, telling the beautiful girls from the blokes in skirts.

I'd be interested to hear the details of this life changing experience.