Scouse123

3 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

Unlike Christians?

 

I refuse to bite at this remark. You and I know there is no comparison.

 

Let's just say not all Muslims are terrorists but it certainly appears all terrorists are Muslims hell-bent on destroying the fabric of the Christian countries allowing them to take refuge, feeding, and clothing and giving them shelter.

 

Would the 57 Muslim states do that for Christians?

Times are a changing and have been for the last 15 years dramatically,

 

It used to be said as prices were creeping up in Thailand that hotels, eating and drinking, and taxis were still very good value for money compared with the West.

 

Good hotels are still a lot cheaper than the UK, eating and drinking no longer are!        Taxis......well depends on where you are, but I wouldn't think so in the likes of Samui or Phuket.

 

However, Thailand is neither cheap nor good value for money in so many areas these days unless you are eating purely local fruit and vegetable produce and local rice dishes. Clothing, superior in quality and price back home, perfumes and aftershave, back home. any foreign foodstuffs obviously, back home. The main thing Thailand offers now is an easy pace of life but that is down to you yourself, the weather, cheap house rentals, and utilities, for those who rent.

 

Even in my partying days, the bars were a fun filled experience and inexpensive to have a great weekend, whether you took and partied with the ladies or not, those days are long gone now. To have a good night out now, you will definitely be on the wrong side of 8,000-10,000 baht in Bangkok or Pattaya, anyway, at least in the places I go, you would.

 

I stopped eating seafood a few years ago now after seeing Bangkok just increase their prices at seafood places in what seemed to be on a weekly basis. I still eat seafood on my trips to Hanoi and Halong bay where even on the water's edge of Halong Bay, seafood remains outstanding value as is beer, soft drinks and everything else.

When are the countries that these ' refugees ' originate going to show the same tolerance and respect for other religions and welcome their followers and not attack them, ransack their places of worship, kill them as apostates, etc. ??

 

Answer: Never.

 

There are 57 Muslim states, that surely is enough to look after their own? After all, don't they allegedly follow the same values and believe in the same rules and laws?? They would not have to accept or look at the shameful Western ways.

 

Ah, that's right, they can't even agree amongst themselves which is the right and true path.

Just a bit odd,

 

I am sorry but I didn't really find this interesting or to any point, I must have missed the purpose of the video.

So where's the balanced opinion then? 23 years, big deal, surprised you lasted here that long, well done.

I can only, as I did in a previous post, give you the facts. I can't give you the intellectual apparatus to appreciate them.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

I normally disagree with people reacting to threads by telling someone to go home.
 
It smacks of intolerance of others views of Thailand and, whilst this country is far from perfect, the people, customs, weather, other farangs, etc make it a great place to live.
 
An intelligent post will usually be balanced with pluses as well as criticisms.
 
Yours however is just a list of bile-ridden hatred of Thailand, so, here goes......
 
Why, if you hate it here so much, don't you go home? (if you do indeed live here?).
 
Nice post chap.

Nonsense,

Bile ridden hatred?? Not at all. Neither does it ' smack of intolerance '

However, I am realistic and see further than my nose end. It is a true reflection of the state of affairs in Thailand.

I don't live in some cuckoo land praising Thailand and criticising foreigners as though I am some kind of adopted or Pseudo Thai.I also speak as I find and look at the whole picture.

In addition I have seen plenty over the last 23 years, good and bad and have mentioned in many posts in support of Thailand.You show me any points in my post that are untrue?

One thing that you did get right, it's not your place to tell me or anyone else to go home!!




Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Is it a new immigration office?

 

We live in Kalasin but it is nearer to the Ropi Et side than the city of Kalasin and of course, for annual extensions, it means going to Sakhon Nakhon. I would much prefer Roi Et, far nearer.

I always found Liverpool consulate good and easy to deal with.

 

https://www.embassypages.com/missions/embassy25228/

1 hour ago, davidcc said:

I do not know the circumstances and I could be wrong of course;  but for a Thai customer to get that upset, she must have been rude and abrasive.  I have a friend in a wheel chair and he has lived in Thailand for over 16 years and never had an issue at all. In fact he is treated incredibly well, wherever he goes. He gets taxis, goes to bars, restaurants and movies. But he is polite, mild mannered and respectful of Thai culture. The Thai people have treated him so well, over the years. It is why he lives in Thailand.

 

From my experience I have to say (not all), the people from the Middle East and India really do need to learn some manners and respect for other people’s culture. In 20 years I have seen how they shout, put their feet up on seats, argue over a few baht, demand discounts, cause problems at stations and generally are totally ignorant of the fact this is not their country. They have no respect for the Thai culture, their religion and their etiquette.  So I will defend the Thai’s on this, as I bet she was rude, ignorant and arrogant. I see it almost on a daily basis and quite frankly they need to be told. I for one, am tired of their rude arrogance and unpleasant attitude to other cultures. Sorry but seen too much of it over the years. If I am wrong in this particular instance, I am sorry. And the same goes for any other nationality too, that can't be civilised and polite. I am not prejudiced in any way. I am not being prejudiced but just stating what I have seen and heard many times over the years. Not just in Thailand but anywhere I have been. If you expect people to respect you, show them respect.

 

 

By the way...the guy is right !....It is Thailand and if you don't like it, leave. 

 

 

I agree with your post nearly in its entirety until the final paragraph!  I dislike this term of phrase. I do not think anybody, with the exception of those in authority, should be allowed to say that. Even those in Thailand given the authority to do so are vastly undereducated and qualified as a rule.

 

It is laughable that the hi so's that promote this type of intolerance by mainstream Thais are exactly the same ones choosing to educate their children in the UK, USA, Australia and the rest.

 

I would never in a Thai restaurant in the UK say to service staff to go back to their own country or if you don't like it leave,  for a minor misdemeanour. The fact that a customer is saying it, shows me how embedded xenophobia is in Thai society, now always visible but always there underneath the surface. 

 

I would say it when I hear these Imans on TV in the UK and the Muslim marches demanding we change our way of life to accommodate theirs, but that is not the topic here.

 

For all the faults of the Thais, I find them extremely accommodating, willing and they find it easier to ' go with the flow ' than seek confrontation ( unless they are driving a vehicle!! ).

 

None of us has the benefit of all what happened in this incident, but on the balance of probabilities and the behaviour I have witnessed from those from the Middle East in Bumrungrad hospital and similar establishments where wealthy Middle Easterners congregate, I would tend to side with the Thai staff on this occasion.........but not the customers!

Yes and it depends what he was convicted of, using, ( least serious ) selling or caught selling with intent to supply further.

 

They carry very different sentences and especially with regards to the quantities.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

 

Hahahaha,

Yeah, you're right on that one!!! [emoji23]


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

On 15/12/2017 at 3:52 PM, darksidedog said:

The problem with amnesties are no one ever knows when they are coming along, how generous they will be, or even if you will be eligible at all. Last year there were two, so far this year none. Aside from when it will occur, is if your friend will benefit. To be eligible, you need to have a "class." This goes from standard, to good to excellent. The better your class, the higher the percentage off you get when the "Apai" comes round. To get a class, your case must be final, so appeals are finished and its a minimum of 6 months from that point to get a class. If he was sentenced April 2016, he should now have a class of either standard or good, giving him in all probability a 1 in 5 or 1 in 6 reduction at an amnesty. However, in the last one, those on a first time offence with a sentence of under 4 years, having served a year or more, with a class, were given automatic release. Additionally, certain offences, such as sexual, tend to not receive amnesty, though again, this is not universal. The whole thing is a lottery.

It is quite a cruel and inhumane system. People with the same sentence can serve vastly different periods depending on what time of year they were sentenced and if the Amnesties were well timed.

I have been a prison visitor for 10 years and have been to three different prisons this week. Please feel free to message me, if you would like to discuss details in private. My best guess is if luck holds out, he will be released as soon as the next amnesty rolls along, but it is anyone's guess when that might be. Normally special occasions like Mothers Day or Fathers Day, but you never know.

 

Good well informed post.

 

However, the ' classes ' were in six categories; and are very bad, bad, standard, good, very good, excellent. Sentence reductions do not start until at least standard class.A review is done every six months. Sexual offenses do receive amnesties, the most difficult amnesties to receive are for drug offenses which are classed in their eyes as worse than murder or sex offenses. It does get complicated because, for example, if it was a murder case, what were the reasons? Was there a weapon used? Was it within the family? Was it unprovoked? All these things are looked at separately in the calculation and different amnesties apply. Also, if a person is in prison as a repeat offender for the same type of offense, no amnesty is given.

 

It is very true that amnesties are indeed a ' lottery ' and no two are the same but I think this has much to do with the actual needs and wishes of the corrections departments and overcrowding in the prisons. All governments in Thailand are loathed to give much amnesty in drug cases as they do not wish to appear to the outside world to be soft on drugs.

 

I should imagine, based on my experience of these matters, the next one of any consequence will be at the new Kings coronation. Amnesties are given and used as a rule for joyous occasions for the nation.

 

evadgib. I do think you may be mistaken slightly, it doesn't take three months to reach the prisons from publication, it allows three months for the prisons to implement the Royal Decree.

There are many reasons for the decline of gay bars and straight bars and the customers who frequent them.

 

There are changing attitudes where younger Thais and their families are more affluent, jobs are more easy to come by as the country moves forward, the rise of the internet, gay and straight dating apps which are in abundance and on your mobile phone, Planet Romeo,  Grinder, Gay Romeo, Blued to name but a few.There seems less and less reason for youngsters to parade around in underwear on a stage and far easier and more respectable ways to earn a living. THOSE REMAINING IN THE GAME AS HOOKERS AND PROSTITUTES HAVE OPTED TO EVEN ' CLEAN UP THEIR ACT '  so to speak but meeting their clients at the airport and referring to them as boyfriends and girlfriends, for the few weeks they are here at least! Why dance on a stage when you can have ready-made partners to be collected directly from the airport to wine and dine you without the distraction of eye candy on a platform vying for their affections (money) in competition?

 

Gone are the days where you, the customer, wake up the following morning to find your clothes washed and ironed and put back in the wardrobe of your hotel room. Most of them these days, don't even want to hang around more than is absolutely necessary after the deed and want 2,000-3,000 for their time and trouble. It is also no longer the cheap pastime that it once was. Bar fines at 400-500 baht, expected tips as mentioned, drinks varying depending on the type of establishment but even the cheapest go-go bars want between 170-200 baht a drink. It has now become an expensive night out unless you are here going crazy with your tax-free earnings from the oil industry. Even the standard of hookers has taken a nosedive, with the high-class ones available online and wanting big money and the ones in the beer bars well past their sell by dates but still wanting top dollar.

 

Younger gays from the West that visit now that travel is so much cheaper, are not interested in paying for sex and many will visit Thailand with their partners from their home countries. The ' old men ' who used to be the prime source of income for these bars are a dying breed and are not being replaced. Habits are changing as is the customer base. With the large influx of Asian and especially Chinese tourists, gay bars of old in Bangkok are opting to reinvent themselves and become a cabaret or show bar for the tour groups. They charge far more for a drink these days, in the 400-500 baht range but they know that one drink is usually all they will get from these types of tourist.

 

The Army and police have also become very greedy in their ' payoffs ' regarding these types of establishment and this has seen many close especially the seedier types. Thais themselves now feel that they are ' above ' this sort of behavior hence the influx, in Bangkok and Pattaya, of many prostitutes from Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia when it used to be limited to Laos and Thailand.

 

Improved and better education of the rural poor, restricted travel for Paedophiles and travel bans forcing them further underground and out of countries which they used to think were safe havens. Australia has recently introduced removal of passports and travel rights for Paedophiles and the USA is going to put it in their passports if they have any conviction for sex offenses.

 

Regards the NGOs, although there are some very respectable and hard working people amongst them, many are scratching around with ' fake news ' in attempts to justify their existence and salaries by sensationalizing problems that just are not there.

2 minutes ago, Tofer said:

Why does the company have to "involve nominees"?

 

I was under the impression a foreigner could own 49% of a company that owned land with one more Thai than foreigner shareholders holding the remaining 51%. Also that such a company is perfectly legal providing the shareholder can prove their wherewithal to purchase said shareholding.

 

Because of the fact that the foreigner, as a rule, is terrified of being cheated out of his/her money as a minority shareholder and not without good reason!

3 hours ago, Just Weird said:

The thieves were arrested; what makes you think that the cameras in the hotels that this lot robbed didn't work?

 

Well, they certainly took their time apprehending them if the below sentence is correct!

 

quote:

 

"They are believed to have hit at least five hotels in Thong Lor, Hua Mak, Phaya Thai, Pattaya and Don Hua Lor, Chonburi."

 

Furthermore, if the landing corridor cameras were functioning, it should have been fairly simple to catch them in the act if the cameras were monitored and working; bearing in mind they broke into a room, removed the safe and carried it back to their room, then removed the contents.

 

Who was responsible for monitoring the hotel cameras?

 

 

3 minutes ago, Basil B said:

Yes, every none EU visitor to the UK has to have there bio-metrics taken, normally while applying for a visa.

 

Yep,

 

But that doesn't solve the problem of all the crooks, murderers, thieves etc from Romania, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and everywhere else in the EU.

3 minutes ago, trogers said:

Or those nominees and the lawyer cheats the foreigner, since they legally own the company, and thus the property...

 

So, how safe is an illegal act?

 

How many times have we seen here where lawyers collude with the wives/nominees/girlfriends and always to cheat the foreigner out of their money. Foreigners need to accept if they move into the murky world of companies to buy land there is a good chance of being cheated.

 

After 23 years and doing this in the past myself, I would just say now I would not do it again after all I have seen. I am too old to start again and too wise to push my luck again.

I made it 50/50 fault. If she wasn't so busy chatting with her daughter she could have seen the upcoming hazard on the left and known he had nowhere and would be moving to the right. I do not say it's right or wrong, it's just the way they drive in Thailand.

 

The policeman did not speak bad or with lack of respect. He merely pointed out why she hadn't allowed him to get in the lane. I say it was 50-50.

1 hour ago, elgenon said:

I did. I got a nasty look but she got the correct change. So I have to remember to count the change each time. It's not the 10 baht, which is nothing, but I think on larger bills it is more. It's the lack of transparency. Do they fail to provide correct change for BFs? I'm saying be careful and check your change. Nothing wrong in advising that. So much easier if they returned the correct amount. Imagine if you are with a group having a good time with a large bill and you don't bother to count the change as you never had a problem in the past. What have they deducted? I always tip but I want to be the one who decides how much.

 

 

You need to find a hobby and busy your life up a little. Do you honestly think you could register a complaint about this nonsense and get a result?

 

I think maybe you are just trolling!

2 hours ago, robertson468 said:

And you have proof of that?  I have many, many Friends on the Island who through the Company system own land and have built their houses.  Sure there are crooks around, but if you don't do your proper investigation before purchasing, more fool you.

 

 

The system you are referring to includes using ' nominee ' Thais to form a company to purchase land to obtain/buy/build a house. That is not what Thai companies are supposedly there to do. Your friends have acted illegally even though this is a time honoured way used to ' circumvent ' the system.

 

Their land and houses are at risk at the whim of whichever authorities are in power during the next ' crackdown ' on illegally set up companies for the purpose of land development.

59 minutes ago, Sapporillo said:

Sure, but how does that prevent this kind of theft? Remember, they had a room in these hotels, it's not like they had to sneak past the reception...

 

I guess the cam footage was helpful in identifying them, and making them confess. 

Well, sure it's useful.

 

If they have burgled the room adjacent or nearby bearing in mind the removed wall or floor safes and took them to their own rooms, it would show on the landing cameras of each floor.

1 hour ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

Rubbish. Japan and Korea has fingerprinting and record tourist arrivals recently. This could also be done at Thai air/land borders. There would be no chaos. People who can afford an airline ticket from the US/UK can afford to buy a new one whilst held to remand in IDC/airport detention. Listen, I am American. One cannot even enter Canada if one has a conviction for drink driving (I don't) . America does not allow Yakuza even if they have not been convicted, they are on a list. Better international information sharing is the norm, Thailand is behind the times.

 

Thailand does not need street brawlers, soccer hooligans, drug users/dealers, biker gang farangs, scammers, pimps, extortionists, and crims. A quick review of home country conviction history is in order before granting entry or visa extension.

 

You mean it doesn't need to be like the USA?

9 minutes ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

Fingerprinting and facial photograph of all visitors should be all required to end all of this “change name” and re-enter rubbish. Also better coordination with major countries, US, UK, etc.

 

Most of the scum causing problems here already have convictions for anti-social behaviors, crimes, and hooliganism and should be banned from Thailand.

 

 

 

Yes, and then the crooks would just enter through the porous borders of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

 

If the implement your ideas at the airport, although good in theory, I can only imagine the chaos with queues. It would simply be a nightmare.

 

Other countries that do take fingerprinting have a lot fewer visitors passing through immigration.

Whenever I stay at high-end hotels in Bangkok in the price range of 3,000-4,000 baht a night, all the lifts and corridors have security cameras that actually WORK!