Asheron

I used to carry a copy of the front page of my passport year one here, now for 4.5 years I have not, just drivers license, in Isaan, so far have never been asked for passport just license and maybe money in traffic stops. I keep a 100 Baht note with my license that is all they get if they hassle me for money.

Or I get my pen out and ask them for their names, phone numbers and I.D.

Just what makes you think that you have any right to ask them for their phone number ?

Same right anyone else has when it comes to asking any questions. I can for instance ask what's your number but i can't demand to know it. Capish?

It depends the context with the word "disobey".

There are a lot of Thai words which can mean "disobey" in English depending on the context. So in Thai language we are more precise in describing exactly what kind of "disobedience" it is.

You'll have to give more example of what you mean by "disobey", just asking generally like that isn't enough.

What i'm after is the following meaning taken from webster[1]: "to not do what someone or something with authority tells you to do"

[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disobey

I want to believe that most humans living on this planet want to get knowledge of whatever interests them but with a culture like Thailands where asking questions and inquiring about "whatever" is frowned on i do understand that students don't want knowledge as they associate knowledge with making... erhm... dumbass teachers look like dumbasses as they wouldn't be able to answer questions which would lead to that child "getting in trouble".

Speaking of dumbasses. You don't know the kids and teachers can ask and get answers to any questions they want and are encouraged by a force far greater than teachers or parents - MEDIA. Log on and google. You can get any answer you want or ask any question you want.

Get real. If a kid wants an education it is there for free for the taking. This culture stuff only goes for people who don't know any Thai kids. They don't listen to parents and teachers any more than any kid does.

And how many children do you have that go or have gone in Thai school?

But most of the comments on this thread are near worthless as the haters here are not knowledgeable enough to discuss education at any level and wouldn't have the first clue on how to fix it.

......and you do?

If you read the thread in it's entirety, you would know that several professional educators have already confirmed what most of us know through experience. That the Thai education system sucks due to incompetent teachers, students that don't want knowledge, just the bit of paper that they know they'll get in the end anyway.

I presume you also think that the education system here is not very good, but, rather than actually comment on the subject, you want to kinda kill the messengers.

You seem to be a typical Thai apologist.

Here's a newsflash for yer. The Thais don't need some foreigner apologizing for them, or, defending them.

Your post was just a "look at me, look at me" post to make yourself seem better than the rest of us.

Educated people made this country? Maybe, but, it was on the backs of the poor who are still controlled, excluded and disenfranchised by the very educated Thai people that you venerate.

I want to believe that most humans living on this planet want to get knowledge of whatever interests them but with a culture like Thailands where asking questions and inquiring about "whatever" is frowned on i do understand that students don't want knowledge as they associate knowledge with making... erhm... dumbass teachers look like dumbasses as they wouldn't be able to answer questions which would lead to that child "getting in trouble".

translate.google.com gives this answer: ไม่เชื่อฟัง

My question is, is that the actual real meaning of the word disobey as we know it in english?

I think some people either mix in the underclasses (understandably poor education) or they have not been 'home' in a longggggg time . My Thai family puts me to shame with how intelligent they are ! You do realise the west gives out university degrees like confetti these days ? Education is big business now , the more students that role through those doors the more money they make ....... Simple

I can assure you that the university i got my degree from (Stockholms universitet) do not give degrees like "confetti" to anyone. And i can assure you that not a single university in Sweden does such a thing.

At the risk of repeating myself and duplicating other posts, N20 is like other incapacitating drugs like booze, and also lethal.

http://pattayadailynews.com/inhaling-laughing-gas-balloons-could-be-fatal/

So, is it responsible to wait around until someone dies in Thailand? (Can't find a story....yet!). Guaranteed to happen before the end of the year.

Breathing is lethal in the long run. Drinking too much water is lethal. Eating extreme amounts of protein can be very dangerous. Taking a shower can be lethal. Walking on the side walk can be lethal. If one person would "miraculously" die from this it would be like someone winning lottery, getting striken by lightning and Thailand turning into republic the exact same moment.

Yep. Pattaya is very much "Us and Them"

Thai Culture and Western Cultures are so far apart. And will drift further apart with time.

There is one thing in common - desperate people from all over Thailand meet desperate people from the rest of the world. Pattaya is the city of deseration. Old men fooling themselves that young sexy farmgirls enjoy being with them.

The problem is that the foreigners have absolutely no interest in integrating into Thai society and the Thais hate them. Not only have they hit the bottom of the road but they must pretend that they actually like foreigners.

The only way to get rid of this "us and them" is to integrate - learn the language for starters and stand up for ourselves when discriminated against.

Nothing to do with the thousands that go to pattaya. I find them more authentic in what they are doing than some who try to integrate, act "thaier than Thais.

There has always been a " barrier" the perception of the foreigner has always been there, just exacerbated and probably re- enforced by the fact that there are a lot more foreigners here now, some of dubious qualities.

I agree on the language and the self assertion, both of which I possess..I am less integrated now than I was 25 years ago..and I am very comfortable with that. I like Thailand, Thai wife, children etc..but I am a foreigner, just one who tries to be cultural sensitive and respectful..I will always be one of "us" as the Thais really will never see us as one of them..the exercise is therefore futile..just don't get frustrated by things..and having a lot of money helps...some just try to make a big deal of it and go as far to say they hate us..or don't like the word farang..the list is endless..which only re- enforces the divide..

Stop wasting your energi writing perfectly logical things like that... many on TV just don't get it. Many probably even think they are thai because they eat at "mama-noodles-cart".

Does anybody really care? If so, get a life.

It has nothing to do with care or not.

They are not in a private property, these girls are lying completely drunk in a street (public area) very different!

How do you know they were "completetely drunk"?

It`s their bodies and if these self destructive losers want to poison themselves with Nitrous oxide gas, then who cares and let them get on with it.

When are you going to stop breathing? Because you don't seem to know that each breath kills you by a very very very small amount.

Young woman doing this in public.

Is it any wonder they are raped from timeimethese gir?

It's time these girls got a clue and started acting like responsible adults.

Maybe they need to buy a vowel Vanna!

Aahhh, so if you get drunk or maybe even look at the wrong person while sober then it's fine for that person to kick your face in? After all, it's your fault for not having a "clue" right?

Let them do what they want, Thailand is disney world, right? Just don;t want to hear complaints when they get assaulted while stupidly being under the influence.

That is such a dumb thing to say... what you are saying is that "meh, it's fine if my daughter gets raped/assaults is she was drunk at the time. After all, it was her own fault".

This doesn't change one little thing on the ground in Jerusalem. It does better define presidential powers.

Of course Israel demonizers will spin this as a great victory. Somehow I don't see how this brings their goal of ending Israel any closer.

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Every thing that restricts Israeli claims to more and more land affects life on the ground.

The Vatican recognizing Israel affects life on the ground. US decisions regarding passports issued to US citizens born in Jerusalem affects life on the ground.

The continued condemnation of settlements in occupied territory affects life on the ground.

Israel is continuing to isolate itself.

And the solution is to give land to fictious people ("palestinians") whose only dream and wish is the annihilate you? I think that jews and israel citizens rather perish standing up and fighting than kneeling before pushed to the ground and get their head cut off while the last words they hear are "allahu akbar".

Who cares if someone used something that is legal? People who object to this must have some major megalomaniac problems.

I'm not saying that complete anarchy is the way - but I think if you determine that some asshat just ripped you off, you should be able to beat his ass without there being a frivolous lawsuit filed on the scumbag's behalf.

Hmmm.... maybe you have a point here... Let's see how this would go for you in Thailand...

--Your Thai landlord refuses to return your rental security deposit when you move out... No problem, just march on over to his home and beat his ass..

--You're coming home from Suvanabhumi and the Thai taxi driver refuses to use the meter and instead wants to charge you about double the correct fare... Hey, have the driver pull over to the side of the road, and when he stops, beat his ass.

--You go to Thai Immigration and the officer there want to charge you a fee for providing a service that's supposed to have no charge... Easy to fix that, stand up, walk over to the desk and deliver a big time ass beating....

Can you count in minutes just how long it would be before you'd either be thrown in jail or dead?

Your point is well taken, but discretion is a must for what I am talking about. None of the situations you are describing are ones I would ever engage in like that (those are just day-to-day realities of being a foreigner in a foreign land). I'm talking about wanton behaviors that just undermine any form of honesty that can be tolerated (such as the story we find ourselves commenting on).

Granted - you would have to know your limits in any given situation. I guess I'm just lucky to have grown up in a different time, when common sense was more than just a catch phrase in some 3rd rate business school's Ethics course.

Do you even realize that you just described something like 87.53% of all official dealings with thai "authority"?

Well done to the Thai vendors.... who cares if he had fake notes or whatever... err... where did he come from..?

As it says in the title, India.

Tomtomtom69,

I believe that Bakseeda was using a rhetoric statement inviting the readers to consider the origin of the fake fakir.

Its a slightly subtle, wry form of humour we like to call sarcasm.

Really? More like a not so subtle racist comment!

Oh wow so original to come dragging with the waaaaaaacist card.

I'm going to make it crystal clear to my children that i under no circumstance will accept that they would "take care" of me when i'm old. And the very simple reason is that they have their lives and i want them to live their lives to the fullest without worrying about an old man in the house.

A noble sentiment, to be sure.

The counterpoint would be that by not having 'the old man in the house' you are robbing your children and their children of some of their most valuable cultural assets... being surrounded by family, the wisdom and experience of age, the bonding that comes as a life is winding down... I guess everyone has a different definition of 'a life lived to its fullest'.

So when i'm old i can't park my ass on a bus, train, car, plane "for a while" to visit my family or vice versa?

A female would be at risk in all (?) Western cities in a poor area whether it be white or migrant communities. In addition unfortunately also in lets say more 'civilised' areas of cities. As an example here Brisbane, Australia three females were sexually assaulted and murdered within 18 months, by white Australians, within the business area of the city.

But hey, you never miss a chance of vilifying Muslims

Who talked about muslims (besides you)?

BS. As you well know the term "culturally enriched" used by you is right wing code for vilification of Muslims

So only muslim immigrants have a culture while all non-muslims don't? Gotcha!

How long would a drunk young Thai girl last unharrassed on the streets of any Western city in the middle of the night? Right...answer honestly now, Thailand-bashers.

It depends, if you would be in Rinkeby, Tensta, Kista, Jordbro etc (suburbs of Stockholm) chances are quite high that you would be "culturally enriched". If you were in Djursholm (top 3? richest area in Sweden) chances are quite high nothing would happen. As Thailand doesn't have so called ghettos it can't really be compared.

A female would be at risk in all (?) Western cities in a poor area whether it be white or migrant communities. In addition unfortunately also in lets say more 'civilised' areas of cities. As an example here Brisbane, Australia three females were sexually assaulted and murdered within 18 months, by white Australians, within the business area of the city.

But hey, you never miss a chance of vilifying Muslims

Who talked about muslims (besides you)? In Sweden the so so "wonderful" thing of gang rapes was more rare than unicorns some 40+ years ago and now it happens daily. With your "logic" there were no poor people etc 40+ years ago in Sweden.

Immigrant men are atleast 5 times more likely to commit a sexual assault than a "swedish" men. Go read SCB instead of knee-jerking to defend things you know nothing about.

I fully understood what he wrote but i'm still puzzled why "they" would make any changes to something that is actually working pretty well (such as visas granted in Thailand etc) if "they" first did something about the very big problem regarding Mediterranean.

If you think the present bunch of losers running Europe are going to do ANYTHING about stopping the flood of illegals, you are delusional, IMO. Neville Chamberlain to a man ( and woman ).

I that that the chance of thailand turning into a republic and having democracy is about 1000 times more likely but that was still not my point.

Naturally, you do realise that the more migrants who make it over, the more the EU countries may ramp up the difficulties for those legally trying to get into the EU with their partners, etc? (From Thailand, etc?)

The Netherlands, France, Scandi's and the English seem to be heading towards a more right wing attitude as the "liberal nations" ideals and tolerance seem to attract those who actually seem to despise those very things. Very interesting times and potentially some bloody ones ahead.

(PS. Didn't John Donne write the following, whilst the experiences of the English Civil War were still keen in his mind - "Beware the fury of a patient man." ?)

Why are you comparing illegal immigration (from Libya etc) with legal immigration (Thailand etc)?

As i don't know about legislation in other EU member states i'll talk about Sweden again...

In Sweden it is a crime to stay in Sweden when your visa runs out (doh) and as such it's illegal to be in Sweden as illegal immigrant. If the police find you you'll eventually be deport (well, that's the idea but rarely happens). But for some reason it is perfectly legal for person X to hide illegal immigrant Z without any kind of consequence (in my eyes 5 years in prison would be nice punishment). People in Sweden are getting more tired by the day about the immigration to Sweden. It's not really rocket science that so called "right wing parties" are gaining lots and lots of votes in Europe.

Just a few days ago (day before swedish national day) a Middle Eastern immigrant who now works at the largest "news paper" in Sweden (Aftonbladet, a socialist tabloid) whined and cried that Sweden should apologize to her because she had to wait a while to get her asylum approved when she "fled" to Sweden. She was literally puked on by many and even the former immigration minister of Sweden and current deputy speaker of parliament (Tobias Billström) said in a diplomatic wait "<deleted> b*tch".

People don't seem to realize that "news" travel faster than light. And the "news" has for a long time been "if you are from a muslim country just say you are gay and afraid of your life and you get asylum in Sweden"... and that is true.

Why are you comparing illegal immigration (from Libya etc) with legal immigration (Thailand etc)?

Perhaps English is not your first language, but he is obviously saying if too many illegal economic migrants are admitted, it could make governments cut back on legal immigration.

I fully understood what he wrote but i'm still puzzled why "they" would make any changes to something that is actually working pretty well (such as visas granted in Thailand etc) if "they" first did something about the very big problem regarding Mediterranean.

Were any of the vendors arrested for selling fake goods?

Fake goods bought with fake money by an Indian fakir. Faking unbelievable.

Of course not, they are thai will the "faker" was a "แขก".

How long would a drunk young Thai girl last unharrassed on the streets of any Western city in the middle of the night? Right...answer honestly now, Thailand-bashers.

It depends, if you would be in Rinkeby, Tensta, Kista, Jordbro etc (suburbs of Stockholm) chances are quite high that you would be "culturally enriched". If you were in Djursholm (top 3? richest area in Sweden) chances are quite high nothing would happen. As Thailand doesn't have so called ghettos it can't really be compared.

Naturally, you do realise that the more migrants who make it over, the more the EU countries may ramp up the difficulties for those legally trying to get into the EU with their partners, etc? (From Thailand, etc?)

The Netherlands, France, Scandi's and the English seem to be heading towards a more right wing attitude as the "liberal nations" ideals and tolerance seem to attract those who actually seem to despise those very things. Very interesting times and potentially some bloody ones ahead.

(PS. Didn't John Donne write the following, whilst the experiences of the English Civil War were still keen in his mind - "Beware the fury of a patient man." ?)

Why are you comparing illegal immigration (from Libya etc) with legal immigration (Thailand etc)?

As i don't know about legislation in other EU member states i'll talk about Sweden again...

In Sweden it is a crime to stay in Sweden when your visa runs out (doh) and as such it's illegal to be in Sweden as illegal immigrant. If the police find you you'll eventually be deport (well, that's the idea but rarely happens). But for some reason it is perfectly legal for person X to hide illegal immigrant Z without any kind of consequence (in my eyes 5 years in prison would be nice punishment). People in Sweden are getting more tired by the day about the immigration to Sweden. It's not really rocket science that so called "right wing parties" are gaining lots and lots of votes in Europe.

Just a few days ago (day before swedish national day) a Middle Eastern immigrant who now works at the largest "news paper" in Sweden (Aftonbladet, a socialist tabloid) whined and cried that Sweden should apologize to her because she had to wait a while to get her asylum approved when she "fled" to Sweden. She was literally puked on by many and even the former immigration minister of Sweden and current deputy speaker of parliament (Tobias Billström) said in a diplomatic wait "&lt;deleted&gt; b*tch".

People don't seem to realize that "news" travel faster than light. And the "news" has for a long time been "if you are from a muslim country just say you are gay and afraid of your life and you get asylum in Sweden"... and that is true.

I think you should take care of your view first. Think you need glases.

Al big pharmacies have a big range of vitamines, never seen before in Europ.

Yes most are expensive (400 to 500THB). Centrum is the most known but look also for Brandt's.

By the way, if you eat different food enought you dont need viamines unless you do hard labour are after you where sick - ill.

Overdossis of vitamines do more harm then good. One exeption vitamine C , if you take to much it goes if you pi.

You have no idea about my eyesight, what i eat nor why i eat like i eat, why i want vitamins/minerals or my knowledge about vitamins/minerals.

So please take your "thinglish" and go reply to some thread on Sanook or something.