Soi Oz

"Repairs", "Refurbishment".........................

For heavens sake this is a brand new building.

What is the man talking about?

Grab the contractor by the nuts and tell him to get the job done right.

Situation normal for Thai construction.... The workers are great, but the owners of the construction companies and the people who receive their "lunch" in brown paper bags don't really care about getting the job right. Ever noticed how quickly supposedly new roads deteriorate here?

Donz mentioned throwing water on people during a water throwing festival.

2 responses have had his nose broken and his teeth knocked out.

Very selective quoting there Maigo6. Donz mentioned how much fun it was soaking people who didn't want to be soaked. If someone does not wish to get drenched, they have every right to be left alone. Continuing to soak them is an act of aggression, and some people may choose to respond with their own form of aggression.... Thais are used to having people take the piss with their personal space and wishes. People in other countries are not.

I think the majority of the moaners are old and/or have lived in Thailand for a while.

The young or the young at heart never seem to have a problem, the legions of the miserable always find something to moan about wherever they may be.

Whoa, talk about over generalisations.. I am not old and I've lived here for four years. I love Thailand, but I'm not blinded by my affection for the place. Songkran, like a lot of things Thai, is a good thing taken to such an extreme that it's no longer a good thing. If the water throwing lasted one or two days, everyone would probably join in and have a good time - get it over with and then continue to enjoy what is the longest break most of us get during the year. But no, the drunken, inconsiderate brigade continue to use the whole holiday as an excuse to do whatever the hel_l they wish while the rest of us are supposed to just smile and carry on. A bucket of water and powder paste over my new clothes while I'm walking to the cinema?... Ho, ho, what a hoot little Somchai, yes go right ahead. Luckily Bangkok is pretty deserted at Songkran so I can drive to places I'd normally walk to.

Newsflash... A lot of Thais get fed up with the Songkran water terrorists too, the whining isn't restricted to the farang community. I enjoy it for a day and I participate in the spirit of the festival. Four days later it gets a bit old....... I reserve the right to shove that water cannon up your a#$ if you soak me when I don't wish to be soaked....

Yah but so much for your fellow country men the high cost of your currency means the cost of your goods are high and no work as your products costs are high, but I guess you Euro ######s don't care about work or making a living you just want to play the big man role, same as the English and there over valued pound

Hmmm.... had your girl stolen by someone from Europe perhaps??

Songkran is such a Unique festival, not only for Thailand, but many people around the World look to Thailand during this Festival. Even Yahoo is featuring Ads with Pictures of Pretty Thai Girls shooting a Water Pistol during this Time.

Many people who can't be there, are wishing they were, all around the World. It is a Celebration that is hailed and respected by many around the world because it is so Unique and different, and if you have ever participated you know it is a Blast as well!

.... and many people who are here are wishing they weren't. This is my favourite time of year to get out of Thailand. A couple of hours of splashing water around would be fun, three (or more) days of it becomes a chore. Time to stock up on DVDs again

People are advised to avoid travelling to Siam Square areas or use sky trains instead.

Meanwhile, PAD leader Major-general Chamlong Srimuang (จำลอง ศรีเมือง) insisted that the protests will take place in front of Siam Paragon to bring information to people in the areas, adding that the PAD is doing the right thing.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 29 March 2006

What a load of <deleted> (is that OK Mr Moderator? Can I say that?). This has nothing to do with bringing "information" to the people. "The people" will avoid the area like the plague, the protesters will be preaching to the converted. This has EVERYTHING to do with causing major inconvenience to everyone else. My commute this morning took an extra half an hour - there was a bunch of protesters outside the Bangkok Bank on Sukhumvit, who decided it was OK to park their cars on Sukhumvit Road during peak hour......

If they really didn't wish to make a mess of Bangkok they'd protest in Lumpini Park....

They won't be in the Mall - in the street in front I think. Agree with Dukkha about the wretched consumerism in BKK - YUCH !

Just out of interest, where in Thailand is there NOT this 'wretched consumerism'? It's a national phenomenon if you ask me. The only reason it's not as bad in the rest of the country is the fact that the population there can't afford to be rampant consumers.

ANTI-THAKSIN PROTEST

City malls preparing for rally 'chaos'

Ekkaporn Rakkwamsuk, a Thai Rak Thai candidate, said the PAD was now causing problems. "It has caused an adverse impact on traffic as well as on Bangkok residents. It's coming close to breaking the law," he said.

--The Nation 2006-03-28

Close? These ar$h0les don't give a flying %^^& about the residents of this city. As if the traffic isn't bad enough, we get lanes full of bussed in protesters adding to the mess. Inappropriate comment deleted. You had already made your point. /Meadish

I wonder what my Esaan family would think of these horrendous monuments to greed and galloping consumerism...

They probably aspire to shop there themselves....

I think in addition to TEFL, bus/truck/and taxi driving as a career should be added to the list of "occupations open to foreigners."

And as over 40.000 people a year die on US roads in acccidents, maybe we need only US drivers to make the Thai roads safer eh?

I'm sure US drivers can show these Thai's a thing or two about road safety, hence the only 40,000 + deaths each year on US roads, a mere pittance compared with Thailands measly 14000, when will these Thais shape up and become perfect, just like farangs?

Woooosh. Talk about missing the point! Whay are you so fixated on the US? (which BTW has a population about 4 times that of Thailand, a hel_l of a lot more cars and god knows how many more roads).

I don't see people here claiming that farang drivers are perfect - of course they aren't. I choose to drive in the same way I do in my own country - carefully, considerately and at a reasonable speed. I don't agree that you should drive like the locals - the odds are bad enough as it is. The fact remains.... the road toll here is a problem and there doesn;t seem to be too many people who care enough to really do something about it. Debate on the topic is healthy, so why try to squash it with anti-US rhetoric like this? Some of you guys have been here too long.....

Lets put some perspective back into this.....

Some have talked about the amount of daily traffic on this road....there will always be accidents on such a heavily used road....Ok this time it was farangs that got killed...but many Thais have lost their lives too...With that amount of traffic accidents are inevitable.

Maybe inevitable, but a hel_l of a lot of accidents on that road are avoidable. Perspective or not, the standard of driving in Thailand is crap and it does influence the road toll.

The Chon Buri to Pattaya road is the worst I have ever seen, basically totally ruined by the mad overloaded speeding lories - I say this as someone who has ridden a small motorcycle along it! They need to upgrade the railway to carry all the freight!

The road is inadequate for the volume of traffic it carries. This is the main road between the Laem Chabang port and Bangkok and environs. In most places it is only two poorly marked lanes which is not enough. The motorway surface is OK, but Sukhumvit is stuffed.

The code of the road here is different. Whereas the general rule in the UK is to give way or move over, here the general feel seems to be drift on through until you can get no further. I've seen some totally crazy manoeuvres here but if you look at the driver you see little or no sign of aggression or excitement, just a sort of going with the flow.

Unfortunately, this doesn't make the crazy manoeuvres any safer. I drive in Bangkok every day and do the "Highway of Death" a couple of times a month on average. The problems are many, but boil down to:

• A total lack of effective law enforcement (i.e. enforcing the things that matter)
  
• Poor driver training / attitude
  
• Speeding
  
• Poor / inadequate roads
  
• Alcohol
  
• Badly maintained vehicles
  

Mix a farmer in his badly maintained and grossly overloaded pickup doing 60, with an erratically driven Camry, impatiently weaving through the traffic at 160, and you have a sure fire recipe for disaster.

I wouldn't be a passenger in a bus on that road for anything, the tour buses are the worst.

Thai Oil claims to have contained oil spill off Chonburi coast

So' let's see if Thai Oil is up to this task; "the proof is in the swimming", so to speak.

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I wouldn't be swimming anywhere on that coast regardless

Instead of passing laws that restrict sales at certain hours, Thailand should increase the liquor TAX by ten baht per drink, of which two baht would have to go to law enforcement.  If that doesn't curb drunken driving, absenteeism due to drunkeness, public welfare doles due to drunkeness, drunk Cabinet members, etc.,  make it forty baht per drink.

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Won't work. The Thai police force is useless and traffic police are the worst. The money would go towards more air-conditioners and TV sets for their "control" booths.

Plus, if you really need the porn, take a trip to Panthip or Silom Road. Plenty is available there... 

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Which is exactly what makes this 'crackdown' so ridiculous.... not that I really care.

Just because people are guests doesn't mean they have no right to criticise. Anyway, criticism of Thailand falls on deaf ears so its usually a waste of breath (or bits.)

It's strange for a Doctor to call it heart failure. Heart failure is a progressive chronic disease and not of itself a cause of death.

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I reckon that your heart failing (i.e. stopping) is pretty much guaranteed to cause death!

Seems no end to this.  Rain OK, but this is just OTT.  My wife is still trying to get her car dried out after being caught in flooding in Hang Dong area.  This is even after she moved it when a neighbor said the water levels were rising.

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Hangdong? My GF lives there. Which part? (I'll be there next weekend).

Thanks Soi OZ for your time and help in this matter.   I did exactly as you stated, BUT I think Curt is correct in his summary of the situation. I SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN MENTIONED!!! But you are correct in stating that it is easier after the first time. Ozzies never give up  See ya in the soup.

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One big difference that I didn't consider... I live and work in Bangkok which would make the embassy people happier. Also, my G/F owns and operates a substantial business so that gives her more ties to return to. I guess every case is different so my experiences may not be much of a guide to anyone else's.

One more crackdown should be good.

I suggest a crackdown on back to back tourist visas.

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That might ruin a few marriages...

Do you know of anyone who has experienced the same problem?

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My G/F has travelled to Oz with me five times, and we've never had any problems getting a visa for her. Did you write a letter for her to take with her application? Make sure you tell them that you will be supporting her with accommodation etc when she's in Oz. Photocopies of your credit cards and passport help.

After the first visa it gets easier if that's any consolation.