richard_smith237

59 minutes ago, Jane Dough said:

Why do you assume the term tourist refers to non-Thais. Clearly this story refers to Thai tourists. Your agenda seems very xenophobic.

If you think Thai's are going to be targeted for fines you are mistaken.

In your attempt to protect 'Thainess' you are tripping over your naivety.

Take a walk down Sukhumvit road and see the foreigners get followed by 'Metropolitan Police' (if thats what they are) and then pulled over for a 2000 baht fine for littering when they drop their cigarette butts, meanwhile passing Thai's smoking openly littering....  The same thing will be happening on the beaches - a blind eye will be turned to the Thai's who will not be able to afford such fines.

But you are correct - I have made the assumption that the term Tourist in this article refers to non-Thai's...  I continue to believe so - the key is in 'World Cup'... which would imply an international and not solely Thai event. Yet the litter photographed shows Cheap Energy Drinks and Thai Branded Cigarette Butts (Krong thip).

There is nothing in this story which would indicate Foreigners are not being unfairly tarnished, in contrast I believe the story to be somewhat 'leading' and 'xenophobic' when lending the reader to the assumption that it is foreigners who have caused this littering.

Of course - this could simply be clumsy reporting, where the phrase 'both Thai and International tourists' could have been used... however, the photo's shown are undoubtedly litter left by Thai... (difficult to prove, but easy to conclude for anyone who has spent any amount of Time here). 

Had the photographs been of Heineken / Singha beer bottles, Cans of Tonic Water and Coke and solely international brand cigarette butts it would be fair to make the assumption that the littering was indeed by International Tourists - Its simple Behavioral Analysis, which is born of assumptions and leads to a weighted but imperfect conclusion. 

So... yes... Perhaps I do have an agenda, but it is one purely born in response to what I consider to be an article which negatively represents tourists (foreign) regarding a policy which I also consider to be highly xenophobic given the extreme fines, the location of the 'banned' area and primarily the disgusting degree of littering elsewhere in Thailand and the absence of any mitigating action in these 'non tourist' areas. 

I'm on my second BMW in Thailand.

The first was the 528i F10 model - had it for 3 years

The Second is the X5 25d F15 Model - Had it for 3 years and currently selling. 

Never had any issues with BMW, incredible cars... 

I prefer to buy new and sell them after 3 years while they are still under warranty... 

I imagine there are numerous around which in excellent condition... the same goes for many cars of similar age. 

Not every second hand car out there is a lemon - in fact ALL of my cars which I've had here have been Sold on - the buyers most defiantly purchased a car in excellent condition. 

I'm curious about the least option you mentioned tifino - What lease options are there available in Thailand ?

With news such as this Thailand has to be sliding further backwards on Human Rights index... 

It always astonishes me the level of arrogance and face used in response to these issues....

Instead of the response we'd see in the West... "this is unacceptable.... etc etc..." the response here is to blame those who've bravely outed unacceptable behavior and allowing the perpetrators to hide behind draconian and highly flawed Deformation Laws and Computer Crimes laws... 

It really is such a disappointment to see when Thailand could so easily be leading the region in human rights, freedom of speech if those in positions of power were simply brave enough and trusting enough to allow breathing space for their country to develop. 

You will only be issued a 2 year 'Temporary License' if you do not have a Non-Immigrant Visa. 

It doesn't matter which type of license you are renewing. 

At some point in the future, if you have a Non-Immigrant Visa it 'could' be possible to 'upgrade' your Temporary License to a 5 Year license (I'm not sure of this - maybe someone on this forum has tried it ?).... 

More Lip Service.... 

Do you really think the Police are going to chase down motorcyclists without a helmet who by their Air-Con boxes ?

Do you really think the Police are going to step out of their Air-Con boxes and confiscate the bike of someone without a helmet ? Where will they park all these confiscated bikes ?

The only time Laws are enforced in Thailand are the temporary periods in which a supervisor has instructed them to 'clamp down' and set up a 'road block'... When there is a 'Helmet Road Block' people can drive through as drunk as they like !!!!...  

The apathetic attitudes toward enforcement is the real issue here and these announcements like the hundreds of announcements beforehand will not change a thing because it simply takes too much effort to enforce these laws. 

It is almost as if those who make these announcements believe that people will listen to them and start obeying the law based only on an announcement - they completely miss the point that the masses simply don't care and have learned a long time ago that the enforcement behind such announcements is rarely forthcoming. 

Is she your Girlfriend (as per the thread Title) or your Ex- Girlfriend (as per your opening paragraph) ???

This is just downright embarrassing Thailand.... Sort yourself out... stories such as this are making a mockery out of your legal systems.... 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Sophon went to the beach to investigate but found only frustrated visitors wondering when tourists would stop trashing the national assets.

Possibly one of the most xenophobic paragraphs in a news article this year. 

Looking at the photograph the trash appears to be 'very Thai'.... 

This whole facade has been somewhat targeted against foreigners and breeds xenophobia right from the start.

In ALL areas of Thailand there exists a vast majority of Thai's who have no regard for their environment whatsoever. In Tourist areas there is a very small minority of Tourists who follow suit. 

Authorities have again failed to deal with the real issue at hand - Enforcing already existing laws !!! 

Instead they have bumbled their way through a publicity stunt in the hope people may listen.... of course they haven't... the locals simply don't care until they are forced to, and those in positions of decision making power don't care either until they are forced to...  They are all like children. 

OP: Do your Children have a Passport from your home country ?

If your plan is to go to Thailand and not work you won't be able to afford a decent school - their education will suffer incredibly. 

By keeping your Children in a Free School in your home country - you are giving them the best opportunity. By returning them to Thailand and into the state schools you are removing educational opportunity which is somewhat of a parental fail. 

OP: Are you listed on the Birth Certificate of your Children ?

IF so, you have full parental rights, shared with the mother. 

On 12/10/2017 at 8:50 AM, bleble said:

On 12/9/2017 at 2:17 PM, richard_smith237 said:

Well, I was going to reply and help... but your previous reply doesn't exactly lend itself to a desire to provide a helpful response other than use the Search Function...

 

Why, because he said the truth about boysandsound ?

You're jumping up the wrong tree... I've no idea about that place (which I assume is in Pattaya and I live in BKK). 

On 12/10/2017 at 8:50 AM, bleble said:

Anyway, to talk about your ridiculous overpriced dashcam from Korea, better not reply, yes.

 

OP should just buy a G1W from moretech lazada for 1200 thb and just plug it himself in the car power.

 

No useless help needed, perfect cheap camera, nothing better for the price, but anyway who is stupid enough to pay electronics more than few $$$ when knowing that it will sit under the sun and die after few years. Ah yes, maybe the same kind of people who buy 20000 or 30000 thb mobile phones...

 

 

Many have had good results from Cheap Lazada Dash-Cams, many have seen them fail quickly or not meet their quality requirements. 

When asking for recommendations people providing their unbiased opinions can offer value. 

On the other hand, a dislike of someones post because you feel their 'preferred product' is out of your price range singles you out as somewhat of a 'chip-on-the-shoulder' kind of guy, bleble... its a little weird that you'd hold a grudge against a recommendation I made months or perhaps even years ago and then babble on about phones !!!... very strange indeed... 

Back on Topic: OP - there are some very useful threads from members who simply offer nothing more than First hand experience of the Dash-Cams they have been using for the past number of years.

This is going to upset pleble - however, I for one highly recommend BlackVue dash-cams and have been using them on 4 different cars over the past number of years.

20 hours ago, Kommissar123 said:

Thank you Sir. I do know how to search for BMWs myself, though :)

 

I was asking if anyone could recommend a TRUSTWORTHY dealer that isn't trying to rip me a new <deleted>. Plus, I'd prefer to buy through contacts, not really from dealers for reasons I explained in the original post.

Fair enough... Many of the sellers on one2car.com are private (my car is currently for sale on there). 

I agree with avoiding the second hand dealers who are simply attempting to gouge the customer for as much as they can.

You are likely to get a similar level of trust with any private seller, Thai or Foreigner, but by excluding Thai's you are severely limiting your choice. After all, this forum remains anonymous. 

Many would allow the car to be tested at a local dealer... (for a fee of course).

Personally... for a car out of warranty I would not have any issues if a potential buyer wanted to have my car checked over by a garage. A friend has agreed to this in the past and agreed to have any potential issues accounted for in the negotiation.. i.e. potential costs of any fixes subtracted from the agreed price. 

Telleke and Gibbins is one of the oldest, most reliable and respected law firms which would handle such cases. 

One of the major issues with taking your child back to Ireland would be the Parental Kidnapping issue. While Thailand is not a compliant member of the Hague Convention it is a signatory and as such the Hague Convention 'could' be used in this case. 

Additionally so, removing the Child from his mother may negatively impact any future legal proceedings.

It would appear that the Mother has already 'kidnapped' the child from Ireland by not returning her, thus I suspect the long winded legal option would see you in favorable light. 

Most importantly think 'Big Picture'... 'Long Game'...  the clever option is to go with the Lawyers. 

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With regards to leaving Thailand with a Minor. I have done so in the past but my Wife remained at the airport just incase there were any issues... no one batted an eyelid when exiting immigration with a 3 year old (British Father / Son with a Thai Passport (upon exiting Thailand)). 

We will do the same again soon and once again my Wife will take us to the Airport just in case there are questions - I'm not expecting any but will be prepared just in case. 

One friend of mine was questioned at the airport when traveling without his Wife - a simple phone call to his Wife (kids parents) resolved this issue to Immigrations satisfaction. 

24 minutes ago, vogie said:

I am very happy living here, but there again I don't go insulting Thais. But I do find some foreigners more of an odd ball than Thais, we have already a bad name here and banding insults about certainly does not help matters.

To be honest - I don't think 'we' do have a bad name here...  Fortunately the Thai's surrounding us are intuitive and intelligent enough to judge us foreigners on our individual merits and its usually based up on how each situation is individually approached...

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Perhaps the Woman who confronts the Op is mad... perhaps the situation could not be handled politely. 

In a very similar situation a few years ago an older lady started complaining to me that I'd parked outside her Shop... I explained... "I'm sorry Auntie, can I park here for 30 minutes, I'll be quick" with a wai and a smile... she smiled back...  

.... Now of course, this mitigating behavior would not work in every situation and I have to be in a rather happy mood to get away with such things... However, what I have found is that when I am happy, smiley and easy going the response is usually more favorable.... when I am in a very sh!tty mood other things start to go against me...  As I'm happier more than I am upset things generally go my way... 

Solution in this case: Ignore the lady - totally ignore her. Next time he knows he needs to park there have something ready to give her... a small bag of cookies etc.... and watch her melt - explain that he's just parking there for 5 minutes... 

There is no point trying to win, there is no winning in cases like this... there is simply playing along which makes life so much less stressful... It takes two a-holes to make an issue... 

Ting Tong.... I've only ever heard that phrase used by uneducated bar girls... never in normal speech amongst my Thai friends or in and around Bangkok.... 

I can't remember the last time I even heard the phrase until this Video.

Is this an indication of where the Op has learned his Thai ?

Regardless of how the statistics are counted, whether Thailand truly is number one etc etc...  we could still argue semantics all week long.. The Fact of the matter remains that Thailand has exceptionally poor road safety...  While those in 4 wheeled vehicles may be at significantly less risk than those on motorcycles drivers of 4 wheeled vehicles remain at significant risk for numerous reasons including poor road design, poor vehicle maintenance, poor driver education.

Anecdotal examples I'm sure many will relate to: 

I don't know any Thai's who haven't been involved in a DUI related accident - I don't know any Westerners who have !!!... think about that one !

Driving in from the Airport:

In the UK: 2 - 3 hour drive I 'may' see one potentially dangerous maneuver by another road user. 

In Bangkok: 30-40mins drive I 'will' see numerous dangerous maneuvers by another road user.

This an ongoing issue that can only be truly addressed when those in positions of decision making power are directly impacted - financially or through Face....  hopefully the increasing headlines will force those who can effect change to become less apathetic on this issue. 

https://www.one2car.com/en/cars-for-sale/bmw/3-series?min_year=2009&max_year=2010

This is clearly a thread of generalizations...  so I'll bring a couple into the melee

If you were attracting intelligent attractive women in your home countries you can probably attract the same here in Thailand and anywhere else. 

If you couldn't attract intelligent attractive women in your home countries its more than likely you haven't here in Thailand and have instead 'settled'... 

No criticism in that, but there are a number of guys who seem to be of the opinion that Western women are fat / ugly etc... They are not - there a loads of approachable hot, intelligent, fun Western Women... these women don't put up with over opinionated alpha wannabe's though.. they expect equality and there is nothing wrong with that. 

Equally so, there are a number of guys who seem to be of the opinion that Thai women are all hot... that's not what I see. In the shopping Malls, offices etc the women are remarkably 'under average' in my opinion...

....as with any country there are always a number of Gems, but being 'Slim' and being available is not attractive.... its simply being available to those who may otherwise not have options.

So.. Western Women Vs Thai Women >> ???...  There really isn't a great deal of difference in my opinion.

I'm married to a Thai lady, but thats simply because I was living here in Thailand (work), had I been in the UK, or US, Europe, Africa or anywhere else I imagine I'd be quite happy with an intelligent, fun, smart, hot, attractive lady from any of those places and the same goes for many guys here in Thailand, perhaps with the exception of those who came here because they were lonely and looking for a second chance at company... Nothing wrong in that either - but it doesn't make Thai women more attractive than Western, it just makes them more available. 

I agree with the Op that this lady over reacted...  I agree that she has no real right to protect or block the road from her shop. I agree with the Op that this lady was being extremely ridiculous about the whole situation - its not as if the Op was blocking access to a busy drive way etc... 

That said: It also appears that in videoing the 'whacky woman's' tirade the Op may have been hoping his words would antagonize this crazy lady further and in doing so justify the 'media revenge' he was planning.

All in all its just a nutty woman being silly and a guy who chose not to ignore her... 

5 minutes ago, britishrepublican said:

You have to admire big tobacco in Thailand. Lobbying the government to ban e cigs to protect their profits.

 

Only in Thailand 

Originally posted as Post #42 and quoted again last Post #116... you don't have to look very hard to find evidence that this ban is not 'Only in Thailand'....   and its quite likely that Tobacco companies lobbying their governments in other countries are also the primary cause of E-Cigs being controlled.

There have been some who are calling for the long term arrest of those two men who bared bottom for their photo of Wat Arun....  This I think is too extreme for a relatively 'daft crime'... it is issues such as this [Line Group Toddler Rape] which the police really need to spend their time and resources on to ensure that such abominable human trash are removed from society. 

I don't believe such appalling examples of humanity can be rehabilitated... both the providers and the users of such images need sentencing to such a degree that they are simply unable to ever do the same thing again, degrees of sentencing which sends out the message to other potential criminals that such actions are and will be dealt with to the utmost extremes of the law.

In cases such as this the death penalty is not too extreme - these people have thrown away their right to be part of humanity.

I can't believe there is not more to the story here....   She must have been rather 'lippy' with the BiB for them to react so firmly.

It's fairly common knowledge that if when stopped by the BiB you start giving the 'Big I AM' when you are not a 'Big I AM' you will receive some firm treatment, conversely if you are polite you are not going to be treated harshly. 

I assume they used the E-Ciggarete as an excuse to exact a little revenge, to teach her a lesson, to remind her who is in charge.

So, I don't think she spent a night in the cells for having an E-Ciggarette, she spent a night in the cells for poor behavior when confronted by the BiB and the E-Cig was simply a means by which she could be arrested. 

All of that Said: The Anti-Vaping laws here in Thailand are ridiculous and the story itself is a measure of how unjust people can be treated if the BiB choose to push their limits of enforcement for whatever reasons... Its tantamount to a crime against civil rights and would be so in many other countries. 

19 minutes ago, MaeJoMTB said:

I bought her, wasn't an enormous amount, has lived with my wife and I ever since as our daughter.

Top of her class all the way through CM high school, top of her class now at CM University.

Probably the nicest girl I have ever met in my life, and I am proud she calls me dad.

 

This is a humbling story...  You have truly made a real and positive difference to someones life....

.... I take my hat off to you MaeJoMTB.... 

4 minutes ago, MaeJoMTB said:

Was in a local village and overheard 'mum' discussing selling her 11 year old daughter to a local brothel when she reached 12. 

Yes, I can understand Thai and yes, I stopped it happening.

Shocking and well done for intervening when many would have chosen not to interfere with something which doesn't concern them. 

Out of curiosity: How did you 'stop it happening' and how did the other party respond to your 'interruption' ?

Ok... So a Jail term would be extreme overkill... But these two guys were a pair of daft fools for doing what they did, it seems they haven't really learnt from their mistake in re-opening their juvenile instagram account...  it would appear that they may intend to continue taking such photographs. 

Perhaps they haven't learnt their lesson at all.