richard_smith237

The fact that he was going much slower than say a motorcycle would have been did not help. Can't recall for sure but I think the guy had a right of way, but nobody knows what that is, or think they all got it. No worse than the samlor, food cart type vehicles, all trying to get across too. Those who are being critical of those riding these mobility scooter also commonly complain of the speeds at which they travel around...... they accuse these guys of being 'reckless'.. ... Which is odd giving the limited speeds of the vehicles. I think for what ever reasons... some guys just pick up on an issue, make it worse in their mind, start complaining about it, then lock it down & double down and it becomes a permanently unhinged gripe that is devoid of any balance and bigger picture thinking... .... they just want to find a way of complaining about their fellow expat instead of trying to understand and support them - it speaks of an underlying nastiness.

True... In general, Thai English teachers are extremely poor. I recall my ex-girlfriend (years ago), who was a flight attendant and attending an English refresher course. She called me during her class and asked me to listen because she thought her English teacher was teaching them incorrect wording and grammar. This teacher could hardly string a sentence together. I told my ex the correct term, and she relayed it to the teacher. He became apoplectic with rage - a clear loss of face. So, there they were, a class full of flight attendants learning English from a 'teacher' who couldn't speak English. Then we have all the Western English teachers here. Some are good, but many are terrible. Over the years, I have played a lot of football in various groups. There are always teachers among them, and it is clear to see the variation in professionalism. There are those at high-end international schools are always highly professional and clearly very well-educated. There are also those teaching English at Thai schools and language schools present who present quite the opposite impression. While they are better than nothing for students without better options, their standards are worlds apart - scraping the barrel, so to speak. I think there are now so many online resources that are far better than some of these teachers. They are great for one-on-one learning, especially in areas of socio-economic deprivation where these teachers may be the only opportunity to practise English. However, devices (e.g., a parent's phone) can also be an outstanding resource if used properly.

Had he just stopped his motorcycle in the road without any consideration to the potentail for another vehicle to hit it ? Or, had he parked it well out of the way to the side and the Pajero driver hit it anyway ? (going too fact and out driving his visibility) ? ----------- Its a very common annoyance of mine here - outside a market etc... Bikes park on the road, not quite blocking traffic, but 'blocking traffic'... i.e. they have this very special skill of leaving 'just enough' space to squeeze through, but not sufficient space where one can drive past at normal speeds for that road. Thus: when passing, all the cars have to slow to walking space, make sure they are not going to 'hit the bike' which ultimately causes a traffic jam down the whole soi because motorcyclist will not park with consideration... ... then a delivery pickup does the same, double parks outside a soi for 10mins, again blocking traffic... ... then becasue thats what everyone does, someone will double park outside the 7-11 and 'nip-in' causing traffic... Meanwhile the police ride up and down the soi doing nothing about this... So... here - do we have a motorcyclist who'd parked without any consideration for passing traffic... Or a Pajero driver could couldn't ride in the lane, drifted too far to the left and stuck the bike ?

Not true... just as with any other religion, Islam has many variations of accepted behavior and degrees of moderation... There are plenty of Muslim nations where women walk around without male escort, without face coverings, many without headscarves... many where even though the primary religion of the the country is Islam the practice is very moderate... (and of course others where the practice is draconian). Its all rather moot - we have an Egyptian guy travelling outside of his own culture and you are suggesting he's applying his own social norms.... whereas in reality he was just a lecherous pig. And... IMO - its everything to do with 'bar girls here'... and the inability of a tourist to adapt. He (the Egyptian guy) seemed to be of the opinion that Thai women are a lot more available, most likely because thats is what he has been exposed to in the bars and he was not intelligent enough to differentiate between that bar-life and real life outside of that environment. Ultimately he was a letch - regardless of his nationality, and knew such behavior is wrong, he just mistakenly thought he might get away with it.

I wouldn't ever recommend a woman try to attack a male... That places them at far greater risk of retaliation - if I a male is of the state of mind to approach a woman in a threatening manner, the woman would never have time to take out the pencil or weapon - Its a sad state of affiars, but foremost is to ensure they are never alone. But this woman was home already... just taking the elevator, she had no reason to suspect she was in an unsafe situation - with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight she should have excited the lift as soon as the male go it and following this trauma she may do so in the future - but that should never be necessary in a civilised word. --------- I also agree that some males come here and are so out of touch with the realities of the true demographics - some guys so impressed with themselves at being called 'hansum-man' so many times they start to be believe it !!.. My Wife complained that while waiting for baggage at the Airport, some American guy came up to her and offered her a 'stick of gum'.... She apparently said no thank-you and squirmed away.... She asked me... does every foreign male think every Thai girls is 'available'... Sadly its seems some so.. But what I also realise in this situations is that some guys are so excited to be here, they've built themselves up so much they can't wait for any interaction at all... and thus will try anything as an ice-breaker. My Wife was probably quite impolite having taken the wrong end of the stick thinking - does every foreigner think every Thai female is a hooker !!!.. (she's a bit of a snob when it comes to that, so there was likely some offence taken) - I argued that perhaps it as just a nice guy who happened to be stood next to you and took out a stick of gum and figured he'd offer you one too, nothing more to it than that... But, women are very intuitive - if she felt it was sleazy, it probably was - I wasn't there so couldn't tell. I've got into plenty of conversations with 'normal' Thai women... It might be in a supermarket, on a plane etc.. On my last flight I sat next to Thai women - we didn't speak at all through the whole flight. Just a not and a smile when I sat down next to her... clearly she had no intention to interact. Thats fine, I'm generally like that on a flight too. A previous flight, I sat next to a young Thai lady, initially the same response, no interaction - then when the food came, we started talking... and that was that flood-gates opened and we talked non-stop, she was lovely, super intelligent, studying in the USA (clearly wealthy, her father owned a major real estate company in Thailand that we all will have heard of).... I'm married and 20 years older than her - so clearly it was nothing more than that I and I didn't expect anything more than that - just a chat with a pleasant person who made my flight more enjoyable, and I hope I helped pass the time for her too... we said bye at the luggage carousel. Asking for her number ??? No... Of course not, that would have been creepy, I'm married and a lot older. Did she think about asking me for my number?... Of course not, I'm older and married. And that is an interaction with a normal person where there is no ulterior pervy motive - Some guys travelling here are incapable of that and believe they are some sort of adonis and every Thai woman will be interested in them - its a pathetic delusion - but its ok so long as it stops there. When such delusion manifests itself into the guy becoming a pest, following women or even attempting to touch them etc... then action needs to be taken.

Good point - Particularly in a city or built up area... in their later teens, they are far better off being at home than hanging around and potentially getting into conflicts. ... For those who's children are not at International or Bilingual Schools, playing online with other English speaking kids is going to elevate their English with a level of immersion that schooling cannot achieve.

This is what I call a 'Full English Breakfast' - 2x back Bacon - 2 Cumberland Sausages - 1x slice black pudding - Beans - Hash-brown - Mushrooms - 2x Fried Eggs - Grilled tomato - Toast - HP Sauce AI illustration of that below:

He uses only the finest ingredients. Yup - thats not a rip off in the slightest for a good English Breakfast made with quality ingredients.

I just wonder how many guys go to bars and pay to 'grope women' (consensually) on such a regular basis that they've deluded themselves that all women (or all Thai women) want this, some just don't know it yet... I've even read recently on this forum, comments from the vapid toxic posters (the usual suspects) that the women in these bars even like this behavior.... they have no concept that the woman are just tolerating this behavior... compartmentalising it and getting on with things as a 'job'... they act and play along, as thats the job and the 'punter feels great' because he things he's some how 'made a connection' and his groping is enjoyed... These grade A1 mongers never realise its 'only' money... and they're only tolerated because they pay, truly delusional characters who then come onto this forum and post their experience completely ignorant of their ignorance. I'm sure some believe... "she really likes me" !!! which is hilarious... they have no idea they are despised just slightly less than the stinking pig who came along before hand... and so are tolerated as part of a great act !

Of course - the penalties under the exiting law need to be followed. In every thread there are the wannabes of the 'hangem-high brigade' who will demand the death penalties, corporal punishment... they demand that people are deported for a speeding office etc - so I get your point about over reactions and the response of faux-outrage etc... There is every possibility that it takes time for this lady to 'ease' from this experience - PTSD takes on many forms... - My son was involved in an incident with a 'wrong-un' at school - he was ok, then it resurface a month later and he had nightmares, its strange how the mind works. - I took a hiding at Uni (a racial attack - just walking down the road and was set up on by a bunch of Pakistani's - that stuck we me for a while and every time I faced a group of guys I was on high alert - it took about 6 months to be able to walk past a group without feeling fearful - meanwhile I was playing rugby every Wednesday afternoon and weekend and getting smashed about 'good n proper' (broken noses, split lips, black eyes etc) - but that didn't bother me - the attack did). - This girl may well be living with the psychological consequences of this attack for a good few months or longer. Whether its his first time here or not... his behavior is wrong, very wrong. Whatever his idea of the availability of women here, following a woman on her own, into a lift then trying to touch her when she's clearly showing signs of fear and avoidance... NO - he knew what he was doing is wrong and didn't care. The guys actions were 100% wrong - there is no excuse at all that can be used to diminish these actions - the CCTV is so very clear that this woman was petrified and his physical advances were completely unwelcome so much so it is a 'sexual assault' - when understanding the law, this is fact.

I hope that 'following his legal proceedings' means following going through the legal process, being charged (at least the minimum 5 years (and up to 15) and serving that sentence, before he is deported and permanently banned from re-entering Thailand... ... otherwise, just being sent home is an incredibly soft charge for this behavior.

Next time you're out on a 'gender bender'... don't go google maps searching the "cock & roll bar" !!! ... that should help keep you on the straight and narrow !!!

Your reads more like a 'boomer anti-backpacker rant' than anything else... You were unable to travel in a gap year and now shoe-horn in reasons to look down on those who can... You mention adventurousness with sarcasm, yet have travelled to exactly the same place as those you criticise and you know the price of a McDonalds there !!!... ... And then left because you stuck out like a sore thumb - no one wanted to talk with the miserable old boomer ??? ... All you have alluded to in your post is that you can't research your destinations and don't like being around younger people... this is an issue with you, not them.

Thats very interesting - that you when though such a process with your family, yet are so dismissive in giving of the impression that this is nothing serious when its someone else.

Psychological harm is just as bad as physical harm... the attacker didn't need to cause any physical damage for 'harm' to exist... She was petrified, this could take her time to get over.... Imagine her fear next time she gets in a lift and another male enters... There is no 'extreme self righteous judgement' there is just 'simple judgement'... Its not faux at all. Its surprising that people such as yourself remain so ignorant to the realities of such issues - make no mistake, this was a sexual attack, it frightened the young girl. IF this was your daughter - would to tell her to 'get over it - theres no physical harm' ???? (and don't answer that you don't have a daughter - that much is obvious due to your ignorance - but the point still remains).

Theives are usually in your head. Even if you do get some riff raff it's not worth the expenditure in security in my opinion to have manned posts and a guarded compound that feels like you are entering a "facility". It's overkill. The community fees include a lot of other items... Gym, Pool, Gardening etc.. Thus: in a 100 House Moobaan... we're paying about 600 baht per month for security... Opportunistic crime is an issue in Thailand.. Wife's Parents had a holiday home outside of Bangkok (it wasn't in a moobaan) - they had a full time maid, who just had to keep and stay there so the house was ready whenever they or we wanted to turn up - even though she was paid well she was bored and quit... Within 6 months the house was gutted. We travel a lot - often away for a month in the summer - for 600 baht per month, thats a great deal. We dont need to worry about the car, our motorcycle - its in outside storage - decent bicycles, golf clubs, skiis etc. I would not live in a house in Thailand without security... And... the manner in which you use the 'manned post' term, implies an prison or army type scenario - its not that at all... the feeling is 'secure environment'...

So do thieves... thats kind of the objective...

Indeed... the issue with cocktails is we can't tell. When I'm drinking Whisky its surprising how prevalent the fake liquor is.

Sorry, I'm not sure about that. Alcohol on Thailands Railways was banned in 2014 after the assault and murder of a 13 year old girl on a train by a drunk railway employee. This month the SRT proposed the idea to reintroduce alcohol on trains. So... in answer to your question - officially no, alcohol is not permitted on trains in Thailand. Realistically, you should be ok to take your own on the train, just be discrete. We were going to have a 'lads and Dads trip up to Chiang Mai... Train up, do a trek... then fly back a few days later... I wasn't planning on doing that train journey without a night-cap !!..

Hard to disagree with @mogandave's statement IMHO if he's referring exclusively to loosely-regulated policies with Thai underwriters! He's stated there is 'no such thing as Health Insurance'... Which is impossible to agree with when having carried something 'Health Insurance' for decades (both Thai and International Policies).... So.. what do you carry ???... Is it Health Insurance or Travel Insurance ?

My point: Its impossible to know... I've been to plenty of bars in Bangkok, regular Bars (i.e. Sports bars) and found that the Whisky is not genuine... I've complained about this in the past: (even in another thread - below). https://aseannow.com/topic/942918-fake-liquor/ I think the statement that you only ever drink in bars where you know the spirits are genuine is a bit of a stretch.... actually, I think its a ridiculous claim.... Agree - so very tragic... Even without you accusing the deceased of not exercising common sense. Its kind of like suggesting people who are in a Bus accident in Thailand of not exercising common sense because the bus they were on crashed... ... These deaths are not their fault...

The law in the USA varies from state to state. But - some states allow Mobility Scooters on Urban roads with speed limits of 25mph, providing the operators are over 16 years old and have a valid drivers license. Such states are: California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Washington DC, Georgia (and not limitied to these). The 'legality' argument is flawed as its based on poor knowledge of overseas laws. Its also based on poor knowledge of Thailands laws.

Nope... Generally the absense of 'road' is a bit of a giveaway !!!

If I was daft enough to follow a GPS off a road and into a ditch - I'd be keeping it very quiet out of pure embarrassment.. It is quite astonishing... how many drivers / riders blame GPS when ending up in a body of water or stuck on a foot bridge.... Can't they even see ?

An American Male has also died...