richard_smith237

Completely irrelevant.... If he (the deceased) were on a 'big bike' (whatever that is) or a small bike (whaterver that is)... ... a complete tool still pulled out in front of him.... BUT... there is one point I'd like to make on that. 1) I used to drive around in a large, very expensive 4x4 and it was incredible the 'tolerance' I was given on the road (i.e. other cars giving way more readily), this was particularly noticeable when I switched to my Wife's tiny little toy car where I was cut up and 'road bullied' to the degree that driving her car was a lot more dangerous. 2) Moving to Motorcycles - I used to ride a taller larger ADV Motorcycle in Bangkok - with riding gear its, I suspect this was more visible and notable, so other riders and drivers would give way more readily, and not cut me up as often, compared to when I was riding a scooter. Additionally, bigger bikes, although heavier, stop better. IMO - A bigger bike is safer, even in Bangkok.... BUT... and its a big but, the larger bikes are simply nowhere near as convenient as the scooter and this is why so many of us end up reverting to the scooter - its just so much more convenient.

100% agree...

I suspect he means the whole drama and outrage of something as innocuous as a tourist touching a whale shark. Its as daft as the reports we saw years ago of tourists being fined for taking a jar of sand from the beach. Perhaps I'm missing something... But just as you pointed out, the sharks are in their own habitat and can swim away if they so desire, its not as if a 'stroke of their fin' threatens their health. Meanwhile, we have 'tiger temples' etc.... It seems whenever a 'foreigner' is witnessed making an imagined 'faux-pas' in Thailand the media outrage is accelerated, particularly when this exists in a marine environment. We have the oceans being polluted by the muck the *factories churn out into the rivers, we have the *fishing industry dumping its litter etc and operating in an unsustainable manner considered illegal in other nations, yet when its a foreigner seen to do something such as picking up a star-fish, stroking a shark, or spear-fishing there is outrage, hang-em-high, deport him comments etc.... It seems this is hardly worth of a comment, let alone a headline.... What harm could 'stroking a whale shark' possibly do it ???? IMO - this is just more 'media-fuelled anti-foreigner rhetoric' and the halfwitted plebs to perpetuate the outrage on fora such as this are as equally moronic as the media themselves for their own 'triggering and fishing for clicks'.... (*I know you want proof and a link with photos etc, but I'm not going to play that game with you).....

'Butt Naked' is just a an eggcorn of 'Buck Naked'.... .... But it could also be considered a Bowdlerisation as in the modern world the original term 'Buck Naked' may be considered offensive to native Indians.... though the origins of 'Butt Naked' preceded the wokerarti take-over of the world.... .... Thus, its more likely that this is just a term people have miss-heard and repeated incorrectly (ergo - eggcorn) In much the same manner people commonly use the term 'burn their bridges'... which is an eggcorn of 'to burn ones britches'....

Does 'at a high rate of speed' mean FAST? For an onlooker its impossible to gauge... I have ridden at 'normal road speeds' and had other motorcyclists scream past me at great speed an, close enough I can feel the wind from them..... At the same time, if a motorcyclist pulled out and cut me off, such that we collided, I imagine onlookers who suddenly saw the incident could state that I was travelling FAST (or at a high rate of speed)... as for most onlookers anything faster than a walking pace could be fast... the descriptor is purely subjective.

Rephrase for you: Parents (Guardians) - please don't allow your children to ride motorcycles at all..... At least until they have a number of years driving road experience by which time they are educated enough, informed enough and mature enough to make their own informed and sensible decisions. Even myself, with a Motorcycle - the decision is not one I consider sensible... I've changed my motorcycling habits in Thailand, I use the car for most journeys.... I haven't used the bike for months - Its only there for my convenience to pop down the road. I've made the decision I'm not going to use it on any of Bangkok's larger roads (such as Rama IV / Sukhumvit / Petchaburi etc).

What speed is that? Indeed.... because when we are riding 'with the traffic' at 30, 40, or 50 kmh and something pulls out in front of us, the bike we are on stops, but our bodies continue... Perhaps some people such as herfiehandbag think we should all ride around at 10km... then those very same victim-blaming characters would blame the motorcyclist for not riding with the flow of traffic and place blame on them when vehicle rear-ends them.

Yet the explanation of another rider pulling out from the side road into the path of the rider of the larger bike is clear, crystal clear. Thats not a cheap shot at the Thai rider, that is what appears to have happened. As a motorcycle rider in Bangkok (and car driver) on a daily basis I'm braking to avoid a motorcyclist who has pulled out or / and cut me off without looking.... I've written it numerous times before... Almost on a daily basis there are motorcyclists out there who have me to thank for taking emergency avoiding action (usually braking hard as swerving places me and inoccent others at risk). -------- Worst one I've seen.... Riding down the road in Bangkok, Family of 3 (2 adults and a child - none with a helmet) riding towards me on the footpath. Without any warming, the swerve off the footpath (via a driveway / entrance way) and ride straight towards me... I was about 5m away when this happened... Lucky, I was able to avoid the head on collision. Such outrageously moronic road behavior is not an isolated event, such utter fluckwittery is a occurrence witnessed daily.... So.... @Harsh Jones you may not want to be someone who's seen as a 'Thai Basher' and thats fair enough, but don't be so blind to defend the utter idiocy that unfolds in front of us on Thailands roads on a daily basis, because a lot of these comments are not cheap shots, they're merely observations that many in our home nations would find astonishing to the point of disbelief.

Yes they are, but the rules are still antiquated... For UK citizens... Our foreign Wife's could move to the UK with us, apply for ILR and as soon as that application is in process they can start work - they also pay the national healthcare surcharge and secure national healthcare. There is no such situation where I can work in Thailand, just because I have moved here with my Wife... I have to be sponsored by a company that employs at least 4 Thai's.... I can't just go out and get any job as my Thai Wife could in the UK. Each country has its pro's and con's... But it seems each time one of Thai's flaws is highlighted you stretch to certain lengths to justify those flaws which highlights a certain degree of 'Stockholm syndrome' where Thailand has taken your mind, you become blinkered and only see the issue from the a myopic perspective void of balance.

Exactly this.... ... If the tool driving down the beach was a foreigner, what charges would we have seen ? deportation ?.... much greater outrage at 'foreigners putting Thai's at risk etc'.... In the past when we have seen issues where the response is "If it was a Thai they'd only receive 500 Baht and a slap on the wrist!".... and then we have posters to respond... "You don't know that"... "You can't prove that"... "Post a Link to where that happened"... ... Well, here it is... . we have a situation where it was initially thought the perpetrator was not Thai and there is outrage... but when authorities find out he's Thai's we learn the fine is pathetic and insignificant. Of course, we will now need to see a 'foreigner' caught for doing exactly the same thing and getting fined more and deported for his actions to justify these opinions to the Thai Apologists.

You think?... "ThaiRath reported that the fire started in the engine room..." I think he was referring to this point..... Where there seesm to be some contradiction in the reporting that the fire is shown to be at the rear of the boat, yet it was reported that 'fire and smoke continued to envelop the bow of the ferry'... My guess here is that the reporter is simply mixed up the Stern and Bow...

Those 'self inflating life rafts' are ridiculously expensive and then need recertification every few years which once again is ridiculously expensive.... .... Ferry Companies would go out of business if they had all these expensive 'rafts' etc - because people would only want to pay for the cheapest options and that would be the companies without the extra safety measures. ... No one wants to pay extra for or consider better safety until something terrible happens. Life-Vests must of course exists for everyone and this has been the case for years since a number of deadly disasters years ago, however, who inspects the boats ???? could it be lazy officials who don't care and are happy to take a couple of thousand baht to look the other way? Regardless - this is one of those disasters where on one was hurt or died, Thailand and the people on the boat got lucky this time. Things go wrong and disasters happen, thats normal - its not so normal for the same issues to repeatedly occur and what we see in Thailand (*as we used to a lot in the Phils until there were major effective clampdowns) is continued 'passenger boat sinking' issues. When owners are held legally and financially accountable and they can't deflect blame to the 'boat captains' (term used very loosely) will these issues improve. Just like using busses and mini-vans etc, use the boats at your own risk seems to be the modus operandi.

Fair point... But I am often left aghast at the degree and abundance of open opportunity here for crime, particularly in a nation where policing and penalties are what I'd consider to be ineffective. Wife leaves her phone on the table and goes to the restaurant bathroom.... or leaves here handbag where someone can easily swipe it. I see this all around with others too.... Just go up any escalator and there's a person in front with their phone hanging out of their back-pocket or popping out of an open handbag etc... While we shouldn't be owned by the things we own, we should be considerate not to make ourselves easy targets. -------- In this case there was ready access not only to the phone, but direct access to the till from the street - I've no idea how 'modern tills' are opened (with a key-card etc?) but if it was simple till the kid could have 'tapped a button' and the the cash made relatively available too. Door left wide open.... easy in and out for the opportunist kid. \ One of the greatest opportunities I see here are at the large weddings at the major Bangkok hotels... Millions of Baht (of Envelope money) placed into cardboard boxes... its someones job to look after that money (usually a family member).... In our case my Brother In Law was in charge, not wanting to leave the money in his room, there were 5 boxes he left in the boot of his car for the night... Easy pickings for a criminal I'd say.

So you always have to drive at a speed where you can stop safely if someone suddenly pulls out of a side street directly into your path or it's your fault? What speed is that, walking speed? Do you drive at that speed all the time? Doubt it. Exactly... Gottfrid is clearly victim blaming... Unless of course he is correct and the 'the large green motorcycle, which was travelling at a high speed' was travelling significantly faster than all other traffic around him.... (which we do occasionally see here).... On the other hand, if the 'the large green motorcycle' were 'rear ended' by a lorry, people like Gottfrid would have blamed them for going too slowly and not flowing with the speed of the traffic (gaslighting I know)... But my point here is that people like this poster [Gottfrid] always find a way to run against the obvious and shoe-horn out a way to blame the foreigner in Thailand...

Does 'at a high rate of speed' mean FAST? Equally so, it was one persons observation... when there is an impact / accident.... it could always appear that the vehicle/s were travelling at a high-rate-of-speed.... becase thats what it 'feels like' to a stationary bystander or someone 'suddenly appearing on your side of the road coming towards you'.... IMO the reality is the motorcyclist was travelling at 'normal traffic speeds' when another bike pulled out in front of him without looking. We'll never know of course, but one thing I am quite sure of - the witness statement which states the "the large green motorcycle, which was travelling at a high speed" is an unreliable statement because the time frame which which he had to make this observation was a split second.

Isn't that what calling your 'personal lawyer' is for ??? Agreed... you seem like one of them. Its ok to disagree with the decision opinion of the police, they don't have the final say, they only influence proceedings at the scene of simple situations to resolve them as quickly as possible often along the path of least resistance.

You keep a lawyer on retainer in Thailand ? Who actually has the contacts of 'any' Thai lawyer who can respond to their beck and call ?

Have you flown domestically since late January? The CAAT issued an edict that passports would now be required for domestic travel by foreigners but I don't know whether anything has actually changed in real life. No, I haven't.... But thats a very good point. +1

Fair point.... This is what comes of replying to posts which have been taken off topic. In your situation - I think calling ahead to the hotel to 'double check' that they'll allow you to check in without a Passport, but with a PhotoCopy or Photo of it is going to be the best option. A pertinent question was asked earlier on, I'm not sure if you gave an answer: 'Most countries' do no require you to relinquish your passport during the renewal process when overseas as they recognise that local laws require you to have your passport at hand as ID purposes and thus your existing passport remains valid until the new one is handed over.... For example: with the UK Passport the corner is clipped off the old passport. Thus: @Danderman123 - have you double checked that your passport will be held onto during the renewal process ??? or, are you using an agent etc who takes the passport etc.

Awesome.... Which Airlines ???.... Because I fly Emirates and Qatar a lot.... and the Upgrade offers I get with those airlines are still extortionate and only for the one leg of the journey.

Mileage obviously varies... I never want to travel outside of my province without my Passport anyway (for obvious reasons)... but its in my bag, so when checking in for a domestic flight or a Hotel, I just use the Pink ID and have never had an issue (places such as the Marriott / InterCon / Standard etc and some crappier places).... IF the hotel actually wanted to see my Passport it wouldn't be much hassle at all to retrieve it from my bag. In the Ops case - IF he 'NEEDS' to travel without his passport and use his Pink ID instead, there is a possibility he could face some sort of brick-wall, but thats unlikely, especially if he also has a photocopy of his passport.

Just don't get upset and throw a glass across the room if one of the dogs barks too much... (those who know, will know I'm referring the the Swiss pi!!ock last month - who threw his glass at another customer in a dog cafe 'cos their dog was barking)

As above - information is literally everywhere regarding this extremely commonly asked question. In fact, the question is asked so commonly, there is a pinned thread specifically educated to it. If you have all the paperwork ready - you could have already been to DLT in Samui and have your License in hand already.

Business is now more often than not 3-4x the price of an Eco seat. To answer the Ops question: the Airline can reallocate the second seat, because one person can only check-in for one ticket. I don't think one person can check-in and obtain 2x boarding passes. IF the op really wants a spare seat next to himself, IMO, his best option is to research flights and fine the quietest routes / dates to travel so that he has the best 'probability' of an empty row or spare seat next to him. As far as I am aware - Its is only Air New Zealand that allows passengers to book and pay for a 'twin-seat' package and it actively advertises its 'SkyCouch' product whereby a passenger can book and pay for 3x Eco seats and get 'bedding' to lay across the 3 seats.

Does GRAB actually operate function anywhere now ? Its getting harder and harder to secure a Grab Ride. Myself and pretty much anyone I discuss this with is of the same opinion - Getting a GRAB Taxi / car is getting more and more tricky as 'Thainess' allows the fluckwittery to slip through the levels of corporate control preventing it from being an extremely reliable service. This past few weeks I've hit a 100% record of GRAB Taxis / Cars taking an order, then cancelling on me after a few mins, this cycle gets repeated over and over again until ultimately a ride is secured.... ... then we may get contacted by the rider and asked to cancel (probably because they can no longer cancel any more rides themselves becasue they've already done so, so many times). Since UBER left Thailand the Taxi services which theoretically were improving have gone backwards as far as convenience, honestly (using the meter) and customer service is concerned. There are still positive experiences with regular Taxi's and GRAB / BOLT etc but they have become the exception rather than the rule.