Thakkar

I believe some of these visitors you mention have a burning need to let all and sundry know how exotic are their life struggles, and what terrible plights they must suffer when in LOS.

I guess you could put it down to some sort of "Indianna Jones" syndrome......

risking life and limb at every turn, constantly at the mercy of the locals..whose very own lives revolve around causing as much grief and hinderance to the farang as possible.

Expat drama queens are still drama queens by nature..just they have got to find something different to carry on about.

And others who live boring, sedate lives pain for drama. They come to these forums and just make stuff up.

T

I'm more concerned about their need to question and criticise the actions of complete strangers.

Anything personal that I discuss on this forum is invented, in any case.

Being British, one is brought up not to discuss one's private life, nor the private life of anyone else, except over the back garden fence whilst hanging out the washing. All I can assume is that most TV posters have tumble driers and therefore need an alternative outlet for their trivial and prurient gossip

SC

In compliance with TV's terms and conditions and unlike you, I never invent anything that I post on TV.

While chatting to my neighbor over the fence, I happened to mention some discord on the home front. Armed with this knowledge, he proceeded later that day to hit on my wife who gave him a piece of her mind. She stormed home to tell me about it, but also took the opportunity to remind me that she was still attractive to other men and that I should watch myself lest she leave me.

One lives in hopes.

T

The wife was the weak link in the chain. There is something mysterious here. His wife was not devoted to him and he didn't see red flags before? I find it so strange that men past their forties, who would not give a penny to a friend in need, sign away large chunks of wealth to a younger woman whose culture they understand only imperfectly.

Many foreigners come here to Thailand and try to recreate an artificial dreamland, regularly meeting other foreigners in air-conditioned bars that are literally pieces of their own country transported here. They lose touch with the reality, with the country surrounding them, to which their wife belongs. I wonder how close Farmer Joe was to his wife, if he was ever close.

Close enough to father three children.

*rim shot*

T

So when someone says "close friend" or "close relative" is that what you understand? Fathering children?

In business one needs a certain amount of essential trust in the partner which is not possible when there is no communication and no full knowledge about the background.

A man could father kids without even speaking or understanding a woman.

What is playing dumb supposed to achieve?

Actually, as a former sperm donor (don't ask), I may have fathered children without ever speaking to, understanding or even seeing a woman (apart from the pictures they gave me to look at).

T

You are absolutely correct. Many here fail to see that this kind of action by Thais are not directed towards farangs, but towards anyone who has money.

Mariage in Thailand is just a matter of money, love doesn't count here. Getting married for Thais is like securing assets. Most of Thai women (because they won't be the ones bringing the money at home) make sure they will have enough property for themselves if they were to divorce after their "expiry date". They do this with farangs, but they also do this to thai men too. There's no discrimination here.

I've seen many of these "arrangements" in purely thai mariages... and sometimes with the roles reversed (the husband securing some assets in case of separation)... but that's much more rare.

You can, however, find Thai women who don't play in this scheme. I know some. But it's pretty rare, as thai men do not give a great example of trustworthiness, the girls assume by default that they are going to be cheated on, one day or another.

I would tend to agree, Buddhist culture was born out of Hindu culture and though the caste system is less explicit for Buddhism I think there is still an ingrained belief that the best way to make money is to take it from someone who has more. Farrang often fit the having more criteria and the fact the law also favours Thais is just the cherry on the cake.

I've read some pretty inane stuff here on TV, some of it posted by yours truly (I love reading my own posts once I get sober). But this is award-winning inanity, so, kudos.

To go from: Buddhism derives from Hinduism which has a cast system straight to "there is still an ingrained belief [among Buddhists/Hindus?] that the best way to make money is to take it from someone who has more" is bizarre reasoning. I can only assume that you've had some bad Sambuca (been there) and will wake up tomorrow and chuckle at your own post, the way I often do at mine.

T

Nope, I'm sober now as I was when I posted originally. Starting at the top we have the special surnames followed by the army generals then the new money Chinese Thais then the educated middle class then the rest. Thailand is a rigidly hierarchical system which differs from the Hindu caste system only in that money will let you move up the ladder - and here is the rub, education is pitiful for most, wages are low and corruption maintains the status quo. This means realistically a sudden windfall is about the only way to escape from the bottom rungs of the ladder, Thais know this only so well which is why imho they are so preoccupied with magical thinking, lotteries and rich benefactors witting or unwitting.

What you're saying actually makes a lot of sense. But the leap you make from all the sensible stuff to "an ingrained belief that the best way to make money is to take it from someone who has more" remains an inexplicable leap. Anywhere in the world, for perpetrators who are so inclined (not necessarily having to do with religion, culture or societal structure), whether they are rich or poor, they will prey on the most convenient targets (who themselves can be rich or poor); it's simply a matter of opportunity.

Once you strip away the cultural accouterments, greed—and the willingness to fulfill it unscrupulously— is just greed in any society and, for the most part, I don't think any one culture is more inclined towards it than any other.

T

BTW, I should apologize for my flippancy yesterday and am pleasantly humbled by your measured response.

:jap:

T

You can whine and rant and proclaim your righteousness all you want, but you aren't going to change the way other people drive.

You can however, control how you react. So do the doable and, as Naboo says: 'Try harder to stay alive'

T

You are absolutely correct. Many here fail to see that this kind of action by Thais are not directed towards farangs, but towards anyone who has money.

Mariage in Thailand is just a matter of money, love doesn't count here. Getting married for Thais is like securing assets. Most of Thai women (because they won't be the ones bringing the money at home) make sure they will have enough property for themselves if they were to divorce after their "expiry date". They do this with farangs, but they also do this to thai men too. There's no discrimination here.

I've seen many of these "arrangements" in purely thai mariages... and sometimes with the roles reversed (the husband securing some assets in case of separation)... but that's much more rare.

You can, however, find Thai women who don't play in this scheme. I know some. But it's pretty rare, as thai men do not give a great example of trustworthiness, the girls assume by default that they are going to be cheated on, one day or another.

I would tend to agree, Buddhist culture was born out of Hindu culture and though the caste system is less explicit for Buddhism I think there is still an ingrained belief that the best way to make money is to take it from someone who has more. Farrang often fit the having more criteria and the fact the law also favours Thais is just the cherry on the cake.

I've read some pretty inane stuff here on TV, some of it posted by yours truly (I love reading my own posts once I get sober). But this is award-winning inanity, so, kudos.

To go from: Buddhism derives from Hinduism which has a cast system straight to "there is still an ingrained belief [among Buddhists/Hindus?] that the best way to make money is to take it from someone who has more" is bizarre reasoning. I can only assume that you've had some bad Sambuca (been there) and will wake up tomorrow and chuckle at your own post, the way I often do at mine.

T

The wife was the weak link in the chain. There is something mysterious here. His wife was not devoted to him and he didn't see red flags before? I find it so strange that men past their forties, who would not give a penny to a friend in need, sign away large chunks of wealth to a younger woman whose culture they understand only imperfectly.

Many foreigners come here to Thailand and try to recreate an artificial dreamland, regularly meeting other foreigners in air-conditioned bars that are literally pieces of their own country transported here. They lose touch with the reality, with the country surrounding them, to which their wife belongs. I wonder how close Farmer Joe was to his wife, if he was ever close.

Close enough to father three children.

*rim shot*

T

[

Strewth - I was lucky to avoid offending you with a racist diatribe <snip>

SC

No worries.

T

Spot on. I'm setting up shop here... Gonna do it mainly for experience and to make a quick buck -- perhaps start a lasting corporation. However, I fully understand that someday it'll all be taken away from me. That's cool with me as long as I have the clothes on my back and the freedom to start over again.

If you've got the clothes on your back and a bit of money,why aren't you happy already,having heard horror stories, your just another standing in line for idiocy!!

Because it's more important to have a full life than a happy life?

(Read his post. He said "mainly for the experience". And if things went south and he was left with the clothes on his back, he said he'd be cool with it— not quite the same as 'happy')

T

Any farang who goes to Thailand and marries a Thai and then buys property and house with his money which he must put in his wife's name is a fool. There is no protection in Thailand for a farang. This happens repeatedly. In fact one can't go to any forum on Thailand and not read about some news like this. Even here in America a middle age (or older man) who has worked and accumulated assets would be a fool to get married without a prenuptual agreement. It is obvious by reading these stories over and over and from some sad personal experience that many (not all) Thais marry or get involved with farangs to better their economic prospects and not for love. How can anyone assume that the "love" will last? That being said when the honeymoon wears off they take the money, property and run. Farmer Joe would have been better off keeping his money in England, leasing the land, and doing his business operation, and sending the profits to England for safekeeping. Seems one can't trust the wives any more than the jet ski operators.

But...but, unlike most jet ski operators, the wives have vaginas!

T

"I like Chinese..."

All 1.3 billion of them??

As with peoples everywhere, some of them can be real &lt;deleted&gt;.

Or does the statement refer to Chinese food? Some of that can be sh!tty too.

T

I suppose, like haggis, you're bound to come across a bad one sooner or later.

To be fair, I have yet to find a cuisine that cannot be spoilt by poor ingredients, careless preparation and poor hygiene; I thought East German came close, but it turned out that some places actually were worse than others, hard to believe though it was, beforehand.

SC

Indeed.

Your post has fondly reminded me of the reverse regarding cuisine and ingredients. My mother, bless her soul, can make almost anything taste great.

I'm compelled to give her a call tomorrow.

T

Tripe is a challenge to the best. I've only ever had it in hospital, where it tasted like bland bicycle inner tubes - the same as everything else, but chewier.

Straying back on topic, I suffered a situation similar to what the OP described; someone put something in my glass - specifically, about ten bottles of lager, but it was my own carelessness, and I should not have allowed them to do it had I wanted to return home with my wallet.

SC

Tripe: Phew! I'm safe there, because as a Hindu, my mom would never attempt that.

Bartenders...such bastards, always taking our orders, all friendly like.

T

Don't ever think that a case like this will only happen to a farang.

Thai people can, and have, the same problems.

This is true. I was chatting to a Bangkok taxi driver the other day who had just returned from Saudi where he'd been working in a factory for a couple of years and sending over money to his fiance. He came back to find his fiance and the money nowhere to be found. Amounted to three and a half million baht. When I asked him how he felt about it he just said, 'I was stupid.'

It would be refreashing to hear more farangs admit their stupidity rather than become cynical and bitter because they were basically stupid.

I don't know much, but what i did,is put down a small deposit for a house and got her to take out a 30 year loan, if i leave she can't pay it, if she gets a new farang, i'll beat the shit out of him, if she leaves, I'll pay her a small monthly allowance, in 30 years ,she can do what she wants hehehehehehe, small investment, i'd say, unfortunately, she loves me and has to suffer for the egoistic ,thieving,ungrateful antics of her fellow species here in Thailand....

They are the same species as you. Or me, for that matter. Granted, females everywhere do give reasons to suspect they may hail from a another planet (Venus?), but that's another topic.

T

"I like Chinese..."

All 1.3 billion of them??

As with peoples everywhere, some of them can be real &lt;deleted&gt;.

Or does the statement refer to Chinese food? Some of that can be sh!tty too.

T

I suppose, like haggis, you're bound to come across a bad one sooner or later.

To be fair, I have yet to find a cuisine that cannot be spoilt by poor ingredients, careless preparation and poor hygiene; I thought East German came close, but it turned out that some places actually were worse than others, hard to believe though it was, beforehand.

SC

Indeed.

Your post has fondly reminded me of the reverse regarding cuisine and ingredients. My mother, bless her soul, can make almost anything taste great.

I'm compelled to give her a call tomorrow.

T

Very sad. I saw and hear about these stories many times

However, many times I have to conclude, that the Thai (wife) is much smarter than the farang. Farangs looks many times so stupid

It just takes an IQ of 12 and a vibrant greed to forge a legal document to steal a property. No "smart" wife spotted here.

Sometimes, all a woman really needs to know how to do is fake an orgasm.

T

For all those who have bought or intend to buy houses in Thailand with 30 year + leases. Only last week I spoke with a Chief Prosecutor and his comment on leases was? If challenged in a court of law they will not stand up cos they are unquestionably a means to circumvent Thai law. Also if you buy a house from a builder what happens if that builder goes out of business and the banks seize the assets of the company including the leases? What happens if the builder sells his business? Leases are a very dangerous option! I believe there are 7 cases at the moment in Samui where foreigners have bought properties there and third parties are trying to null and void the leases for being illegal?

I'm sure your annoying facts have caused some on these forums to suffer minor heart palpitations, if not worse.

T

To whom it may concern:check your 30 year leases!

To whom it may concern: check your wife !

Indeed. The lease is merely the symptom; the wife's the disease.

"Yingluck's apparent willingness to help her brother go to Japan has given the Democrats "cannon fodder" to attack the government, said Paul Chambers, senior research fellow at Payap University in northern Thailand."

Sigh....

Who are these people that give quotes?????

I hate to be an internet pedant but cannon fodder are on the recieving end of the cannon. You don't give someone cannon fodder to attack somebody else.

"Cannon fodder is an informal, derogatory term for military personnel who are regarded or treated as expendable in the face of enemy fire."

A senior research fellow at a University? I would expect such a person to be able to make a statement to the press without putting their foot in their mouth.

Still - what can you expect from an expat at an Isaan Univeristy?

Not sure if "putting their foot in their mouth" is the correct term you sought either.

Oops - may have opened up a can of beans!

Pandora's closet?

Please note:

Payap University is in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai is not in Isaan.

Oh yes it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_Chiang_Mai_District

Michele Bachmann, is that you? Nice Job!

n England I have a friend, retired now, but he was a local council worker, an unskilled Irishman paid a minimum wage to drive a council truck and repair potholes. But he kept going on courses, chainsaw operative, pneumatic drill operative, deicing and road gritting techniques, at the end of each course he received a certificate, plus an increase in salary.

The point I am making is that he was actively encouraged by his employers, the Council, to improve his skills and status and income, he had pride in his job and in his certificates. This is what Thailand needs to do.

+100.

They have sooooo many committees here but not a lot of training courses or systems.

This is symptomatic throughout Thai society. Any society serious about education (and if budget allocation is anything to go by, successive Thai governments would at least appear to be), would invest in well stocked, competently manned libraries in as many neighborhoods as possible, As well, public museums and art galleries. But there's little of that here, even in supposedly prosperous Bangkok. Such facilities not only are great aids to education (especially for those less well off, but self-motivated) for youngsters, but all citizens throughout their lives. Because we don't stop learning upon leaving school.

T

To be honest, I feel more concerned about the knives and batons on sale along sukhumvit road. Aparently these drugs mentioned have personal uses that may not affect others; I can't think of a use for a knuckleduster or a stabbing knife that does not affect others adversely.

SC

Must agree with you . We all know what this thread is about . I could put it much more clear however TV mods would maybe take the line that it was a personal attack on the OP . Lets just say he dosen't like China .

To be fair, perhaps the only reason he doesn't like China is because it's so chock full of chinamen.

T

As someone else posted earlier:

"I like Chinese..." (sung)

SC

"I like Chinese..."

All 1.3 billion of them??

As with peoples everywhere, some of them can be real &lt;deleted&gt;.

Or does the statement refer to Chinese food? Some of that can be sh!tty too.

T

Under "Reason for extension visa"

Would it be correct to put 'extension of one year marriage visa'

Is that what others on marriage visa have successfully one?

Thanks.

T

I don't know if others have used the queue system specifically for marriage extensions, but yes...that is what you fill in on this part of the form. Marriage extension.

Whether it be business, marriage, retirement, missionary, education, etc., that is the reason you fill in depending on your personal circumstances for "visa extension".

Not 90 day address reporting, or re-entry or other mundane 5 minute immigration matters.

Until CM Imm refines the website and the process, people will probably continue to make an hour long time slot appointment for something that can be accomplished without an appointment in 5 minutes.....

Thanks.

And I agree that it would be courteous to leave the limited one hour time slots for people who need it rather than use them up for quick in/out business like 90 reporting.

T

[<snip>

Here I see motocy drivers, taxi-drivers and everyone of lower income levels throw their garbage, including full bags directly from their houses, where-ever they feel like, including other peoples yards (outside the fence). They think it is a SEP - Someone Else's Problem - once it leaves their hands.

This is wrong and inexcusable. But even more pernicious are the rich doing things like driving in monster SUV's whose production and use create more pollution, waste and environmental degradation than a poor person can do in an entire lifetime. The damage from the SUV (and the rich person's entire lifestyle thus embodied) is not as immediately visible, so suck on that you poors!

The poor at least have the fig leaf excuse of being uneducated. What's the educated rich guy's excuse?

At KFC over time I have seen all levels of Thai society eating fried chicken. Seems they believe KFC is high class food so I have yet to see a Thai not use a knife and fork, albeit struggle to eat. Must demonstrate a polite and upscale image while eating a perceived upscale food.

I have very very rarely seen any Thai show the polite courtesy of dumping their tray disposables in the trash and leaving it on the top of bin. When given the opportunity, even the poor will dump on the poor.

Firstly, why are you spending so much time at KFC?

On not clearing the tables: With respect, perhaps there is some backwards thinking on your part.

This is just conjecture on my part, but here's what I think:

In the West, labor is expensive and Westerners have been subtly trained by corporations to clear the tables at, what in the West, are cheap joints, as a condition for the bargain-priced foods. In Thailand, KFC is a 'classy' place—price-wise at least. If patrons aren't expected to clear up at 40 baht fried rice places, why would they feel compelled to clear up after an 80 baht KFC meal? To my mind, they are being entirely rational and it's not a case of 'the poor dumping on the poor' at all.

An aside: there are better places than KFC to people watch, though I confess that the scents at KFC can be enticing.

T

Under "Reason for extension visa"

Would it be correct to put 'extension of one year marriage visa'

Is that what others on marriage visa have successfully one?

Thanks.

T

[<snip>

Here I see motocy drivers, taxi-drivers and everyone of lower income levels throw their garbage, including full bags directly from their houses, where-ever they feel like, including other peoples yards (outside the fence). They think it is a SEP - Someone Else's Problem - once it leaves their hands.

This is wrong and inexcusable. But even more pernicious are the rich doing things like driving in monster SUV's whose production and use create more pollution, waste and environmental degradation than a poor person can do in an entire lifetime. The damage from the SUV (and the rich person's entire lifestyle thus embodied) is not as immediately visible, so suck on that you poors!

The poor at least have the fig leaf excuse of being uneducated. What's the educated rich guy's excuse?

If you think SUVs pollute more than old cars from the -70is - that hippies seem to like to drive - then perhaps you need to check the exhaustion charts again.

I'm not clear as to your point. Wouldn't it be better if life style choices, especially by people who should know better, were made on the basis of which was least damaging as opposed to just less damaging?

An SUV might be over-sized etc, but they are more common to be bought in numbers in the US than here. Most people I know with money buy Merc or above...unless they are farangs.

We all live on the same planet. Damaging the "US environment" is just as inexcusable as damaging the "Thai environment".