boppia

It's a start but it sounds a bit wierd. Do they get armbands and notebooks? Once they build a network of informers they should be able to pick out the troublemakers and report them to Brother Number Four.

Doe the mayor smoke?

I would rather see a campaign against general corruption myself.

To me the new airport isn't convenient. Thaksin or whoever is in charge said that the old airport (the convenient one) will only be available to military, small aircraft, and private planes. What does this mean? Well, my guess is that Thaksin will probably land at Don Muang seeing it is more convenient. Maybe he'll even have the 'smaller' AirAsia planes land there. It'll be great for business seeing how some of the traffic in that area will be down. If you don't go to Pattaya or Rayong I don't see how the new airport is better in any way. It just means another hour just to get to the airport for many people. Now all the people in Nontaburi and Thonburi will have to travel further to get on planes. The Taxi guys must be happy.

Well, I'm sure there is no evil organization running Thailand but I would guess that eventually the poor will demand more from this country. The poor people here still are treated pretty badly by the people with power here; I'm talking about justice, pay, health insurance, education, and respect.

People in Thailand don't feel free to criticise those with power. If you speak Thai and talk to poor people you will know this. People still fear retribution violent or nonviolent for speaking out. A security guard in my building was beaten up by two ex-policemen connected to his company because they thought he stole keys to break into rooms. He didn't. The ex-policemen went wild on him in the name of the company (SSG security company by the way) sending him to the hospital. The local police did nothing for him. Everyone knows the victim and what was done to him. He ended up in the hospital.

His parents came from upcountry to take him home. He was paid 30,000 baht by the company for his beating. If he wants more he was told to take it to court. Of course he can't. Thailand should be defending its poor but instead it is spending money on other lavish endevours. What happened to this man is a terrible example of what Thailand really is. If you don't agree with this please please tell your story of someone from a dirt poor family getting justice here.

By the way, if anyone from the news would like to investigate this true story feel free to send me a message.

As for the initial poster I too get a feeling that there is a bit of anger in his post. It looks a bit like a troll's post but there is some truth in it. Do you really think that Thai people are happy with the way corruption is out of control here and how the courts are worthless? The people who I talk to put up with it but desperately want change. How long can they live like this?

I agree with Guesthouse that many times the people who have no complaints here have compalints about their old homes.

Personally, I complain too much. But I feel my complaints are justified most of the time. There must be some subjects that everyone complains about. If you rant about the captain of a sports team well you are complaining. If you pout about airfare costs then you are complaining. If you complain about not getting a visa or discount, then you are complaining. If you don't get upset abou the things affecting society like murder, rape, and war then you are complaining too. Why is complaining about Thailand the only thing people see as a complaint. Millions of illegal immigrants in America complained by marching throught the streets. Are they so bad?

Raise taxes and the businesspeople will complain. Allow gay marriage and God's people will complain. If you pout about a law, you are complaining. If you don't like this post, you are complaining.

Interesting idea. I bet a lot of people could use segway in certain situations. I bet some mailmen use them. They could be dangerous. Would you ride one if you had to wear a helmet?

A light Segway accident:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lHPeT-E2mS4&sea...gway%20accident

The unicycle could have saved so much on rubber, steel, and maintenance. It never went far.

Segway has some value like for police patrolling wide boardwalks along the beach or something like that.

Segway company should let the patients at nursing home use them for a year then tabulate the numbers of accidents and fatalities they have and let us know the results. Watch the hhhhhhh out here comes granny!

Skipper this is a great thread. I love your links. My personal solution to the problem would be having smaller families but capitalists don't like that idea. We live in an every rising pyramid where those at the top need more and more at the bottom so that they can rise to the stars with the Pharaohs. We are the pyramid of capitalism.

Interesting info. 3,000 farangs is quite a bit for out there. Do you only have farang males visiting the farangconnection?

Kutan great info in your post. Thanks.

So everyday is pissup day in Surin?

How many farangs live in Surin?

Are most of the farangs I see when I go there just visiting during their yearly holiday?

Is the Farang Connection the farang owned bar in town?

Just get checked. Worrying will do nothing for you. The truth will set you free as they say.

Just want to add my two cents

I have lived in both Chantaburi and Kanchanaburi. They are both greta provinces for tourism and great places to live.

They have seen violence over the years. When I first got here quite a while ago I remember hearing a British girl was raped and murdered by a former convict turned monk who buried her in a cave at a temple there. Then there was the police officer who killed the couple and now this Australian. Who knows how many others have died over the years. Despite freak incidents against foreigners I would recommend Kanchanaburi to anyone.

Chantaburi is another wonderful place to live. There are people who die there. I met a German man when I was there who was beat and knifed to death out on a back road there. He was an arrogant person who flaunted his wealth and power and eventually he met someone who didn't like it. Anyways the police got the guy who knifed him. If you have been to Chantaburi you'll notice a hotel on the way into town with a large ruby on it sign. That used to be mark's Travelodge. Form what I heard from the local in Chan the owner of the old hotel (not the current rebulit one) was gunned down in a Trad gem market. I guess in the 70s - 80s there was a lot of sutff like this out there. One side note that should be brought out is that lots of the gems that were sold through the markets there came from Cambodia, Khmer Rouge controlled Cambodia. In fact the/one capital of the Khmer rouge 'Pailin' means 'Blue sapphire.' Pailin is just an hour or so over the border from Chantaburi into Cambodia. So there are or were lots of weapons available. It would seem that the world's greed for stones helped the Khmer Rouge. But this is only my opinion.

Hey George, here's a site to some type of online trading company in Thailand but based out of Singapore. They have some walkin offices in some shopping malls around BKK. I just happened to walk past the office in Future Park Rangsit and asked a few questions. I really don't know much about this firm. On of the people at the office said they have English speakers who will contact you if you like. They did say that foreigners can only purchase non-voting shares.

Maybe some other poster here has done business with the firm.

POEMS (Phillip's On-line Electronic Mart System) - INVEST LIKE A PRO

http://www.poems.in.th/

So what day do you plan on having it on? A Saturday? What are drink prices at that place anyways?

Chang = ? Do you have draft?

I sure would like to take part in it if I am in the area at that time. I just would like to know some of the local yokels up in my wife's wacky homeland.

Lesdunbar, That's probably the same movie as I mentioned.

No, I wasn't talking about plastic dolls! But that is a good idea. It'd be a bit artsy -three guys walking around the Philipines with blowup dolls.

What is the acronym for 'Last one in shut the door?' Like it or not the dream of Robinson Crusoe is over.

Well both of the people I am thinking of don't drink. One of them is very overweight and the other is quite thin and an active jogger. Some of possibilities listed could be the reason. I only see them shake when they lift their hands to take objects. Going back to the drinking, they may have been drinkers in their younger years.

Well, it could be but it would seem strange that two people who I know who are foreigners have it. I don't know or see that mamy farangs here. It's common I guess but is it more prevalent among farangs in Thailand?

It's not right across but about 200meters?

Anyways ...

KS Pavillion Hotel Tel. 044-261943-5

700baht w/breakfast

Near shopping mall

I've notice a few fellows in their 50s and 60s whose hands shake when they hold things like forks. What is this shaking? Is it just old age? Is there a name for this condition? Do most men get it? The people I've seen with this don't seem that old. I would have thought something like this would come in your 70s or 80s.

It's a wonderful life. (agree with Ratcha)

School of Rock (Funny, great for kids)

Pirates of the Carribean (Just a nice movie for the whole family)

Jarhead (Have you been in the Marines? Eyeballs!)

Apocalpse Now ( Charlie don't surf )

Full Metal Jacket

Good Will Hunting Robbin Williams, Afleck, Damon

Cider House Rules

He Got Game Denzel Washington

Man on the Moon Jim Carrey

Crash

If you've got kids get the classics

Winnie the Pooh

Wizard of Oz

etc

Sorry no just three. Go ahead and open a video rental shop.

I've got a friend who send me all this Christian-God-Loves-You mail whic ends "Please forward this to 10 people and you wish will come true" or some garbage like that. I just delete it. I don't like anyone forwarding my email with dozens of others. SOmeone out there must be collecting these things and using the addresses for more marketing.

I would like to send a garbage email that says something like" Stop sending junkmail like this to your friends. They don't want it. It wastes years. It slows down the Net." Then I would add " If you don't comply with the message in this email you will get 10,000 more like it. Feel free to forward this to all you friends"

I'm a friendly guy when you get to know me. I used to be a bit quiet when seeing foreigners in Thailand when I first got here but nowadays I give a nod or smile when I see them. In Bangkok of course there are way too many farangs in some places to nod or smile. If you acknowledged every farang around people would think you are autistic with all the nodding and smiling.

It is silly how we react to each other but after reading the posts I think I will try to be a bit more smiley when I see someone. It's better to be friendly, silly or not, than cold. But I'm not looking for long conversations with farangs when I am upcountry. For some reason whatever reason I feel a connection to westerners. Like it or not we do have a lot in common after all we are all typing here instead of in Thai language on a different message board.

But of course we may prefer to spend more time with our Thai friends than people who are more like ourselves. We travelled the world to end up here in a land of a different language, people and culture. Something like this just doesn't happen to everyone.

A few years ago Thaksin said he wanted to develop Koh Chang as something like a high society tourist area. If I remember right he said he didn't want any backpackers around. Well, this fits the plan. Maintaining the environment is a great move in my view but if its just going to be open to wealthy people then forget it. But its the way of the world so I guess Thaksin and all the other MPs will be vacationing there in the future. Thaksin doesn't have a ranch to escape too, does he?

Nothing ever is as good as it seems.

There are many types of farangs here.

Who said this I don't know

"The young look to the future because they have no past and the old look to the past because they have no future."

If you've got the dough and you aren't going to be around forever you probably aren't worrying too much.

If you don't have a bank account and every check means a lot you might think things aren't so easy.

I heard Novotel was quite good also.

Where would the world be if America hadn't created hotdogs?

There are still many undiscovered minerals and lost artifacts around Thailand. they are still looking for that gold the Japanese stole during WW2. Do you live in Karn Markky?