BoneRanger

500 million Baht fine is.............get ready...........$15,151,515.00 American dollars. Can you say mis-print.......mis-print.

I get the idea of wanting to have a clean beach. But, have tourists complained there hasn't been enough of it? What is the impetus by the military to impose these restrictions on vendors/chair/umbrella folks? Chairs are side by side. I'm on the beach and I want shade......thus umbrella's. If someone doesn't want one they take it away. Just ask.

What are they wanting....a nice areal view for photos? From the water a natural look? Then, one day a week nothing! I wouldn't go to the beach if I had to sit on the sand. I want a chair, shade........comfort. This whole business is just nuts in my opinion. This is people's livelihood. How many of you would just take a day off every week? Not many I bet.

Yea. Right. Going to the beach and sitting on the sand? Thats ridiculous.

WE WANT FURNITURE ON THE BEACH!!!! EVERYWHERE!! NO SAND. And umbrellas set up under shade trees. That's what's needed. Shade under shade.

We don't want to see people exercising, playing frisbee or volleyball, nature or open space.

We want wall to wall crass develompent. And pestering all day long by vendors. That really makes it nice. An opportunity to buy some dirty shrimp or a nice leather belt perhaps, or a frog, a nice wooden frog. Every 3 minutes I get an opportunity to buy that frog again...

Now thats a beach holiday.

There are better places then Thailand and their uncountable scams..

But few countries would have an officially sanctioned force set up with the sole intention of screwing money out of unaware tourists in an intimidatory manner.

In the next Police district, Thong Lor they do the search, frisk, piss test routine on tourists. Yep. Forcing tourists to whip it out on the street and fill a bottle.

Got a viagra or blood pressure medicine and no prescription? Oooo that's bad. How would you like to spend 6 months in a Thai jail cell awaiting a court date mister?

A donation will of course clear up the misunderstanding. Give them a hard time and you risk getting planted.

Remember the Airport cop running the shoplifting scam? Locking people up in crummy hotels and draining their ATMs.

Every district has their methods.

West of Lumpini District and down on Silom they are dressed as plain clothes and run the gem scam operation.

You can see them on many busy corners intercepting tourists. Just today, I saw the same guy at the Erawan Shrine. 6 years he stands in front of the Police box scamming tourists.

Goes inside the police box on hot days and rides a police motorbike.

They are all up to something.

No, it's not only "...foreign cigarette smokers..." it's anybody they can shakedown.

Every farang that smokes isn't "...stalked like prey..." you're paranoid.

No no no. They do stalk every foreigner that is smoking. Every one.

If the cigarette is long, they lazy bastards radio ahead to a cohort.

Just watch and pay attention and you will spot a smoker and 100% of the time a BMA fake cop is following with a big grin.

KaChing! Payday!

They aren't cops. They are called Tessakit and they wear a dark green uniform.

I know who they are. They dress like paramilitary and claim to be police.

We know but tourists are intimidated.

Well bin your bloody durry butts and you won't have a problem.

Im sure these corrupt cops only happen when you break the law right?

No. Apparently you have not read the reports over the last ten years or seen the expose in The Spectrum or talked with the embassies about the complaints they brought up with Thai officials.

Scammers is what they are.

I see about a dozen of thes guys between the Soi 2 and Soi 24.

I see a steady parade if farangs only lined up to pay.

12 camera nailing 3 tourists eac per hour= 72,000bt per hour x 8 hour shift = 576,000bt per day =17,000,000bt per month.

With that kind of income you would think they would install some ashtray or bins..... But that would reduce the income.

Now this same gang of government thugs also have 500 disfigured beggars all over town diverting donations to the poor into city officials pockets. Nice.

Let's see, 500 beggars bringing in 1,000bt each a day?

That's another 25 million a month.

Now all the street scammers & vendors are paying them too.

Its funny but Mr. Bone Ranger sounds almost like Joe-six pack.

No no no. Jsixpack says doomsday in every post and is a Thai apologist like these people here that want to see more chairs jammed into the beach.

Hard to believe some posters here can't find a vacant beach chair.

No, it's not only "...foreign cigarette smokers..." it's anybody they can shakedown.

Every farang that smokes isn't "...stalked like prey..." you're paranoid.

No no no. They do stalk every foreigner that is smoking. Every one.

If the cigarette is long, they lazy bastards radio ahead to a cohort.

Just watch and pay attention and you will spot a smoker and 100% of the time a BMA fake cop is following with a big grin.

KaChing! Payday!

This guy thinks there is a shortage of chairs on the beach. Dumbest thing I ever heard.

There must be an alternate universe and a beach named Jomtien?

The Jomtien Beach I know has thousands of unused chairs blocking off territory. Thousands.

I don't have any problem with the chairs. If somebody wants one, request they set one up. Just don't be an <deleted> and block off open space with unused chairs.

I do have an issue with criminals at city hall that sell or lease the open space to stuff their greedy little pockets.

About ten percent of the beach would be blocked off by the chair people if they only set up as needed.

Why not?

Keeping the juice cold would be vital. I wonder if it would be a viable plan ?

I am not sure about bulk red juice since the juice is pink and must be fermented with the skins for color.

in the mountains, west of Hua Hin, there are vineyards producings reds and whites. They even won one medal in a german contest. The initiator of these vineyards is a lady from Germany.

There are local growers of grapes in the Pak Chong region, they also sell grapevines (ready to plant). But I still have to locate them. Some sell at the roadside of the highway number 24.

In markets I have seen grape juices, whose labels said that they come from the Samut Prakan area.

Thanks for your replay interesting would to know, what a kind of red Grapevines they plant like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon etc.

One of the things you have to be carefull about is fungal diseases which affect the vines in areas of high humidity.

Here is a USA site on growing vines in a high humidity area. http://www.winepros.org/wine101/viniculture.htm

Plus one from the UK. http://www.grapegrowingguide.com/pest-control.html

The reason that you sometimes see Roses planted at the head of each row of vines is that many of the diseases and insects which attack the grape vine also attack the Rose. you will see the signs on the Rose bush first usually before they attack your grape vines.

If you are planning a Winery style, tourist attraction vineyard, then be knowledgeable of the fact that many places that are set up like this which have vines growing are often purely decorative, advertising for the tourists and the grapes or slurry is shipped in from outside areas and fermented and stored on-site.

So, you locate the 'Wineary' where the people/Tourists are and import the grapes from the areas where grapes grow best.

This is a must read article on Grape Production in Thailand. http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x6897e/x6897e0a.htm

Exactly right. They must be spraying the hell out of the vines to control mildew.

Back in the States, I know the premium grapes are not grown in the hot areas. Cool evenings seem to be a key factor.

Chataeu Loei has been mentioned to me by a wine friend but I have not tasted yet.

Would it be viable to import premium bulk grape juice (saving alcohol tax) from the Napa Valley and ferment it here I wonder?

I know some wineries that will sell you a tanker of chilled fresh Chardonnay, Cabernet, etc. juice.

The "R" is a strange choice , would have thought the "F" was more suited to city use. Hope these 275 engines have the valve / cam problems of the 250 engine finally sorted out. Are the BIB being used as test mules to see if this engine is OK ?. .

Might be better for your mental health if you stay away from the Honda threads. Agreed?

As always you ride what you can afford to ride....or if your more financial what tickles your fancy. Small displacement bikes are OK, probably better around town, but out on the highway a bigger heavier bike is the best choice.

I ride in town 90% and my 15hp honda scooter is just right.

Are you ready to go after the gogo bars Mr Bone Ranger? Don't they offend you?

WHy do you ask? Have the umbrella mafia taken over the gogo bars too?

Alert!

Mexican food fans in Bangkok all know of Jorge, famous for his passion to bring authentic Mexican cuisine to Bangkok. Recall he pioneered the highly regarded Tacos & Salsa on Suk Soi 18.

After a break from Thailand he is now back on Sukhumvit as Sabroso Mexican Grill on Soi 23.

Yummy. My 3 smallish carnitas tacos with 3 nice salsas w/ bottle of water came to 170bt.

Just about a block down Soi 23 on the right.

Over to you.

This will backfire in spectacular fashion.........what Thai Girl is going to sit on an unshaded beach in Pattaya

Farcical at best.....

How can it backfire? The open space is being utilized by thousands of beach goers. I drive by the beach everyday. Crowds of people are all over the designated open areas. Nice.

There would be plenty of shaded beach for your girlfriend if the umbrellas people didn't take over the shaded area. That's kinda dumb, eh? Erecting umbrellas in the shade. Like someone above mentioned ... Thai culture....

There are still way more than enough chairs and umbrellas. Look at the above photos. Less than 10% occupied.

Guaranteed you will find one. Except on beach cleaning day, Wednesday.

I don't care much for the small 250/300 sport bike range...too much plastic for my taste. The Kawa Z250 is OK though.

What I would like to see is a motard styled bike with a 300-500 engine. Now that would get my heart pumping!

Yep. An adult size Honda MSX with a 300cc or 500cc would sell like hotcakes.

Like I said.

Most of the chairs are unused. Only set up to prevent tourists from using the free public beach.

Less than 10% of the beach would be occupied by the unsightly umbrellas and chairs if they were set up on request.

How is it possible to continue this scam when the Deputy Mayor announced that all operators carry insurance thru Thaisri Insurance CO?

Local journalists refuse to investigate.

Questions for the Mayor and Police Chief:

Arrested?

On bail?

Court date?

Do the operators carry the required insurance?

How many insurance cases have been settled?

How many scammers have been arrested?

Who in City Hall does the jet ski operators pay beach rent?

Why don't the police officers advice the tourists the "damage scam" is a civil case?

How many civil cases have the jet ski operators brought to civil court?

How many jet ski operators have been banned from the area due to violence/scams?

The tourists have voted. The open beach is very popular. Too crowded actually. Time to get rid of all the unused chairs.

If they set up chairs/umbrellas when requested, they would occupy less than 10% of the beach. That way everybody wins and the place wouldn't look like a slum.

The chair vendors will get all the customers they need, the tourists that want chairs can have them and the open space can be used.

As of now, they set up thousands of unused umbrellas under the shade trees and beach to keep tourists off that part of the beach. Not nice.

You are either a liar or blind, maybe both, as I sit in the in the my smaller beach concession which is packed with customers (like sardines) buying drinks, food, souvenirs, getting massage, manicures while the public areas are sparsely used. I am a tourist who has been coming regularly for many years and renting condos along Jomtien Beach. I spend easily over a thousand baht a day at the beach. I am not happy about the changes and me and my friends will reevaluate our future holiday plans. And yes it is about the people with power disregarding the wishes of the majority(and tourists) and forcing the poor, people without political clout into subservience.

I'm a liar or blind? I think the moderators need to give you a spanking...

Hey, when I look, i see thousands of unused chairs set up...even in the shade. Why?

Just requesting the unused chairs not to be set. That is called a win/win situation.

You can have your chair.

What's your problem?

And whats this nonsense about forcing the poor into subservience? You lost me on that one.

Are you talking about the ones that were illegally set up in the designated open space? That's called criminal activity.

Don't worry, there are help wanted signs in business all over town

A good start but I always use the umbrellas...who wants to sit out in the hot sun like a burnt red British tourist?

Aint you seen the trees-plenty of shade these days

Thousands of umbrellas are set up in the shade. A majority not being used.

Why?

This has very little to do with the beauty or ecology of the beaches. This is about the military displaying its power. The little guys -- the concessionaires, the masseurs, the vendors -- get pushed around. They lose one day a week's income. They have to reduce the number of chairs. The ones I talked to were seething with anger. Of course, they had to obey. This is a submission society.

If you want to improve the quality of life on the beaches, reign in the developers that have built monstrosities close to the shore. Take down the Waterfront, a gargantuan eyesore that will be visible from everywhere and block views from the top of Buddha Hill. It's clearly illegal, even though the developer was able to get approval from the authorities. I wonder how that happened?

Move buildings, not chairs.

Criminals at City Hall exploited them when they illegally sold or leased the designated open space.

The vendors then proceeded to set up thousands of unused umbrellas in this open space to exploit the tourists.

Next the City chopped down hundreds of old growth shade trees along the beach, flattened, then paved over the garden so they could lease that space too and fill their greedy pockets.

Have you noticed the city also have leased the footpaths and parking spaces too?

The tourists have voted. The open beach is very popular. Too crowded actually. Time to get rid of all the unused chairs.

If they set up chairs/umbrellas when requested, they would occupy less than 10% of the beach. That way everybody wins and the place wouldn't look like a slum.

The chair vendors will get all the customers they need, the tourists that want chairs can have them and the open space can be used.

As of now, they set up thousands of unused umbrellas under the shade trees and beach to keep tourists off that part of the beach. Not nice.

I wouldn't be spraying poison all over the place. The mosquitos won't kill you but that spray might.

Highly doubt it since most if not all chemicals sprays sold for killing pests use the metabolic processes of the target organism to manufacture the poison from the chemical ingested.

So unless your body does the conversion (which it does not) you may suffer toxic effects from the spray but you certainly arent spraying poison around to which you maybe effected.

then why do they recommend it no be used in ventilated areas, or that you leave the house when spray bombing or fumigating.

bug coils and sprays give me a blinding headache and the certainly don't do people with asthma any favours,

to say the stuff is harmless in remarkably naive

I didn't say they were harmless, but they aren't poison to you, at all, not ever. They can have toxic effects but they are not poisonous, and before you attempt to refute that, know that

a MSDS for water instructs one to wash out the eyes or if consumed too seek medical attention and so forth.

Bombing and fumigation, depends on the chemical, but its unwise to as a human be in any environment where beyond several % of the content of what you are breathing is not nitrogen and oxygen. So if they were simply spraying the room with water, or beer, you think its wise to be an environment saturated with it?

As for bug coils, not withstanding there are several types now on the market, they are traditionally manufactured from crysthanamum yes, the same crysthanamum used in drinks and other things, quite common to even find the flowers in some parts of asia.

I would suggest you are a bit sensitive and get yourself a bubble, might also give you a bit of time to read what I write and attempt to shove words in my mouth. I do not appreciate that, and will be most terse if you try any of that crap again. Thank you

"They can have toxic effects but they are not poisonous,"

The price is regulated by the city. Report the scammer.