foolforlove

It is indeed a big problem in Thailand...I've seen it happen to Thai friends and in-laws. And in all too many cases the loans are to pay gambling debts...a vice (gambling) leading to another problem (borrowing money from a loan shark). And from what I've seen, more women than men will go the loan shark route...not to imply plenty of men don't go the loan shark route.

Agree about loans to pay gambling debts.

My Thai son was put under lots of pressure at university by fellow students for loans.

He succumbed the first time, 5,000Bah,t supposedly for tuition fees, but was in fact to pay football gambling debts.

When very overdue for repayment son asked when the money would be returned. Response: ' why do you ask me for money, your not a very nice friend', and son then ignored.

Son never ever loaned money again.

Sorry this happened.... but on the bright side, your son learned an important lesson for all of life in this experience...and for a fee (5,000) that would have been much more, if he had learned it from a similar bad experience later in life.

For me I am utterly convinced that once a Thai's gets behind the wheel of a car, they CEASE to be Buddhists. The more expensive the care, the worse they get. They would rather hit the old lady selling noodles than let her cross the road.They would rather Hit a child trying to cross the road at school times. Same same with Bikes

Poor Thailand

You have to remember the (unwritten?) Thai road rules:

1. The bigger the vehicle, the more right-of-way it has. Always. Regardless of any other circumstances.

2. Pedstrians do not have a vehicle. Refer to Rule #1.

3. Bicyclists also do not have a vehicle and are the same as pedestrians. Refer to Rules 1 and 2.

Are you referring to the article available by following the links? If so, NOWHERE is the term 'political corruption' used in the body of the survey.

Poltical instability was referred to. Corruption was referred to-= but NOT political corruption.

Do you mean to suggest that "corruption" refers to the bribes these foreign investors are paying to the pineapple salesman standing at his fruit cart in their soi?

TOP TIPS FOR MAKING A SUCCESSFUL STRESS-FREE TAXI JOURNEY IN THAILAND

1. Ignore the taxis that are parked on the side of the road, just walk on by, they are waiting for the big ripoff fares.
   
2. Look at the age of the driver, if under 40 (ish) ignore them and wait for an older driver.
   

That's pretty much it. Works like a charm all the time. Based on my experiences, older drivers tend to be more polite, much friendlier, and not in it to rip people off. They are the ones I give my big tips to at 3am, not the <deleted> that won't even open the doors for less than 500 baht.

I think very young drivers are often easy to deal with too. Guys under say about 23.

for those who suffered the loss of family members for political reasons that could have been avoided, with politically mature, negotiating actions.

Uh, are you new to BKK? mature negotiating actions? The red shirts held the capital hostage for months. They rejected all negotiations offered to them and would only accept resignation of the goverment. Then, when the government finally agreed to resign, the red shirts promised to end their "demonstration".... then the red shirts broke that promise and continued holding the capital hostage. After waiting several more weeks, action was needed to restore some amount of normalcy to the capital.

You can all wring your hands about how the Thai goverment handled the situation (after trying for like 3 months for a non-violent solution!).... but I guarantee in my country (USA), if demonstrators attempted to hold an important city like Washington DC or NYC hostage in the same fashion as the reds, the police/army there would have moved in and made short work after about 3 days.

You mean like Occupy Wall Street.I think they were there for more than 3 days ?

Yup, and Occupy didn't close the stock exchange. They didn't barricade streets for months. They were mostly inside a public park.

The question is why didn't she exit the cab respectfully when he refused to take her. What a dingbat. It's not like he's obligated to take her. He's running a business and needs to earn a proper buck.

If a taxi stops for you, they're legally bound to take you wherever you want (within reason, of course).

No they are not. Where did you get this from?

Actually they ARE.

The law is that a taxi with the "Wang" (available) sign lit cannot refuse to take a passenger.

That is the law as of Sept 1, 2012.

As soon as a driver rolls down his window I tell him to piss off because no matter where I want to go, they dont want to, so stop wasting my time. No I'm not a tourist, I have lived in BKK for 4 years. Surprisingly I still see a lot of Thai's opening the back door and asking the driver if he wants to take them, it will take everyone exercising their rights before there is change. The other night upon leaving Hard Rock a driver refused, after much debate my partner finally was convinced to call the complaint line. By this time we were in another taxi, the driver over heard the conversation and praised us for taking action. Not sure if the other driver would ever be fined as actioning laws in Thailand are not as making laws.

Yes, I agree. When a taxi stops, if they roll down the window or the doors are locked.... I just walk away.

I consider it a "bad faith" showing on their part. Same as if I was at any street market and the seller asked for 500 baht for something I know can be bought for 50 baht. It's just not worth even starting a conversation about.

Kasikorn Bank has a large range of mutual finds with different levels of risk, diversity, and objectives.

I have been very satisfied with my investments there.

I need to get some items for costume.

I don't have time to go trolling around JJ Market....

So I am looking for specific places in BKK, especially central BKK, that I can go to find these kinds of items:

a) basic mask... like a "Lone Ranger" mask or maybe like the mask from the movie "Scream".

b ) over-sized glasses (without lenses)

c) a wig... better if it is somewhat wacky like an afro wig.

These are just the rough ideas... I will adapt to whatever is available.

The original article is so full of logical flaws and presumptions as to be totally worthless except as a stimulant for discussion of a very important topic. I am really pleased to see that it has accomplished that objective, because the problems it covers are vitally important. I am an educator from America who has taught in Thailand at the elementary through university levels. My Thai family includes two teachers and a son who is currently in Thai school. I have obviously given this subject many years of consideration.

First, let me address IQ vs. education. IQ is not a measure of education, as college board entrance exams would be, for example. The IQ test has been painstakingly designed to measure innate intelligence irrespective of education or culture. Think of it as a measure of your brain's potential rather than what has already been crammed into it. Though nearly impossible to accomplish perfectly, an IQ test is supposed be totally unaffected by education level. It stands to reason, therefore, that the quality of education in Thailand is a seperate issue from IQ. Better education will NOT improve IQ.

This is not to say that there is not a crisis in IQ here. There is. But it can't be fixed through education. THAT is a seperate, equally desperate problem, and one which is also getting worse.

And though there is a correlation between low education, low IQ, and low EQ, please kep it clear in your mind that fixing education and/or IQ will not necessarily fix the astonishingly low EQ situation we have here in my new home. These are three seperate problems that are only loosely connected, and each desperately needs to be addressed.

Which is the most important could be debated, but a society full of people lacking in any one fo these three areas is essentially doomed in this highly competitive, globally connected world. We MUST find solutions, and it must be soon.

I agree that IQ is not a direct measure of education.

However, it is a little extreme to say that IQ *only* measures innate inteligence.

I think the same research you refer to does show that IQ scores generally go up as the person gets older and has more experiences (including education). Certainly we wouldn't expect a child of six to score the same as a person of forty, even if they had the same innate intelligence regardless of culture and education?

Do you agree that good education trains the mind in skills, logic, and reasoning abilities which can enable higher IQ scores?

As a parent with children in Thai schools, I have (strong) views on this matter.

These are my personal views and not necessarily correct.

I know many teachers on the board will say that they work hard in their jobs and that their teaching methods and dedication to their job is mainly for the sake of the children's education but I am not expressing my views on the teachers but rather the system which the teachers have to follow.

If you agree with my thoughts, thank you.

If you do not agree and my remarks make your blood boil, please re-read the second sentence in this post.

The problem as I see it is not the subjects or level of education that Thai children are supposed to learn, it is that they do not have time to be taught.

As soon as my kids are back in school they are preparing for their mid term exams.

After the mid term exams they then start preparing and revising for the end of term exams.

From what I see, all children from Prathom upwards take four exams each year (in some cases more).

I understand that a child's progress should be monitored but not at the expense of their education.

Besides which, these tests do not actually serve a purpose.

If the test results were used to show the schools/teachers the students week points so that they could be worked on (improved) then they would have served their purpose.

However, when the tests are used just to show to the Ministry of Education that the school is doing their job (even though the results are altered/tweaked in the schools favour), then the system fails.

If the schools have to close during term time due to floods, Swine Flu, riots in the area of the school, etc. then the children do not have enough time to even practice (parrot fashion) for the tests.

Let's face facts here, school trips, scouts/guides, dancing practice, cheer leading practice and many other important activities are far more urgent than an education.

If the teachers do not have time to teach the subjects then they set the lesson as homework and it is up to the parents to teach the children at home.

From my schooling years I was under the impression that homework is a tool to instil a previously taught lesson.

The problem with expecting the parents to teach the children is that if the child's parents are illiterate then the child will stand very little to no chance of getting an education.

Never mind, the promise of a computer tablet will be the answer to all of the problems.

Regards,

Tiger.

Tiger,

I truly feel for you. I am a teacher at a Thai (government) secondary school.

The problems in the Thai school system are almost uncountable and extend into every direction, unfortunately.

At least at my school, students study 12-15 different subjects every week. When I compare that to my secondary school expereince in the USA, we studied about 5-7 subjects per week. There is no time for students to really learn, any more than they can sip some water from a high pressure fire hose.

You mention homework as a reinforcing of the lessons. Students, at least at my school, see homework as merely a kind of "busy work" which they attempt to get done during the school day. Students are convinced that school goes from 8am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. Outside of that time, their time is their own to shop and relax and do whatever. And don't allow anything educational intrude upon that time.

Teachers, who have not given up in frustration, still make attempt to organize a curriculum and learning environment... but are often met with ridiculously constructed "reasons" for why nothing can be changed or improved...other than perhaps "touching up the paint on a few spots over a whole structure of rotting wood".

Thai's have many strengths, but one of them is definitly NOT administration. If a Thai had been the captain of the Titanic, it wouldn't have hit the iceberg because it would have dashed itself on the rocks before even leaving the launching harbor.

Your best bet Tiger is to send your children to the best private school you can afford. Or a "demonstation school" -- which are often better but you must investigate closely. Barring both these options, send your students to quality tutoring education in the evenings and weekends -- or have a tutor come to your home.

The funny thing about this article, is he is insinuating that 40 years ago, things were oh, so much better.

I think the trick is that in the 40 years, the standards of comparison (i.e. the other countries) have improved while T'land has treaded water.

Yeah... I probably should have emphasized the "service" aspect of my post more...

I am sure I can find the rope in many places, but I want to go somewhere very service minded who can do all the length cutting and rope-end snipping for me. Even if I have to pay a little more.

As a teacher, you have to deal with a volume quantities when it is per student. So, when you have to deal with 35 pieces of half-meter rope... you are happy to find someone to do some of the manual labor for you.

I want to get a good quality rope... like a braided nylon or polypropylene.

It's for a school project. There are about 35 students and each one needs about a half-meter of the rope.

It would be great if the place I bought the rope from could cut it into the 50-cm length I need, and bind the ends of the ropes so that they won't fray.

Central BKK or Chinatown area would be easiest for me....

Suggestions?

Freedom is living somewhere where you CAN peacefully protest without finding yourself ground under the state's jackboot.

Irony is using that right to protest that others are allowed their own free speech too.

Irony is also that protesting increases global curiosity and interest into a film that would have already been put in yesterday's bin for its poor quality.

The protests don’t need to make sense. They are just channeling a flash-topic to focus their community organizing, which is the real goal. It’s a page ripped directly from the playbook of any community organizing how-to manual.

Anyone know where I can buy "patty paper"? Also, what is the word for this in Thai?

This is the translucent squares of paper used between hamburger patties.

Assuming guilty as charged, hope he's behind bars soon. Besides that bringing justice, be good to have the "but Sondhi..." button deactivated from all those "red" keyboards.

"The suit said Sondhi defamed Mongkol by alleging him with abusing his authority to siphon money from TPI, which has changed name to IRPC Plc, by paying huge salary to himself and paying a huge management fee to an advisory firm."

I assume that he is not guilty by any common sense. Only by some weird Thai law.

I would complete understand some punishment for taking the airport or the government house, but for telling something that is 99.9 % surely the true is a shame.

"Wierd Thai law" -- you are correct.

Remember that under Thai law, defamation and libel are decided by the EFFECT of what you said.

It does not matter at all if what you say is TRUE. That is irrelevant under Thai law.

But if you make someone "look bad", then you are at risk for libel.

Go back to korea thai children are not your business

I presume they will be, producing thousands of high school kids and graduates every year so that Korea is ranked in the top 5 highest academically performing countries in the world.

I hope that comment was meant as a joke? Because it won't be too difficult. South Korea is already ranked #6 worldwide as far as having an educated population:

6. South Korea

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 39%

> Avg. annual growth rate (1999 – 2009): 5.3% (5th highest)

> GDP per capita: $29,101 (13th lowest)

> Pop. change (2000 – 2009): 3.70% (14th lowest)

Korea is another standout country for its recent increase in the percentage of its population that has a tertiary education. Graduates increased 5.3% between 1999 and 2009, the fifth-highest among OECD countries. Like the UK, this rate is greater than the country’s recent population growth. Korea is also one of only two countries — the other being Finland — in which the most popular fields of study are not social sciences, business and law. In Korea, new students choose to study education, humanities and arts at the greatest rates. Only 59.6% of expenditures on educational institutions come from public funds — the second-lowest rate.

Well I can see both sides of this.

I have seen (not at Starbucks) but another similar place in the Siam Square area...on several consecutive Saturdays, there has been a tutor (a Thai person) with 12-15 Thai teenage students. They take over about 6-8 tables and this tutor walks around "her area" checking their work and talking to them. She occupies about 40% of the shop's space for about 3-4 hours.

On the flip side of this... there really is a huge lack of suitable public space in Bangkok. I've lived in cities such as San Francisco and Paris, and I really notice this. Sure, there are lots of malls if you want to shop, and a park if your activity is not bothered by the vagaries of weather, but otherwise there isn't much. If you are someone who just wants to be "out and about" reading your book in a coffee shop, or writing in your journal, or having a game of chess with a friend... say after about 8pm, you are "S.o.L." in BKK.

If they cancel all the silly activity days, I'm sure everyone would catch up very quickly. So many days of education are lost because the school want the kids to dress up and show off in a massive photo shoot.

I'm having great difficulty in claiming all my wages for the month of November. I'm not breaching my contract, but they are. I've paid a fortune in hotel fees over this month. Am I being selfish in demanding 100% salary for this month? That's not a rhetorical question.

I don't think you are being selfish. You have a contract. You can be sure if the "shoe was on the other foot", the school would be demanding that you fulfill your side.

At my school, holidays have all been cancelled (except of course national holidays).

I think Sports Day (which actually last 3 days) is cancelled.

Definitely we were told all field trips are gone. And any "camps" like English Camp, Science Camp...cancelled.

For reasons not clear to me.... teaching on Saturdays is seen as a "good idea" whereas adding some weeks to the end of the school term is "bad".

I still believe Saturday classes are unworkable because....

a) the school property is used for other seminars etc on weekends

b ) students won't want to come on Saturday, so they just wont

c) tutoring schools will kick up a fit... both about Saturday but also lengthening Mon-Friday days

d) students have other duties like looking after their siblings or helping with their family's business

e) teachers, both Thai and foreigner, have families and also tutor students on weekends... so they won't want to give that up

My money is on this Saturday thing will go on about 4 weeks and then just fade away... perhaps after New Years, everyone will suddenly have amnesia and forget Saturdays...

I really hope you are right. But I'm really worried about the schools which were actually flooded, Western and Northern Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Phatum Thani which might have a different strategy, making March the full teaching month plus Saturdays.

My school is in western Bangkok. The school itself did not flood. But all the surrounding areas where students and teachers live were.

In addition, flood refugees are still staying in the school grounds.

We are opening Dec 6th, as all schools are apparently.

At my school, holidays have all been cancelled (except of course national holidays).

I think Sports Day (which actually last 3 days) is cancelled.

Definitely we were told all field trips are gone. And any "camps" like English Camp, Science Camp...cancelled.

For reasons not clear to me.... teaching on Saturdays is seen as a "good idea" whereas adding some weeks to the end of the school term is "bad".

I still believe Saturday classes are unworkable because....

a) the school property is used for other seminars etc on weekends

b ) students won't want to come on Saturday, so they just wont

c) tutoring schools will kick up a fit... both about Saturday but also lengthening Mon-Friday days

d) students have other duties like looking after their siblings or helping with their family's business

e) teachers, both Thai and foreigner, have families and also tutor students on weekends... so they won't want to give that up

My money is on this Saturday thing will go on about 4 weeks and then just fade away... perhaps after New Years, everyone will suddenly have amnesia and forget Saturdays...

Where is the best place in BKK to buy toys like Legos?

Thanks