ianf

Always scare when a country feels a need to have pro-government demonstrations when there are no anti-government demonstrations going on.

Clearly this is the path to reconciliation.

Well, even my die hard friends from Issan, who backed Yingluck without question, are now openly scorning her, and referring to her as hapless, incompetent, ignorant, and unable to lead the country. So, when that happens you know there is a need to stimulate the masses, who are losing faith in the ability of this absolute neophyte to at least appear to be in control. And for those of us who took a wait and see approach to the whole thing, we have long ago given up on this rather feeble leader. Of course, the alternative Abhisit was a bought and paid for whore, who was only interested in doing the bidding of the Army, and in helping to protect the fortunes of the richest in Thailand, so was he any better?

Yet another post that pours scorn on Abhist without knowing the facts or understanding where Abhisit came from. Beats me!

See the posts below about the Lanna Tara Moo Baan

Would suit your purpose 100% with rentals at the rate you seuggest.

Don't get much air traffic noise as the planes tend to fly over the Saraphi road and Big C.

And the school's van comes here every day.

Ian

PM me for more info

You culd do no better than telephone Jack. Many van drivers are mad and crazy. Jack has been driving me for 20 years (till I moved here). Based in Chiang Mai (he'll come down and get you) he is the best driver in the Chiang Mai area:

He doesn't take you to places so that he gets a commission - he'll take anyone here on trips to unseen Thailand at very reasonable rates. [email protected]

Lovely man, Speaks English. Struggles to make a living because he won't rip people off.

I bought some yesterday at Rimping.

Yes, the worst for a few years. Last year was not so bad because we had early rain. It is said that the hill people burn the forest carpet because it increases the volume of mushroom spores. True or not?

Also I understand that CMU has a project which is aimed at educating people not to burn - but judging by the current situation this looks like a forlorn task.

A few ye ars ago the Government tried to ban it and sent out spotter planes to try and catch people burning fields. So, what do they do? They burn at night time.

I think Last year the Chiang Mai ci ty hall said they would ban burning in the district but clearly these were empty words.

Finally, the problem in Thailand is that trying to stop people doing something is like trying to force them to put helmets on their heads when driving motorbikes.

There are some interesting things about this story:

First of all Chalerm was fairly adamant that there was no problem .... then the predicted blasts happened.

Secondly, and I love this! ........

Muslim men (especially the radicals) cover up their women and put them in a black sack with an opening for the eyes. They have a hugely repressive attitude towards women and treat them like dirt. They also do not drink alcohol. If I go to Saudi, say, and open a bottle and drink in public I'll end up in jail or possibly beheaded. If I, as a UK citizen go to Saudi with my woman and she drives a car or shows her body (bits of it) then we'd be jailed and then run out of the country.

But these good muslims, who take the above repressive attitude in the name of their god, can come to Thailand (or lOndon for that matter) cavort with prostitutes and openly drink alcohol as if its the OK thing to do

Such hypocrisy makes me sick to the core.

Yes, this moo bahn and others like it are very quiet in the evenings. The choice is this kind of area, relatively safe and hassle free, or living in an open village where there is a lot of noise, dogs, drunks, parties, baring loudspeakers and so on. As for going out during the day/evening it really depends on who you are, what you do, work schedule and so on. I am retired, I go out cycling every morning (up to 160km), lunch at home or locally - plenty of places; I'm not into a wild night life so Pim and I are at home just as we would be in the UK. I spend some time doing internet stuff (writing, designing and so on), we have a pool table at home, or we go to the cinema; Pim likes walking around evening markets so we do that. My son likes bowling and he'll be back from UK boarding school in July so a bit of that, I think, and occasionally go out to listen to music. I'm not greatly fond of alcohol so no bars, but I like to cook so friends come over and the wine is cracked. Life is slow in Chiang Mai zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!! Some weekends we drive off and explore the north, driving down tracks, meeting villagers and staying in little gurst houses. But you are welcome to contact me if you come over and have a look. There are a few places to rent here and some for sale.

Thanks for your message. I think it may take me a while to de-stress from Shanghai, but that will probably be good for us. I don't think I'll be biking 160km each morning but I'm impressed you can! I like the idea of staying in 'gurst houses'...is that a local term? (or do you mean guest houses?) I've just learnt the term moo baan too so I'm almost fluent. It's very nice that they are friendly people with good advise...thank-you (and yes we would love to come over for dinner- we'll bring the wine ha ha) Heather

Hi Heather:

I quite often pull people up for spelling mistakes, but being a two-finger typist this was definately a mis-hit not an attempt at redefining Guest houses! Talk about cooking, I've spent all day cooking today (and part of yesterday) for friends that are coming over tonight. Make that fiends! Cheaper to go to a restaurant.

Yes, this moo bahn and others like it are very quiet in the evenings. The choice is this kind of area, relatively safe and hassle free, or living in an open village where there is a lot of noise, dogs, drunks, parties, baring loudspeakers and so on. As for going out during the day/evening it really depends on who you are, what you do, work schedule and so on. I am retired, I go out cycling every morning (up to 160km), lunch at home or locally - plenty of places; I'm not into a wild night life so Pim and I are at home just as we would be in the UK. I spend some time doing internet stuff (writing, designing and so on), we have a pool table at home, or we go to the cinema; Pim likes walking around evening markets so we do that. My son likes bowling and he'll be back from UK boarding school in July so a bit of that, I think, and occasionally go out to listen to music. I'm not greatly fond of alcohol so no bars, but I like to cook so friends come over and the wine is cracked. Life is slow in Chiang Mai zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!! Some weekends we drive off and explore the north, driving down tracks, meeting villagers and staying in little gurst houses. But you are welcome to contact me if you come over and have a look. There are a few places to rent here and some for sale.

Lanna Tara Moo Baan on the road from the Hang Dong Road to the Canal Road and then the night Safari fits your purposes 100%.

I am here with my 12 year old and many kids cycle around and play in quite high safety. Many houses are rented out to USA diplomats which means the security here, with its own police office, is relatively high. PM me if you want more info.

I think its a shame that these wonderful projects are often used as recruiting grounds for Christian missionaries. If they were free of any religious involvement I'd be happy to support,

We learned from that recent Amsterdam interview, that the Military has a couple red lines, over which the Govt. cannot cross....as undemocratic as that may be.

The electoral majority and dominant Political Movement in the country also have a red line....That being Constitutional reform, for reasons stated in Post #5 above. They see the current coup generated constitution, as an existential threat, hence the "red lne"

To suggest otherwise by an Oppositional polling instrument is as I said, "Agenda Laundering"

Charter rewrite is to benefit Thaksin and Thaksin alone

The opposition is trying to characterize it as such, as a way of denigrating the initiative, in addition to Polls of the above nature.

The only germ of viability this opinion has, is that one needs to consider what drove the Opposition to construct the present Constitution in the first place. It was in many respects anti-Thaksin and his political Party. So to change, it may appear pro-Thaksin, when in fact it is correcting Constitutional deficiencies created for non-constitutional reasons.

So to reverse it in effect undo's what the Opposition did in the first place.

This narrowing of Constitutional reform motive by the Opposition plays well to their base, but is pooh-poohed by the majority electorate.

Not complicated.

And what evidence do you have that the Poll is somehow run by and serves the interests of the opposition? It may serve your political ends to say that but such statements, not backed up by verifiable facts, are useless.

Also I would take anything said by Robert Amsterdam with a pinch of salt. He has made many statements over the past 12 to 18 months most of which turned out to be a load of codswallop. The guy is in the pay of your hero and master, Khun Thaksin, so there is necessarily a huge political bias in his statements.

A comparative study between Democratically elected Govts. would be more informative.

Considering that a military, coup installed Govt. owes its' allegiance to those who positioned them, their priorities would reflect it.

Whereas the current Ms. Y. Govt owes its' allegiance to the electorate. Her policies would reflect that electorate, as would other previous Govts. who came to power the same, democratic way.

Alternatively, it would be interesting to compare Thai Govts which were elected, vs. those who were 'coup'ed" into place.

I think you have made an error. The Abhisit Government was not installed by the coup makers. This is a myth propagated by the reds to suit their own purposes but not at all true.

I know the majority electoral block in the country disagrees with this "myth" claim and can pursuasively argue that the coup makers were behind him being hoisted in one way or another. But to avoid the nitty-grities of that debate, lets' just get to the bottom line.

He was not elected in a national election.

The moment he exposed himself to the national electorate, I don't need to tell you what happened.

He really should have taken a page out of the Australian Prime Ministers MO, who was also elevated to the PM'ship via parliamentary manueverings, but who took responsibility.

She stated clearly that the Prime Minister should be elected by the people, and she promptly held an election to legitimize herself.

Sadly Thaksin has never been elected. The only time he actually stood for office, in a local election in San Khampeng, he was not elected. As an individual Abhisit WAS elected. How governments are formed is simply up to the power blocks that have been elected. The Liberal Dems in the UK were not elected as the winners, but nevertheless serve in the Government in coalition. Democratic process. Same for Abhisit. I think this is the part of the process that you simply do not understand.

Isn't Red Bull not originated in TH? Krating Daeng

Red Bull was developed by an Austrian company from the Liptovan product he found in Thailand. That is what gave him the idea but I have no idea what the relationship is. But I think this is correct.

It takes a brave man to end his life that way, it takes a brace man to face his cancer. Either way ..................... condolences and deep feelings for the guy.

This Opposition runs to the courts everytime they don't like something. Trying to show their oppositional positions are unlawful on the Govts. side is hogwash. But I suppose if I was saddled with their electoral weakness, i would resort to Judges also. No point in going to the people. They lose everytime. With respect to Govtl. actions, that is the beauty of this system, as opposed to the USA system. Here, armed with an electoral mandate, the Govt. can take actions to be judged at the next election. With their electorally granted Oppositional weakness, the only way of combatting this electoral majority is via the courts. The voters are taking notice however, and will render their verdict next time around.

This opposition runs to the courts every time this government does something that could be illegal. This government (and some of it's supporters) seem to think that having a majority in parliament means that it can ignore the law.

Indeed, it is pretty standard behaviour for the opposition in Thailand to use the law. The opposition has done this in all Governments of whatever colour. In this case, the ruling party has obviously overstepped the mark again and the law needs to be used by the opposition because it has identified a clear breach. It has nothing to do with electoral success or failure, the opposition is clearly behaving in the way any opposition would work in any democracy. Calgaryll's post follows a pattern of his previous posts in that he does not appear to understand Thai politics.

A comparative study between Democratically elected Govts. would be more informative.

Considering that a military, coup installed Govt. owes its' allegiance to those who positioned them, their priorities would reflect it.

Whereas the current Ms. Y. Govt owes its' allegiance to the electorate. Her policies would reflect that electorate, as would other previous Govts. who came to power the same, democratic way.

Alternatively, it would be interesting to compare Thai Govts which were elected, vs. those who were 'coup'ed" into place.

I think you have made an error. The Abhisit Government was not installed by the coup makers. This is a myth propagated by the reds to suit their own purposes but not at all true.

I am not sure about the educated middle classes. My main experience is my ex-wife Ami, holder of and MBA and other degrees, notably Civil Engineering. She is a very corrupt individual, a liar and a very damaged person. If she is an example of the Thai middle classes that may change the future, the God help us all.

Of course they love her, Thaksin has always been the choice of globalists and international capitalists and she is just his stand in.

At last the commies show their true colors

....

and pushing free trade agreements, ...

Which means one day we may have long term visas and the right to own our properties and businesses

_

Jurgen: I think the hope for enhanced conditions for resident 'farangs' is a pipe dream. There are areas that we cannot explore on TV but there are certain powerful individuals, or individuals that may have a lot more power in the future, who really do not like 'foreigners' and in fact would go the opposite way. But I hope you are correct.

As for referring to posters who point out the threat of globalism as 'communists' - well this takes us back to McCarthy thinking which was basically "if you are not with us, then you are a commie".

Global capitalism is a serious threat to the environment and world populations. It flies in the face of a self-sufficient and sustainable economy which His Majesty the King of Thailand has promoted for so many years - and, in the case of the northern Thai tribes, with remarkable success.

Globalism is a real threat to our very survival as a species because it concentrates wealth and power into the hands of a few. And as we have seen repeated so many times in history that all-consuming power is a dangerous disease. Hitler, the Marcos, Mugabe, Bush (!), Amin, Mao and in Burma, North Korea and so on are recent examples to show just how dangerous concentrated power is. My fear about Thaksin is that he has the potential to go in that direction. Indeed the mass psychology of fascism (and I don't care whether that is left or right wing) needs leaders who are worshipped by the masses in order to be successful. Mussolini's initial success came from the fact that 700,000 hoodwinked folks joined his movement. They didn't join through an intellectual choice but rather through what Hitler suggested in Mein Kampf was emotional manipulation rather than 'argumentation'. The parallel between these historical events and the red movement is quite frankly very frightening indeed. So it would be wise to try and understand the motivation behind these kinds of movement and the way they hijack concepts in order to build their success.

Hitler focussed on the jews; Mao on landlords and the Reds on the 'elites' - disguised as the need for 'democracy'.

I have noted your adulation for Thaksin and his cronies in the past. You are, of course, quite entitled to your views but quite often they are expressed without, in my humble opinion, a real understanding of the body politic.

Of course they love her, Thaksin has always been the choice of globalists and international capitalists and she is just his stand in. This administration has ALREADY lowered corporate income tax from 30% to 23% and are lowering it further next year, and have reneged, changed, or delayed all their other election promises. They are slashing taxes for the rich (when they even bother to collect them in the first place), keeping wages low, and pushing free trade agreements, all while hiding their exploitative capitalist policies behind a false banner of populism.

At last! Here is someone on TV who understands the Globalist connections with the Thaksin ambition and his current regime. I am convinced that Thaksin is simply a pawn in the globalist game and that he is not as smart as he likes to think he is. His speeches often express the most absurd naiviety - he is man of luck rather than of substance and I think that carries over to his sister. I have noted a number of occasions where she has been regarded by her intellectual betters as someone who carries little substance. Just a thought, but an interesting one with which to continue this debate. I also note that Thaksin's business deals have not been marked by their success which to me indicates that luck rather than a rich business acumen was on his side with the successful telecoms business. His period 'in charge' of Manchester City was also noted for the low esteem in which he was held by his business managers - and like most people they only fawned to him because of his wealth and not for any other reason.

Exactly. How many will be murdered in cold blood during Chalerm's 'war on drugs'? Thaksin managed to kill innocent bystanders, drug users near drop in centres (users on programmes, not dealers) and off course the odd political opponent. Very useful don't you think? Now the reds and their ilk make more noise about the deaths of 91 folk in Bangkok, than the 1500 or so murdered under the Thaksin disctatorship. Quite frankly the whole thing scares me and those working on drug rehab programmes are equally as frightened. When will Thai politicians learn to do things intelligently?

Thaksin did not kill anyone. Show me one case where Thaksin killed someone. Your statement is false and you know it. People that make false statements with the intent to malign others are liars. There isn't any evidence civil or criminal to support your claim.

Nor was there a Thaksin dictatorship. Thaksin was legally elected and the attempt to prevent drug cartels from taking greater control of the nation received wide support from all political parties and the population at large. The nation was united against the drug cartels.

If you are sympathetic with the narco gangs and drug cartels that were operating a de facto state within a state, then just say so and stop using Thaksin as an excuse for your support of brutal gangs and corruption.

I don't wish to enter into a debate with you over this as we all know that you would lick Thaksin's boots given the opportunity. But let me point you in one direction: You asked if I was 'sympathetic with (sic) the narco gangs'. Read my post again, use your undoubted intelligence, and you will see that your question need not have been raised as the answer lies there in my post. And by the way, do open your eyes about Thaksin, you have a lot to learn.

I would be more impressed with Yingluck's feminist position if she also pointed out the frightening, nasty and aggressive red shirted women I saw during their occupation of Bangkok! But I agree on one point: The rapid changes in Burma have come about, so I understand, because of a remarkable friendship and undertsanding between Ang Sang Suu Kyi and the wife of the Thien Sein (? spelling) the current president. So therefore women can exert an extraordinary influence over a male dominated violent society.

But off course, women (ex-wife Ami) are as capable of extreme violence, cheating and lies as men. And in fact because of the sexual power they hold over men, I would say that women could be in many cases far more dominant and powerful. The question is can they use this power responsibly? From what I've seen of Thai women the generalised answer is a firm No and many of them are downright manipulative and evil.

Exactly. How many will be murdered in cold blood during Chalerm's 'war on drugs'? Thaksin managed to kill innocent bystanders, drug users near drop in centres (users on programmes, not dealers) and off course the odd political opponent. Very useful don't you think? Now the reds and their ilk make more noise about the deaths of 91 folk in Bangkok, than the 1500 or so murdered under the Thaksin disctatorship. Quite frankly the whole thing scares me and those working on drug rehab programmes are equally as frightened. When will Thai politicians learn to do things intelligently?

Phew, for a moment there, you had me worried Gonzo !

The headline suggested that you were closing full stop. ie not reopening. I would edit if I were you as we'll all get the wrong idea!