jingjai9

It seems there is a possiblitly files could be destroyed as this saga of Epstein continues. What we keep getting is unverified allegations, endless podcasts, commentaries and speculation. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to have several members of Congress, Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie at the head of a bipartisan team working with a staff to go through the files UNDREDACTED and make public files that are relevant but not unverified allegations. The Congressional team could also serve as a watch dog to be sure the files are not being deleted or tampered with (If it is not already too late for that). Unverified allegations could later be released if more information becomes available all under the auspices of the Congressional team. This Epstein affair is of monumental importance, not only for the victims of Epstein but for all Americans and citizens of countries around the world. This may be the best chance we ever get to truly see who runs the world. Is there truly an elite of jet setters and billionaires who can navigate around the laws and rise above the standards the rest of us are subject to in every day life. Here is a chance to see it on paper. How far does the tax evasion, fraud, and money laundering extend,to the point of robbing countries of tax revenue, possiblily stifling competition in world financial markets? Doesn't it seem a bit unusual that Epstein was in a network with so many people in so many diverse professtions - Alan Dershowitz. Bill Gates, Noam Chomsky, and cast of hundreds. The sexual abuse is the one part of this that people are not easily willing to forgive and forget. It takes something this big to open the doors to the possiblity of reforms in sexual abuse statutes of limitation, fewer civil cases in sexual abuse of minors and more criminal investigations and adjudications, rather the fines, no jail time and nondisclosure agreements. We have already been duped by the way the Catholic Church covered for their priests. The lawyers for the culprits saw to it that the crimes stayed limited to civil cases. They did this by paying compensation to victims and demanding nondisclosure agreements. This assured them the cases remained in the civil courts so the outcomes are not on public record. The time has come.

Is Thaksin banned from holding a government office? Are there any restrictions placed on him once he is released?

Poor old Donald must have read about Prince Andrew's arrest and who knows what he will do next. Better keep an eye on the black briefcase so he doesn't drop the big one.

Thanks for the replies

Four question for aid in making a plan: IF you want to change your bank account from Bangkok Bank to K Bank, can you close the Bangkok Bank account and have it transferred to K Bank without having to withdraw the money or getting a cashier's check and then physically going to the K bank and depositing it in person? 2. Why does it take 60 days to transfer the account? 3. Also if you receive Social Security checks in a US bank, and want them transferred to a Thai bank is it better to do it via Wise transfer on a month to month basis or simply request to social security that your check be sent to your Thai bank? 4. If you change your option and want your social security check sent to Thailand, do you have to request this in person?

I think they overestimate the deposit in case there are any complications or unforeseen circumstances.

One quick question: I heard from two sources that a Master's Degree in education is not enough, you also need a permanent teaching license from you home country to be fully qualified by Krusapha. Last I checked to get a permanent teaching license in the US (Most states) you need to pass some state tests (I say "some" because states do vary) and must be teaching in a school that has been accredited by the state for three years. The tests are independents of tests needed to be certified in a particular subject, for example, Science Grades 6 -12. Does anyone know for sure if Krusapha accepts only Master's degrees in Education or Master's in Education plus a permanent teaching license from the applicants home country in order to get a 5 year Teaching License? Also, how many years can you teach with the Krusapha one year licenses? I know two teachers who must get their work permits renewed every three months. I have heard teaches say the goal of the Thai educaiton department is to generate revenue.

"I wish we could uninvent the smartphone. It's been deadly for educating children/young adults who know have the attention span of the average tic toc posting." It is not the invention of the Smart Phone itself. It is the people who have been allowed to monopolize and monetize it over the years. Sites like Google, Facebook. Amazon, Apple, etc. are so big. There is one economist who puts forth the notion that Amazon is the equivalent of a fiefdom as they do not produce anything, but charge rent for their services to sellers and extract a huge commission in the process much the same as an all powerful landlord. I have read too many times how Apple developed the smart phone with the goal to keep people on line using it for as long as possible. While FB with all of its suggestions for groups to join keep users on site by goading people to argue and join a tribe. When competitors or novel ideas appear on the net, once they are deemed successful, the big boys gobble them up, for example Youtube. Why are their users' agreements equivalent in length to a short story? There are allegations that these corporate giants have colluded with governments to ban and censor people because private companies are not in danger of violating rights of speech as the government could be. In exchange Congressional investigations never seem to do more than slap big tech on the wrist with nominal fines Why was it so scary to see tech giants sitting with Trump at his inaugaration? Is this how they continue to buy their way into the system. How powerful is Elon Musk? I think no one knows for sure. We need to free up a great innovation like the smart phone. It needs to be given back to the people. Yes a private company developed the smart phone but how much of their research was funded by public money? Have they paid their share of taxes on the profits they have made in the last generation? They get to choose how they are taxed by starting charities.

Thanks for all the responses. I do work in Thailand but I work at a private school and my employer does not contribute.

I live in Thailand with a marriage visa, but I also work. I want to know which rate I should be paying at the government hospitals? I understand the rate you pay is based on your visa type which I believe is slightly different for a retirement visa, work visa and a marriage visa. This was told to me at a government hospital. Is this true: Retirerees pay the most for medical care Marriage to a Thai citizen is the next highest The lowest rate for medical care by a foreigner is with a work visa I work with a marriage visa so I have a Non Immigrant visa and a work permit. What rate should I pay for hospital services and should I always bring my work permit to the hospital? I expect the policies vary from hospital to hospital. Has anyone on the forum every experienced being required to pay a deposit for medical services like surgery? Not being able to leave the hospital until the bill is paid after you have been admitted as a patient?

What is the legal status of sex workers in Cambodia?

Why not start some kind of designated driver network where people could be matched with sober drivers that could help mitigate the drunk driving. It could be a good occupation for some sober people? Challenges Dealing with the behavior of uppredictable drunks. setting a system of payment regulatiing the designated drivers intoxicated people stating clearly where they want to go Could be done

I just returned to Thailand after a one month vacation. I visited 5 airports on my trip and I returned to Suvarnbahumi with a bit of a fresh look at the country. Don't get me wrong, I love Thailand and I write these comments because I do not think my home away from home looked good. I was standing in line waiting to be processed when an immigration official told us to go to a new line. He directed us by pointing his finger up in the air at a 120 degree angle which no one understood. Then when it was my turn in the immigration line, the official was nothing short of nasty, blatantly impatient. I learned that if I have a return entry visa they will not even look at the the TDAC form (I had worked so diligently to complete). While I was at immigration, the lines were not long nor was it crowded. Suvarnabhumi Airport did not look as fresh and modern as the ones in the States or Tapei which had more shops, longer corridors and more space to walk. The other airports had free airport Internet, but at Svarnabhumi, you get one free hour and then you have to pay. The airport personnel I spoke with did not approach the level of English needed to successfully communicate with a foreigner. This included the gate personnel for domestic flights. I asked two people at the gate for information, but they had to call a third person to talk to me. I cannot understand how Svarnbhumi gets the raving reviews I read about here at ASEAN NOW. To the casual tourist arriving in Thailand, the country does not present the best of itself. I found the Taiwanese workers' English to be much better. Perhaps this is why Vietnam looks better and better to many travelers to Southeast Asia.

Read it about 30 years ago. It wasn't a great read IMHO. She gets thrown off course and waylaid in her efforts by a local love interest. Yes, she did become a participant observer as sociological methodology goes. As I recall she also had a rough time defending her dissertation at her university. I thought her personal involvement was part of the great read because it shows how difficult it is for a researcher to get involved and how easily humans can lose their objectivity. Also, it illustrated how the lure of the Thailand nightlife can change people. I cannot count how many people I have met over the years who vowed they would never pay for sex - in the beginning, but then.......

Read it about 30 years ago. It wasn't a great read IMHO. She gets thrown off course and waylaid in her efforts by a local love interest. Yes, she did become a participant observer as sociological methodology goes. As I recall she also had a rough time defending her dissertation at her university. I thought her personal involvement was part of the great read because it shows how difficult it is for a researcher to get involved and how easily humans can lose their objectivity. Also, it illustrated how the lure of the Thailand nightlife can change people. I cannot count how many people I have met over the years who vowed they would never pay for sex - in the beginning, but then.......

One other book on the nighlife in Bangkok was "Patpong SIsters" by Cleo Odzer. This was her doctoral dissertation later published into a book. Not a bad read if you can find it. I imagine it is still around. The research took place during the 1980s

Seems the public's curiosity and right to know are issues that need to be addressed. How do we (the public) know the files aren't being deleted or destroyed? Is there anyone with access to the files or any related information independent of The Trump administration who could guard against any obstruction of justice? There was an18 1/2 minute gap on the tapes Nixon had to turn over to the Senate committee when the US Supreme Court ruled 8-0 he had to "come clean". J. Edgar Hoover was able to destroy his private files by telling his secretary to destroy them once she knew he was dead. There were a few stray files the secretary missed and that is how their existence was verified. What assurance do the people have that there is no tampering? The Nixon tapes only became known to the public because there was an Senate subcommittee investigating the Watergate affair and it was televised daily on broadcast TV.

I would love to know what percentage of expats living in Thailand have no plan B.

I read this article about Dale Smith, the man who wants to move his family to Thailand because he is fed up with England. Please tell me - What is wrong with England? It is sad to hear this. I am American so I understand the criticisms of it, but England?????? ?

The Epstein affair reminds me of the Kennedy assassination, as well as that of MLK, Malcolm X and of course RFK. The rule of doubt is simply another way of exercising power. Now it seems Epstein is another iteration of this phenomenon.

JUST SAY NO! This is the chorus of Thai politicians offering a solution for political, financial and social problems. What is disappointing about this line of thinking is the lack of thinking. As many here have stated, how can you enforce such a notion? The best you can do is discourage sexual activity among youth. Religion and education are two influential agents. Teach the younsters to make good decisions. Any kind of political iniative has to be planned with all viewpoints actiive in the planning process. First you need consensus and then it needs funding, and now I will say that big swear word - enforcement. Any efforts at enforcement must be consistent, concerted and considered outside of the punishment box. You cannot carry the mentality 'lock 'em up first time, lock em longer the second time" and so on. We are talking about our young people, a product of us. We need to correct this AIDS onset with the philosophy of doing it for the public good. Attaching any kind of criminal element to this problem, even peripherally would be nothing more than an act of desperation. Think of the US War on Drugs. And of course as is usual with many Thai politicians, use foreigners as a scape goat. Trying to arrest your way out of this public concern would create the Sex Police in some form or other and then we would have to solve the voyeur problem. Perhaps the only use for Sex Police would be the name of a band.

It looks like Trump is attempting to dismantle the US university system, the heart of research in the States. Also, by giving a swift kick in the groin to the government bureacracy certainly can't help American stability and progress moving forward. There is always room for saving money and efficiency in government. Maybe some critics are accurate when they say Donald Trump is not capable of linear thinking and he is quite transactional with his leadership. Do we have a bad driver on a righteous path? I am not a Trump hater but whatever legitimacy people find in Trump and his followers' goals to change the government and cut out the "Nanny State" and keep the criminal element from entering the US may be admirable; however, you must consider that perhaps Trump is NOT the best person to lead this movement. He seems to undermine his goals by constantly using negative remarks laced with superlatives. When he mentioned the US and God during his announcement on the bombing or Iran, he may have sounded to others around the world as extreme as radical Imams speaking of their attacks on infidels. This kind of rhetoric does not make the world more peaceful. Certainly somebody could lead this neo liberal movement without trying to slaughter every critic who speaks up. This is why many people view him as anti democratic.

Maybe cannabis shops could eventually become part of pharmacies as a separate section. Then you have your pharmacist on board.