CoreanoOzzie

Is this country getting more dangerous everyday?

Each day we have a Farang dead body with unresolved death.

Are we targeted???

Doubt it.

Most Asian races despise the Chinese.

LOL.... I worked for a Chinese bloke, a couple of years ago, and it seems that the feeling is mutual... They are especially anti Japanese.... Still unforgiven for the 1930's war between the two countries.

Yes, but more Asian races despise the Chinese than vice versa. And rightfully so...

It's also funny that, as so many Chinese tourists visit Japan.......

Get stricter and stay stricter Thailand. Good.

The publicity about the perfectly reasonable set of new over-stayer rules is beginning to look excessive and seems to be moving into the realms of subtle intimidation. The implicit suggestion is that all foreigners are a risk to internal security and the peace/happiness of Thais.

The majority of foreigners are...

Most Asian races despise the Chinese.

What sort of idiot would choose bangkok to raise children? There are a zillion better places to do that. Yes find another job elsewhere if you're children are important

Totally agree... Bangkok is the world's sleaziest, dirtiest adult playground with ladies (and ladyboys) of the night plying their trade on every street corner even in daylight. Why anyone would think it a suitable place to raise kids is beyond me. On Sukhumvit, there are western weirdos and paedophiles everywhere. Your kids are in grave danger in this city. Plus, there are almost no facilities for kids to play outside, and the air quality is one of the worst in the world according to a recent survey that I posted a few weeks ago. Only a few Indian and Chinese cities have unhealthier air than Bangkok. TOTALLY unsuitable for children!

Exaggerations to the max. Thainess? Having a laugh.

It would be nice if Thailand had a Western neighbourhood somewhere, something like Chinatown.

Been to Sukhumvit/Nana? Westerners everywhere.

One of the oldest civilizations in the world produces... this?

They're evidently stuck in medieval times. Truly disgusting but hardly surprising....

Not cool at all, embarassing really.

So go and live in Vienna then! You're living in Bangkok, but you don't like it? Or go to live in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, I heard it's 100% green space there. Stop being a whinger on public forums.

If every poster suddenly stopped "whinging", how I hate that word, Thaivisa would soon be no more.

What do you thing a public forum is for? I enjoy reading peoples opinions on Thaivisa, whether they are positive or negative.

It's just a pity that most of the opinions are negative though, and usually wrong. Kind of reflects the type of people Thailand attracts to be honest.

If you live in central Bangkok (Siam, Silom, Sukhumvit) you have three good parks to choose from that are fairly easily reached: Lumpini, Benjakiti and Benjasiri. I think that Lumpini in particular is an excellent and centrally located park, though I don't have kids so I don't see Bangkok's parks from a parent's perspective. I'm into basketball, not football, and two out of those three parks have at least one good-quality bball court. There are also some large green spaces on the campus of Chulalongkorn University.

Street-style football is played under highway overpasses and the like all over the city -- not ideal, for sure, but it's not like Bangkok kids don't find places to play. Many schools also have sports facilities for kids. There's also the huge National Stadium complex located smack in the city center, which is not counted among the green spaces. There you'll find nightly football matches on a court next to the BTS station, plus Olympic-size running tracks, basketball courts, an Olympic size pool complete with diving boards, and a full-size football pitch, all of which can be used by the public (public not allowed in the main stadium but can use the secondary field next door).

In North Bangkok, the Suan Rotfai / Chatuchak / Queen Sirikit combined green spaces are huge and there are lots of activities available there. In the Old Town area, you've got Saranrom and Romaneenart, plus Sanam Luang -- none of these are very big but at least they are peaceful places to go and sit under a tree or do some exercise.

The areas that badly lack green spaces are Thonburi (or pretty much everywhere west of the Chao Phraya) and heavily populated parts of East Bangkok like Ramkamhaeng and Bang Kapi. In the South there's the whole Bang Kachao "green lung", which has a large public park in addition to the many canal-side bicycle lanes. Because it's technically part of Samut Prakan province, all of Bang Kachao is also not included in Bangkok's green space stats.

It's worth mentioning that Bangkok could double its public green spaces overnight if it turned three places into parks: 1. The Royal sports club on Ratchadamri Rd (I cringe every time I see two rich golfers enjoying a massive green space in the heart of the city -- it really taunts passersby on the BTS); 2. The rarely used Nang Loeng horse track up in Dusit area, which could be a convenient park for all the people living in Victory Monument / Phaya Thai area; 3. The SRT-owned Makkasan land, which is nothing but hectare after hectare of undeveloped land that just sits there overgrown. Can't imagine that Bangkok's hi-so will give up their own private playgrounds any time soon, but at least there's still hope for Makassan.

In sum, my feeling is that Bangkok's green spaces are actually a bit better than the stats show -- parks are strategically placed around the city and some public green spaces / sports facilities (National Stadium, Bang Kachao, etc.) are not included in the stats. Certainly much room for improvement though.

Very solid post. There's also that nice park next to Nong Bon where one can go sailing too.

What sort of idiot would choose bangkok to raise children? There are a zillion better places to do that. Yes find another job elsewhere if you're children are important

Maybe all the Thais who live in Bangkok?

Have you seen how many nice cars there are out and about in BKK? The flashy malls? Hardly a 3rd world nation......but then again if it ain't white, it ain't right.

So who drove the VW? A blardy Brit or a Thai?

What would Westerners know about Asian culture?

No terrorists please.

I wonder if immigration etc will actively go out and check passports for overstay etc.

Interesting times ahead maybe.

Oh I believe the police getting off their <deleted> and enforcing what? 50,000 + Arrest Warrants should be given priority don't you? All this Nationalistic tubthumping is making this insular little country even more backward, and this posted on the same day Prem has come out and told Thais they should be ashamed as being perceived as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Priorities are not a, er, priority here in LaLaLand.

time to jump ship then for you eh?

This vile coward needs to be poisoned to death like a soi dog

You are the vile coward for wanting to poison soi dogs. What has a soi dog ever done to you?

I'm surprised that there has been so many replies to a Thai custom. What does it have to do with you whining farang lot who are all guests here? Do you honestly think that Thais care about what you are saying in here?

How about helping the global effort to conserve this precious commodity for a start! If there is a water restriction no doubt you'll be one of the first in the supermarket to grab as much drinking water as you can.

That's right, as I am greedy, I will be the 1st into the supermarket, lock the doors, take all the water and leave you with nothing ;-)

We are not guests, we are just tolerated. Although what you are saying (apart from the "guest" bit) is true, you give the impression that it is OK if rule changes force some genuinely decent people to leave Thailand whose economy they have been contributing to.

More foreigners would be deported if they had the same attitude as you it has to be said.

Obviously they're silly people who think they are white..

Thais are sick of all of the foreigners here...this is just the beginning.

Great, kick out all foreign mafia ASAP!!!

Disgraceful, why would you do that there. Some people are so, so selfish....

No matter what you do, crafty people will find a way to exploit loopholes..