serpentine

Maybe they are, but who travels to Victoria Point with heaps of cash and credit cards etc. You are only there 5min and most people just take the required US5 which is taken befire you actually make it to the VP pier. Apart from the few who are planning to stock up on fake viagre etc or buy burmese cigs..........eh!

You would have to stay at the government sanctioned Honey Bee Hotel. Overpriced about 5 times what you would pay for a similar hotel in Thailand.

I reckon I would go overland to Rangoon. Burma is quiet tourist friendly these days. Feel sorry for those border runners that do the trip with 300b in their pocket. No ATMs.

Anyone know the story behind the shooting out the front of a popular Samui night club last night?

Better he is there than here. I doubt he will actually get tried for corruption here anyway.

I think we tried that already, but he still hangs around.

Noo problem. Pataya is a waste of concrete. I think few people there wouldn't notice what's going on!

Joking. That city has a pretty big info hiway infrastructure. You guys will hear aboit it in a few days.

Good report G.

You have sumed up everything known to date.

The factions behind to CDT are most prob based in deep loyally to the monarchy. This will hopefully be the beginnng a peaceful end.

RIP the victims of human rights abuses under Taksins' era.

Never to return.............or................

same same arways in thai have colluption.........mai pen lai.........

overload dude. I;m on TV all night. Never seen so much activity. At least the vibe seems to be expats who care about the country and know a little of past "uprisings". Long live th K

Only those who have an understanding of 72, 75 and 91 should bother posting. It's a precarious situation. Thousands of decent normal thais paid with teir lives last time this occurred.

Just hearing tanks are rolling thru the streets of Bk right now. All business closed. Martial Law inforced. Anyone have first hand news about this?

Unfortunatly thailand is not famous for it's respect of human rights, minorities or poor people effected by environmental destruction. I hope bottlerocket is using sarcasm. The packing of all those protestors in trucks like sardines is probably the reason this situation is getting worse.

Have you followed the comments made bycertain MPs who are definatly pushing the nationalist line and making very damaging statements with regards to the evil foreigner destroying things for good decent thais. This has been going on for a few years. It often makes the foreign media and gives Thailand a very unstable image with regards to the general feelings about foreigners.

I know 8 people who live here buying thai products and exporting to their home countries. There was no special visa requirements for them when they set up their import companies from home. They all spend 4- 8 mnts of the year here, never knowing far in advance when they will have to return, due to supply and demand.

What do you suggest they do now they will probably be rejected on their next visit, unless the immigration are clear and fair about who is and isn't allowed back in.

Sorry, stand corrected. Did some research. The important figure is that a large portion are rented or leased long term by foreign corporations so they can do business in the city. The statistics on the new developments seem to be that a few very wealthy thais own a lot of the condos. Point been the foreigners living here temporary are a huge part of this economy.

The tourists generally pay inflated prices for the services, usually double. Sure, the jobs created are beneficial, but these tourists rarely indulge in street food etc. Everything is pre paid, pre booked. I read the statistics 2 years back. A much larger percentage of every 1000 bht a bP spends stays in the LOCAL community. Package tourists' money make go to thais, but generally those who are already very wealthy.

Cheers. Don't look good for th DMs and Instructors.

Agreed. They might not spend the most money but they tend to spend it in the right places. The lion's share of most package tourists' money goes straight back OS

My country makes it very difficult to stay beyond the standard tourist visa. Thailand is a developing country. I think foreigners investing 75,000US important for this country as it stands rignt now. The huge investors who do build power stations end up owning the country. The small investor just injects much needed cash into the economy. Countries like Japan are very protective of their issuing of visas to foreigners, but they already own half of the developed world. Thailand doesn't. It needs to demonstrate stability and encourage small investors. The so called criminal element the visa laws are apparently designed to filter out will be there anyway. And if they are all kicked out I reckon the thais will have plenty of home grown vermin to deal with.

I don't think 3 mil is a small investment. The heading was designed to see what people thoughts are on an MP who claims that it is an insignifigant investment, infering that there is no need to cater to the needs of these investers with visa incentives. I know that 3 mil is a large sum in this country and potential investors in business and property will be less likely to choose Tld if they see the government endorse comments like this or suddenly change a policy that was a big part of why they invested in the first place.

BPs young, old, dreads, laptops or what ever don't drain the economy. I have met a few wasteoids outta money completely but rarely ever seen a BP begging to survive. Even if their budget is minimal they still spend money. it is not like Thailand is too full to accomadate a stingy BP.

My thai friends who have BP around the world have had to be very frugile and creative to get by. Imagine if countries like Australia (famous as a hospitable BP destination) frowned apon someone from poorer countries because they didn't buy enough beer in theie stay. Sure, getting the visa may be difficult, but real authentic BPs have always been inventive so they could stay longer. They may break a law by practicing their art for a pittance, but I would hardly think they are the scurge of any country, let alone Tld.

What's that? That some have invested in property?

I don't know about the origins of the policy but I do know a lot of foreigners who have purchased small investments so they can come and go. If it remains that they can get the appropriate visas outside the country everytime they visit then it may all be ok. We will have to wait and see.

Yeah ok.

Thais don't need foreigners to wreck the country. The powers that be can probably do it without us.

Xenphobia is a good thing. Definatly a positive step forward.

Bangkok sucks anyway. Won't make a difference if there are foreigners livimg there or not.

Bangkok's recent property boom has had nothing at all to do with foreign investment.

The more 7-11, Macro, Carre 4 etc that sprawl up all over the place the better because all that BIG foreign investment definatly makes Thailand a better place.

Thailand doesn't need native english teachers teaching in it's schools.

Thais are very very hard working people.

How's that for a waste of time?

Thankyou. Constructive criticism. Or you just don't have an opinion? Sorry if it doesn't make sense. It was suppossed to be in reply to coments by a thai minister that the 3 million baht thing was too small to be helpfull to the country, and another comment about "not all foreigners are bad". I bet the 3 ml baht investment was important in '97 after the crash. Why has the worm turned?

I find it upsetting that the current caretaker government is inciting nationalism against the foreign influence The initial 3 million baht condo rule was I believe essential to the development boom in Bk and in many tourist areas. Most condos in Bk are owned by foreigners. It is why Bk is such a famous INTERNATIONAL city. A jewel in the crown of a country, essential to the nations international identity. All jokes aside about the cracks in the pavement and the traffic, does Thailand really want to lose this international identity?

Whenever unhealthy nationalism rears it's ugly head, it is a sign of bad things to come.

I think that's what these new visa laws are all about?

Very few foreigners take thai jobs. Younger generation can be very apathetic. Kids will stay at home until their 30's, not because they can't afford to move out, but because someone with a decent job in the family will always fund the lifestyles of the siblings without jobs. This is thai style, although I believe it is a novelty of the past if the country is to thrive.

Small farang business (especially in tourism) employ and generally teach new skills to thais, a culture reletavily new to a western influence. Samui and Tao cannot even get thai staff to work in the more upscale businesses because they are afraid to leave the family pod. Burmese and farang are often employed in some industries simply because thais will not apply for the jobs, even with much bigger salaries than the mainland.

I despise the westernisation of everything (esp in Asia in the last few years) but I don't think a FOREIGNERS OUT policy is the answer.

Anyone?

Agreed! Maybe the thai gov needs to look at the figures. In the end almost al farang visa runners are probably beneficial to the country in one way or another. manywork without the documents required simply because the process is hijacked by locals with vested interests.