Tod Daniels

I see the same two or three fake monks begging in the tourist heavy area between Soi Cowboy and Soi Nana on Sukhumvit nearly every nite. The thais (given their ultra thai-ness) don't/won't say anything to them, even though they know they're not real monks.

I watched one fake monk near the 7/11 by my Soi for about 10 minutes. In that time; he got close to 1000 baht in "donations" from tourists wandering around. It is certainly a real money making scheme they have going.

Very shrewd on the part of the UK to circumvent completely the lengthy and time consuming asylum seeking process (which would have left thaksin in the country until its conclusion) by simply waiting until he'd left the country and canceling his UK visa.

No endless asylum process, no appeal, no evidence, no judgment if the thai judicial process was skewed against him. It effectively puts the UK totally off the hook now to any criticism of thailand, it's political and/or judicial process.

WAY TO GO UK...! !

BACK ON TOPIC:

To the O/P's original question; I would ignore the invitation, send neither a card, nor any financial remuneration. This way you avoid ANY judgment or castigation about the contribution being too small OR too large.

IF the topic ever comes up, (which it won't) make up some plausible excuse, was busy, forgot, etc. You could always use one of the thai fall back excuses; delegated the task to a subordinate and never followed up, and/or couldn't decide what to do so finally decided to do nothing. Those two always seem to work as valid reasons when used by the native inhabitants.

Unfortunately I make the trip to Suan Plu several times a month if not more. During my time spent there I have seen the entire gamut of dress styles foreigners wear. They range from the scruffy, tattooed, pierced, wife beater sleeveless shirt, cargo shorts wearing crowd (with their gold encrusted thai-in-tow), all the way up the spectrum to well dressed people with jackets and ties, and everything in between.

I take it with a grain of salt whether these people smile or not and personally think they smile entirely too much. I seriously doubt it has anything to do with the fact as one poster put it "they are kharatchakarn (ข้าราชการ) - which was mis represented as "servants of the King" and really means any government official. I think it has much more due to do with the sheer volume of poorly prepared people they deal with every day, asking the same inane questions, wanting an 'exception' to the rule for their "special circumstances".

To a degree, the better you dress the better you will be treated. I always wear clean jeans, and a nice dress shirt but I am polite and courteous to a fault. While I don't buy into people saying you should be one of the mindless foreign sheep in your color coordinated shirt and bracelet, nor do I adhere to the equally moronic stance that we are "guests here", a reasonably well presented persona is going to fare better.

Remember "Courtesy DOESN'T take a college degree"

Strangely that was one of the first phrases I picked up when I moved here. It was that I misheard what people were saying when they talked on their mobile phones. At first I thought they were saying the english word, "Canada", just before they hung up, lol. As other posters pointed out แค่นี้นะ is mostly a phone phrase, much like; อยู่ไหนเนี่ย

While my misheard words were amusing it was nothing compared to my sister's first sojourn here. When I picked her up at the airport, she asked why everyone was saying "sweaty cow" (สวัสดีค่ะ) and "my cow died" (ไม่เข้าใจ), as that was what her ears heard.

Its not really convenient for me to to get a 60 day visa in advance. .. ...

It's not convenient for you, <deleted>?

Nearly EVERY Honorary Thai Consulate in the United States will issue a 60 day tourist visa within a day of receiving the application, some on the same day.

If you pre-pay the FedEx to / from the Consulate; you could have your passport back in less than 4 days.

Oh the terrible inconvenience of it all...

Thais . .. ... .. .just assume you are an ignorant foreigner.

Very well said "jdinasia"

I for one think we need to do everything in our power to further the perception of an "ignorant foreigner" as we attempt to coexist betwixt and amongst the ever smiling, yet diminutive inhabitants here in the glorious "Land 'O Thais".

As I said earlier;

There are more than enough internet sites which cover the intricacies of the wai (ไหว้). The sites I briefly perused covered proper hand/elbow placement, level of hands in relation to the body, degree of tilt when performing the bow. Some even had lengthy criteria about socio-economic status, perceived wealth/power, and/or age of the recipient when doing a wai.

IF you as a foreigner are going to undertake such an action remember; knowing HOW to wai as well as WHEN to wai go hand in hand.

Wai away, but wai wisely. ..

(edited for spelling)

I thought it was quite a not so subtle way to send up a trial balloon and see how it floated amongst the public at large and the inner circle of the "he who shall not be named" mechanism which controls thailand.

It totally avoided any risk of an outright denial in a petition for royal pardon.

Crafty guy that Thaksin..

Silly foreigner, don't you know;

Wais are for thais. ...

NOTE: (this is a play on words, based on an old American television commercial for Trix breakfast cereal where the tag line was; "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids")

Still I believe the statement is applicable here. You are a foreigner so why would you even contemplate a wai to a thai?

I certainly think that's just what we need; more foreigners wai'ing every, doorman, waiter, limbless beggar on the street as well as all the soi dogs. It adds so much respect to our barely tolerated presence here.

Remember no wai at all is far better than a badly executed wai. However if that isn't enough to dissuade you, and as a foreigner you are still dead set on learning how to wai like a thai, there are a plethora of internet sites which will guide you in your endeavor.

As for me, never wai'd, never will. You'll just have to deal with it.

My other catchy phrase is: "Why wai, are you thai?"

(edited for spelling)

Dealing with a thai architect is not all that fraught with problems. For the most part they are at least semi-competent at their profession. I have met some which excelled and others which should be relegated to using crayons and colored paper. My experience is once the plans are produced by the architect, they will consider their job finished, leave it to the contractor to build according to plan and leave it to you to enforce that however you can.

Beware there is a wide disparity between what a contractor may say and what you may receive as a final product. Get references, NOT from thais, but from foreigner's they've worked for.

Beware many contractors in this glorious country will cut EVERY corner they can once your back is turned, just to drive up the profit. If you're NOT prepared to be on the site EVERY day watching so that it is build to the standard you agreed upon, chances are it will be second rate shoddy construction, painted to look good. Unless you're totally blind, you might have noticed there is no shortage of that kind of workmanship in buildings here.

With face saving being so ingrained into these peoples psyche, you run the risk of them playing the ever popular "can-do" game here. That is where all your questions are met with verbal approval, and then you are given glowering looks when you hold them to their promises.

Communication is KEY to you having good quality work done without misunderstandings which can cost time and money. These are far from the most time sensitive people on the face of the planet, and deadlines may pass by with little notice on their part. Staggering the payments is a way of leveraging them into following the timeline of construction.

If your thai is not up to speed, and your wife's ability to understand english construction concepts is lacking perhaps look into retaining a competent translator as a go between. Above all DO NOT ever accept "this is how we do it in thailand" as an answer to ANY construction related question.

I can say, of the people I know who used contractors here; it seemed pretty hit or miss on if you get a good one. If you can find another foreigner who has used a particular contractor, had a good outcome to their project, go with that one. You might reduce your exposure to shoddy work.

It is labor intensive running herd on a bunch of thai construction workers on a job site. You most certainly have your work cut out for you.

Recently I read a series of articles about someone building a house in Lampang (south of Chiang Mai), about the pitfalls, trials and tribulations he went thru during the process. Quite an interesting read. The pictures of the finished house once he persevered and got it done were spectacular. Good work can be done, it's just not something that will happen without a LOT of planning and oversight on your part.

Good luck..

Sadly you oh-so discerning T/V readers; this thread has abso-tively posi-lutely NOTHING to do with Michael Moore, and EVERYTHING to do with the premise of IF thailand should have someone who will expose the truth behind the facade. (I know I used big words, try to keep up if you can)

The mind truly wobbles at the lack of reading comprehension skills exhibited by the T/V participants in this particular thread.

This was especially enlightening;

I just went off the OP's headline coz it's easier/faster

Truly amazing, but this being thailand, I am not shocked by much of anything foreigners do or say here anymore.

Why do so many US citizens think that other countries need other US citizens to come and sort out their countries problems?

WOW, that was quite the jump in logic there doncha think? Doing the speed reading of the posts again are we? You're well on your way to be a twin of the oh-so enlightening poster sometimes known as "RakJungTorlae" or how ever it is spelled.

As far as thailand needing some one to expose the truth. Few people can handle the truth when it isn't wrapped in tidy lies, to make it more palatable. Then again several enterprising news people have attempted to uncover scandals in the past, only to meet an untimely end and have their murders listed as unsolved.

The truth? You can't handle the truth. ..

Dont understand why you people come to Thailand.

What exactly do you mean by "you people"?

Are you throwing around blanket statements about foreigners living in the glorious "Land 'O Thais" amongst its ever smiling, yet diminutive inhabitants? For shame. ..

"You people" indeed...

I resemble that remark. ..

That being said a high quality printer makes a fairly accurate representation of the currency here, which could pass casual scrutiny, not that I would ever condone such behavior.

The Somchai story is just multi-tasking at its best.

I seem to remember an equally talented multi-tasker; Bill Clinton, sitting in the white house, being "serviced" by Monica Lewinsky, eating pizza, and talking to the Russian Prime Minister, while smoking a cigar. I think it ranks up there as the most talented multi-tasker of all times. Sorry Somchai, you come in a dismal second..

There are just as many (if not more) posters here who are all too myopic, wearing their proverbial "rose-colored-glasses". They extol their 'we-b-thai' rhetoric, all the while wearing the obligatory color coordinated shirt and rubber bracelet. The endless drivel about how wonderful it is to live in Nakhon Nowhere, and running on about the lack of foreigner understanding of "thai culture" (an oxymoron if there ever was one) can be disheartening at times.

I for one find the extreme differences between the "thai-bashers" and the "we-b-thai" views refreshing. To have a forum which spouted either as a primary mantra would make for a dismal read indeed.

Perhaps the truth lies closer to the middle than either side realizes or is willing to admit.

P/S: It's NOT thailand I love or hate; it's your presence here that drives me up a wall. Please leave immediately.. ..

I have never been in a situation in which a fight with the native inhabitants here was imminent, but have had more than several close calls with piss-drunk foreigners on holiday here.

Sadly with thais possessing a "pack animal" fight mentality, I would be hesitant to engage them. You most certainly can beat the one you're fighting, but NOT the other 60+ odd million of them. I have witnessed too many foreigners fighting thais who fell under a flurry of elbows, knees, and stomping feet, only to be left bruised and bloody on the pavement when the crowd clears.

However, IF you keep your wits about you, most places here; KSR included are not overly dangerous, by any stretch of the term.

It's usually after a few too many beers or libations when foreigners think they're "6 foot tall and bullet proof" that I have seen problems arise. Remember even if these people are diminutive, they can be tenacious fighters at times. I also think that the "alleged culture" of not displaying anger is a recipe for disaster; they hold it in until they are prone to violent fits of emotional outbursts.

I am glad the O/P is okay. From his story it sounds like he was the target of a "hate crime", where some thai already had their fill of foreigners and took it out on him.

Never for get the old adage; (actually a line from the 1997 movie; The Devil's Advocate with Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves) which says:

"The WORST vice is advice"

Keep your own counsel, do your own research, and make your own decisions..

Trust NO ONE..

From time to time, I would let the working gurls I knew 'pawn' their gold with me. Although nearly EVERY shop that sells gold will pawn 90% of the weight value, without question. At one time I had a small box crammed nearly full of gold jewelry. Each piece was labeled with the girls' name, the 'sponsor' who gave it to her, the weight, date, pawn value, etc. Once in a while they'd call me, say 'so-and-so' was coming back into town and could they 'borrow' their gold back for the evening, etc.

It was a fun time to say the least, but with the international financial crisis, and not qualifying for the US bail-out I've gotten out of the pawn/lending game with them as it was labor intensive and not all that much fun.

About all I do now is write/answer emails, make TLL, or other profiles, chat with potential 'sponsors' for them. etc. If a guy I chatted with is coming into town I print out a paper with the back story, i.e.; nationality, age, marital status, if they have children, what their work is, etc, so the gurl knows at least something about the guy she is to meet. So far it seems to work out for the gurls and guys.

Believe me living here in the middle of the nefarious nite life districts, I can type pretty good 'thai/engrish'. Not a single foreigner has yet discerned my chatting from that of a thai gurl; "U know I no work bar, I tell u befor, I stay my home, take care my famliy, why u tink I go work bar? I tink you have lady new. Why you no send money like befor, you no luv me now?"

I even had t-shirt made which says: "Remember; whores are people too"

My adage is; TRUST NO ONE (I am an equal opportunity distruster)

The O/P's story is humorous but FAR from an isolated event in this country.

How this topic EVER migrated from the O/P's original question about "tutting" to a pissing contest of semi-hinged forum posters about the choice of weapon when dealing with miscreants is beyond normal reason.

FWIW: I'd put a Bic pen (biro for you english people) into your eye, temple or carotid artery before you ever saw it comin'. .. (AND I always carry one)

Now without further adieu; back ON TOPIC:

I must agree with several other posters about either it being the "envy" factor or the "dissing" factor. That depends totally on the looks of your significant other and/or you.

I'd let it go, as you could most certainly beat the thai 'tutting' you, but as thais possess a "pack animal" mentality in a fight, sadly, you can't beat all 60+ million of 'em.

Let it go.

(edited for spelling)

IMHO in most cases, especially when it preceeds an adjective, it is really the second definition from thai-language dot com;

http://thai-language.com/id/133007

"an idiomatic prefix implying a bad or negative character trait"

I tend to think of it as a negative emphasizer; taking a trait, and/or adjective and skewing it to the negative.

Notice how I said when it preceeds an adjective, because when it preceeds a noun it becomes the "extruded, excreted" meaning.

Then again I have been known to be wrong on more than one occasion. However that is the most common useage I glean from hearing it spoken.

I'm out.

WoW! 7 posts and she said she's out. .. That's gotta be a new T/V record for the least number of posts made before a poster throws up their hands runs away screaming. Evidently the Swedish Visa Forum is a lot more soft spoken and respectful towards new members.

To answer your inane question; why would we think you were writing a book about thailand. Hmmm, lemme give that some thought. ..

First; you posted on the THAI visa forum not the "insert another pissant developing third world country's name here" forum.

Second; you asked specifically about the THAI war on drugs.

Third; you asked about organized crime in THAILAND not anywhere else

Fourth; you asked about corruption with the THAI police and law system.

And lastly you asked about the THAI drug business in general.

I am with you on this one and abso-tively, posi-lutely have no idea how the readers of T/V thought your forthcoming book might, by some wild stretch of the imagination, be about, of all places, thailand.

Sadly you are correct in your assertion that everyone can't just put their lives on hold and fly across the world to research their current idea for a possible book. (What no advance money on this book deal?)

That is why someone smarter than the people who use the internet invented Google. (you might be familiar with it, then again, maybe not).

Good luck, keep us posted, we're waiting with bated breath.

So many people here refuse to accept that it is a cultural issue. They say that saying this is to "cop out."

I honestly believe that if you truly believe that then you truly don't understand Thailand.

Nice try playing that all encompassing "thai culture" card as a cover for these peoples' sorely lacking time sensitivity. Tell me if you're wearing a colored rubber bracelet? That is the type of mindless rhetoric and/or thinking which will keep this country in the third world forever.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but generations of mindless brainwashing and/or doing something for so long that you have no idea why you even do it, does NOT inherently make it part of any races cultural identity. Perhaps it is you who doesn't understand just how far behind the curve thailand is in it's way of thinking or doing things.

Thailand might bow to the forces of modernization but IMHO that would be a bad thing.

Yes, truly a bad thing that thailand might in my grandchildren's lifetimes be more than a bit player on the world stage selling jasmine rice and tapioca. Tragic indeed. ..

People stooped in the philosophy of Modernization will not be able to comprehend this.

I wouldn't get all "stooped" [sic] (or perhaps you meant 'steeped') in dismissing the philosophy of modernization, because unless thailand makes the jump into dealing with the first world countries on a first world time schedule it is doomed to be a third world developing country forever.

But it might be good for you to contemplate "why" you are so intense about issues of time and money.

In talking to many international businesses who have branches here, (albeit operating under the restrictive "thai ltd" laws), they said to a person; the lack of punctuality and time sensitivity, coupled with the inane perception of face loss are the two hardest things to overcome when dealing with thais. People are concerned about issues of time and money because in business; time IS money, deadlines not met often have substantial penalties. That's business 101, a book which sadly was evidently never translated into thai.

I suggest you go back to your shack in Nakhon Nowhere, drink lao-khao with the natives and watch the rice grow. Embrace your "thai-ness". Now that's "thai culture" if I have ever seen it.

i am a self made usd millionaire

Sorry to burst your bubble there, but you're still wading in the shallow end of the gene pool, and have about as little touch with reality as I've ever seen. I'd say get back on your meds, thorazine isn't it?

Ever gone up-country or do you just stay in Bangkok spending your 120K Baht a month and watch UBC for your oh-so enlightened views of what rural thailand and the people who inhabit it are like?

Come to think of it, didn't I see you begging at the entrance to the MRT on Lower Sukhumvit the other day? I remember the sign, "Self-made usd millionaire, spends 120,000 baht a month, needs help."

Gosh; it's nearly 9:30PM here in Bangkok, shouldn't you be cuddled up in bed by now with your porcelain skinned thai-chinese; g/f, wife, mia-noi, gig, or left hand?

I DO find it strange that the O/P has never returned to reply to any of the words of wisdom handed out by the posters in answer to his original question.

I concur with Maigo6; you have the first and most important hurdle out of the way by joining the oh-so enlightening T/V Forum. In EVERY country I've lived in; when I want to get information, I immediately join what ever anonymous forum that country has and take everything said as gospel.

In fact every poster I have read about here on T/V is married to a "good gurl", who has a light complexion, and is half chinese. I am beginning to think there aren't any 'real' thai people here in thailand at all.

Soon, with the information you glean off this site, you will have the porcelain skinned half chinese/thai gurls falling at your feet.

Then it's only a matter of time until you;

a) shoot yourself in the head with your hands tied behind your back in a suicide

jump off a high-rise building in a fit of despondency

c) are carted out to the Samut Prakan crocodile farm in the trunk of a car in the middle of the night, never to be seen or heard from again.

Good luck, let us know how it goes for you. I read on another post that the illustrious, intuitive and full of himself poster known as "lifeisrandom" (a 23 y/o self professed self made usd millionaire) does quite well with the "porcelain dolls", you may want to p/m him and pool your resources.

Another true gem from the current resident expert on all things thai; 'lifeisrandom'. ..

When I was young(er), I dated women much older than I was. However it's not something I'd consider now at nearly 50. Dating a 70 y/o where the only option in bed is; with or without teeth is something I'd take a pass on, no matter how wealthy she was.