kwilco

I specifically use the word holistic. Many people cite single issues as if they are the "solution" but the reality is that the whole driving environment needs to be understood and totally reformed. You also might consider how to carry out road law enforcement and what is entails in practical terms. For a start, you need to reform the police...the is a constitutional issue ...there are also many other factors just on that one single aspect you mention.

There is no mention of the underlying reasons. For the last few years there have been fewer tourists and less traffic - in tourist areas the numbers have increased dramatically therefore traffic has increased concomitantly. We need to look at the trends over the last 3 decades - and road deaths per 100k are not the only yardstick in fact they can distort the picture The reality is that road safety in Thailand has not improved one iota over the last 3 decades - this is because the authorities approach to road safety is archaic. Based on driver and blame it fails to address the reality of the situation holistically. I have noticed a few green shoots of real road safety appearing but the problem is they are patchwork and inconsistent so ineffective - however it does show that some people are changing their attitudes towards road safety and are moving away from blame-the-driver syndrome. Until the Thai government recognises road safety as a public health problem, no significant changes will occur.

Sutham said Samui needed 30,000 cubic metres of water a day. The majority, 24,000 cubic metres, would be brought to the island through an underwater pipeline from Surat Thani on the mainland, while reservoir supplies would be used for the remaining amount. Now although I have seen new pipelines laid all over the island - it looks as if the pipeline water is delivered into the reservoirs - IS THAT CORRECT?

so....what are her talents again?

"political maturity" - Is that Thai-speak for corruption?

Thais don't need a visa they get a pass on entry- not sure how long it is valid for though. Basically apart for paying for the vA (in US dollars) the currency is Laos Kip. I travelled wit a Thai citizen for a week and remember there was some debate as to how long it was valid for, but t= we had no hassle on re-entry you can use a lot of different currencies in Laos but they are mostly illegal. Vietnam, Chinese, Thai and Dollars are the most common. THe problem with the Kip is once you've got it, you're stuck with it - so don't buy anymore than your need. I used ATMS over there to buy kip and THai baht. On the border buy your visa in US dollars. in Baht or Kip, you will pay more.

Driving into Laos from Thailand is both easy and enjoyable.... you need as many documents as you can lay your hands on and a CAR PASSPORT - the purple book. - For the car passport you will need…. A copy of your house book or some proof of residence A copy of your ID Card./passport A copy of log book, showing the owners name and address and another showing the road tax paid page. If you have the right paperwork it should only take a couple of hours to get the book If I remember correctly a new book is about 100 baht (or was it 250?) and a renewal 50 baht – prices may have risen You get “T” plate stickers for front and rear – I put mine on the back and the other in the windscreen/dashboard (If the car is not registered to you then a power of attorney signed by the registered owner giving permission to take the car out of the country.) I’ve entered Laos from Thailand at around half a dozen crossing points – they can all be a little different. To begin with I usually park up the truck and carry a folder with my papers before proceeding trough – you have a long form to fill in on the Thai side and then you’ll be guided from one officer in a booth to the next, eventually go back to your car and drive on to the Laos side. This doesn’t take long especially once you’re familiar with the process – 15 minutes or so. Remember you are processing your car and yourself so you’ll need your passport stamped as well as the car’s. There will be a fee to pay – about 200 baht. There’s sometimes a week-end or overtime “surcharge” 20 to 50 baht. You’ll leave with a few bits of paper – don’t lose them especially the export permit – they cost thousands to replace on re-entry. You should tell them if you intend to return over a different border crossing – They have never bothered if I turned up at another totally different one. Then you drive on to the Laos side (yeh!) Here you need to hand in your passport and fee for your VOA and process the car (Actually the car people will usually process you passport too which means you will actually cross quicker than foot passengers as you may avoid their queue!) Park up Get the appropriate form to bring a car into Laos from an immigration officer. Passengers if they are not Thai, may or may not be required to go separately trough the foot passenger visa queue. Fill in the forms and then go to an immigration officer at a desk who will check your documents and may ask you some info about the car and your trip. Sign on the dotted line. If you passport is also done you will have paid all the fees (I think VOA is about $35 US (more in Thai baht or Kip) Return to your car and proceed through into Laos, there is usually a final box to check your completed paperwork from your car window. I love it when I get to the point with my bundle of papers and ask “Where do I go now?” – and they smile and say “Now you go to Laos!” You need to purchase a car insurance for one month at 400 baht unless your existing car insurance policy is sufficient. (call your Thai insurance company) You can usually buy insurance for Laos after you have completed entering Laos. There will be an office near the exit. I actually bought my cover by the year as I was driving into Laos that much. The first time in can be a bit daunting but just be patient and polite – both Thai and Laos officials have always been very helpful with me. I think when you have done it once you appear on the relevant computers and it smooths the way through. I first entered Laos via Vientiane, the friendship Bridge from Nong Khai – A very important looking official invited me into his office and asked me why I was going to Laos – I explained I wanted to eat REAL Laab Moo… this made him laugh and after that it was all plain sailing. Coming back…. The Laos checkpoint is pretty quick Get your passport and car docs stamped OUT and go on to the Thai side Usually park up for the Thai part do the normal immigration stuff - give passport and the car green form to immigration. I had a B visa but I’ve crossed with a tourist and visa exempt in the car. Pick up car and go on into Thailand your car and proceed through into Thailand. I absolutely adored driving round Laos – I used a modified 4x4 truck and encountered all sorts of roads, mud, landslides, dirt roads, old wooden ferries across rivers, local tribes people etc etc….. sometimes I took a group but more often than not I drove on my own. In subsequent 5 years I hardly ever used the Vientiane crossing as there are so many interesting places to cross – some are almost deserted – I once had to wake up a guy who then had to ring up to other officials to come in an process my papers. I think I’ve crossed on all the bridges and a few more land crossings, never had a serious problem. These days they only allow your car into Laos 30 days at a time (it’ll show on your car passport)I worked in Savannakhet for a few months and frequently would have to cross back into Mukdahan – from the centre of Savannakhet to Big C in Mukdahan would take about 35 minutes each way.

OK - precovid, I travelled extensively and frequently around Laos. Whereas I found Google was fine in Thailand, on entering Laos I would switch to OSM - the reason was that Google didn't have voice over in Laos...furthermore they hadn't mapped out street view. OSM had voice over and a lot more detail. Sadly I've lost all the dat I had on OSM as I lost whatever it was stored on.

It's a shame that you have to go through different doctors etc to get all this done.

assuming there is water in the reservoirs on the mainland BTW - I love all this "cubic metre" <deleted> like so many /thai government dictums - full of figures that have no context.

no they can't.

Here's a summary of the water supplies on Samui. A 41 kilometre pipeline from the mainland. Built in 2017, delivers up to 1,000 cubic meters of water per hour. - whatever that means..... to help alleviate the water shortages that Koh Samui experiences during the dry season. Anyone living on Samui before covid will have seen the supply pipes being laid all over the island. There are also two desalination plants on Koh Samui that produce drinking water from seawater. These plants are basically a very expensive and un-ecological addition. they create as many problems as they solve. The total water supply for Koh Samui is only enough to meet the needs of the island's official population, but it's not enough to support tourism industry. During peak tourist seasons, there will be water shortages. The government is aiming to increase the island's water supply by 50% by 2025. They claim this is possible by building new reservoirs, (WHERE??) and increasing the capacity of existing reservoirs, (by how much??) and improving the efficiency of the water distribution system. - world wide most water delivery systems lose around 25 to 33% of their water - not sure what Samui thinks they will do to improve this. Overuse of the water table - drilling bores all over the place will eventually end in an eco-disaster. I think quite apart from directives restricting water use, one of the first things we should look for is an increase in water-borne diseases - even cholera - as the water available becomes polluted and of lower quality.

Brexiteers wanted to turn the clock back - and they have - the current generation are going to be poorer than their parents -even the Telegraph agrees! Britain is back to being the sick man of Europe just like before we joined.

Brexiteers are like Bart Simpson "I wasn't me! I didn't do it! It's covid's fault!"

Yet again you are wildly incorrect - the vote was in 2016 - the effects are still rolling out and accumulating - there have been several delays, pauses postponements and holdbacks to stop absolute disasters. the full effects were clouded by Brexit and will only be truly felt in the next 5 to 10 years - even the Lier and his cronies admit that.

It's wrong to stereotype - but all you need to do is read a few of the responses on this thread and it is quite clear that many Brexiteers are just dim. This has been shown here have been a number of studies that have shown a correlation between education level and voting behavior in the Brexit referendum. In general, these studies have found that people with lower levels of education were more likely to vote to leave the EU, while people with higher levels of education were more likely to vote to remain. One study, conducted by researchers at the University of Leicester, found that a 3% increase in the number of people with university degrees in the UK would have been enough to swing the referendum result in favor of remaining in the EU. The study also found that the level of education was the most important factor in determining how people voted, even more important than age, gender, or income. Another study, conducted by researchers at the London School of Economics, found that people who had received no formal qualifications were more likely to vote to leave the EU than people with university degrees. The study also found that people who had received vocational qualifications were more likely to vote to leave than people with academic qualifications. These studies suggest that there is a clear link between education level and voting behavior in the Brexit referendum. However, it is important to note that correlation does not equal causation. It is possible that other factors, such as age, income, or social class, may also be playing a role. More research is needed to fully understand the relationship between education and voting behavior in the Brexit referendum. Here are some of the studies that have been conducted on this topic: "Would a more educated population have rejected Brexit?" by Theresa Kuhn, Herman van de Werfhorst, and Sander Kunst (2019) "Education and Euroscepticism in Western Europe" by Sara Hobolt (2016) "The Education Gap in Euroscepticism: Evidence from the United Kingdom" by Sander Kunst (2018) "The Relationship Between Education and Voting Behavior in the Brexit Referendum" by researchers at the University of Leicester (2017) "Education and Voting Behavior in the UK EU Referendum" by researchers at the London School of Economics (2017)

me too - and now as you point out they have to have paperwork.

time and again Brexiteers roll out that cliche - ALL countries in Europe had similar problems only the UK had Brexit which hs exacerbated the problems by 4 to 10%. It is typical though that Brexiteers can't see further than the border of the country.

Hardly! People have been pointing that out for years. As I just said it happens on all the islands around Thailand that have tourists. Samui about 5 years ago had a huge garbage scandals that even gave the local governor the nickname of "rubbish" . Whereas the Thai authorities are slow in reacting retroactively the problems arise from untrammelled development that has been the norm all over Thailand - basically for the last 40 years or so, the country has =been pooping in its own nest and failing to heed the advice of those who could see what damage was being done - but it is nothing new.

You have absolutely no idea. "it was quite easy" - that's half the point - those already here had an opportunity to sign up to j=keep their job - that's not how it works - you want to be a fluid part of the work force and not worry about immigration status etc every time you move. what if you lose your job? Have a family to look after? - Foreign people are just not welcome in the UK anymore I worked in UK and Europe at the same time - it is now impossible for my job to exist. THe paperwork is a MASSIVE barrier to freedom of movement - that's why we have lost such a huge chunk from out work force. If you want to work in a country your really don't need all the paperowork - just look at THailand how insecure working here can be and how full of red tape.

There is no way your suggestions account for hundreds of thousands missing for the workforce - where did they "improve their education and skill sets" - the online courses did in no way increase the number of people studying - it went right down! When people lose a job they get another one - but because they went home to EU they can't or don't want to come back THe lying UK PM and his government tied to claim that many people decided "to stop working" which is just a fairy-tale.

I've seen this cliche rolled out before - the fact was tat the EU was a SINGLE market with FREEDOM of movement and the people we have lost used to be able to work wherever they like in the EU and chose UK, because in fact the salaries were comparable with elsewhere. Do you remember "Auf wiedersehen pet"? -that was before the benefits of EU but when people could move around to make money. UK has opted out of freedom of movement and gone back to a situation where people can earn more by working abroad but now they can't - they are imprisoned in a low wage economy.

not the conclusion I would have come to. It isn't the salary and conditions, it's the fact they can no longer live and work in the UK without copious documentation etc after freedom of movement was e=nded. Of course it applies to UK workers who want to move abroad too

The problem with the pipeline is it doesn't seem fully operational - and at the end of the day there still has to be water to put into it.... as the water comes from Nakhon St THammarat and Suratthani, both have drought/water shortage problems of their own

Thanks!