Wiggy

I knew Trevor for 12 years, as we were colleagues. RIP fellow countryman.

40 minutes ago, Psimbo said:

What? That the VICTIMS FAMILIES are the ones holding this back at present?

No need to shout.

Yes, as did the dead policeman's family by accepting money and signing that they would not press charges. Sound familiar now?

This is starting to sound all too familiar. 

I don't know you, but all the very best for a happier time over there.

7 minutes ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

cops dont get paid to do that. the police system is very different in thailand. there is not point getting upset about it. the system does work to some extent and thailand is still one of the safer countries in south east asia, appart from the roads of course. the victim will hopefully prove her case (good thing it was caught on camera) then the cops will catch the crims and the lady will be offered compensation (cops take a cut for doing their part) or the crims go to jail. this is the system. i am not saying it is a good system, it is just the way it is.

Well, that's interesting. They were quick to come to my condo when someone complained about me making a noise, even though it was my neighbour. The 'victim' didn't have to take a report to the police station. But I guess each policeman works differently from the other as is often the case with departments here. And you're right in that the system is bad.

One thing I'll never understand here.....why does the victim have to do the job of the police?  

"The victim was expected to come with the report to the police station at 10am this morning."

Why can't the police visit the victim as in civilized countries?

"Minburi police told Daily News that they know who the attackers are."

Then go and arrest them you worthless pieces of s*** police!!

Sadly, a headline we'll probably never see in Thailand:

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/15272017.Ferrari_driver_to_face_court_after_boy_killed_in_crash/

I use clay bars (from eBay) and get a fantastic smooth shine. I haven't had a car glass coated yet, but I'm thinking about it more and more.

I'm trying to work out what car it is (was) - no rear doors, but it does have hydraulic struts for a tailgate.

16 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

tourist area you see, this type of place attracts the bad fish taxi drivers who should not be used to judge all taxi drivers in bangkok. so your complaint is valid for that place not all on bangkok. i would have walked away from the vicinity and hailed one.

 

simple tips can help; never get into taxi's that are hanging around tourist areas, walk away from the area and flag one down, avoid looking and/or acting like a tourist, be clear on where you are going and be able to pronounce it.

 

i travel in taxis a lot and very rarely have any problem, i know my way around bangkok so can correct the occasional driver taking a longer route. i my opinion taxis in bangkok are cheap, readily available and hassle free, this.

"tourist area you see, this type of place attracts the bad fish taxi drivers who should not be used to judge all taxi drivers in bangkok. so your complaint is valid for that place not all on bangkok. i would have walked away from the vicinity and hailed one."

True, and we did and that's how we got the metered one. I agree the rotten ones are more likely to be found in tourist areas. But that still doesn't make it right, and why should I (the customer) have to accept walking along a hot, noisy street just to find a 'good' driver. Plus, I have been turned downed countless times elsewhere. I'm not judging all drivers, or all of Bangkok, as there are some very good ones with nice cars and who are polite. But (IMO) they are becoming a rarity.

16 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

tourist area you see, this type of place attracts the bad fish taxi drivers who should not be used to judge all taxi drivers in bangkok. so your complaint is valid for that place not all on bangkok. i would have walked away from the vicinity and hailed one.

 

simple tips can help; never get into taxi's that are hanging around tourist areas, walk away from the area and flag one down, avoid looking and/or acting like a tourist, be clear on where you are going and be able to pronounce it.

 

i travel in taxis a lot and very rarely have any problem, i know my way around bangkok so can correct the occasional driver taking a longer route. i my opinion taxis in bangkok are cheap, readily available and hassle free, this.

Avoid acting/looking like a tourist? So I have to change the colour of my skin? 

18 hours ago, madmitch said:

Whilst I agree with all your comments I would suggest that Bangkok taxis are ridiculously underpriced and this adds to the problem as drivers can't always afford to maintain their vehicles to an acceptable standard and these new enhancements will also no doubt have to be paid for by the drivers. Taxi prices have hardly changed in the 15 years I've been in Thailand yet the cost of living has risen dramatically.

True, but my salary hasn't changed much either, but I don't go around trying to rip people off to make up for it.

18 hours ago, bubba said:

May I suggest you install an Uber button on your phone?

 

Problem solved. 

I do have the Grab app, which I always use when leaving from home, and for the airport. Mostly I drive, but not when out and having a few beers. I had two friends visiting (hence the river cruise) and wanted to show them how broken the system is. They were in disbelief. I must admit I haven't tried Uber as the regular taxis haven't been too bad until recently, when it seems to have gone downhill very quickly. Uber button is now active.

19 hours ago, KittenKong said:

 

Did your wife take down the numbers of the 7 taxis and file an official complaint about each? Until this happens systematically nothing will change.

Yes, I took photos of all the taxis and complained via the DLT app. One or two drivers were pretty irate at me taking photos, but I was in a crowded area so thought it was reasonably safe to do so.

Something needs to be done. My wife (Thai) was turned down by SEVEN taxis (refused to go on the meter) after we came off a river cruise last night. They were quoting anything from 150-300 baht for a 60 baht trip from River City to BTS at Saphan Taksin). The guy who did go on the meter was also moaning about them as he felt he was getting a bad name also. Meter read 59 baht when we arrived and I gave him 100 for being honest, and he was very grateful and wanted to give me change. Whether I should do that or not is another issue. Overall the current system is just  plain ridiculous and out of control.  

8 minutes ago, Beachdude said:

Somewhat off topic but I searched LHR to JFK one way and cheapest non stop was BA at 1,240 sterling. 

 

So im doing a three hour layover in Reykjavik for under $500 US on Icelander. 

Interesting. I wonder if there's heavier demand US to UK, hence the high price UK to US.

My penny's worth from what I've read about this in the past: 

About one million Brits travel to Thailand each year - that's one million seats UK-Thailand-UK, so prices need to be competitive, i.e. cheap. The number of Thai tourists to the UK is obviously much, much lower (a few thousand?). Therefore with low seat availability Thailand-UK-Thailand then prices are higher as airlines base their seat availability to cater for passenger trips originating in the UK and not Thailand. In other words, there is a greater demand for return flights UK to Thailand than vice versa so prices are fixed accordingly. It's how the airlines work. I imagine there's a similar imbalance in other countries too, as Thailand is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

Then no charges should be brought, as it wasn't with criminal intent and the engineer should be  allowed to go about his business normally (if he's a spoilt Red Bull brat, that is). 

If he's caught, the best way to escape is to run over and kill a policeman and he'll be allowed to leave peacefully.

40 minutes ago, aslimversgwm said:

Yes it does get rather tedious. Not everything or everybody is corrupt - these 'brown envelope' postings have become so cliched as to be derisory with no clear evidence to support the comment. 

Ever heard of 'tongue-in cheek'? Lighten up.

7 minutes ago, ujayujay said:

Oh come on.....this brown envelope- blabla sucks....

My mistake - there's no corruption in Thailand, is there?

10 minutes ago, wprime said:

I don't get why is this guy running?

 

If he pays fair compensation to the victims' families, then faces trial he'll probably be convicted for death caused by negligence and fined the maximum fine of 20,000 baht. At worst (they may lean this way due to the media attention) they'll add a suspended sentence. Yes the compensation will be a hell of a lot but surely they're spending that much already paying the police, etc.

It's called 'face.' And he doesn't want to lose any. Nor does he see why he should as he thinks (knows?) he's above it all. In reality he's a chicken s*** though.

15 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

Well that's opinion, someone in the family tried to get a servant to claim responsibility for the crash.

 

Someone in the family, maybe several people in the family engaged in quick discussions  with a senior cop to buy his way out of the whole scenarios just after the accident, and that senior cop was quickly dismissed from the force. 

 

The family has readily ignored many many requests for him to report to investigators.

 

The family have readily joined him in gallivanting around the world, attending  major racing events etc. 

 

Have they broken a specific law? If they have I hope they get severe punishment.

 

I don't know if they have broken a specific law but they sure didn't display any morals or responsibility or concern. 

 

 

 

 

I think it's called, 'harbouring a fugitive,' or, 'aiding and abetting',  which is an offence in many countries (but obviously not if you're rich and from Thailand).