jimster

sorry for the double post.

On 9/25/2018 at 3:19 PM, RisBkk said:

Direct flights from Bangkok will come. It is just a matter of time. Big 5 star hotel chains such as Intercontinental and Starwood will start building resorts starting from next year and also Accor with Novotel brand starts building. Most of these projects will be finished by 2021-22. 

 

Another reason that there are no direct flights is, that Cambodia wants most visitor to explore Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. There are many flights from Bangkok daily to Siem Reap. From there people then can connect to a flight to SHV.. Siem Reap airport has also 2 airlines offering daily flights to Siem reap.  

 

Therefore it is either, Bangkok - Siem Reap - SHV or Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur - SHV, which way would you go? Obviously, Siem Reap, as it is nice place for a day or two and then fly onwards to SHV. Flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap takes just 50 minutes and then it's another 50 to SHV. 

 

BTW, according to PP Post (see map), there has been an increase of 34% Thai tourists to Sihanoukville in first half year. It's an interesting fact. Obviously, they must come overland from Trat or Chanthaburi provinces or on a flight from Siem Reap. What's your guess? 

 

 

 

 

Yes there are Thai tourists to SHV I even saw some on the boat to Koh Rong Samloen last time I was there in 2016, however there aren't many. I was in SHV in Sep 2017, didn't see any Thais although there tends to be one or two Thai car registrations in town on any given trip but I only arrived late, spent a quick night then made a beeline for Kampot and Phnom Penh in the late morning the next day so I didn't have time to see any Thais, however, Chinese were visible everywhere.

However, Chinese tour groups definitely made up the bulk of Asian visitors and their market share is increasing every year.

Why no direct flights from Bangkok to SHV? Well, for starters, Cambodia is a neighboring country and many visitors will travel overland, by private car or hired taxi/bus rather than flying. SHV doesn't really appeal to your nouveau rich or upper middle class weekend getaway young Thai types, who would rather jet off to Singapore, Hong Kong, Luang Prabang or Ho Chi Minh City over a long weekend or around holiday periods for some sightseeing/shopping/cultural tourism. SHV has a reputation as being run down and the beaches aren't that special compared to what's on offer in Thailand.

Perhaps an Air Asia flight from DMK could come along one day but I doubt even Bangkok Airways would offer a flight, since it's mostly Chinese visitors flying into SHV on charter flights these days anyway. Thais wouldn't feel comfortable going to casinos full of Chinese visitors with everything written in Chinese or Khmer, when they can go to Thai friendly casinos located all along the Thai-Cambodian frontier, or for something a little more upper class, at least Phnom Penh if not Macau or Singapore.

22 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Do I have a comprehension problem?

 

No.

 

Do you have a verbal diarrhea problem?

 

Yes.

That's exactly what you have. You can't understand what I wrote then you proceed to write an utter piece of trash talking about Pol Pot. Seriously, get a life and maybe go back to school.

5 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

If you want to see who has been brainwashed, look in a mirror. 

You might want to look at yourself in the mirror. Besides, not sure how you can survive here in Thailand with your opinions - Thai people as a whole hate westerners (farang) like you telling them what to think. You should really go back to your progressive United Kingdom, which is where I understand you hail from.

1 minute ago, Odysseus123 said:

I would suggest hiring Pol Pot as your lawyer if your are going to file for libel in the killing fields...

Do you have a comprehension problem? I replied to someone's response about whistle-blowers by way of making an example of what actually happens to whistle-blowers in the west in general, nothing to do with Cambodia per se. This topic has gone so far off topic because one person decided to attack a news channel who produced a documentary that is the basis for this news article, while using it as an opportunity to defend his propaganda outlets as being truthful. 

But to return to this topic, it is indeed sad what has happened to this documentary maker. It is however not surprising, knowing just how sensitive and juvenile the Cambodian government is. Normally, it would be the likes of the BBC who would be in hot water in a country like Cambodia, because it's news outlets like them who function basically as agents to subvert countries like Cambodia so that their governments can become more friendly to pro-western, pro-globalist interests. Because Hun Sen has decided to become friendly with China, it's why he has come under fire by the western mainstream media. On the other hand, RT rarely interferes in the sovereignty of other countries, nor does Russia (or China) in general. It's western countries, aided by their media that do that.

3 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Bbc and cnn equal honest and trustworthy news. 

 

Rt equals Kremlin propaganda. 

 

Im censoring nothing, you are free to believe in your conspiracy theories. 

 

Just because I do not share them is not censoring them. 

You can't even comprehend what I said. I said BBC and CNN censors anything they don't like.

You have lost the argument yet you state, for the second time, that your fake news outlets are honest? Seriously! I have rarely seen such intense levels of brainwashing as in your statements for a long time on this forum.

5 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Ah, I see which section of the conspiracy theory fringe you are coming from now

Ah I knew that was coming. The "conspiracy theory" ad-hominem. Seriously dude, you need to open up your mind and stop following your beloved fake news and start thinking for a while, if you're capable. Like that Russiagate conspiracy theory being promoted by CNN. It's fake, there's absolutely no truth to it whatsoever.

22 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

No, I know that the bbc and cnn are trustworthy news sources because I can think. 

 

The same facility allows me to recognise what rt is. 

You can think? LOL. No you can't. You are an ideologue driven by far left state propaganda, which is what the BBC and CNN are. CNN and BBC don't teach critical thinking skills - they teach obedience to authority. They teach you never to question what they say. All they've done since Trump entered office is to engage in 24/7 Trump bashing, sore losers they are. They are basically the modern day western version of the Soviet propaganda ragtag "Pravda", which, although I've never read it's modern day version is probably closer to RT or China's CCTV than what the BBC is now. CNN and the BBC have now become like Pravda of the Soviet era, which if they ever had any objectivity lost it a long time ago. I don't have to watch either channel anymore, I already know what they will publish - anything to divide the people, to brainwash them into loving collectivism and hating individualism. They are profoundly anti-freedom and anti-western while at the same time they try to drive a wedge into other countries politics and society too. Their cover up of the crimes of Thaksin is a case in point.

56 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Yes. 

Yes, the BBC, one of those disgusting pro-war outlets that basically is complicit in shoring up consent for the illegal invasions of middle eastern countries. The same BBC which engages in propaganda that undermines the sovereignty of the likes of Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar too.

The BBC produces some good documentaries, like that recent 4-part rally series where 4 celebrity teams race classic cars from Singapore to Vietnam via Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia (the series only filmed the Thai, Cambodian and Vietnam portions) but for news and current affairs and social issues, it's pure pro-business, pro-western government propaganda and lots of made up nonsense, like promoting fake "science" only mentally ill people would do like "there are hundreds of genders". Actually, anyone who studied biology knows there are only 2 biological genders. Sorry BBC but you are a disgrace for brainwashing the young and naive into believing such fairy tales.

56 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

CNN, BBC And MSNBC are light years ahead of RT in terms of honesty. 

 

RT is the Kremlin’s chosen vehicle for disseminating propaganda. 

 

 

LOL! You are seriously brainwashed. It is well known that CNN, BBC and MSNBC are propaganda rags spewing out fake news day in day out. The fact you take them seriously says a lot about you. You couldn't even stick to the topic at hand, without launching an unwarranted attack against one of mainstream media's few relatively honest news outlets. Of course CNN told you to think this way, because that's what western mainstream media does - it tells you how to think.

5 hours ago, Lungstib said:

How very twee and convenient. Anyone who has spent some time in Phnom Penh will know just how widespread and infamous its sex industry became after the huge number of UN soldiers started "adding to the local economy". No-one with an open mind would doubt that poverty stricken mothers are sending their daughters off to the sex trade. And once more we have a case of a man who was on his way to another country who has been held up here instead of being allowed to depart. All they had to do was let him travel, but no, they put themselves in a difficult spot. Freedom of speech is not a strong point in either Thailand or Cambodia. 

Yep. For all the claims that Thailand is backward, Cambodia is 10 times worse. It's a backward wild west (or should I say "wild east") sort of place where anything goes. It's run by a bunch of childish pussies who can't accept even the mildest criticism and live in some kind of parallel universe that has nothing to do with reality. I mean, Cambodia is a nice country to visit and all, but look at the reality of the place, it's a joke, which even Thais and Vietnamese will readily admit: The country is filthy, rubbish is strewn everywhere (haven't they heard of rubbish collection? And that poor sanitation spreads disease?), the roads are truly third world - they are full of potholes, the driving is abysmally bad (much worse than even in Thailand - it's only because Thailand has like 20 times more vehicles on it's roads that Cambodia isn't number one in the world in terms of road accidents) and the corruption is legendary. Whereas on the Thai side, officers don't accept tips and those that do are reprimanded, on the Cambodian side no matter how many complaints (go to Google Maps and click over the reports on any Cambodian border crossing - it's all 1-star reviews) they don't clean up their act. Cambodian customs and immigration officers are uncouth, unfriendly and downright hostile. Far, far worse than even the worst Thai officers I've encountered.

Freedom of speech in Cambodia is rock bottom - far lower than in Thailand, which at least is concerned about what the rest of the world thinks about it. Meanwhile Cambodia is in a race to the bottom - Hun Sen is currently selling off the country to the Chinese, Sihanoukville is already 20% Chinese from mainland China and more continue to come in daily. Maybe in 2030 the newest Chinese province will be crowned, formerly called Cambodia and it will be known as "Zhong Guo Nan" (i.e. South China).

28 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

This is so depressing! Charges like 'destroys Cambodia's culture and reputation' need to be outlawed. Really whistleblowers need to be protected from employers, governments and anyone else who needs or wants to hide the truth. 

In the West government's simply lie to their citizens and a supine press allows the government to suppress information it doesn't like (as with D notices in the UK). The citizens see their fair share of propaganda, omissions and lies, but apart from using leaking of classified information as a rare charge as in the case of Chelsea Manning they generally don't jail whistleblowers. 

Exactly. Actually, real whistle-blowers in the west are either silenced, threatened, sometimes killed or if none of these work, they are labelled "conspiracy theorists" or some other wacky ad-hominem to discredit them - the sheeple swallow this and will avoid investigating the truth behind the claims. I find it insane that the recipients of these unwarranted attacks don't file libel and slander lawsuits. However, because defamation is only a minor civil offense in western countries (unlike in Thailand) filing such suits probably won't achieve much.

5 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that this is true, Russia Today is quite capable of manipulating the truth to suit the propaganda needs of the Kremlin. 

 

Not saying they did in this case, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had 

Pretty much like CNN, the "most trusted name in fake news" right?

Russia Today is actually quite objective and little to none of their reporting has anything to do with the Kremlin. It's just that you've been used to be believing fake news most of your life, that what comes out of RT seems like they're a bunch of crazy "conspiracy theorists" when in fact, they are the most objective mainstream TV station that exists. It's CNN, MSNBC and the BBC who are the actual crazies.

You'll need the actual blue book with you if you ever intend to take the car across the border to a neighboring country, for example to Laos, Cambodia or Malaysia. You will not be permitted to exit without one, despite claims by some - vehicle theft, often made by gangs who use cars as collateral for unpaid gambling debts held by Thais ship cars over to neighboring countries hence why the controls are so strict. No original blue book and you're not taking your car on holidays to Luang Prabang, for example. Which explains why there are fewer Thai registered cars going to neighboring countries than cars from those countries entering Thailand even if they're poorer than Thailand - it's because Thai customs and finance companies do NOT permit their cars to be taken out of Thailand until the loan is paid off. In very rare cases, such as if you go on a caravan tour, you may be permitted to temporarily take your car out of the country after paying a deposit to the finance company but it comes with many conditions. When I inquired about this when I first bought my car on finance, I was told flat out - NO I won't be granted permission to take the car out of the country as long as the loan hasn't been paid off. 13 months into a 60 month loan, I paid off the whole thing, saved some interest in the process and have since taken my car out of the country 25 times. The blue book is always demanded, even when exiting for Laos, which uses the purple international transport permit. 

Of course, you could always keep the original blue book at home until such time you need it for a border crossing, otherwise just keep a copy in the car. Personally, I keep mine in the glove box because I don't want to forget it when I go on a trip abroad and there is little reason for me to worry about the car getting nicked. Car theft in Thailand is very rare, unless you were stupid enough to give someone your blue book as collateral for some kind of debt. Thailand isn't France or Poland or for that matter, South Africa.

The ferry is running, but go on a weekday, unless you are OK with chartering one. Are you just going as a passenger? If taking a vehicle across, it's much more expensive and there are fewer services.

If you have the required funds or use an agent that knows the ins and outs, why bother with the embassy letter to begin with? The only reason why anyone so far would have bothered with it is as a soft "proof" you have the funds, when you really don't. Has Thai immigration ever accepted these letters and NOT also sighted evidence of funds 400000/800000 Baht or monthly income in a Thai or foreign account? If they did, they have obviously screwed themselves because the Aussie/US embassies have never verified the claims put on these stat decs or affirmations as the Americans call them. You can claim whatever you want and the embassy simply stamps and signs the document.

Now those days are coming to an end and it looks like you will actually need to have these funds in your account.

By the way, the Koh Kong bridge toll has now been removed. So for now, there are no tolls payable on any roads in Cambodia. Another piece of good news is that entry to Bokor is now free. I went there in Sep 2017 and only paid a nominal fee for my car - no idea if they removed just the fee for tourists or all entry fees. By the sound of the article I read somewhere (Phnom Penh Post?) all fees have been removed. Wish Thailand would follow suit as it's dual pricing policy at nearly every national park definitely drives foreigners away - meanwhile only a handful of Cambodian parks charge anything at all (though when they do, it's like US$20 for foreigners, which is even more than what foreigners pay for entering Thai national parks).

On 11/14/2018 at 11:03 AM, phuketrichard said:

UPDATE for legal entry,

an excellent description how to bring ur car in legally.. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/419113338624147/?notif_id=1542167546899511&notif_t=group_r2j_approved

 

Can't see what you posted. Can you copy and paste it here?

On 10/30/2018 at 5:41 PM, phuketrichard said:

I did the Osmach crossing in June,no probems

I also did the Osmach crossing in June without issue; also went that way back in November 2017. No one was even at the hut so I drove straight through. This was a little after 2pm. Came back through Poipet/Aranyaprathet as usual, when I enter at O'Smach. Haven't been to Koh Kong since September 2017 and will probably stick largely with Osmach entries for the simple reason that it's less hassle and costs less. Going via Koh Kong, you have to plan very well - last couple of times I drove to Vietnam, driving as far as the Cambodian/Vietnam border then switching to my friend's car on the Vietnamese side. I planned my trips in advance and knew exactly how long I'd be staying, hence I would pay that amount to Koh Kong customs and then return back the same way I came on that very date. None of this is necessary at O'Smach.

I doubt Cambodia will ever sign a private cross-border transport agreement with any of it's neighbors so this ridiculous situation will remain - after all, if Laos could manage an agreement with Thailand in 1998 and 20 years later Cambodia is still dragging it's feet it means it's never going to happen (for private traffic). Before you know it, we'll enter the electric cars era and then the self-driving era and then driving across borders, or even locally as we do now will be finished. A lot of things will change in the next 2-3 decades and it will be nothing like anyone has experienced so far.

Enjoy the relative freedom of crossing the border by car now, it won't last.

On 8/9/2018 at 6:04 PM, phuketrichard said:

fyi;

 

Drove from Osmach to Kampong Chan- PP-Kep-Kampot-Kep- (  a few times),up Bokor mtn,  Koh Kong

exited from Camboida back to Thailand at Hat lek,

 

NO problems except the roads are worse now than they were 2 years ago.  Terrible in fact, to bad the Chinese are not giving someone some $$ to fix them.

 

Was stopped at the border and told that since i entered at Osmach I need return to Osmach to leave, well i said they allowed me in so... 

anyway as i know that if u enter at KK u need pay 100 baht/day u keep ur car in Camboida so offered them 2,000 baht for my 20 days.

OK   you can go...:-).....ahh corruption is alive and well in Cambodia... 

 

u do not have a hassle if u leave at Pailn or Poi pet 

Whenever I have left at Koh Kong I've always entered there - they normally just lift the gate as soon as I get my documents back from them. I guess they noticed you weren't getting your documents back hence why you were hit up for a fine. I would have left from Pailin (Prom - Pong Nam Ron) instead.

Indeed Poipet-Aran is easy. Just drive across the border, no questions asked, no one even sees your car or cares, because there's so much traffic there.

Rickudon, I got news for you = satellites didn't exist in the 19th century. Not sure about the accuracy of claims about sea levels in Amsterdam in the 17th century. Besides, only in 1992 was a decision made at the Rio Earth conference to come up with "global warming", before that it simply didn't exist. It's politically motivated, pure and simple. I've spoken about weather variation in a number of places around the world. I don't have time to compile a list of every single place in the world - my examples are good enough to question the narrative of the faith based cult that is "climate change". I need figures, documents, evidence, testimony, scientists speaking on record. Oh wait...I already have all that. On my computer. And all of it paints a dubious picture about the evidence of "climate change" particularly with regards to man-made "global warming". 

20 hours ago, rickudon said:

So Many misconceptions here. Of course Al Gore sensationalising what was going to happen doesn't help, global warming is not something you can measure one year ro the next, but works on timescales of decades and centuries. 

 

1. Sea leveL. After having been relatively stable for around 3,000 years, Global sea level started to rise during the 19th century. During the 20th century it rose on average about 1.6 mm a year, and so far this century on average over 3 mm a year. This has been documented for over a century. 

 

2. The problem is not with Groundwater rising (in fact, part of the problem is due to groundwater levels falling, which has accelerated compaction of sediments. And of course, all the heavy buildings have caused the sediments to compress - also the sheer weight of everything also causes settlement, just like an overloaded ship. Generally believed to subside at about 20 mm a year. That would put about half Bangkok below sea level in 50 years.

 

3. Bangkok may be 'sheltered from the open sea' but that will not help with an onshore wind and a storm surge. Just needs those conditions to coincide with a high tide, and the water has nowhere to go but inland, and Bangkok will flood already. They already have red alerts just about every year whenever the Chaophraya is in flood and a spring tide happens. A storm surge on top ........  There are little if any significant sea defences south of Bangkok, only along the river.

 

The Netherlands plans about 50 years ahead ever since the floods of 1953. Maybe Bangkok needs a few thousand fatalities to wake up to the danger. 

1. Documented by whom? Who has been measuring these sea level rises since the 19th century? Global warming scaremongering is simply a scheme to set up a global taxation system. Many scientists disagree with the concept of "global warming", which btw is now called "climate change" because "global warming" can't explain all those record low temperatures experienced in Europe and the USA in recent winter seasons. Even in Thailand and the rest of SE Asia, there have been some record low temperatures experienced, from the icy winter of 1999 where min. temperatures plummeted down to 1 and 2 degrees Celcius in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, respectively and 9.9 degrees in Bangkok, then in March 2011 with temperatures plummeting well below 20 degrees in Bangkok on 2 occasions, then the cool 2013-2014 winter season and even the low temperatures experienced during December 2016. Not to mention until the 1970s and 80s, all the mainstream media was talking about "global cooling", it was only starting in the 90s that first the "greenhouse effect", then "global warming" and finally "climate change" came onto the scene. If no one was talking about this before about the 90s, nobody was measuring these sea level rises that you speak of since the 19th century.

2. Maybe, but don't you think that if you compress the sediment, groundwater will rise due to the pressure of the weight of the buildings and other structures on the soil? Another factor is the pumping up of groundwater which causes the ground to become lower.

3. With the political will and right engineering, Bangkok can be sheltered from the worst issues resulting from sediment compaction, seasonal flooding and storm surges. Luckily, Bangkok is sheltered from cyclones, hurricanes and tsunamis and has a lengthy dry season. If the city were subject to year round rain, it would obviously be in a more precarious situation.

On 8/8/2018 at 7:46 AM, markaoffy said:

A Thai friend recently went to the annual registration/ notification at an Army office, he doesn’t want to go into the army and may have to go through the coloured ball farce, however he was asked if he could or wanted to “pay money “ to prevent any possibility of having to be conscripted! This is the Thai method of dealing with everything “


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Well that's good - as I expected, money solves the problem. That's why this country is so much better than any western country, where everyone is forced against their will do as the government decides with no option of buying your way out (well, unless you are a member of the elite).

Why would Elon Musk come to Thailand. The Thai word เสือก comes to mind.

Is this border open to foreigners yet? Looking at the picture, I can see a Lao car with a yellow plate looking to cross, seems that cars (at least those driven by Thai and Lao citizens) can cross here but no idea about foreigners. A big hoopla was made about a new Thai-Cambodian border crossing that was supposedly upgraded to "permanent" status a few months ago but when I went there I was told neither foreigners nor cars can cross, though I can ask immigration to be sure. I wonder if it's the same at this checkpoint.

Also, I don't understand the need to point out the road connection to China - hardly anyone crossing there is interested in that. You can't drive a car to China without going on a tour (and since 2016, the Chinese can't drive to Thailand without a tour) besides, unless you are an adventure traveler mentioning or promoting this is pointless - this crossing is useful for trade and for ordinary travelers who want to go to Luang Prabang. I've never heard Vietnam or China find the need to promote accessibility with Thailand when they open a new border checkpoint with Laos. I don't understand what Thailand gets out of this nonsense.