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mark45y
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Posts posted by mark45y
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I met a doctor at the Buffalo bar in Pattaya years ago. He told me how to divorce your wife, hide your assets and get them into Thailand all tax free.
It wasn't a quick process. It took him 5 years to accomplish.
But he did it. His wife got peanuts and he got the majority of his savings all moved successfully to Thailand.
I don't think with the increased bank surveillance now it would still work but for a while it was a good deal.
You never know what you will learn. I always listen.
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There were 50,000 Americans stationed in Thailand from 1965 to 1975. They built port facilities and Airports and communication facilities mainly to function as the gas station and communication hub for the Vietnam war. Thailand was worried about succumbing to the same fate as Laos and Cambodia and welcomed their presence.
Thailand kicked out the Americans in 1975. I have read all of the official reasons but I always thought it was because of the schools and hospitals built and the funding of projects for the lower and middle class people.
50,000 GI's spent a lot of money on the local economy and many poor people got rich. Many poor people got educations that they would not have otherwise gotten.
The same thing is happening today because of the baby boomers turning 65 and retiring in Thailand.
There will be a substantial influx of dollars from older retired men moving to Thailand. The scenario is usually the same. The Western wife gets the majority of the savings and house and the guy ends up with enough to retire in Thailand but not the West.
I would like to ask but I doubt that the Thai government has thought this decision through.
I don't think they have looked at it in economic terms and I would be very surprised to learn they had.
Most of the boomers are not experienced world travelers and don't speak Thai and are easy pickings and need a Thai wife to assist their integration into Thai society.
There is a very large income source waiting on the Thai doorstep.
But as other posters have pointed out there will be an income shift to the lower Thai classes and labor will get more expensive. I just can't imagine the thought process of Thai legislators has evolved to the point where they can understand the economic repercussions of their decisions. There are so many examples like the airport closure and the withholding of a percent of investment currency and many other incredibly counter productive actions taken in the past few years. I really don't think they have a clue and are shooting from the hip on this one without any considered thought.
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Cambodia just passed the sale rule/law and has does the same in the past. So it would not surprise me if it is actually true.
Personally i am kind of split on the opinion.
One one hand its wrong of any government to impose age restrictions on peoples personal life
But on the other hand, i do see the logic.
I do not think anyone in their right mind marries only for the purpose of visa, so i would rule that out as a reason. Only because Thailand is not exactly USA,or other Western countries, being married does not give anything for a foreigner.
Yes perhaps less money to show, but lets be real, when a young girl marries a guy double or tripe her age most of the time its not the love motivator but rather the "support" so it cost the husband much more in support payments for the wife, her family and everyone else who can get a piece of the pie.
Personally besides physical attraction, i do not see how some guys can get married and stay with the girl 1/3 of his age as not only there is not much in common but also the energy levels are so far apart.
I am in mid 30's and can not stay with a girl 18-20, only because they drive me mental with the lack of common sense and a desire to be out all the time. I do not blame them, when i was same age i also had an energy to be out all night, then go to work in the morning and do this for few days straight.
Anyhow, if it is true, hopefully they will make clear regulations of the allowed age difference and consequences for breaching it. Also what happens to already married people.
I was married to three 26 year old women in the West at different times. The first wife was older than I and the next two younger.
I hear what you are saying about the problems in a spring winter relationship.
I found as I got older that the problems got lesser.
As I became able to see the end of my life as a reality my priorities changed.
I am not going to write a great novel or find a cure for cancer.
I am down to guitars that stay tuned and firm feeling women. I am sure there are older firm feeling women around. But by and large there are more firm feeling young women than old women so I put up with the nonsensical conversation and minor foolishness for good sex.
The new law will not have an effect on me because given my priorities the last thing I would want a woman to ingest is wedding cake as everyone knows that is the first and foremost anti sex drug on the market.
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I think you know I don't feel that way but I would like to know how many bars are in Pattaya.
No, it is obvious you do feel that way and your posts here and other threads shows your contempt for Thais.
How do you know how many bars are in Cleveland? What makes you think it would be any different to get the data here?
Just curious, is this the first developing country you have ever lived in?
TH
Silly me Thaihome, the following type of comment must have led me astray.
I have been reading Thai news for a few years now and I have come to the conclusion they have no meaningful statistics and never have had any.
I don't know how this guy reaches his conclusion, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he just doesn't know where to look.
NESDB, MOF, MOC, BOI, BOT, Department of Energy and Natural Resources...the list goes on.
Bloomberg, Thompson Reuters...an on we go.
Add to that basically any listed company on the Thai stock exchange, especially the bigger ones who release quarterly reports. Some are better than others, but a good source if you keep digging.
What else, oh yes, even the local ampur should have statistics on how many bars are registered. But, certain people get by with their 5 words of Thai, and thus rely on the cr@p that is fed to them via the BKK post and Nation, written by underpaid cadet journalists who frankly know nothing.
The grey economy is so large as to make any economic statistics invalid. The unchecked illegal immigration is such a large number so as to make census data unreliable. The illegal bars and quasi bars are so many so as to make license totals invalid.
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This is great news.
Should really put a dent in the undesirables that hang out here.
Good work thailand!!!!
I have always planned on getting married at 85 years of age to a woman 35 years younger than I. Until then I'll just live with the 18 year old twins.
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If you speak English like the Queen of England or my grandmother that is perfect. My English is American/Canadian and is close if I make a speech.
The best English teachers I have ever met in Thailand were a Swiss brother and sister who were raised in an American school high school and later went to University in Thailand. They spoke English like American natives and German and French and Thai all fluently. But almost as importantly they could dance and sing.
Singing and dancing is very important in teaching English in Thailand. If you can't sing and dance forget about it.
To those people who think one can be an effective teacher in a government school without speaking Thai I wish you good luck.
You also have to have your own printer and source of lesson plans in colour. The kids don't like black and white. You will pay the costs of ink and paper yourself.
Then you have to decide on how many words you will teach them to say per year. Currently the average is two. I think the two words come more from TV commercials than school but be that as it may you should have a target. As a first year goal I would suggest going out on a limb and try and teaching the whole class to say, "I want to go to the toilet." Year number two I would suggest trying something more complicated like, "What time is it?" I will write some more tips in the morning.
Are you an English teacher in Thailand ?
Why do you ask?
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American, Aussie or UK how many words a year do you think they are going to remember?
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I think you know I don't feel that way but I would like to know how many bars are in Pattaya.
No, it is obvious you do feel that way and your posts here and other threads shows your contempt for Thais.
How do you know how many bars are in Cleveland? What makes you think it would be any different to get the data here?
Just curious, is this the first developing country you have ever lived in?
TH
When I was 18 I lived in the Bahamas. When in my 20's I lived in Vietnam.
I can get a total of bars, both bars that only serve beer and/or liquor by checking licenses in any city in the US. They are a matter of public record. I can get records of bars that play music and ones that don't or have dancing or don't or have exotic dancers. Easy just go to the court house it's all on file. Same for restaurants, take out food places or vending carts.
And apparently you don't read my posts about the Thai military.
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If this is not a troll you then are going to get a lot of odd replies to this subject. It comes up so frequently that eveyone has a go at the poster. Read some of the old stories and you will know what I mean.
I've always had success leaving it up to the women to make the decision about intimacy. If you can read body language at all then you will know what I mean. Proper Thai women are actually quite modest and shy. If they are not then that is when your signals better be on high alert. Proper Thai women do not jump into bed with strangers until they get to know each other better. Part time hookers also use the dating sites to meet men who they MIGHT want to have a relationship with. They usually start asking for things after the first night of sex.
Good luck.
wHAT'S A PROPER tHAI WOMAN?
One that realizes that jumping into bed with strangers is a perfect way to get to know each other better.
It has been very cold for the pasts three days.
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wHAT'S A PROPER tHAI WOMAN?
gOOD qUESTION
Im thinking the word "proper" (in BK anyway) might include one whos married to a Thai, got a few kids, possibly works when she can, and has never been to Khao san road or to the places farangs frequent in Sukkhumvit
Exactly. But her husband has a mia noi, and the proper Thai wife also has something running at the side.
As long nobody knows. Why do "motels" have curtains for the cars? They are solely for proper Thai husbands and wifes!
I use them too. My car is shy.
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Some of the ones in English. There are hundreds more available in Thai
yeah, but don't you realise that all these statistics are all false and unreliable? You know, according to the prevailing thought here amongst TV members, Thai's are pretty stupid folk who don't know how to do very much.
I think you know I don't feel that way but I would like to know how many bars are in Pattaya.
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A lot of Thai men have long hair and a lot of trannies have long hair. How do you know it was a lady hair? And what difference would it make if it was a short or long hair? I think you are being a bit sexist. Long hair would have sufficed in the description unless you meant to slander female cooks or ladies in general.
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The total chaos in the environment was simply unbelievable. Students felt at ease getting up and leaving (or climbing out the windows(!) anytime they wanted! Other students from other classes would come in to visit with their friends and have loud conversations,k with the same disregard for any semblance of a learning or teaching environment.
The final straw was another intense day of complete chaos, where students turned off the breakers to the classrooms maybe a total of 10 times, killing the fan, but more importantly, killing my microphone (needed to overcome the constant din of totally disinterested students holding loud conversations throughout the room). I gave up, at that point, feeling like I was teaching in "The Blackboard Jungle"... pointless, stressful, and dangerous.
And this is the reason why they need qualified teachers instead of just another "native" speaker.
A qualified teacher should have no problem at all to handle these kind of small problems.
I was a teacher in government schools for four years and did not have that problem. I used to take difficult classes from other English teachers if they were having problems with them.
I didn't have any problems. Why? Singing and dancing for one. The kids love to sing and dance. Sing an English song. Start off the lesson with an English song and they will all sing along. Then start dancing with some English references to what you are doing like, "head and shoulders, knees and toes. This works whatever grade you are teaching.
After you sing with them for 20 minutes take them outside and run around. You can think of reasons in English to have them run around.
Colouring is also great. Thai kids love to colour. No matter how old they love to colour.
I also found out it pays to have a couple of Thai teachers on your side. Older big mean women are the best. Buy them lunch and bring them candy and dried fish or make a dish for them. If problems arise request the big, old mean women teachers come into the class and beat the students for a while. They don't mind and are happy to help you.
Whacking the little devils with a stick gets their attention for short periods of time.
Remember 20 minutes is the limit that you can do one thing. You have to do something different and fun every 20 minutes.
Good points. In amongst all that fluff there will be a few nuggets of knowledge imparted, but for the most part you will end up being the most entertaining part of their day without having really taught them anything that sticks or will be coherently applicable in their attempts at using the English language on their own. Your class sounds just like what the MoE is after: a facade of being progressive in the area of getting their students into the English revolution through a native speaker exhibiting speech in song, dance, and lots of TTT (teacher talk time) which, in reality, yields no results in the students. But at least they had fun.
You got the point. When a teacher realises that he is there to have fun and makes sure the students have fun and the other teachers have fun you are on the road to enlightenment.
Your school will enter contests and students will have extracurricular activities and perhaps there will even be an English club. These should also be fun. These activities will allow you access to the brighter students who have a slight interest in learning English.
The teachers will ask you to go on class field trips and camping trips. They will expect your participation for free. This is a bonding experience.
Respect will come slowly and grudgingly. One day you will be on a crowded bus with unruly students in the middle of nowhere and one big bully will throw three kids out of the way and give you a seat.
On Wai Kru day you will get more flowers than the Thai teachers and you will know you have arrived.
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The total chaos in the environment was simply unbelievable. Students felt at ease getting up and leaving (or climbing out the windows(!) anytime they wanted! Other students from other classes would come in to visit with their friends and have loud conversations,k with the same disregard for any semblance of a learning or teaching environment.
The final straw was another intense day of complete chaos, where students turned off the breakers to the classrooms maybe a total of 10 times, killing the fan, but more importantly, killing my microphone (needed to overcome the constant din of totally disinterested students holding loud conversations throughout the room). I gave up, at that point, feeling like I was teaching in "The Blackboard Jungle"... pointless, stressful, and dangerous.
And this is the reason why they need qualified teachers instead of just another "native" speaker.
A qualified teacher should have no problem at all to handle these kind of small problems.
I see, oh wise one!
And your solution for the kids tripping the breakers (located outside the classroom, down the hall, and down the stairs would be...????
I'd LOVE to see you in that environment. I really really mean it.
I was a teacher in government schools for four years and did not have that problem. I used to take difficult classes from other English teachers if they were having problems with them.
I didn't have any problems. Why? Singing and dancing for one. The kids love to sing and dance. Sing an English song. Start off the lesson with an English song and they will all sing along. Then start dancing with some English references to what you are doing like, “head and shoulders, knees and toes. This works whatever grade you are teaching.
After you sing with them for 20 minutes take them outside and run around. You can think of reasons in English to have them run around.
Colouring is also great. Thai kids love to colour. No matter how old they love to colour.
I also found out it pays to have a couple of Thai teachers on your side. Older big mean women are the best. Buy them lunch and bring them candy and dried fish or make a dish for them. If problems arise request the big, old mean women teachers come into the class and beat the students for a while. They don't mind and are happy to help you.
Whacking the little devils with a stick gets their attention for short periods of time.
Remember 20 minutes is the limit that you can do one thing. You have to do something different and fun every 20 minutes.
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If you speak English like the Queen of England or my grandmother that is perfect. My English is American/Canadian and is close if I make a speech.
The best English teachers I have ever met in Thailand were a Swiss brother and sister who were raised in an American school high school and later went to University in Thailand. They spoke English like American natives and German and French and Thai all fluently. But almost as importantly they could dance and sing.
Singing and dancing is very important in teaching English in Thailand. If you can't sing and dance forget about it.
To those people who think one can be an effective teacher in a government school without speaking Thai I wish you good luck.
You also have to have your own printer and source of lesson plans in colour. The kids don't like black and white. You will pay the costs of ink and paper yourself.
Then you have to decide on how many words you will teach them to say per year. Currently the average is two. I think the two words come more from TV commercials than school but be that as it may you should have a target. As a first year goal I would suggest going out on a limb and try and teaching the whole class to say, “I want to go to the toilet.” Year number two I would suggest trying something more complicated like, “What time is it?” I will write some more tips in the morning.
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My name is Mark and I am addicted to Thailand.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things about Thailand that I cannot change.
The courage to change the things I can.
And the wisdom to know the difference.
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I have been reading Thai news for a few years now and I have come to the conclusion they have no meaningful statistics and never have had any.
The unofficial economy is so broad and pervasive that no economic statistics make any sense.
Population statistics, you gotta be kidding.
I can tell you how many bars are in Cleveland with plus or minus .01% accuracy. How many bars are in Pattaya? I don't think anyone knows within 5000. I don't even think you could get anyone to agree on what a bar is, let alone how many there are.
Think of how many people could use that information. All sorts of government and tourist agencies and marketing and advertising businesses and suppliers of the industry. But no one knows.
It is not just bars. How many businesses run off that electrical outlet? Oh, I don't know on Monday there is a bar, two noodle shops and a stuffed animal seller. On Wednesday a CD shop. Chinese mobile temple and two bird sellers. You get the idea.
Thais defend themselves by being confusing and then acting dumb. Or acting dumb and then being confusing. During WW II Half of the American OSS was hidden in Bangkok right under the nose of the Japanese and the Japanese are pretty smart people as a rule. That is why the American spies got along so well with the Thais and the Brits had problems with them. The Americans didn't care and the Thais didn't know. The Brits both cared and knew but the Thais still didn't know. So there you go. At the end of WW II there was nary a Brit to be seen anywhere but the Yanks were all over the place. The DEA is all over Thailand and has been since the 1950's. Accurate statistics? They don't have any. They really don't care and the Thais don't know. Same with all of the NGO's. If you want to be a successful NGO in Thailand the first requisite is not caring, because no one is going to give you any accurate data.
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Don't jump on me. Try asking any economist what the tourist dollar multiplier is. They will tell you that one dollar brought in from outside the economy generates between 3 and 7 dollars in real economic impact. That you don't buy an established rule of economy is of course your prerogative.
Apologies. Didn't mean to jump on you. Just that there is a lot of cr@p being spouted on this thread.
Didn't mean to imply that there wasn't a multipler effect. Of course there is - just not a huge one. Two things though:
- I am an economist, so I asked myself
- Multipliers are highly subjective, used by vested interests to justify whatever cause they want. They are hard enough to quantify at the best of times.
- The basic common sense test needs to be applied - The tourism sector can in no way be bigger than the Thai government as a proportion of GDP.
Too many people here tend to think that Thailand is a two bit economy, it isn't. It is a half trillion dollar economy. Sure, not the biggest in the world, but hardly minor.
I agree that Thailand is a large economy larger than most think.
Thailand also has a giant gray off the books economy that is driven by dollars coming in from outside the country. It also has a giant gray economy inside the country. Both of those factors add to the significance of a multiplier effect.
The old expat moving up country and starting a noodle stand for his lady is peanuts but multiplied by 10,000 old guys it looks a bit bigger. Then when you add to that the supplies the noodle shop buys and the rent it pays it becomes a bit bigger. When the people who get the money for rent and supplies loan that money out ("SHARE" personal Thai off the books loan system) it becomes a bit bigger. When the people who borrow part of the share invest that money in a small house or farm land and begin to make that profitable it becomes even a bit bigger. It is not hard to figure out how that one dollar has all of a sudden become 7 dollars. The multiplier effect is great because the money was new money coming in from outside of the country and not part of any other chain of domestic events.
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Have been working in construction for some 40 years, over 20 in refinery and petrochemical plants and most that in Asia.
TH
When someone in the oil and gas business on a daily basis in Rayong posts I will find it believable.
Have been on 4 separate projects in Rayong. Finished the two them this year.
What don't you believe? That there is an ethane cracker along with an LLDPE and LDPE plant running right now without a single expat involved?
That the plants were built by 100% Thai labor working for a Thai company? That the detail engineering was done by Thai company?
TH
Why do you have to go to Rayong? The HQ's are in BKK. So are most of the management personel. When the energy traders come to Thailand they go to BKK. You speak to people in BKK.
I advised the Thai government on petroleum strategy last year. I worked on the privatisation of PTT back in 2002/03. We know how it works, the make up of the sector.
Why do I need to sit in a shabby little red-lit bar down the eastern sea board listening to a Canuk chopper pilot getting his d!ck sucked off under the bar to get an idea of the Thai petroleum sector and how it works?
I think you have gone a bit to far. I was under the impression this was a friendly discussion.
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I suspect that the 7% refers only to short-time tourists entering on tourist visas and does not include anyone entering on any sort of longer visa or waiver. Nor, I suspect, does it include money spent on houses/condos, remittances to Thai dependents, salaries originating outside Thailand and paid to farangs resident here, salaries paid to those with WPs, small business investments etc etc
I wouldnt be all surprised if the total amount for all those far exceeded one third of GDP.
I think you have what is called Messiah complex.
The entire Thai economy has a GDP of $584 Billion per annum or thereabouts
You are suggesting that these things you mention above account for around $200 Billion? Given most of these are based on external remittances ie exports technically, how does that account for the fact that Thai exports are circa $195 billion. So remittances, money given to households are larger than say the car export industry in Thailand which is one of the largest in the region - you know the 'Detroit of Asia'?
To use another comparison, the Thai government has a annual budget of around $75 Billion. Are you saying, that all these things you identify are bigger than the Thai government? You know, the government which builds roads, buildings and other infrastructure, pays millions of civil servants salaries, looks after 4 or 5 dozen state owned enterprises and a couple of dozen essential services.
I mean, there are some delusional posts here on TV. But your one about takes the cake.
Due to the multiplier effect of tourist dollars and ex pat dollars flowing into the country the actual economic impact is somewhere around 30% of GDP. Or $175 billion.
I know what a multiplier effect is. I don't buy it.
It have to be a bloody big multiplier effect, then. Care to explain the transmission mechanism? You are drawing a long bow (an extremely frigging long one) if you think that via invisible multipliers is somehow responsible for supporting 30% of the economy.
Don't jump on me. Try asking any economist what the tourist dollar multiplier is. They will tell you that one dollar brought in from outside the economy generates between 3 and 7 dollars in real economic impact. That you don't buy an established rule of economy is of course your prerogative.
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I take it that you work in the oil and gas industry?
Have been working in construction for some 40 years, over 20 in refinery and petrochemical plants and most that in Asia.
TH
When someone in the oil and gas business on a daily basis in Rayong posts I will find it believable.
Have been on 4 separate projects in Rayong. Finished the two them this year.
What don't you believe? That there is an ethane cracker along with an LLDPE and LDPE plant running right now without a single expat involved?
That the plants were built by 100% Thai labor working for a Thai company? That the detail engineering was done by Thai company?
TH
You obviously have more information about the issue than I do. I was referring to day to day operations that it was my understanding there were some problems with Thai only management. But, hey I guess you would know. The Maptaphut Industrial area is huge but if there were significant problems I would imagine you would know about it.
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I take it that you work in the oil and gas industry?
Have been working in construction for some 40 years, over 20 in refinery and petrochemical plants and most that in Asia.
TH
When someone in the oil and gas business on a daily basis in Rayong posts I will find it believable.
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Not true. It's not that the Thais want Western people doing the jobs but they don't have the Thais that can do them now. 20 years of training no problem but not now. Gradual and slow change with a view of future enterprises managed by local people and no problem. This is not rice farming, I'm talking about. How long does it take to train a helicopter pilot for a modern helicopter? How long does it take to train a petroleum chemist with knowledge of modern refinery techniques? Do the refineries taken over by Thai management in the past year meet international standards? You will see some interesting examples of this in the near future I am sure.
But I am not an expert. Ask some of the people here who really know something about it. I think they will confirm that Thai industry is not ready to stand alone right now.
Further to Samran’s excellent posts on this subject, the oil, gas, and petrochemical business is now on its third generation of experts. At this point, nobody in the business cares what nationality the people they hire are.
Thailand, because it has a large number of plant that have been built in the past 40 years, is one source for experts in all phases of both building and running plants that are used all over the world.
There are plants in Thailand fully managed and run by Thais sitting next to plants that are run by Thais but managed by expats. It is more the choice of the company then having to do with any expertise.
TH
I take it that you work in the oil and gas industry?
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Anyone seen elephants playing football or painting on their own time?
Carrying Pocket Knives
in General Topics
Posted
You can open packages when your hands are slippery. In the dark it is hard to see those little strips that are supposed to open the plastic or foil wrap.