bkkandrew

i dont think you know too much about the culture of relationships here.

you have kept this girl dangling around for 5 years , with no commitment and keeping her separated from her child.

its tantamount to cruelty.

i personally think you should be ashamed of yourself.

I agree. I am usually the first to decry the shortcomings of Thai g/fs, but she seems entirely in the right..

I take issue with the thoughts in:

"Whether foreign investment rules are ridiculously restrictive and should be relaxed - of course they are and should be."

I would contend that there is nothing ridiculous about a country making a decision not to sell its soul for a mess of pottage.

Of course, countries that have done so under the 'leadership' of Thatcher and Reagan will use any power they have to get you to follow suit.

Thomas L. Friedman, in his book 'The Lexus and the olive tree' calls it "putting on the Golden Straitjacket".

Thailand tried it for size, starting around twentyfive years ago and got one of the sleeves inside out. Hence the famous, though necessarily elliptical, speech about being satisfied with sufficiency in late 1997.

The election of 2001 resulted in Thaksin getting the power to try it again, but then it was seen what that would lead to. So various groups (for various different reasons) used whatever came to hand (mainly corruption and the Shin sale) to push Thaksin out of the driving seat.

The bottom line is that outside money (derived by China from selling consumer goods to Americans for money they haven't got but is paid for them by the US Government issuing T-bonds, and by Middle East countries pumping out oil) would like Thailand to put itself into that 'Golden Straitjacket'.

But Thailand, as a country, doesn't need to.

Hopefully, (having got rid of the younger and brasher), wiser and older counsels will now prevail; and outside money will be spurned.

Guess you're going home then...

Sometimes he sounds like he's a Thai himself.

Allbeit one in the dark ages.

Yes, it had crossed my mind. I guess he will be "spurning" other evil foreign invading items, such as oil, cars, computers, phones etc. etc.

Have we found the Thai equivelent of an Amish??

I take issue with the thoughts in:

"Whether foreign investment rules are ridiculously restrictive and should be relaxed - of course they are and should be."

I would contend that there is nothing ridiculous about a country making a decision not to sell its soul for a mess of pottage.

Of course, countries that have done so under the 'leadership' of Thatcher and Reagan will use any power they have to get you to follow suit.

Thomas L. Friedman, in his book 'The Lexus and the olive tree' calls it "putting on the Golden Straitjacket".

Thailand tried it for size, starting around twentyfive years ago and got one of the sleeves inside out. Hence the famous, though necessarily elliptical, speech about being satisfied with sufficiency in late 1997.

The election of 2001 resulted in Thaksin getting the power to try it again, but then it was seen what that would lead to. So various groups (for various different reasons) used whatever came to hand (mainly corruption and the Shin sale) to push Thaksin out of the driving seat.

The bottom line is that outside money (derived by China from selling consumer goods to Americans for money they haven't got but is paid for them by the US Government issuing T-bonds, and by Middle East countries pumping out oil) would like Thailand to put itself into that 'Golden Straitjacket'.

But Thailand, as a country, doesn't need to.

Hopefully, (having got rid of the younger and brasher), wiser and older counsels will now prevail; and outside money will be spurned.

Guess you're going home then...

If America stopped buying Chinese products that would be better for the trade deficit.

Defence spending is largely spent inside the USA - i.e no effect on the trade balance, current account deficit - or - consequently the exchange rate.

No. Defence spending is directly Government expenditure. Every $1 spent domestically or abroad contributes to the budget defecit.

Samesame other countries.

The payoff is not in the salary.

Ex-politicians always seem to have homes and assets far beyond what their salaries would have bought.

Example: Reagan lived in a $20 million Bel-Air home.

No matter how you slice it, he couldn't have bought it on his salary as either Governor or President ($200K a year).

A group of his friends bought it and leased it to him for $1 a year in perpetuity.

OP also noted the Thai stipends are 6X the 1991 levels.

Well, 1991 was 15 years ago.

Hmmm, wish I could apply for a job that had a 6-fold increase in salary over 15-years..

Then again, they didn't apply for their position...

The reasons are relatively simple and classic economics.

USA has very large trade (difference between value of imports and exports) deficit and equally large balance of payments (difference between Government income and expenditure) deficit. Currencies inevitably fall in these circumstances, corrected by:

1. Currency falling far enough to make imports more expensive (and exports cheaper), to correct trade deficit;

2. The above stimulating the economy domestically, thus correcting thge balance of payments deficoit.

On point 2, the US Government has always been able to ignore balance of payments issues, as, having the World's reserve currency, there has been no shortage of countries and organisations holding the currency, thereby holding up its value. Also there was always a queue of countries and organisations to lend the money to fund the defecit as it was viewed as the safest loan you could make.

Fast forward to now.

The USD would have to fall to 10 baht (for example - more relevant agains the Chinese Yaun) to make their exports comparible in terms ov value, so that is not going to be the limiting factor of the fall..

Many countries are no re-assessing their holdings of dollars and dollar debt, especially Fed debt instuments, as their investments are losing money. Some have already changed into the Euro, for example. If this would be widespread, again without the underlying trade balance to underpin the USD, you could see a real collapse...

Then again, Bush could cut spending, balance the books and restore confidence enough for the music to keep playing...

good god dont you people ever tire of this litany?

What on earth do you mean?

litany

noun [C]

1 a long Christian prayer in which the priest speaks some parts and the other people at the ceremony speak other parts

2 a litany of sth a long list of unpleasant things, particularly things that are repeated

I think he meant a tedious repetition, of previous posts on the same subject as 'how much do you give your wife/girlfriend every month'.

Believe me it is a thread that appears regularly.

So no long Christian prayers then??

I am puzzled.

If I was back home in the U.K. happily married with a U.K. wife who did not work, but was a housewife with two kids, surely she would require a monthly 'allowance' from my salary.

Why is it so different in Thailand, except, that due to the standard of living it should be less?

I cannot see it is worthwhile boasting about giving little or no allowance, anymore than boasting about giving a rather too generous large 'allowance'.

Surely it is upto the working/supporting partner to choose a sensible amount, for his/her partner.

You may be Libyan, but you speak more sense than the rest of them put together. If I calculate the housekeeping my UK missus gets as a proportion of my Thai one... I could afford about 20 Thai g/fs simultaneously!!

good god dont you people ever tire of this litany?

What on earth do you mean?

litany

noun [C]

1 a long Christian prayer in which the priest speaks some parts and the other people at the ceremony speak other parts

2 a litany of sth a long list of unpleasant things, particularly things that are repeated

just a quick question regarding taxi's

Is it best to sit in the front or back seat? I'll be travelling with my sister and we are 22 and 23 (if age makes a difference). Im thinking it might be safer in the back?

From a road safety point of view, the back is the place to be - with one exception...

About 5 years ago, despite my pointing and shouting directions, my taxi overshot the BOI building exit from the Expressway...

Replete with a manic grin, he then proceeded to reverse up the highway (in rush-hour) about 500 yards to the exit. :D

Realising that a propane tank was inches from my derriere as well, I was silenced by shock...

When getting to destination (by the alternative means), he actually asked me for a "tip" for his great driving ability..

So there are exceptions to every rule!

One of the great ironies of the Junta's policy stance is that they carry on a reforming agenda in a zealous way. Toxin could at least stand behind his electoral mandate (as flawed and corrupt as it was) as a way of justifying his "reforms", such as 2500 extra-judicial killings. The danger with the current faceless crew is that they still announce 100 initiatives per hour, that annoy/delight/disenfranchise/empoverish/enrich/etc.etc. without any mandate whatsoever. In a sense, the Junta have very little room for such manoeuvre, as they have no electoral justification. This will result, unless great luck is on their side, in a populace identifying with decisions they regard as wrong and rising up in defiance.

A worrying aspect of this thesis is that a large proportion of the people likely to take such a view are uneducated and poor, just the type that can make the quantum leap on issues, such as "there would not have been so much flooding if Taxsin was in charge"...

The government today announced that it is changing its emblem from a Rose to a CONDOM because it more accurately reflects the government's political stance.

A condom allows for inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pri-cks, and gives you a sense of safety & security while you're actually being screwed.

Seemingly won't protect B-liar from being arrested next week!!

About B3000, goes straight to her mum. She does not spend on herself, unless I am there to see the purchase (typically B50-B200 clothes etc. at the market). What a *&^$% bore that tends to be as well, however, probably prefer it to wondering where all the cash is going!

For the record, the numbers are:

1584

or

02725460

Also, rather than moaning, a TV member's campaign of complaints against the handgers-on outside Patpong, Pratunam/Indra, Soi Cowboy/Asoke etc. would kick the small minority of corrupt taxi drivers right where it hurts!

I go along with those that think buying is an unecessary risk.

Way too many legal obstacles and very little rights or protections for the farang buyer.

The other issue is that it is difficult to sell if you need to get out in a hurry.

Much easier to rent in Thailand and if troubles come by way of neighbours, disgruntled work colleagues, grudges, tone of area etc pack your bags and move on.

Invest money in your home country and spend the proceeds in Thailand.

You are a veritable sage! Good quote..

Noticed over the last 2 months a lot of houses are being quite dramatically reduced in Price around the Pattaya area, or more specifically over the Sukhumvit.This seems to involve houses in the 12mil catagory.Good news if you ask me as Iam always on the look out for a bargain and have been concerned with the blatent overpricing of houses of late.What though is the cause in your opinion ? Owner ship rules ? People finally realising property is overpriced ? or is everyone just skint ?

EPG

How long you got??

Strong THB makes prices in terms of USD very high. Uncertainty generated by Coup and ownership rules. New visa rules making prospective buyers wake up to the fact that they can only live in their places 50% off the time (for those affected by new visa rules). New laws generally attempting to reduce the pleasure of living here... I would frankly be suprpised if anyone reported anything other than real estate values dropping!

The automatic assumption when you enter a metered taxi anyplace in the world is that the driver will use the meter. If the driver asks for a fixed amount, you have every right to refuse the offer. If you refuse the offer, the driver can either choose to let you off and find another cab, or take you to your destination at which point it will be up to you what amount if any to pay. I don't really see any need for the tourist police to get involved if you agreed to what the driver asked for. If you didn't agree and he still drove you to your destination, simply get out and don't pay him if you don't want to. Or pay him what you think is fair if you want. It is totally up to you at that point because he didn't use the meter, and the driver, nor anyone else has any say-so in what you should pay. If the driver thinks you've stiffed him, then it should be he who needs to call the police and not you. But in reality it's very unlikely he'll do anything except complain loudly because he is the one who's doing something illegal and having police come would be the last thing he wants. Why some people think they should pay a crooked taxi driver anything more than what's fair is beyond me. Maybe they're just intimidated by the driver and/or being in a foreign country.

BTW, there is a number you can call to report these dishonest taxi drivers. There was a thread about it just yesterday I think. Maybe use the search feature if you want to read how to report him.

Its on the bottom of the distance/cost chart in every taxi..

Just discovered this thread and cannot resist telling my silly tale..

Went to the Thai restaurant in Weston super Mare (UK), as an invitee of a business contact. She booked Thai as she knew that I lived here and she wanted to give some comfort and "show off" factor.

I duly ordered in thai to a smiling waitress, who didn't understand a word, as she was chinese!!!

Her colleague came over, tried again to no avail (another chinese)..

Then asked (in english) if there was actually any Thais in the establishment, to be told that no - this was chinese owned and did not want to compete with the chinese restaurant up the road as it was the same family!!!

Needless to say, the food was not so good...

This is getting more and more moronic. Perhaps it would do the nation a favour if the screen was blurred entirely, 24 hours per day...

Actually, there's an idea!!

Oh come on Mr Prime Minister! There are a number of religions in this country; does that mean we should all have our own law. Where is the level of consensus going to lie. I might be breaking one persons law and not the others'. Who will be the decision maker?

If you bring barbeque to a vegetarian club meeting and they kick you out, state laws are not going to help you. If you want to be a member of a particular society you have to accept its rules.

Buddhist monks have very strict rules, too, and they are recongnised by the state. However, at worst you uget disrobed/excommunicated.

Rules like this are meant to keep the purity of the tradition, not supercede state laws. Muslims who follow Shariya do so voluntarily.

Hmmm.

Try telling that to the UK citizen on death row in Pakistan, aquitted by the State Court, but the aquittal overturned and changed to a death sentance by a Sharia Court.

Check your facts before offering foolish similies. Sharia Law is no joke..

In fact the Syariah law applies to all Muslims throughout the country, and though enforced, co-exists with the Malaysian Federal law.

It's always been that way in Malaysia - and nope, being governed by islamic law does not stop tourists from going to Malaysia. [though the recent harrassment of a non-muslim and married farang couple in Langkawi for 'close proximity' baffles everyone].

I believe Syariah will not replace the normal Thai law that applies to every Thai citizen, but govern their daily lives as Muslims.

Just my two baht.

Well it will hardly help the tourism industry, being hard on the heals of the coup, new visa laws, proposed drinking restrictions, bird flu, insurgency, bombings, etc. etc.

Taxiway cracks 'caused by water'

Excessive underground water in and outside Suvarnabhumi airport is the cause of recently-found cracks on its taxiways, says the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT). The water needs to be controlled more efficiently to solve the problem, it said. The EIT released the findings of an investigation after uneven and cracked taxiways and parking bays were found last month at the airport, which opened in September. EIT director Suebsak Phromboon said the airport's asphaltic concrete pavement was soaked for too long and became too soft to bear aircraft weight. He attributed the problem to the airport's failure to minimise the amount of water in the airport's ditches. Consequently, the level of underground water surged and eventually seeped upwards to the layer of the asphaltic concrete pavement, he said. Airport authorities could not drain the water from the airport ditches as that would affect the surrounding community, already hit by floods. Excessive use of underground water in the vicinity of Suvarnabhumi airport, which causes subsidence, could worsen the cracks over time, Mr Suebsak warned. When asked if the cracks had anything to do with defects in design, construction or materials, he said an in-depth investigation was needed. Airport authorities must see if the problem still recurs after the surface is repaired and water is better controlled. A source at Airports of Thailand Plc insisted there were no flaws in water management at the airport, adding the problem stemmed from excessive use of underground water in Samut Prakan province, where the airport is situated.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/04Nov2006_news16.php

Or defects in locating the place in a swamp...??

All of a sudden the Chelski fans are how they were 3 years ago...

...VERY QUIET!!!

I guess it really is "Three Point Lane!"

YID ARMY!

Too Right BP ! Where's that dildo , Big Blue Bummer , whatever his name was...?

Oh yes , he had to go away........ahhhhhhhhhhh

Ah yes - the peacefulness of silent Chelsea fans. Makes me want to pour another whisky!

Landed today. Flew out last on 26/10, which was the end of a 3-week stay. I average 2-weeks here, 2-weeks UK per month.

For the first time today, in addition to the normal stamps, with no additional writing or numbers, a 1" yellow highlighter pen mark was made horizontally in the top right hand corner of the stamp, but not actually highlighting anything, bar the edge of the stamp. Anyone know about this??

English teachers that can't even speak thai...just another example of farang in Thailand trying to get away with stuff they can't do at home...and teaching is just a drop in the bucket...

Well, consider Chula (the most prestigious Thai univeristy I think), when teaching there (Faculty of Art) in 2003, I was specifically told to NOT use thai.

I do agree I was teaching french, not english. But the goal when a deparment hire a native speaker is to make the student fluent in conversation in a foreign language, not to learn that language (it's supposed to be already made).

The main part of the so called english teachers, those called by some posters pervs, whackos, packbackers .... are not teaching. They are called teachers because the genetical disability of thai people to call a cat a cat. They are repetitor, or tutor, or conversationist (neologism?). They are not qualified for teaching (but mostly they do not pretend to be), but to make the kids able to speak (mostly kids are affraid to loose face when spoken to a farang, if the farang look like a monkey, is drunk, dress like a beggar, so the shyness will disapear) (jokking). Those people are here to provide a service that can not be provided by the thai teachers (or the french english teachers in france , the problem is true for every country).

The system did wonder in the 60' 70', because the backpackers were backpackers, stopping here for 6 month before to go to Katmandu. Rigth now , a backpackers simply can't do that : he will earn 20 000 bht, have an appartment (5 000 at least) with electricity (2 000), have to eat (100bht/day so at least 3 000/month with only mama or papaya pok ...) he will have to do visa run every month (1 000 for cambodian police + 300 as tip to cambodia immi) + the trip by itself (sorry I do not know the price, I think at least 1 000 including drink and meal), he will at least have a decent meal friday evening with the collegues and shares one or two beers (3 000 a monht). How can he pay for his return ticket? I challenge every one on those numbers to call them non accurate.

So not only to teach (sic) 50 naughty and nasty kids without any support from the kinder garten administration I have to have a good cursus, experience as teacher in my own country, I also have to accept to be paid peanuts and beg pardon to the locals who think it's unfair; but I must have savings BEFORE to come here to support myself and support the price of my return ticket.

So I do think some posters are out of mind, brain dead or brain washed, when they are screaming after the so called english teachers and saying this new set of laws is good. It's not good, for the majority of the country. It will be good in one way : it will be sabai sabai for the sexpats as the kids will be not educated (the parents can not afford the price of a real teachers from Cambridge or Oxford, assuming a graduate from Cody , Wy, is not a native english speaker but and american english native speaker) the only way to move out of their own misery will be to hook up with some wealthy middle aged white english native speaker and selll sex against money (and maybe also some conversational skills).

I do repeat what I have already proposed : simply stop to call the tutors/repetitors teachers, allow them a way to get a WP and a visa easily , based not on diploma but on results, let them do that for a limitate period of time (1 year or 2) , then of they can pass a diploma and become teachers (for the best ofthem) or they go. It was the spirit of the old system : the guy stay here for 6 month make some money , make the kids speak and then he go to Katmandu, and another come.

I forget to say it will also allow the people who do have a diploma in education to be real teachers with real responsabilities on the class and the cursus; it will allow to make a difference btw those who teach and those who help.

Let me start by saying great post. On the bit that I have coloured in bold, you know this gives me a great idea of how to get a new LOW COST mia noi. I have been asked on several occasions by girls to give them "English" lessons, but have declined... Maybe I will read an English textbook after all.