Jim7777

Well I think this article is exaggerating a little bit which they commonly do on this forum they often exaggerate about a lot of things.  If you read the article it sounds more like the foam machines are only banned in certain areas of Bangkok or will only actually be enforced in certain areas of Bangkok down south.  Notice how the title says that they are banned but the article only discusses certain little particular areas.  That’s common they throw out an exaggerated title to get attention like any newspaper and when you read the actual article it’s not as bad as it is made to appear.  I’ve started ignoring a lot of it and maybe just turn on the local channel 7 news once in a while or ask my wife’s family because they are always watching local television.  Not all the information on this forum is reliable some of it is but not all of it.  

Last Thursday just a few days ago we were out running errands and I actually saw a few places preparing those foam machines for Songkran in the same areas of our city that they normally have them every year so obviously where we live they’re planning a normal Songkran just like every other year.  They have the foam machines sitting out in the open still it’s not like they’re trying to hide them.  I’ve seen all the same preparation being made for Songkran the week prior just like every other year, this will be my 5th Songkran actually living here.  There have been no announcements about anything being banned up here where we live.  Although we live in a smaller city in the north eastern area, not that small but definitely small compared to a city like Bangkok.  I could maybe see some of these enforcements happening in some smaller areas of Bangkok and Pattaya but definitely not the entire country.  

No one is gonna stop us from having fun on Songkran although I do agree if you’re driving seriously don’t drink.  Our family always alternates designated drivers on Songkran each day all 3 days so that not one person is stuck as designated driver. And they always seem to know where all the police checkpoints are going to be every year.  

And I’ve also purchased about 9 high powered water guns more than enough for the whole family for 3 days.  I always buy extra water guns every year because those things break easily.  

Songkran probably gets just as crazy and wild up here as it does down south it always has and that’s not gonna change just because their government is mad because they were caught cheating the election results and now want to show everyone who’s in charge.  I’m all about obeying the local laws I always do but there is a line when it comes to basic personal freedoms.  I’ve already stocked up on lots of alcohol for the whole family enough to last everyone more than the 3 days of Songkran just in case they attempt to ban alcohol.  I foresee that being announced probably a day or two before Songkran begins.  

No surprise they did confirm back in either November or December that income affidavits would be accepted for six months after the date of completion.  I remember back then no one seemed to want to believe that for some reason.  

But people better be prepared for after the income affidavits are phased out after about probably June this year and start transferring monthly income into a Thai bank account.  The income affidavits only have about two more months validity three months tops at best so it’s time to be prepared and do the monthly wire transfers into your Thai bank account every month to be prepared for that.  

Yeah maybe in certain areas of Bangkok but ironically where I live up in the north eastern area I just happened to see a couple of restaurants hauling in and testing the same kind of foam machines that they used last year in the same areas of the city as last year.  I actually saw that on Thursday when we were out running errands.  

31 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

To dial Thailand from everywhere outside it's "+66" and delete the first "0" of the number.

This thread is about 20 hours old so hopefully he’s figured that out by now on his own but if not it’s on here for him.  

22 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

To dial Thailand from everywhere outside it's "+66" and delete the first "0" of the number.

Yes that’s right but I just don’t know how you dial out overseas from the UK.  In the States it’s 001 66 and the rest of what you said it’s probably a little different in the UK.  But if he has a problem he can always dial the operator and ask for help.  Oh and by the way the British Embassy said that if he calls the 02070081500 phone number then it’s a free overseas call.  If I remember right that’s what she told me at the British Embassy when I called and asked earlier.  I believe it’s also the direct line for UK citizens that have been detained here.  Or he can call 02-305-8333 and push 141, it’s 4 for emergencies.  

This is actually common this time of year it’s the smog blowing in from China.  I remember when I was assigned to Tokyo, Japan we had the same issue around the same time of year in fact now that I recall it was always between March and April every year when this yellow dust would always blow in from China.  It was a lot worse in Seoul, Korea and the pollution in Beijing was the worst.  For the most part Japan had the cleanest air I’ve ever seen in the world.  

57 minutes ago, SheungWan said:

If the son has a smartphone and is operational then the parent should be able to communicate with him at least via email to ascertain what's what. Assuming parent has son's email address and vice-versa.

Yes I’ve read reports about people who were actually posting FROM INSIDE THE IDC facility with their smartphones.  I don’t know much about IDC except for what I’ve read online and heard but he still might possibly have his phone in there.  

17 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

If this is the number of the British embassy in Thailand please call:

+66 2070081500 or +66 23058333

Yes it is but remember he’s a parent calling from the UK, I don’t know how you dial it from the UK but I’m sure he can figure it out.  If you know go ahead and let the OP know how to call it from the UK, I’m sure the OP is probably pretty stressed right now understandably.  

6 minutes ago, 007 RED said:

Sorry Jim7777 but the picture that you have of the IDC in Bangkok could not be further from the truth.  It is more that your worse nightmare and somewhere that frankly you would not wish your worse enemy to be incarcerated.

 

Detainees are packed 30 to 40 in a small room which has an open squat toilet at one end. There is a ceiling fan, but no air conditioning in the room.  Detainees sleep on the bare floor in head to toe formation next to one another with little or no room to move.  The smell in the detention rooms is overpowering.  There are communal showers and detainees are allowed one per day. Food is basic to say but the least and tends to comprise rice plus a soup twice a day.  Medical facilities are extremely basic and if the detainee requires any medication they will have to pay for them.  Detainees are not allowed any personal possessions whilst in the IDC e.g. mobile phones or money etc.  Visitors are only allowed by appointment and then the visitor and detainee are separated in an open yard by two fences approximately a meter apart - no privacy. 

 

The photos that you referred to in your post are most likely the temporary detention facility at the airport and these are quite different from the main IDC in Bangkok.  Detainees at the airport are only there for a short time (maybe overnight) and they are allowed to retain their personal possessions (except passport). 

 

It has been reported that there are individuals that have been detained in the IDC for several years because they have no recourse to funds to get them back to their home country.

 

This is why I suggest  in my original post 21 that the OP's first priority must be to get their son out of IDC ASAP.

Yeah like I said above I don’t know for sure about that I’ve never been in IDC before but I have seen reports posted online.  I don’t know maybe some of them are different maybe they have different facilities.  I don’t know about IDC like I said above except for reports I’ve read and what I’ve heard.  

Regardless OP again call this number: 02070081500, or call 02-305-8333 and push 141, it’s 4 for emergencies for British Nationals.  You should call ASAP.  This is for the British Embassy for emergencies like your son’s.  And getting detained is considered an emergency by the Embassies including yours.  I called them for you and I even asked them myself earlier.  YOU CAN CALL THEM 24/7, I just called them myself earlier and I asked them for you.  You can call these numbers after hours 24 hours a day and they will have a person answer the phone who can at least tell you what to do and guide you.  

Again good luck and I’m sorry about some of the insensitive replies you are getting from some of these people everyone on this forum always seems to have an opinion helpful or not.  Just call the numbers I gave you for the British Embassy immediately if you have not already done so.  They are the ones who can help you the most as far as guidance at least.  

7 minutes ago, rumak said:

May I also suggest a little less criticism and perhaps a bit more compassion for a distraught parent is called for.

 

and shortening your user name would also be a plus.   maybe just a*****e 69

Exactly thank you!  

5 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Actually you can't do anything but wait. 

I suppose your son is old enough to manage his life by himself. 

For paying fines aso I recommend to set up a fund raising,  very popular here on TV for people who get into contact with Thai law or ran out of money 

He needs to at least call the emergency phone number for the British Embassy immediately, call this number: 02070081500, or he can call 02-305-8333 and push 141, it’s 4 for emergencies for British Nationals.  He should call ASAP.  

3 hours ago, 007 RED said:

OP…. I’m sorry to hear that your son has caused you a parental heartache and I hope that I can give you some information which will help you.

 

In your original post you did not mention how your son came to be in Immigration custody.  This can be important as it will have a bearing on how his case will be handled.  There are two possibilities, namely:

 

Firstly: 

If your son was arrested or stopped by the police for an unrelated immigration offence, (for example a routine police check following an accident or something more serious) the police may well have asked to see his passport and discovered that he was on overstay, and hence immigration’s involvement.

 

If he has committed an unrelated immigration offence, then that matter will need to be dealt with first by the local police and Court.  Depending what the offence was, your son could be detained in the local police cells until an initial Court appearance which is normally within a week.  Depending upon the nature of the offence, it is possible also that he may be released on bail, but he will have to surrender his passport to the Court and stay at a specified address and report to police on a regular basis until the case is formally heard.

For your information, it can take several weeks before an offence is normally tried in Court.

 

The Court will also be informed of his overstay and that matter may also be dealt with by the Court at the same time as any other offence.

 

For your information, although the fine for overstay is set at 500 THB (approximately £12) per day, the maximum fine that can be levied is 20,000 THB (approximately £494).  The Courts, however, generally reduce the overstay fine to around 3,000 to 6,000 THB.

 

Once the offence matter has been dealt with by the Court, and your son has paid any fines (or served any prison sentence) imposed by the Court, Immigration will detain your son and transfer him to the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in Bangkok to await deportation.  This transfer may take several days to arrange during which time he will be detained in a local police cell, or local Immigration facility.

 

Secondly:  

 

If your son was stopped by Immigration in a ‘spot check’, and they discovered that he was on four years overstay, they (Immigration) have the power to detain and deport him from the Kingdom without the need for any Court appearance.  Immigration can also charge him the maximum fine for overstay (20,000 THB) and this will need to be paid before he is deported. 

 

If he has not committed any other offences, he will be transported to the IDC in Bangkok to await deportation.  Transfer, as mentioned above, may take several days to arrange.

 

The police/immigration should notify the Consular Section of British Embassy in Bangkok that your son has been detained, where he is being held and the reason for the detention.  Unfortunately, this can often take several days to happen.  An Embassy representative will contact your son and inform him what assistance the Embassy can, or cannot, give.  See link below

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/451352/Thailand_Prisoners_pack_template_-_Final_Draft_for_publishing.pdf

 

Not wishing to frighten you, but the Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok is everyone’s worst nightmare.  Conditions there are about as bad as they can get.  So, getting him out of IDC must be a number one priority.

 

I would strongly recommend that you contact the Consular Section at the British Embassy in Bangkok, their contact details are given in the link I’ve attached above and listen to their advice.  They deal with similar problems on a daily basis and are in the best position to give you advice. 

 

The Embassy will not pay for his flight out of the Kingdom.  However, you can send the Embassy money which they in turn will deposit in an account for him which will be held by the IDC.  The Embassy will make a charge for this service. 

 

Your son will not be allowed any personal possessions or physical money whilst in the IDC, but he can debit his account held by IDC in order to pay for better food, drinking water, mattress or other essentials etc. which he can request the guards to obtain for him.  He will also need funds available to pay for his flight out of the Kingdom.

 

Regarding his flight, again the Embassy staff will best advise you on this matter.  Generally speaking, Immigration will want the deportee to be flow back to their home country by a single carrier, without stops, whenever possible.  This should not be a problem as there are several carriers that fly direct between Bangkok and the UK.

 

I strongly advise that you, or his friends, do not purchase a ticket for him without talking to Immigration first as Immigration need to approve the flight before a booking is confirmed so that they can arrange transport from the IDC to the airport.  This can take a couple of days to arrange. 

 

It has been reported that when family or friends have obtained a ticket without Immigration approval the individual was not transported to the airport in time to catch the flight and as a result the airline considers it to be a ‘no show’, which means no refund and having to purchase another expensive ticket.

 

You need to be aware that a single ticket from Bangkok to the UK, booked at relatively short notice e.g. a couple of days, will be expensive – single fares tend to be 2/3rd the cost of a normal return flight and the short notice booking inevitably attracts a higher premium charge.

 

Once a flight has been approved and booked, Immigration will transport your son from the IDC in Bangkok to the airport.  At the airport your son will be taken to the airport detention facility until his flight is ready to board.  His passport will be given to the flight crew and this will be returned to him when he exits the plane in the UK.

 

For your information…  Your son will be banned from entering Thailand for the next 10 years.  This may present him with a problem if he has property and bank accounts here, but that is the least of his problems for now.  Get him out of IDC ASAP.

 

I hope this information has been helpful and best of luck.

Really I’ve heard that IDC wasn’t actually that bad I hope I didn’t advise him incorrectly but I at least provided him with the emergency phone numbers for the British Embassy.  I called the British Embassy for him and they said that he should call this number: 02070081500, or he can call 02-305-8333 and push 141, it’s 4 for emergencies for British Nationals.  He should call ASAP.  

I’m really sorry to hear that about your son I would recommend calling your Consulate ASAP and inform them that it’s an emergency about your son I don’t know if they’re going to be much help but it’s a start.  Your Consulate is available 24/7 for emergencies like this I do know that if someone has been detained you can call their emergency phone number.  The United States Embassy has that available and I’m sure your Embassy does as well in fact I know they do because I just called them for you as I’m typing and they advised me to have you call them at this number immediately 02070081500.  Or call 02-305-8333 and push 141, it’s 4 for emergencies and they do consider an arrest an emergency.  So you should call one of those two numbers right now!!!  Those numbers are for the British Embassy which I believe is yours they said it was if your son is a UK National.  So if I were you I’d call them now, again it’s 02070081500 or call 02-305-8333 and push 141, it’s 4 for emergencies.  

As far as penalties I’m not sure if he’s facing jail time I don’t believe so but ask this guy Ubonjoe he’ll know everything you need to know about that.  Honestly Joe can advise you but you really need to call your Consulate immediately I called them and got the numbers for you posted above.  I think the worst thing that’s probably going to happen is that he’ll probably be blacklisted from Thailand for I believe 10 years if I remember the law right which I’m sure is probably the least of your concern right now you just want your son back home.  He’ll at least remain in Immigration Detention until he can be deported or transportation to his home country can be arranged.  Oh and I think he will probably owe a fine at least before they put him on the plane home but ask Ubonjoe about that and your Consulate.  Honestly in this situation just call your Consulate.  As soon as you have spoken to your Consulate and taken their advice you’ll probably want to help him arrange airfare back home as soon as possible so that he spends as little time as possible in Detention.  

I don’t know but from what I understand and have heard Immigration Detention isn’t at all like a Thai prison.  I’ve heard that it’s not horrible but I don’t know where he’s being held obviously.  More than likely in Immigration Detention which I’ve heard isn’t too horrible but I’m not sure, obviously you want him out of there and home as soon as possible regardless.  As a parent I can’t imagine how worried you must be but I’m pretty sure that Immigration Detention isn’t to bad if that’s indeed where he’s being held.  So it’s not like he’s in a real Thai prison or anything like that.  More than likely he’s just in Immigration Detention of course I could be wrong I’m not familiar with how that works especially after a 4 year overstay.  

It’s possible that he might even have his cell phone with him if he’s indeed in Immigration Detention.  I’ve seen reports of people in Immigration Detention before online that were allowed to keep their cell phones and I saw one where a guy took a picture of the Detention room and posted it online and it didn’t look bad at all it actually looked really decent of course like I said I don’t know where your son is being held hopefully in one of the nicer Detention rooms but I don’t know.  I’m just making an educated guess based on what I’ve learned after living here legally for almost 5 years.  So I’m probably right but I can’t say 100% for sure.  

Just get in touch with your Consulate now and try and have them put you in touch with him and get the ball rolling on getting him home as soon as possible.  Again call 02070081500 or call 02-305-8333 and push 141, it’s 4 for emergencies for British Nationals.  I’m not sure how you would dial that phone number from the UK but I’m sure you can figure that out.  I hope that helps and good luck getting your son home.  He’ll be okay try not to stress out too much.  

11 hours ago, lkv said:

"If you have done nothing wrong, you should not be concerned"

 

"It's normal, they are just trying to keep the good guys in and get the bad guys out"

 

"It's because of the bad guys that we, the good guys have to suffer"

 

will say the Thai apologists.

That’s all true but I sure am very glad that I don’t live in Bangkok or in that area.  Up here where I live the cops don’t bother anyone ever and I’ve been here for almost 5 years now.  Unless you’re out doing something seriously stupid they tend to leave you alone up here.  I’ve never had a visit from the cops ever.  

Although I do recall one incident about 4 years ago when I saw the cops at my neighbor’s house who’s from the UK, I think they were paying him a visit because he was seriously late on his 90 day reporting or something but he still lives there and seems to be doing okay as far as I can tell.  Well at the time I had been reading about the police checking up on foreigners a lot and I was still pretty new actually living in Thailand at the time.  So I automatically thought that it was some sort of routine check so I immediately went outside voluntarily with my passport in hand and all my Immigration paperwork, and I approached the cops and was trying to show them.  

Turned out that they had no intention of visiting me at all but they looked at my passport anyway because I offered voluntarily.  I thought they were checking on foreigners.  Then the cops told me that they were just there reminding my next door neighbor to stop by Immigration to report or something.  So it turned into a friendly conversation with the two cops and they seemed impressed when they asked about my background and my wife told them that I’m retired military and a little bit about me.  They actually saluted me which I guess is a common curtesy custom here even when anyone walks into the mall the guy opening the door salutes everyone.  But that was the last time I ever saw the cops visiting anyone on my street and there has never been any routine checks on foreigners around here that I know of.  Although there are only a few foreigners on my street.  

I’ve never had a visit we live in a house in a normal neighborhood not fancy but nice good enough for me anyway.  There’s never any crime in our neighborhood although we did have one incident a few years ago that caused me to install surveillance cameras all over my house in my front yard, outside my front gate with a view of the road outside and one camera downstairs that sees anyone entering the front door.  I had a few cameras before the incident but we had one day where someone poisoned a litter of puppies that I was talking care of and looking for homes for them.  Whoever did got away with it but with the surveillance camera system I have now including it’s infrared night vision no one would ever get away with anything like that on my street ever again unless the power goes out.  I have all points of entry into my property covered by surveillance cameras and inside by the front door downstairs and all the windows covered as well by video and I have my street outside my front gate covered by a few surveillance cameras one camera that can be easily seen and one that’s hidden.  The video cameras all feed the video to my iPhone and they record everything 24/7 to a memory card in my laptop computer.  I never called the cops about the puppies because I had no proof of who did it even though I think I know who did it but I can’t make accusations without proof and everyone else in my neighborhood has a pretty good idea who it was as well.  I know none of my neighbors would’ve ever done anything like that, we all are pretty sure it was a particular maintenance guy around here who doesn’t like all of the stray dogs.  I wish I could have caught him doing it actually he probably never would’ve done it if I had the surveillance system back then that I have now it’s also a good deterrent when most of my cameras can be seen.  My neighbors have actually told me that they appreciate the cameras because a few of them have views of our whole street which provides security for most of my neighbors as well, I just make sure that my cameras can only view the street and not inside anyone’s house or yard so that I’m not violating anyone’s privacy but no one has expressed any concern to me about that.  We also have a school on our neighborhood street as well and they also have a good video surveillance camera system including the street outside so I’m not the only one.  

Anyway other than that I might see the cops patrolling around my neighborhood and on my street once in a while but very rarely and whenever I do see the cops around my neighborhood they just smile and waive or just ignore me and go on about their business.  They never mess with anyone unless they are doing something blatantly stupid.  

One of my wife’s sisters did get a DUI once I remember because I helped bail her out of jail for 12,000 Baht but she was like passing out drunk really bad.  Although that’s a really sad story because that year my wife’s sister that sister she has 3 sisters had just lost her 20 year old daughter in a motorcycle accident.  That was also about 2 or 3 years ago.  Alcohol had nothing to do with the motorcycle accident it was just a freak occurrence my wife’s sister’s daughter was a passenger riding on the back of the motorcycle and her and the driver were both killed.  So after that my wife’s sister fell into a deep depression and started drinking heavily which was why the judge went really easy on her in court the next morning after the DUI, and it was her first offense.  Ever since that incident the whole family has really been more supportive of her and got her help and so far she’s been doing okay and no more drinking.  I wasn’t there but I assume that she probably got stopped at a police checkpoint on the highway somewhere because the cops don’t usually follow and pull anyone over around here.  In fact I’ve never seen the cops pull anyone over anywhere in Thailand except for at their checkpoints only not like they do in the United States.  

That’s one of the things I like particularly where I live in Thailand up in the north eastern area is the cops normally leave you alone unless you’re blatantly doing something wrong and being obvious about it.  Although I have no doubt that if I were to ever overstay my extension for example that they would eventually come looking for me because my address is properly registered with my local immigration office but obviously I’d never do that.  I always renew my extension at least 30 days early or as early as they let me do it every year.  My local immigration office here is pretty good and easy to work with as well but it’s a small immigration office and they are never really that busy.  I’ve been to the immigration office in Bangkok before and there’s a huge difference between mine and the big cities the immigration office in Bangkok is huge and always very busy, but up here in this smaller city we have a really small immigration office and whenever I visit them there are never that many people.  The busiest I’ve ever seen them they may have had 20 people in the room at the most but usually less than 10 max.  Whenever I go to report there’s never more than 5 people waiting in line.  It’s nice living in a city like I do because it’s smaller but not to small there’s still a lot to do around here but it’s no where near like Bangkok.  Although Bangkok is a nice place to visit once in a while it’s a 5 hour drive south of where I live.  

I don’t like to advertise where exactly I live but it’s a decent size city in the north eastern district and it really is nice here.  We live in the city but the country and rural areas are only a short trip outside the city in fact the whole city is surrounded by rural areas.  And there are also really nice lakes nearby where you can swim and just all sorts of stuff to do for a lot cheaper than Bangkok.  The cost of living is a lot cheaper up here as well from what I’ve heard, for me it’s just perfect we’re really happy here and my wife’s family lives just next door which can be helpful sometimes.  I don’t think I’d want to live anywhere else in Thailand this area is perfect especially when I read stories like this usually from the Bangkok area.  Other than the incident with the puppies we’ve never had a problem.  Although I do take security very seriously with the cameras some people might think it’s a little too much but no one could ever do anything like that ever again and get away with it unless they do it during a power outage and we don’t get very many outages.  Every once in a while maybe a few times a year a squirrel might bite a power line and sometimes we’ll get a power outage but it usually never lasts more than an hour, they’re usually pretty fast about fixing it when it does happen rarely.  And the cops around here just do their job and leave normal people alone.  

On 4/4/2019 at 10:33 AM, ubonjoe said:

You can enter at a different border crossing without a problem.

There are two crossings you use south of Poi Pet. Or north from Siem Reap to the Chong Chom crossing to Surin province.

I was just in that area 2 months ago we were planning on going to Surin and we ended up down there by the border I saw the crossing you’re talking about.  My first year here before I started getting extensions every year I always did border crossings at Poi Pet, and back then Poi Pet was still an awesome place to cross not anymore from what I hear ever since the end of 2015.  Turns out that area you’re talking about near Surin would’ve been closer than Poi Pet maybe a little bit closer but I don’t know I think the drive was just as long if I remember right.  Poi Pet was about a 3 hour drive if I remember right, and a few months ago when we were near the border crossing outside of Surin Province I’m not exactly sure how long the drive was because we were sightseeing and making a lot of stops but if I remember right I think it actually was a little closer.  I’d have to Google it to be sure but it doesn’t matter now because I don’t have to make border crossings anymore.  

I actually didn’t mind doing the border crossings they were kind of fun actually my first year here at least because Cambodia was one of the few places I actually had not been to at the time.  These days I much prefer 90 day reporting then border crossings every 90 days.  There’s a lot more security with one year extensions every year.  And this is the longest time in years that I’ve ever just stayed in one place without constantly traveling all over the world.  

Unless you live in a small place that’s actually not so bad it’s a lot more in the States that’s for sure.  I pay a little more than that usually it fluctuates obviously but I live in a big house but we only run one air conditioner so it’s never that bad.  

20 hours ago, dcnx said:

No enforcement, anything goes. As usual.

I sure hope so!  It wouldn’t be Songkran any other way!  

On 4/3/2019 at 10:09 AM, TMNH said:

And as another poster noted, no "official" care re: over-loaded pickups  or enforcing traffic violation? Once a third world country, always a third world country. Leaders must have a distinct vision to stop the carnage on the roads...must have a vision to restore confidence in tourism as a whole....must underscore that tourism is the bread and butter for survival with Thai citizens in those tourist spots....I could go on and on, but I get winded "hoping" that eyes will finally open and somehow those in authority have an IQ over 80.

“Leaders must have a distinct vision to stop the carnage on the roads...“. Gee I don’t know how about individual personal responsibility of citizens instead of depending on the government to solve every problem in the world by imposing their will on us and being authoritarian.  “Third world country”, have you ever been to a REAL third world country?  Because I have, several in fact and I don’t think you really know what a real third world country even is.  I’ve seen some of the worst places on earth and I can tell you that Thailand is a pretty nice place, it may not be the United States, Western Europe, or Japan but it’s a pretty nice place to retire if you’re used to traveling internationally and have seen a lot of the world, it’s not for everyone but it is a nice place to live.

All they can do is preach personal responsibility and have police out there ready to deal with problems.  Besides that it’s Songkran not that Purge movie, there are always gonna be accidents it’s not completely preventable.  Maybe we should all just be forced to stay in our homes and never go out and do anything then we’ll be safer right?  

Quit whining and enjoy Songkran, happy Songkran and cheer up dude!  Jeez!!!

That’s weird my last post went through twice for some reason sorry about that.  Anyway before we go out in the pickup truck on Songkran I’m going to put together a 5 paragraph OPORD (OPERATIONS ORDER) first, and then I’ll brief the whole family on the route and the emergency alternate routes.  We’ll try to avoid all choke points along the route, of course during Songkran the entire area is one big choke point lol ????.  I’ll provide everyone with a water gun and brief everyone on which side of the vehicle they’re covering and their sectors of fire.  Lastly I’ll brief everyone on the 5 W’s who, what, where, why, and when.  

Then we’ll rehearse in the back of the pickup truck before we go out and practice emergency drills and responses the children included.  I’ll do a full combat OP preparation before we go out.  Whoever’s sitting in the front seat dry will be in charge of communications and video.  

Most importantly I will designate who’s in charge of the cooler full of liquor and beer as far as guarding it and handing out the alcohol.  The cooler full of alcoholic beverages is considered a “Sensitive Item”.  ????????????????

Most military veterans here in Thailand Army or Marines particularly would understand this joke and would probably find it funny but most people probably have no idea what the heck I’m talking about.  Well I don’t know most Marines probably wouldn’t get the joke either since they don’t bother to even have a plan before going on an operation and they probably have no idea what a 5 paragraph OP ORDER even is.  I’m just kidding if anyone reading this is an ex Marine.  

15 hours ago, dcnx said:

No enforcement, anything goes. As usual.

There might be a little bit of Enforcement in cities like Bangkok and Pattaya but not up here where I live thank God.  Up here where I live the police are pretty cool and they usually don’t mess with people unless you are out there just blatantly breaking the law and being extremely obvious about it.  On Songkran all the cops around here do is handle traffic control and since it’s a relatively small city compared to maybe Bangkok they don’t interfere with people just having a good time on Songkran.  I don’t think that will change this year so far my family’s plans are the same is that we are going out in the pickup truck and it’ll be just like every other Songkran.  Although I am stocking up on alcohol early in case of a ban and this weekend I’m probably gonna buy even more.  I already bought about 8 big water guns because it’s 3 days long, we have a lot of people, and those water guns usually last about one day before they break so I always buy extra water guns besides you never can have to much fire power out there on Songkran.  Lucky along the way there are people who provide extra water to reload with.  They always put a big barrel full of water in the back of the pickup truck.  I’m thinking about going with water balloons as well this year for some reason I’ve never seen anyone using water balloons on Songkran before.  I also had the idea of maybe using red food coloring in the water this year as long as that doesn’t burn anyone’s eyes or something because that would make it look like you’re firing tracer bullets or maybe a laser gun or something that’ll look cool at night after the sun goes down we usually go out early and stay out late and I always buy the really big water guns that have a little bit of range when you shoot.  I want to find a place that really does sell high powered water guns though that are more durable.  I might look around this weekend if I decide to stock up on more alcohol than what I already bought I already have plenty of everything including water guns.  I still might buy more and maybe some balloons and food coloring for the water after dark.  

13 hours ago, dcnx said:

No enforcement, anything goes. As usual.

There might be a little bit of Enforcement in cities like Bangkok and Pattaya but not up here where I live thank God.  Up here where I live the police are pretty cool and they usually don’t mess with people unless you are out there just blatantly breaking the law and being extremely obvious about it.  On Songkran all the cops around here do is handle traffic control and since it’s a relatively small city compared to maybe Bangkok they don’t interfere with people just having a good time on Songkran.  I don’t think that will change this year so far my family’s plans are the same is that we are going out in the pickup truck and it’ll be just like every other Songkran.  Although I am stocking up on alcohol early in case of a ban and this weekend I’m probably gonna buy even more.  I already bought about 8 big water guns because it’s 3 days long, we have a lot of people, and those water guns usually last about one day before they break so I always buy extra water guns besides you never can have to much fire power out there on Songkran.  Lucky along the way there are people who provide extra water to reload with.  They always put a big barrel full of water in the back of the pickup truck.  I’m thinking about going with water balloons as well this year for some reason I’ve never seen anyone using water balloons on Songkran before.  I also had the idea of maybe using red food coloring in the water this year as long as that doesn’t burn anyone’s eyes or something because that would make it look like you’re firing tracer bullets or maybe a laser gun or something that’ll look cool at night after the sun goes down we usually go out early and stay out late and I always buy the really big water guns that have a little bit of range when you shoot.  I want to find a place that really does sell high powered water guns though that are more durable.  I might look around this weekend if I decide to stock up on more alcohol than what I already bought I already have plenty of everything including water guns.  I still might buy more and maybe some balloons and food coloring for the water after dark.