petercool

With the three new desks at the left for 90 day reporting, I took a ticket, sat down and my number was called before my back hit the seat. 2 minutes. But the round trip there and back took close to an hour from Mabprachan ......not their fault though ....

There is a master baker I know here who asked for orders some months back for his incredible Christmas cakes, puddings and mince pies. I placed my order and the cost for a 1 kilo size pudding is way less than any imported one at half that size and in my expert opinion twice as rich and moist. Unfortunately he does limited quantities and it's way too late to order now. I will think of you, though, as I enjoy my cake and pudding late next month.

There are debt collection agencies who work for a percentage of the resultant collection, That could be the cheapest option. However, when a debt passes a five year unpaid period here it is deemed non-recoverable. Not sure if that applies here.

The spirit of licencing laws may be broken if not the actual word and in my opinion those who can and do check on these things can make an issue on that basis. The fact is that no one has been paid locally for the rights to play the music on YouTube publicly and that is the crux of the matter. It's an interesting question nevertheless as I see this happening on the Darkside a lot.

Apart from all else that has been said there has been and will continue to be bedlam at the police station where a hundred or more passengers who might have lost all their belongings and cash are wishing to make reports, with many speaking little or no English. The Foreign Police Volunteers have mustered their Russian speakers but the pace of any queue is limited to how many Thai police inspectors are assigned to issue such reports. Then the question of proving that these people were indeed on that boat etc.etc. and how valid are their claims of lost items for insurance purposes etc. City Hall could have set up a special center to handle much of this but that is not evident at the moment.

The Mecure Hotel has a free admission party on,

It is actually a crime to make false statement to police so I am surprised they weren't arrested and/or fined for that.

Firstly, if you are a non-Thai you will not be allowed to work in such a place or anywhere else without a Thai company, enough paid up capital, proper visa, work permit, tax ID etc. etc.. But even for a Thai there are some similar business requirements. City Hall could advise you perhaps or lawyer. Rental is the last thing to consider, I think, but the small vendors pay at least 100 baht a day after tea money down to start plus local fixers and, and ....and on it goes.

It depends where, and with whom, you socialise. I have met musicians who were once in well known bands, ex-bank managers, ex-CEO's of global companies, ex-airline pilots, plus many who have respectable jobs still. But at the end of the day, what others think about me is far from my mind. "Dregs" may be here but they can be found in lots of place around the world if you really want to meet them.

The hotels need one copy for their own records and since the stricter enforcement of the requirement to notify immigration they will need additional copies. Charging you for that seems extreme and certainly at that cost. I will get copies made at 25 satang and keep a few for when next checking into a Thai hotel .....

I am up around "Lake" Mabprachan and it suits me fine in all respects.

I am not sponsored by Honda, though.

Most road signs have English on them even if they are just transliterated from Thai.

But since you probably wouldn't find a Siam Country Club in England ........ anyway, that is not the official name of that Soi, just a convenient reference name.

Indeed. A verbal contract is not worth the paper it's written on .....

Is there a map of all baht bus routes or would someone like to volunteer to create one ?

When I was studying Commercial Law and Contract Law etc, I was interested to learn that an advertisement is considered an invitation for a buyer to make an offer to buy and not an offer in itself. Not sure if that applies here though. Any advertisement's misrepresentation was then governed by an Advertising body rather than by the legal system. But that was long ago and things may have changed.

Oops. I have a suitcase full of those notes that I bought cheap and was going to treat with the chemicals they told me about.

Guess it is not going to work after all ....

Agreed it will not get too many responses. I work with Father Ray Foundation and have also done a few unrelated charity musical events but most people ask "Why do you bother ?", they being cynical of any real good being done. Kudos to these guys.

Ummm .... doing their best .... ? But the sentiment is shared.

There is speculation of a long term plan to set up legitimate enterprises that front for criminal intent by a Ukranian and Russian gang with criminal experience in their homelands. Within that scenario, the "Convenience Center" seems a perfect way to learn of, and potentially exploit, situations where business transactions had gone wrong in the Ukranian and Russian communities here or to intercede in any dispute where normally proper legal or police advice might have been needed.

It also seems that this case fits that speculative scenario very well. An unpaid debt, an intervention by a "Center" with spurious police connections, a retaliatory kidnap etc. etc.

The money involved with such a gang is likely considerable but the case has received a great amount of top brass attention and buying their way out may prove not to be in any local person's interest to allow. Just how much will get reported in the media is doubtful though as such cases move out of media's interest once the arrest headlines are over and much investigation result will logically be withheld. It would normally take weeks or months for any full trial anyway.

As I indicated, this is all speculation......

The story seems to be true and since he half remembered a car number plate an arrest had been made of at least one of the people involved. I know that much but nothing more so far.