LetsCleanUpTHAILAND

On 10/9/2019 at 3:58 PM, unamazedloso said:

Im curious... How does thailand know the figures on who is employed and who isn't? Im sure they dont have all the numbers. Same goes for most things i assume.

Thais are miserable and im miserable here!!????

That's easy! Just look at the sidewalks. If you can walk on them effortlessly = lots of unemployment. If they are crowded with hawkers selling cheap items = no/little unemployment. 

On 10/16/2019 at 3:23 AM, webfact said:

Thailand has the greatest inequality in wealth in the world. 

Why are we the "Land of Smiles" when we continue to get awarded with being the worst country? LOL 

So far... 

Thailand is...

• #1 most dangerous country to drive a car in ASEAN, #2 in the world 
• #1 polluter of plastics in the ocean (per coastal population) worldwide and #6 as a country. 

And now we learn that we have the greatest inequality of wealth?? 

Does anyone know of any positive statistics about Thailand? 

21 hours ago, Stocky said:

I can only guess they survey so many households, and ask if anyone eligible for work is actually looking for work. As you say there is no unemployment register, because there is no unemployment benefit, or government programme to place people in work. That it is a based on a survey raises a whole heap of other questions, who and how many they actually survey, and what question they ask, being the most significant.

 

 

I didn't know about this! That sucks. Thank you for sharing. Poor Thai folks.  

21 hours ago, topt said:

I think that is what I was saying.....

 

Can you tel me how Thailand actually measures that rate anyway - it's not as if they can register for unemployment benefit 

No need for unemployment when you can dumpster dive and sell on the street from what you find. Welfare is hidden in every bin.. many treasures for any humble entrepreneur to take advantage of. Try laying down a tarp on a street in the West! haha No can do, Amigo!  

22 hours ago, topt said:

Not sure how much of a <deleted> take your post is............Yes that is how they have based the results with an arbitrary weighting of those variables.

Everything else I read suggests that economically many Thais (lower income) are struggling and talking to a few small business owners recently they are definitely not happy.

It's not perfect, but at least Thais can start a business anywhere without much bureaucracy or taxation (although that's come to an end in the greater Bangkok area). You are correct, there are many variables to consider! I just saw this in my email and I thought I would share. Thank you for commenting!  

SOLUTION #1: Do you guys think that all mini-vans should have a governor (speed cap) installed to max speed of vans at 90kmh? Surely, someone could get a change.org petition drafted for Thai citizens to sign. Of course, it would be important to detail how many people have died or been injured by mini-vans in the past 5 years and to give stats on what percentage of those accidents were due to speeding? 

According to the State of Thai Society (Q2/2019), Thailand still ranks #1 for road accidents in SE Asia with 50% of accidents caused by cutting off drivers, speeding and tail-gating (driving very close). 

The problem in Thailand is the process of getting a drivers license. Unlike the West, where you can only take your written Drivers License exam at a government office of transport, in Thailand you can take the written test at a PRIVATE driver school. The problem with this is that the instructors give you the answers to the test!!! This is why Thai's are so reckless. Many of them are willing to pay the 4000-5000THB to pass the written (and driving test) easily at a private driving school instead of actually studying and taking the test at a government building.

SOLUTION #2: Ban all driving schools from testing/certifying. Driving schools should only be for "tutoring" about driving and test taking, but all people should be required to take the written and demonstrative driving exams at a government building. 

Agree or Disagree? 

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The company also clarified that for front row seats or “preferred seats”, THAI has a policy to allow passengers to pay more. All flight attendants comply with the rule that if a passenger does not reserve a preferred seat but sits in one, the attendants will ask the passenger to move back to the seat he/she booked.

So "allow" is Tinglish language for mandatory? And you gotta move back? Air Asia in Malaysia was super cool with me. I'm 6'3 and they let me sit in an empty VIP seat since it was empty. I love Thailand but Thai's are policy Nazis. Bending the rules (if it doesn't hurt anyone) can lead to customer satisfaction which in turn can lead to return business, positive feedback online, ect. Air Asia has bent their policies for me many times. I don't expect them to but they keep me as a customer because I know they got my back. I've even splurged on in flight meals with them as a result. People-helping-people is a beautiful thing. 

23 hours ago, fforest1 said:

Maybe they took a look at the cost to build the California high speed rail and thought....Hey we are going to be building this for chump change..... 

Very true! Unlike China, we don't have big government to forcibly lay down tracks in people's backyards. Hense the buracracy and associated cost with negotiating land for building the high speed train on. I'm proudly one of the Californias that voted for that train to be build. When finished, you can say "good bye" to car culture in the USA, hopefully. Man, I miss Singapore! That country has their public transportation 'ish together. 

19 hours ago, Calach said:

Burning incense, smoking cigarettes and cooking barbecues are forbidden until pollution returns to healthier levels. 

And burning trash. It's common outside of bangkok at government buildings, in peoples backyards and in the countryside. leaves, small branches are racked into a small pile with plastic straws (contain BPA), plastic bags (contain petrol and toxic chemicals) and plastic cups (made with one of the most toxic plastics - #6) and they are all burned together. PM2.5 refers to only size, NOT toxicity. A PM2.5 sized piece of dust is not going to affect your body the same as a PM2.5 sized carcinogenic fragment of trash smoke soot. That's why we gotta stop burning trash. It's a big deal that few people know about.  I can fix this problem, but I need help. That's why I'm on here. I need a Thai partner.  

On 10/1/2019 at 10:02 AM, webfact said:

Several areas in the greater Bangkok area were still covered in a fine dust of PM2.5 particulate

POLLUTION MASK BUYING GUIDE

• ALL masks on asian shopping websites (i.e. Lazada and Shoppee) are asian-sized and, thus, TOO SMALL FOR FARANG FACES. Trust me, I found out the expensive way. haha
• I highly recommend buying RESPRO (U.K. brand) or the cheaper RZ (USA designed, made in China). They protect against 99% of PM2.5 and you can use them for 60 hours before spending 700-900THB on a new filter. 
  • Considering that Public Hospitals have a double price system now (as of Oct 30) and considering that Prayut and Trump are friends which is probably why Thailand is adopting the USA's expensive and life-threatening privatized health care system, spending more money on a mask is going to save you countless thousands on money on hospital bills for respiratory and other related diseases. The best insurance is preventative - i.e. Respro or RZ mask. 
  • BUY RESPRO or RZ on ebay. I did (both) and there was NOT any duty or tax. You only pay for shipping and cost of product. 
• Car! The air outside is toxic. Well, that air is trapped in your car. Be sure to get your a/c filter changed and maybe buy the Xiaomi air filter for car (1000B). 
• House filter. Again, Xiaomi is a trusted brand with great customer support and affordable reuse able filters. You can also DIY a home filter with parts from ebay. It's easy to do. 
• Most importantly - stop using your car!!!! Sept to Nov should be NO CAR month. It's idiotic that we find ways to live with pollution. It's kinda like getting cancer and continuing to live a sedentary lifestyle and eat junk food. As long as we burn trash, drive vehicles and allow the Thai government to make new plastic manufacturing factories, we will always have this problem. I ride an expensive folding bicycle. It's fun, comfortable, fast and I can take it anywhere. If you have a child that needs to go to school, arrange a carpool with parents that have eco-friendly cars. Use the BTS or MRT when possible too. Petition the government to convert the old busses to electric motors. 

Hope this helps! Don't worry about any spelling or grammar mistakes ????

On 10/1/2019 at 10:02 AM, webfact said:

The spike in pollution last year led to a shortage of shortage of masks

And the spike in burning discarded masks (thailand's primary go-to waste manaagement method) lead to increase spikes in pollution which related to a higher shortages of masks. 

Living in Thailand is like living in a beautiful house with no bathroom or trash can/rubbish bin. There's trash and <deleted> everywhere. Gotta <deleted>? Find a wall. Where to throw away your wrapper? On the floor. Don't be serious na! You think too much. This is Thailand. It all good na. Be happy. 

34 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

I have one of these in every room, and if I open the window for short time they go up to 50 or so but in 10-15 minutes return to about 15-20 where they hover for the last few days.

Normally they were between 1 and 4 majority of the time with an occasional jump to 7 or 8 before returning to as close to 0 as it gets.

They do run 24/7 though, set to Auto.

How much?

How long does the filter last?

Do you have a PM2.5 meter on it?

Good Thinking!

16 hours ago, webfact said:

PM2.5 dust particles

So BKK is covered in a smog of it's own pollution, meanwhile, to save Thailand's economy during the US/China Trade war, the Thai government has invested over 12BN Baht in the past year to Americanizing their military (tanks and helicopters), sealed the deal with neighboring ASEAN countries to allow foreign investment of plastic manufacturing facilities (more air and water pollution) and, meanwhile, janitors continue to burn debris with plastics in a pile outside of government buildings. The good news, Greenpeace got some Thai kids to play dead outside of a government build to send a strong message about climate change. 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

foreign tourists were going to other countries

And what's happening in Thailand? Well, advantageous tuk-tuk drivers are hustling Thai shops and asking for a premium to bring customers. So what does that do to the travel experience of foreigners? I'd imagine Thailand turning into a hostile Bali-like environment of taxi's harassing travelers for their business. Once hired, the tuk-tuk will try to take you to his carefully curated selection of restaurants and Thai massage shops. It's like a real life version of Pirates of the Caribbean here - everyone using everyone for their own benefit. What happened to the people-helping-people culture of Thailand? 

12 hours ago, webfact said:

Maejo University

MJU = Maejo University or Mary Jane University? Sorry, I had to say it. haha

Congrats to Thailand! What's amazing is that I know of some influential foreigners who told me about how Thailand would be weed-friendly three years ago. I wonder if other words around the temple will prove true. If so... Well, I can see tourism returning in big numbers. 

On 9/21/2019 at 8:31 AM, rooster59 said:

The aim is to boost Thai competitiveness in targeted advanced-technology industries

This is very disappointing in so many ways! As a teacher, I've come to known Thais as some of the most CREATIVE minded people that I've met.

This is disappointing and embarrassing:

1. Climate scientists agree that our planet has passed it's threshold of CO2 in the air. This is such a serious problem that the US Army (the worlds most advanced military branch) has even announced that climate changed is the greatest threat to national security. However, Thailand has just announced that it's going to engage in the short-sighted business practices (making plastics at the cost of public health and environment) that need to be phased out.

2. Thai competitiveness, according to Thailand 4.0, is supposed to be coming from being innovative, NOT from making Thailand a land of river and ground polluting factories.

3. Thailand is the worlds #6 offender of plastic pollution and we have been in a waste management crisis for over 5 years (That I can remember). If we cannot even manage to keep our streets clean, how can we be trusted to protect drinking water and rice feilds from carcinogenic waste from these plastic-making factories?

I urge the Thai government to consider the environmental ramifications of the economic helmet their putting on this country as it rides out the US/China trade war.

Hey Guys,

I'm calling on the wisdom of those of you with useful advice. IF we can keep this post short and sweet, it could be a great HOW-TO for others.

My question is about setting up a savings account of some sort where my money can slowly grow... How to invest my Thai salary into an account that can earn compound interest?

The Issue:

CD's are a joke in Thailand as are any rates offered by Thai banks.

The POSSIBLE Solution:

Ally Bank! They are an online bank that offer one of the highest rates... like almost 2%.

The Problem with the Solution...

I might require mailing money back to the motherland (AUS/UK/USA) for a trusted family member to deposit.

What successes have you had with investing/saving your Thai salary? I'm excited to learn from your experiences.

Remember that the grass isn't greener on the other side of the hill. IF the WEST was so perfect, it wouldn't be so socially, politically and economically unstable. No where is perfect, but with sound knowledge and management of our finances, we can make the best of any country we live in.

On 3/26/2019 at 9:34 AM, puukao said:

The OP said he wasn't given his salary?  Like my thread, should i go to the labor department?, I'm curious if the OP went to the labor department to try to get his salary.  

 

Just say it's a school, don't say anything else, and give us some details.  I am curious how bad they treated you.  

 

I just found out my friend applied to a school that will only pay her for 10 months.  she's not mad at all, but upset she didn't see this before.  a 10-month salary is not a good start, i think.  

Hey there. Yup I went to the special division of labor department for international schools. Because I quit while my work permit was being processed, I can't do anything. The worst part is that there is not government agency that inspects the curriculum of private schools. If the school owner has a pulse and is of Thai nationality, he/she can run a private school even if the kids play checkers all day. This might be why thailand is lacking in world rankings for education?

Hi Everyone. When I was a researcher for a non-profit in Bangkok, I came across some 21st waste management strategies that would not only stop the burning seasons from happening, but it would create a profitable circular economy. I freelance on sustainable waste management solutions and I would be happy to help the government out with this but it's going to require a public-private partnership. If you know of anyone I can get in touch with, please let me know.

On 3/14/2019 at 8:14 AM, allane said:

The job advertising websites won't help you. They earn their income from the schools.

That's very disturbing. I didn't know. It makes perfect sense tho. gotta keep the lights on somehow - so to speak.

On 3/13/2019 at 11:31 PM, BestB said:

Do not worry, will be getting go fund me updates ????????????

Nah, that site is for begpackers. I prefer to roll up my sleeves and earn my way ???? That's why I'm here for strategy advice from experienced expats. 

On 2/13/2019 at 9:21 AM, freedomnow said:

All good points, but trying to magnify it and get momentum going through TV community won't work...you have to find your leverage point through Thai social media.

 

Expat community is a blip on the *ss of the Thai population totals...the momentum needs to come from within, not finger pointing farangs telling them everything they know and do is wrong/backwards....

 

{Incidentally saw an Air Asia advert with the air hostess pointing to herself yesterday, under (no doubt) western photographer direction...didn't he brush up on his rude gestures in Asia 101 ?}

Great Point! That's how I won my first campaign in Thailand on Twitter. I'll consider this again. Thank you.