Paul123456

The problem with these amnesties (of which we've had dozens over the past decades, by the way) is that they hand politicians the roam-free-and-do-whatever-you-want card.

They know that eventually there will be yet another amnesty that will whitewash them. How will politicians in this country ever learn that they can NOT do however they please without having to bear the consequences if we have one amnesty after another after another?

I agree - but in response to my own post: The Thai people have voted for Thaksin, which I suppose is saying, yes we accept his actions and are happy for him to get his money back. They have also stated in polls that they overwhelmingly accept corruption (ie. theft from the poor).

So we can avoid more violence and killings - maybe the answer for Thailand is just to allow politicians to do whatever they want and rule over the people. Maybe Thailand just isn't ready yet to move beyond this. Until a majority of people want a fair and free society, maybe it is just best to accept the injustice???????? I am not happy with that answer either, but ??????

It wasn't just an illegal land sale to make him 1 000 000 000 Baht by using his elected position.

This was the one case that everything was clear and he could be convicted on.

But then there was the fact that he held the country ransom to get his money back and avoid jail time. He used terrorism and the siege and destruction of Bangkok to grab power back.

Hmm, I'd love to see reconciliation and a peaceful Thailand - but how? Just by letting the criminals do what they want?

???

Hi.

Could I please ask:

I am married to a Thai and am on Non-Immigrant O visas. I have been getting them for years and have not done an extension as I don't really understand the system and how to go about it.

1. What is the advantage of getting extensions? Is it just that you no longer have to leave the country? I believe you need to have a number of these extensions before applying for residency - is this correct?

2. What are the disadvantages of these extensions, if any? Does it restrict how much you can come and go?

3. Where can I find simple info to tell me how to go about getting a visa extension?

Thanks

Paul

Great to see Thais starting to get interested in this issue. These soap operas are disgraceful and a great damage to Thai culture and the dominant mind-set

Disgusting war crime

That article was a load of crap. Obviously someone stupid or very biased or from another planet

Pointing a finger at Thailand does not distract from the fact that a supposedly developed country that touts freedom and equality does not walk the walk.

Angmo: you've got it exactly wrong. It says the US government has charged a PRIVATE company with the abuses...it is not the US government which perpetrated the abuses. Global Horizons is a private company, operating illegally.

It is the very fact that the US is a developed country with the rule of law that is bringing this situation to an end. The US absolutely "walks the walk", much more so than most countries.

I wouldn't be too quick to say the USA "walks the walk". It is well known that a large amount of USA agriculture 'employs' illegal, under-paid, highly exploited Mexicans. And the USA government does very little to stamp this out.

Added to that - over the last 30 years, many USA jobs have been moved overseas, leaving USA people unemployed, whilst employing others in sub-standard conditions, so as USA companies can make bigger and bigger profits. The USA government does nothing to stop this.

I think it would be interesting to see the conditions of those employed by the USA military and the contractors in war-zones - I suspect we'd find lots of abuse.

Of course you also have big USA companies all over the world that are poisoning rivers, destroying jungles, financing wars and military dictators,.... - for profit.

The USA certainly does not walk the walk.

Why do Thais continue to believe that rich Western countries are democratic???? WAKE UP. The USA is controlled by corporations, money and the military. If you want Thailand to be a decent country, please find your own path and stop trying to copy the West.

A major debate is raging across the developed world as to whether global warming (man-made or not) is a reality or not. But luckily someone at the weather centre in Thailand has the definitive answer.

Amusing Thailand.

There is no major debate about climate change. It is an accepted scientific fact.

Some businesses and political interest groups are trying to produce a debate for their own benefit, but almost all scientific evidence shows that we are changing the earth's climate by releasing large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.

Just make it legal

Sombat is not educated. He is a fool and is being used by Thaksin and co.

Sombat can use words like "grassroots" because he has been 'working' in the NGO field for quite a while. He is a good public speaker. He appears good in interviews.

But reality is he is a foolish, uneducated publicity seeking man, who has a left over hatred of the army from his student protesting days.

Research his NGO work and you may find many poorly ran projects, huge wastes of money, and many projects that (despite their description) were actually not empowering for local people, they were implementing the thoughts of Sombat and crew onto 'the poor'.

He is not a leader. He is not intelligent. He is not an organizer. I doubt he truly understands the poorer section of Thai society. He is not what Thailand needs. He is a middle class, latte drinking, protester of no real value.

Despite his use of the wording, he seeks to use the Red Shirt movement to push his own thoughts and political agendas onto Thailand.

If he truly wanted to help people and empower the poor, he would not have joined Thaksin's Red Shirt movement and supported them as they violently tried to force their will onto others. There are many other options for truly peaceful grass roots organizers that wish to work for a better deal for all Thais. Sombat should be ignored as a loud mouthed annoying puppet of Thaksin.

For the record, Abhisit is generally recognised as a politician with a good conscience, integrity and clean hands, as opposed to others in the coalition and opposition. He has a strong sense of purpose, with a determination to succeed as the chief executive. He is the only person with any credibility left to ensure a fair degree of public support for his administration. The rest are regarded as a gallery of rogues, and many are crooks.

This is the same problem PM Chuan had, but I think that Abhisit has more moxie. He is the best politician that Thailand has to offer and he needs support rather than constant criticism if he is going to change anything for the better.

Both the red and the yellow leaders are mostly unprincipled opportunists looking for ways to enrich themselves at the expense of the Thai people. Abhisit is not perfect, but he is the closest thing to it around these parts politically .

Spot on, Ulysses. I couldn't agree more.

I totally agree also

I'm interested in how things turn out with your thoughts too.

I am in a similar position - I want to be involved in developing a sustainable life for my family and assisting local interested people to do the same.

I've worked a bit with a local Thai NGO, but really I believe that communities need to build their own sustainable life, not rely on handouts from outsiders.

But... I need to make some money, pay back some debts and buy some land first, so my plans are on hold.

But I'm interested.

My wife has a farming background and understands my thinking and supports organic farming - if that helps.

We are in Chiang Rai if you happen to be up this way, we could talk.

Well done to Alan - an amazing feat. And thank you for dedicating it to HM The King.

Somtow's article was an excellent read.

Well done to him

The Reds are using kids as their shields again.

As you've seen in the responses, it totally depends on your lifestyle. But I think basically your initially estimate was about right / fine to live on.

Good luck.

For our family of 5 we spend:

5000 Baht on food per month

1000 Baht on electricity

1300 Baht on phones

40 on gas

100 on drinking water

about 430 on motorbike registration, insurance, petrol, repairs.

Hope that helps.

Please be careful about assuming the worst things about male foreigners when you see them with Thai youngsters. Many of us are in legit relationships with Thai adults and are related to the Thai families, including of course actual Dads.

Yeah, I took my daughter to Bangkok where she got a flight to Australia earlier this year. On the trip to Bangkok, we travelled together and stayed in a guest house. All very normal for a dad and his daughter, but, it was hard to ignore the point that some people may be looking at me as if I was a paedophile.

What is the difference between a farang house and a Thai house?

An interesting thread to read.

I am in two minds -

1) Sometimes thinking like gotglue - this is my home, and maybe through good or bad I should just stick with it and make the most of it. Like gotglue said, there are many things here that annoy me, but also many great things and so much potential. It is where my family are from, it has been my home for the last 7 years. Maybe it is best to stay here and even in bad times, help see the country through to better times.

2) And sometimes my thinking, (and my wife's thinking too) are focused on making a Plan B. For a long time she has been concerned with the what happens after HM dies. Just recently I have started joining her concern. The recent events - they are very worrying. Maybe they will turn to nothing. Maybe things will get a bit bad here. But maybe the country will try to emulate Cambodia or Burma, even if not as extreme - that is worrying with a 2 year old daughter and a 14 year old daughter.

Where to go?

Cambodia?

Malaysian Borneo?

Back to Australia (to make money but with no intention of staying there)?

Indonesia?

Philippines???? (never been there)

Vietnam?

I don't know.

Certainly the contemplating a Plan B is happening much more frequently these days.

On a good note - I helped with the clean up of Bangkok. WOW! Thousands and thousands of people came out with a very positive attitude and put in a great effort to look after their country - very heart warming to see and be part of. So there is hope.

I am far away from Bangkok, so not feeling the same as you at the moment. But, it isn't like the previous coup I experienced here. This is more violent and perhaps aimed at a big change to the structure of Thai society. I am worried very much about the future of Thailand and what will happen after this.

For sure, my wife and I have discussed options of leaving.

At the same time, I also hold some hope for Thailand. Many people can now clearly see how violent this mob is, how much damage the last mob did, and they want a peaceful country.

??????

Hope you and your girlfriend are OK in Bangkok and this is soon over.

Why are the reports in the thai media so different from that in the world media?

"Three journalists, one of them a Canadian with the France 24 television channel, were shot and wounded covering the unrest, underscoring the risks facing media in the capital, where a Japanese cameraman was killed last month."

Nelson Rand, a reporter who was covering fighting between troops and protesters for France 24, was hit by three bullets from a military assault rifle and "gravely wounded", his network reported. Thai news reports he was hit in the hand????????

"The army had warned Thursday it would deploy snipers around the Reds' protest site" Are the snipers for the media to stop the real story comming out or to systymatically pop of civilians?

"The prostesters threw stones and fireworks at the troops as the two-month standoff descended into more violence". "The soldiers... had no choice but to respond to these attacks," Panitan told a news conference, adding that troops were authorised to use live ammunition in self-defence, for warning shots or against armed gunmen.

At one point troops fired directly at protesters and then advanced up a road, shooting into the air, according to an AFP reporter. STONES V'S LIVE ROUNDS yes that's an even match (<deleted>)

"Abhisit has already started civil war," top Red Shirt Nattawut Saikuar told reporters.

"We urgently demand the government withdraw the military and stop all violence," he said. "I don't know how we can survive tonight if Abhisit does not agree to a ceasefire. We hope that Abhisit does not want war."

The incident has generated a lot of comments on talk back radio in Australia and it appears that the international community is opposed to the actions of the government and the yellow shirts some calling it straight out murder of civilians by troops.

It doesn't matter which side you support red or yellow you would have to agree that the actions taken by the government is way over the top and has tarnished the reputation of Thailand in the eyes of the world. I also believe that the latest action has destroyed the tourist industry to a point of almost wiping it out.

Why is the media coverage different?

The foreign media are trying to 'hype up' this event as much as they can. Their main aim is to sell papers / media space.

The local media are trying to inform the public of what is going on - their main aim is to keep the public informed in this time of crisis in their country.

Also note - the Thai speaking media has access to much much more info than English or other language media.

Or at least that is one way to look at it. Every media has it's biases. Some state controlled media in Thailand will obviously be used to push a government line. Red media push the Red line. Both sides push out propaganda for the media to soak up....

You need to see as much as possible, read between the lines and think for yourself - but I would suggest a heavier reliance on local media to foreign.

http://www.matichon.co.th/ reporting red shirt unrest in Chiang Rai (occupying the Bangkok Bank in the town centre)? Does anyone have any further info?

Hi - I drove through Chiang Rai town yesterday afternoon and last night, although not past Bangkok Bank. Anyway I saw no Red Shirts and no sign of any tension or anything unusual.

So???

Maybe I'll go have a look at Bangkok Bank today, but I tend to doubt there is much going on here so far.

I went and had a look. Only thing I could find was a small bit of the tiled floor that looked burnt and had a minor crack.

I then went home and questioned my son again. The location where he said the motorbike was checks with the burnt tile I saw. And now, he tells me (in the typical way that Thais seem absolutely dreadful at passing on accurate information) that the police found the bomb and blew it up / disposed of it. It didn't go off itself.

So if they blew it in a controlled manner, away from the fuel tank and smothered - that all checks out with what I saw and perhaps why you didn't hear it and why it is not on any of the news services.