Lannig

Another futile reason for more border shootings by obtuse leaders?

I have to admit that he makes Prayuth almost look like a nice person. Well, almost.

Willy-waving contest taking place here, I see

The Chinese have managed to have a "closed circuit" internet because they have local equivalents of Google, Line, Facebook etc.

If the junta want to reach the same level of insulation from the free internet (and I have no doubts they do) then they must bring up acceptable replacements for these immensely popular services.

I don't see any Thai company, even with massive funding from the government, being able to reach this goal.

That's where they will fail IMO. This might sound silly to some, but having to give up their favourite social networks for lame half-baked dysfunctional erzats might well be what will cause the Thai youth to stand up!

Oh wait... actually they might ask the Chinese to do that for them. That's a possibility.

Cha-am is still nice and quiet though.

Cha-Am? where in Cha-Am if I may ask?

My Thai family has pulled me there by my hand once while we were staying in HH because it was (quote) less a farang place (end quote).

Indeed, it really looked like what middle-class Thais love i.e. beaches packed with armchairs and unmbrellas touching each other, constant bugging by food, toys and whatever vendors, loudspeakers playing loud music and constant announcements ("owner of car XX1234 please come move your car"). This plus garbage thrown everywhere. Not many westerners, right.

Must be another place in Cha-Am you're talking about, or has the place been cleaned up? (my going there was at least 2 years ago)

Better call it Ministry of Digital Censorship and Eavesdropping, because that's what it's going to be.

(...)

Instead, I believe after living there since 2003, that it always will be what it is now, an expensive sea resort town with mostly dirty and un-attractive beaches that gets flooded during the weekends with Bangkok upper class.

Haven't been there in almost two years, what you wrote does apply to the beaches downtown. However I've always found the ones near Kao Takiab fairly nice, reasonably clean and without those sharp rocks you get wounds from downtown.

Has it changed?

Only major annoyance was the jellyfish of course.

Back to the topic: I recall flying once with my special one back to BKK from there many (15+) years ago. We came to the airport so much in advance that we had ample time to walk by the beach and sit down. The security surrounding the runway was so relaxed that we literally ended up sitting within meters from the runway and watched a plane land. Quite a sight. Must have changed today I guess.

Betel?

I've had both (2WD models though)

Comparable reliability generally speaking but quite some trouble with Isuzus on electrical accessories when getting old.

Isuzus have much better resale value due to their much lower fuel consumption. Not quite an issue right now with low fuel prices but times will change.

Toyotas have more bang and are much smoother and quieter to drive.

Isuzus are easier and cheaper to fix as far as the engine is concerned. Roadside mechanics don't seem to like the Toyotas much.

Just my 0.02฿

Strange that he was ejected from the car in what appears to be a frontal shock and the windshield isn't busted.

Sorry - don't know another fine word for making people really uneasy -> thus abandoning their assets for portion of the real value -> fleeing across the borders leaving easy pickings.

If that's an idiom I missed it then. English not my first language.

Firesale? we're bordering nonsense here.

At least because if the sh*it really hits the fan hard, most of expats will have little time to sell their stuff before leaving.

Don't know which Thai people you talk to, but I've often heard things along the lines of "there will be unrest, big unrest sooner or later" told when speaking with the people I know enough to discuss these things. Mind you, my Thai base camp is in a red place.

Yes, the doomsday rhetoric will only be really tested when a certain even takes place. Well, 6 months or a year later really, when the country emerges from the shock. Until then, I do agree that it's nothing but fears, although unlike you I think that these fears have solid grounds.

The xenophobia that is patiently instilled into the minds of the Thai people by the big man at the top will have consequences in case of major unrest. Scapegoats will be sought, at least by one of the parties.

That just sounds elitist and a means to gain from self-ensued panic - nothing more nothing less

To gain what? I definitely have nothing to gain. Like many people here I guess, there are Thai people I deeply care for. Imagining them possibly in danger in a country that has fallen in complete chaos, being kept away from them (I'm not a permanent resident anymore) is a terrible thinking that keeps me awake sometimes.

Nothing to gain, really.

I think that the Thai people are being held with an iron fist precisely because the man at the top now fears what's going to happen next when... you see what I mean. He, above all, has good reasons to fear that chaos could ensue and he (wrongly IMO) believes that the tighter the fist is, the better are his chances to avoid it.

Laugh away, people. I think that Marcusd is right to the point. And no, I don't take meds either.

This has been told to me almost 30 years ago by a wise old man, that the country could explode the day that unavoidable event we can't speak will take place. And the situation then was much, much cooler than now, the country was far from being as divided as it is today, with two factions hating each other to death. So it's definitely more true.

Get ready to pack when "it" happens.

So you've been waiting since the eighties for this "it" to happen - no resolution - and still fearmongering?

Edit: not to mention the numerous coup's that have happened...

No I haven't, because this event has been something very distant in the future and not quite real until a couple of years ago.

But this warning from an old wise man has remained imprinted in my mind anyway.

I saw the shootings from fairly close in 2010 and that convinced me that there was only one single reason why this country hasn't fallen into a civil war yet.

Laugh away, people. I think that Marcusd is right to the point. And no, I don't take meds either.

This has been told to me almost 30 years ago by a wise old man, that the country could explode the day that unavoidable event we can't speak will take place. And the situation then was much, much cooler than now, the country was far from being as divided as it is today, with two factions hating each other to death. So it's definitely more true.

Get ready to pack when "it" happens.

Note: the article deals with Windows 10 on Samsung computers not phones (do they even produce Windows-based phones? not sure)

Unbelievable IMHO that a company the size of Samsung can fail like this on Windows 10 driver updates. Especially because they do not write most of these drivers themselves, they come from the companies they buy the graphics, audio etc. chips and the mainboard chipsets from.

A week from the beginning of the Euro and this country is in a big mess. The strikes (railways etc.) are being diluted in all the closures due to the flooding. Scenery in several places south of Paris isn't pretty. It reminds me of what I lived in 2011 in Thailand. Except it's cold! This june feels like an (exceptionally rainy) october.

กลลวง (khon luang) is "fraud" as per thai2english, so probably a good translation.

The two first lines copied just contain transliterations of "scammer" and "scam"

"Scammer" keu arai? (what is a scammer?)

"Scam"

Third line must be something like "how to protect oneself from scammer's actions" (I guess, from a quick look)

Colloquial :

สิบแปดมงกุฎ

"Sip Paet Mongkut" literally "18 Crowns"

Use this and you will impress your Thai friends too!

Patrick

I am impressed. Thai2english.com even translates it properly.

I will certainly try reusing this with my Thai pals

Told ya

Was launched here with great publicity. I went to watch it based on the name.

It's terrible. One of the worst movies I've ever seen. Pathetic, vulgar and not even funny at all which is kind of a problem for a comedy.

A long, long way from "Hangover" (even the sequels that weren't as good as the first one)

Side note: "Hangover" was released here under the "french" title... "Very bad trip". Go figure.

Mods, please put this thread where it belongs please: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/269250-worst-joke-ever/

Well, this means "cheating" more generally.

I don't know of a specific word for scammer, but in such situation I often hear ขโมย (kamoy = thief) or คนหลอก (khon lohk = "person who bullsh*ts")

Probably colloquial, I don't mix with hi-so people much

Expect such schools appearing in Thailand soon, I think that the Thai society is progressively getting ready for this.

With probably much applause from the usual crowd of TV members who see muslims with knives in their mouths everywhere and see Thailand as the last haven against a muslim-invaded west.

Except that in Thailand, such schools would also (if not more) aim at "protecting" the Thai youth from the evil western influence.

These "plans" were a big thing of the communist USSR.

We all know how well it has worked for them.

I can, however, see how the man currently running this country would take inspiration from them, communist aspects put aside there are resemblances between him and a Brejnev...

Side note: I've always been troubled by the fact that despite their display hatred for communism, there are many aspects of the Thai society that would fit a communist society e.g. selling the same products at the same price everywhere, avoiding competition and free trade at all costs.