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Most of the people of Thailand love Thaksin. He is the LEGALLY ELECTED PM of THAILAND who was ousted by the opposition leaders with the help of the military. Popular vote elected him to office. The Thai military took over when Thaksin was out of the country on a trip. If you have been in Thailand long you would know that corruption is the norm here. All politicians are basically on the take.........and them calling Thaksin crooked is quite a joke.

The politicians should play nice, as all this unrest hurts this beautiful country & it's people. JMHO

Clearly you havent been here this long but Taksin from what I understand knows what he is doing (even if its maybe not understandable to others... and not logically...))

1. Its NOT our problem. Thais have to get their hands dirty and dig him out where ever he is (g)

THAT could be a problem...

Reason is obviously that Taksin has so many contacts from his time in goverment that he likely know exactly who took

what during the last 20 odd years... He was in the police...

2. the guy has from what I heard always been kind of crooked... Like AIS which he started with a Farang who got cheated....

That guy still hasnt got his money back.

As you say, that guy also tried going to court but why he did it with Taksin as PM, NO idea.

3. He was CORRUPTLY elected. The rest of your arguments, well, they could be correct... But he wasn't legally ellected.

Wow! I'm guessing that Banga or Udon Thani (since my wife is in loei) might be the most easy for us. I'm actually working abroad right now and our plan is for me to meet up with my wife and daughter in Bangkok, get my daughters Thai passport and all head off to the states together. A flight down to Udon Thani might be easier then traveling around Bangkok together.

Can you give me an Idea of how quick the process is? My wife called and was told two or three days but I would prefer to hear from some one who has done it.

Thank You!

No idea how long it takes as I did this 23 years ago... However we went to the local place for passports with copies and originals

of all required Thai papers and farang papers. However it may save you problems and likely TIME if you can involve the USA embassy to issue all the papers needed. I still remember the time a Thai lady was annoyed as she was send on a foreign passport chase so after I talked to her she understoof that there is no way Thai immigration can take their Thai nationality away that she considered just getting a Thai passport(g). Normally thats what I have seen as best solution , Thais should come to Thailand and leave it on a Thai passport and enter the foreign country on their foreign passport... if they have one.

The penalties for wire fraud sound kind of over the top. Wire fraud is just plain old fraud done through any kind of telecommunication device.

Well, if they want to lock him up what does it matter what he gets accused off as long as its provable??

The thread title is "Thaksin Faces Criminal Case If Guilty On Feb 26". That seems the sensible, democratic, thing to do. No man is above the law. If the court finds him guilty of abuse of power then he should face criminal charges. What is so wrong with that? Yet we get his supporters on here saying not so, and dragging up the PAD, what others have or have not done, and what else Thaksin has or has not done. In short, applying the same cheap diversionary tactics as they do on most threads. Why should he not face criminal charges if found guilty? Putting him above the law would be an extremely warped view of democracy coming from those who claim to be its upholders.

I totally agree with this post. Well done Sir

BT

BIG problem as mentioned earlier is that if the person accused isnt in Thailand and ignores calls to come back?? What Then?

I see here one thing HAVING to be changed so that if you donot want to come to court to defend yourself, you are asumed to be guilty...

Ask the Bank to provide statements from the day prior to, or following the top up for the month affected. It is not a probelm at all - just look at it from a different persepective.

They would see the shortfall in his bank book.

Not necessarily as you should be able to ask for a new bankbook (like having lost the old one) and if you copy it partly ie without the takeout nobody may mind as I donot think immigration is going through all those bankbooks...

However as I mentioned elsewhere there are more honest ways of getting a good result...

Do you KNOW any of those guys properly??

This is a real long shot but maybe worth a try:

Do you have any other older Thai bank accounts that you no longer use that contain small amounts of money. if so you can combine multiple accounts to achieve the required balance.

This did once myself as my immigration office didnt like me using 2 bankbooks to get the 800000 to gether and I told them sorry, can I merge them, no problem was the answer...

I just ended up having mto make another visit!.

You are at the mercy of the Immigration Officer. Yes it is quite possible that you will be turned down.

Go and have a chat with them. You might be OK.

If you did have to start again you can get a Non Imm O Visa from a neighbouring country.

No need to go to UK.

So I could go to Mae Sai, Burma? Or would it have to be a Capital City?

I just read in a paper in my file headed Royal Thai Consulate ; " Please bear in mind that lt is highly unlikely that you will be able to obtain a Non immigrant Visa with multiple entries from any country other than your country of nationality". I am currently wanting to renew my Visa for one year. A sort of "retirement" Visa.

You donot need normally a multiple entry so if there is a way to get the visa in a country surrounding Thailand you might be able to sort it all out. Ie get visum, return, and make sure not to touch your money and that all papers are ok...

Normally I have very little problems with immigration but you experience may be different... What I normally do if I am in doubt is to ask a non related immigration office for advice so that any screwups reach my ears first...

He said he threw it in a very scientific manner - scatter logical, if you will.

So there's a science to threwing poo! Wish we had that when I was a school as sounds more interesting than chemistry and more practical in life. Can't remember ever using the periodic table after school but threwing poo could be quite useful.

I did but then I studied Chemistry... After 5 years I got offered a job in computers so I switched as there were very few jobs around years ago....

Did he belong to a red excrementist group.

More likely a brown one...

Threwing? lol

Yes, a combination of threw and throwing, both a present and past participle, new world English if you will.

On topic, lets have at it with the jokes folks.

Do you think Abhisit will just "Poo Poo" the situation?

Not likely but they can treat the thrower ofcourse, give him a cel with kee on the floors and see how he likes it....

Has anyone ever worked out just how much of his fortune was gained from corruption and whether he did actually make a couple of million reasonably fairly ?

Can't see this ending well whichever way it goes.

Well according to what I was told YEARS ago by people working here for my ex-employer they should likely have gone back 24 years as at that time they were already doing some shady things with computers...

So if you want to be sure you have to check whatever he got since working for the police...whatever for us farangs its likely better not to get involved....

Actually I have 'family' that benefited from Thaksin's populist policies (no need for quotation marks). They bought land that came for sale due to people being unable to pay their debts incurred under the loans. The former land owning farmers are now tenant farmers and paying for the privilege of living on and farming land that they used to own. (I really ought to like Thaksin .. huh? If it weren't for Thaksin's statements that democracy wasn't his goal .. well .. no not even then would I have been for him!

So I guess your family are not farmers?

As it stands at the moment if a rice farmer does not have the ready cash to buy his yearly rice seeds for planting new crops he has to borrow money from loan sharks at 10% per month. go work that one out, 120% per year!

May be a few did get carried away with the loans but not all.

Sorry, but why donot they shut the lenders down as that rate is quite illegal...

And obviously provide the money from goverment sources... Should save everybody except the mentioned loan sharks enough money...

By the way if that 10% is 10% compounded interest, its a lot more then 120%...

Thaksin's policies did hurt some people but they also helped many, 30 baht Medical care for the poor.

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didnt help at all, and hasnt helped anybody anywhere

there is no way you can provide medical care and get the money back.

AND, they tried it in many places, including eastern europe...

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Poor Thais believe that Thaksin is the only politician that cared about them, whether the policy were good or bad, he was seen as a person that cared about the poor.

They do not care if he lined his own pockets with the country's tax money!

If the powers that be were pro active they would have, worked to gain the trust of the rank and file poor rice farmers and the high inflation and low wages and falling prices of agriculture products and passed programs to aid the poor at the same time eroding the Reds hold on the poor.

I am not kidding, I would like to see the court take His money and enact programs, to help the poor! 76 billion baht could do a lot for the government in power. To show the poor there is more than one person in Thailand that cares for them. That would not cost the Thai taxpayer one satang in extra taxes!

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Problem, they should have done that as soon as he ran off.

Money spend, end of problem...

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Thaksin has used the poor, with taxpayers money, not his own and the fact that he did not pay taxes, is lost on poor hungry masses!

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well, look at who pays tax in Thailand?

probably mostly us farangs...

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Cheers

What ever happened to 'rule of law' and honoring one's own Constitution?

Can you imagine what Europe or America would be like if the people simply stop obeying their constitution and threw their leaders out of office?

What a horrible mess Thailand has gotten into when they chose the slippery slope and ousted a democratically elected leader.

They should change their country nickname from LOS to LOV (land of violence).

well, it sounds like a good way to get rid of undesirable politicians...

I thought the UK had a few of them...

they are so corrupt that when they get caught they want to be free.... kick them out as alternative...

Well, that is one way to bring about 'national Reconciliation"

Set up so-called control centers against the electoral majority.

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be honest:

since when was there ever an electoral majority in Thailand??

you donot pay means: no votes....

Now if you said FINANCIAL majority, I agree...

I donot really mind as from what you can see most Thais wouldnt know

whats the difference between Hittler and Miss Thailand...

(sorry if any miss Thailand feels insulted but I would say its the fault of OTHER ladies not knowing the difference...)

I know what I would do to sort the mess out but you wouldnt like that either.

Go back to the moment mr T entered the police and check from there on how he got his money...

And as you should know his and him/her wasnt always a different person!

There are many reports from around the world of the H1N1 vaccine causing serious health concerns

Would you please be more specific, because the information that has been made available from the various health agencies in the EU, USA, Canada and Australia all indicate otherwise.

I have written this before and I will write it again to impress upon you that your statement is inappropriate and unfounded;

The (A) H1N1 in the regions I referenced have been made the same way for the past few decades. All that is different is the strain. If people were going to have died from flu vaccines or grown horns out of their heads, we would have seen it over the past 50 years.

If folks do not want to take the locally manufactured vaccine based upon the lack of information provided by the Thai health agencies, I respect that decision. However, the Australian and French manufactured vaccines available in Thailand are safe.

Well, who knows how many cases of flue there have been since spring last year? And of WHICH flue, tested etc...

All I know is that if you wanted any details last year it was almost impossible to get and I KNOW I had 2 daughters sick with an unamed flue (As nobody took tests to see what it was...) and I myself had the flue (what ever it was and I was bloody ill from it...)

Lets say too me it sounds like the thais screwed up and as consequence likely save some thai lives...

Unintended likelyly but from what I saw last year made it kind of predictable that when Thailands vacine was ready, nobody was going to need it.... Who wants it a YEAR after the damned flue started???? Ok lets say not a year, but close....

Another post deleted

This thread must be a Mods nightmare!

It is

I think it's going to be a loooong night. Feel sorry for you...

Sorry for asking but what sort of posts get knocked out???

I cannot imagine anyone volunteering for doing this every day...

It's a step in the right direction. Only time will tell.

Why did this take 20 years so far with NO results and a month before it stops they start to look again...

I would presume it went somewhere in a shrimp-farm and Thai renter / investor lost it all...

I hope he didn't take a tuk-tuk to the airport!

A regular Farang doesn't need a tuk-tuk or taxi, he has friends here and that's cheaper...

They are visible to us at all times, and sadly when one snaps due to the situation they are in regards finances in this quiet high season the sh--t hits the fan and ,well look at some of the outragious comments posted, unbelievable statements from some 'educated expats', quite embarressing some of them!

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Comment

OK, a remark, it was claimed by the head of Phukets TOT that many hotels were very full. Always sounded a bit strange and when talking to some friends it became clear that the way the system got messed up was NOT only the politics but also trying to keep local travel agents in the loop and that while many foreigners KNOW about Internet bookings etc.... AND local ripoffs...

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Anyway back to the root cause of all this; The drivers [scapegoats] are made the villain in all this.

Consider the sheer number of tuk-tuks now,compared to the lower number of fares, and you don't have to be Einstein to see that the drivers are stuggling to meet their financial obligations, after also paying running costs, it is near impossible to earn a basic living even now , let alone after Feb.

2nd part of comment

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Consider that if things go on as they do at present (as happened last year!!) the tourist season could be almost over...

Only thing keeping it alive at present is the globel warming (oops COOLING) in Europe.

The consequence of all this is exactly what we see now!

Thais have to realise that if tourists DONOT come, there is nobody to transport.

Nobody to stay in Hotels. All I see this year is regular customers I see every year.

Those stupid demonstrations in Bangkok are the main reason, including the airport shutdown...

Put meters in the TukTuks...

Probably not an idea wanted, but it could sort everything out especially if someone travels late at night...

Use of fixed prices, helps. Helped me in Singapore years ago when my taxidriver insisted on giving me a free tour of the Island.... He didn't know I was already there for a long time...

Legalise, tax and regulate.

Silly laws can't compete against this black market.

legalize Ice ? wow... not such a good idea mate

definitely not a good idea!

I'm with makescents. Prohibition has clearly not worked. Harsher penalties basically result in higher prices, poorer quality product (overdoses and harmful adulterants), and extreme criminal activity, while use remains widespread.

If the drug trade were legalised and taxed heavily (as alcohol and tobacco are), this would result in a massive tax windfall for the government. This could be plowed straight back into healthcare, rehab, and harm prevention. Thus, the junkies pay for their own treatment, and the criminal element disappears as a bonus.

Sure not dump it back into THOSE things??

healthcare, rehab and harm prevention: stupid use of a windfall...

THEY use and sell it, their problem!

Not defending the actions of the driver by any means but didn't the guy agree to 150 then offer 100. Probably not a good idea in any foreign country over 50 baht.

always trying to find excuses to these phuket tuk tuk wanke_rs.....

i am sure you are living in Phuket.

Phuket is a s..t hole, we all know this!

Hope they will not have the idea to come to Isan! Hope Phuket will keep all its mafia!

Donot be silly, send them to Chieng Mai... Good for Taksin and his friends to get flooded by maffia!

Whatever, tuk tuk drivers and motorbike taxis, are a bloody nuisance in Phuket. I was going to be charged one time 250 baht to drive me maybe 500 m. Obviously as I knew the place where I was I drove to my customer and borrowed a lady to sit on the back of my motorbike and transport computer back to office (Almost next to police station...)

NO headache but since that time I never have used a tuk tuk or motor bike in this vilage again...

By the way, you get the same kind of problems in PATONG: IE, if you donot like the price, tell them to get lost.

Maybe they don't want to run the risk in the future,of being over run with immigrants like Europe?

Could anyone of foreseen how the UK would be effected by our pathetic immigration rules.

I think there being wise and learning from our disaster.

Maybe the Thais are worried that the standard of education in their schools will decline if they allow too many poorly educated foreigners into the country.

Having seen some of these teachers I can agree with that but it works different ways...

I cannot see them getting decent teachers from anywhere unless they provide proper salaries and work-permits and that's basically almost impossible...

Note: I have heard many people say that this is the lowest high season on record, coming after the lowest low season on record. Many do say they are seeing customers, but they are not spending much.

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Well, I haven't been recently in Bangkok, but from what I can see in Phuket the difference with other years is clear:

the regular tourists who escape bad weather are back (and I wonder how long the politicians will try to continue with global warming....) Regular customers are retired couples and to be honest, they are NOT the big spenders Thailand supposedly wants... I had a look in Patong and yes, some bars say its better then ever but also say the neighbour places are empty...

In short its the thinning out off those who are bad in running a business with in some places the extra costs that rents are short time...

People still building ( I wonder if they have any customers) and when I redid my visum in October I was in and out in 30 minutes...

NEW tourists are a different matter though as most got stung last year by those T-shirt wars and the following noise about what to do about it. Tourists have an alternative to Thailand and with a travel insurance they CAN make sure they at least have a nice holiday...

I suspect that the raise in arrivals is caused by difference in Visa trips and it likely only shows many short term trips across the borders...

For the rest I see not many things getting worse or better so anyway complaining about old rules etc could be understood if Thailand had some rules (like other countries should have) in which politicians too old can be retired... or preventing extending their period in office more then 1 time..

And maybe most of all kick all corrupt ones out of politics, NOT for 5 years: permanently! If possible kick all their near relations out as well...

hello

is it only during public holiday,election days or 24/7 all year long

does anybody has the actual legal text for that law????

PLEASE ANSWER ME........

do restaurants are allowed to sell food or do we have to convert selling suits????

and employ illegal immigrants and pay the police to employ them......

Ok, answer to some questions:

If you have a bar etc and you order a certain amount, you get it. I don't know the amount, I haven't got a bar.

If the amount is NOT big enough you are not supposed to get booze.

NO, I do not have the text as reading THAI is difficult enough to not try reading law books...

Thai civil and commercial ones are worth buying as they are one page in THAI, other page in English.

NOT expensive either and worth their money.

As far as I know, if you are a restaurant+BAR and NOT a BAR + restaurant according to some... You can serve food, but you cannot serve beer without food. As we are farang we can always insist on supplying every customer with in those cases some french fries... Thai customers or ladies, you can supply with Plah Ja.. (G) or the fish or shrimp crackers.

I donot think you will have to sell suits! And note that there is never a legal obligation to EAT the supplied food.

Keep in mind that in the past one customer without food was enough to get fined!!!