jaywalker

Shows the mentality of these idiots, they really do believe they can do as they like.

We're from the gov't & we're here to help.

Chaos.

Having to train Thais at work on machines they have never ever seen,

or probably heard about, it is a two way street you so called trainers,

have to identify skills in each individual worker, move them around the organisational

operations as needed,

I have trained people all over the world, and Thai workers i have are treated with respect,

constantly praised, constantly shown the right way ,

gentle pushing of the safety and the correct

re enforcing of methods,

I have faith in the Thai fellows here that by the end will have many feathers and skills they can wear in their hat.

Now being able to leave some of these fellows alone and watch them work to the standards set is a pleasure, and it will

all re start again as more equipment rolls into the project,

Failing to teach some one or lift skill set is a failure on the teacher / imparted skill set.

Why is it that accidents happen because "The Brakes Failed", and the "Driver Fled the Scene"?

???? I hate to be argumentative, but whatever whoever has been imparting whatever 'skills' out there still cannot seem to prevent psycho drivers and brake failures.

I sent 75 RTA trucks to SUDAN on a UN mission that had brake calipers leaking and looked like peanut butter in the brake systems (mixture of DOT4 & DOT 5 brake fluid does that)......The RTA did not give a hoot.

If up to me.....1 month, skilled technicians & 1 million baht or so of parts....Quite simple stuff really.

2 million baht total......22 year old trucks mind you.

NOPE. NOBODY listened to me....no matter that they were PAYING ME to tell them this.

Quite maddening.

any mention of Thai bus drivers being hired to drive the trains?

RIP Mr. High Speed Rail Link. We Hardly Knew Ye.

It might work out for the best. Riding on the roof of a 150 kph train is probably infinitely safer than riding in a 150 kph bus...Then again, you never know. Those pesky brakes might fail.

This will end up bankrupting the country. How the hell are they gonna pay for this?

Agreed. If they got the cash for this, why not set up some 'high speed' water management projects instead?

The first 4 words of his title say it all.."Deputy defence minister Gen[eral]"

Yeah....that's a general's uniform alright.

Is it Armani?

I have caught myself a few times with railings screwed into concrete, giving it a good shake first. Even if it "seems" pretty stable, still don't lean up on it. Also mindful of water pumps and on-demand electric water heaters in Thai resorts/hotels, you can't take anything for granted.

Well, thank heavens I've never come that close.

I recall my first ever visit to Pattaya in 1999, & had a cutie on the 10th floor of the Montien Hotel balcony.

She was scared shitless & had a death grip on the railing.

I thought it was quite humorous back then, but being a newbie, I didn't know all that much about the Pattaya Flying Club.

The balcony railing in my condo is so low I blocked the entrance with a desk to prevent flying out if I for some reason should slip near the balcony door. At least 30cm too low.

Always keep a set of jumper (car battery booster) cables with you on your balcony.

They'll be guaranteed to hook something before you hit the ground.

That's what my Dad said every time he used them....He hoped he had a set if he ever fell out of an airplane.

the first wave of retired Expat's who learned about Thailand firsthand or in the early days of the web as a cheap retirement destination are growing old now.

Chronic pain, cancer, advanced diabetes with the possibly of blindness and limb amputations, Alzheimer's disease.

Add to that, alcoholism, depression, money problems and in the case of living in Pattaya, waking up the the realization that you live in a huge lie.

On a recent trip the Soi Six, Pattaya, I saw a man who was approximately 75 years old and had the body of a Olympic swimmer. He looked great and was chatting up a 22 year old bar girl. He had the right attitude both mentally and physically. I don't think you will see him jumping anytime soon. Lets hope he can set a example for others to follow.

Make sure you find a good Thai woman to take care of you in your old age, before you lose your marbles.

I rather build up my finance to prepare myself a decade's stay in a retirement home...

I'd rather build up my finances to spend a decade in a soapy massage parlour.

Running headlong into disaster and all they're worried about is the stupid water-fight?

Cancelling the water fight might make more sense. Opps sorry forgot where I was for a second.

At least cut it back to a 2 day event in Pattaya. That's been said for eons though.

I've spoken with multiple foreign business owners and they say the same thing over and over: they CANNOT find good labor, skilled or unskilled. Several of them have offered WAY over the top salaries and benefits yet no one will come to work for them, or if they do, they never stay long.

It's part of the charm of this place. Thainess.

Yes, you can pay them 100,000 baht + per month, but if you ever yell at them they will either quit or kill you, or both, so one is forced to sit and supervise retards who, no matter HOW MANY TIMES I showed them a systematized way of doing things, just grinned at me & did it however they wanted to do it.

Quite maddening when one is put in charge of production, but then told he's not allowed to give shoe polish injections to the louts.

Let's hope justice is served.

So he has to have a re-trial, the Thai trial is voided by this??

Just asking

Technicality. Thai courts don't have jurisdiction in the US. He needs a US conviction to be punished in the US.

There was a law passed in the US that allows/mandates prosecution of US citizens who are kiddy fiddlers no matter what country the crime happened in.

Bush #2 signed it into law early 2000's.

That seems to be what happened.

He needs to be put in general population somewhere with "Kiddy-Fiddler" tatooed across his forehead for sure.

"Physicians plans to operate on his knee-cap that was injured in the crash next week."

good. sound painful. cut something else off while you are at it.

I hope they use a crowbar for a scalpel.

I got 10 baht says he manages to get better & walk again...all the way to Singapore or at least Swampy.

Driving ban???? Ya think? Vehicular manslaughter & deserves at least 30 years.

A ban on him breathing again would be more fitting.

ALSO, any retard with a tape measure (measure distance at the scene), and a stopwatch should be able to tell he was going nigh on 250 KPH or better.

AND ANOTHER thing... I got 20 baht says the ECU was damaged beyond all repair and/or will get changed out with another one, and the case will drag on for 15 years or more.

"The high class karaoke shop..."

Oxymoron definition in a sentence.

Here's another oxymoron...

"Previously, officials had closed the shop."

"Mr.Chakorn (Sheriff) Received complaints the shop was open as usual."

Shouldn't it usually be closed?

Having to train Thais at work on machines they have never ever seen,

or probably heard about, it is a two way street you so called trainers,

have to identify skills in each individual worker, move them around the organisational

operations as needed,

I have trained people all over the world, and Thai workers i have are treated with respect,

constantly praised, constantly shown the right way ,

gentle pushing of the safety and the correct

re enforcing of methods,

I have faith in the Thai fellows here that by the end will have many feathers and skills they can wear in their hat.

Now being able to leave some of these fellows alone and watch them work to the standards set is a pleasure, and it will

all re start again as more equipment rolls into the project,

Failing to teach some one or lift skill set is a failure on the teacher / imparted skill set.

+1 So, so true...

They are capable of learning, just like everybody else, it's just finding the right way to communicate with them.

I've noticed over the last few years that some of them turn out to be very reliable, honest and professional and are really proud to do a good day's work.

Training and praise go a long way.

Last sentence....Sounds like you are training a golden retriever.

Better to blame Mercedes Benz for it and sue them.....

Yes. I'm sure the "Brakes Failed."

Every time I read about a multi national plans to open a mega factories and manufacturing base in Thailand

I ask myself where are they going to get the work force from where by the average Thai worker become

to be not interested in getting their hand dirty and runs away from the menial hard work leaving it to workers

from neighboring countries.....

The few I worked with wanted nothing less than to MILK the job. They'd have air ratchets & impact wrenches laying at their feet & wanted to do everything manually.

They also had the organizational skills and attention spans of a gnat (the little bug that flies hither & thither & drives you nuts).

I REALLY wanted to fire one guy, but couldn't as his brother would have quit.... The company owner didn't want to lose the older brother so kept the younger guy on.

AAAARRRGHHH!

"Twatchai Yongkittikul, adviser to the Thai Bankers’ Association, states that the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) asked for higher fees yesterday."

Am I the only one that thinks Twatchai is a fitting name for many in officialdom?

"We keep asking ourselves, when are the police going to be ashamed enough to do the right thing?"

Sadly, probably never.

I grew pretty much every gray hair I have, and lost a lot of it (I was tearing it out) working with Thai folks.

They just couldn't grasp so many things.

NEVER AGAIN.

So many lies, just so many lies..... How can people even look in the mirror in the morning.

I doubt that's a concern for her, as every mirror she looks at breaks.

The guy in the yellow suit sitting next to him looks smug , i bet it was him what done it , he is a creepy charactor ,ive seen him around Pattaya lots of times .

I actually walked out of McDonalds once & saw one of these buggers out the corner of my eye & almost jumped thru my skin!

Perhaps if the local 'pets' weren't left out in the streets day & night things like this might not happen.

Sounds more like some lady that was bonkers & living the same way decided to put them out of their misery.

I like Asian correspondent, they run as close to the bone as any Asian outlet on a range of issues. Good article.

on the topic at hand. The double standards are as clear as day, and they are allowed to stand ONLY because those who are positioned to physically change them choose not to. We can only guess why vested interests, personal enrichment, cronyism etc etc

It is a national disgrace. And poignantly the BP did an article about how the evidence in the mushroom pickers case was strongly suspected to have been fabricated by local influential figures in Kalasin.

I would think that by now the Benz driver's goose is cooked. He will get convicted but will flee before incarceration. Something which again is a double standard, Thai and foreign criminals are both flight risks, however foreigners are the only ones who must surrender their passports while its Thai nationals who seem to have form for actually fleeing.

All in all, appalling show

Yes that is a good article that makes some very good points.