hansnl

"Emergency care excludes 1 million"

Yes, farangs of course!

It can't be that any farang should possibly helped with free emergency health care, can it! That would be too tourist-friendly

Tourist should have a travel & medical insurance before coming to Thailand.

Expats living in Thailand can have some kind of cover, or have to pay by themselves.

In that case, go to a state hospital, definitely payable.

Total fiscal insanity. A bankrupt nation will be the result. This little country just cannot generate enough cash flow to provide even the basics of life, You know, like Clean WATER. This is an overreach by standing government to insure their popularity without regard to the future ,Same for the unrealistic and debilitating minimum wage hike to 300 baht.f

The biggest problem in Thailand is the fact that the tax office does not have enough "contributors"

So, not enough money comes in, and too much goes out.

Bedouin 1990.

The healthcare in the US is completely delivered to insurance companies and shareholders.

It is so expensive and selective that most people not covered by a policy for a company are not able to pay the premiums.

I do not think that the US system is an example how healthcare in a society should be.

Yes, the quality seems to be fantastic, but if not available to everyone, what's the use?

And yes, I compliment you for what you did.

I know enough MD's, hospitals,that will send you away if they even think that you can not pay or have no insurance, sadly!

In my view, a general healthcare system, paid for by premiums related to wealth or income, is the best.

General healthcare should not be governed by shareholders who will always stand profit before care is if it will generate more income.

Here's a different take on the green light/red light scenario.

Many years a friend lived in the former Yugoslavia. Their impatience was immediately when the light went green they would honk their horns as if impatient for the cars in front to move.

Sometimes when hearing the horn he would get out of his LandRover, gesturing as if there was a question, and proceed to inspect all the tyres and light on the vehicle as if the horn blower was trying to warn him of something amiss. He said if he picked the right set of lights he could complete the task , get back in and drive away just as the light returned to red!

When the honking started, my engine stopped.

I have no idea why.

Thailand seems to be, as far as I know, the only country calling the winner of this hugely important contest Miss Thailand WORLD...........

It does not to be on tap.

But please, make some ale available.

Not the gnat's piss called lager......

Youngs would be nice.

Tend to agree, and there are farang <deleted> that will try and step on your territory. Seen it.

Your territory?

You own your wife/girlfriend?

Bought her, did you?

By the way, who you call farang?

You mean "chautangchat?" or westerner?

See this:

http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,4565c225b,4565c25f149,4b7cee8a1e,0.html

Enough said?

try a different dealer

I have another, completely different question--after having the initial 1K kilometer checkup done at the Toyota dealer, I noticed that the fan belt was loose, as evidenced by the fact that it would squeal every time I started the car. I took the car back to Toyota, and they fixed it in about 5 minutes. But it made me wonder: what were they doing during the 1K checkup that would require them to loosen the fan belt? Normally, this is something that would only be required if something needed replacing, like an alternator or an AC compressor, but I'm having trouble imagining what part of a 1K checkup would require this. Of course, paranoid as I happen to be, I couldn't help but wonder if they were taking some of the new components off the engine and replacing them with used or refurbished stuff, and reselling the originals.

Anybody out there know if there would be a legitimate reason for a loose fan belt after a 1K checkup? After my recent encounter with them related to the 'pinging', I'm beginning to have doubts about this dealer.

try a different dealer

I have another, completely different question--after having the initial 1K kilometer checkup done at the Toyota dealer, I noticed that the fan belt was loose, as evidenced by the fact that it would squeal every time I started the car. I took the car back to Toyota, and they fixed it in about 5 minutes. But it made me wonder: what were they doing during the 1K checkup that would require them to loosen the fan belt? Normally, this is something that would only be required if something needed replacing, like an alternator or an AC compressor, but I'm having trouble imagining what part of a 1K checkup would require this. Of course, paranoid as I happen to be, I couldn't help but wonder if they were taking some of the new components off the engine and replacing them with used or refurbished stuff, and reselling the originals.

Anybody out there know if there would be a legitimate reason for a loose fan belt after a 1K checkup? After my recent encounter with them related to the 'pinging', I'm beginning to have doubts about this dealer.

Now then, this is a very dirty idea.....

But.......

Germany helping Thailand to solve the flooding problems??????

Really?

Like they solved their Rhine problems by shoving it into The Netherlands?

Good show!

Go to Vientiane. They still issue double entry visas. Takes two days, and I'd rather spend two days there than in Phnom Penh.

But not me... Phnom Penh is an exciting city compared to the rural village of Vientiane with super-crooked police refusing to issue a fine-document and pocketting the money. Not that I pretend that Cambodian police is in any way better.... but at least they keep on smiling asking your 3 US$ for overspeed...

Have been to Vientiane a few times.

By car.

Once I spotted 4 policemen, having a chat together in a booth situated on a corner off the main road.

Kill them fast before they are able to tell someone who is the boss?????

Don Mueang should be closed all together and focus only on the Suvarnabhumi

I just don’t understand how one peson can order and dictate to business without any regard to anything, especially business conditions. What kind of democracy is she practicing

It is the business of a Government to decide what whey want to do.

Including the use of airports.

Deciding what business conditions will be is indeed the business of a Government.

That is called Democracy.

If a Government decides that there will be two airports in the Capital, one for International flights, the other for low-cost carriers and "local" flights, that is theirs to decide.

As soon as business gets to decide things, well, look around........

Are there any rail links planned between the two airports?

Yes, there are, or better, were!

It was ordered by the Government before 2006, again in 2009.

But the taxi branche...... also has a say in it.

Anyway, the choice for two airports is a good one, and the taxi operators will be glad.

Short term:

The existing rail (North and East)lines could serve both Don Mueang and Suvarnibhumi.

Some changes are needed in the signalling, a station must be built near S, a shuttle bus service between this station and S must be started

Could all be done within 2-3 months

Longer term:

A connection between the existing eastern rail line and S.

Long term:

The airport link to serve S and DM direct, not through Makassan.

I can believe the sentiments of this person are indeed right.

However.....

Much land is sold to companies, through Thai intermediaries who get a hefty slice of the money needed to buy the land and the profits.

The Russian invasion, also through Thai intermediaries, taking over Pattaya, Bangkok, and other places?

Oh dear, many Thai people get very much better out of this also.

The farang, through his wife, does not own any land, even if his money was used to buy the land.

Just get divorced and try to get your money back......

The farang through a company?

Most of them will be swindled out of their "property" some time in the future.

Mr Draper\

Most of the reactors are probably "farang"

I asked my wife, my children, what might be the reaction thay would like to ventilate.

Well, I will try to translate the heaps of words.

- Will the Isan language disappear.

No way, more and more young people in KK speak Isan on a daily basis.

- The Lao letters are understandable and readable for my wife and children.

However, the reason my wife thought the Thai "abc" should be used for Isan is to ease the learning AND politics.

- If a girl or boy is fluent in Isan and Thai why should there be any restriction or hindrance in finding a job, even in BKK

Mostly it is the skin coulour AND the accent plus the "knowing of" that decides getting a job.

- English is indeed the language of trade, not Chinese, not Japanese.

The Thai/Isan (or Lao) and English combination might work out for the best.

The fad of learning Chinese or Japanese means that the eventual candidate can only work for firms from those countries.

Chinese and Japanese students learn English.......

My wife is 100% Thai, rather dark skinned, the three children are very mixed.

One is nearly 100% the Thai ideal

Two is looking very much farang, but with a darker skin and blueish eyes

Three looks typical Thai but taller and light skinned.

My wife does not speak Isan, understand most, can read the Lao script.

The children speak Thai, Isan, English, number 1 also speaks Dutch and nr 2 also speaks German.

Hell of a combination.

But I am rather certain Isan is here to stay.

There are, nowadays, very proud young Isan people.

My thoughts about this project?

Local languageswill mostly survive and return.

See the Flemish in the north of France, Frisian in the North of The Netherlands and Germany, the revival of the various british languages...

Indeed, many centralised governments try to subdue or actively combat "accents" or "dialects" or languages, and very many times they succeed.

But lately there seem to be a reversal.

Many "local" languages will still disappear, but if there are enough speakers, that language will survive, and hopefully grow.

Succes

Hans Slobbe

I live in KK, my wife comes from Ayuddhya, speaks no Isan, but understands some.

She thinks this might be a good idea, formalizing the Isan language, bringing the language out of the background, out of the negative image it has.

However, two things are important.

- In the schools Thai and Isan shoud be teached;

- The Isan language should always be written in Thai letters and should not be in Lao letters

The why is obvious, learning two languages is difficult enough, learning two scripts is much more difficult.

Gladly would like to receive comments

People expect Yingluck to behave like an ideal politician and that sets them up for a huge disappointment. Saying that she is her brother's clone again and again also does not impress anybody anymore, her supporters think it's actually a plus.

Thai people have spoken rather loudly on the issue - they don't care as long as she smiles a lot and has Thaksin's backing, it's their choice. If she can't keep the country together and we see return of street politics and violence again, people will weigh that outcome against their liking for Yingluck, and Yingluch might win again. The outrage over killing of people on the streets might not be as big as some people hope, perhaps one smile from the PM can soothe all nation's wounds.

One day it will backfire but the country needs to learn its lessons, simply teaching Thais not to do this and that is not going to work. The outcome should be judged by how much they learn, not by how much the well-wishers teach.

I am afraid that restricting your last lines to Thai people is a bit short sighted.

Everywhere in the world people tend to forget lessons and to believe the biggest liars.

Whether you liked Margaret Thatcher or not, she had balls.

IN THE WRONG PLACE!!!!!!!!!

Of course the taxi are a part of the problem, but the traffic jams are mainly caused by individual cars.

Some thais are so proud to have their own car that they prefer to stay stuck for hours in their cars instead of using public transports.

Of course the taxi are a part of the problem, but the traffic jams are mainly caused by individual cars.

Some thais are so proud to have their own car that they prefer to stay stuck for hours in their cars instead of using public transports.

Not only Thais prefer traffic holdups before public transport.

It is a plague in all countries.

Cars are an extension of "self".

However, if you would take out 50% of the taxis from the Bangkok traffic, it would reduce the number of traffic movement by about 300,000 per day.

As such, they are rather a big part of the traffic jams.

Refusing customers is not only a Thai thing, this happens in many other countries/cities.

Happened to me last time I was in London, in Amsterdam, in Kõln.

Now I think back, the refusers were all from the middle east or the east.........

Of course it is a hindrance, but there wil always be a next taxi.

The taxi business in Thailand is like every taxi business in "developing" countries, a way of earning money.

For example, 2 years ago there were no taxis in Khon Kaen.

Now there are more than 200.

Way to many!

And the tuktuk pilots are loosing their income.

And if you need one, order by phone, the dispatcher can not be reached.....

And lately the no-meter drivers start to appear.

Is it the water or some kind of electromagnetic force field in the area? When was the last time a week went by when a farang was not involved in accidental or criminal violence, either as perpetrator or victim?

Indeed, the spate of "farang" related crimes is very much interesting.

Whatever happened to the Thai related crimes?

Or is it simply a crackdown on farang?

Try this link

http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Business/Administrators-take-over-42-Marriott-hotels

It is really unbelievable the nonsense this man thinks he has to tell to the world.

Hezbollah is not in this?

While knowing that hezbollah is paid for and connected to Iran?

No connection with the islamic trouble in the south?

No connection with KL?

Wake up!