hansnl

Hope this isn't Abhisit's idea. Doesn't make him look too clever.

If they want tourists to come back:

1. Devalue the baht by 50%

2. Open up the National Parks for free.

3. Sack any BiB/government official found guilty of targeting/scamming tourists.

All of them?

Been all around kk city last month, unable to find a decent 2-3 br house for rent.

Members who live khonkaen and seen house for rent lately, please please PM me.

Limit 15 K.

Some questions come up:

Where in Khon Kaen do you want to rent, centre, around the centre, suburbs?

What kind of house do you want to rent, bungalow, one floor, more floors?

You want to rent empty or furnished?

You want to park a car on the premises, in front of the house?

Motorbike?

And so on

Let me know?

Why is this 12th page story (if it even deserves that) so significant ?

Just because it involved Italians ?

Sheesh ... are we THAT bored ?

Farang?????

There is a transparent license plate cover you can buy that some how makes it not possible to photograph or record the plate with an optical lens. I used something called "Photo Blocker Spray" in the USA, you just spray the plate and it overexposes the image of your license plate when photographed but for a recognition system you need a "Phantom Plate"

The machine mentioned will read your plate.

Rumour also said that hairspray could block reading, not true.

The picture is made, and by twiddling the controls of the computer where the police can read he pictures, they can even read plates that are covered by mud.

What a bunch of dim-witted censorious moralists!! You actually seem to think that the mere carrying of drugs is evil, and that taking them is terrible, and that this poor woman deserves this sentence. You obviously think that prohibition is sensible and right.

The "war on drugs" is an idiocy that has created most of the criminality in the world today and cost society untold billions and untold misery. Drugs should be decriminalised and state-controlled, with support and care for addicts. That policy would be an immense improvement on the current state of affairs worldwide (except in a few enlightened European countries), costing the whole lot of us far far less in taxes and suffering.

People who support the current drastic penalisation of drug-takers and drug-traders are simply out to lunch.

HEAR, HEAR

The small ones are taken.

The big ones stay out of range.

And continue doing their evil.

I would exchange Suvarnibhumi any day for Don Mueang

many people cited the "barmat incident' as one of the causes and blame it on thais.... but actually its the FARANG OWNER of the bar who is the ass hole at the origin of the problem , he called the cops over a barmat that a DRUNK customer was playing around with .... and then he pushed to file a suit against her .... this guy should be hanged by the balls and his bar confiscated for being such a prick ... i sincerely hope that his bar will be boycotted ...

Oh, come on!

Of course the bar owner was stupid, but I guess the police & all made themselves the laughing stock by getting serious about it.

Most of the comments in the foreign press was about the way the police & all operated.

The barowner was just a sideline.

I think the last drunk Sexpat in Pattaya has a better understanding about Tourism than any of their specialists.

Ban dual pricing

copy the visa regulations from any other country

make a unit of Farang police who hunts scammer

I think the planning could be done in not more than 2 days.

To fix the worst problems would need not more than 2 month.

again, all of these things are specific to people who live here. they are not the things which are putting off the farang who want a fortnight on the beach.

On the other hand, might those living here not convey their negative vibrations to the shorttime visitors?

In these situations the borderlines are somewhat diffuse, mainly because there is no obligation to stay or to come.

There is more, and maybe better choice available.

And the number of those who decide to leave or not to come is growing.

Very fast, and definetely.

Is it required or advisable to put stickers on the windshield showing insurance and such? I would rather have the increased viewable area than cover the space with those big opaque squares.

I guess the insurance stickers are a thing of the past.

When renewing the insurance for the car and 2 motorbikes this year, no sticker was supplied.

Crap Airline, Crap staff. Next.

Well, be a sport, please supply me with the name of an airline which is not crap, including the staff.

Saving face is the modus operandi of the country. I don't trust this gov't. I didn't trust the previous one and I don't trust the one in my own country.

When this virus mutates and when people starting getting really sick, you trust them to tell us? There goal is to prevent panic--and how do we panic, we start washing our hands and taking care of ourselves.

AHHHHHHHHH

Deny here is a problem and it will certainly disappear?

I don't trust politicians.

They are only in politics for the power.

Not for the money, now, that will come later.

How do we reconcile this behaviour and lack of law enforcement with human rights? Many of us are prepared to shrug this off, but the police's response is as bad if not worse than the debt collectors. As we've noted before, many of these loan sharks are related in some way or another to police even being police people themselves. I am sure in a small place like Chaiyapoom the police would at least be familiar with the lender. The chicken vendor is powerless to do much because she is poor.

By-the-way does anybody know the law regarding the use of the Taser? They sell them openly on Silom and around tourist areas, and wondering if there are rules against using them. I've got one for self-defense. I bought it when the PAD were threatening to block junctions last December....Mine was the most powerful one sold by the stall, and it can apparently kill a dog and knock out a human.

Then I wish that one day someone will try his taser on you.

Well.....not really!

And pray, what were your plans relating to the PAD, using one taser against 20,000 people, or somethingh like that.

Of course, you could always ask some people to hold hands, and then use the taser on the first one in the row.

Very funny!

But, remember, someone with a weak heart, a pacemaker, asthma, can be knocked out definitely.

Which is called....murder.

A taser, even the weak ones, are arms.

And as with all arms, you should know how to use them.

Learn what they can do, how to keep them safe, how to use them in the right way.

And also learn to accept the consequences when you use the thing.

Mind you, even the official users often don't know how to operate arms.

I looked at expedia.com for bkk- heathrow- bkk before I went to bed last night and was happy to see a price of 475 with Emirates (of which I,m a skywards member) When i got up and went online to book its now 670 pound Price up 200 pound in 10 hrs !! Oh well back to the drawing board...

Any promos comin up does anyone know. I travel 5th Aug. Cheers

Now there was a good chance if you would have logged in from another IP-address you would still get the lower price offered.

It is known that a lot of companies, in any branch, have that stunt.

Hi,

Today my wife brought home papers she has to sign saying she is married to a farang.

Without being able to read thai its hard to get to the bottom of this.

From what i can gather is that the goverment think all farang are rich and now should start donating money to the poor people in their areas.

I take it as an extra way for local governments to raise extra revenue at the expense of thai ladies married to farangs.

Does anyone else know anything about this ?

Cheers

Why not delay filling out the papers?

No pen, don't understand, have not time to do it now, whatever?

Take the time to find out what it is all about, who gave her the papers, and where to deliver?

Get it translated a.s.a.p., then you know what it means.

And react to it as when as you know where it is all about.

Maybe then, publish your findings at ThaiVisa?

If I or the wife gets papers, I want a translation.

Period.

Hi,

Today my wife brought home papers she has to sign saying she is married to a farang.

Without being able to read thai its hard to get to the bottom of this.

From what i can gather is that the goverment think all farang are rich and now should start donating money to the poor people in their areas.

I take it as an extra way for local governments to raise extra revenue at the expense of thai ladies married to farangs.

Does anyone else know anything about this ?

Cheers

I think this is a wonderful idea!

What do I get for it?

Citizenship/land rights , Not in this lifetime!

Dave

Nothing!

Just another push to leave the ship?

Being under the age of 50 years old but married I have limited grounds to apply for a non-immigrant

After reading on this forum and other similar forums I again thought to ask the Pattaya/Jomtien immigration could I apply for my needed VISA using monthly income. At the same time a friend was in the office as well asking the same question.

The outcome; same question, same time, same office....two different answers!

I was told I could not use income in my application, I had to deploy 400 000 baht in a Thai bank account for 2 months prior to application while my friend was told he could apply using income but had to show one year as evidence.

In both our cases we can produce the needed documentation the correct route but the fact the procedure changes even within the same office tells there are little credibility in what they say and it's likely to change before any documentation has been provided.

All I want is to being able to stay in Thailand holding the correct VISA, I want to provide the correct documents and what to do it correct and as the law states.

I come to the conclusion that I am not wanted in Thailand and accept it. For the first time in 10 years I leave to go to work without knowning when I can return. My family (wife and daughter) are left behind and must live with the uncertain future as well.

Another thing that come to my attention today was the near empty immigration office, before when I visited it has always been very busy but today it was less then 10 people inside! A sign that more people like me accept the message and have left to safer shores?

If you are married, what would prevent you from returning with a single entry or multiple entry "O" visa?

Of course. poster might come back with a single or multiple O-visa.

But that is not the point.

I suppose the idea behind this posting is the way different officers seem to be using different rules.

Or, not really know the rules, or bending the rules depending on the way breakfast or lunch is digesting, or maybe even the dislike of one's face.

Far be it from me to know, I am just juggling my thoughts.

Or maybe, just maybe, because the way the rules are changed all the time.

Or maybe, the poster is just one of the many who cannot abide with this any more, or is getting fed up with a lot of things?

To the point of contemplating to leave.

Thing is, there are a lot of people out here, having a wife and children, taking care of them, are getting more and more uncertain if they can remain caring husbands & fathers.

Not about the money, not about the will to keep on doing what they do, but because of the "rules".

Yes, and maybe, just maybe, people are feeling more and more that we are not really welcome any more.

The money is, probably.

From what little Public TV I watch I must say that I totally concur, but it's a supply and demand thing, many Thai people seem to love it, so the power that be keep bring it to them, and the public is buying the sponsors products so the public at large is getting what it pay for.

Advertisements, commercials and sponsoring will kill off, eventually, any quality tv.

The demand for less quality is cultivated as much as possible, because acceptance of even lower grade "amusement" gives the producers the key for making programs on the cheap.

The growth of the sale of sponsor's products is highly debatable.

Mostly the expected growth does not materialise, resulting in even less investment, even less quality of the programs.

But because there is nothing else available, people keep on looking to the detoriating programs on offer.

The reality is that program makers, advertisement people and sponsors all underestimate the viewers, a decline of the number of people that indeed look to the program will set in.

The answer from the stations is the airing of more extreme programs.

Programs about accidents, crime and war, all becoming more and more graphical will be the next steps taken by the advertisement and communication people.

Also high scoring are program that are designed to get amusement out of degrading other people.

And so on, and so on.......

Please refrain from using the term "Public TV".

The TV you can see in Thailand is Commercial TV.

Pure!

Public TV is free, or ought to be free, of commercial influence or governmental influence.

Period.

Since this was plummeting down the page, (not too many successes for people to harp about) I will bump it back up since I would dearly like to know of the specific successes that the current government has had in the last 6 months.

Spin away spinmeisters.

I invite you to try to govern Thailand, or any given country, in the economic mess the world is in at the moment

It was said his government would not be there within a couple of months.

Well, he is still there, and doing his best.

He definitely did what he could do and had to do, notwithstanding the powerhungry man, and his "believers", who is doing his utmost to kill Thailand from abroad for personal gain, out of spite, and with complete disregard for everybody and the needs of the country.

That is, excluding his cronies of course.

When there is money to be earned, safety goes out.

Hotels, railways, airlines, ferries, buses, anywhere.

i have returned to bangkok for my regular 4 month visit.....as i dont like to carry too much cash i decided to make my withdrawal from the ATM at the airport for my deposit on my apartment.

i took out 20,000 baht and 15000 baht as the limit is 20.

when i checked my bank statement online th efollowing day i was horrified to see a total cost of

$18 nzd ( new zealand )

$14 nzd

150 baht x 2 atm fees and my own bank fee of $6 per transaction...thats a whopping $ 58 nzd to take out 1500 buks.....

is that standard or is something wrong here can anyone help or suggest what i do....i cannot keep taking out smaller amounts and keep losing this kind of money.

Welcome to the world where the banks are the reason for the financial crisis we are in.

The same banks that are helped by various governments.

And the same banks who then start to grab money from everybody on a scale that might be called criminally obscene.

Banks and insurance companies, everywhere in the world, are legalised criminal organisations.

Smuggling soars after excise hikes

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/06/11...ss_30104856.php

on June 11, 2009

Border officials have been overwhelmed by smuggled cigarettes, diesel and liquor after the government hiked excise taxes on the items.

Contraband cigarettes have flooded the country, increasing tenfold. Oil smuggling is the second biggest problem.

The Finance Ministry will soon ask the Cabinet for a Bt900 million budget to suppress those illegal imports.

Deputy Finance Minister Pruttichai Damrongrat said yesterday that after excise duties on those three products were raised to help offset the shortfall in other tax collections, smuggling at the border including in Ubon Ratchathani, Surin and Sa Kaew had flourished.

Seized cigarettes multiplied by 10 times from the 83 cases where arrests were made last month.

Fines surged from Bt790,000 in April to almost Bt10 million last month.

Black-market diesel oil also increased with two big cases involving 17,000 litres and 16,000 litres.

Liquor was less of a problem with an average of 10-15 cases per month because the tax rate has already reached its legal ceiling.

However, border authorities need to beef up their manpower, as they only have 600 officers to curb the illicit trade, he added.

Hmmmm

900,000,000 needed to suppress.......how much was it?

Hi

Afraid Suvanaphum does not feature in top10

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8090767.stm

TBWG

Oh really?

So Strange

Thai Airways International (THAI) will raise its fuel surcharge by US$10 per flight on routes to and from Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

The increase will be effective on Friday, THAI executive vice president Pandit Chanapai said on Wednesday.

The increase is in line with the rise in global oil prices, he said.

"I do not believe raising the fuel surcharge will affect the ticket sales of Thai Airways since the increase is not a lot," Mr Pandit said.

(Bangkok Post)

I wonder if the prices were already lowered when the oil prices went down?

Looking at the map posted on the first page of the thread, there is an interesting situation appears -

Look at the degree of road development on the Malaysian side of the border compared to the Thai side. It certainly seems, just from that, that development in the deep south has been repressed to a level far behind the Malaysian northern provinces - was that a concious military-led decision? Remember the southern Thai provinces were the main point of Japanese landings in December 1941 - maybe someone has a long memory and is fearful of such actions and rapid conquest again?

Regarding securing the border provinces - look again at the map - creating a roughly east-west demarcation line using the northernmost (western) section of the Thai-Malay border heading east to the Gulf of Thailand would place the troubled provinces into a "pocket". Provided the troubles were retained south of the hypothetical demarcation line, the actual central and southern border then becomes easier to police and secure. The problem lies in needing a US-Mexico style fence line, or East Germany - West Germany wall of the type used in the Cold War - I'm not convinced Thailand and Malaysia have the will of the resources to establish such a "fence" - afterall, they're not Israel.

The only solution to the South is meaningful and reconciliatory dialogue, but how do you reconcile with an adversary whose position is non-negotiable, and whose intent is to exterminate all who are not like-minded?

I'm still unclear of the purpose of the insurgency - I sometimes here the term "separatists" used, but to what good would seperatism be pursued? The three southern provinces are highly unlikely to be viable as an independent state, and it's extremely unlikely Malaysia would want them under their wing. It all seems to be too much like the lost vision of objectives that collapsed the "insurgency" in Northern Ireland, and like that province, it seems Southern Thailand is suffering from a proliferation of too many factions with discordant aims.

... Then again, I've not had my second coffee of the morning yet, so I'm not thinking clearly this early in the day.

re. "an East Germany - West Germany wall of the type used in the Cold War"

Actually the 'Wall' was in Berlin, and it was just a few miles long and frequently breached.

Having served in Northern Ireland I know from personal experience how difficult [perhaps impossible] it is to 'subdue' an entire region. The whole point of Guerilla/Terrorist tactics is that a small number of 'insurgents' can harrass and tie up legions of defenders. There are no easy solutions to such conflicts.

Without facts none of us has the right to pre-judge the cause of this horrid incident. Those posters who claim 'it must be the Army', or 'it must be another faction' are not doing anybody a service. Both possibilities exist.

What is a simple historical fact is that the region was NOT part of old Siam. It was independent, and so there will always be some 'locals' willing to create mayhem, and kill all who oppose them. From the little I know I believe that the 'rabble rousers' in many of these locations are NOT locals at all. I have been to some of the trouble spots, and seen Pakistanis, Arabs and other 'radicals' doing their utmost to create yet another 'front' in the war with the Infidels.

As somebody who has 12 years experience of Thailand I am personally quite alarmed at the influence that some Arabs are now exerting here. Surely all of you have seen the HUGE Mosques being built all around the country ? Whatever the long term agenda of 'ordinary decent people' on all sides, it is an inescapable fact that some Islamic groups seek World Domination, and the Conversion or Extermination of all 'non believers'.

Quite so.

Spied by friends in NL on a rather seedy website in Holland, run by rather unsavoury Moroccans, a plan to organise a demonstration at the Thai Embassy against the atrocities and cruelty by the Thai army and police against peaceful people from Islam

Where did I hear rhetoric like this before?

Hate breeds hate.

Intolerance breeds intolerance.

Killing breeds more killing.

An eye for an eye, a life for a life.

No doubts about that.

The consequenses of this act will be grave, the fact who might have done it is insignificant.

Whoever did it, the non muslims will be blamed.

And the violence will get nastier.

As everywhere where Islam borders other religions.

Have a look at the map!