hansnl

Police bust swinging party, arrest 13 foreign men

BANGKOK: -- Police raided a swinging party in a Bangkok hotel late Wednesday night and arrested 13 foreign men, seven Thai women and three foreign women.

The raid took place at 0:15 am Thursday at the Elizabeth Hotel on Praditpat Road in Samsen district.

Police also arrested a couple - Christian Richards and his Thai wife, for allegedly organising the swinging sex tour.

When police raided the room No 1101 on the 11th floor of the hotel, police found several couples were having sex in the same room while others were drinking and dancing.

Police found used condoms, lubricant gel, porno books and CDs and 30 pills of Viagra.

-- The Nation 2009-02-05

We all know that Thai women don't do things like this.

Only Farang do this.

They make nice Thai women bad!!!!!!!!

Bangkok governor seeks to annul purchase of fire vehicles

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra is now seeking to annul the Bt6.68billion purchase of fire vehicles from an Austrian supplier.

On Monday, he has already signed a letter urging the Office of Attorney General (OAG) to ask the Civil Court to void the purchase contract or at least prevent the payment of the next instalment temporarily via an injunction.

Sukhumbhand has based his decision on the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) conclusion that the purchase is mired in corruption.

"Looking into the ruling, I believe there is no other choice but to bring this case to the court," Sukhumbhand said Tuesday.

He also announced that he was ready to accept the consequences of his action.

"I have to do this even though I may end up being bankrupt," he said, "I can't just stay on and do nothing".

Sukhumbhand's predecessor, Apirak Kosayodhin, resigned shortly after being re-elected as Bangkok governor because NACC recommended legal action against him for his role in the fire-vehicle scandal.

-- The Nation 2009-02-03

Maybe, just maybe, it might be a better idea to try to get a better price.

Guess that will be cheaper in the long run.

Thru the Garden Section I have been advised of a product "Bayer Sevin" To eradicate lawn grubs (it does other insects as well) - Has anyone run across a shop/store in Khon Kaen that sells such insecticides??

Try Home Pro & Global House!

What just a month ago everyone was going on about how it was looking up that British born Abhisit was to be PM. Now, everyone is slagging him off - is it soemthing to do with the fact that he doesn't like College girls earning extra income by selling their bodies on the internet?

I don't think we can expect him to be puking out new policies left, right and centre as Obama is, Obama has a h3ck of a lot more money behind him - another post here was stating that he was handed a reserve less than a month's worth of civil servant wages! Not a lot to build on. Thaksin made no end of promises, predictions and policy statements - mostly to fool the rural vote into thinking he was a savior that loved the struggling underclasses. Many promises and predictions turn out as hot air, and many of the policies he did put in '30 baht medical' etc sounded good, but never worked - many of the others helped him and his family and companies, but not many others - and certainly not the working classes and below.

I think we need to give him more time before we make a judgement and give him enough rope - this country really doesn't need more change that's for sure.

I guess this reaction could be classified as well balanced?

Compliments.

I wouldn't know about your grotmags, but I think you have to concede the point about the site being in Thai.

Even those of us that can read Thai to some extent would find it quite daunting to 'frequent' Hi5Thai due to the use of slang, colloquialisms and miss-spellings - if the girls are advertising in Thai, its more than just likely that they are after Thai 'clients' not farang.

Oh, I was only responding to the post about not having Thai chicks in bikinis in Thai magazines, which is completely untrue. And I do agree that the use of slang on places like Hi5 or Camfrog presents a problem for non native speakers, sometimes I don't know what they're saying and the words aren't in my dictionary. But I've found most people in those places to be very understanding. Hmm...think it's time to log on to Camfrog.

And I was only relating to the magazines my wife & children buy and read.

Besides, I tried to be as ****** as I think the Tai authorities handle the internet, magazines, films & all.

I never thought I would be happy to see this, GBP Pound Sterling 50.2412 THB at 2333 today.

Not so long ago it was 50 baht against the Euro

Now, that were the times

I hope they get the guy, maybe the Dutch police can assist. Things are pretty well organized in Holland, if you want to live somewhere you have to register. It is possible but would be hard to stay in the country without leaving some sort of paper trace. Its much easier to stay in an asian country without leaving a paper trace.

As a Dutch person you can sign out in Holland but you do not have to register yourself at the Dutch Embassy in Thailand if you don't want to.

Having yourself signed out of the Netherlands is not a problem, however, if you do not want to pay any more taxes and premiums in that country, you have to prove that you are living somewhere else, outside NL

So, if the authorities really want to find you, possible.

Going back to Holland, and having a Dutch passport, your passport will only be checked if arriving by air from outside the EU.

And that happens in all the countries of the EU.

After that, you are allowed to travel freely through all the countries of Europe.

If you want to rent or buy a house in Holland, then you have to be registered as living in Holland.

If you kip in with friends, rent room or flat without registering, well, you can stay of of sight for a very long time.

However, if someone is on a search list, it becomes more difficult to stay hidden, a mobile phone, an ATM-card, are all give-aways.

I agree, if he dunnit, get the bastard.

PM tells ICT to crack down on prostitution portal websites

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Monday that he had instructed the Information and Communication Technology to crack down on websites, which allow students to post messages soliciting sex clients.

Abhisit said the ministry was taking actions against the sites.

He said the prostitution by students was influenced by wrong value so there should be campaigns to have students change their value.

He said the government is launching the campaigns through education as well.

-- The Nation 2009-02-02

The next step in closure of the internet for Thailand?

Even more misguided "good values"?

Even more graphical violence on TV and video's?

Even more blanketing of body parts?

Even more denial of reality?

Today having a meal in a restaurant together with wife and children.

Two military (40-50 yrs) men came in, followed a moment later by a women with two girls of a nearby school, quite young.

My daughter is in the same school, and know the girls to be 14-15 years old.

Cash changed hands with the woman, she said something like I brought you the girls, have fun, and I am off.

But of course, this is probably just two uncles having some food with two cousins, yes?

This of course does not happen in Thailand!

Only farang do this!

And they make the nice Thai girls bad!

If you have a look in a Thai magazine, and a woman is depicted in bikini, it always is a farang woman.

Never a Thai, because obviously, Thai woman do not do that, only farang woman are bad.

I feel shocked that Thai authorities depict farang woman in magazines in less clothing as Thai woman.

Shame to be so rude to the farang.

The thing is, that most farang are not able to read Thai, so it is obviously an all Thai thing.

Wonder how this will be manipulated to be able to blame the farang for this too.

Ahhhhhhh, internet of course is a farang thing!

Simple!

I thought they were sitting on large amounts of foreign reserves. Why do they need to borrow money?

And that is the 270 Billion Baht question.

Devaluation would be the answer, if the reserves were less.

But now the solution seems to be a slowdown of the economy eating up all the reserves.

And that means a lot of trouble for the not so rich 80% of the Thai population.

PM Abhisit: International business still wants to invest in Thailand

BANGKOK: -- The international business community still wants to invest in Thailand, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva affirmed on his return Sunday from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland, where the WEF organisers proposed to lead world business leaders to Thailand to explore investment opportunities in June this year.

The prime minister visited Davos, Switzerland for the 39th annual economic summit January 30-February 1 to rebuild confidence among foreign investors in the Thailand's economy.

Speaking by telephone during his weekly address broadcast on Thailand's NBT state television, Mr. Abhisit said that during the meeting he had had the opportunity to meet many world governmental, business, and mass media leaders.

Many business leaders had told him that they are eager to invest in Thailand, Mr. Abhisit said, adding that the sponsors of the Davos forum proposed to invite a delegation of potential investors to explore business opportunities in Thailand before attending a regional forum in South Korea.

Meanwhile, a World Tourism Organisation (WTO) executive had told him that his agency will issue a report detailing how Thailand had resolved its problems, including tourism, which Mr. Abhisit said could be useful in explaining Thailand to the world.

The prime minister also said that at Davos, he had participated as a panelist on a highlight session entitled 'Rebooting the Global Economy' where he stressed that solving economic problems should not end with setting up further trade and investment barriers.

Mr. Absihit was also a panelist on a central session addressing 'Fresh Solutions for Food Security', as well as tourism , which could benefit Thailand's agriculture and tourism sectors.

Prime Minister Abhisit said he had met Philippines President Gloria Arroyo Magapagal and proposed setting up an ASEAN rice reserve to benefit the Southeast Asian region.

If Thailand succeeded in pushing the idea, it would be benefit Thai rice farmers as the rice price is expected to rise.

-- TNA 2009-02-01

Besides being highly amused about the WTO, being a Dutchman, I decided to check the Telegraaf archives about articles about Thailand printed in the paper and on the website.

I made the period quite long, one year.

The results do not make me happy.

Definitely, if I was a tourist planning a holiday abroad, an investor, a businessman, or whatever, I would not even think about taking the trouble to think about Thailand.

Thailand had more self-generated bad publicity as any banana republic in South America, or wherever in the world.

It makes one very sad to see that the Governments of Thailand does not seem to give a hoot.

Poor people.

When you say "agency", I assume you're using a 3rd party company to go and lodge the work permit application at the labour department on your behalf?

If that's the case then I have a feeling it's the 3rd party agency that's taking you for a ride, not the labour department.

You think so?

Gold in Bangkok was 7,000 baht mid 2000 when I first met my wife to be and over that time it's gone up 100% + but not even a whimper from the Jews of Asia until now, as soon as the price of gold starts fluctuating they can't shut up shop quick enough.

So is it you have issues with Jews or issues with Chinese?

I was wondering the same thing.

Although it is not very nice, however it is a fact that oversea Chinese are also known as "Jews of the East" for decades. Even by BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1514916.stm

Some 80 years ago, Thailand's King Rama VI called the Chinese the "Jews of the East". Across the region, they have faced much discrimination, often deeply resented for their wealth. In Manila, the community are often targeted by kidnappers.

However, the way the Chinese do business is not always earning much praise.

Gold in Bangkok was 7,000 baht mid 2000 when I first met my wife to be and over that time it's gone up 100% + but not even a whimper from the Jews of Asia until now, as soon as the price of gold starts fluctuating they can't shut up shop quick enough.

I wonder, what have the jews got to do with it?

5 years ban from politics and he will run again and be voted in. If he ran now he would get back in, the poor have lost their voice and the middle classes are now panicking because they know the downturn has started. Look at the advertising boards on the way to the airport ...empty! Thailand are lucky they had Thaksin for the time they did, the reserve cash they are sitting on is money he generated and is the only thing propping up the economy. He was bent as a nine bob note but he pulled moves for the economy that were well ahead of Thailands time, sure he borrowed money but he encouraged foreign investment and set up state run/owned businesses that generated jobs and money reducing unemployment and advancing GDP beyond just exports. I honestly look at Abhisit and just think you haven't got a bloody clue what you are going to do have you. No charisma , no presense , not a good public speaker and lacks confidence in his body language.

Dear Lix, I presume you have no entrances to news?

Because there happens to be some kind of economic disaster brewing in the world.

Quite stupid to blame the government of the day for that.

And even more stupid to think that Mr T could do better.

I assure you, that everywhere in the world government official have no inkling of an idea what to do.

Businessman know!

Grab, steal, pilfer, and so on.

Sounds familiar?

I don't give a dam_n what someone's sexual preferences are.

So why is it that so many men and women want to flaunt their sexual preferences into my face?

Just be yourself, don't flaunt yourself.

Because that is rude!

In my working life a lot of people were working for me.

Obviously, there have been straight and gay men and women.

SO WHAT??????

The only important thing was what they did, how they managed to do it, and what it meant to the company.

Oh dear, you are gay/lesbian?

Yes?

We had "office" parties, bring your partner (m/f)

Have fun, enjoy, dance, drink.

Oh dear, you are gay/lesbian?

Yes?

Be yourself.

OK?

You do need the infrastructure (the phone line) of course, but not necessarily a number.

In my case, TT&T provided an internet node for our Moo Baan but TOT and TT&T do not have telephone numbers available.

Actually I was very surprised as well to get ADSL without a telephone number.

I suppose the availability of landline phone numbers is "regulated" by some organisation.

As far as I know, there is a shortage of landline phone numbers.

The solution would be to change all telephone numbers in Thailand to 10 numbers (same as mobile numbers).

Done in many countries around the world.

But is is of course, very disturbing for business, need to change everything.

And that, cost money!

But there is no shortage of (oversubscribed) ADSL, and no number needed.

would it be possible to post my passport back to england and ask a family member to apply for a non-o for me as its hard to get from s e asia, has anyone done this before?? im currently in thailand at the moment.

Now suppose, your passport is on its merry way to and from Blighty.

Some policeman has the urge to see your passport.

Ehhhhhhhhh......

See also the other answers.

Free visas for all tourists

BANGKOK: -- The Cabinet on Tuesday waived travel visa for all nationals for over the next three months as one of four short-term recovery measures to restore tourism industry.

The move is expected to draw more Chinese travellers, one of the main target group, to the country.

The second strategy is to reduce entrance fee to all national parks in the Kingdom. The agreement is aimed to boost domestic tourism.

The third is to allow private sector to claim back-meeting and conference tax at double rate from original. Last measure is cutting the landing and parking fee for aircrafts at major airports in the country.

Speaking after chairing Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva expressed hope that the tourism industry could be restore through theses measures.

He earlier said number of tourist is returning closed to normal rate prior to the start of economic crisis.

However, it is speculated that only four tourism measures, from total 13 measures submitted to the Cabinet were approved.

Proposed measures that was rejected are includes cutting hotel room rate and airfare proposed to Thai Airways International, reducing value added tax on hotel room rates for one year, an exemption annual fee of Bt80 per room and urgent plan to promote the major destinations of Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga for local tourism.

-- The Nation 2009-01-20

Visa fees disappearing?

Big deal!

Most tourists come in on a 30-day stamp anyway.

And that is what Thailand does for stimulating tourism.

In the same time the condemned Australian is shown on TV in all his "glory" everywhere in the world.

In the same time the plight of the "boat people" is spread out in the newspapers around the world, including comments from Thai officials.

And then there is that story of the two Burmese sailors rescued from riding the seas in a coolbox and the story how they came there.

Any bet what will do most for Tourism to Thailand?

The number of tourists is "back to normal"?

Not the number of tourists departing from Europe and America.

While also the number of Chinese visitors is dropping.

Any comments?

Can any one tell me what is needed for my Thai wife to change her name from maiden to married on her Thai passport, if a translated copy of our U.S. marriage lisence is needed will one translated at the Thai consulate in Las Angeles work.

It should work. She needs to apply for a new passport.

If you are in Thailand, go to the Amphur.

Show the paperwork, chamge the name in the administration.

She will get a new ID-card.

Then apply for a new passport.

If you are not in Thailand, I guess the admin in Thailand needs to be changed anyway.

But, any guess is better than mine.

Please take a minute to vote if...

You are under 50 years, not married to a Thai, working in Thailand, wanting to learn Thai, have a Thai child, etc... You have no other visa options except getting a tourist visa or doing a tourist exemption stamp run every 15 or fly every 30 days.

If you were able to get a five year visa stamp with no benefits such as gold greens, spas, fast trac entry. But with the 5 year stamp you did not need to go to an Embassy to get a visa or cross the border. Would you be willing to part with 400,000 Baht as a one time payment to the Thai government to be allowed to live in Thailand for five years?

If you qualify with the criteria under paragraph one, please vote. Thank you.

The management reserves the right to change the rules anytime

Indeed, whatever your visa, your permit to stay, or whatever, it can be and will be changed at will.

If you are under 50, even married to a Thai woman and/or having children, you should earn your money outside Thailand and spend it here.

Even being over 50, having a permit, married to a Thai and having Thai children, you will never know if you can stay.

Rules change, money gets worth less, whatever.

Even having been in the country for a very long time does not make very much difference.

I went on the F plan diet once and brussel sprouts were the main food, the only thing i lost was all my friends !

Real friends would have eaten sprouts too, if only to show their unwavering friendship

So, never mind, they would have been gone anyway.

By the way, sprouts are very healthy food.

I love them!

Thai military blasted for 'systematic torture'

The Thai army and police 'systematically' torture suspected Muslim insurgents in their attempts to curb the separatist movement in the south, Amnesty International said yesterday.

The security forces use everything from beatings to electric shocks to simulated suffocation, it said in a report called 'Thailand: Torture in the Southern Counter-Insurgency'.

The London-based human rights watchdog said that torture appeared to have increased under the military government which ran Thailand from September 2006 to December 2007.

The report documents 34 cases of alleged torture during that period, resulting in four deaths - mostly at the hands of the paramilitary rangers.

The practice is carried out in the three southern-most, Muslim-majority provinces, where 3,500 people have been killed in the five-year separatist rebellion, the group said.

Perpetrators worked both in official military and police facilities as well as several "secret detention centres".

There, suspects could be held incommunicado, away from visits by any external agency including the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Victims were beaten, drenched with water and then given electric shocks, suffocated with plastic bags, and had their heads held under water until they almost drowned.

In one case, a young man was stripped naked and lit candles were placed on his body until they burned down into his flesh.

Most of the victims were young men; one was a woman.

Amnesty International's deputy director for Asia and the Pacific Donna Guest told journalists yesterday the use of torture was "not a new phenomenon".

"What is new is the extent of it (and) it is too widespread to be attributed just to errant individuals," she said.

The group acknowledged the brutality of the insurgents as well.

Thai security forces were under severe pressure in the south, it said, where the current stage of the separatist insurgency ignited in early 2004.

Amnesty said torture was being used as a short-cut tactic, both mirroring frustration on the part of the security forces, and as a tool to extract information, confessions, and to intimidate insurgents.

But torture fuelled the cycle of violence in the south, spawning resentment among local ethnic Malay Muslims and creating angry young men ripe for recruitment into the insurgency.

"Torture runs counter to the government's interest," said Amnesty investigator Benjamin Zawacki.

He added that military officers in the south acknowledged that torture was wrong and contributed to the conflict in the south.

But there were also signs of 'wilful blindness' on the part of the government which amounted to condoning the use of torture, mostly by low-level security men even as they were fully aware that torture is prohibited under Thai law.

"Insurgents in southern Thailand have engaged in brutal acts, but nothing justifies the security forces' reliance on torture," Guest said.

"Torture is absolutely illegal and, as the situation in southern Thailand proves, alienates the local population."

Thailand's Constitution expressly forbids torture. Bangkok also ratified the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment, in November 2007.

Also coming under fire is a clause in the emergency decree which has been in force in the south since 2004 that provides security officials who violate the law in the course of their duties immunity from prosecution.

"Not a single individual has ever been prosecuted" for torture, Guest said. "Yet the best way to tackle the problem of torture is to address the issue of impunity."

A court in Narathiwat recently ruled that an imam had been tortured to death last March, in a test case for the government's ability to prosecute perpetrators, Amnesty International said.

Source: Straits Times - 14 January 2009

And of course this newspaper, is completely objective and devoid of any Islamic preferences.

And yes, without doubt, A.I. is not biased to or of anything and completely, utterly free of preferences.

And Mrs Guest & Mr Zawacki are also very well known for their objectivity.

And so, this must be the truth.

The sin sot issue has already come up

She told me on the first day we met that if I want to marry her I will "have to pay for her." Gulp.

We worked out the details before we ever slept together, part of her conditions. I have lived up to my part of the agreement, I have paid some money to her parents already, but will not pay the rest until I am sure she can come to the USA...

Sorry if this thread is getting sidetracked.

YOU ARE BEING HAD!

No obligation for marrying a woman already paid for by someone else.

You take away the shame of a divorced daughter.

Anything you want to pay is not obligatory.

Under Thai law, after a wedding before the Amphur, everything you own before the wedding, remains yours.

Anything after the wedding, both of you own.

Want to be certain, describe your possessions in the marriage contract as remaining yours.

Guess: no marriage!

Advise: see all this as a business transaction, because sure as hel_l, the other side does it too!

Cut your losses, and off you go!

The sin sot issue has already come up

She told me on the first day we met that if I want to marry her I will "have to pay for her." Gulp.

We worked out the details before we ever slept together, part of her conditions. I have lived up to my part of the agreement, I have paid some money to her parents already, but will not pay the rest until I am sure she can come to the USA...

Sorry if this thread is getting sidetracked.

Hello, good morning, wake up, please!!!!!!!

She has been married before, she was no virgin when you met her?

No need to pay anything.

My wife tells me, and she is very Thai, that ONLY when a girl leaves the house for the first time, and still is a virgin, the question of a payment can be raised.

If she has been married before, there has already been a payment for her!

She has returned home from a failed marriage, and THAT is loosing face!!!!!

So, ergo, they should be glad you take away the shame.

Also, under Thai law, everything before the marriage remains in your possession, everything gathered when married, ha sip/ha sip, as they say.

(

SO, YOU ARE BEING HAD!!!!!!!!!!!

like simply refusing, they cannot make you ( despite what any police says , they cannot make anyone take a piss test

you gotta go when you gotta go. If you can't piss then they can't make you however they can hold you down and take your blood. They do this to people in the US who refuse a breathalyzer for DUI stops.

Want to make a bet?

You loose, I win.