stevenl

Agree with you to a certain extend. I do find it common courtesy though to first inform somebody of a mistake made, and if that does not help post it afterwards.

Both Nai Harn and Sai Yuan are Tambon Rawai, so Rawai does have a Bank of Ayudya.

Even at the bottom of the PG article it says: April Fool's day.

If the understanding is that the law is there to protect jobs for Thais, then as I am not being paid, would a Thai do the "job" I am doing for no reward ? Additionally, there is no job for a Thai to do. Either I do it for no reward or it does not get done.

Being paid or not really is not the issue. As already mentioned earlier in the thread, also for volunteer work a work permit is required, whether the job gets done without the volunteer is a different story, and not important at all with regards to the work permit issue.

Not paying maintenance fees for condos is normal practice for many Thais. I guess he has pissed some Thai guy off.

Yes, that happened for sure. And since he did give the guy an opening to get him, he is in deep shit now.

When did I ever say you were wrong?

in fact "all those knowledgeable" people you refer to should be able to tell you how wrong you are, TWICE

Otherwise, I'll assume my point is made, you are wrong, and you will now have nothing to say.

Here I have you saying, twice, that I was wrong.

Sorry, I didn't know I had draw diagrams to explain the English language to avoid unprovoked attacks.

LOL

"I'm more than happy to banter, even aggresively," Yes, you have made that quite clear.

Why don't you point out to me what is "bashing" of other members? And to which members. You certainly can't be referring to my pointing out that even a work permit to work for free is not free, in fact expensive. So what is it?

Otherwise, I'll assume my point is made, you are wrong, and you will now have nothing to say.

What point has been made?

I point out that also a volunteer, earning 0, can get a work permit. According to you I am wrong, fine, just check with some of the more knowledgeable people here on this forum, who have also indicated that also a volunteer can (and normally must) have a workpermit.

However, in order to obtain a work permit a person must be earning more than 60,000 baht a month (in Bangkok) and have registered capital of.....etc,etc

This is not correct. Also a volunteer, earning 0, can get a workpermit.

What is the fee for that work permit? I doubt that it is reciprocal.

If you have nothing serious to add except bashing other members, stay out of the discussion.

Even after stating "Never heard of Firefly" ??

I read his post: never heard of Firefly, found them online, and they offer the following trips Penang-Phuket:...

I had some guests fly with them, and they were happy. But since hardly anybody seems to know them, maybe the promotion of Firefly has not been very effective.

Which airline is FLYZ ??

I presume that would be Firefly, Phuket-Penang direct flights.

Just a few weeks ago Hans opened his small "Fruits of Trang" bakery on Viset Road, Rawai.

Where on Viset Road is that one?

Normally I buy my bread from Flintstones (flints one these days), but would not mind trying something else occasionally.

Songkran is still some weeks out so I don’t think so.

I know quite a few Thais who have left for home the last few days.

This morning, coming from Rawai to the circle in Chalong: could drive straight through, arrived at the circle with just 3 cars in front of me. At other times the traffic jam stared already at the school. So very quiet.

After that going from Rawai to Kata via the beach road: in between Iconic Bar and Kata encountered 4 minibuses, 7 motorbikes and 5 cars. That road is normally already not busy, but it was really quiet this morning.

However, in order to obtain a work permit a person must be earning more than 60,000 baht a month (in Bangkok) and have registered capital of.....etc,etc

This is not correct. Also a volunteer, earning 0, can get a workpermit.

Well between Thalang-Monument-Pa klok it was like busy peak season traffic this morning and the Police was out at the busiest u-turns already 0715.

That is probably traffic going out of Phuket for the Songkran holidays. Whereas the traffic in Patong and Chalong/Rawai is local or tourist traffic.

I should have thought, though, that the real prize for the authorities would be to find that he had been conducting a property rental business without the appropriate company structure, visa, WP's, tax payments, etc., etc. Lots of money to be made from that one I suspect, compared with finding him guilty of some unpaid voluntary work.

You may be on to something here, unless he does not rent the condo's out himself but has an agency take care of that.

Since it sounds like the owner/management company of the condos reported him to the police, I would presume that if he was renting the condos out without proper paperwork they would also know about that and report him for that as well, not just the work permit.

Also in the mornings in the Chalong/Rawai area far less traffic.

Yes, this is totally unbelievable.

For once though I agree with something on Phuketwan: I have no problems at all with the word farang, if normally used IMO not racist. But this is OT.

bumped almost to thinny and thicky dividing the fruit of the day.

Maybe they were just dividing the betting profits of the day.

How do you know they were dividing the teamoney?

Crime and robberies are pretty much a way of life when living in phuket

Except on this forum I never notice anything of that.

Well, I asked the company, but did not receive an answer so far.

And I fully understand that.

My dear friend, as a professional you should agree that there must be an independent investigation in this accident.

Yes, an independent investigation would be more than welcome, but there is no way it will come to any reliable conclusion here in Thailand. IMO though, everybody who thinks the events of the evening through can easily reach the conclusion of what happened.

It happened about 100m north of there, on a straight section.

No, not correct, on the accident site the road is also curvy, plus there are some small hills in the road as well, so visibility there to overtake is nil.

I strongly believe, that the PUBLIC has a RIGHT to receive an answer on all these questions as an assistance making decisions in the future to book with this company or rather not.

Just ask your questions to Dive Asia I would suggest.

Or if you, the public, think more than just you needs those questions answered, ask them to a local publisher, maybe they agree with you.

Are you a owner, manager, lawyer... to whom I delivered my questions?

I am neither of those, but a dive professional working and living in Phuket. If you want an answer from the company, as mentioned, ask the company in stead of a public forum.

There are some very unclear, not saying strange, contradictions in DIVE ASIA’S given chronology, which I would – as a long term friend of one of the victims, as well as a yachtsmen who circumnavigated Australia, NZ and crossed the Indian ocean twice, as well as a participant of the Similan Tour 17.2.-22.2.09 on this vessel, like to be cleared up:

None of the questions you ask has been addressed in the DA chronology, nor have they anything to do with a chronoly of the event itself. As a participant of a trip on this vessel, it would have made more sense to me if you asked (some) of these questions before your trip and not afterwards.

But still, some of the questions I can answer:

There was no EPIRB, plus I am not sure the Thai Navy or any other rescue ouitfit in the area is equipped to receive EPIRB signals.

There was no distress signal received, because there was no time to send a signal.

The captain was Thai, so I presume he received his captain's certificate in Thailand, probably on Phuket. Sorry, forgot the name of the authority issuing those certifications.

Yes, the vessel was insured. I don't see why anybody apart from the owners would need the conditions to be met to cover eventuelly loss of the vessel.

In Thailand the chances of an internationally recognised investigation are nil.

but maybe some of the check-in staff do fill their own pockets that way

No, included in all fares for all airlines.

Your confusing the two types of jellyfish they are describing.. One type which is non harmful has had a couple of sudden bursts where the water is full of them.. Non stingers. Recently seen on Patong beach.

Which is exactly why I don't like this kind of reporting. Sensationalism IMO.

There is nothing wrong with Playboy.

His reaction to the sinking of the Dive Asia boat was ridiculous though.