grantbkk

The tragic news of Carly Reisig being shot in Pai and her ex-boyfriend, John Leo del Pinto, being killed is now a lead news story throughout the world. All of the facts have yet to be made public however it is certain that this will be another major embarrassment to the Kingdom already being rocked by continuing political upheaval and economic downturn. It is obvious that the current government has lost all control and the Thai people voted with that in mind last month after a full fifteen months or stagnation on every issue the military dictators based their justification for the coup d'état.

On the news coverage of the tragic events in Pai I want to commend The Nation on the balanced coverage presented over the past two days. While may news services again fell victim to the all too familiar rhetoric from the Thai Police justifying most if not all murders by their off duty representatives, The Nation presented other aspects of the incident that may prove to be what actually transpired in this case.

Please keep up the good work. The world is watching.

I wonder if they will actually charge Carly Reisig with anything. Surely even the Canadian Embassy with have to get involved if it goes that far.

I would hope that the poor, misguided people who were celebrating how safe there are in Thailand on a General Topics thread in TV this past weekend find the time to read about what really goes on here. Exactly where are the 250,000 police officers when you need one? Everyone should take precautions and have contingency plans when they live abroad. Thailand is NOT a safe place. There is no clearinghouse in Thailand for accurate statistics pertaining to violent crime. In fact I think much of any statistics spewed out by the various ministries in this country are suspect.

The OP has cause for concern. He has just scratched the surface when it comes to violent tourist crime and crime where the victims are farang. I wish Thai Visa could become a clearinghouse for all violent crime against tourist and foreigners living in the Kingdom. Absolutely on one has a handle on what is happening in the capital or the provinces. Years ago Prime Minister Thaksin told the media not to report suicides involving non-Thais as it would negatively effect tourism. I suspect that many of the farangs that shoot themselves twice in the head may actually be murder victims no matter what the police say. The term "Pattaya Plunge" was coined years ago and again I suspect many of the victims received assistance getting off of the buildings. The suicide death of the farang found hanging from a billboard in Bangkok with his hands tied behind his back with a plastic bag over his head seems suspicious to me. I'm fairly sure the number of deaths on both sides of the conflict in the deep south is at least double of the numbers being reported to the public. In my view this is a very dangerous place and precautions should be taken by just like Los Angeles, Detroit, Houston, New Orleans, London, Berlin, Rio, Madrid, Paris, etc.

I dint remember any tourist being murdered in Berlin in the past few years..... for sure some have been robbed or been victims of pickpockets there, but the chance to loose your life through a crime there is almost zero..... thats the big difference to Thailand.....

perhaps your right about Berlin, Germany but not Berlin, New Hampshire.

Berlin needs more crime to be great city

By Till-Ted World

Berlin likes to believe it is the measure of all things in Germany and sometimes anywhere else when it comes to cities, but the metropolis on the Spree River once again is a huge disappointment--the crime here is a scandal.

Interior minister Wolfgang Schaueble released the 2006 statistics for Germany and Berlin was third in crimes registered behind Frankfurt and Hannover, two forgettable places. Frankfurt registered 17.57 crimes per 100,000 residents, Hannover 15.69 and Berlin lagged at 15.030.

Crime dropped 2.4 percent in the capital, and hopes are dwindling that Berlin can ever measure up to real world cities like New York, Paris, London. We just don't have any one here with enough money to shake down. But that can't serve as an excuse--something is wrong in the capital when our only proficient criminals steal bicycles and our only reliable source of violence is leftist punks beating up neo-nazis or vice versa.

Losing to Frankfurt is a shame, but understandable. The financial center's downtown empties out at night as people flee work to the suburbs, leaving the downtrodden behind, which makes it the most American of German cities. That is explanation enough for a high crime rate.

If Gertrude Stein had seen Hannover, she might have said "There is no there there" before wasting it on Oakland. Generally, however, the city doesn't inspire anyone to be that clever.

Throughout Germany there was a 1.4 percent drop in crime, leaving 6.3 million unlawful deeds. Police solved 54.4 percent of them, allowing Schaueble to beam at the cameras: "Germany belongs to the safest countries in the world."

That sounds right--its hard to feel unsafe here unless you are coked out. But German gentility makes Berlin's third place crime record even more pathetic. We can't develop into a hardboiled place worthy of the words "big city" if no one is motivated enough to stage a decent driveby shooting. Our wealth of sidewalk cafes packed with bodies during the summer is second to no city--it should be easy to splatter window panes red with blown brains as your vehicle streaks by.

One can walk the streets at 3 a.m. in Berlin without a fear in the world, but great cities are defined by hordes of messed up people seething at the coldness in the metropolis until they lose it and keep the crime rate impressive. Think Taxi Driver, Naked City. Stories, legends, books, music and films are composed of these things.

Miami didn't really get popular until the drug trade took off. What was your first association with the city? Miami Vice, right? Until then, the city was known as a warm place where old people with rheumatism retired.

Since Germany is a country of perfectionists, many still found worrisome signs in the low crime stats. "Daily brutality alarms politicians and police," was the headline from Der Spiegel.

The respected weekly meant murder and manslaughter dropped nine percent, but attempts rose nine percent. That means Germans still haven't gotten the hang of crime. They should spend more time in the United States or take a crash course in Baghdad, then bring their know-how to Berlin.

Traditionally it's the newcomers at the bottom, the foreigners snubbed by society who have lifted crime to whole new heights in a city, typified by gang killings in Chinese and Italian restaurants. I know many of you here in Berlin are English football thugs, crackheads from Cleveland, on the Russian Mafia payroll, Polish car thieves or Arabs dealing drugs in Veteranen Park. Despite those credentials, however, we just haven't made a dramatic difference in Berlin's crime rate.

We need to redouble our efforts to increase the squalor in Berlin, create human tragedies and make fear on the streets a palpable reality--in short, create sexy legends and for once put places like Rio, Washington and London to shame. We need to show the world we have arrived, that we aren't a city of Mr. Beans.

Conrad Freiberg, chairman of the police union, said the statistics don't tell the whole story. "More and more often police officers run into uninhibited brutal violence," he said. The day those words ring true is the day Berlin will be on the sure path to greatness.

The OP has cause for concern. He has just scratched the surface when it comes to violent tourist crime and crime where the victims are farang. I wish Thai Visa could become a clearinghouse for all violent crime against tourist and foreigners living in the Kingdom. Absolutely on one has a handle on what is happening in the capital or the provinces. Years ago Prime Minister Thaksin told the media not to report suicides involving non-Thais as it would negatively effect tourism. I suspect that many of the farangs that shoot themselves twice in the head may actually be murder victims no matter what the police say. The term "Pattaya Plunge" was coined years ago and again I suspect many of the victims received assistance getting off of the buildings. The suicide death of the farang found hanging from a billboard in Bangkok with his hands tied behind his back with a plastic bag over his head seems suspicious to me. I'm fairly sure the number of deaths on both sides of the conflict in the deep south is at least double of the numbers being reported to the public. In my view this is a very dangerous place and precautions should be taken by just like Los Angeles, Detroit, Houston, New Orleans, London, Berlin, Rio, Madrid, Paris, etc. I know people that live here think Bangkok is one of the safest cities in the world. The fact that only high profile crime is reported in the English language (except in the Pattaya City News) is evidence to me that crime is going underreported.

I have used SCB for more than six years and service has improved incrementally over time. If you have low expectations going in you will never be disappointed. Using this view regarding Thai banks I have been pleasantly surprised on occasion. My money comes from overseas in the form of a wire transfer and it is credited to my account in 9 to 14 hours without exception. I was initially upset with the ATM fees when using their machines out of my home province but I've adjusted. I use SCB internet banking and after the initial mind numbing amount of paperwork it has worked flawlessly for over three years.

I find that a calm demeanor goes along way with the banks employees. No matter what you ask the initial answer will be yes while they are shaking their head no. Keep in mind that they pay for their mistakes through their paychecks or sometimes they forfeit their job. I know you may find it hard to believe but nefarious non-Thai people try to defraud banks out of our money. The bottom line is that you should just smile and quietly not take no for an answer. No matter what I ask for the only first question invariably is, "Do you have a work permit?" I just smile and tell the flustered employee that by law I cannot work in Thailand but am permitted to stay by order of the Thai Government and show my retirement visa. Everything usually starts going uphill from there.

These people are not dimwits but the work culture does not permit them to act or think on their own. You can only feel sorry for them. If you find a representative that speaks your language and is responsive to your needs you've struck gold and keep in contact.

When Bendix goes to open a new account I want to be there to watch the fun. Let me pick the bank. Have the paramedics standing by.

Job One and your main goal is to hold on to your assets.

"If you want to be a millionaire in Thailand bring two million".

Oh yeah, Don't cook bacon naked.

A very wise friend of mine once said, "If you want to be a millionaire in Thailand bring two million with you". At 50 years old scratching around for money here is difficult at best. I have seen the parade of day traders get thrown out of their rooms, having to return to their country of origin. I live in Bangkok so I had to endure at least two "pitches" a week until the word got out that I don't loan money or invest in any of the ingenious schemes people think up, usually in desperation. It sounds like the OP is scraping by and will not be able to recover financially from a serious illness in the family. At 50 you're young enough to make money whereas down the road maybe not. I agree with the good advise from other posters that suggest that the OP go somewhere he can make a living and provide for his family. So many people here are looking for the magic plan to live a comfortable life. You have two choices: The lottery or a job in a first world country. Working for a year cannot provide the OP with the good life for the rest of his days by the way.

live in maid for almost 5 years. Began at Bt5,000 now pulls down Bt7,000. Does everything and makes life much easier. Problems will arise if random females who visit your home try to get the maid to hand wash underwear or other garments. If your girlfriend is younger than your maid you will have to deal with seniority issues. The maid will try to run the show unless you re-train and explain the ground rules with each new girlfriend.

This is what happens when the government closes the bars. TV members begin to go a little crazy and invent alter egos for sport.

Where I am the pubs were closed but I had a beer with dinner in a restaurant.

Thanks for the informative post. We'll all see you tonight.

This guy could have gone to comprehensive school before his father made a killing in the macaroni market which would account for the OP's sentence structure and my run-on sentence.

Having trusted staff provides extra security for you and your stuff.

You don't have to be home for deliveries.

You rooms are clean. I don't recommend maintaining a personal staff for rooms less than 30 square meters.

Once you learn to manage people you will have no trouble managing a household staff. At 22, no matter how much Baht your parents gave you to leave home, you probably lack the interpersonal skills to properly train and manage (read control) your staff. You can eliminate the valet here in Thailand if you're the shorts, tee shirt and flip-flops kind of young man. Save your money for beer and girls.

The number one rule regarding household staff is not to get to close. Many wonder why the staff always eats separately or does not travel with the family for no good reason. The answer is that once you include them in family activities their skills begin to deteriorate commensurate to their degree of inclusion and you will eventually have to let them go. If that happens you have no one to blame but yourself.

A Thai aviation agency investigating an airplane crash. If it wasn't such a tragedy it would be funny. Next they will want nuclear power plants.

Re: Oversized Complaint, Letters, December 13th.

The unbelievable letter from Susan Sutton screams for a humorous and/or sarcastic response however in this age of political correctness I will respond with forthright, constructive suggestions to her queen-sized plight. First she might consider the fact that she has outgrown the country. I don’t just mean the taxis, chairs, seats and clothes but the culture and its people. When she begins to eye the Thai people as food it may be time to move to a country that can cater to her special needs.

The lack of Taxi, Skytrain and subway accommodations for the queen-size is huge and not being able to find attire to cover mass expanses of flesh is problematic. I suggest during the search for a country that recognizes Susan’s special requirements that she try to eat less. Rarely do I recommend Eric Bahrt for anything but under his tutelage she can go vegan and reduce her carbon footprint here in the Kingdom. Meanwhile a burqa is very popular in Thailand and can cover a multitude of sins.

The ill advised, let's call it a 5 day Prohibition over two weekends during the high season, is not about drinking but about personal choice, notification and "What were they thinking"? Someone asked me last night who was responsible for such a stupid decision to decree prohibition. He has been here for 13 years and we are all used to the normal election Prohibition. I had to remind him that the National Legislative Assembly had to vote this into law to get it done. This was a group decision based on who knows what. We can see from this thread that the word did not go out as quickly as lets say a polo shirt color change for the masses. Would the tourists come to visit if the travel agents around the world would have told them about a two weekend ban on alcohol sales or would have reminded them about the bombs in Bangkok last New Year's Eve? Out of curiosity we called the Marriott at 6:00 PM yesterday an found out the ban was being strictly enforced. People were walking the streets as if the were lost. These were not only sex tourists but families with children as well. The atmosphere changed in a very big way in a very short time. All of us that live here can survive anything or we wouldn't continue to live here. The tourists are the losers here and ultimately Thailand for ill conceived decisions by people who have no right or ability to make them. Thousands of poor Thais will receive even less money this month and children will suffer of course for the "greater good". I could care less if the 100,000's of tourists stuck in this mess return or not but the tourist's cash pays not only the corrupt officials her but a little finds its way to pay for education and health care. Developing country indeed.

Are There any news sources to confirm this?

It was reported on Thai TV channel 3 a couple of weeks ago that legislation was passed to halt alcohol sales in the Kingdom from 6:00 PM on the 22nd, the 23rd and the 24th for the election. It makes no sense but that is what they said. I'm sure it will be widely ignored but some places may stick to the letter of the law. The establishments never get the notice from the police until a day or two before Prohibition so you cannot ask them.

It was reported on Thai TV channel 3 a couple of weeks ago that legislation was passed to halt alcohol sales in the Kingdom from 6:00 PM on the 22nd, the 23rd and the 24th for the election. It makes no sense but that is what they said. I'm sure it will be widely ignored but some places may stick to the letter of the law. The establishments never get the notice from the police until a day or two before Prohibition so you cannot ask them.

Last October the Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group), True Visions parent company and Thailand’s leading agribusiness conglomerate, announced plans to invest 123.6 billion Baht (US$3.6 billion) in Vietnam over the next five years. On December 9th, CP Group announced a Bt2.3 billion plant in Vietnam to produce feed for fish and shrimp. Even more interesting is the fact that a former Thai prime minister, Anand Panyarachun, is leading the charge into Vietnam. Add to this, the CP Group is grabbing up or creating businesses using the business model almost identical to our latest former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, makes me very curious. Sooksunt Jiumjaisawanglerg, executive vice-president of CP Vietnam Livestock, a unit of the CP Group, said the company will invest in food processing, real estate, retailing, telecoms and banking.

The money involved in these offshore investments is astronomical by any world standard and the CP Group will make nothing but money on these ventures. I find it fascinating that the CP Group and its subsidiary True Visions invested a reported Bt100 million recently in political contributions to major political parties. While all of this investment capital is flowing out of CP Group’s bank accounts they will not invest any cash in their flagship satellite television monopoly, True Visions. Subscribers are subjected to second rate programming and multiple repeats on just a few channels. While CP Group and True Visions gets rich and hundreds of billions of Baht is being taken out of the country we are forced to subscribe to late 1980’s technology, made for television movies from the 1980’s and 1990’s that True Visions passes off as theatrical releases and constant repeats of substandard programming. Perhaps a small amount of the cash earmarked for foreign investment could be redirected for the purchase of quality programming and to improve a woefully inadequate satellite television system here in the Kingdom.

I also contacted True Visions and they said it was included for the Platinum Package subscribers. The rep told me the show begins on channel 67 at 8:00 AM so I'm sure that's the under-card.

I have had a running battle with True Visions (formally UBC) for a couple of years now over their content package. They proudly claim that they paid BT500M for the monopoly in most urban markets here in Thailand. This gives True Visions a 40% market share and they want to make money as quickly as possible. Content seems like an alien concept to the executives I have had direct contact with. When asked about the repeat situation they patiently explain they want everyone in Thailand to able to see the programs. For sports programming they blame the vendors for the content and inability to get some events is due to contract negotiation blunders. When I told them that maybe they should take the Package Designators like PLAT: GOLD: KNOW: etc. off of the program names on the electronic guide so we can see the actual name of the program they told me to, “get used to it”. They did give me complete instructions on the operation of the "i" button at the top of the remote control.

When I suggested, in the calmest and kindest way, that maybe the Bt200M that went to the people running for office in the December 23rd election could be better spent for improved content for their customer base they actually ignored me. Since they offer Fox News on their “get some TV on your broadband connection” scheme, I politely asked if they could just put it on one of the 90 or so “FUTURE CHANNELS” I have ready to go on all of my set top boxes. I got a resounding no from everyone even after I told them that holding out something like “Fox News” as some sort of blackmail scheme was illegal in developed countries. I told them I would just forget about Fox News if they would put the channels which are advertised daily on TV here were added to my package. After all, every commercial says contact the local provider to get these channels (Fox Crime, FX, MTV, VH-1). No again.

The first words associated with True Visions are “joke”, “awful”, and “the worst”. Several people I know have said that even Cambodia has better television content than True Visions. Cable television companies in the United States faced the same criticism in the 1970’s and 1980’s for their poor service and program content. Many companies were out of touch with the consumer and as a result became an iconic running joke when one was describing appalling customer service. After a shakeup in the industry and laws preventing monopolies were enacted service providers in the United States are now rated high in service and content.

This is the same organization that has a 7-11 every 100 or so meters here in Bangkok and sells agricultural products all over the world. I believe they are virtually stealing money and are not concerned with customer service at all, only the corporate bottom line. When the monopoly finally ends only people stealing the signal will be watching True Visions.

Yes, there are always small places where you can buy alcohol, but then there are also always places where you can buy drugs!

Personally, I think I'll spend my Christmas in Saudi Arabia! I just hate it when a Buddhist country decides to make me get in touch with the 'true' meaning of Christmas!

When I ask a Thai the meaning of Christmas the normal reply is that it is a celebration of the brith of Santa Claus.

I think you will find its the evening of the 22nd, and the 23rd only. The 24th has been declared a holiday to encourage people to go home to vote, but nothing has been said about no alcohol on these days.

It is normal here, but unbelievable, that the bars, stores, hotels, restaurants do not sell any alcoholic beverage until the ballots have been counted. Thai TV Channel 3 may be wrong but the news was very clear as to the 22nd, 23rd and 24th being dry days.

TV Channel 3 reports that because of the general election alcohol sales will be prohibited throughout the Kingdom from 6:00 PM on December 22nd to the 25th.

Should be an interesting Christmas holiday this year.

Cheers!

... very sad story, hope both of them will get better soon..

but ....to keep things within the lines..

the guy who killed the perpetrator, has at least committed manslaughter, what he did is way beyond self defense!

Sorry, guys what so ever, there are laws and rules, EVERYONE has to stick to them!

Otherwise we're back to the "right of the fist"!

This has to be a troll. No one could be this out of touch. We were discussing farangs as victims yesterday and this happens thenthe Japanese woman was killed in the north. Exactly where are the thousands of police that are on the books?

Pay close attention to you surroundings. Do not rely on a false sense of security.

Very sad news for the family. Is there a Thai Visa Man of The Year Award? I hope the police don't give him too much grief for killing a local.

Today's The Nation has an in depth article on the 1,000 assassins that the police are going to be keeping an eye on during the run-up to the election.

A few years back the last former prime minister asked Thai press publicly to reduce the number of reports of crimes against tourists because it negatively impacts the tourism industry. He made the same plea that obviously is still in effect regarding tourists and ex-pats who are suspected of committing suicide. Some of these suicides are of course not suicides. The two shots to the head and the hangings with the plastic bags over the victim's heads while their hands are tied behind their back come to mind. These are not isolated incidents and reliable crime statistics her in Thailand may be decades away. I think without the services of the Pattaya City News we would never hear about any crime in Thailand.

Logic dictates that because of the poor to rich ratio, economy, unemployment, gangs and willing pool of farang victims Thailand, it is actually one of the most dangerous places in the world if you're not careful. Most violent crime in major cities happens between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM. Many involve drugs and alcohol which fuels a lot of violent behavior. Going home early or staying in a large group provides a degree of security.

A false sense of security is dangerous.