Callmeishmael

Rats? Sinking ship?

So, are we going to have floods or a drought this year?

I would bet that one of the opposition parties will be disbanded for the usual reason, but not until after the election registration deadline, so that party will be out of the running entirely. Future Forward would probably be an easier target, but Pheu Thai might actually be more of a threat to the PTB!

If installed correctly is the important phrase here. Many of mechanics here are not properly trained and just learn the basics on the job.

"the gas power car exploded' CNG or LPG are both very flammable. I have never heard of a diesel car exploding or burning, but almost every week we hear of people dying in fires when gas powered cars explode or burn. Is saving a few baht when pull up to a gas station really worth risking a horrible death?

Yes, but they can still get 3 waivers, right? So that means that there will be a constant turnover of new faces every 4 to 6 years. The only losers are the foreigners who have Thai wives and kids and will have to either take them back to their home country or leave them behind. Of course, if someone stayed in Thailand long enough to get married, they may find getting restarted back in Farangistan a bit difficult.

The fine is 5,000 baht, but they usually charge 2,000. Just go to Chiang Wattana immigration and pay there.

I have never liked her and I do think that being kicked out of parliament and given a 10 year ban is a just sentence. However, the lifetime ban from politics is a dangerous precedent. Who will be given this sort of ban next? This sentence is all too convenient for TPTB to use to eliminate the opposition.

Prior to '97 (I think that's the year) Thai women who married foreigners lost the right to own land in Thailand. However, the law was changed at that time. Occasionally you will encounter people, even government officials, who do not know about the change in the law. If someone argues that the old rules still apply, stand your ground and try to talk to their superior.

I am well over 13, but I do enjoy watching BlackPink music videos.... ...of course I usually turn to sound off to avoid hearing that godawful caterwauling they do. ????

You can mention to any conservative Thais you know that this is the first step toward joining NATO. Then have fun watching their heads explode!

Let me add a contrary comment... Learning to read Thai was difficult, but it has really helped me to understand Thai better. Reading menus, street signs, signs on the storefronts, etc., really helps in everyday life. Also, Thais are really impressed by foreigners who can read a bit of Thai. Thai is a mostly regular language, and being able to read words helps with pronunciation. As for Bangkok or Chiang Mai, if you are planning to retire to a small village in the north where everyone speaks Parsa Nua in their daily lives, learning the northern dialect would probably be more useful. I doubt if the teachers at a Chiang Mai language school would teach you the local dialect, but you would hear it in shops, restaurants, etc. The opposite is true in Bangkok. While many people in Bangkok are from different parts of the country, they all speak central Thai to each other unless they are talking to someone from their hometown or province.

I had a similar problem many years ago back in the states. Try having someone turn the key while you listen under the hood. There is usually a relay switch that will click when it engages (or doesn't engage) the starter motor. It will probably be a small plug-in plastic module that you can replace for a couple of hundred baht. In my car it was located close to the battery.

I know that this is just anecdotal, but so far this morning a neighbor two houses down was hospitalized and a teacher two floors down was just diagnosed with covid. During the previous waves I didn't know anyone who was sick, but this time it seems like I am surrounded by people catching it!

Private schools can choose to join social security or can opt out and give their teachers some other kind of Health Insurance. If you are paying for social security you can use it at a Government Hospital to cover any health problems. Days off and social security are separate issues.

30 days paid sick leave is stipulated in Thai Labor law. However, if you do take anything close to that amount you can expect the have a very bad annual review and will probably not get renewed for the following year (if you don't just get fired mid-term!). There are, however, two exemptions to that law: 1) Agricultural workers as mentioned above and 2) Teachers employed by private schools, who terms of employment are covered by the Private School Act. Now, according to the Private School Act, the terms of employment for teachers at private schools should not be inferior to those at government schools, but in practice they often are. Teachers who were fired for things like excessive absence have tried to sue their employers with mixed results. Section 86 is the one that specifies that Private School employees are not covered by the Labor Law. Private School Act 2554

My wife has been following this too... Her contribution is that the police say that her leg was hit by a propeller and she bled to death, she did not drown!

Just buy her a good helmet and promise her some treat if she wears it all the time.

Technically, this is required for all K-12 teachers, but enforcement is lax. The procedure for getting a criminal check will vary depending on your nationality, but usually starts with getting fingerprinted at the Pathumwan Police Station. The report is usually good for about 6 months, so make sure that your timing is correct. Instructions from the US Embassy if you are from the US.

I suspect that the court meeting again on April 1st would be more appropriate.

After about 8 years of teaching with a waiver, I was given a 5 year license at the age of 60. I will by trying to renew it next year!

The was a link in the old Kurusapa page to a list of approved universities by country (except for the USA*). I couldn't find it recently, but I don't read Thai very well, so it may still be there. Get a friend who can read Thai fluently and they should be able to help you navigate to that page.

Though the daily cases have skyrocketed, the daily deaths have barely moved. They averaged about 15 per day and few weeks ago and are now averaging about 20/day. (Pic captured from worldometers.info)

The sooner this lot is gone, the better!

I don't see a thread for today's (Sunday) figures, so here they are: 10,879 PCR 4,632 ATK 30 Deaths