way2muchcoffee

To answer Lao Po's question. It is entirely appropriate for any country to run an operation on foreign soil so long as that country agrees.

Does the USA allow Foreign Intelligent Services to (illegally) operate on American soil, luring foreign arms dealers and (have them) send them back to the the luring country ?[/b]

According to previous news articles it was a joint operation between Thai and US authorities.

So nobody from the Democrat "apologist" (and I use that term in the way that many commentators on UDD matters have been described) faction care to make a comment on the above?

I couldn't make out what was said in any of the videos. Could you? Do you speak Thai fluently? The audio quality was rather poor. I shall wait until a full translation of the tapes is made available, as well as an investigation into their authenticity, before taking a position one way or another.

Afghans allege mistreatment at secret U.S. jail in Afghanistan

Is this really your response? Really?

And so goes the last remaining shred of credibility SergeiY had on this forum.

[Not really.

Okay. Whatever. No point discussing anything further with you. You have now shown yourself to be a liar who will say anything to further your agenda.

You have some nerve coming on here and denying what hundreds of thousands of people, including myself, viewed live on television.

Maybe Santa. ...

btw. Abhisit never really offered an election in November.

Err. Okay. I watched it live. The offer was indeed made by Abhisit. It was made during the live televised debate. Veera had all but agreed to the offer when suddenly Jatuporn received a phone call. He called for a break in the negotiations, met privately with Veera and Nathawut, and then they came back and said 'No deal'. The whole thing was televised. For you to deny this is ludicrous.

The offer was made again about a week before the military moved in to contain the Ratchaprasong area. It was again rejected.

All you were asked to do was to provide one legitimate source. Khaosod is that source. Thank you.

To the particular case of the shoe lady then since we now can assume the incident actually occurred. The police made a mistake. They evidently arrested a woman based on a law that wasn't in force in that location. The woman was arrested and later bailed out. Presumably there is no legal case against her and it will be thrown out of court when the case reaches that stage.

It is important to note that she was not detained for 30 days as prescribed by the emergency law. This is not a case of abuse of the emergency law with government complicity. It is a case of low-level beat police officers making a mistake. Those officers should be advised of their mistake and have a formal reprimand placed in their files. Public apologies should be made. I doubt this will occur though as 'apologizing' for anything seems far removed from Thai culture.

Offshore is adequate but the price is right.

Jool's does a decent fish and chips, and their pea soup is outstanding.

Molly Malones is good. One day of the week they have a F&C promotion.

We often get demands from some posters that current 'Red Leaders' should denounce violent actions.

My question is: Would it really make the blindest bit of difference to you if they did?

And if not, why bother asking them to do it?

It does make a difference. All PTP and UDD leadership must take a united stance in condemning all violence. They must do this because of their past actions inciting the violence. Any failure to do this will be a tacit approval for bombings, assassinations, etc.

There is now way that this big bicylce wheel will cost 30 Billion baht! Anyone with a brain would understand that.

Second, the Thai people would never allow this to happen. Even if it was 3 billion baht it would be an outrages sum of tax payers money to use on this.

Suwarnaphumi airport cost 155 billion baht to build.

The whole BTS (skytrain) project cost 32 billion baht but because of the depriciation of the Thai baht back then ended up costing 54 billion baht.

The whole new elevated airport rail link project cost 25.9 billion baht.

So the 29 km elevated airport link includnig trains are cheaper than this 176 meter metal wheel welded together.

Seriously, come on guys.

You're right of course. Probably a misprint in the article. The London eye cost 75 million pounds to build. That is approximately 3.5 billion baht. My guess is that the article meant to say 3 billion baht as the cost.

wow, a new poster - way2muchcoffee - joins the fray, and straight onto the 'legitimate source' bandwagon. because that is the easy path right ? ignore the possibility it might be true. dismiss those voices in the back of your head saying, 'that doesn't sound fair, that doesn't sound likes something i want happening in this country'.

you guys are all the same. you hi-5 each other on these threads, letting anything of substance pass you by. the flip flop lady was simply an example of professor vivit's opinion demonstrated. have you got something to say about the lead article ? anything to add or is the bandwagon playing your song ?

New poster? I've been around this forum for quite a lot longer than you sir. I have also contributed to these political discussions considerably more than you have. Feel free to check my posting history.

In recent months I have curtailed my activity here to posting only when I have something to say. Quite often I will post when I feel the need to respond to the inaccurate, malicious, disingenuous, or just plain ignorant posts of others.

Ferris Wheels are old tech and very fun....I suggest all nations that can bolt together steel should post one in a strategic location....if for no other reason than to get the passing tourist to drop a bill or ten. E-Z proven tech ca. 100 years ago. No more of an eye blight than the last 40 story building that was built, and much more fun. I'm a big proponent of such devices to promote local tourism...particularly the look out platforms created to be safe overlooks from local mountains. It is a logical and "green" local money maker.

I tend to agree. The price is probably too high (undoubtedly to allow for corruption) but in general there is nothing wrong with adding another tourist attraction. All the arguments for how the money should be spent for this or that are irrelevant. Budgets are already allocated for rural development via the interior and other ministries. The budget that this falls under has presumably been allocated to the tourism and sports ministry. It's called development. This particular project will most certainly recoup all investment costs over a very short period of time.

Starting pay is in fact about 8,000 for starting teachers in government schools. In private schools the starting pays is even less. By the end of a 40 year career government teachers can be earning as much as 70,000 bt/month but that is rare. More often government school teachers retire with their final salaries in the range of 30-50,000 bt/month.

you are simply parroting scooters post, that is, "i don't like the source, it doesn't fit my world view so it is b.s." but that's not how it works. if you want to call b.s. you need to find a source which says so. i spent my time finding info, links, screenshots...do the same. until you do, it stands.

have fun.

Actually it is you who must come up with a legitimate source. Prachathai isn't that. Sorry Zeke. It just doesn't work that way. Respectable news sources do not waste their time refuting internet blogs that are already discredited. What you are asking for is impossible. However, if you are certain that what you say is true then surely you can find a legitimate and respected source. Otherwise....

That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard a while. Police Day = Sit on arse and eat donuts. No tickets.

Everyone go ahead and run red lights, speed, do whatever. Don't worry no one will have any trouble.

It's not like they do much good on the streets policing traffic anyway, but this is OTT.

Condition not met: "if the husband has significant earnings."

Was thinking of my own situation.

Marriage break ups in Thailand are at immense numbers. Remember most married couples are married in a Buddhist ceremony and not by paper and hence dont have divorces and the ceremony marriage break ups are a very frequent event in poorer families. The divorce ones of those who marry on paper are easily quantiifable but reflect wealthier people.

Women everywhere are also becoming less tolerant of "traditinalist and mysogynistic" men and their behaviour and ideas of the womens place is in the home, on her kneees and cleaning his socks etc. It is the kind of change history has shown happens as countries develop and a change that many of those expats who couldnt handle modern western women at home and came here to find the doormat wife wont like. It has to be welcomed and maybe will give a chance for the mysogynists and outdated tradionalists among both Thai and expat men to learn.

I bet this post wont go down so well.

Being conservative and traditionalist does not necessarily make one a misogynist.

I personally think it is quite proper for a family with children for either the woman or man to stay home and look after the children. Many of the problems in Western society stem from broken families and lack of parents having time to spend with their children.

In Thailand where salaries are low it makes sense for the wife to look after the home, perhaps go to school and pursue avocations and interests, even without children, if the husband has significant earnings.

Great Pictures Kan Win, and had you been Thai you could have taken them for 10 times less. Thats the issue. Personally I think it's ok for national parks to have a separate, higher charge for people who do not pay taxes (as tax money funds their operation) However if you pay taxes, farang or Thai, the rate should be the same.

Agreed. I pay taxes just like a Thai, and actually one heck of a lot more than most. What benefits exactly do I get from my tax monies? No voting. No property ownership. No utilities in my name. No security for remaining in the country longer than my next visa. No medical card.

So again - what benefit do I actually get from all the tax monies? I guess I can use the roads. Anything else? One would at least expect to get into tax-funded government attractions at the local price.

Since the reds were cleared off the streets in May after their rampage, the new strategy for the coming period is more of the same to up the ante.

The perspective is clear: to try to create sufficient mayhem to de-stabilise and by result de-legitimise the current government ahead of the forthcoming elections.

One can be pretty confident that as the elections approach, if the reds have (yet again) failed to push the coalition partners over to their side (a dead duck so far), then anticipated defeat will provoke mayhem in order to disrupt the elections.

Some of us have said on many occasions that the red violence is neither to support the 'poor', nor to have peaceful elections.

It is all about the return of the financial conductor and crook Mr Thaksin.

Once it was clear that they were losing the May initiative then there was an appeal to international interests.

The same will happen again, but since the USA infuriated the reds by revealing it was tapping Thaksin's communications, the USA is not on the red invitation list.

Blackshirt violence? This must be the unarmed civilians that some red cheerleaders prattle on about.

I suspect the PTP knows they won't have enough votes to win outright. I am certain they are maneuvering to win support form other parties. I really don't think they will get the support they need. In my opinion this will lead them to engage in vote fraud on a massive scales. Then they can cry foul when they are rightfully dissolved. This will be followed by UDD protests and yet another violent uprising. That's the most likely scenario as I see it today.

Are you trying to say that the bar girls speak better English (& German, & Russian, & Arabic, etc) than the UNI grads?

Seems likely given the daily practice they have in conversational English. Probably the university graduates write better English if it's any consolation.

Jatuporn has been charged. He has temporary immunity while parliament is in session. Yes. I expect Jatuporn to apologize for his actions.

I also expect Abhisit to apologize for the deaths that occurred under his governance.

Is that so difficult to understand? It is not a matter of legality or charges. It is a matter of maturity and morality.

As a measure taken to further the red cause, the fact that the perpetrator was disowned says all that is required.

Indeed. It says that red leadership are cowards who will disavow the actions of their low-level minions who get caught so as not to be implicated.

What do you expect them to do?

Calling them cowards for not celebrating the bomb attacks is kinda an argument and logic that can only come from some disturbed mind of bomb planter.

Sending out the signal 'you don't belong to us' is the best they can do to prevent some future wannabe "heroes" for the red cause.

Or do you think every red shirt is a terrorist? Paranoia much here in some heads.

What do I expect them to do?

I expect them to emphatically denounce any and all such bombings.

I expect them to publicly apologize for their roles in inciting violence in April and May.

I expect them to take full responsibility for the actions of those they did incite to violence with the extreme rhetoric they inundated their supporters with on the stages.

I expect them to cease any and all financial support for their violent members.

I expect them to stop inciting hatred amongst their supporters.

I expect them to act like grown and dignified men - honestly, ethically, and morally - for the betterment of their country.

As a measure taken to further the red cause, the fact that the perpetrator was disowned says all that is required.

Indeed. It says that red leadership are cowards who will disavow the actions of their low-level minions who get caught so as not to be implicated.

Yoshi. Has somebody installed an explosive device in your head where if you don't use the term " apologists " at least once a day in some form or another it detonates?

If so then he's good for today then. Whew. Close call. Nothing like an exploding head to spoil the afternoon.

They have changed already, earlier this year.

Assuming that you have paid all or part of your NI contributions she qualifies first for a Bereavement Allowance, which gets her £2,000 (and a NI number) and then for a Widow's Pension once she reaches pensionable age.

It's something like this in the US, only with the additional requirement that the spouse must have spent 4 years living in the US, if I recall correctly.