way2muchcoffee

Wonder what the Dems stance would have been for the rural masses had Thaksin never come on the scene. How much rural development would there have been. Infrastructure building etc.

We'll never know. Probably less benefits from the Dems to the poor in the scenario you describe would be my guess. I would, however, place my bets on the Dems doing a better job implementing policies that have real benefit to the poor, with greater transparency and much less graft.

So when the Dems dangle the carrot in front of the people it's OK but when Thaksin does it's not?

Improving the lot of the neediest in society is the job of every government (IMO). Perhaps in the past the Dems didn't get this point too well. Point is, they certainly understand the need today. This is one very positive thing I think we can attribute to Thaksin.

Cop problems happen here. That is a simple fact of life. It usually doesn't happen, but every once in a while it will. It is rarely more than 500 bt, often less. When it is your turn to pay, well, it is your turn. There are things that can be done to minimize the chances of being extorted if you are in this situation, but there are never any guarantees.

I would like to see each and every "protestor" who attacked the PM's car charged, convicted, and locked up.

Agreed.

It is interesting to note that when PAD was hounding the Somchai Government members with the hand clapper nonsense, Abhisit was among those who made public statements criticizing PAD protest behavior, urging them to desist.

Protesting is fine. Hurling insults is fine. Hurling objects is not acceptable.

With estimates as high as 3 million Thai people working in the sex trade that amounts to nearly 20% of the population.

Thailand — Population: 65,068,149

Did you mean 2%?

Err. I guess I meant 5%. My bad. 3/60 = 1/20. Brain Fart.

Why suddenly has a topic which is worth sharing experiences about degenerated ino a discussion about Pattaya bar girls compared to Karaoke girls etc. Come on people these girls make up a tiny percentage of the Thai population, surely discussion of the mainstream would be more enlightening.

With estimates as high as 3 million Thai people working in the sex trade that amounts to nearly 20% of the population.

Some of my wife's friends send money home. In the poorer families it doesn't matter which family needs the money. The husband and wife, together, will help either family when necessary, to the extent they are able. The wives generally pay a greater portion of their earnings than the men. This is only in the limited cases I've seen in the seven years I've lived here. Clearly there are many scenarios based on class, wealth, job, number of kids, number of living parents/grandparents, etc. etc. etc.

I previously lived up the street in a shophouse. Water was free there as our bill typically runs between 400 and 500 bt. Last year we moved up the street to a townhouse in a moo baan. Strangely enough our bill is not free and we now are paying the 450 bt/month. I guess the moo baan isn't residetial enough?

My living room, dining room, and kitchen were under about 8 cm by the time the rains finished last night. Major hassle. We live in the CBD off Sathorn.

Hmmm. I'm surprised to hear so many complaints about this company, but then TiT, so my surprise has faded already.

I purchased specs from them about 5 years ago. It was a buy one get one free deal. I chose one pair of regular glasses and one pair of sunglasses. Both seemed high quality. I paid about 6,000 all in. After 5 years the regular ones are still fine. I did drop them once and one of the lenses broke, so I replaced the lenses, other than that they are still fine. The sunglasses snapped after about a year, but again, that was my fault - I sat on them. Service was efficient and friendly. Specs were cut and fitted while we waited. It took about 40 minutes. Different experiences for different folks I guess. I guess I will be careful which particular outlet I shop from. By the way, the shop I went to is located underneath the BTS Thong Lor station.

100% disagree with using armed forces against any civilians, in this case THAI PEOPLE.

Thia Military vs. Thai people

is that what you want?

Not so different than the National Guard for riot control in the USA. It's not the Thai military versus the Thai people. It's the Thai military protecting the Thai people from violent insurgents who are also Thai.

I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as a Nokia Sense 80. There are numerous fakes of Chinese origin with the brand NOKiA as opposed to NOKIA, but I couldn't even find one of those. There is, however, an i-Mobile Sense 80. I think i-Mobile is a Thai company, but it may be Chinese, not sure.

Young guys jealous of old guys? What exactly is there to be jealous of?

Big bank accounts?

Nam Jai in this case I think...

I hate to add a cynical remark, but one can imagine that after decades of exploiting the man while making a fortune for himself, the boss may have felt obligated somehow.

Not that it is related to this thread in any way, but I work closely with the children of several respectable Indian families in their homes. In BKK this is a very close knit community that upholds traditional values regarding miscegenation. There is no way any of those kids will go on to marry anyone other than an Indian man or woman. And given the general level of intelligence, motivation, and perspicacity I see compared to all other nationalities I work with I can't hardly blame them.

One comes to expect certain aberrations and excesses living here in Thailand. But this one is seriously twisted. RIP.

I think you can go younger than 40. It is my impression that once a Thai woman hits 30 and isn't married she has passed her sell by date and will have an exceedingly difficult time finding a suitable partner in the local community. I'm not saying I agree with this attitude, and I could be wrong, but that's pretty much what I've been told many times in the last 8 years living here.

Relax Chris. No one likes it when people have a go at them. That is certain. I modified my post above slightly and will get back on the thread when I have more constructive and useful information for you....

I'm 40. Wife is 26. 14 years difference. We've been together 8 years. Run those numbers backwards and it seems a bit extreme, even to me. But with each passing year it makes less difference. When I'm 64 she'll be 50. None of this answers your questions obviously. I'll ask my wife about it later tonight and post her opinion later.

You might consider easing back a bit. No need for all the aggression.... I'm just sayin'.

I think you should go and get your paranoia seen to....I drive BKK, Rayong at least a couple of times a week when I am at home, and the last time I was stopped by the BiB on the motorway was over 3 years ago...

But as always lets not let the truth get in the way of a good story...

I suspect he has a point. In the last 6 months I've driven to Pattaya from BKK twice. The first I was stopped twice for false offenses and paid 1,000 bt. The most recent time I was stopped on a false offense and paid 500. I have been stopped on that route other times in past years. It does always seem random, bad luck perhaps.

Why do we put up with these double standards. Do the mentioned and things will change overnight. It only takes political balls.

Obviously we put up with these double standards because our country's elites are reaping huge benefits by exploiting the Thai people in the same was the Thai elites do.

Teachers would not be so unprofessional if those who did "the right thing" were paid after they had given notice. Examples of this run in the thousands.

Schools might be more professional if teachers had not pulled runners in the tens of thousands.

I reckon the lad just wants an adventure. Nothing wrong with that. Very nasty things could happen to any one of us here or anywhere. If things go badly he'll grow and become stronger for it. If things go well, the same.

So I say go for it, but make sure you have adequate funds and an escape plan in place.

You won't have any trouble finding a position with your education and background. You would probably be looking at a starting salary of between 35,000 and 60,000 per month in Bangkok and between 25,000 and 35,000 anywhere else in Thailand.

The devil is in the details. Plan properly. Sort out the places you want to go in Thailand and Asia. Determine transportation and visa costs. Suss out the accommodation and food costs. Determine a real budget with overhead. Have an emergency fund and a return ticket just in case.