Adumbration

When he starts conscription that will be the end of any inbound tourism in Thailand from Russia.

This is in no way my problem. Will not effect me one bit. I have never given any of the GFs family a single baht. And they have never requested it. My GF has, and makes, her own money. The older brother is not a bad egg. He is just a regular Somchai and he has been alone most of his adult life, never married and no kids. He lives in the family home with mum and dad but that relieves my GF and her older sister from that obligation. He also built a big new kitchen and bathroom at the back of the house with his own money (his life savings in fact). I have been here a very long time, speak fluent Thai, and dated a good deal of Thai girls. Many years ago I dated a stunning 18 year old for a couple of months but it was just too nuts. Her parents were well aware of the situation because I met her in their restaurant when she was working as a waitress. I very carefully checked her ID from the get go and she had only just turned 18 by the way. All of the arguements about not old enough mentally at 17 to properly understand and give consent of course still apply to an 18 year old, so I cannot cast the first stone in that regard. I wish the brother all the best, I am sure he is having lots of fun, not just with his future wife but enjoying the scandal and being the bad boy of the tiny village for once in his life. Let us also not overlook the fact that many of the girls in these remote villages get married off at 15. Perceptions are relative, so in the tiny milieu of the village 17 could be seen as left on the shelf.

Not always the case. My GF has her own land and a good deal of gold because of her sinsot. When she was a young girl in this same village she had a good deal of suitors also. Some of whom where also older guys. But my GF chose to pukan with a tom who was just a year older than her but from a very wealthy local family with large fish farm holdings on the Mekong. The sinsot comprised of building a large home for my GFs mother and father (which they are still in along with the older brother and his 17 year old) and a <deleted> load of gold for my GF. This was not demanded by the GFs mother and father but rather was given basically as a bribe by the tom to ensure my GF would chose her. Years on I met my GF just as she was breaking up from the tom. Although a woman as she aged a little she just started acting like a regular Thai bloke. <deleted> all the time, unfaithful (with other women) and would come home drunk and rough my now GF up. So technically, my GF was a virgin when I met her. I know it sounds made up. But all entirely true. I have seen all the photos of my GFs pukan with the tom back in the village. It was a big affair. In the first year or so when my GF was with me the tom would call her and offer things like a new motorbike, latest iphone, and on the last accasion a nissan march to leave me and come back.

I also just discussed with the GF the risk that the girl will take off a soon as she gets the sin sot. Her brother is well aware of this...and has told the GF that if she does take off it is ok because the sinsot will not be a large sum and he has already had his time in the sun.

Working on this but GF has black banned me posting it to this thread. She is standing next to me right now. However I am still pressing for a photo of the kid. If I get it I will give her an objective out of 10 number and post here.

North East not North west. Remote lakeside village in Phon Phisai district.

Nice essay. Well written, gramatically correct, but absolute piffle. If you don't think it is true just don't post in this thread.

He paid about 7 or 8 thousand each for them. They are not big, they are like a narrow timber canal boat if you know what I mean.

Absolutely true story...What do you think is concocted, and why?

I have to disagree here. My GFs family are all good people. No hopeless drunks or drug addicts and all very hard working. They have all tried working in the Chonburi factory jobs but it is just not enough money to save anthing for the future. Out of 8 kids all of them except for my GF and the brother who is about to get married are currently overseas working. Some on actual contracts with real visas and other working as little ghosts.

Definitely not trophy wife. Brother is an OK guy. Just a regular Somchai. He has always been by himself, never married, no kids. As I have already posted I am a little concerned that she will take off after sinsot has been paid and break dear brothers heart in the process. If she was a trophy her parents would be requesting big $ sinsot. But they have already indicated a small token amount will be sufficient because the daughter says she is happy to stay with the brother because he has his fishing business.

He is not that big of a sponge to be honest. Sure he lives in the family home, but then that relieves both my GF and her older sister (working in Korea) from doing so (that is the norm in Isaan one of the daughters will stay with mom and pop to take care). Mum and Dad are getting on as well. But I already pointed out to the GF that at 17 she will want to have kids and the money for them will have to come from somewhere. Anyway, any future financial demands will not be met by my GF, of that I 100 percent sure. He has never been married or had kids so I am actually a bit worried that she will do the runner once the sinsot is paid up and break the brothers heart. That happens a bit up north also.

Oh it's happening all right. I am surprised how shocked you are. Have you not yet visited Thailand?

Few people in the villages up north are formally married at the amphur. Mostly they have a "home made" wedding ceremony in the village with a few monks and a drove of balloon chasers that show up for a free meal and some loa khao. This home made ceremony is refered to as pukan.

Yes I had this discussion also with the GF. She says that the girl wants to be with her brother. But my reply is that at 17 (and as you rightly pointed out: poorly educated with zero life experiences) she does not have the mental capacity to make an informed decision about consent. Much of the blame lies on the parents of the girl. This is not something that has happened in secret. The girl's home is just up the road from my GF's parents house and it is a tiny and very rural mooban. Parent's of the girl have requested 10K to keep quiet and give their consent for marriage. Additional sinsot is also expected but not yet fully negotiated.

This is one issue that I frequently discussed already with my GF, long before this lastest news. I have explained to her that in most countries it is the responsibility of the older brother to protect and take care of his little sisters. Certainly not the case in Isaan.

No...its not me... My long time GF has 7 brothers and one older sister most of whom are working overseas in Korea, Taiwan, Israel....etc Her family is way up north on the Mekong. Mum and Dad have some nice land that backs onto a giant fresh water lake. Her oldest brother (58) lives in Mum and Dads house and has a couple of little wooden boats that he takes out on the lake to catch fish....mostly small stuff that sells for 50-60 baht a kilo. On a good day he will make 300 baht and does not get out every day because of weather. He is basically broke. I should say up front that her family as a whole is very good. They have never asked me for a cent. My GF makes her own money and sends some up to Mum and Dad when she can. They are fine because they have so many kids (working overseas). Anyway the older brother rang up drunk late the other night, asking my GF to transfer him a couple of 100 baht so he could eat moo gattat (Pork Barbeque). This has happened a handful of times in the past but I have been with my girl a long time. My GF told him to go home and did not transfer him any money. Yesterday, my GF informs me that the older brother is getting married to a 17 year old girl from the village (his first marriage by the way and no kids to date) and, I quote: The girl is very attractive apparently (I have requested a photo) and has several boys and men in the village that want to marry her, but she has choosen her brother...get this... because he has a stable income with his fishing boats He is already sleeping with the girl (she is staying in the GF's Mum and Dad's house) and has been for at least 12 months The girl's parents are happy to ignore the underage sex issue provided my GF's brother pays them 10K baht The brother has asked to lend 10K from my GF's older sister who is working in Korea The date for the pukan marriage ceremony in the village, and the sinsot amount, has yet to be set. But at this stage the sinsot is expected to be in the 20k baht range Source of money for sinsot has yet to be confirmed, but I image will also be borrowed from sister in Korea My GF has again asked me when we are having our pukan ceremony (this issue comes up about once every year) but has been ignored by me, for well over a decade now As you can see there is a whole raft of morality and TIT issues that should provide for an interesting discussion and susequent thread. For those of you seeking to marry a young hot Thai girl in her teens have you considered buying two little wooden canoes yet? Over to you...

Not true at all. I only shop for fruit and veggies at my talat sot. Prices have gone up on a number of items. Potatoes are up, tomatoes are up, cabbage and lettuce are up. But I dont buy into the BS in this and other propaganda articles. Price increases in both meat, fruit and veggies here are not due to shortages, but rather, the now quintessential monopolization of supply and distribution by a few families. In the past there was a certain chap that would step in and say "enough fellas", but now there is no one who does this

Things are slowly getting back to normal here.

Any spot that is at least 25km from my house.

Small trucks have 1/2 cub orders in our area.

So is 120cm dept. 100cm enougth 9mm reo.

Whose name is in the green book? Yours or hers?

You don't need a lawyer to buy property in Thailand.

The core of the issue here is face. Preparedness requires planning. Effective planning requires swot analysis. But Thais will not call out or identify weakness or fault because doing so would result in loss of face. Continuous improvement is a legislated requirement in many western countries. But it also falls over here because the starting point is to indentify problems. Lose of face gets in the way here also.