MangoKorat

Possibly one who's lost all his money in a failed business?

Yes, foreign lawyers are not allowed to practice law in Thailand but there are plenty of Thai lawyers that speak English. The case itself will of course, only be conducted in Thai - hence the requirement for an interpreter. In a major case where the defedant has the cash, I would imagine they also employ a foreign lawyer in an advisory capacity.

Your remarks are most likely 'tongue in cheek' but in case they're not...........not me guv, I visit Thailand to see temples and golden buddha images - much the same as the thousands of male visitors that claim the same. True story: Around 15 years ago a friend visited me in Thailand, he was going through a bad time and I thought it would do him good to see a different lifetsyle and have some fun along the way. His words to me before he left the UK when I told him I would meet him at his hotel and take him out in Bangkok were "OK but I'm not going with those girls, I just don't do that sort of thing, I'm coming to see the country" - up to you I said, I'll take you around for a few days, there's plenty of things to see or you can just chill. We had one drink in Morning Night on Soi 4 but were joined by 2 ladies that were well past their best and very pushy for drinks so we drank up and moved a few yards to Big Dogs bar. We were immediately joined by 2 lovelies who spoke quite reasonable English, drinks were on me and my mate was soon engrossed. He leaned across to me and said "so, you mean this girl will come to my hotel and spend all night for 1000 baht?" yes, I said, but you will also have to give the bar something called a barfine, oh and turf her out before breakfast - I think the barfine was 200 baht at that time. That was it, he was gone and I didn't see him again until the next day. From arriving at Big Dogs to leaving Morning Night he'd lasted 34 minutes. Never been in Paradise Agogo but I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of the girls that 'attacked' this tourist were not actually girls.

Clearly not written by the same jounalists that have been reporting recent drops in tourism.

From the ScandAsia story: 'He was not provided with an interpreter and before he knew it, the case was concluded' If that is that case I think the lawyer who gave a legal opinion to ScandAsia is 100% correct - that the first trial was probably invalid. As far as I know international law states that an interpreter must be provided to someone facing criminal charges in a court where a language other than their own is used. I think that applies to both charges and court proceedings. I hope he can find the cash to employ a decent lawyer for any future court hearings.

It shouldn't be a problem for anyone. Light controlled pedestrian crossings work well in many countries because drivers comply with them. Thai drivers don't comply with many 'rules of the road' - and not stopping at crossings is probably one of the most ignored. What is the point of a police force that doesn't enforce the law? Bridges are not without their problems - gangs of youths congregate on them in some areas of Bangkok, god knows why but they have been known to throw things off them. How difficult would it be for the government to 'enforce' their powers and tell the police to do their bloody job?

Its not the fact that I don't live in Thailand, they won't open a second account because I no longer have a long term visa. When I opened the account I held a 12 Month Multi Entry Non O based on marriage. I'm divorced now and until next year, enter on 30 day exempts.

Agreed. I thought there was a type of fish available in Thailand that tasted like cod?

That much I understand George and please don't take it as criticism but its the emphasis that's being put on the business side of it that's side swiped me. I've probably relied on the community aspect way too much. Still, its a great source of information, I think I'll stick to that in the future.

Hmmm, you have a point. Maybe I've been a little naive about the purpose of this forum? Whilst I realise that it is a business and as such wants to be profitable, I thought it also operated with the intention of providing community benefit. All this talk of clicks, analytics, usg etc. etc. has opened my eyes - not sure if that's good or bad.

So what is the position now with off topic posting? Let's say someone posts 'off topic' and members reply to that off topic post - should the original 'off topic' post be removed and all replies to it?

Some sites do that and I've never liked it. Some make it compulsory to post in the 'welcome' section before being allowed to enter fully. I do think though, that a lot of potential 'newbies' will be put off when they see the squabbling and ridiculing that goes on. They will no doubt have seen it elsewhere and don't want more. A lot of people I suspect, will join this site for information only, the trick is how to engage them so they stay. If they see the same old same old, I think that many will 'wash & go'. You will no doubt have stats that tell you how many people join, do you also have stats that tell you how many people haven't visited in a long time?

As a 'rule of thumb' we would install downpipes at a maximum distance of 12m apart if pushed but try for 8 - 10m if we had to - that's with a 75mm downpipe, on standard gutter and in Europe where the gutter capacity is normally lesser. Aesthetically and sometimes functionally it is the norm to avoid having downpipes in the middle of a run - that's usually achievable in a domestic situation. Given that when it rains in Thailand, it really rains, I'd be going for runs of 5 - 6m max, depending on a convenient collector position and probably upgrade to 100mm or even 120mm downpipe if its available. When bracketing, remember that the bigger the gutter, the more weight it will carry - more is much better than less. I've always used plastic but not sure on quality in Thailand - stainless probably better. A local builder is probably best for the job and for advice on sizes.

Making personal remarks and name callling in a reply is it seems, in the vast majority of cases used to appear to be 'funny' or an attempt at self ingratiation - 'point scoring' rather than actually contributing to the thread or disagreeing with it. Where is the contradiction? There is actually a section on this site where moderation is, I believe, more relaxed and where the subject matter may be a little more 'risque'. Those who wish to use that section are, I believe, welcome to go there. For the rest of us, who wish to make people aware of something or obtain some information, the slagging, name calling and pointless replies simply become tiresome. I have dropped out of threads before because I have lost interest due to such behaviour - I know for a fact that others have too. I am well aware of what may be considered 'over moderation' - you may note that in the thread that first drew the term 'drama queen' I talked about a situation where I have complained about what I consider to be 'over moderation'. I agree that its also a reason that some leave the site - I know some of them and I believe I have also raised that in a post. I agree that some people seem to be able to 'get away' with posting things that others cannot - an example of that has also formed part of my discussions with the administration here. I think this particular matter is exhausted now.

Nowhere did I say I was offended. I just don't see the point of name calling, its totally unnecessary. That is especially true when someone is doing it to simply 'score points' or in an attempt to appear funny. No matter what your opinion, members post on here, often asking questions here to get information - that is serious and there is no need for it to descend into a slanging match - which is often started by pointless name calling. I couldn't give a toss about someone calling me a 'drama queen' to be honest - its the point behind it and the argument that follows that ires me. You might note that much of it is carried out by the same people - their sole purpose in life seems to be being controversial - one way of dealing with such people is to remove their platform or the content of it. As I've said previously, I've seen bad behaviour reduce membership of forums to such a point that they are no longer viable. I know quite a few that have left this site because they were sick of bad behaviour - I'd hate to see this place become unviable. I am fully aware that language changes over the generations - thank you. I have a perfect right to my views, as do you

In fairness, we haven't seen the driver - she might be 'Twiggy' compared to him.

One of my earliest memories of living in Bangkok (20 years ago) is walking out of the entrance to my Khlong San apartment building one December morning in a T shirt and seeing the 2 security guards sitting huddled up in their Parka's. "Sawatdee tan chao, wan nee na rak chai mai?" to which the reply was "nowww, nowww" - I think it was 22 degrees and sunny. (Note: I use the term 'security' loosely, they both had day jobs and were often fast asleep when I came home at night. The 'cold' had most likely kept them awake which was probably the main complaint)

I'd be very surprised if that was entirely true. If there is no law connected to 'intent', i.e. the purpose intended by carrying a blank gun - that would be crazy.

Come on, there are now thousands of third generation ethnic Asians in the UK. Given that quite a lot of 'indigenous' Britons can't trace their heritage back more than 2-300 years, how long do you suggest it takes to be classed as British? The Prime Minister of Great Britain is from parents of Indian descent, the First Minister of Scotland's parents were Pakistani immigrants and the Mayor of London's heritage is also Pakistani. The most popular dish in Britain is now Chicken Tikka Massala . Like it or not, Britain is a multicultural society so joking about British names is pretty much old hat. Whether or not Britain should be 'multicultural' is an entirely different matter though, its just how it is.

So another 'would be' gangster. Likely he'll soon pay the consequences for acting the 'big man'.

Let's also consider normal traffic lights. Thousands of accidents happen at them every year due to drivers also going through at red - hundreds, if not thousands are killed. Should those lights also be taken out? Would that make things safer?

Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok? How long would you suggest someone waits for a gap? We all know that things are unlikely to change - that doesn't make it right or remove anyone's ability to raise the issue. Things certainly won't change if nobody complains.

Then how are people to cross the road safely? Take the lights down rather than enforce the law.......bizarre! It is also, nothing about not being in 'farangland', Thai people are sick of the lack of enforcement too.

We often seem to think that Thai drivers are worse than most. Whilst there is a degree of truth in that - due to lack of training and a driving test that is way too easy to pass, failing to stop at a red light is just another example of selfishness. In my opinion, selfish driving is behind much of the examples of bad driving in Thailand and is the main factor behind the appalling amount of deaths and injuries on Thai roads. But, would it be any different in other countries if drivers are allowed to do exactly what they want with little fear of punishment? I'd suggest not. Again, its just an opinion but I believe the Thai police are to blame for many of the deaths and injuries on Thai roads. If they actually enforced the existing laws, there would be far fewer. For example, they don't seem to find it difficult to put up checkpoints to catch motorcyclists riding without helmets from time to time - strangely around the end of the month. But even that is not done with any serious road safety reason in mind - the main reason seems to be fund raising. Enforcement is the key - punish people properly, fine them appropriately, take away their licences in serious cases and they will behave far better. Charge them 50 baht, which the rider knows is not going into the public purse and let them ride away, still without a helmet - does nothing. That is very apparent just looking at the bikers on the roads every day. Its corruption, low level maybe but nonetheless, corruption and if you talk to Thai's they will tell you corruption is the main reason they have no respect for the police.

What is being discussed here is light controlled pedestrian crossings, drivers failing to stop at them and the failure of the police to enforce the law that compels them to stop when the lights change to red. It is not about zebra crossings. You are quoting @gargamon's frankly ridiculous comments regarding people's competence in crossing the road. He should also take note of the thread's title. Why anybody should need to be competent to cross the road at a light controlled crossing is beyond me. The fact is that in Thailand, drivers ignore such lights, the law says you must stop when the lights change to red, people are killed or injured and the police have consistently failed to enforce the law.