wrecker

This will get Mr. Sondi's panties in a twist real soon. The military junta's constitution clearly forbids an elected government from doing anything that would help poor people.

Let's hope in that case that the poor will overrun the extortionist Sondhi/Chamlong camp forever. If I were the government I would impose an hefty fine for all elitists who discriminate foreigners (and foreigners mean by these people all Hilltribe people who stay in Thailand much longer than the families of the elitists, who mostly came from China anyhow, and extra taxes on all of their companies using illegal immigrants, who have to work 12-16 hours a day for half the minimum wage. After all you have to pay for it. And last but not least, bring the old 1997 constitution back by asking the voters. The military have no role in politics, just like Chamlong should have no role in politics after having ruined the country 30 years ago and again in the 90's. The military and the elite should grow up and realize that every vote is worth the same. Appointed judges should be replaced to those who abide by the rules of democracy.

he and the Foreign Ministry had done the right thing

Except it was ruled unconstitutional.

You mean that the constitution was unconstitutionally changed by the junta? Change the constitution quickly. do not bother to write a new one, use the 1997 one let people vote on it and you can govern the country again.

These companies do not make any business sense at all. If you take a look at the shareholders it is prone to failure. It is almost shameless that pension funds invest their members money in this kind of mickey mouse companies. If Thai airways cannot do it themselves NOK cannot do it. The interference of politically influenced workers unions and their shareholders guarantee failure. it is a blessing for them that they can hide right now behind the fuel costs, at least they can keep face. In this kind of companies it is never a business decision always a political one. Maybe the pension funds and crown property can invest in a new satellite company, it is an expensive project without any merit for shareholders but it looks good on the big boys, it is kind of patriotic I suppose.

and if there is a TV listing it is often not accurate, they are an hour off or so.... Lousy company, bill payment for the satellite TV was not possible through BBL bank, so you was forced to opt for the cable. unfortunately this company is so sophisticated that they are not even able to credit your account after all CATV and DSTV have separate accounting departments. So they give you an fax number which is not picking up and their email (also published on their website) is spitting the payment slip back it is not in use for months!

About the PVR! it is rubbish it is not a HD machine, so if and it is an IF they start broadcasting in HD you might buy a new one! Go for a Bluray recorder, it is cheaper and better. On their website they claim to have started HD broadcasts for the general public, cutting edge technology. well uhh sort of. If you ask them they will tell the announcement on their website is not accurate, maybe THIS year, but than again we hear the maybe this year statement already for the last 3 years or so.

Wow, there are probably not so many farangs working in the fields of working with animals. It is highly likely that the decease is brought into the country by refugees rom Burma. In that case it might be a painful but stark reminder that Thailand cannot simply please dictators, but that human rights abuses next door affect the health of rural Thai people.

Most people have little to fear from the disease given their profession. (or should I say the lack of profession?)

Maybe the Thai government gets a bit friendlier to their tourists and investors. For the drop in tourist in Phuket, it is a typical case of som nam naa. Ripping off tourists with absurd prices and selling the place as pristine is damaging to the country.

This is crap.. they also run on gassoline at the flick of a switch,

YES they do. But you are probably not willing to pay an fee of 200 baht more for the first 2 kilometer. Taxi drivers have a very bad job in Thailand, they hardly make any money. Crap is the fact that idiots block roads, hinder children when they have classes with amplifiers and claim that the government is to blame for the high gas prices. That's crap!

It is pretty sad that a group of a few thousand undemocratic people (no election result that goes against them will ever be accepted) can hold a country hostage. They block roads, prevent people from reaching their work, they have been able to block the UN gates so help for Burma could not go out and today we have the march of the short fuses.

Even worse is that their leaders publicly stated that they prefer dictatorship above a democratically elected government. These are sick people, and the government should come down on them in full force. Everybody has the right to demonstrate, but Chamlong is a extortionist who is given to much freedom. First they let him paralize traffic and business near MKB center for months now they do not dare to exterminate him again. This probably due to the fact that he is backed by prem and friends. Luckily for us they are all old people, which will no longer be able to push their own agenda which held Thailand backwards for so long. I am neither a Abbhisit nor a Thaksin supporter, but any country from which the happy few are in the habbit not to accept a governement which has a 2/3 majority is in dire straits.

Investors will run for cover and they will end up next door in Cambodia or Malaysia and rightly so.

Bangkok-London-Bangkok: Charges 230USD EXTRA for aviation fuel increases... Hmmmm... Say 400 Passengers on a 747-400 on average: 400x230USD = 92,000 USD. The distance Bangkok to London and back to Bangkok is approx. 12,000 Miles. So thats an exta of 7.67 USD per Mile! Does anybody have an idea of how much fuel a 747-400 needs per Mile? And how much is a liter of aviation fuel. Just wondering

It sounds like a pretty hefty surcharge which will price Thai airways out of the market. But that is fine. As long as governments are allowed to fool around with (partially) private companies like they do with the PTT. According Airbus their new A 380 consumes 3 liter per 70 mile per passenger. It seems that an Boeing 747 is doing 30% more per mile.

Yes normally you pay the surcharge at the airport or when you confirm your ticket. It is has nothing to do with already having a ticket, it is a SURCHARGE so it is collected up and above the ticket price you already paid.

Ah, the first signs that the baht decline is inevitable.

Of course it is inevitable. Either soldiers start shooting or extortionists like the PAD and their criminal leader Chamlong will take care of it. if you have 2000 people who block roads and blackmail courts and governments because they have no clue how a democracy is working, foreign investors will give the finger, you do not have to be a speculator to understand this.

Given the fact that the US economy is mismanaged a decline of the baht in comparison with the dollar tells the full story.

Who really want to fly with these kind of airlines anyhow. They are hardly any cheaper than Thai Airways (f you take a promotion, which is subject to the same restrictions as on Air Asia or one two go, you hav inexperienced children on the plane doing a job which they cannot handle and eventually will get you killed in the case of an accident. The emergency exits are to be handled by passengers and are blocked by two seats? And that for a handful of dollars price difference... WOW! By the way why complaining about 125 baht or so in surcharge? it is nothing isn't it? The tip in the restaurant at the airport will be around the same.

UTTERLY NONSENSE! Where did you got the number from:

THIS was the article, which appeared in AP, and in ALL foreign newspapers, including, Australian, US, UK, Dutch and German papers!

Thai police seize more than 1,000 fake passports in raid

Mohammed Karim (above) was nabbed in a Bangkok townhouse late on Saturday where police found a sophisticated passport making operation and more than 1,000 finished and unfinished documents, Thai police said. -- PHOTO: AFP

BANGKOK - THAI authorities have seized more than a thousand fake Asian and Western passports and arrested a man in one of the biggest anti-counterfeiting operations in recent years, police said on Sunday.

Mohammed Karim, a 56-year-old from Bangladesh, was nabbed in a Bangkok townhouse late on Saturday where they found a sophisticated passport making operation and more than 1,000 finished and unfinished documents, Police Major-General Chaktip Chaichinda said.

'He admitted that he made fake passports,' Maj-Gen Chaktip said, adding that his partner, a Myanmar national, escaped arrest.

The passports were for several countries including the United States, New Zealand, France, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Malta.

Police seized two computers, a scanner, three printers and rubber stamps for several countries.

'This guy is rich. He has a BMW. He said he made about 300,000-400,000 baht per month (around $13,500),' Maj-Gen Chaktip said.

The passports were sold to a group of Thai and Burmese middlemen who then sold them to gangs engaged in prostitution, terrorism and smuggling, he said.

If convicted, Karim faces up to 20 years in jail.

'It's the biggest fake passport case in the past four to five years,' Maj-Gen Chaktip said.

Passport fraud is a common problem in Thailand, where police seized 100 fake documents last year. -- REUTERS

As if this would make any difference. As soon as you have a license plate from let's say a province in Izan, the North of the south, the police will try to intimidate you right away near Don Muang and demand money from you even if you commit no offense. I have caught these criminal policemen on mobile camera several times. I refuse to pay, I often simply drive off even if they stop me.

Actually I have used my old passport till 2 weeks before it expired, with a 30 day stamp. If you need a visa you would probably not get it, a 30 day stamp was in my case no problem I got more than one with a validity of les than 6 months.

It seem that certain people like to do as if, this is a real problem. No one in his or her right mind would watch a movie where you have to watch at a moving picture. At the best they need the Thai sound track, but you do not need a mobile phone for that. It is highly immoral to lock up a few children who film a few scenes. Everybody knows that the real culprits are far more professional and are doing an inside job. You cannot stop the owner from installing a high tech camera or giving the promotional DVD to a DVD factory, where they remove the watermark.

As always they love to go for the small fish, so it looks like they are efficient. No way that this makes any difference. The only advantage is however that we do not get disturbed anymore by phones that are going off.

There is one born every day, 50 in this case.......

I guess Thavisa needs to reach out to the Swedish people in Thailand.

Absolutely. And there are places in Thailand where you see advertisements for great houses and and a sales office for fifteen years. After a lot of suckers made their down payment, the company goes belly up. After three months a new sign appears with new houses and the circus starts again. But than again, education is expensive and f people learn their lessons, it is money well spend.

You should have received an letter from the embassy for the immigration. the letter asks the officers to issue a new visa. There are still numerous reasons why you do not show up in the computer. With an letter from the embassy you will make it out, and otherwise, there is still a nice boat trip that you can make, a bit expensive maybe.

It is probably the worst decision to go to the Dutch embassy. The Dutch have mistakenly the name to be hospitable, however if you look throughout their history there are just two brief periods in which they welcomed foreigners. The new politicians over there are goons. You stand a ten times better chance to get a visa at the French, the Spanish or Italian embassy. Best is to book a sightseeing trip the chances that you will get a visa are huge. The only downside is that they mostly issue a one month instead of a three month visa.

It remains te be seen how the Thai police will handle this matter. in former (mass murder) cases related to Burmese, they walked simply away from it. It would be absurd to arrest only the driver, as you can assume that the big fish are related to people in high circles.

Well laws in Thailand are only enforced when times are changing. Ask Surayud, who occupies a plot of land, or Sanan, or Thaksin. Everybody thinks they get away with it, till they join the wrong party.

Interesting topic! When being stopped by a policeman at Suvarnabhumi, a regular person will be frightened and will do anything in order to get out of that mess. Can we be calm enough to ask for seeing his ID card? Now we know what to do. Thank you for posting this.

Right like in any other police state. This comment is not to upset the regulars. if they were honest to themselves they would recognize Thailand as a police state. after all I never seen any other country where people scare their toddlers by threatening them with police.

Makes sense, the promotions for that are 690 baht for every 600.000 insured amount.

You can still open an account almost everywhere. Although regulations have changed. Thai people are nice. They are happy to overlook the visa requirements often. only when you need a checking account they request work permit and a letter from the company. but even on a 30 day stamp most banks allow you to open a savings account. I have done it one a copy of my passport, though I knew them long time

Great! First they need an arrest warrant and than they will start searching. Well time enough to reach Phnom Phen.