snoophound

Smacks of the usual Howard Cronyism.

Farmers a brown-nose so a perfect ambassador for our beloved indonesia.

Hopefuly they find a non public service ceo for immigration.

Not that it will be able to change much with Van Millstone still the minister.

Bill Farmer, who would become Australia's next ambassador to Indonesia,

How on earth can Li'l Johnny give that drongo a job as an ambassador...... Geezus!

and Fat Mandy keeps her job....... incredible!

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Wonder of they will find someone competent this time

Australian immigration head replaced after bungles

11.07.05

SYDNEY - The head of Australia's Immigration Department has quit after a series of bungles which included the wrongful detention and deportation of two mentally ill women, Prime Minister John Howard said yesterday.

An investigation by former Australian police commissioner Mick Palmer into 201 cases of possible wrongful detention and deportation has focused attention on Australia's policy against illegal immigrants.

Australia is a nation built on migrants but has one of the strictest policies against illegal immigration in the world, policies which in part have helped Howard's conservative government to four straight election wins.

"There have been mistakes made, and I'll have more to say about this, and plainly people who are Australian citizens should never be treated as if they weren't," Howard said.

"Nonetheless we do need to make changes," he told Australian television.

Howard said he had accepted the resignation of Immigration Department secretary Bill Farmer, who would become Australia's next ambassador to Indonesia, and appointed former immigration official Andrew Metcalfe as his replacement.

Howard had resisted calls to replace Farmer and Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone but scathing excerpts of a report by Palmer, which has been handed to the government and is due to be released next week, highlighted a catalogue of failures.

Among those were the wrongful detention of mentally ill German-born Australian woman Cornelia Rau in jail and then in a remote outback detention centre for illegal immigrants, treatment which Palmer said exacerbated her illness.

Lawyers for mentally ill Australian woman Vivian Alvarez have said that she had a partially severed spinal cord and had to sign her deportation papers with a thumb print when she was wrongly sent back to the Philippines four years ago.

Farmer apologised in May for failings by his department in some of the cases being investigated by Palmer.

Australia's strict policy against illegal immigration includes detaining illegal arrivals, illegal workers and people who overstay visas, often for years while their cases are heard.

The policy has been harshly criticised by human rights groups but Howard last month softened detention laws to head off a revolt within his government, allowing children and families to be freed from custody while refugee claims are heard.

An Amnesty International report has found that nine out of 10 unauthorised arrivals who sought asylum between July 2002 and June 2003 turned out to be genuine refugees.

Makes me angry as genuine applicants for visas to Aussies get the third degree just because they are Thai and female 

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And thens theres the fact that most residents in pattaya are usualy so pissed its easier to push them off

I wonder what percent are suicide and what percent is murder?  I know if I kill myself it is not going to be by jumping off a building, I'd take pills or something and I think that is the same for most of us. 

I think its easier, and the results more garanteed, for the wife/girlfriend/business partner just to pay someone to throw the guy out a window.  The police come and look at the room, it looks clean, the body is dead and all bloody, so it looks good, ah another suicide.

And I will make a bet when/if the police ever figured out a way to stop the tossing of people off buildings, then there would be an increase of people drowning while swimming 1 mile off shore of Jomitan Beach.

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Whats different to any other developed country.

If he wants to eliminate poverty,he needs a better tax base.

The trend is extremely perturbing.

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I agree, but it's one that is very hard to buck right now. When people are afraid they are quick to relinquish their liberties for the illusion of security. Once relinquished those liberties are extremely difficult to retrieve. Those in power tend to want to hold on.

More on point: I wonder how the government will deal with the fact that so many people do not actually reside in the abode at which they are registered? Ignore it or attempt to clean things up?

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Might as well turn Tequila reef into a gogo.

Never looks busy

Ate there once,overpriced avg food,watery margaritas and confused service.

Hmm SOUNDS like a usual pattaya falang themed attempt.

Where can you buy sour cream in this country?

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Everywhere! More to the point where can you buy guacawhatsitmajig over here, I love but have never seen it??

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I dont know

depends on the definition of lady of the night.

I know several aus and nz guys that have got bargirls in ,they just made sure they had the evidence of relationship ,more than 6 mths records etc.

One in NZ recently had to pay a 3k bond mainly because he had the evidence but she did not interview well,and they were suspicious.

Still seems to be plenty going into the UK though,via some kind of mafia operation in BKK.

They get a visa and have to "work" off 2m baht.

However do the ladies of the night get visa's for Australia ?  There must be a back door into Embassies.

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You making a joke Doc?

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The retro bar in Sydney two years ago.

I was blind drunk and she was in a group with four thai frends,not often you see that in Sydney (unless at the casino).

She kept pushing me to her girlfriend ,but i got her number eventually,took me two weeks to get around to calling her but its been great ever since.

Good to see the pressure coming off thais.

Its a lot more sophisticated now,with the Korean and Chinese at the fore.

A recent bust of a parlour in sydney found several Korean girls forced to live on the premises.

The operators are smarter now,and tend to get new slaves by hooking young students at the casino,lending them money and when they cant pay it back forcing them into the parlours.

Its got a little to hard to actually import girls now as many have discovered on this site.

Sex trafficking under the microscope

July 10, 2005

The Sun-Herald

Sex industry figures and brothel workers have been summonsed in an Australian Crime Commission investigation into sex slave trafficking.

The ACC has called up 44 people in NSW, including brothel and karaoke employees, suspect migration agents and women believed to have been trafficked.

Six search warrants have been issued in four states and investigators have seized large amounts of documentation believed to be records relating to organised trafficking operations bringing women to Australia for prostitution.

Eight further notices requiring the handover of more documents have also been served.

ACC chief executive officer Alastair Milroy said more hearings would be held in Canberra and the Northern Territory.

Mr Milroy said the syndicates might now be shifting their operations to other crimes. "I think a lot of the attention ... has raised the level of awareness in the community," he said.

"Those who are involved and are affected by this, as all criminal groups are when you pay them attention, step back and realise this is too difficult and that there are easier ways of making money."

Intelligence indicates that organised crime groups involved in drug trafficking, credit card and identity fraud may also be involved in people trafficking for sexual servitude.

The ACC is to produce a report for its board in September.

Sydney has been identified as the most significant entry point for women being trafficked into Australia, and NSW and Victoria remain the states where most trafficked women have been found and where most of the syndicates operate.

South Korea, Thailand and China were the main source countries, while the cases of most concern involved Thai women.

Although the ACC found the prevalence of Thai women in the sex industry had fallen, there had been a reported increase in the number of South Korean sex workers in Australia.

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just leaving i think

Thanks for that quick response. 

But do they take picture when entering the ingdom or when leaving the kingdom ?

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ITS TRUE

We left on tues

not all the lines were operational

They guy on the desk said it was so they can match your pic at the boarding gate,but that didnt happen.

Yes it was slow but then they were still learning.

Hi everyone,

I've just read on another forum that there's now a picture taken of yourself at the immigration counters entering Bangkok via Don Muang airport.

Is this a joke or not ?

If true, does this seriously increase the waiting time in the queue ?

Thanks for infos

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question is then

what time did happy hour start???????????????

I've always thought that bars set their clocks 15 minutes faster for closing time so they can get people out on time. This means they run their whole day on that clock just like happy hour doesn't start until their clock says it's time. Now this is not rocket science but it works for them and generally makes things easier for all concerned.

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Team up with a family of heavys and become a moneylender.

Biggest industry up there.

How to make a small fortune in Issan.........Start with a big one 

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never a wrong cock in nana

I don't know the place but it appears that the bar girl made a mistake, the cock was wrong...

I just would have had a friendly word with the owner, means take the complain to the boss, or did you?

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Wonder if they answer the phones now???

You forgot to mention that they have moved the visa section to Thai CC Tower.

Australian Visa Application Centre

Level 34, Units 2 & 3

Thai CC Tower

889 South Sathorn Road

Bangkok 10120

Telephone 02 6723476 - 79

For those who need a visa for their loved ones.

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Som oh

yum yum

I think udon wears one on his head

Forgot to mention that one of my favorite daily treats is the glass of ice cold pomelo juice that I have each morning. This stuff is simply delicious. If you haven't tried it, buy a box in the fruit juice section of any of the larger markets. It think it's 59 baht a liter at Lotus just now.

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yep deluxe room at the majestic grande on soi2 for 3k

near new,big tvs,pool,gym, 2 rests,....location.

This place would be screaming at 2k a night.

Sorry,but for B3000 a night,I want at least a decent gym and pool.The bedroom pics look no more better than the Dynasty or Nana at - B1000.

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Seems to happen all too often.

Stupid falangs with large amounts of cash lying around the house.

They deserve to lose it

Why need to bring the whole cow back if you need only one glass of milk.

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At least you can have a bit of fun at cm2

bed and Q are boring .

I had the privelige of going to the Miss UNI after party at Narcissus end may.

What amazed me about the hiso tryhard thai gals there was they all had plastic chins,noses,tits,etc etc .Hiso Boys well nuff said ....spoilt little plonkers that havent done a days work in their lives.

Dont know why they want to look like some kind of ersatsz falang.

Some looked like freaks or ladyboys.

CM2 is like q-bar, bed supper club, et al. Basically all the farang orientated nightclubs double as houses of prostitution.

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Yep Pricey,with cover charge and expensive drinks.....well 220 baht for a bottle heineken type thing,bit cheaper if you like draft beer.

Pop band with ok pino singer

Hundreds of freelancers that all fancy themselves as worth considerably more than the going rate

Management are mean with the aircon so it gets very hot and heavy in there.

Still prob the busiest falang Inhabited style bar in BKK.

Narcsissus on soi23 is worth a look on fri sat nights awesome place ,multi mill fitout 4 years ago....more thai yuppies there though.

.....ladyboys not allowed inside......

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Well I haven't been to CM2 for a year or so, but in the past, the place did see its fair share of them. Watch out for tall attractive women with big knockers and deep voices!

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And big hands and feet

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Perhaps the comfort lodge

its above an italian restaurant

part of amari group so you will find on amari ste.

clean rooms and get a room thats on the back of the hotel.

bout 1300 a night

I was wondering if anyone knows the name of a hotel that is on Sukhumvit across from the landmark that's enty is right on a corner? Their is a restarant connected to it (tomato?) I stayed there several years ago when the Majestic was full.

Just wondering, was it the called bussines Inn?

Thanks

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I didnt relate the rest of the story

One of the guys I was with is the Managing ED of a travel publication with 250k subscribers.

He was incensed.

After several requests to talk to manager we ended up at the entrance where they were to refund our money.

It then got difficult again,so my mate was given a number in BKK who was the big boss.

He was suitably amazed that we had this problem and apologised.

He asked to speak to the person we were dealing/arguing with with who looked

very taken aback when my mate said here big boss want to talk to you....he goes no no not talk.

My mate said to big boss in BKK your person here doesnt want to talk to you.

He was again suitably amazed and apologetic.

I think its down to fear of being held responsible ....standard thai

Anyway as i said nothing wrong with making money ,but they need quality management,like fantasea.

Udon:  I think you mean this link.

http://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/...thailand/nn.htm

Jai Dee:

Don't think they do dual pricing there..do they ?? 

I went with a Thai and two other "farungs"

we all paid the same entrance fee. 100baht each.

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Nope, I figured the reader might like to see pics of the rest of the Thai tour.

To Kerry & Snoopy, thanks for the heads-up on pricing, I'll take it up with the Thai owner on my return.

If he wants farang customers he may not want bad PR on Thai related forums.

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Yes a typical Thai experience where greed sets in and no care about the customer.

The old mothers dream and vision of the wonderful garden ,is hijacked by big business.

The cashflow in that place must be massive.

My last trip to Nong Nooch was in August '04.

The week previous, I had treated a large portion of the "clan" from my apartment building to a trip to Khao Keow zoo (7 adults and 6 ankle-biters).

The next week, we went to Nong Nooch (7 adults and 5 screaming-squirmers). The prices were much higher, there were larger crowds everywhere (probably 2 dozen of those huge tour busses alone).

The Thai's I was with were not impressed (OK, the rug-rats were happy, but the adults were not). Even though I was paying for the whole affair (my treat, my choice), my friends were getting upset because everytime we went to pay for something, as soon as the ticket sellers saw me, they charged "farang" price for the whole group !

I expected to get charged more, but none of us expected that the Thais would be charged the same rate as if they were all farangs too.

That trip ended up costing 3 times as much as the trip to Khao Keow, and we had 2 fewer people.

It will be a very long time before I ever go back there again, or recommend it to anyone else.

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Any Kiwis or other interested parties watching the game in BKK,sukhumvit area tommorow??

Always have a laugh when I walk past,missus says why you laughing!!!

coca suki in siam

Reminds me of a story some jap language experts on the forum might be able to verify about hordes of jap tourists laughing and taking photos outside a restaurant in Akld NZ called CIN CIN.

Not sure how accurate but a rough translation I was told by unreliable sources was Erect penis??

Took a visitor from UK along to MK once, and she was horrified by the whole concept. She couldn't accept that the fish was put in the bowl and cooked with the meat, let alone the fact that everyone tucks in together - she ended up with Kao Pad Gai 

I like MK and such. I find it quite a fun way to eat, works best if you're in a group though I think. I will be sure to try Coca now as well.

I took my parents to MK when they came to Thailand from the UK on holiday.Once they'd got the hang of it - they loved it!

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After spending a few days trying to convince friends to have a look we went to Nong Nooch about 3 pm yday.

I had a wonderful day their two years ago ....a truly awesome garden.

Well.....

As we entered there were at least 20 buses.....that should have been the turnaround point.

However we had gotten the 8 of us there and out of the bars and shops,and went in.

Must have been a thousand tourists,mainly chinese and korean in one heaving throng.

When showtime started ...well you can imagine!!!!

We found a mgr and complained and demanded money back after several mgrs and half an hour later we got 80% back .....well it was the principal.

We paid for the show and were practically trampled then view blocked by the madding hordes from the buses.

They need to take a lesson from Fantasea.

Incredible organisation to get 3-5k people a session a year or two back.

Dont go to Nong Nooch without checking for tourbuses.

But do go,its prob one of the better attractionns in Pattaya