Astropuppy

Everybody should boycott or avoid king power shops, anyway it's always more expensive than on the streets.

Finally the voice of reason!!!!!

King Power is so over-priced it is only the "rich" or ignorant who will be doing the shopping there in the first place. The best advice was given: wait until you are in the city. Duty-free savings will not make up for the price gouge on most things at the Airport.

I set up our Asia Head Office in Bangkok last year, employing local people and bringing in FDI .... but its beginning to look like this is not the ideal location, especially after the airport issues (blockade and King Power scam) and now the Sky Train. If this type of thing ever happened to my family or my local team - I'd shift the head office to another country. Like most businesses - we need stability, safety and good transport links .... and if we don't get all three. we'll move.

If it was the lower cost you prefered when choosing BKK for a Head Office, then you got what you pay for. Singapore is more expensive, grant it, but it is still the center of A-P business for a reason.

That being said: I have never been hassled while in Thailand. I had a fellow try to pick my wallet one day. All he found was an empty hip pocket and I got a one-stroke massage for free. My point is there are some simple things we can do to limit ill-effects.

If your employees/family stay away from bad people in Thailand and don't give the Police a reason to talk to them, then they will be fine. If there is a case like the cigarette-thing, then stand your ground and a "compassionate" officer will eventually come forward and let you go. Keep saying "no" and keep asking for Supervisors until you find the one which has the "compassion".

I believe the Dane story because the rent-a-cops were so aggressive. This is done so they can get their "business" completed quickly: time is their enemy.

Crackdown on illegal taxis begins at Suvarnabhumi Airport Friday

BANGKOK: -- Illegal taxis at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport will be targeted in a crackdown by the authorities from Friday, according to Deputy Director of the Department of Land Transport Chairat Sanguansue.

Speaking in his capacity of chairman of the sub-committee to regulate public transport at Suvarnabhumi, Mr. Chairat said intensified crackdowns on unauthorised taxis will start Friday July 31.

Notices have been issued and posted at the airport and a public relations campaign has been initiated to warn offenders, he said.

Meanwhile, police officers and security guards patrolling airport premises on Thursday began warning unlicensed tour guides before beginning to arresting those who are unlicensed from August 9.

-- TNA 2009-07-30

After several trips through the Airport and using the Legal taxis I still cannot explain how a 350THB trip costs 500 THB. The distance is the same and it only depends on which way you are going. Are the Legal Airport Taxis able to recalibrate to a different rate?? I don't think so.

It is not the 50 THB fee paid at Arrivals which bothers me; it is the concentration of tampered meters by the Legal Taxis which gets me started. I use the Departure platform also and I am sure this is why there is going to be a crackdown. There is a "Nai" somewhere on the Arrivals not gettting his cut.

When the Skytrain arrives at the Airport I will have taken my last Taxi from the Airport under the current program. Somm naam naa

My wife and I have a place near Surin. Eventually we will move there to live.

It would be nice to have a central chatroom to tap-the-brains of expats that are already there. North and South Issan seem very different to be grouped together: go figure.

Does anybody know if the water irrigation plans for several of the villages in South Issan will be restarted soon? The new government shut down all of the projects that were going on close to home: I wonder where the money went?

The distribution of rubber trees seemed to fizzle out this year after there was so much effort put into that project. From what I understand there will not be a distribution next year as originally planned. We were able to get the trees to "our" village only after several letters were sent to the right government officials.

Does anybody there feel that last years government change has slowed or even reversed the progress that was being made to the infrastructures of South Issan villages (as well as the cities)? I was sad to see many of the projects in the village canceled due to lack of funds. What's up with that?

Macb

I know what you mean about Khmer; it is spoken on "our" village. It seems that a farang tongue in just not made to move that way. Srol boll rak oui.

So much energy is being spent on Thaksin (and his wife) that the root problems are being forgotten.

If nobody has noticed let me remind you: the government looks much more like a Socialist Government than a Democracy. The Economy is faltering under the new leadership. The THB is back to 32.4 and investment confidence is close to zero. Corruption is back in full force and there is not even a pretense of somebody doing something about it. (; or is little kitty armbands the best approach that Thailand has to offer?)

The momentum that was moving Thailand into a position of influence in Asia (and to some degree globally) has been lost and there is no plan whatsoever to reverse it. The most I have heard is that a former Thai communication satellite should return to Thai possession; everything Thai stays in Thai. What kind of plan is that? I have absolutely no doubt that this plan will be successful. Thailand has stopped being the Land of Smiles and has become the Land of Whiners. It breaks my heart.

All the attention to this Soap Opera has blinded many to reality. Hey...we could talk about Paris Hilton or Brittany Spears!!! Now what was being said about what's-his-name and whoever's wife?

My Own Private Idaho: That's right.

I am very impressed. Thank's for the memories...I think.

:-)

I am just catching up on this thread and I could not resist a little fun.

Keanu Reeves was mentioned in several posts. What was the name of the movie where he has an intimate relationship with (the late) River Phoenix. He played a male (service provider).

We should all be careful with what we wish for because we might get it.

I think that perfection comes as a result of how much we are willing to give ourselves. I have left nothing in reserve towards my wife and she is truly perfection. Maybe that is why I do not post very often.

It continues to amaze me at the acute level of whining that is directed towards the U.S.A.

If you have to display liquids or there are liquid restrictions on aircraft: blame it on the US.

If there is a financial ripple in the global economy: blame it on the US.

If any sort of debris is lodged in unseen and unspoken areas: blame it on the US.

God help us all if the US is wrong about something or demonstrates something less than perfection on anything: Whiners come forth and...well whine.

Is there anything else that needs to be whined about? Please note that I am aware of the difference between discussioon and whining.

For those without a clue let me remind you that terrorist have always targeted aircraft (and Americans for that matter). The Spanish found out that bombs do real damage to real people. If the foiled plot in England had not been found out, the Brits might hold the record for terrorist deaths (instead of Americans). Are the people doing the whining here so lost in there own importance to miss the big picture of the real world that we live in?

If security wants to check my luggage for liquids: fine. If I have to buy my whiskey at my destination vs. my origination: fine. When it comes to pat-down; I ask for the female security officer to offset my trouble.

Do the whiners think that Richard Reed was only going to kill Americans if he could have gotten his shoes to go off? I am sure that there were whiners on that aircraft and on the four aircraft that perished on 9/11.

If you don't like airport security, then walk.

The problem with real world stuff is the only people that understand it are not the problem in the first place.

For all of the good people that are just looking for information about getting though a normal flight easier; please excuse my whining.

Pilots have a comment section on their post-flight log. It is the pilot's responsibility to note any problems that are noticed during the flight. The log is a legal document that can come back and bite the airlines if they do not follow-up on the comments.

When a pilot writes "excessively rough runway" there becomes a need for the airline to evaluate whether the runway is safe. A first-year lawyer could string an airline up for negligence if a professional evaluation is not made and something happens: that means a civil engineer. Protecting money is not rocket science. I would bet heavily that there are AIRLINE Civil Engineers taking a look at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The last I heard was Star Alliance felt like the cost of moving back to Don Muang was too much to stay off of Suvarnabhumi runways. Faith is still in the money.

It seems to me that the biggest part of the last five months is being missed by most of the contributors.

Thailand stopped being a democracy the day the coup took place. It will not matter who is elected by the citizens in the next election: the glass that holds a democracy coherent has been broken in Thailand (again). Corrupt politicians are removed in a democracy by the vote or by the court. If one fails then unhappy citizens wait for the next. Thailand has become a Military State (again). The next election will push politicians that have military connections and then government control will carry a new meaning.

PM Thaksin (good or bad) was a part of the democratic process. That is compromised now.

Thaksin, Taxin, Toxin.... Come on guys: get a life. The whining crew is feasting on the crumbs and totally missing what happened at the banquet.

You can bet that the Star Alliance has engineers and I am sure that they are used continuously. The loss of an aircraft in Paraguay is page-ten news and the loss of one at BKK would be front page (bad PR). When the money says that planes are not landing and taking-off safely in Bkk, then I will believe that these are problems greater than should be expected.

I also remember some of the PhDs that taught classes in college and a measurable level of doubt is earned and justified. When the certified Engineer/Architect with twenty years of large project development and supervision experience whispers "Panic Button": that is when I am landing at Don Muang or Chang Mai. Integrity should not be confused with scapegoat responsibilities. Engineers make the big bucks to make things like Suvarnabhumi Airport work and not to build and burn them.

The air traffic control network that went on-line with the new airport is handling the workload very well. Shortly after the airport opened it was already operating at full capacity: I have yet to hear of any incident with traffic control.

Beside the many stretched bladders, I have not heard of anybody hurt/killed at the airport since it opened. (Yes, I realize that every place has an accident waiting to happen, but my point should be clear.)

I have also heard that there is a steady correction of problems in the terminal that got so much attention at the opening. I will leave this opinion to somebody that flew then and now.

There must be a time when some people will understand that every bad thing in Thailand is not/was not the fault of PM Thaksin. He did not make the first ya baa. He did not pay the first "service person." He did not come up with the idea of corruption in Thailand. He did not start the new airport plan forty years ago. He did not have a say in choosing the sight of the new airport. He did not ......

Come on People!!!

One of the primary concourses at the new Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris collapsed on a sunny day. Do any of us really think that Suvarnabhumi Airport is the first airport to have problems? The Architect firm that led the project at the opening was a German firm (http://www.murphyjahn.com/english/frameset_intro.htm) with a lot of brilliant projects to their credit: these were/are not ignorant people with faulty ideas and questionable character.

Projects like this are going to have problems. Especially when they are drawn out over forty years. Do I think that it will take a chunk of money to get the problems fixed: Absolutely. Do I think that this is abnormal in today's world: no way. The bigger something is means the bigger the potential problems it can create (especially in Thailand).

The Suvarnabhumi Airport will someday become a cornerstone to the advancement of Thailand. There are too many good ideas already in place and working for a finger tapping argument about Exit signs, bathrooms, or even drainage (which is a big problem).

The people that push the idea that the biggest problem at the new airport is the Politics of Thailand have hit the real nail on the head.

The best in the world: I don't think so (maybe someday).

Some people walk down a hallway and complain about the shade of stain on the doors while others walk down the same hallway and wonder at the design of the carpet. Everybody lives their life their own way. I would not try to take the complaint out of a complainer.

I heard that the new airport has a peak hourly push of over 75: that's not shabby at all.

Personally I would give Minneapolis, MN (MSP) my favorite airport spot, but even they do not have a 75 push.

I remember when the Denver Int. Airport opened in the US. There was all of the build up, all of the delays, and then the let down. The biggest complaint is that they pushed too much technology into the airport and nothing worked right. Less than a year later Denver became just another airport.

I agree with the post that mentioned the more frequent the flyer implies the more positive responses will be about the airport. Most airports get the job done pretty well. The only airport that I really don't like is Philadelphia (PHL). I liked Don Muang because I was very familiar with it. I learned where the employee cafeteria was at and I really liked catching a meal there. The new airport is not Don Muang, but that does not make it a bad airport.

My wife has already flown through Suvarnabhumi and she thought it was just fine. Her arrival and departure were during off-hours (we both prefer to travel off-hours) and she passed through each part with no problems.

As far as the corruption; it is Thailand...what do you expect. I think that the only thing that PM Thaksin did in dealing with the airport that may be iffy is he pushed to open it before elections. The bottom line on that is if he did not push, then the really corrupt officials would have continued milking the project for a couple more years and then we would be where we are today.

Take a pill, recline your seat, and enjoy the flight.

I like the way you think Brahmburgers. The house that we are planning in the village has a feel like you discribed.

The rubber plan is a "family business" project that my father-in-law is donating the sweat and bruises on. Any economic success would be to the advantage of the many relatives that I have come to love. The Garden of Eatin [:-)] is a great plan but it misses all of the points I need to touch.

Maybe a few extra fruit and nut trees here and there wouldn't hurt. I like it.

Wow, thanks for some really great advice.

I actually understand the concerns for the environment. Most farmers that plan on staying in the business for more than a couple of years have to be aware of balance when they manage their resources. Killing the ground is just bad business on top of morally wrong: most farmers are very aware of this.

Our plan is to add more land as-needed and about a thousand rubber trees per year for seven years. Then balance the back-end cutting with replacing the same thousand trees at the fourteenth-fifteenth year. I have heard there is a signifigant production loss after fifteeen years: is that actually twenty-five? There was a mention about bigger is better. I know that big can get pretty big. In terms of profitability; what is big? If one tree is economically a waste of time and 25,000 trees is a business, then where in between does growing rubber actually become economically balanced and profitable?

The plan has always included processing our own NR and then either leasing some facility capacity to other growers or buying their rubber and processing it for profit. Leasing is the option of choice because I hope to be winding down instead of gearing up with work. We (my wife's family) should have the buildings up in three years and possibly start compounding in the forth. I make a fair income now in the States and supporting the investment should not present a problem through the next ten years.

I was thinking about the "vertical" economics from growing trees through processing, but establishing export agreements in the West would seem to be better suited for a Co-op Agreement in Thailand than for individual farmers. Tamaique, is this what you have in mind? Is there a Co-op group already established in Thailand to handle these kinds of export agreements? Running the rubber through Singapore or Malaysia as business-as-usual does not seem to be the best future for Thai rubber. Not that I believe that our stand of trees will have any effect on how business is done.

My wife and I have 55 rie in Buriram and hope to have another 45 rie before I retire to the country in 10-12 years. (We should have the extra ground in five years.) My wife's parents have moved back from BKK to grow rice/vegetables on some of the land and they have planted rubber trees (1000) on some of the land. I am curious what other rubber growers think about the rubber market in seven years. The last I heard was that rubber was selling for about 30THB/KG due to the regulated pricing in Singapore and the price has been flat for many years (except for a recent spike).

My idea of retirement looks more like trees, fishponds, and rice than daily vegetable pickings. Any advice on a stable blend of "lower" maintenance or managable crops that we can develop now?