drenoi

This MF, he was outside Pantip one day with the cops looking at him scratching their heads like apes trying to decide what to do. That was about 4 months ago..

I asked him what his story was and he said he taught at a pratom school and then got kicked out... Gave him the number for nature method.

Did you notice he swayed back and forth like he was on drugs?!

30,000 baht a month give or take no wonder he doesn't wanna teach, should have asked him where he sleeps at night, i doubt on the street, he's probably got a nice set up with a TV and fridge and all the sh!t?!?

Thanks Jaidee for all the articles.

It seems the air quality improved for a day or two prior to the PM's visit. Today it is VERY BAD again, if looking straight up, cannot see any blue in the sky what-so-ever, it could be cloud cover, but i doubt it.

There were fire trucks spraying the roads here yesterday, in order to increase the humidity but it seems unfortunately for now the rain making hasn't worked . On that note I saw 3+ rubbish/leaf fires roaring away just yesterday!

It reminds me so much of that quote I heard, the Thais hear what HM says, but they never listen to him.

I hope the situation improves for you guys up there really soon.

Meantime you could take a short vacation to Bangkok or Pattaya and breathe in some fresh clean air!!

I suggest Phuket but PLEASE bring a bit rain with you, I am waiting three month for it here. not a single drop.

<snip>

Ah you guys are all heart, got a spare room at ur house for us then? I'll bring some Chiang Mai girls!

One possible explanation why the forest fires are so bad this year, was recently conveyed to me by a forest-dwelling monk in Kalasin province.

He told me that since Tax-sin was ousted, the forest rangers who are supposed to patrol the Phu Phan National Park to control illegal logging, poaching and forest fires have more or less gone inactive, leading to a rise in all those evils. He should know as he lives right in the middle of the Park. So this year, the forest fires right up to the summit of Phu Phan on both the Kalasin and Sakhon Nakhon have been far worse than normal, as nobody's been putting them out.

That makes sense! So it IS Toxsins fault!

More sat images:

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets....terra.500m.jpg

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets...3.terra.2km.jpg

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Indochina <-- this one is good

Click 1km, 500m or 250m for a bigger image.

need to get hip to the 21st century!

where do you get your stats? do you have a webpage link to health stats in CM and/or other cities in Thailand? Something like that would be very helpful to someone (like me) planning to retire to LOS.

thanks

zippy

There are stats, some very good ones, somewhere on this site too, get zippy and have a look around yourself, he is certainly (and unfortunately) correct.

need to get hip to the 21st century! I like that! and I think you're right, the only way they will get it to stop is if they make 'recycling' trendy (or profitable) to the Thais.

A Thai person told me yesterday that from today onwards they will lock up anyone who is caught lighting a fire! Doesn't make me feel any better, it still feels like a nuclear winter here!!

In my opinion, free of charge, to get change in this part of the world is going to be hard. We need to go to the UN and tell them - there is little point in already developed countries trying to limit their pollution when Asian countries are doing NOTHING. We need to get the funding to put together a team of combustion experts who can travel to sites (manufacturing, refining, mining etc) and do a free analysis (because there is no way they will want to pay for it) on how they can improve their emissions, then the funding needs to be there to actually implement the changes. If you have ever seen a flue stack in Thailand you can clearly see the pollutants coming out the top (yellow smoke, bright white smoke, dark smoke). This is the industrial side of things. On the other front we need education teams of Thais & westerners (they wont like that) who can travel to each province say and present the hazards of burning off. I once saw a picture of a set of lungs riddled with black spots from smog, we need graphic images pretty colours and games that the Thais can relate to (and stop them from falling asleep).

I hate legal paperwork so if anyone knows about how to make proposals to the UN or even overseas protection agencies for funding I am willing to help and can travel to sites to advise on cleaning up their act! This could be a good business oppurtunity if anyone is interested...

"When Toxin was the PM the haze wasn't NEARLY so bad!!!!" - Surely then Toxsin has paid all his northern cronies to start the fires?

Jaidee has just been up north with his wife.He was complaining on how all the haze smelt like smoke and that you couldn't see the sun after 3pm.Now I know why.

I heard on the radio this morning that some airlines have refused to land at CM International Airport, citing lack of visibility is a major safety concern.

That can't be good! For all who care it's worse today, has gotten worse and worse over the last few days, eyes starting to sting now. Could see a nice long glow along Suthep last night from the Highway...

There is another thread "What is the source of the pollution in chaing mai" or something like that with some very good posts and sat images, maybe these threads should/could be merged.. I can't find that thread anymore...

Aye that is true, i've seen a natural fire start from a lightning strike which is another miracle of nature (and watch the Thai's run for cover), but the point is, in my opinion, the excess haze which everybody who has lived here for a while says is unusual is caused by excessive man made burning off.. Burning off is good for the soil, sometimes, but you are also loosing minerals to the air from the combustion reaction. I believe mulching/composting is the best way to go, yeah ok burn off now and then but this is ridiculous.

Anyway i think we can all agree on hoping the smoke f's off sooner rather than later...

http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individ...date=2006-11-20

this site sometimes has some cool sat imagery also...

can anyone superimpose the sat images from the previous posts into google earth so we can see exactly where the fires are? that would be cool, song kran is coming up, maybe we can do a fire fighting tour... & yeah, thanks for the good links!!

Blame it on Myanmar and the hilltribes is a nice try.

This has been going on in whole northern thailand since December. I live 14 km south of Chiang Rai and our farm has been hit by two fires in February. In that area there have been quite big fires every day the last month.

Travelling by car from CR via Payao, Phrae, Uttaradit, Phitsanalok to Chaiyaphum two days ago we saw fires or traces of fire absolute everywhere. Not two km without a fire or ashes from old fires.

But this year it is worst than ever or as long I have been here, 5 years.

It is time for someone to tell Thai people that this is not good and try to stop it.

Someone that Thai people listen to.

I thought he already did tell them to stop setting fire to anything that will burn... I'm sure he did..??

Anyway it's true, I've also seen alot of fires in the north this year and today especially the smoke is BAD! It's reduced visability alot. The only positive is the sun looks great when setting.

Alas, many of the older Thai prophesies seem to be coming into alignment. The end is near.

Chaiyo!

It appears so.

Rather interesting is that the more things shape up, the lesser this is talked about compared to many years ago.

Yes indeed, I haven't heard anyone speak about it for a long time. How's it going to happen? At this stage it looks like nuclear war or could be something nature related like the ocean rising to cover all land or a metor out of left field.. Since the republicians inclding bush also believe in doomsday perhaps they will be the one to 'push the button' Still can't rule out the supprise attack from some killer virus.... According to the 'prophecies' it's 2011 right or 2010? not long now... dont forget to say your prayers.

interesting, but not surprising that it's an Aussie news service that is (or appears to be) breaking the story. Similarly, whenever an internationally wanted criminal is apprehended in Thailand, it always seems to be overseas sleuthing that's the main force behind the apprehension. Let's hope Thai 'intelligence services' and police forces (equivelent of the FBI?) get better at their jobs - and take the wheel, rather than so often taking the back seat and relying on foreign intelligence services to connect the dots.

A case in point is the man who murdered several yound people in India and in Thailand (can't recall his name, something like Sorej?) - Even when BKK police were given intruiging evidence by a Belgian embassy worker, and actually arrested the guy in Bangkok, the Thai authorities LET HIM GO, because it was a weekend and they couldn't verify whether his American passport was valid. It turned out his passport was bogus - and the scumbag went off and murdered several other people before he was apprehended much later - in India.

...so it goes.

That is a very interesting story, his name is Charles Sobhraj, he sounds like an asian Ted Bundy, more info on Google. Best info is on Wiki, wasn't just the Thais that let him go.

Edit: Opps someone beat me to it

Can believe. Even underage girls are going rampant in KL. You see them in clubs wearingw what looks like bikinis. They like having the men fight over them as well. Most are from villages and just go wild! A friends ex had to keep coming to retrieve his step children (15 and 17) from bars wearing minis etc. Girls as young as 14 were hanging out looking for men (white guys etc).

In Singapore the stress of life/studying has led to uni entrance exam ages to indule in sex/drink/drug orgies. They just go wild.

Teenagers want to &lt;deleted&gt;. Nothing will stop them!

Really? KL & Singapore you say.... Hmmm... I might be away for a little while...

People DO marry their friends as a favour. If you really like and trust this girl it is like giving her a helping hand (how else (except painfully) would they gain permanent/semi-permanent entry into your country)

Yes it sounds a little bit suspect but I have been in the same situation with a good and trusted friend, and although we haven't married yet I am still open to it should she wish to go ahead.

Yes you need to find out about the debt, if it's a gambling debt or a not so healthy debt then you should probably think hard about it. If it's a bank debt tell her to show you the records. But maybe she just wants a better oppurtunity to support her family in the future, maybe the debt she is talking about is that which is owed by most Thais and Asians to support their family in later life.

In any case just look out for yourself, get some REAL legal advice, make sure if something goes wrong (ie. she finds a new bloke and decides to nick off with him or she wants a divorce and kindly offers to take 50% of everything you own) you're covered and no loss to you or your family.

The other thing is her urgency, I can think of a few reasons why she might be pushing you along, the last not being that significant: 1. The debt is coming due soon, 2. She realizes you're not going to be a naive falang forever and wants to net you now while you still are, 3. She's about to turn 30 and wants to marry before then to save face??

Regarding visas etc I'm not sure but there is plenty of agents/agencies that make life a whole lot easier

Good luck!

More porn, teen sex & gambling = Westernization?

BR

If I could be bothered I would inform them first. Otherwise I would just wait for the new passport and the make a trip to Laos or Malay or wherever you intend to get your new visa.

Will a Thai consulate grant a tourist visa after seeing the overstay stamp on a new passport? - Yes Of Course!! It's all about the moolah...

Just to ease your fears a bit, in the last three years I have overstayed more than 5 times for a total of more than 80 days, the last time being 57 days(had a trip back home planned but had to cancel due to work). If you're a disorganized (somewhat lazy) bloke like me then you probably fit in well in thailand and don't have too many dramas with the 'thai way ,' that said I went up to Laos on the 31st, went to pay my fine (stuck 20,000 in the passport and told the guy sheepishly in Thai that I had overstayed - just little bit) he had a laugh but when he realized how long he sent me into the office. Now this is what might be relevant to you. The immigration guy who takes the money told me that the Thai consulate in Laos wouldn't be open for another 3 days (yes i went on new years - stupid). I didn't really want to stay in VienJan for 3 extra days doing nothing so I considered heading back to bkk and then back up to Laos on the 3rd, now when I asked him if that was ok he said no problem (keep in mind I had already overstayed 57 days and was yet to pay my fine). So I went back to have a smoke and think about it and decided to get it over with.

Anyway in the end I ended up paying the fine (20,000 - I expected 28,500) and had an awesome few days in Vienjan.

My advice is be polite. Don't go there feeling like you've done something wrong & have a guilty look on your face, I can imagine these people who 'avoid overstay like the plague' if the day does come when they actually do overstay they would have a guilty look like they were running drugs or something. Have a joke, tell them you're stupid and you thought the date on your passport said 2070 or something.

If you are still unsure give sunbelt a call, they are very helpful.

Sorry a little off topic but just wanted to say my piece about overstaying..

On another note has anyone heard of someone being arrested for overstay? What's the process? Is there a maximum amount of days you can overstay before being refused re-entry? Checking the Aussie immi site if you overstay more than 28 days you're banned for 3 years...