zthyadat

Notice that if you substitute the word "monkey" with the words "Phuket taxi driver", the story makes even more sense?

Theres no such thing as "decent food" by delivery.

You want decent food then you best get off your b-m and go out and about.

Nonsense , you're just being an unhelpful loudmouthed know-it-all <deleted>. You can get plenty of excellent grub from Food by Phone.

If Farang wants to come to Thailand, they should contribute to the local economy too.

Next time, they bring their own van, to visit their own bars, and drink their own beers, and perhaps even import their own girls (from the Philippines).

I believe they do contribute to the local economy in many ways - not just the sailors' own spending, but in supply purchases as well.

But if Thailand wants Farang to come to Thailand they have to stop screwing them so badly. Are you really speaking here in the Taxi drivers' defence? Do you honestly think it is perfectly okay for these thugs to just charge whatever they want? Has it occurred to you that possibly the reason the navy started providing the men with transport is because the taxi drivers are thieves? The taxi mafia is just a criminal gang that extorts money from people. You should be ashamed of them, not supporting them.

I get sick of some Thai people saying "If Farang want to come to Thailand... they should do this or do that" as if being able to visit this crumbling country is some blessing from the gods - and as if Farangs should behave the way Thais wish they would (like don't bother coming, just send the money). Yeah, it is still a beautiful place in spots - where it hasn't been torn up or polluted beyond recognition, and many of the people are still somewhat friendly, though not nearly as much as they were twenty or even ten years ago. But the scams continue - and get much better exposure on the internet, and farangs are beginning to realise that the Thai smile is often concealing a second row of very sharp teeth.

"police and Wichit Municipality negotiators to go back to an old agreement allowing the local taxis access to low-ranking US military personnel while only officers could take advantage of the free van service provided by an outside contractor"

So just the poor low paid sailors have to use the 2000 baht tuk tuks, while officers get free transportation. Nice.

Yes, and who was doing the negotiations on the navy's behalf? Certainly not enlisted men.

The fishing industry is a dirty and dangerous industry shunned by most Thai laborers. Another sector that is avoided like the plague is the rice milling sector where laborers carry up to three sacks of rice on their heads and walk up a ramp up a waiting truck/lorry. Isaan laborers opt for types of work in construction or manufacturing sector. Seems they have better work conditions.

"Since the fishing industry suffers from a severe shortage of workers"

Wouldn't the poor in, for example, Issan be interested on doing work on a fishing boat, instead of burning down shopping centers in Bangkok and complaining about poverty?

And most of the northeast country folk can't swim, which is a bit of a disadvantage for a fisherman.

Also xenomorph, you know as well as the rest of us, that the people who set fire to the city are not the same people who were complaining about poverty. (The fire setters are among the society's bigger a-holes, and were doing it for pay or for the fun of it - most were from Bkk, not Isaan)

And there is also the point that the minimum wage is so low, that unless you have a household of ten people, all working in some horrible factory, with grandma staying at home and making the food, you are still mired in poverty. As long as that situation remains, there will always be people like Thaksin, Arisman, etc. to dupe the poor into doing their bidding under the guise of caring about them.

I've tried the thing with the cable plugging directly into the TV and it is a pain to set up and often yields crappy quality. But... you can purchase pretty much any new DVD player with a USB port (I just picked on up for 750 baht), transfer AVI files (the most common type downloaded from the net) to a thumb drive, insert it in your player, and it will play most of them. A menu comes up on the screen and you choose your video and it plays at decent quality (depending on the quality of the source. The standard "ripped" 700 megabyte files are perfectly adequate. Many models will also let you directly plug in an external hard drive as well so you can have the whole collection on tap. Note: Make sure that the player specifies on the sticker or box that it will play AVI or MPEG4 files.

Enjoy!

are you supporting the child or have you abandoned the child it appears so far from reading what you said there is shame on you.

in first view yes, some child support 'must' be acknowledged. Maybe there is more to his story such as if he sends money for child support, will the child really get the support? rather see the money spent for their grandfather's drinking habits?

Someone is taking a lot of liberties with what little information was posted by the OP. The OP asked a specific question and asked for help with that question. Now we are seeing opinions on whether or not he is supporting the child. We don't know if he is or isn't, nor do we know if she ended up with a 6,000,000 baht piece of land with a house, a business, his entire savings, cars, motorcycles or whatever.

I suspect that if he wants advice on child support, he will post that question. Whether or not he is supporting the child wouldn't figure into blacklisting. Even if he was offering no support, it would be wise to allow him to return to Thailand in order to increase the chances of said support being recovered.

Right on, Mr Kandahar! Too often in these forums, the armchair moralists let their imaginations run wild - suddenly some Frenchie is dodging his responsibilities, but perhaps justified in doing so because the woman's father will just drink all the money. All the ugly prejudices surface, whichever side the poster happens to be on (and sometimes they change sides halfway through the thread!)

No, she can't. To be blacklisted in Thailand requires the signature of a top ranking immigration official who doesn't give a dam_n about whether your girlfriend's heart is broken or not - unless she is the daughter of the immigration minister. If it was possible to do this, half the foreigners in this country wouldn't be here now.

Don't worry about it.

This is powers the military will find hard to let go of. Expect the threshold for imposing the curfew in the future to be greatly reduced.

Anyone want to hazard a guess on when SOE will be lifted?

Nonsense - just a wee bit paranoid, aren't we? It is just about tidying up the mess and making sure the don't get roving gangs with petrol cans roaming the streets looking for targets. What comparable events in Thailand's recent history would lead you to think this?

Actually it started with Abhisit, who knew very well what would be the outcome of a harsh crackdown, yet insanly and irresponsibly proceeded with it.

Of course, blaming everything on Thaksin is the convinient excuse that relieves one of using the grey matter... as to the real cause of the problem.

There is some relief knowing that one day Abhisit will pay for his crimes behind bars.

Another employee of Mr Amsterdam's PR firm. Be very proud of yourself!

After Mr Amsterdam's bumbling debut performance on Al Jazeera yesterday, I don;t know if he will be employed much longer. The interviewer made mincemeat of the guy. He even said that the poor people who deserved justice and democaracy were "in the north"

I believe the word "shyster" applies nicely here.

Actually it started with Abhisit, who knew very well what would be the outcome of a harsh crackdown, yet insanly and irresponsibly proceeded with it.

Of course, blaming everything on Thaksin is the convinient excuse that relieves one of using the grey matter... as to the real cause of the problem.

There is some relief knowing that one day Abhisit will pay for his crimes behind bars.

And what would have been the outcome of no crackdown?

I think the reds are basically peacefull, but Abhisit always changes his mind saying I will desolve parliament and organise elections, the putting all this on hold!

How can anyone trust him?

I would get violent too

Abhisit has to resign if he wants peace back in Thailand!

Perhaps the reds are angry and trashing the place because they have finally realised they were duped by their "leaders" who promised them the earth and then left them swinging in the breeze.

it's pointless to do curfew in the whole bangkok - most of the areas are peaceful.

this city lives 24/7, a lot of fresh food trading and deliveries are done throughout the night from the night markets and from the agricultural provinces.

tomorrow morning there might be not much left on the street markets

Yes, most areas are peaceful for now, but if you recall the Rodney King riots or the two NYC blackouts, people who were previously uninvolved may decide that tonight would be a good time to get a new television for free or generally cause mayhem for the fun of it. My neighbourhood for example is full of young thugs - mostly red and mostly poor. Riots can pop out of seemingly nowhere.

Urgent: It is confirmed: Seh Daeng Passed away at 09:20am this morning (Monday 17th May). /via TAN MCOT INN

Guess makes all of us so sad. RIP General.

Why does it make you sad to note the passing of a homocidal psychopath?

If he was shot in the head with a high velocity round (from some distance) then he would not have much of a head left. Looks more like low velocity from close distance.

Exactly ....high velocity bullet would have made his head explode.....so who did pull the trigger ??

afraid this is wrong, .308 HV ammo steel mantle = small entry and exit wound - the favorite sniper ammunition

pistol pt rifle round with soft core at close range through the head will have a small entry but a large exit wound

Though the .308 round is used for some sniper duties, it is also the number one favourite big game hunting round - especially in America. Point is, it doesn't require access to specialised military weapons.

Hmm, is anyone modding this thread? There are several posters who should be banned for their comments

Simon

With you on that Simon.

Love it how farangs always think they know whats best for Thailand.

Wonder how many of them actually live here.

Perhaps they should bear in mind we are nothing more than guests here.

Hopefully immigration will tighten up the visa extension rules in the near future.

No, we are not guests. Guests get free room and board. Tourists are customers, invited to come here by the government and one of its embezzlement arms, the TAT. Many residents, like me for example, are investors in the country, providing jobs for Thai people. In fact without foreign investment, our "Hosts" would still be getting around in rickshaws on dirt roads. I also support my Thai wife and members of her family and have paid more in company tax than most average citizens pay in the lifetime. So if I want to complain occasionally, I feel I have paid for the right to do so, financially, emotionally, spiritually and educationally - the latter meaning I have actually done a lot of reading on the history of this country and its society and have a pretty good idea of how it works and reasonable notions of what sort of direction the country needs to take. Yes, there are those who whinge and moan without having a clue, but this is by no means all foreigners.

That maybe so but unless youre a Thai citizen youre a guest.

What exactly do you mean by guest? Are you thinking as if you are staying in someone's home and you have to follow the rules of their pleasant little bungalow while you enjoy free room and board? Does your choice of the word "guest" mean that one can't complain about anything? That one has no rights here to freedom of speech? [read the Thai constitution - even the most recent one; foreigners actually do have a lot of rights here, at least on paper].

Define your terms man. You just keep repeating "Well you are a 'guest' here", as if that means something. So what obligations does that carry with it, pray tell, oh wise one? Or are we all supposed to inherently understand what you mean by "guest"? You construct no argument, you just take this muddy thinking tabloid approach that we are all supposed to be of one moral mind on the subject - once the likes of you has set us all straight.

And while we are at it, can you do me the courtesy of explaining what this statement of yours means?

"Hopefully immigration will tighten up the visa extension rules in the near future."

Don't just spew vague <deleted>, man. For whom? And to what benefit for Thailand? Do you live here? Do you feel that tightening up the extensions will keep out the sort of rabble that YOU feel doesn't belong here? How dare you presume to suggest that you know better what the immigration department should or shouldn't do? Don't you realise that you are a guest here? To quote you, sir: "Love it how farangs always think they know whats best for Thailand."

I am sure the immigration department would be delighted to hear your views on how they should run things, being a farang who obviously knows what's best for Thailand.

I look forward to your vague and confused response, Mr. "Bad Case of Six Months".

PS: To quote you again: "unless youre a Thai citizen youre a guest" Please note that "You're" as in the contraction "You are" has an apostrophe between the 'u' and the 're'.

To think some people are happy, that this man has been shot is really very sad.No matter what he ha said or if he wears a red shirt.Someone getting shot and there life nearly taken away is not something to be happy about in my books .

Read up on this A**hole... his departure from this world would be a blessing for most of the people in it. He has openly boasted about how many people he has knocked off in the course of his military career. "Getting killed doesn't hurt, I've killed lots of people, so I should know." So he got what he has asked for his whole adult life.

Hmm, is anyone modding this thread? There are several posters who should be banned for their comments

Simon

With you on that Simon.

Love it how farangs always think they know whats best for Thailand.

Wonder how many of them actually live here.

Perhaps they should bear in mind we are nothing more than guests here.

Hopefully immigration will tighten up the visa extension rules in the near future.

No, we are not guests. Guests get free room and board. Tourists are customers, invited to come here by the government and one of its embezzlement arms, the TAT. Many residents, like me for example, are investors in the country, providing jobs for Thai people. In fact without foreign investment, our "Hosts" would still be getting around in rickshaws on dirt roads. I also support my Thai wife and members of her family and have paid more in company tax than most average citizens pay in the lifetime. So if I want to complain occasionally, I feel I have paid for the right to do so, financially, emotionally, spiritually and educationally - the latter meaning I have actually done a lot of reading on the history of this country and its society and have a pretty good idea of how it works and reasonable notions of what sort of direction the country needs to take. Yes, there are those who whinge and moan without having a clue, but this is by no means all foreigners.

This PM will go down in history as a TRAITOR to the Thai people.

I think you mean hero!!!

Yes, even if he did order Seh Daeng's killing, which I doubt... It was just an effective way to take out the trash.

Let me get this straight ...Thaksin's extrajudicial killings of drug dealers were fiercely condemned by the Democrats. Now the army has shot a General in the head while he was giving an interview to an international media reporter.

I assume he was given a fair trial before he was shot?

He is a self-declared armed anti-government rebel leader. He is not just any innocent (non)-suspect riding a bicycle. Taking him out will save many many lives, if not the country from civil war. Well done. Congratulations, finally to the army and government for a properly executed strategy.

And in what crystal ball did you see an army sniper shooting Seh Daeng? It could be. It could also be an inside job - can't say I'd blame them. He was pissing off the leadership, dragging out the protest when others wanted to stop it - and this way they get a martyr.

The man lived by the sword and now he may just die by it - som nom na, as they say so eloquently.

There don;t seem to be any franking machines in Thailand, but a business can register with the post office and you get a rubber stamp from them. With each letter you stamp, you fill in a little card and when you mail them from the post office, you present the letter and cards and they give you an invoice... Not really much more convenient.

-- The Nation

Police confiscated 63 M-79 grenades from a motorcycle during a search on Vibhavadi Rangsit road on Wednesday.

Police stopped a motorcycle at a checkpoint set up after red shirts protesters clashed with troops on the road. Driver of the vehicle stopped as ordered but managed to run away.

Police then searched the vehicle and confiscated a total of 63 M-79 grenades from the vehicle.

It is still unclear how the explosives were packed.

Also found were documents of Pol Sgt Pratya Maneekote of Patum Thani's Kukot district.

Police could not say whether the drive was the sergeant.

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

Morons. They managed to let the guy flee. On foot. On an elevated expressway. Aren't situation like this one precisely why policemen get issued guns? Fortunately the guy was even more of a moron and left his papers behind. At least this will decrease the stock of M79 grenades ready to be tossed around Bangkok.

I don't believe this was staged: it looks too much like sheer stupidity at work.

How do you hide or even carry 63 grenades on a motorcycle? Where would you put them? How can a driver run away and get away?

Investigative reporters of the Nation please do your homework and at least make your stories half believable.

Ummm... maybe in a box on a luggage rack? They fit families of four on bikes here. And the M79s are small. You could fit that many in a motorcycle top box fairly easily.

Great pictures on tv of about 50 military all firing in sync what look like shotguns at red shirts (unarmed) on motorbikes

The rubber bullets are special shells fired from shotguns.

Good Lord, another old timer!

Someone tell me why Thailand is unable to manage or attract a variety of musical artists to play here?

Even Indonesia does better that Thailand when it comes to at least attempting to put on quality and varied musical events.

"Attracting" them has nothing to do with it. You pay the price they ask and they come - whoever they are. It is down to the promoter to decide which acts will sell tickets. Tried and true old acts tend to give the most reliable returns - people know what to expect and older people tend to have more money to spend on concert tickets.

Thanks guys. i was pretty sure she was bullsh*ting me, but wanted to be positive before I confronted her on it.

I already told her to call my old sectary if she did not know what to do. (my old sectary left because she had a baby, cant wait until she comes back)

Not sure how long this girl is going to last. hearing rumors that she is always trying to get other girls in the office to do her work. Anyway thanks again.

Ah, one of those - bit of an archetype - the one who spreads her work around like love at Christmas time. Often they are pretty. But three out of the four secretaries I have had here have amazed me - hard working, honest, kept me on track with details I was supposed to know, shielding me from a-holes, never complained, but delighted to receive the gold necklace bonus - though not so deep down, they knew they deserved it. Two of them got pregnant too - I was panicking at the news more than her husband was.