Maverell

My question is this,

when are UK citizens going to get the same rights as to company formation in Thailand as a citizen of the USA has ? ( Treaty of Amity )

From what I have seen in my local area the flood defenses are a joke, they have no chance of withstanding the pressure from tons of water. My condo building backs on to a klong, the condo owners have erected a wooden fence to stop the water, as if that will hold, but even worse is that neighboring land has no defenses whatsoever so we will get the water from them anyway !

Likewise at the Hitech industrial estate the defences there looked good but had no chance of holding against tons of water. As a result millions of dollars worth of business has been lost with the obvious knock on effects. My friends factory there employs only 250 people - they are now out of a job. As for the others that employ many, many more I hate to think.

As with a lot of things here they look good on the surface but underneath it all falls flat.

I foresee another crackdown soon - at kindergartens ! If these results are anywhere near accurate, which I doubt, Thailand has had it !

Why does Admin. continually run these ridiculous stories? When do I ever see anything positive come to my e-mail account. Nothing but crap.

Its because these sort of stories attract people, a bit like the tabloid press in the UK ( cant speak for anywhere else ) .

These 'controversial but real' stories cause people to stay longer on the site, which statistically means more clicks on adverts, so more revenue.

If it wasn't April 1st I would agree with this proposed law being imported from Cambodia !

I would think that anything that would enable people to walk to their destination instead of taking a taxi would be beneficial to global warming. Anyone who has used the Skywalk from Siam BTS station to Chid Lom station would know how much more enjoyable that is to competing with steet vendors, beggars, motorcycles, light poles, broken tiles, phone booths, etc. The seemingly inflated cost is the only objection that bears merit, in my opinion.

One hundred percent in agreement with this ! I rarely post but this is worth it. The walkway is the best thing thats been suggested as an infrastructure improvement since the MRT.

News of this sort just re-enforces my belief in not getting married. Don't know why some of you bother anyway.

I am 100 per cent with you on this one.

We have all heard many, many stories of the farang marrying a Thai girl then dozens of people come out of the woodwork and demand a share of what you have or haven't got. Then when you don't play ball, or do play ball then run out of money, everything changes....

I am so cynical its beyond belief.

I can't believe this has made the news !

LOL - same as everything - Thais can do as they please no one else can

"not all members are rich, but they attend all meetings even when there is no such thing as a meeting allowance"

They don't even want to make their life better unless sometimes they get allowance to attend the meeting. Is everything about money in this country?

Simple answer - YES

This is not a simple topic to chime in on. Let me suggest that respondents on this thread should consider the reality in their home or native countries before commenting on Thai society.

This is a problem being faced worldwide in all countries owing to many factors, including the rapid rise of technology, unprecedented mass media and internet access and consumer goods availabilty.

It strains the fabric of both traditional and western societies.

This post by Katmanpu is the one of the few sensible posts I have read on Thai Visa in a long time !

Too much supply where I am - no wonder they don't make much money.

There must be 30 motorbikes waiting at anyone time and quite often they spend hours waiting for a customer in the queue. This is no doubt repeated all over the place.

If Thailand wants to be a global player they have to accept that it is not all one way. They want farang money, but hate to give farang anything.

It has to change. If it doesn't then Thailand will fall even further behind the pack as the rest of developed Asia accelerates away. The only losers will be the Thai people.

This farce over telecoms is an example.

Plan B ? I will go to either Vietnam or the Phillipines. Both countries have their problems but are going to be way ahead of Thailand in the years to come.

Thailand has to stop and think about what is going on around them. But of course they will not as the elite think they know best.

If they do not listen to the world and just rely on spin and smoke and mirrors, they will not be part of the world , and will have to suffer the economic consequences.

Agree with Mario - I did the same and had no problems only the fee and overstay stamp

well I was down near Suk soi 8 today and had no problems. Can't help.

Sounds like user error to me

It could be that the banks, being shut, are using the exchange rate at close of play the other day. Its just a thought.

And yes, currency converter shows the international mid rate which is normally at least half a baht higher than the banks rate

Get out now, this is only the beginning.

Sad but I think you are right, as soon as my family can safely get to the Visa office for England (and when it opens again) we are outta here. This isn't going to be over any time soon, if the six years i have lived here have taught me anything, it's that nothing happens quickly here, things like this just go on and on.

Unfortunatly this is going to spread nation wide, not to the extent we see now, but there are going to be clashes and unrest for a long time to come.

I have the same bad feeling. Both sides lack respect for each other, do not trust each other. The farmers and the poor see their chance to seek revenge for being cheated so many years, the middle class and westernized urban people see the fruits of their own work being destroyed. And the elite on both sides are just waiting like vultures for a last juicy chunk of meat from the slowly rotting corpse of a nation that was once known for its smiles.

There is only one way out: impartial judiciary and impartial executive powers. Whoever is in charge at the steering wheel of the government, the law must apply equally to all. That's where Thailand malfunctioned. Think it through - it is the reason and solution. Nothing else. The judges failed to provide equality before the law. And police failed to investigate unbiased.

I don't work in Thailand right now but, it is my home since 18 years. I was close to tears yesterday watching in horror the killing and looting. I always critizised politics and society, education and law enforcement. I never realized until now, how much I love that country...

An excellent post IMHO, and I agree that this is just the beginning. Sad but true, and when you really think about it, inevitable.

This is all pressure on Thailand to sort things out. NZ and we know things are not as bad as they say. Politics at work.

The Red leaders say the protesters will be rehearsing counter-dispersal tactics ahead of the launch of the dispersal operation tonight at 6 P.M. - according to the TAN Network

Is this a joke. This whole affair is turning into a complete farce.

Will anything change in service provision within Phuket as a result of this ? I doubt it !

Simple answer - the pound is doomed for the forseeable future. The exchange rate is dropping and if there IS serious socio economic changes in Thailand, then inflation will soar. Double whammy.

The life of many UK expats who rely on an income in GBP are going to have to make some serious decisions, including me.

A fish spa opened where I live. There were 1000+ fish in each tank but they seem to die as quick as they were replaced. The shop lasted 2 months and was gone.

I tried it , sure, the fish eat dead skin on the feet but no where near as much as a good session in a beauty salon As for the prices, the shop I went to was charging 150 baht for 15 minutes, 200 for half an hour, and 300 for an hour. In my opinion it's a fad that will go away from Thailand as quick as it came.

This action by the protesters is a step too far. However it is indicative of the state of mind of some of the red shirts.