tmd5855

Well do not suppose I will get any invites to your Pimm's evening when you hold a BBQ beside your pool down at the little old villa.

Been reading with interest the two sides of the tattoos argument. Your okay with them or you don't like to look at them.

I am a extremely short haired adult male, why....find in warm climates it suits me by being cooler.

Have lots of Thai tattoos on my back, which were done at my TGF insistence after I had an accident.

No drink was involved in the accident, it was for the tattoos though.

No one knows about the tattoos unless I take my shirt off which is only done before retiring.

Live here at the behest of my company only working 6 months of the year in the oil exploration business with all the Ex-Pat benefits (BUPA, Pension, International flights)

I detect a touch of envy in your post with a hint of anger/resentment......can only sum it up thus.

"Who are those tattooed THUGS drinking BEER all day in MY country, in My town. I have WORKED all my days and CANNOT do what they do MUST be CROOKS the whole lot of them. Well just LOOK at them, lowlifes.

"Come along Carruthers nothing here too see old boy"

Now I may be wrong and you are full of the milk of human kindness, a lonely Samaritan looking out for the fallen

educate me: is this good for people being paid in USD, changing to GBP and then to THB? Or impossible to tell?

Owing to the amount of employees they have who live and work abroad. Company was told about the £ dropping, so have offered to pay us in Euros or $US. Offered it at a fixed 1.27euro = £ or $1.71 = £1.

Since I live in thailand electing to be paid in US$.

$ and baht have only moved by 4.5baht over the year, compared to the £ which has moved 20+baht to the £.

Just lucky with my job.

Know of guys out here that are feeling the pinch.

[

I don't agree. People who have lived here for YEARS are MORE than guests. Not legally, usually. But PSYCHOLOGICALLY. I see nothing wrong with caring about where you live, enough to bitch about things when you want to as well.

Then they are year long guests. Just accept it as it is.

The stupidest quote of the year. Accept it as it is. ??? Don't you have a brain? Aren't you able to think independently? Are you afraid to stand by your own principles. You don't have to accept anything in this life. Did the Brits, the French, the Yanks accept naziism? Not all Iraqis accepted Sadam.

You are entitled to your views and principles of course but let others have their opinions too

By calling his quote "stupid" your not accepting his but want people to have opinions??

Does the irony of your comment escape you.

Regarding the Americans, Brits and French not accepting Nazism. Beg to differ.

French goverment accepted/negotiated with Nazism (Unlike the Dutch) by setting up an allied/friendly goverment "Vichy" under Petain. Then started deporting French citizens of a jewish parentage to the camps.

Always be careful when you speak (write) on principles.

No slur on the French people, it was their politicians that signed/accepted agreements with Nazi Germany.

The free French fought back honourably.

tmd5855>> You seem confused. Just because people don't like Thaksin doesn't mean the are in favor of or against your list. It's a straw man attack. You aren't playing devils advocate, you are playing Sunrise07 etc. And your opinion that many of us are 'only guests/long stay (holidaymakers) on a visa' [sic] and therefor shouldn't have an opinion on matters is just sad.

If I was confused would have had similar spelling/grammar mistakes as above

In all seriousiness cannot quite get my head around your second sentence. No need to clarify please, let me stay confused as you state

Playing Sunrise07. Hope you do not mean in the Biblical sense . Do not even know the person you refer to, methinks he/she wil be just as knowledgeable of me. Yet you seem to know better

We are all guests, live here under the whim of the Thai goverment unless your an elite (Which can be revoked).

Nowhere in my post do I infer that Guests should not have an opinion on Thai matters.

More, why they get so heated, that when someone, not of the same hue as them asks "why" they are called sad.

You demonstrate the ability to reinforce same reasons, why I asked about the subject in the first place.

For that I thank you, you have helped free me from confusion, so as to see and understand 'intolerance' a little more.

From the ever helpful wiki:

In modern usage, the term "dictator" is generally used to describe a leader who holds and/or abuses an extraordinary amount of personal power, especially the power to make laws without effective restraint by a legislative assembly. Dictatorships are often characterized by some of the following traits: suspension of elections and of civil liberties; proclamation of a state of emergency; rule by decree; repression of political opponents without abiding by rule of law procedures; these include single-party state, and cult of personality.

Thaksin didn't go as far as to suspend elections and declare state of emergency, it wasn't necessary to go on with all his other dictator things.

Wikipedia has modern usage. Check Oxford dictionary.

It is agreed that Hitler and Stalin were dictators.

We have the old former Eastern bloc countries, Romania springs to mind whose leaders make Thaskin out to be a bleeding heart liberal.

I am not for or against Thaskin. Just cannot understand why non-Thais have such strong views on a "Democratically" elected former PM of this country, when they themselves are only guests/long stay (holidaymakers) on a visa.

Do they not:

1) Believe in Democracy, one man one vote?

2) Believe that governing a country should be left to 'elected' individuals.

3) Believe that all sections of Thai society are entitled to a voice.

Maybe I am coming across as "Devils Advocate". If so apologies, not intended. Only ever become agitated with politicians in my own country or those of other countries doing harm to MY country?

Rant over, orange box smashed and lighting the BBQ

This is a prove how desperate Thaksin is. He is a lost case and he know it, his era is over and hes out of the game for good. In short bye bye billions of Baht, no decent country to run to, coming back no option. Poor man you should have know that once the Thai juridical system comes in action its crushes people completely. Nobody will miss you Khun Thaksin, you are forgotten already, but you not seems to realise it yet. So keep quit and join the ranks of the other forgotten dictators in exile.

Also its a prove that Phuea Thai MP's are cronies of Thaksin, without him they are nothing, just a bunch of losers.

Cannot understand what you have put down?!?!

Thaskin a dictator

Unless I am mistaken, was he not democratically elected twice.

First Thai PM to serve a full term.

Deposed by a military Coup-de-tat.

Dictator/s usually seize power with help from the military?

When I am up at the GF parents farm north of Korat, Thaskin is spoken of highly.

Me, no opinion since back in the UK we have ex PM's and cabinet ministers who are millionaires, yet were on the public payroll all their lifes. i.e. Late Ted Heath, John Major, Jim Callaghan.

Pot calling the kettle black springs to mind? If your another Nationality? Let me know, sure I can find public servants just as bad.

This is the quietest I have seen Pattaya.

Guys that sell the watches, dvd's, belts and others etc tell me they are hurting, no buyers. Friend who has a bar in the Simon Complex, Walking street. Mentions that takings have dropped right off?

Pretty much sums it up. High season has the flying characteristic's of a brick?

Read the local papers, greater incidences of Thai on Thai violence. Money is getting tight?

I worked with and for the Israelis in West Africa between 1979-85.  Found them to be very defensive and suspicious, but once we got to know each other their defences dropped and were a good team to work with.  When they open up and start looking at the world through their eyes, you can become the same.  Remember, ant-semitism brought about the near eradication of European Jewry.  Everyone of those I talked with lost between 50-100% of their parents/grandparents, uncles and aunts in the Holocuast.  They don't trust outsiders, believe that when it suits us (Americans/Europeans the West) they will be abandoned to their fate once again.  Then the final solution will take place again.My view is they pick up a lot of negative vibes from us, which put's up their shutters and they go into defence/pack mode.  Not nice, but understandable.One said "We feel at times like a lonely black man down Alabama, just before a KKK rally"? 

After only being a member of this website for a very short space of time i have realised that possibly over 90% of members here have married into wealthy thai (like myself) good thai girl or thai/chinese ladies.

However the stigma in the UK last time i was there is very much thai ladies marry old men or desperate men for money??

Surely this is nonense as if any ignorant narrowed fool would read this website and find out the real facts that this is not the case anymore in this day and age.

Its ridiculous!

96 posts in 11days. Lot to say have we

I can only speak from my own experience.

GF of many many years has Mama, Papa, 3 brothers, 1 sister and 5 nieces/nephews.

Since I live Thailand (work offshore 4wks on/off) it has become the norm that the GF and I spend 1 week of my leave at her parents.

GF has a great time going around all the family, chatting, gossiping etc, while I chill out. Maybe do some DIY on her parents house or help were I can on the farm. Been doing so for a number of years now, would miss meeting the family on a regular basis. All gathered around for meals, days out together etc.

I am one of the lucky guys to have met a Thai woman with a good family, Papa got a good price for his harvest so out went the squat toilet and in came an European one? Arrived another time to find a bed for the mattress we slept on in our room.

Two examples of reciprocal treatment that you rarely hear about, usually its one way traffic, farang pay, farang do.

My rant has gone on long enough.

Point I wish to make is if you are involved with a Thai lady from a good and close family, do the correct things. You are made welcome and feel at home. Sadly that is a situation you cannot enjoy. Your task I think will be harder. You maybe be expected or looked upon to be all things she will miss by not having a family around.

Best of luck.

Of course alot of thais dont like farang.

A lot of Farangs don't like Farangs also.

I Know, they do smell somewhat

Bars that are friendly, girls as well as the bosses.

1) Ryans bar up Nakula

2) TJ bar down soi18 Nakula.

3) Krit bar soi3, 2nd road

4) Peackok bar soi4 Beach road.

5) Mickys, New Plaza between soi 7-8, 2nd road.

6) Aussie bar Soi7

7) Sexy girls a gogo Soi8

8) UToo bar, 2nd road.

9) Lees bar, Simon complex walking street

Bad bars. No atmosphere, rude bosses etc.

1) Irishman, drinking street, 2nd road.

2) Hot Tuna. Walking street.

3) Tony's Walking street

Milligans Soi13/3 2nd road.

A financial judgement is part of what most women - Thai or non-Thai - make when assessing the suitability of a man as a long-term partner or husband.

A woman will look for a good provider. A man will look for an attractive mate.

What many of the farang-Thai match-ups do is lay bare or make obvious these basic imperatives.

But Western women have the same imperatives. They may dress it up as wanting a man with 'drive', 'focus' or 'ambition' but it amounts to the same thing. Money.

To see if I'm wrong about these, ahem, basic instincts, then flip the situation round. How many rich guys do you know that go out with ugly women?

Apologies for abridging your comments.

Excelent point on how we (men) look at women and vice versa.

How many attractive, succesful woman do you see with an ugly poor man at her side.

Usually it is a successful man, is that the female subconcious working, on her mate's ability to provide for her at a later date.

Arrived back in Pattaya nine days later to find all her belongings and mine all packed? ? ? ? ?

She said "We move back Sia Khao, Mama and Papa take care us".

To me the cards were a minor matter. To her it was "No more money" that was so serious, her family were rallying around to help.

Any doubts I had vanished, took a while to explain I had money, just could not get access to it at that time. What helped is that every leave the GF and I would go up country and stay with her parents for a week. Eating and sleeping in their home with the traditional amenities we all know of.

Still together and has total control of my salary, pays everything and saves every satang.

Unbelievable. Do you really believe that people in Si Khao would financially look after a 'farang' that their daughter met in Pattaya if they didn't think they'd be reimbursed 100-fold?

Amazing.

Seeing how cheap it is to live up country .........Yes.

Who said I met her in Pattaya????????????

Again people posting with their own assumptions..... when you assume your an ass(ume)

555555

I do appreciate that these things happen but I am also certain there are many more successful marriages than unsuccessful and more farangs living happily with their Thai ladies than there are failures of marriages.

Sometimes when I read these sites I think we and almost all our friends married to Thais must be living in some other dimension. In many years I have seen only two marriages out of dozens break up over what the writers on the net assure me is the fate of anyone in a relationship with a Thai.

But it is a relevant question...

What happens to an avarage Thai/Farang marage when (or if) the Farang falls on hard times?

It happens all to often and to tell you the truth...it's something that is on my mind at the moment too

Want to know???????????

This is only my personal experience and only two instances one a friend.

He is married to a stunner for the past 5 years. His bar went tits up so his wife sold all her gold to keep him going. He had no income she kept him going when the prophets of doom were saying give a few more days, she will soon be gone looking for a rich farang. Well two years later it has came full circle, still together and he is back on his feet financially. Openly admits he thought she would go when the hard times hit. Their marriage is rock solid.

The other experience is mine, see earlier posts. Still together and could not wish for better. She has passed all the accidental tests with flying colours.

Jeez a lot of savage attacks with handbags, well if the dummy fits as they say.

So the ex pats that live in Pattaya are bloated, fat, red deviants? Well I feel bloated after a meal, red after lying out under the sun too long..........as for being a deviant I do like ladies in nice, feminine lingerie .

Most of the expats I meet, see and work with, out here in Asia came because of work, engineering, oil related etc.

Tend to be well educated (Intelligent, thats another matter) but are certainly not naive or stupid by going with a "Dirt poor Issan girl".

Most are in stable long term relationships, some are married.

I can count on one hand those that have cheated. My hand, not one of the fingers

Some of the comments on Thai Visa beggars belief.

"I am so right" "No, I am not sanctimonious" plus a lot of other hard fast opinions, no doubt forged by personal experience. Personal views are personal, not a way of life others should follow.

Appears that a lot of posters hate Thai woman and are angry if an Ex-pat has a successful relationship with one.

Anyone from Pattaya or who can visit.

If he/they want to meet an expat in a long term, stable and content relationship with a Thai woman...PM me and we can meet?

We're talking tests?

Here's a winner - tell her you're chronically ill and can't earn any more, the budget will have to be cut to the bare minmum.

If she's still with you after, say 3 months.........................................

Good one to do, in my case it was genuine.

Wife (UK) and I had been seperated for a couple of years so went back the UK infrequently. Still paid all household expenses for her plus an allowance until the house was sold and she could keep all the proceeds, everything had been agreed.

Well she decided to report my credit/debit cards as stolen and I was in hospital (Actually offshore Indonesia) No ATM would work and had to borrow money to get home (Pattaya). She later said she was drunk and could not remember doing it, denied it was her at first

Had to tell the GF I had no money, company flew me back to the UK as per leave agreement, where it was all sorted.

Arrived back in Pattaya nine days later to find all her belongings and mine all packed? ? ? ? ?

She said "We move back Sia Khao, Mama and Papa take care us".

To me the cards were a minor matter. To her it was "No more money" that was so serious, her family were rallying around to help.

Any doubts I had vanished, took a while to explain I had money, just could not get access to it at that time. What helped is that every leave the GF and I would go up country and stay with her parents for a week. Eating and sleeping in their home with the traditional amenities we all know of.

Still together and has total control of my salary, pays everything and saves every satang.

There are good ones out there, just as there are good farang ladies.

I met a bad farang, met a good Thai..................its luck

Barry Kenyon who works for the British Embassy goes to the prison on a weekly basis i believe, and he takes the English prisoners there money which they are entitled to.

Must be a bummer if your Scots or Welsh, seeing the English cons getting all the goodies, what will they do for ciggies

OOPPss. Forgot the Northern Irish

Jeezz, quite a lot of ............. Hhmmnn moralistic high ground being taken here with some comments.

The art of looking down ones nose is alive and kicking.

I pay my GF a sum of money every month, if I did not,,,,,,,,,,, then who would pay the bills when I am offshore?

Forced, pressurised by me to give up her job owing to shift work and not always being there/available for me?

With christian fairness, it was only fair that I should replace that money lost. Always spend one week at her parents every leave. Free lodging, meals, laundry etc comes to the extortionate sum of 3000bt a visit.

Being keen on DIY, replaced their lethal wiring. Fitted a pressurised water system. Then after a good harvest, their toilet had a "make over", european toilet was fitted , that stopped the creak of stretched tendons.

Before all this. . . . . . Ex wife of 20yrs in the UK, kept the house (Berkshire), furnishings, cars and shares.

I kept my pension, clothes etc.

Where would I rather be now! Give you one guess

Whether it is in the West or Thailand you pay/take care of your partner/wife. Only out here it is a pittance

I didn't say anything about not supporting our household. My wife told me it costs about 20,000 baht a month. I give her 25,000. She pays for everything except big ticket items. What's left over is hers. She also normally has a few chickens and ducks. What she gets for her fowl and what she makes off her two small farms also belongs to her.

Hi Gary A.

My posting was a general response to the various postings.

Definitely not aimed at yourself personally, apologies if it looked that way.

Jeezz, quite a lot of ............. Hhmmnn moralistic high ground being taken here with some comments.

The art of looking down ones nose is alive and kicking.

I pay my GF a sum of money every month, if I did not,,,,,,,,,,, then who would pay the bills when I am offshore?

Forced, pressurised by me to give up her job owing to shift work and not always being there/available for me?

With christian fairness, it was only fair that I should replace that money lost. Always spend one week at her parents every leave. Free lodging, meals, laundry etc comes to the extortionate sum of 3000bt a visit.

Being keen on DIY, replaced their lethal wiring. Fitted a pressurised water system. Then after a good harvest, their toilet had a "make over", european toilet was fitted , that stopped the creak of stretched tendons.

Before all this. . . . . . Ex wife of 20yrs in the UK, kept the house (Berkshire), furnishings, cars and shares.

I kept my pension, clothes etc.

Where would I rather be now! Give you one guess

Whether it is in the West or Thailand you pay/take care of your partner/wife. Only out here it is a pittance

Thanks gents.  Most helpful.

To fill in the cracks as they say?

Have an NT coding since no longer resident in the UK for tax purposes. 

Live Thailand and work offshore Malaya/Indonesia since 2004.

Have a HSBC account in the UK but?  Company will not put any currency other than Sterling into a UK bank a/c.

Already a premier a/c holder but it's £12 per month, I think?

Letter from the company states.

Quote, "Have looked at the exchange rates over the previous 12 months and fixed exchange rate above the average"  

With current political climate here in Thailand do not wish to have all my money is one (Thai) bank.

Thanks again all those who have posted, it has been very informative.

I also have had an account with First Direct (a division of HSBC) in the UK for years.

While on holiday one year I went into HSBC Bangkok and opened a account with no problems at all, it is very easy to set up a 'Template' to another Bank, so you can transfer money whenever you want. I was on a Visa on arrival, there was no interest paid until I had a Retirement Visa some 3 years later

Transfer anything out of Thailand under 1 million is fine, if 1 million or over then you need proof the money came into Thailand.

Also easy is to receive your credit/debit cards from the UK, as they send them direct to HSBC Bangkok, where as they will not send them to any private address here.

Thinking out loud?

If I have a letter from the HSBC, branch in the UK stating same, I should be okay then (hopefully)

Thanks, welcomed advice welcomed.

I have had an account with First Direct (a division of HSBC) in the UK for years. About 4 years ago I went to HSBC in Bangkok and asked if I could open an account with them. The first thing they want to see is "work permit", which as a visitor I hadn't got.

If you only go to Thailand on visit stamps you'll probably find that unless you have some form of longer-term visa you won't be able to get anything like a current account or internet banking with them. I did take the paperwork in case my status changed, and recall that they charge several hundred baht monthly for a current account.

Judging by many previous posts on the subject, some banks such as Kasikorn are more flexible with regard to opening accounts where you can move money around as you require.

Thanks for the advise.

I have a 90day day multi entry visa. Should that help me open the account?

Does the Kasikorn account allow you to transfer on a regular (monthly) basis, an amount equivelent to a four figure sum in Sterling?

Any advise welcomed, thanks.

I notice the part about a fixed exchange rate, what rate will they use - the current one ? How long will they continue to use this fixed exchange rate ?The exchange rates between Sterling and other currencies are not so great at the moment.

Offering an exchange rate of £1.00 = $1.71 and 1.27 euro.  Applies until 31st Dec 09.  Unless rates diverge greatly then it will be reviewed.

I am am lonely.................

Anyone know of a grumpy bunch of ex-pats/farang bar in Sia Khao (North of Korat)?