dumball

='GarryP' timestamp='1299492828' post='4264616']

Why say hydrophobia instead of rabies?

^Dengue fever is more a rainy season problem than hot season.

More people worldwide die from mosquito transmitted diseases than any other cause and yet little is done to help prevent this problem , they breed in any available static water 5/6 times in the life of the female , temperature does not affect them , they survive even in freezing temperatures . Sprays and those burning coils have little effect in the overall occurrence of being bitten , mozzies feed on many alternatives , the only reason the female seeks blood is to help propagate her young , the male is an incidental necessity for breeding , he only live for a week where-as the female can survive up to 3 months .

All of this and yet the intilectual finds no reason to bring these facts to life in times of rampant sickness , go figure who knows what .

About time the police took control of the methods of protesters who seem to think they have the power to do as they please , hope they keep up this attempt to cool the heels of PAD people .

Should Thai food actually be as tasty as many proclaim here on TV , pray tell me why MSG needs to be , or is thought to be , such a necessity in Thai cooking ? With the normal ' Thai lashings' of various herbs and spices , do you think MSG would be missed any more than one extra grain of salt which is also over-used , not forgetting , of course , the heaps of sugar ? I have my doubts .

Looking at the numbers given by the health minister , it would appear to be no different than the rest of the Thai village residents country wide , all about hype and attention getting , is he looking for some kind of hand out ? Teaching the people good health practices would reduce sickness problems considerably through out the whole country , hygiene should start at home .

The best way to protect yourself from pesticides is by washing all fruits and vegetables first in white vinegar , then rinse with peroxide , this also covers for e-coli .

Incidenttaly , they use far less insecticides/fertilizers in Cambodia , in fact the MiL uses nada of either and her fruit is well known for taste , it is suggested not to purchase Thai fruit because " They put tablet in " . Good tilling solves most of the need for spraying , we practised that during WW11 as many families grew food on ' Allotments' to supplement shortages .

'Hawaiian' timestamp='1299396128' post='4262044']

Seriously the states are extremely paranoid.

No

Have you looked into trying to take a Thai to the states. I have. It can be done but the bar is high.

I heard of one Lady from Lao who got her visa here before going and when she got there she was turned back.

I am a US citizen who chooses to live here rather than there or in Canada where I have immigration status. In the states the paranoia is high but it is covered up with a superiority complex. Most of the Americans are completely clue less as to the rest of the world. Every thing is wrong and they are always rite.

Don't get me wrong. I visit every year brothers and sisters in the states. Canada ex wife and kids. But the restrictions on living in the land of the free are to high. I like to live here in Thailand where people are free to enjoy life. They are not afraid of it.

The tens of thousands of travelers who went there on visitor/tourist visas and then subsequently overstayed is at the root cause of strict selectivity for granting of these visas. It's not paranoia.

It's not only the those that overstay, but also people that falsify information on their visa applications. I know of one Thai woman who has paid individuals to sponsor her relatives with K1 (Fiance/Fiancee) visas. Her success has emboldened her to find even more sponsors for more of her relatives. She even had the audacity to ask her sister's ex-husband to return the money after her sister was naturalized and subsequently divorced.

Sooner or later she will get busted by immigration for arranging these sham marriages.

[/quote

What are the restrictions you talk of for living in Canada ? Do you truly believe you have more freedom in Thailand ? Or were you talking about freedom from taxes and the ability to break the law as you seem fit ? At least citizens are aware of what the laws are , like them or not .

'jimbeam1' timestamp='1299406888' post='4262409']

It would make a tremendous difference also if the Public Health Ministry, checked on the condition of public toilets, as well as the many food halls and street vendors, where hygiene is non existent. Not just in the coming months, but throughout the year.

jb1

[/quote

Strange you should mention my thoughts even as i ' Thunk' .

What amazes me the most is that all of the things the health minister mentions should be put into practice with very young children so as to inure it into their future thinking , they are easily taught and explained .

I stayed away from the majority of Thai street vendors as their attention to hi-gene was practically none existent , pre-cooked foods sitting around for ages , vehicle smog , coughers and sneezers blowing germs willy-nilly into huge tubs of soup etc , buyers needing to handle EVERY piece of food/fruit in the pile just to make a choice , who knows where those hands/fingers had been prior to giving ' The feel' .

Do they not have those simple devises called ' Hazard flares' for use to warn other road users in ample time to slow down and prevent collisions such as the one in question ?

Praise be to the lord , how would we ever manage to get it straight and keep it that way without the PC brigade on this forum , which is normally frequented by posters giving their own personal opinion or experience on any given subject or expressions by other posters , some people just have to have it CORRECT by their own personal standards of what he thinks super cedes others comments or experiences . Should it become that way , what a boring experience it would be for most of us of a lesser breed of humanity , as things are , we express our individuality in our own peculiar , to some , way

'Jdietz' timestamp='1299348539' post='4261045']

There once was a man named Mort,

Whose **** was incredibly short.

When he climbed into bed

His lady friend said,

"That's not a **** it's a wart!"

" Who are you going to make happy with that wee thing " she asked , pounding his chest with his fists " M-e-e-e-e-e " he responded .

'MJP' timestamp='1299353832' post='4261085']

Could this hotel be crawling in something entomological and venomous?

One mysterious death at a location needs investigation for cause , but four at the same location over a short period of time needs to have the location closed off until a satisfactory reason/cause has been found and proven , no matter what upset is created , no matter whom owns what . The investigation should have been expedited A.S.A.P by experts in toxicological examination etc , not local " Could give a shiet ' police who have no expertise in that field .

SHAME on Thailand .

'MJP' timestamp='1299341742' post='4260954']

'asiawatcher' timestamp='1299288667' post='4259505']

Education, even basic skills, are essential in any society. Where it goes off the rails is when children are not allowed to question - interactivity between teachers and class when it comes to 'understanding' is negated widely thus children sit and get bored if understanding is not allowed on the agenda. This has happened due to cultural (in)sensibilities, in a country where only Royals were allowed to be educated around 1887 and the first schools for public was only introduced in 1923. Elitists deliberately keep the populace under control by 'lack' of education and teaching 'their' system. This reduces competition later in life and woe betide those not born into families with money.

To educate is a start, to understand and question, expands minds. The "bus-ticket" procession of people getting a piece of paper at so called Universities is a disgrace. The degrees are barely comparable to any western degree and only a few universities in Thailand have an international standing and education qualification. It is all about 'belief' and giving families more 'face' over their educated progeny.

The standard of the teaching and ability of students is measured by the wealth of parents able to afford high (over) priced education and 'branding'. As education, like everything else in Thailand, is geared to making money, quality suffers. But at least the Government has allowed international education now, albeit horrifically expensive, but for those who believe education is the answer, it is "caveat emptor" - let the buyer beware. At least those that can afford it may have a chance in life but look at the list of the worlds billionaires. Less that 10% have a university education and that 'spells' it out very clearly.

Education and internet will work cohesively and will cost very little - with minimal supervision and soon most likely becoming the breakaway group of the future, allowing students to learn at their own pace and not get caught by the slow kid in the class putting up his hand saying "khortort na khrup, mai loo, mai cal jai!" at which time the whole class stops waiting on catch up. But until Thailand changes its cultural/social attitude towards education and raises the standard for all, not just the wealthy, they will be a long time coming out of the dark ages.

I found it little different going through private then state schooling in the UK and worse still 'University'. The 'Professors' would become highly irritable if you questioned anything, to the point of rudeness and even anger. Little more than con-artists.

Funny you should say that , how things have changed in the UK , we were always taught to ask questions to seek better understanding , my first boss told me to often ask the question " Why " when we were told to do something we did not understand , it is of great importance in the learning stage to understand why we are doing things a certain way , it opens up the brain to be inquisitive .

In all of my teaching in the mechanical field , I encouraged questioning as part of my methodology to broaden my students knowledge base by sharing with class-mates , what I was unaware of was researched and the answers given the following day , we all increased our basic awareness . We had the odd hour of " Stupid questions " with only logical answers required , it added 'fun-time' to what could have been a boring day .

Me thinks the Thai should have made contingency plans to extricate THEMSELVES when the problem first started , they are there of their own volition so should also return to Thailand the same way , many TV posters talk of being thankful of leaving their ' Nanny states" but are now condemning Thai officials for not doing more to help these hapless citizens . You cannot have it both ways ,

My simple explanation as to a way of improving quality of education in Thailand is this : As it appears , a lot of the blame falls on the teaching staff , if they have no desire or drive to improve the standards that they apply , nothing will change , would it not then be of advantage to change the overall cause of poor education of the masses .

The ruling bodies need to instigate a ' logical ' system to bring teaching staff mentality to a level where all would gain in the long run , this would be to pay staff according to student achievement on yearly testing , when the level has made improvement over and above that which has become the norm as of this present date , the teacher is given a pay raise . This would ( should) encourage teaching staff to improve their own level of education and the methodology of application in the classroom , because they themselves would gain much face to the public at large and , most importantly , amongst their students .

Not so difficult or mind boggling , it has been done with great success in other nations educational systems .

More pussy-footing by the powers that be to clear up an ongoing problem that has the potential of becoming an ecological disaster for local folk , are they scared of loosing out on a lucrative money making process for themselves , and so unconcerned for the villagers future welfare ?

Oh ye brilliants minds of Thailand , pray tell me what use are observers of a dispute when they are not allowed in the disputed areas , how else can a dispute be apportioned ? They are still back in ancient history where most issues were settled with the use of arms , grow up and face what ever comes in the enlightened mode of open dialogue , or are you a feared that some of your in-disgressions will come to light in the eyes of the world ?

Good retort geriatrick , I agree that over the years Thailand has over rated itself in many instances and many Thai believe their diatribe is correct , just as Thai history taught in the education system , or is that a misnomer ?

There have been some nasty comments on here concerning Cambodia , especially by Geriactic which are totally unfounded .

I have lived here for 6 years to date , never been scammed or confronted for any reason , when out and about I see many walking the streets after dark , rarely is any foreigner attacked unless he provokes it , even then it is not easy because in the main , Cambodians are a friendly happy people , they do however , fight amongst themselves in outlying areas ,

I moved here after 7 years of Thailand due to many of the reasons cited on TV , I was scammed a few times and my apartment robbed , I lived in a northern village for 6 weeks to cure a flooding problem at my expense ( which was cured), whilst away in BKK attending a freinds birthday party I was robbed of ALL my appliances and personal belongings by the gratefull villagers , that was the last straw .

Cambodia does not have many things the Thai brag about , but they do welcome visitors and expats to share what little they have , Cambodia has improved by leaps and bounds since I first arrived , even have ambulances services and newly constucted hospital with Western staff that give excellent service at REASONABLE cost . give it time , thailand will still be dragging its a#$s in the same old problems for knowing too much about diddly squat , still proffessing " I know , I know " .

'Siam Simon' timestamp='1299108773' post='4254705']

"Last year Thailand received 15.8 million international tourists, generating income of Bt585 million, he said."

That averages out at a tad over 37 Baht per international visitor. Is the quoted line a typo, or are the PM's advisors/scriptwriters slacking a bit?

Anyway, sad to say that Thailand (in common with just about every other country trying to entice tourists) can't be too picky at the moment.

I think you are proving the point mentioned by so many on TV concerning ' Tourist ' numbers , highly inflated to impress by counting not true tourists to Thailand in particular , but passers through to other destinations and the huge number of regular visa runners .

 Why would anyone be concerned about tourism anyway , they are often touted as such a minimal monetary input into Thailand , even expats who contribute millions into the local economies are treated as mere second class citizens , made to jump through hoops to stay , then treated as ' Ignorami '  who are not listened to for a wealth of suggestions to improve life for all .

When Thai improve the size of the welcome mat and hone up on how to treat visitors to their country , maybe , just maybe , tourism may improve to a scale where TAT can provide honest numbers , sorry , did I mention a word not contained in the Thai dictionary ? 

 Despite all that has been noted here about America , they are still logged as the richest country with more opportunitues available to most of its citizens , Thailand is far below that status due to massive corruption at the top .

 Throwing money at poor people who have no real concept on economics as proven by the Thaksin thinking , should raise a red flag to Ahbasit that all it does  is increase the debt of the poor uneducated masses , supplying the means and educating the use  thereof is far more productive in the overall economy of the whole country . Thai think mostly in their world of today , tomorrow never comes , many would grab $5.00 today instead of waiting for tomorrow to receive $50.00 , after all , what can you purchase with that which is not already in the hand ?

 So , who now shows themselves as the unruly , spoilt brat in this situation, who wants to ' Take their ball away because it appears they cannot win ? 

 Shame on Thailand who have difficulty solving problems in their own country , look at all of the fiascos going on in Thailand at this present time that it would appear no one can/wants to take responsibility for . Are they afraid the world may open a pandoras box if the observers are given the free rein they should be allowed in this situation with Cambodia ? It is obvious the Cambodians are more peace loving and want an end to all of the hatred and pettiness Thailand is showing by a bunch of incompetant politicians who are more concerned with money grabbing than executing any dialogue to solve issues of importance .

 No Thailand , you are not and never will be the be all and end all of matters that concern the global village , stop being retrograde by constantly looking over your shoulder and come into todays world , you may be pleasantly surprised at the gains that can be made for all of your citizens , young and old alike .

'Steely Dan' timestamp='1298967787' post='4251203']

What's the point having neutral observers if you won't allow them free reign to observe? And if the damage to the temple is superficial as Thailand claim then what is the objection to allowing UNESCO to at least inspect the site?

It would seem that after bending over backwards in accomodating the colonial French and then aquiescing to the ICJ decision without so much as an appeal Thailand are now in bellicose mood decades too late.

 The temple itself is not in contention , nor is the ' Surounding land ' as noted , it is a mere 4.6 acres adjacent to the entry stairway that all of this rediculous hullabaloo is raging about , land that has been shared/used for generations by citizens of both nations in a peacefull manner . Thai truly believe they are the be all and end all in this easily solved dispute , they need only to cease looking back over shoulders at history and bring things to a peacefull settlement in todays light of day , benificial to all concerned .

'beano2274' timestamp='1298808059' post='4247147']

They keep going on about how they were robbed, but I saw photos of them with their gold talismann, gold rings and expensive telephones.

Maybe robbed by the people who got them the jobs, but not by the people fighting for a new leadership.

 Thai complaining about being attacked and robbed as visiting workers to a foreign land , do you not think then that this is the time to begin appreciating what Thai themselves in fact do to visitors to their own land ? Most visitors to Thailand bring money INTO country which benifits Thai in general , take a good long look into the mirror on the wall , you will be surprised at what you see people of Thailand , please do not forget to include those visitors/expats who even lose lives for the gain to Thai , he who casts the first stone ????????????

 Do not feel sorry for you and the lot you chose for YOURSELF mr Somchai .

Now the interesting part.

If by some chance the line gets sealed, do you have a vaccuum pump to purge it and do you have the tools to charge it with gas? Do you know what gas it is? Do you know how much it takes fo fill the system?

Let me know how you get on please

Took the words out of my mouth prefabs , most things are repairable if you have the knowledge/experience/tools etc to perform that which is required , git in an expert .

'MJP' timestamp='1297271049' post='4208154']

'dumball' timestamp='1297270240' post='4208141']

MJP' timestamp='1297268819' post='4208117']

He knows that and wants to support them but doesn't know how.

What he could do is get a lawyer to talk to his mother-in-law and set up support that way. The old MIL's are generally the only sensible ones and will see the money goes to the right use.

You mean you would trust your MiL farther than you could throw her ? with money ? Are not they the ones usually on the grab for more , and more , and more .Next thing you will suggest he leave his children with her also and keep them shrouded in ancient history and superstitious mumbo-jumbo .

Why not contact the local child authorities , they have lots of guidence where child welfare is concerned , I don't think it will be allowing them to be kidnapped only to be abandoned into the care of a (most likely) uneducated old lady .

Local child authorities? In Thailand? Does such a thing as social work exist here?

I wasn't actually going to suggest that as it would be ridiculous. If you face these people with lawyers they fold, terrified of anything that represents authority. Tend to do as instructed if it's set up right.

Actually, my MIL and one sister-in-law are two people I would trust when it comes to the welfare and future of the children in my absence. The rest perhaps not and certainly not the mother. Funny how an uneducated old lady managed to raise six children on less than minimum wage.

I was of the impression you were inteligent enough to realise that as the OP and his family are still in the UK , I was refering to a local council IN the UK . Once his family is in Thailand , I feel he will have little to no chance for recourse .