cecco

Isn't he in Cambodia?

1. Cambodia has 850 (approx) NGO's

2. Cambodia has 200 (approx) NGO's on the waiting list.

3. Cambodia is run by US Dollars, inclusive of ATM's.

4. If the world community really wants him more than the French guy that moved to China after Khmer Rouge changed positions, they can get him. Cambodia is sorta like a special case, especially now that they have oil they can't afford to produce.

5. The USA gives tons of US cash to Cambodia for "education." None of that money, I am sure, goes into ATM machine distribution sources.

???????????????

Live long and ask questions!

listen i catch the first ferry off the island every sunday morning (back 2 work in bkk) there are very very few falangs on this boat but my god you should see the amount of timber leaving the island...pick up trucks and large trucks full of freshly sawn logs. what the hel_l is happening there!

Hello:

I am looking for a nice place to escape. I live in Pai (Mae Hong Song Province) between CM and MHS. Can you recommend a place that can give me some peace and tranquility, quiet, and beauty and charm?

Thanks.

Hello, I live in Pai, but escape to civilization in Chiang Mai once a month.

I would like to find a good value apartment, with good location and public transportation to rent.

My budget is less than 5000 a month, and the most I want to pay to move in is about 5000, so if it's first and last month, I'd like it to be 2000-3000 baht a month.

I am looking for someplace decent, and livable with decent water pressure and electricity and cooling.

Can somebody please recommend to me where to start looking?

I would like to go in the next 2-3 weeks.

BTW, if any of u are considering Pai, there are not too many tourists this year, so it's a good time to come here.

Some of you mentioned the Holiday Inn, is that by the hospital and Park Hotel? Do they have discount cards now? Like some hotels have "gold cards."

Thank you.

Oh, yes, if you can recommend some places to stay and have contact information, please let me know. I am not looking for somebody who is trying to over charge, just looking for a good deal to rent in Chiang Mai so that I can be comfortable when I go and stop spending for the hotels there.

Maejo Man, if that's what you consider "just another bulk Thai eatery", I must try this Similan place. I was impressed by Thajene Chomchan.

Where else do you consider can be called a seafood restaurant in CM?

cheers

Since the closure of Nang Nuan (with an "n" note and not an "l") there is not real definitive seafood restaurant apart from Similan. That is apart from the overpriced tourist traps in Anusarn market.

Thajene Chomchan is typical of a lot of "Moo Kata" style restaurants, and you can certainly eat up a storm of prawns for a very reasonable cost. The best one I have found is up the lane by the side of Hillside Condo, plenty of parking at the back, and although seats about 1000 has the best value in town. I usually go throught a couple of kilos of prawns, and for 190 baht cannot be bettered.

Similan on the other hand is probably my favourite. Just turn off the Superhighway heading to Ruam Chok market, and it's about half a Km up on the left hand side. The sign is only in Thai, so you have to look for it. The owner speaks fluent English and is quite a character. The crabs are still blinking, the prawns still swimming, and the the oysters sill blowing bubbles. All the fish are still live, and the shellfish are shut tight and not yawning at you. he claims he freights all his own produce up daily, and I have no reason to doubt that.

No corkage and free water, also they do not support the "no riff raff" policy, as I am allowed in

I didn't know the Nang Nual closed. when and why? will it reopen? It was one of my favorite restaurants.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for somewhere to go a few mornings a week for a nice buffet breakfast. Would anyone like to recommend a nice hotel/apartment/guesthouse around the Chang Klan Rd area that they have been to and thought was nice?

I tried searching on here but was unable to find much, so any reply's would be grateful!

ps Or actually if anyone would just like to recommend anywhere in the city that they go for a nice breakfast that would also be very helpful

Cheers

The empress hotel has one of the best brunches I have found in Chiang Mai.

Empress Hotel

66-053 270240

199/42 Changklan Road

Chiang Mai, 50100

Thailand

For 180 baht a year the Empress/Park/Downtown Inn sell a Gold card, giving you 15% off the restaurant bill and discounts on hotel stays etc. It's a good deal if you are a buffet person. They have a buffet bfkst and brunch following.

Oh, if you like another choice, try Nang Nual for Buffet Lunch, another excellent deal.

Except that the Thai driver license does not have address information.

Sorry but

My Thai address is printed in Thai on the back of my Thai driving licence

My thai D/L is a 5 year one, and it is in English 100%. The one before was in Thai however.

As long as the highly annoying racistic 'double pricing' in natureparks, zoo, doi Suthep etc. not has been eliminated should the gov better not worry about One Million Lost Tourists ? (chiangmai as example)

But if they DO worry about the huge amount of lost income from tourism and DO want to reverse this, isn't it about time to start thinking of the law of Cause And Effect, to start realizing that 'double pricing' could be one of the things that badly damages the countries image, hospitality and show of good moral ?

And may perhaps be of the first (and most easy) bad things to eliminate.

Or perhaps they simply don't worry and maipenrai and accept it as 'shit happens' as it's a traditional habit to maipenrai everything that forces serious thinking ? (the 'chan mi poewot hoewa' effect)

I think we should do it in thailand the American way, allow 70 million illegal alien mestizo to immigrate, then add millions of others around the world, tax the white people only in the USA, give the illegals free medical care and pay 10 times as much to attempt to educate them as we do the native americans, offer them health care the American Military would never receive, and do all we can to make thier illegal bodies happy and comfortable in a land they hate.

America has got it all figured out! The Asians are so backwards in their thinking for sure.

(England is 1 short step behind the USA).

You might want to reference Glenn Beck or american patrol web sites to see just how superior the western mind set has become.

This is a great idea. Then it is up to us to choose if we want to patronise businesses that discriminate and try to get more from farangs. If you don't care then keep on supporting them.

Why should i pay more? Just because it is more in my country? Because it is assumed I have more money then a Thai or all Thai's are poor?

Why doesn't the poster start.....

When you live in a place for despots and screwers, you are either one of the former, or one who is paying to live where they operate liberally.

Khon paa (คนป่า) = the wild ones, people in jungle

Learn this phrase, it might help a bit in life.

what a joke.

bust the companies paying taxes and employing tax paying staff, and let all the other filth slide.

Computer software is a large expense to companies, and some countries already monitor this closely, some countries, mostly in Asia, have been given great lenience, and making the competition in pricing to their advantage as they do not have the costs associated with other countries. This is a good idea, also, this soft ware is not written, updated, and viruses written, etc, for free, although to my knowledge, viruses are always written for "fun." I once had a professer who was a class act hacker. she was brilliant beyond my ability to see light in my eyes, and so she hacked everybody "for fun." She was just bored, beautiful, young woman!

I am glad to see them do this and try to make the costs of doing business reasonably allocated.

But, after saying this, I am not a world order, super power control idiot, so i Just want to see all nations individually obey a select number of rules and policies, and this would be one of them.

Another one is that I don't want to read about Gatoey and transvestites on ThaiVisa, but that is probably going to be an ignored request.

I was thinking about that recent article in Forbes about the desirable retirement spots, #2 of which is Thailand, and began to wonder where I would go if I had to leave Thailand for some reason, like a dramatically devalued $USD. I thought about Panama (also on the list), but then started to think further about what I would do differently based on what I've learned by retiring and living here for a few years.

I would certainly avoid at all costs letting a woman get her hooks into me early, but to live an Ian Forbes type existence and maintain my freedom.

I would also travel the country thoroughly to sample the various locations, etc.

What would you do differently based on what you have learned/experienced?

If I had to do it all over again:

Well, firstly, I'd stay away from any of the "Bar, and sex" cities.

Secondly, my experiences and serious loss of discretionary revenues, have given me great wisdom. What wisdom ever comes without pain?

Thirdly, I love being retired here.

Fourthly, I live in Pai, which is beautiful and peaceful, like the view of the mountains and banana trees as I sit and type this letter. I love it here, except for the allergies.

Fifthly, Learn to think like a Thai and be offended like a Thai. The other day I was checking out of my hotel in a certain city, and I know the hotel is owned by a certain top Thai person. He owns more than 1 in the city. As I got to the door to check out, of a hotel I stay it every month, this security guy whom I do not know, walked up and rubbed my stomach, and giggled in my face. This is unthinkable behavior for a Thai and for a hotel which is owned by certain people in Thai society. As my driver was getting me and going to whisk me back to Pai, I pulled out my trusty Nokia, made a few phone calls, and sent a few emails to top level management. Have now been assured that the young man is no longer there, and indeed meeting very high level officials over this action. The economic aspect of the katote is awaiting me upon my return later this month.

Sixthly, Chantaburi is a good place. I have been to Burma, actually I love Burma, except for the currency problem. I do not think that investing here is a good idea, unless you are a bar owner in one of the lascivious cities. I prefer to live the way I am where I can live very well here, eat in restaurants every night without fear of the bill to come, and pay off a 30 year mortgage in the usa in 10 years, whilst the rest of the country (USA) is getting their homes repossessed.

Seventhly, I would avoid Lisu like the plague which comprise 40% + of Pai, no matter how BEAUTIFUL they are on the outside, which is often amazingly beautiful.

Khon paa (คนป่า) = the wild ones, people in jungle

Lastly, DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHERE, IN N. THAILAND, I CAN GO TO GET A GOOD PRICE AND SELECTION ON A SILVER NECKLACE AND BRACELET? IF SO CAN YOU MSG ME AND PM ME AS WELL? THANK YOU.

Those of us who live in Pai, have to go 3.5 hours to chiang mai to get embassy income verification letters and the like, and then come back to pai and go 4 hours to Mae Hong Son, because we live in MHS province, but it's really making us car sick, and expensive, and hot, and mae hong son has no public transport and no helmets that fit we chao tarn prathed heads when we rent a motorbike.

Is there any hope at all we can explain to immigration the miserable conditions for those in MHS province, which is so far away from Pai where we live!

As a full time resident in Chiang Rai, I have noticed the infrastructure is lacking for areas outside cities. The best constructed road, by far, is the one that snakes many miles up a remote hill to a Royal site. Most other roads are barely passable, with ditches in the wrong places or non-existent. ....same for culverts. Potholes and erosion in the middle of roads are big enough to lose a truck tire in - even on roads with hundreds of vehicles per day.

I live in Pai. After Pai was flooded a few years ago, they first trenched river deeper so it could carry more water faster, then they began other works, such as pulling up and installing new trenches with high quality drain plates to move the water.

We have had some serious rains here, but no water flooding now. Sometimes I think that Thailand, like many western countries, has good politicians who take care of the problems with public money, and some politicians spend the public money on themselves.

Maybe I am wrong.

I think for those in nice expat jobs, working for a big company, this means squat. For those in poorer paid professions, such as teaching, it could be a problem.

Regardless, it is a cynical tax raising opportunity by a government whose finances are under strain.

Well, as an American Citizen, whose taxes went to pay for the "forgiven loans" of Thai students during the 1997 financial crisis, I sorta expected that we Americans would get lots of freebies in exchange if we had a financial crisis, like 16% unemployment and 40,000,000 people on food stamps.

Needless to say, I am disappointed.

Also, these roads they are building everywhere, are they free? They are far superior to the USA. Anybody been to Esarn lately?

What about the retrofitting of the power lines and those wonderful high tech power poles that N. America has never conceived. Seriously superior stuff ! And, I bet it's not free either.

I think this shows how much they are losing in payoffs and cheating and "free" "fruit to be peeled" money.

Personally, I wish you guys would stop using that word "farang" it upsets me. Why should a fruit to be peeled, call himself a fruit to be peeled? It cannot mean a westerner (living in the western part of the united states), or a stretched derivation "from the united states," nor can it mean "caucasia" . a mythical land inclusive of Eastern China, nor can it mean a person with curly hair. So what can it mean except "fruit to be peeled?" G. U. A. V. A.

Taxes are a good thing, that is what Hillary and The one like, and raising taxes will make Hillary and The one proud of them.

Cannot understand my girlfriend which is thai sometimes (or most of the times)

Been together for many months now and usually when i am in my country she calls and we message all the time. But this time its me who has to call her all the time and many times she doesnt even pick up the phone, and the worst about it she doesnt call back! This is so weird, if she calls me and i dont have time to answer i call her back as soon as i can because i care for her.

I have read many stories and i really fear and beginning to think she is dating someone else, thats why she is ignoring me on the phone sometimes. She usually picks up the phone only early in the morning in Thailand.

This has been going on for over 1 month now and i feel i am getting fed up with this. Feel like she has no feelings for me when she acts like this. Gonna demand some answers from her because this is bugging me alot and i gues you guys would react the same huh? Last time i got so fed up so i asked her right out if me and her are broken up? Do not worry she responded ..... ehm ok. no answers about the calling part. Should i chill ? am i worrying too much? Long distance relationships can do this. But these symptoms i am telling about is a bit worrying to me or what do you guys think? I am no thai expert

=======

So many issues, Tommy:

First, if you don't stay here, they are not yours.

Second, "She is Thai." It's not easy to know what that means. My g/f for example is Thai, Thai ID, born in Thailand, Mom is Thai, grandparents are Thai, Father is Thai, but she is Lisu and gets really mad if u use her Thai name, which I use often. Some people choose to identify with their tribes, some with their ID Card, and some flip flop back and forth.

Third, None of them are independent. Situations like yours mean that you know that your voice is not the only one to which she listens. This is bad. The only way you can deal with your situation is to remove her from other voices, isolate yours, and keep it that way until she loves you.

Fourth, My g/f and I have a serious problem, that when I leave her, she won't talk to me. Mostly because she goes home, and the Lisu mountain is full of women who are,were, or going into prostitution. So when you talk to prostitutes, you hear prostitute thinking and vocabulary.

Fifthly, if she is from a good family, they will isolate her FOR YOU. My g/f's mother lies, and I know she lies, she knows too. The best simple trick you might consider is this:

a. learn the difference between "jing jing," and "Kwarm jing."

b. if anybody used the term "farang" they are calling u a fruit to be peeled, and it's best you show them a picture of a fruit to be peeled, and look at Thai2English and see the options for foreigner. give her the list.

c. most of us give too much money at the start, and get mad later. I am mad now, but I give nothing to anybody, and they know it now. When I was in the hospital, she was on the mtn, and her family did nothing to help me, and they now know that my heart towards them is "kang" (hard).

d. When they love you, they will be with you, no matter how much money u have, don't have, give, don't give. But in your situation she sees you, most likely as going to refill the wallet and come back with play money. I suggest u move here, or stay there. Play money is for toys, and she probably perceives herself as a toy.

Guys, nearly 11 months ago, I bought a pair of glasses in Pai, from Charoen Optical. I told them that if they were not back in the maximum 10 business days they promised, I didn't want them.

They were back, but the bifocals were cut crooked.

For the past 11 months, they keep breaking (falling apart) every 2-4 days. Last week, as soon as they handed them to me, they fell apart.

They have not been in an accident and I wear a full faced helmet, never get drunk, go to bars, smoke, use drugs, or chew gum.

Last week I called the Tourist Police in Chiang Mai because Charoen Optical at the headquarters in BKK kept hunging up the fone on me. The Tourist Police said BKK would call me back, but they did not. The local store called me back and fixed them again. The glasses broke again today (2 days later), and I took them back. They want me to buy a new pair of glasses.

I am very angry. I feel very cheated. I am tired of being patient. Can somebody please give me some contact information for where to get some help? Or, are we baked potatoes (man farang as some of u reference) unable to deal with these things professionally?

from my terrible experience, I would strongly suggest none of you ever patronize Charaoen Optical, and if would love to know how to tell the prime minister's office of my experience.

Thank you.

Too much ado about nothing, just see this article:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/rea...d=karaoke+rules

So many here are blaming farangs of being fuel for prostitution in Thailand, but when You look at data provided by NGOs, You will se that only 10-20 precent of girls are taking care of farangs. 80 percent goest to local Thai men

======

the mountains are full of brothels, hand jobs, blow jobs, and what not. it's much cheaper than you chonburi and krungthep guys pay. also, many church groups are burmese drug dealer pastors who also deal in skin traffic. but telling people how evil the Chao Tarng Prathed are is just a nice smoke screen for reality.

they (government) really know their priority overhere

I propose : stop prostitution , abuse of children, abuse of alcohol , stop selling sigarets

really I do

if Thailand want to get genuine tourists that spend money and not hookers, pimps and drug dealers

Firstly: For those of you who live in Krung Thep or Chonburi, you may have a different perspective than those of us living in other areas. But, except for the sin cities, we don't see bars with drunks. There are few low class people drinking themselves into oblivion on the streets of Pai. I almost never drink. About 3 or 4 times a year I will sit on the street and drink one beer, never two. One day I got a hate mail from a guy I never met in Soppong telling me that I was a liar and a fraud because I said I am not a drunk and he had it on good authority that I sat every night on the street and was a drunk. I don't smoke either, and since there is one table outside the restaurant where you can sit and smoke, I usually sit there, if it's available, so people don't hold their cigarettes in such a way to facilitate and enable the smoke to fill the restaurant. I like sitting on the street, but my primary objective is to occupy the table so that tobacco smoke is not blowing in my food or face while I eat "inside." Also, note that, that airborne bacteria is facilitated through everything, including Tobacco Smoke.

Secondly: We have karaoke bars here, and not a one of them has girls available for free, or volunteer, unless one of you knows something I don't know.

Thirdly: Ubon Ratchathani has a bar called "Country Club," and I love it more than anywhere I have been in Thailand. It's a totally beautiful bar, with excellent (and beautiful, and handsome, and witty) entertainment. The place is massive, and totally packed, and cheap, compared to the man farang bars and clubs.

Fourthly: Did anybody notice this happened shortly after the Clinton visit?

Fifthly: I have been into the mountains, as far back as 2 hours from a road, tourists and travelers (Thai's, Karen, man farang, etc) go there looking for girls to marry, and the girls know they are in demand (they just have to wait - and not wait long). In most of the tribal areas, if she is not chosen by a man before she is 20, she will be married by 20. The average cost of marrying a 20 year old is about 9,000 baht. There is no "free," the hill tribes believe that if you do not eat, you do not eat. The outfits that I am showing you cost, at the lowest price, 630 baht for the colorful shirt, and the black skirts that Thai Lisu women wear are 330 baht and up. So they are inexpensive at all, like the Thai who can be dressed for a 39 baht shirt and 59 baht pair of pants. Most of the people in the tribes now, are "Thai," with Thai - ID Cards and totally capable of having Thai Passports, free medical care, and all the benefits of being a Thai National. They have social networks throughout Asia to move girls from Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam. This is their culture. The tourism industry provided a cover for money laundering and trafficking, which is no longer cost effective, and actually becoming a loss-leader in their marketing strategies. They don't want the Chinese here, and for good reason, and are beginning to realize that they wish to attract a decent client base.

Sixthly: Previously the bars and what not were stocked by various ethnicities (female workers). My girlfriend doesn't want to be Thai, so she is Lisu. But she would be totally Thai if she wanted to be Thai, because she is Thai, she just doesn't like the Thai, so she is Lisu. Since I cannot speak Lisu, she is forced to speak Thai with me, in order to communicate, but if a Thai (she is Thai herself) talks to her, unless there is a very good reason to speak Thai, she acts like she can't understand them. She really hates the Thai. But this being said, Burma and China are filling with Christians in the previously "sex-industry-feeding" ethnicities. Thailand itself is becoming Christian all around the "Buddhist" sanctuaries of the Thai. The hills are full of Christians, and they know who the Christians are in (and from) the villages, even the Lisu who are still demon worshipping know who the Christians are from and amongst them. Many of the girls now in these "sex" and "peripheral sex" industries are not new and cycling in and out to "help my family." They are experienced and seasoned workers who are well trained in fleecing men, spreading and incubating disease. In the past Thai girls, then Hill tribe girls, then Cambodian Girls would fill the bars and work. But today, Many many many of them are born again Christian villages who once sent girls to work money. Also, the hill tribes don't need the money. They have heliports on the mountains in remote villages, roads of various designs to facilitate the downpours, multiple arrays of solar panels, and the most remote areas of the "mountains" are now equipped with electricity, although they prefer to cook with charcoal, and want a warm shower but believe it is best for their to wash it outside in cold water. They have royal projects up there, experimental gardens, resident police and army observers, and hub and spoke transportation from roads (such as Ban Wat Chan) so that you can drive on an excellent road to the hub and from there get a variety of transportation to any village you wish to travel any time you wish to go, for any price you wish to pay, including free. Many of us are planting our own food now, and are not dependant upon the markets for food, and this is commonplace amongst the rural Thais as well. What is being attacked is the Mafia, in a very polite Thai way. As the girls some of you think are coming from "poor families," is a scam. A total scam. Those mountains have elaborate banking systems, stores, even gas stations (2 hours from a road). They lack nothing! They have schools, hospitals, etcetera. I wonder if I should post photos showing you these things?

7. The major thing here in Thailand is how Thailand wishes to be viewed. What is the preferred "Thai Greng Jai?" Thailand prefers a Greng Jai of a major world power, and major moral leader of Asia. And Thailand is changing. Those of you who think Krung Thep will never change, have no idea how dismal it is today compared to the late 1970's when I first came here. Man, Thailand was great then, mostly because Siam was still alive. Today, Siam is all but smothered by Thailand, and that is a great loss. Unfortunately the King of Chiang Mai had no Heir, which ushered in the demise of the Lanna Kingdom as well.

8. Thailand, in relationship to the rest of the world, has been strongly influenced by the west for it's entire history as "Thailand," beginning with Mongkhut, Chularnakorn, and following. Thailand now is mutating into either a Western Country or an Asian Country. This is the battle of Thailand, for Thailand, and in Thailand. Thailand is a proud nation, deciding now how to define "nation," and how to define "kingdom."

Watch and observe, we will all learn much from what is coming out of the past.

As an American Citizen, how can Thailand support a country (The USA) which even I cannot support in these days? So, will a nation with histories so intertwined with the Burmese (who were invited into Thailand by the King of Chiang Mai to fight the King of Siam, as well as Thailand paid tribute to Burma for a very long time), Cambodians (Thailand was ruled by the Khmer at one time and helped in the creation of Angkor Wat and the wars there), Laotians (Nong _Kai and Vientenne used to be one Kingdom), Chiang Rai (where Chiang Saen was the last Kingdom to be brought into Siam), Anna Levitwitz, and BNH in BKK which exists under foreign ownership by Rama V royal decree, and the like. Now, Thailand is becoming it's own nation, it's own people, and is no longer serving other nations. I wish America would serve Americans and stop serving Mexicans.

540 000 000 baht / 34 = $15 882 352.90 usd

22 % plung = 540 000 000 * 0.22 = 118 800 000 plunge in revenue

Thai tourists would help generate 430 billion baht this year?

But I live in Pai, the #1 tourist resort area for Thailand, and we just had a 4 day holiday, and the town is empty.

Is this what they call: "Go Hok," or "Jing Jing," or "Kwarm Jing" Joke, ha ha?

Lowest in 49 years? TAT was begun in 1977. 2 009 - 1 977 = 32

I was here in 1978 with Braniff, and they had no tourists, mostly Brits and Americans, fluor vacationers, and the like. We helped start and create TAT as younguns. I am not sure I understand this article, except that things are bad, and what is the truth and objective of this article?

.. mr. perplexed.

Tourism hit 49-year low

BANGKOK: -- The tourism industry has hit a 49-year low and is expected to plunge by 22 per cent this year, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand.

Besides the global economic crisis, the country's continuing political turmoil had contributed to the sharp decline in tourism, Tourism Council of Thailand chairman Kongkit Hiranyakij said on Thursday.

The expected number of tourist arrivals had been reduced from 14.1 million to 11, he said.

The A(H1N1) flu outbreak could make tourism contract by three to four per cent, causing the country to lose up to 200 billion baht of tourism revenue this year, he said.

Last year, Thailand gained 540 billion baht in tourism revenue.

"If the government can solve its political problems and is able to host the Asean meetings successfully, tourism should be revived by the end of this year or the beginning of 2010," Mr Kongkit predicted.

However, he said Thai tourists would help generate 430 billion baht in revenue this year.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-07-23

I see several scenarios:

1. They can save a lot of money by shutting down the education system.

2. They can santize places which is a big success story here in Thailand.

3. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&sou...95912,94.394531

This is a google mapping of the spread of the flu, updating, some data is a week old, etc. But it's a good map. zoom in and out, and click around, it's pretty interesting. the map will give u infections and deaths in most parts of the world, as they are reported. The virus originated in Mexico so calling it the "Mexican flu" would be more correct, and it has taken over the N. American Continent, and spread around the world, but the S. Thailand area seems to be a very seriously infected area, compared to the rest of Asia (thus far). Thailand needs to deal with it, but the WHO is saying the whole world needs to be vaccinated, starting with health care professionals. Yes, it appears to be "coming at you and me."

435 Bangkok schools closed July 15-19

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has ordered closed all of its 435 schools, 200 nurseries and 13 occupational training centres for five days from July 15 to 19 to prevent the spread of the A/H1N1 flu.

M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the BMA governor, said after a meeting of the city administrators on Tuesday that the BMA will concentrate on campaigning for the people to wear a protective mask, especially at a crowded place.

The BMA will distribute 2 million masks to the people at various crowded locations such as at the BTS electric train stations and Hua Lampong railway station. Bangkok MPs and city councillors will be asked to distribute 10,000 masks each to the people in their constituencies, he said.

Billboards to campaign for the peple to wear a mask and wash their hands will be put up at various corners of the city starting Tuesday. All community radios will also be asked to join the campaign.

The BMA also plans to close all of its school on Aug 10-11 to allow officials concerned to conduct a major clean up of the schools five days from August 8 to 12. However, this can be changed if the cabinet makes a resolution for schools to close for a clean up before this period.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-07-14

Take your debit/credit card into the bank and do a cash advance, they are free from both ends. Thailand and host country.

I can't see that long term visas are that important to tourists, and real tourist visas are easy to get anyway. This issue is dwarfing the thread.

A friend of mine just returned from Pattaya, said it was so quiet and he was put off by increased scams. Poor service all round and internet so bad.

This is now one of those critical situations, a vicious circle developing.

Thailand's problem is that it got too used to foreign bail outs. It's a miscalculation made top to bottom, quite simply- no problem Mr Farang : cheap for you, have ATM.

It depends on how you define tourists..........in my view and others, if you do not have a long term, secure visa solution (virtually impossible in Thailand given I used the word "secure"), you are a resident tourists or resident tourists expat.

And the visa rule changes over the past ten years have played a role in harming this group of tourists. Many have simply moved (with their money) to different countries.

But it is only one component. Other components:

scams and double pricing,

poor and often unfriendly service,

raising prices of hotels without offering better services (I know one hotel that went from 350 to 900 baht in three years and the only change was to the toilets and showers),

horrible internet service (most likely related to a Chinese style govt. censorship),

ATM fee discrimination against holders of foreign credit/debit cards,

international airport closure by yellow shirts,

ASEAN meeting closure by red shirts,

headless body floating up on shore in Pattaya (just happened),

seven unexplained deaths of foreigners in the same area in and around Krabi within a few months of each other,

general level of violence growing,

widespread xenophobia

tanks in the streets and soldiers walking around the streets with guns (not everyday but when you see that on TV it is not good for tourism)

perception that Thailand is no longer a bargain,

perception that Thailand only wants rich foreigners to come here (one of the worst moves by TAT that put off 90% of its tourism base)

filthy cities (water, air, trash)

failure to address Bangkok's traffic problem

Now all of this I can agree with. Good posting. Thailand 5*!!!... kee gai.

Maybe they should abolish racist policies regarding entrance fees to temples, parks, zoos, etc. If you have Asian physiognomy, go right in for the Thai price. But if a white skin -- Whoa, stop right there!!! Pull out your wallet, and be prepared to pay!! Amazing!

This policy is not "racist." I do not mean to say that Thailand is not racist, it is a very racist country.

But, regarding entrance fees, once you procure a Thai Drivers License, this will be viewed as Thai ID for everything, travel, entrance, etc, the only place that refused to accept this was the Long Neck's in Mae Hong Song, and they are forced to be zoo people to survive here, but on the other hand, the man I was with is from Shang Hai and holds a Chinese, Taiwanese, and Thai Passport, and is not Thai, but he is give benefits of being Thai.

Regarding racism, much of it comes from this board, board members use the word "farang" often here, which I have requested this word be banned from the site. Farang is a "fruit to be peeled" in Thai, the Thai know it's a dirty word, and even upon using the word, will admit to their friends "I know it's not a very nice word," and yet, the man farang keep using the word. Perhaps if we had more respect for ourselves, and stopped calling ourselves "fruit-to-be-peeled," the Thai and other groups here would stop viewing us as fruit-to-be-peeled.

Lately, I am tired of people blaming others. I think that on this one, you are incorrect about entrance requirements, and I think about racism, much of it is our fault. You reference "thai's," but where I live there are nearly 40 various tribes, and try, just try to find a workable, universal definition of a "Thai." I can assure you, that any definition a "Thai" can offer, I can give counter-examples in Thai society and culture as to why the definition is invalid.

About charging non-locals to use services for which we pay taxes, I agree! And, I wish the USA would do the same. Actually, I would like to see the Id Checks and benevolent treatment of locals over unwanted aliens to extend to the USA as well.

Another thing: People are here because they want to be here, if people don't like it here, why are they here. On the other hand, some groups which are not Thai call us farang .. but try calling a mountain tribal person a "kohn paa" and see what happens, and yet that is what thai's think when they reference people from the mountains, and their skin pigment is a commonplace skin pigment, but some groups, such as the "lisu" are not even capable of tracing their origin and their history exists in family worship and demon worship songs which goes back for thousands of years and may take weeks or months for them to sing in order to pass along their heritage. As we end the demonic worship, we end the lineage tracings. There are many things to consider, and perhaps our own narcissism and arrogance was taught to them. Did you ever read "Uncle Tom's Cabin?" That book isn't racist, in the way it typifies the "whites," and never even alludes to Black Slave Owners and mercantilism and their profits and abuses and death factories? And yet, we see a king brought up from childhood by Ana, and a modern king born in Cambridge, and they are the two most widely photograph distributed of the kings, while the first of the ramas was my personal favorite. If they Thai's are racist to the core, we would not be here, and they would not be respecting kings who liberated them based upon white cultures, racism towards whites and the omission of blacks slavers.

This culture is thousands of years old, and many of our birthplaces are only hundreds, and yet the king is born in a country that is about the same age as this country, and yet siam goes back for thousands of years as do the other kingdoms of this area. Etruscans also may predate the indo chinese groups, and of course we can all go back to ninevah and the Tower of Babel and recall WHY and HOW languages were created and divisions were created by God Himself.

Maybe they could spend time in a national education program educating people to realize that they you and I are not "fruit to be peeled," (farang), but rather

1. ชาวต่างชาติ

chaao dtàang châat foreigner ; alien

2. ต่างแดน

dtàang daen <li> exotic ; alien ; foreign ; remote <li> foreigner ; alien ; immigrant ; non-native

Perhaps it would help to stop treating us as though we are victims of the thai, regardless of what they do to us.

And please, don't tell me "farang" means foreigner. It has never meant foreigner, and don't tell me it comes from farang set = country of france, we are not a country, and dont' tell me it means caucasian because the mythical land of caucasus included parts of China, where a certain American's mother was born, and don't tell me it means people from America as they will kill you for applying it universally.

farang = fruit to be peeled, and that is all it means in their minds.

Try calling a person from the mountain "kohn paa" and see what happens.

cecco

I really don't see the point of this.

Do they seriously think that by issuing free tourist visas it is going to increase the number of tourists coming to Thailand?

Firstly, how would any potential tourists even know that the visa was free until they went to apply for one. It's not as though the news of this wonderful freebie is going to be plastered all over the press, radio and TV.

And secondly, once they goe to apply for said visa, they have probably already booked their holiday or their flight, so the fact that it is free will no no way influence their decision to come here.

If this is the best idea they can come with to boost tourism, then they are in for a lean time in the coming months.

I don't think its that bad,

When my (Thai) wife wants to order a hotel room in Bangkok asking for Thai price they say 1.200 Baht after telling her name with the non-Thai surname they raise the price with 500 Baht to 1.700 so we did not go there, and so several hotels more the same story.

The Last one ( after talking with the manager ) allowed it but no breakfast included ! telling him in that case no deal he agreed for including the breakfast.

So I think it's not so bad at all or........my idea better some than no money at all, but it seems some don't understand

I would like to address several issues:

1. Pricing. I have been doing business in thailand since 1978/9.

2. I now live in Thailand.

3. I have a retirement visa.

4. When I leave Pai to visit or transit Chiang Mai, I stay in the same hotel. They charge 2400 baht on the internet, with a special price of 1500. I pay 800. This is not different than the USA or Indo, or other countries were I have lived or stayed for long periods of time. Once you learn the prices, you pay differently.

5. My g/f is Lisu, and frankly, I don't like her to bargain, because I usually pay MORE than if I bargain. I know the prices, and she seems to think it's okay to over pay.

6. Some guys have whores for g/f. One day, a guy was telling a story, in real life, about paying a whore. The girl stole his money and left him in a bad condition. One of the group said, "oh, my, are you telling us that you hired a whore to "*" you, and when she "*" you, you are got upset? Didn't she do what you paid her to do?" What response can you give? But it would appear that no matter what class of girl most get inside the kingdom, nobody seems to get a woman with gratitude and appreciation.

7. I am a born again Christian. I am finding that most of Christian Asia has given up on Thailand as far has possessing any Christian morals.

8. Gratitude and respect seem to be missing from the Thai societies (meaning Khon Thai, Khon Lisu, Khon Akkha, Khon Karen, etc.). This is not the history of Thailand at all.

9. Thailand can't do much now. People come to see "Siam," not "Thailand." And Siam has been smothered to death.

Sign me up. Cecco

Well .. I am living in Pai, and am retired. I am thinking of moving to Chiang Rai and would like some personal advice and insight from a good person.

1. I am single. I had a girlfriend, but I think her relatives told her I am keneow and so she decided she was getting too little money and left me.

2. Now I am single and thinking of moving to C. Rai.

3. I currently pay 5000 baht for a beautiful home in Pai with a lot of land and mango and banana trees.

4. I want to pay about the same in CRai.

5. I would like to find a new g/friend and for me that means super adorable and not too old and no kids and christian. (I am a born again Christian).

Any advice? Any suggestions where to stay, or will I be able to meet any nice women? Anything you can tell me?

Please PM or give me your fone number and I will call you, if you don't mind a chat.