wandasloan

I wai to the immigration bloke doing me visa,that's about it,i have done it at the temple the few times i have gone,but otherwise i don't,the most pathetic thing is westerners wai-ing to other westererners.

Lots of disagreements and holier-than-thous over wai-ing, but I think it is more pathetic to come down with the flu or worse from shaking hands than to wai a farang, actually. It's certainly sad to carry hand towels or a bottle of hand cleanser. At least the wai is sensible.

A friend of mine is trying to encourage the fist bump as a healthy alternative to the handshake.

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Wrong, again.

Yinglucks govt spent 15 million baht buying 240 clocks.

15,000,000 / 240 = 625,000B per clock.

Total crooks that deserve every second of their post coup trauma.

And again and again.

The purchase was not by the government. It was by the independent (thank you military constitution of 2007) Office of the Parliament Secretary-General, not accountable to government or parliament. In fact the OPSG could not bear much scrutiny at all, the clocks being just one of its ... um, projects. It is not, however, the government.

And please get the money back on your calculator, or put in a protest to whoever paid your math teacher. It or the teacher is a magnitude off. The cost, per clock, as posted above, is 62,500 baht well over double what they are actually worth.

Which explodes yet another myth perpetuated by the Official ThaiVisa Suthep Adoration Society that corruption is 10%. That is, was and will be a total crock, and the clocks help to bust that stupid claim.

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I really hope that is the case,but i hope he is not replaced by Platini,with his half baked ideas ,such as increasing the number of teams in the euro's and possibly having a wild card system that could see the likes of San marino in the finals,also Platini is an advocate for the Qatar world cup,which has to be changed in my opinion,that it was voted for at all show's fifa is rotten to the core.

Amazing, isn't it? Yes, following a period of autocratic dictatorship, where the autocrat got rid of every viable opposition voice and potential decent replacement, it will be very hard for a group to function well for quite a while - "get it together" as the Americans say.

Or a country, right?

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This is another positive step lead by the military and shows just how corrupt the government can be. Now, hopefully they will get rid of the "it's not what you know, but who you know" system of hiring at Thai Airways and AOT.

Nonsense. Not to mention "short memory". THAI is always the whipping boy and usually it's the only one. One of the first things the Yingluck government did when it took over is score some points with the public and "show that we mean business" was to cut THAI perks. At that time, September 2011, board members could fly first class on 30 domestic and 30 international round trips per year.

And there is quite a way to go even on this public scapegoat. Example: Before Yingluck, board members also used to receive a lifetime discount of 75% on 12 international tickets and six domestic tickets each year. Yingluck cut that to "only" three years after leaving the board. That was not touched by the junta.

On the other hand, why should public companies NOT give huge, costly salaries and benefits to anyone they please, unless stockholders stop them? Why should a government or some chocolate soldier melting in the sun get to say what a listed company can, and cannot give to its employees? (Exposing the problem of a listed, public company in which almost all shares are involuntarily owned by taxpayers, of course.)

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Certainly remove some of the restrictions imposed by the Chin regime like enforced venue closing times and the dumb beer sales ruling...

How nice it would be to go back to how it was before the Purachai nonsense and be able to pop to 7-11 at 2am and buy a beer with no hassles.....

Indeed, but this is more misinformation. The food and liquor restrictions were passed in 1971 as one of the first actions of the second Thanom Kittikachorn coup. They are sometimes followed, sometimes not, but they most certainly are not Thaksin or Purachai restrictions.

Similarly, this RS-World Cup nonsense has NOTHING to do with government (or the junta), but with the military-enforced "independent bodies" - in this case the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and its little Napoleon, Colonel Natee. The government has LESS control over the NBTC and such bodies (corruption commision, Constitutional court, etc) than the British government has over the BBC.

So far the government/junta has stayed out of this RS-NBTC brouhaha, but it's Thailand and I fear populism will always rule. Plus the generals will get a few more badly needed brownie points for stepping in. That is, presuming the Supreme Administrative Court rules the "wrong" way. And by the way the SAC is another of the military-backed "independent bodies" only we will see just how independent.

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The BBC and ITV are poised to retain the rights for the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 after their free-to-air rivals opted out of bidding for the tournaments.---http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/10864088/BBC-and-ITV-will-win-rights-for-next-two-World-Cups-after-rivals-opt-out-of-bidding-for-the-tournaments.html

All world cups always have been (& will be) free to air, only stations that agree to show it free to air are allowed to bid. By act of parliament you can not charge for people to watch their national team---This also extends to national events, the F.A. Cup etc. Australia also shows the world cup free to air.

You made my question more complicated without providing a shred of an answer.

The BBC and ITV own rights (you seem to day). Are the BBC and ITV required by law to give those rights without any charge to ANY broadcaster who asks?

That is. If Channel 5 says, "We will show World Cup on our facilities without charge," is the BBC/ITV required to give the matches to Channel 5 without any charge whatsoever?

It's actually a simple question, only three possible answers - two of one word and one of three words. I sure would appreciate an answer plus any additional explanation you feel I'm worthy of.

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Why should Thailand have a free viewing time concerning this football tournament when all other countries are paying the fee?----siampolee

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The world cup is showing free to air in the UK.......... & if you point out the BBC has a license fee, you pay that regardless, if it had world cup or not.

All matches with the national team must be shown free to UK viewers at anytime.

I'm not sure about England, so help me here. If Sky TV and Channel 5 want to show World Cup matches, the BBC must give all broadcasts to Sky and Channel, without any sort of payment, and the police will enforce Sky's and Channel 5's demand, is that right? Because that's what is happening in Thailand, and I want to be clear that's what happens in other countries. The BBC has rights, but no exclusive rights of any kind, and must provide broadcasts to anyone within its Fifa-rights zone who asks, right?

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There is already such a regime in Philippines sponsored by USA. I read 1000 single women are stopped each month at manila airport. They are supposed to have various papers employer , invitations notarised by Philippines embassy etc etc but this is not mentioned on any government website.

Being feminist American government they are not interested in trafficked males , the majority of the trafficked humans for cheap labour like the shrimp fishermen.

But the real trafficked people by gangsters always have the "correct" papers, of course.

Stop it! Two posts and both completely free of facts. You have brought here a new magnitude of "total nonsense."

Who cares? Football...meh!

Your Sad!!! You must be American.

Or Canadian. Or Indian. Or Venezuelan. Or Taiwanese. Or Australian. Or Cuban. Or Japanese. Or Pakistani. Or Panamanian. Or Filipino. Or South African. Or Fijian.

Hope you've got a backup job to the detective agency.

Or Sri Lankan. Or a New Zealander. Or Korean. Or Domincan.....

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Dick Cheney was assigned, by Bush Jr., to head a committee to pick a VP candidate. After weeks of diligent searching and interviews nationwide, the committee decided on the best possible candidate: Dick Cheney.

Heh. That's very cool. Reminds me of a similar tale.

John Kerry, from 1971, repeated that all US servicemen in Vietnam were rapists murderers and guilty of major atrocities. In 2003, John Kerry embarked on a journey to find just one hero of the Vietnam war, and he found him. The war hero's name was John Kerry.

It would seem several governments bought the GT 200, beginning with:

the first Thai purchases of the GT200 occurred by the Thai Air Force in 2004, when Thaksin Shinawatra was PM

Excellent point, omitting only that an equally effective detector, the Alpha 6, was also purchased.

Wouldn't it be great if the coup commander arrested himself for buying hundreds of these .... things years after they were known to be fake?

Yes, I'm sure the coup authorities will crack down on all that corruption that's going on, so long as it's not cases involving the coup authorities. And that, right there, sums up the problem with getting rid of corruption. The dreadful McCormick person is in prison (although others are not) and both the original enabler Air Chief Marshal Kongsak Wanthana, the Thaksin flunky and very first purchaser, and Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, the most recent purchaser, are not just free but in command of our lives.

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A grant from USA means that the immigration dept, will have to provide proof that they have done something, so they will stop a number of innocent single women travelers from entering the country while the real trafficked will find it easier , their gangster traffickers having bribed officials to get the right papers beforehand,

Expect many more hysterical scenes at airport

Rare to see a post this nonsensical. It is completely fact-free, with not a word that's correct. But beyond that it is hysterical both in production and in the reaction it should get. Deserves a special place in the Official ThaiVisa Museum Of Risibility.

A grant from the USA is a grant, and has no unwritten conditions. The US (and Thailand and the region and the world) have no bone to pick with immigration or single women travellers entering Thailand. The problems are fishing boats, canneries, fruit farms, illegal exits by people-packed ships, on and on.

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Hey I never stated that, I said I don't care who started it, the army finished it.....

And again.

You are not the first, but you are charging that the army corrupted/suborned the Chaiyaphum provincial Criminal Court. Otherwise "the army finished it" has no meaning.

Why are you saying this? Only in this thread on Thai Visa is this charge made, certainly not in ANY of the Thai media. So why are you saying this?

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So you are saying that there will be an uprising against them followed by mass slaughter and that it ALWAYS happens????

Pretty much, yep.

Man, you are seriously off the rails on this issue.

Well, we'll see, won't we? The thing is, I'm only better that the same thing that always has happened will happen again.

Listen, do me a favour if you want. If the army has intervened successfully 11 up until April. If it's so great at setting things on a clean, pristine democratic road, why did it do it the previous 10 times and now again this time? That is, what has the army EVER achieved with a coup that was positive for the country.

And yes, the army pretty well always has a coup, fails eventually to stifle dissent, faces an uprising, kills many people in the uprising and then backs off by proclaiming victory. What victory? Hundreds and hundreds of Thais dead at military hands, in the past 41 years alone. What has Thailand gained from all this bloodshed, and why do you think something different will happen this time?

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Just to pique my curiousity can you tell me how many Thais were, in your words, "slaughtered" after the coup in 2006, where and when was the uprising against them?

I am a bit confused as I have lived here in Thailand on and off since 1993 and I must have missed the last uprising and slaughter in 2006/7.

Where did you get the word "slaughtered"? I know what you claim. Either you are hugely mistaken or... something else. Do tell.

Man, you are seriously off the rails on this issue.

Well, we'll see, won't we? The thing is, I'm only better that the same thing that always has happened will happen again.

Listen, do me a favour if you want. If the army has intervened successfully 11 up until April. If it's so great at setting things on a clean, pristine democratic road, why did it do it the previous 10 times and now again this time? That is, what has the army EVER achieved with a coup that was positive for the country.

And yes, the army pretty well always has a coup, fails eventually to stifle dissent, faces an uprising, kills many people in the uprising and then backs off by proclaiming victory. What victory? Hundreds and hundreds of Thais dead at military hands, in the past 41 years alone. What has Thailand gained from all this bloodshed, and why do you think something different will happen this time?

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I am certainly against the petrol thing, if you want farmers to be excluded give them access to a certain amount of red diesel (diesel at a reduced price with a coloring agent for obvious purpose) But why normal people with diesel cars should be helped and normal people with petrol cars not is crazy.

Actually, through decades of trial and error it is entirely well thought out.

1. If you don't subsidise at all, inflation will go crazy. Not a theory, proved.

2. If you try to give diesel only to, say, truckers and fishermen, a black market instantly arises. (There's one now of course, but the two-types of diesel black market is way worse.) Again, this is not a theory, the "coloured diesel" days were fiasco times.

3. If you do what you do know, rich Alpha Hotels whine and chew the carpet about how they have to subsidise diesel for truckers and poor people and housewives. That is so tragic, we feel such anguish for you.

No part of current diesel subsidies is because it helps rich Benz owners, and no part of it is to punish you. Actually, it would be fabulous if you stopped playing the victim. Yes, rich people with diesel Benz autos benefit. Just like rich generals benefit when there's a coup and just like bankers profit when there is a sudden currency glitch and just like you benefit from low internet and mobile phone rates, even though they are certainly not put in place for you.

As they say to the military in America, "Suck it up and salute".

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Right now, the junta is being seen as the solution to everything. But in the real world it is difficult to govern any country regardless of the flavour of its local politics. Do you see where this might go? Inevitably there will be failures and then there is the possibility of a backlash as a result of the unrealistic expectations of a population who see the junta as a breath of fresh air who can solve all of Thailand's problems. Given the sensitivity of the military and their reaction to and restriction of freedoms to what has hitherto been minor resistance to its authority, how is it likely to play out if dissatisfaction from the junta's failures becomes more vocal.

Nothing theoretical there. We know the answer to your trailing question. What has always played out so far is bloodbath. Seems that's quite a good bet for late 2014, early 2015 again. It has happened so often that is is actually pretty predictable. It's because the military, any military, only has one solution to EVERY problem it faces. There is nothing Thais about this fact, but it has been seen so often in Thailand because the military actually thinks, for reasons I cannot fathom, that it can run a country. It's the reason the military does NOT seize power in almost any other country.

But the army can do no such thing. It can subdue dissent, those who point out its flaws or argue with its policies. But of course it can only do that for so long.

The Royal Thai Army, even in the very few times it has set up a pseudo-civilian government, cannot bring itself to cede actual political power to even its own appointees. So the only way it can deal with disagreeing and/or disagreeable people, is to kill them. Which it has done over and over and over again, and you'd be foolish to bet against them not doing it again, especially since almost no one agrees with any of its stated policies so far, such as keeping Yingluck's train and anti-flood projects - and doesn't agree that six old men direct it all.

The one thing the Thai army has done for 41 years and probably will again is to unite about 95% of the country against it. Then comes the killing. Then comes the whole "back to square one" again.

Sad, really.

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Yes she opened her half farang Thai gob {snip} {snip}...

No she didn't. In fact it would be impossible for her to do this.

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First off, I am basing my opinion on the WTO interactive tool which ranks Thailand 15th when you filter for agricultural exports.

www.wto.org/statistics

Are you now? How interesting. I decided to use YOUR source to see where, and maybe why, it differed from all other sources. You know something? (Sure you do!) It doesn't. It ranks Thailand as the 8th largest food exporter in the world as of last October. Just LIKE every other reliable source. Do you find this discrepancy interesting?

Note that I have left the actual source in the header of the screen shot. And I provide it here:

http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/world_commodity_profiles12_e.pdf

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Yes she opened her half farang Thai gob {snip ... snip }

I'm pretty sure she didn't. In fact, I'm positive she couldn't.

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You know what I think is fabulous? I used your own citations to prove my point. Oh, by the way, even my eight year old knows....you need to catch up to someone before you can say gotcha.

My goodness. Did you read my post? I GAVE YOU the gotcha, silly man. Take a moment next time to read the post and you will understand what people write. For example, I wrote:

Yes, I know isn't it fabulous I gave you a gotcha?

(My emphasis this time.) Does that seem to you I am claiming to have gotcha'd you? In what language then? I gave you the 2006. My error. I thought you would realise within about three seconds what I did. Very subtle, what? I say "I gave you" which obviously means to you that "you caught me". My goodness.