NALAK

Great news for Pattaya already on its knees, now this, way over the top

nice to see so many smilys im still

Can't afford to go But I am planning to get out of town for the day with my family to get away from the BS..

First I had planned to go just to Pattaya for a few days, where accom is cheap and widely available, but not sure if the busses are still running and if such an overland-trip would be safe.

after all, the red Mob is active in Chonburi now too and their actions are irrational

pattaya under curfew now, every where shut, just had to leave WS ah well always another night.

Pattaya all closed down, police cars teling everybody go home, nearly never made it as they shut gas stations down, informed about 9pm where i was, went to walking street all closed.

my misses had Thai international licence for her little motorbike, i searched through the web to find an insurance company to cover her. she got English provisional licence for her car lessons and that covered the 49 cc bike.. her first international licence for the bike covered her for any size bike, car, 7.5 truck, passenger bus. scary as she had never driven a car in her life.

if she has work permit she should be able to get UK provisnal licence, bit of hassle as you have to go in person to the office. thats how it used to be anyways.

i use the PO a lot to send parcels around the world, they weigh it and charge in differnt weight catergories, and of course depending where its going. we use PO box but can use anybox but have to wrap it in plain paper. thats what we are told to do. basic airmail seems good, product gets to Aus and USA in good time.

i went to tuk com and mikes mall today, never seen them so quite and sellors so keen to sell. we went passed Central mall and there was a long que to get in on the road, so agree with post from Phil.

this picture and the video that has now gone around the world has streghthened my views, now they are squirming big time on tv. wonder where the weapon and training came from. anyway his mate looks happy after when he blow away one of his fellow country men. where are the USA, EU and human rights people. there does seem to be a lot of journalist getting hit!!!!!!!!!!!!. it maybe the wests only ally in the area but time to stop the slaughter.

if i new what i new now thailand would not have been my retirement destination, but in to deep now to go. just wish they would give us a break and stop, short changing, adding to bills, charging farang tax etc etc day in day out from the goverment down. never remeber it being like that, maybe its because i check more now days.

one of the dumbest threads i have ever read in 8 years.

you really do not give a monkeys for your mother country do you, want to fill it with even more bogus asylum seekers. i hope you dont class yourself as British.

now i am maybe going away to weep.

if your in the safety of Europe dont worry about us on the ground so to speak, avoid greece at all costs and france, prone to riots as are parts of the USA. quite capable of thinking for myself thanks.

Embassey help, in my dreams, asked a consular the other day where is the office in Pattaya, what do you need to know that for was the reply ( i did help pay for it and its running cost), , just said i would like to know, reply up there and its hardly ever open. thanks Mr Consular for the reassuring words during the crisis. only thing Embassey wants is extortion amounts of money for stamping bits of paper. My misses has visa so if i do need to leave she comes with me, saves leaving her behind.

i had it realy bad 3 weeks ago, starting to get over it now. i went to hospitals in Pattaya, bangkok and memorial, both useless, bangkok hospital charged 3500, and said in 5 days you will be ok. tens days later i was worse. i tried zethromax, that did not work, so found this on net below, followed no booze or milk and feel almost normal now. not suggesting anybody does this, but go to the docter you will get over priced amoxacillin and over priced paracetomol. i e mailed bkk hasopital about getting worse they said see a doctor, the wife now has it but is getting better on a few days of this. way way cheaper option for me, well would have been.

all discussed with a qualified pharmasist, who seem better than the doctors.

Doxycycline

100mg

Twice a day

Roxithromycin

150mg twice a a

Flagyl 400 mg 3 times a day

i also as suggested put a bowl of water in bedroom when the air con is on, to help sore throat. its amazing how much it has gone down. misses thought i was nuts but even she agrees it is better.

difference between Samui immigration and Pattaya. Pattaya has a price list board for all to see.

proof of residency in Samui 500 baht Pattaya 200 baht

marriage visa Samui 5000 baht Pattaya 1900

Samui not very helpfull, Pattaya have immigration staff who come to you and help fill out forms and give accurate advice.

Forms to fill out with comments about how staff performed in Pattaya immigration.

Number 1 thing Samui should do is put up price list like they used to have, and i am sure by law have to show.

i do not understand why the Emassey do not get this corruption stopped, all it would take is them to call immigration in BKK and sort it, there misssion statement seems to cover things like that.

Samui immigration on my list of reasons not to stay in Samui anymore

only thing i question is why they waited so long to shoot him and pray they dont make a martyr out of him. The military should have taking him in months ago.

The reds , (i hope) realize it is their best interest to deal and end this before it escalates further.

I'm not so sure if it actually was an army sniper that took him out. If it was, well done.

Army snipers are trained to aim at the chest. It's a larger target and a high velocity .308 round if hit in the chest is almost always deadly due to shock and other factors. Also, the head is more likely to be moved quickly causing the shot to miss. Those rounds are steel core and will penetrate a normal "bullet proof" vest without a problem. Only a vest with added ceramic plates would stop it.

In my opinion, looking at the way Thaksin and his red terrorists have acted so far, I would not be too surprised if the shot was aimed at the journalist but missed. The renegade General probably came up with the plan and literally "shot himself in the head". Another journalist shot, with him as a direct witness saying - "of course it was the government - would I put myself in danger ?" would have been a nightmare PR disaster for the government. This in itself is another argument against the government having been behind this "execution". The danger of hitting the journalist would have been way too great as Sae Deng found out in person, only in reverse.

Once the machines are turned off and an autopsy is done with forensic examinations of the angle of the wound etc.. we will know more, but my bet is on a scheme by the reds gone wrong

do you really beleive he would set up somebody so close to him to be shot, i doubt they are up to seeing angle of the shot in forensic examination. why would the Reds want to kill a foreign journalist on camera. it has to have been a sniper shot aimed for a head kill. i hope like any human being the machines are left on and he lives and makes a full recovery. the PM named him last week as one of the main problems then he gets killed the night the crackdown starts. i cannot remember but was the forum so anti yellow shirt when they caused all the misery for families at the airport. reds are not targeting farangs, the yellows did.

Meaning what exactly? As per the State of Emergency in those 15 provinces?

Business as usual,especially in Patts.

Does this mean that the authorities will try to prevent the red insurgent gatherings at Pattaya City Hall now?

they went last week, only to replaced for a day with no color shirt mob, sceaming out mega phones

I have try copied and pasted the English version from the CD, but its still not working, any idea why

Thanks

did you delete Thai map first

Indeed, this is a troubling post, in particular because OP's extensions had been approved using essentially the same documentation in previous years.

So, the suggestion that this is the policy of a newly-arrived chief of the Samui IO would be consistent with the different treatment OP experienced.

However, the idea that the new IO chief won't approve interest-bearing accounts would mean that almost every retiree on Samui using the 800K method would not be approved for their next extension application. Or that bribes are required for retirement extension -- which I've never seen reported on this Forum for any IO.

I think it is important for the Forum to get some sort of confirmation of what is going on in Samui since OP's experience is really out of line from what others have been reporting at other IOs.

Bingo

there's just so much of this story that just doesn't add up. Lawyers, bribes, savior agents etc. I'm not buying it that's for sure. I don't know anyone being forced to pay bribes alone or thru "lawyers" for extensions anywhere in this country

it all adds up perfectly well to me after 8 years dealing with them. i know the guy down there for 8 years but my 1900 marriage visa last year cost 5000, i knew that before i went. the year before 10,000 through a lawyer. ask how many people have ever had a receipt from the immigration, i only know of one and he is the British Consulate. as a matter of principal 6 months into my retirement visa i went home, whilst there changed back to non o and do visa runs. letters, proof of address every thing double any where else. as Roo says you could write a book. there used to be a price list in there years ago, now its gone.

you have to pay extras or do visa runs. you can add pattaya to the lawyer thing, be honest your joking arent you.

i found hospitals all about the same just the price varies, BKK, Thai Inter, Samui Inter in that order. specialist are flown down from BKK normally. when i had anything i was really concerned about i would go upto BKK. i found in Samui no matter what your problem was you tended to see same doctor. most of my problems were food poisoning, so i just used to tell the doc i want a jab of antibiotics and to go on a drip for rehydration, and no thanks i dont want to stay in hospital for a few days. i had residents card at Thai Inter and BKK which gets you a bit off the price. if you come out with less than 4 lots of meds, no matter what your problem you have done well. more meds = more money. just my opion after 8 years there. no half decent doctor is going to work in Samui treating sun burn, motor bike accidents, and upset tummies, not enough money in it for them. you should hopefully after this post get some other posts which might be helpful. insurance a good idea as you can see from a previous post about the lad from Hove it costs a fortune to get specialist down. no money no treatment.

Try Penny Lane.

35 baht for Chang draught.

Chang 60, Singa 70, Tiger 70 at my place.

Can I please have an escort from the ring road. Utterly confused.

I thought its at the back of Green Mango on the left??

the only one i know is down the soi where black jacks is past the new development the the soi on the left, if you come out of sound bar next soi on right. the only place i have drunk down there is the old go go bar which is now open fronted.

with a name like that, likely to full of perverts and deviants... stay well clear

I know that a few of their patrons would be happy with that assessment, but most wouldn't, and it's more than a little unfair to make that comment if you have never been there.

The rooms are good quality, the staff are friendly and helpful, the drinks are not over-priced and the food is fine.

Plus, unlike quite a few other places, the girls who can be a source of entertainment are not constantly harassing you.

sounds good.whats penthouse like?

i stayed there once (penthouse), way over priced in my opinion, a few of my mates came up from Samui a few weeks ago and stayed there, they paid well over 1000 baht a night. i think it was about 1400 and hardly saw the place. if your on a baht bus route that area is only 10 baht away by baht bus, they drop you right out side walking street. i use the opey de place 800 baht a night swimming pool, near lk metro and plenty of interesting places 5 mins away. its just of soi Soi Buakhaow. great breakfast across the road 99 baht. another plus next soi as happy hours till 7 san mig heini 45-50 baht

Flintstones on Chaweng beach road, International bar, as another post says JP mini mart, good for people watching and some times good company. i did also manage to get a discounted price in the bars down soi reggae as a regular customer, jb coke 100 baht and san mig 70 baht. the western owners would not go for it but thai owners did, worth a try. or get a plane to pattaya and drink san mig and heini for 40 baht all day every day in air con. or 2 for one 85 baht. also 55 baht with free swimming pool and jaquzzi. failing that give the 2 bars on Samui a try.

I do have an observation here which may seem off-topic, but I think it reflects on the issue which caused me to start this thread.

I take offense at all bashing by demographics. And, as a moderator, I take more action when I find that than perhaps for any other reason. And without knowing the facts, I probably take more action on female-bashing than any other moderator, male or female.

Yet, despite this and the fact that I started the thread, I don't think I have taken any personal hits here. Posters have disagreed with me, some very adamantly. But no one has slagged me personally except for one poster calling me naive, and that is hardly a serious hit worth noting.

Yet I have seen many posters slag two of our female moderators. And I have read posts complaining about having posts deleted by "female mods." Once again, this thread has nothing to do with moderation. But why are posters slamming our female mods and not me, the one who actually takes this closer to heart and has taken more action on it?

Consider that, please.

i was going to stay out of this one as its a no win situation with so many yellow cards being thrown around, i did not know you existed as mod, the only reason i notice a mod is buy the wording of the mods posts and the amount of posts they close down. its not difficult to work out who you are reffering to and yes they do stop me posting on here. it is always said that a good referee is one who people go away from the match not knowing who the referee was, you are obviously are in that catergory. ask anybody about the subject you raised and the same 2 names will always come out. wording could be better,we are after all the customers of the sponsors, and therfore the hand that feeds. a comment like i close down posts to irritate them is not good and well only build up more predudice.

before any warnings are dished out a mod asked the question about moderation not me. as an ex sumuian i stopped posting for years. Roo has changed that. do i expect to be victimised because of this post, yes i do

RIP in peace Dog, what a character.

what you on about talk about ones history over beer, you printed and its not accurate.

just look under your first post advert, Samui home made foods, where is Big Joes home made food on the island, you did not even get that right and its in front of you.

Teirs???? you could not even proof read your article before pubishing it. many other errors your wording. island tranquil???

So you are saying he never lived in Pattaya, because he told me he did, not sure who i should beleive on that one, are you?

if you care to come to Pattaya you can see pictures of big Joe when he wasnt Big Joe, but normal sized Joe.

did Joe really stumle across Samui as a back packer???

suggest you do a bit more research, contact Phil at Phils gaff, ban talay condo Jontiem, ring directory enquiries. he was with Joe over 20 years ago.

i could go on but what you have written is a pile of rubbish, unless he changed vehicles after he left here he was not driving a van back to Samui.

you suggest we respectfully donate to the Thai Tourist police who take care of our island, that would have made him urinate him self with laughter.

English is obviously not not your first language, no problem, but you could at least have got it proof written first, respectfully.

respectfully i think we can make our own minds up where to donate, i donated 2500 baht to the bar where Joe spent one of his last nights, 25 lady drinks in one of his favourite drinking holes which he would of approved of.

one thing you can check on, all the girls upon heraing of his death in the bar asked the number of his car, so as to use it on the lottery as mark respect and luck, if i remember rightly was 517 which i am told was a winner on the 1st of April draw.

which paper do you work for again, Samui Express wasnt it.

sorry Roo but if the guy wants to write about Joe he should have done proper reasearch.

I surely do wish English is not your first language. Made the story and did spend time editing the video. If that and the information I gathered don't please you, sorry for that. You could have informed me at the time when I requested stories about Joe. Tourist police has nothing to with Joe, it's just my recommendation as is Samui Rescue as these guys volunteer around the island to make this place better place. This is what I think Big Joe was doing.

are you going to print your story in a Newspaper if so which one, "made the story" could not have put it better myself.

personally i think he should be left to RIP and not have some jounolist go around asking qustions about his past.

Greetings all on TV from Samui Homemade Food. You may remember us as " Big Joes Homemade Foods " Due to legal reasons we can no longer use the name but the food is the same and the prices have actually been reduced

As the expats who live here will relate to our website that was due to be finished by the end of last month is still " not quite " finished

Mai Pen Rai as they say.

We hope you will bear with us till it is up and running. Till then if you require a price list / menu please PM us here. We will email you one post haste.

You can order now by phone or email and we can now arrange delivery to you on Samui the same day or by the ferry the next day to KPG or Tao in a cooler box.

We stock a wide range of some of the best bacon, sausage, spare ribs, pies pasties, English style Indian curries, pates, relishes in Thailand and a great deal more.

We are also looking to expand our range of products over the coming months so look out for our special offers.

We look forward to seeing you all soon at the shop for a complimentary " Big Joe style " cup of tea or coffee when you come to the shop

hope it goes well, just keep the motor bike oil out the pastry