advice

thanks JD in showing me how wrong I was..

I will now go to the Londoner and think about things.

You are right, I do apologise to you for my off topic responses.

I started reading the thread because it was a very sad story and got off track.. apologies again.

I wonder how many of the victims families would appreciate the insight into off topic references to whatever several posters are contributing on the thread.

No further comment needed on your contributions, IMHO, that is.

marshbags

^ does it really matter??

BTW,

"Get a native speaker tto help you with your spelling/grammar."

1 t in to.. lol

Yes, Newbie, if one wants to sound even remotely credible on an international forum such as this.

Newbie? If you only knew.. I have been on this forum since 2003 actually. wink wink! and have lived here 12 years and speak the language..

But thanks Dad for your help... now again there is 1 t in to, not 2..

**flame removed--sbk***

steveromagnino

"

I cannot for the life of me recall his name - er - Bangkok Phil or something else? (cue old joke) the books have a lively trade on ebay; the unsigned copies are the ones that go for the highest prices, apparently as rare as hens teeth! "

:D

^ does it really matter??

BTW,

"Get a native speaker tto help you with your spelling/grammar."

1 t in to.. lol

Thank you marshbags for post. Agree that should he survive to write a book it would be well worth reading but if author did so, he would need to (don't know if you agree) report his knowledge in the form of a novel as did Stephen Leather in Private Dancer to try to maintain his safety. This

unfortunately diminishes the horror i.e. reading public might see this as sensationalism and generalisation and still nothing is done.

No easy answers certainly.

Stephen Leather had the book written well before it was ever published - his normal publisher would not touch it and it was available free for years until publication a couple of years ago (3?) - I first heard of the existence of the book or that it was being written in 97 or more likely 98 and he was around a lot when it was not published and he was not hard to find in Jools if he was in town.

I doubt it was written to maintain his safety at all - have you asked him - I will next time I see him but its been nearly 2 years now as I do not stay in Thailand as much as I did

Possibly he had difficulty in finding a publisher because it is slovenly badly written trash.However there's no underestimating the public's taste and I expect there are a quite a few who find it an insightful view of Thai bar culture.

I have forgotten how many Thai websites, posts and/or people I have heard saying it is the bible for bar girl relationships

I did hear though about 10 years ago the working title was, "The Sad F%^&s" -

His publisher of the thrillers he writes said it did not "Fit" if I remember correctly.

I met ths guy and he told me that the book was fiction.... And the book is crap, so not sure why he gets so much "air time" on this forum..

Just another farang living in the bar scene........ BIG YAWN.

It amazes me how someone can post a negative comment on a company just over price and the thread is allowed to stay open.??

If I had a personal problem with a local expat business in Thailand and posted something like> "Boycott Bill's Fish n Chip Shop" and then raved on about they are to expensive, would it be allowed to be posted on the forum?

If so, I think it would be a bad thing for ThaiVisa to let that happen... IMO

Funny you should mention that. Bill's FIsh and CHip shop probably should be boycotted.

There is something fishy going on there, I caught some information that customers are facing a price battering, as the owner with a chip on his shoulder is thinking to net additional profits through scaling up his prices while peeling away the extra nicities such as sauce and vinegar for free from the menu. I cod swear I saw that price shark skating away to the bank and sending his family to private schools with the extra money and then floundering around that night with some old trout.

He is making a rod for his own back I tell you, let's line up our sights and krill his business.

What a whale of a time that will be.

Fishing for girls

Fishing for girls

In the river called love

We'll catch

fat ones, skinny ones, slow ones, dumb ones

In the river called love

It amazes me how someone can post a negative comment on a company just over price and the thread is allowed to stay open.??

If I had a personal problem with a local expat business in Thailand and posted something like> "Boycott Bill's Fish n Chip Shop" and then raved on about they are to expensive, would it be allowed to be posted on the forum?

If so, I think it would be a bad thing for ThaiVisa to let that happen... IMO

Where would Thai Visa be without a little controversy. It's my personal opinion I don't think anyone should pay Bt329 for a pint of this product when there are alternative brands at better prices. In my opinion the cost is so great I suspected price gouging. It it certainly everyone's personal choice whether to buy it or not. I just wanted to use this forum to express MY opinion and make others aware of the price increase. I still buy stuff from General Mills just not Haagen Dazs at this time.

Do you work for General Mills or one if the company's partners or subsidiaries?

I just think, when people are allowed to open a company up to public ridicule, whether it be pricing or anything else, it opens up the possibilities for anyone to post about anyone, because of any reason.

So "John" who doesnt like "Bill" personally, is allowed to start a thread saying "Bill's fish n chips shop" is overexpensive or they got food poisoning, when that really is not the case..

Anyway, no Biggy, just an observation.

It amazes me how someone can post a negative comment on a company just over price and the thread is allowed to stay open.??

If I had a personal problem with a local expat business in Thailand and posted something like> "Boycott Bill's Fish n Chip Shop" and then raved on about they are to expensive, would it be allowed to be posted on the forum?

If so, I think it would be a bad thing for ThaiVisa to let that happen... IMO

Maybe Monopoly should be the game of choice... go to Jail, Directly to Jail.

yeah real funny..

humour its called - might be crude, but never the less humour.

Many banks (in the Western world) require reporting of any transaction over $10,000, for the same reason. To make it harder for criminals to conduct business (and probably to catch people that are trying to cheat on their taxes). So any major criminals wanting to do business can't (easily) wire the money needed (too easy to trace these days). No large bills makes it harder to move the cash. Harder to "launder" the illicit gains as well (though casinos seem to do a pretty good job of it)

Thailand has the same reporting requirements.

Anything over a certain amount (1mil Baht I believe) & any "suspicious" transaction. Apparently the banks are reasonably on the ball with these reporting requirements.

Soundman.

I was also told by my bank manager to keep any transactions at about 900k or under at one time. He then went on to say it is a government policy, to report anything over that to the Government for a deep look into it.

So thats what i do.

Concerning my comment re the need for more police, I should clarify by saying that they need more police to look after tourists. I'm sure there are many. many highway/traffic police etc, but I don't think they are much help to visting tourists

Simon

what like the tourist police?? another waste of money..

no disrespect to you Simon, Im just sick of the whole force. having dealt with many of them over the years, they could not give a hoot about safety for foreigners..no money no time!

The answer is more police and better policing.

Simon

More Police???

Thailand has one of the largest Police forces in the World with some quarter million officers. Per capita it's also one of the biggest with around 1 officer for every 250 citizens.

How many more do you think are required? Half a million? A million?

Let's be honest - until there is a complete restructuring and rethink of the Police force in Thailand it will remain wholly corrupt, inept and a disgrace to the country.

The answer is government warnings and education of visitors that Thailand can be an extremely dangerous place.

I think we owe the victims that much at least.

Well well you are absolutely right:

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_pol_...lice-per-capita

I am amazed. Thailand comes at 14th highest in the world with 3.36 police per 1000 people. This is higher than most European countries.

Singapore is not even shown on this chart, so I am not sure what the ratio is there. What I do know is you hardly ever see the Police but it has almost no crime. Crime is stopped by Hi-Tech solutions such as CCTV, a culture of zero tolerance to crime, harsh punishments and very little corruption either in the Police or the Government.

re above.. Its now how many police per capita, it comes down to training and being bothered... most have none of those attributes.

Put some money on the table and they might spring into action.

They need to get local police out of local areas and bring the whole force in from another province... No more Free Let Offs to their school friends.

The only way anything will be done is if western/farang governments issue travel warnings about the LOS(G)

Always, but there are many more crimes likes this in Sweden every month.....

This above is the usual answer to most murders that are posted on here.

At the end of the day it is nothing like any other country, nothing at all. I dont see beggars in Sweden with the limbs cut off, that were cut off at birth to raise a few baht for the mafia... Here, there is no value on life in many areas and especially the remote ones.

This country has become so violent since the coup... And remember Phuket is not a huge place in terms of people living there fulltime.. I would like someone to put the stats together and then compare to the rest of the world in terms of muders per capita..

Violence is an hourly occurance in Phuket... Just this year I have had 2 mates (different nights / days) be held up by a gun weilding idiot and robbed. 1 guy was hacked to death with a machete in Kata / Rawai... This is just people I know.

In my 40 years of life in many countries in the world I have travelled, I dont know of more than 1 person that I knew that died a violent death - and I have been to some of the worst shitholes on this planet.

Anyway, I hope this lady rests in peace and Im saddened yet again how Phuket has become so awful for toursits to visit.. If they are not getting ripped off from the airport down to the hotels, to being fleeced by low lifes, they also now have to wait and see if they are another statistic.

RIP!

very good replies on this thread, I was impressed by the responses... nice to see nice people, discussing real issues.

I have read this whole thread (by myself! ) and it strikes me that many of us are in the same boat.

I like to be reclusive, I have always been that way, but like to go out and mingle and have a laugh when i can make the effort.

Asia is definately a lonely place if your a foreigner, but the same would work the other way.

I like my own space, my own life, but would definately like to find a few friends that do more than drink and bar hop. Its the same ole same ole and that is pretty boring..

Anyway down to The Beer Garden for the usual oohs and arhhs....

The Wall Street Journal had an article of late that said Thailand was the best investment opportunity in Asia or something along those lines.. Anyone else see that article?? if so and you have the link, please post.. I might of misquoted as it was very early morning when I read it.

Earth to reality deniers trying to describe this as an american plot to corner the arms market for genocides, Source- Grant Peck, Associated Press Writer Fri Mar 7, 15:51ET

A U.N. travel ban imposed on Bout said he supported the Liberian regime of former President Charles Taylor in its effort to destabilize neighboring Sierra Leone and gain illicit access to that West African nation's diamonds, which became known as "blood diamonds" for the warring they inspired. Stephen Rapp, chief prosecutor of a U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, said Friday that he would like to put Bout on trial. "Would we like to get our hands on Bout? Very much," he said.

Mr. Rapp is standing in line behind the Congo special war crimes investigator, the Columbians, and the Peruvians. The U.N. is hardly a fan, nor a supporter of the USA.

What is the point of attempting to blame the americans for Bout's activities when he was not working for the americans? Bout lived in luxury in Russia because the Russian government allowed it. If he had been in the employ of the americans or serving the americans, Putin would have disposed of him long ago.

you missed this part.

"A former Russian lieutenant, he became one of the world's biggest arms dealers, flying planes into battlefields from Liberia to Afghanistan. His clients have included the Taliban and the US Government, African warlords and the United Nations."

You have posted the same dribble on every page, you aint gonna change the minds of smarter people, so give up and stand outside and wave your flag.. For a person who says he is not American, you are doing a lot of bowing to the USA.. they are now getting hit in the pocket in the financial markets, because the world is turning against them and hitting them where it hurts most.... In 20 years the USA will be broke, because the rest of the world will make sure of it... pay backs are a bitch!

I think that is a good move. I realize gambling is not a good thing the world over and it is another problem in family break downs etc, but it is life and people do it. It is better to legalize than put people in jail for playing 5 baht card games.

Drinking is the biggest problem in the world, if thats allowed in very country, why not gambling?

great revenue raiser and it puts less strain on the legal system.

IMHO>

Monday bump.

I am looking for a coder than can build some aps for our website.

We are using Joomla and moo tools and need some "plug ins" urgently.

contact via PM please if you are in Bangkok and you can do the work straight away.

Thanks.

Na Lak is the term used for chubby kids.. It also shows some wealth, if your kid is fat etc..

Time to get the adults educated..... all over the world..

It pains me to see anyone eat McDonalds, KFC etc, when you have so much better tasting food next door.. It usually is 20% of the burger price also.

anyway, blame the marketing gurus and the parents for letting it happen.. There is a new law in the USA? (not sure), where parents can be charged with "child abuse" if the kid is grossly overweight.... The bottom line is, that is exactly what it is. Killing your kids slowly, because of laziness or not being a good parent..

by the by, you would see a mass exodus of men leaving Thailand in the next few years, if it carries on... HEHE

When that submarine was moved from Bangla to the upper end of the beach it was so heavy it carved grooves in Bangla road that were there for years.

It sat on the beach for years until it was chipped away and got rid of. It was certainly a talking point for many years. The oldest people I know who are still in Patong are Georgio from Tropica Bungalows, the guy who owns the K Hotel and the French guy from Chez Bernards on the beach. All have been in Patong for decades.

The Patong beach hotel was the only real hotel there in the 70's. The Lucky Star Bar owned by a guy called Wim was probably one of the first bars opened.

There were about 9 restaurants on the beach named Number 1 to number 9. Number 4 was famous for a while. Some of the owners are still around. Jim and Andrew opened the Kangaroo bar in 1983, the same sign still hangs there and nothing has been changed in over 25 years except a new TV.

A Vietnam vet owned the Paradise bar and I remember he had no nose as it was shot off or something. It was a small world back in those days, everybody knew everybody. An American called Brian really kicked off a lot of the land leasing and bar buying. He arrived in about 1985 from Pattaya. I still see certain Europeans I saw back in the early 80's. Dunno who they are or their names.

Some of my mates were on Samui in 1972. Had to hitch a ride on a fishing boat and crash at a fishermans house. I spent time in Phangnga and Krabi in the early 80's and there was no power, no made roads, no beer except Singha and it had to be drunk with ice. It was a savage drop in those days. It has been greatly improved over the years.

Ah the days! nice post m8

Brian was actually a Canadian, he bought and sold bars weekly, made millions, lost it / drank it all and left because he had to. Every year the new foreigners came to town and rebought the bars, went broke and he bought them back and then resold them at huge profits.. It was a production line.

Phuket was rougher around the edges back then, but friendlier and you didnt fear for your life on the way home on your bike. The police were great, they would help you back onto your bike after you fell of drunk and give you a push (im not condoning drinking and drving ). Those were the best days of my life..

Even only 10 years ago, you didnt see a car for 20 minutes as no one could afford one.

The days of no Lotus, No Big C, no double lane roads and quiet beaches, great times!

I spent 12 years in Phuket and left due to the way of life, that it offers now. But hey, the world gets bigger and its not now the ideal quiet holiday town. It is now big business in all forms.

I live in Bangkok now and I love it. I would never return to Phuket to live as its now out of control and very violent.

I think that will pass in the long term, its just the transition period of catching up on infrastructure, which ncludes more dilligent police etc.

Hi there,

I just opened a savings account with Bank of Ayudhya.

I did get a visa electron.

Unfortunately the expiration date is 2028. It's one year beyond the last year accepted by paypal registry form.

I tried to contact Paypal and they tell there must be something wrong with my bank (stupid paypal ).

I'm not in a mood for battling with my local bank branch to explain my problem.

So i'm thinking about opening a new account with a visa electron with an other bank.

Had anyone opened a savings account in January or February of this year?

If the expiration year of your visa electron is below 2027 could tellme the name of the bank?

(easier to open an other account)

Hope someone can help.

man, I know what you go through wth paypal. It took me 8 months to get verifed due to their stupid rules that do not apply outside of the USA.

In short, The Bangkok Bank has a card call be 1st, I obtained one last week (it takes 1 week after you apply). It has changed my life in how I deal online now - Im a happy guy!

my card is valid til 2018 and yes I got one last week, so it should be the same for you.

Bangkok Bank = just make sure you have a non imm b visa and you should be ok.

good luck!

edit due to Montys post - did not see it when I posted. (-:

BTW, I got mine at The Emporium branch. If you go about 12 midday its quiet and quick.

The card has the 3 digit code on the back also. I have used it on paypal, argos, godaddy etc, it all works!

when you call the 1333 line, you are asked if you want Thai or English, press 2 and then you will hear another automated voice that reads "for this press* etc.. It is very hard to hear the one your after as it is a ":different voice" to the rest, but thats the one you want.. It took me 9 calls to find the right location to get my code.

after that, go to their site (dont do it at night as it seems to crash all the time) and then go through the reg process and get your verify number for VISA..

pain in the butt at first, but opens up all the cyber doors.

again, good luck.

another day another dirty cop.