billd766

5 hours ago, John Drake said:

How do people have a 6100 baht electricity bill?

Easily in April.

Air conditioning, fridge, fridge freezers, freezers, lights, fans. 2 or 3 showers a day, computers TV, security lights etc. A teenage son who has no idea whay an OFF switch looks like or does, doesn't help either. 

My highest bill in the 20 years I have been living here was April 2023 when it reached 7,183 thb.

My lowest for the last 8 years was December 2023 at 2,700 thb. My son has been in Chiang Rai Uni since May last year.

One of the lessons he is learning is how to cope with the cost of living. (I hope).

Was Rowdy Yates from Rawhide herding them?

19 minutes ago, Mr Derek said:

 

I heard the four were apprehended after having driven 10 hours along route M3 which heads directly towards Ukraine - they were about 100 km from the Ukraine border when they were caught. Not sure where else they could have been heading? Turning off towards Belarus perhaps, but that makes less sense...   

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68652380

Russia has charged four men it says attacked a Moscow concert hall and killed at least 137 people.

All four appeared to have been beaten and one was brought to court in a wheelchair. They were charged with committing an act of terrorism.

Russian officials have claimed, without evidence, Ukrainian involvement. Kyiv says the claim is "absurd".

Videos of brutal interrogation sessions were apparently leaked by Russian security forces, and reports suggest at least one had suffered electric shocks.

Asked about the alleged torture, Mr Peskov refused to comment.

The men the court identified as Mirzoyev and Rachabalizoda had black eyes and the latter's ear was heavily bandaged - reportedly from it being partially severed during his arrest.

The men were identified as citizens of Tajikistan, Russia's state news agency Tass said.

7 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Yet another mother who has a child she can't take care of. And where is the husband? Just part of the culture.

It is hard to take care of yourself, let along a young child as well, when you have NO job and NO money.

If you cannot trust your friends, who can you trust?

You ask here on AAN where is the husband? How would any poster on ANN know, unless they know the lady and her child personally?

I suppose that would be a rhetorical question.

Try not to be so quick to come to a conclusion without knowing most or all of the facts.

1 hour ago, brianthainess said:

And she still kept on giving this street beggar food, free food & accommodation, and they even have people to cook for them they are that lazy. A government funded Cult, to keep the masses controlled. 

And good for Yu for doing so.

At least she has faith to sustain her, which is more than many posters here have. Buddha would be impressed and proud of her.

I, also am impressed and proud of her. She has chosen a hard path to follow over the years, yet she is still willing to forgive and carry on down the same path' her reward will come in her next life, as will his.

4 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

Great. But if you weren't paying attention you might imagine that P&P and co. have gotten off scot-free ... No exile for them! No criminal record for them!

In fact Prayuth even got a promotion to the Privy Council.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-30/thai-king-appoints-former-pm-prayuth-to-his-elite-privy-council?embedded-checkout=true

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thailands-ex-pm-prayut-appointed-privy-council-member

https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnews/gen-prayut-officially-joins-privy-council-446932

Also in the Straits Times and the Bangkok Post.

2 hours ago, billd766 said:

Why should they be kicked out of the political party?

What actual, or alleged crime have they committed?

5 hours ago, hotchilli said:

A convict on parole... meeting with politicians like this should be illegal... or at least any politician having a meeting with him should be kicked out of the party... but this is Thailand and it seems politicians and criminals have a strong bond.

Why should they be kicked out of the political party?

6 hours ago, thesetat said:

Am surprised that the anti corruption police have not sequestered financial records of all those that were affiliated with the Thaksin prison hospital fiasco to see if any of them received some form of payment to continually say Thaksin was deathly ill and unable to be in a real prison. I guess it is not something they would want to go public with. The list must go pretty high up the chain of command if not all the way up to the top. 

Did you forget to mention sequestering all the un-elected senators financial records to see what their sources of income are as well, or are you simply biased against Thaksin?

4 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

Ok, I have 2 rai of the adjoining land that need clearing as it is a fire hazard. You are welcome to come and clear it at any time, even at Thai rates.

And then he can come and do mine, bringing all his own gear as I don't want him wrecking mine. It is full of stones, rocks, bits of dead trees, slopes etc.

I am reading an Ebook by Sam Barone called 'Conflict of Empires'.

It is based on an area similar to Mesopotamia around (I think) somewhere between 600 and 1,000 AD, about tribal warfare and the building of an empire. It is fiction and I have a problem putting it down.

17 minutes ago, recom273 said:

 

Absolutely. I wasn't advocating it, more suggesting that in Thailand there is no boundary between experience and stupidity.

I understand that.  If Thais want to remove the safety equipment it is up to them. The guy who does my tatya work does not remove any of the safety equipment.

Thank you for responding to his post. He is on my ignore list and I would never have seen the post otherwise.

3 hours ago, tomgreen said:

 

I have purchased a Honda 4 stroke petrol brush / weed  cutter to cut down tall grass and small bushes on some land.( see photograph D )  The Honda brush cutter is working well , but I’m now looking for some advice .

 

One problem I’m having is finding decent cutter blades that last more than a few hours . So far Ive used some cutter blades purchased off Lazada +  some given to me ( see photograph C ) those cutter blades were not that expensive. Those cutter blades shown on the photograph worked fine for a short period of time , but all of them eventually stopped cutting and became useless. I suspect that the problem may be in the fact that those cutter blades were cheap in price. 

 

I’m wondering if paying more money for a better cutter blade would be the answer and the more expensive cutter blades would last longer, or could it be that some how I’m using the wrong type of cutter blade for the job.

 

With the now worn out and not cutting very well cutter blades , would it be possible to re sharpen those cutter blades and would it be worth the effort.

 

After now cutting all the tall long grass down , it leaves a bottom stump ( photograph A ) where the long grass is rooted into the ground . The cutting blades ( circular type ) can cut those long grass rooted stumps out of the ground , but its hard work . I’m wondering if theres another easier / better way / cutter blade to deal with removing  the long grass rooted stumps. 

 

Along with the long grass that needed cutting theres also some old small lemon trees that need to be removed ( see photograph B ) . Ive tried cutting those small lemon trees at their base , but the circular cutting blades struggles to cut into the lemon tree wood , and the circular cutting blades start to get hot and some smoke appears from the circular cutting blade. I’m wondering if using a different type of circular cutting blade to cut the small lemon trees would be the best option.

 

Currently all the tall long grass has been successfully cut down , leaving only a lot of tall grass bottom stump areas that need to be removed along with the small lemon trees. 

 

I’m still learning so any advice , suggestions or recommendations very welcome .

 

Tom

 

.

I have been using brush cutters for 15 years or more now, both 2 stroke and 4 stroke. I would never use a 2 stroke any more as they are messy, unreliable and often a PITA to start.

IMHO, of the 4 strokes, Honda is the best every time, spares both genuine and copies are easy to get in most villages and there are usually several good repair shops as well. As for blades, I normally use the double ended blade, on the left of your photo, either 14 or 16 inches long.

They are what you need for long grass, scrub and small trees. For the concrete edges, rocks, base of trees, blue plastic pipe etc, I use 3 mm/sq nylon.

Every day when I finish work, I wash all the dirt, dust, mud, grass etc from the machine, remove the blade (if I am using one) and sharpen it on both sides with a bench or angle grinder. If I am using nylon I generally cut it to a 60 cm length, and put 2 pieces in a cross shape on the disk. You will see when they wear down so just replace them. In the photo I have drilled and pop riveted the disk, as after a while they tend to open up and the cable is no longer at 90 degrees. the disks are about 80 or 90 thb at a hardware shop. The nylon is about 250 thb.

I use the blade when the grass and scrub is long, wet or think. The nylon works best on long dry grass, short wet or dry grass and around the edges of trees and concrete.

Remember to check the sump oil every day until you know how much it uses, and grease the head once a week. That way your brush cutter will last many years.

For protective wear you will be best with knee length Wellington rubber boots with a steel sole and toecap, knee length thick socks, football or Scout leader socks are OK, thick trousers or jeans to give some protection from flying stones, gauntlets that cover your wrists, a Thai style balaclava to protect your face, safety glasses or goggles and depending on the time of day, I also wear a leather cowboy hat to keep the sun out of my eyes and give some semblance of shade.

At 79 I may look stupid wearing that but it is better than being covered in plasters. On a good day now I can manage about an hours working. 10 years ago 2 hours was no big problem and 20 years ago 3 hours was easy. 

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

I have no tattoos, and I was blessed/cursed with common sense from the day I was born.

5 hours ago, RayC said:

 

I thought that it was clear from the context of my original post that I was voicing a personal opinion rather than suggesting that I was stating a fact and/or acting as spokesman for the UK public. My mistake. Apologies for the ambiguity.

Thank you for the apology but it wasn't necessary.

I am 79 and was brought up the old school way.

Sadly the UK education is not as good as it used to be, and there are  times, not so much on ANN, that I get so frustrated as  I cannot understand what the poster has written. The Bangkok Post is very bad for things like that.

9 minutes ago, RayC said:

 

"We", the British electorate. 

 

I didn't claim that I spoke for anyone else, although I'm pretty certain that I am not the only republican in the UK.

Then why did you not say that you were speaking for yourself only.

From https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/we

 I and the rest of a group that includes me : you and I : you and I and another or others 

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/we

plural pronoun,possessive our or ours,objective us.
nominative plural of I.

(used to denote oneself and another or others):

On 3/18/2024 at 11:09 AM, RayC said:

 

Why rubbish?

 

Assuming that the UK constitution doesn't change and that he doesn't predecease his father, William will be the next unelected UK Head of State so issues surrounding him are of public interest.

 

I hope that his wife recovers from her health problems but if there are aspects of his life - such as his obvious concern for her well-being - which might restrict his ability to perform his future role effectively then the public should be aware of the fact. The public also has every right to know how he is likely to approach his future role. 

 

If William is unable and/or unwilling to meet those conditions then he should step aside. We could then install a Head of State who is democratically elected by the UK electorate.

quote "If William is unable and/or unwilling to meet those conditions then he should step aside. We could then install a Head of State who is democratically elected by the UK electorate."

In your last sentence can you please explain who "we" are?

You are certainly NOT speaking for me, when you use that term, nor IMHO, are you speaking for millions of other British people.

3 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

I have added a new Para 69 to the document which reads as follows:

 

I will arrange for the document to be updated in a few weeks time.

 

CERTIFICATE OF TAX RESIDENCY or TAX PAID

 

69) The certificate of fiscal residence is called R.O. 22 and can be obtained  at District Revenue Offices. It is not necessary to file a tax declaration in order to obtain an R.O. 22, the certification has no correlation to tax payments and  simply states that you have been here for 180 or more and so you are considered a tax resident. The request form is here: RO-22.pdf. 

 

A second document is the R.O. 21, which confirms declared income and tax paid during the year.

 

Both forms are located here: RO 22 and RO 21

RO21.pdf

Thank you Mike.

On 3/22/2024 at 8:03 AM, hotchilli said:

A tad late one might say, they must have been aware of the low water levels for sometime... but what did they do?

I guess they'll push ahead with Songkran next month...

Unfortunately 

, if nature does not provide enough rain there is not a lot that anyone can do. cloud seeding is fine in the very short term, but it IS only short term. Digging and clearing the silt and deepening the dams is a help and will provide more storage if and when the wet season finally arrives.

Trying to change to different crops that use less water might help, but the majority of farmers are deep in debt, so who will pay for the cost of different crops and guarantee the crop prices? That assumes that new crops can be sown and thrive on soil that has been fertilised for generations for a single crop.

The government could/should take advice and learn from other countries, but that would involve a major loss of 'face'.

There is always desalination, but desalination is expensive, the plants need to be on the coastline, and then they will need to pump the water hundreds of km to where it is needed most, and then store it somewhere that leakage and evaporation does not affect the water loss so much. 

46 minutes ago, Artisi said:

But a nod from the top makes it OK, especially to the indoctrinated pleb's who believe that the one at the top was actually next to God. 

Sadly IMHO this is one of the reasons that 112 and the constitution need to be amended to stop it happening again and again.

Thailand needs to be a lot more Democratic  and have a monarchy that runs on similar principals that the UK Monarchy runs.

Where respect and positions are earned, and not simply the "Buggin's turn next" syndrome,

8 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

It says that the rich and powerful (aka completely and totally corrupt) are above both the law and the parliament. As for Thaksin being elected twice this is true but vote buying was massive. He's a convicted criminal and whose going to convict the generals when they've set up the whole process so they can't get convicted. No weakness just total corruption.

Vote buying at that time was practised by ALL the political parties and NOT just by the TRT. It still goes on today, albeit on a smaller scale as more younger voters come of age. and the older ones literally die off.

As for Thaksin being convicted, it was under courts of the military who carried out a coup against a legally elected government. That is called treason and punishable by the death penalty, even in Thailand.

Which is the greater crime?

Please explain how a legally elected PM was punished and yet those who stole the whole country have NEVER been punished, Not just once or even twice  but according to the European Parliament, at least 12 times successfully.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2020/659330/EPRS_ATA(2020)659330_EN.pdf

From the link.

Since 2014, the Thai government has been headed by former army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, from 2014 to 2019 as head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) junta, and since the 2019 elections as leader of the Palang Pracharath (People's State Power) party. The elections, held under a new constitutionadopted in 2017, are designed to ensure continuing military control of Thai politics, even under a civilian government. Under this constitution, the prime minister is chosen by a combined vote of the two houses of parliament, the Senate (250 members, hand-picked by the junta before its dissolution) and the House of Representatives (500 elected members), essentially guaranteeing victory for Prayuth. The Senate also approves appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court, a body whose judgments have traditionally been heavily weighted against opponents of military rule; it has banned several pro-Thaksin parties, as well as Thaksin himself (in exile since 2006) from Thai politics.
From 2001 to 2014, Thaksin and his proxies won every single election. To prevent this from happening again in 2019, the junta offered cash hand outs for the poor, had some opposition parties disbanded, and imposed restrictive rules on election campaigning. The junta-appointed election commission was accused of riggingthe vote. Even so, the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai came in first place, with 136 out of 500 seats, beating Prayuth's
Palang Pracharath (97 seats). Future Forward, a new reformist opposition party founded in 2018, came third with 80 seats.

5 hours ago, Ombra said:

Here in Thap Sakae this morning, we had government water flowing through the pipes for the first time in three weeks, and we have been buying water during that period. Our garden is brown and some trees are dying. For me, this is a disappointment, but for farmers and local people who grow fruit and vegetables to supplement their incomes it is a tragedy. Last year, rain fell only during October and this problem was predictable, but the authorities seem incapable of planning. They encourage foreign tourists to come while the water table gets lower each year.

I am happy to hear that the government water has started flowing again. We used to buy water every year, but luckily about 3 years ago  our group of villages got connected to the big village supply pipeline. Granted that during the day the government supply is cut off, but it does flow at night, so every bodies ongs are usually refilled over night.

many years ago my wife enquired about a borehole, but we have about a metre or so of soil and then it is an extreme hard rock, perhaps granite or something similar that will need a diamond tipped drill to bore the hole and I have no idea how deep they would need to drill to find water in enough quantity to be viable.