Changian

00500 or 008 from an AIS phone and you pay 6/7 Baht/minute to Europe / US

Fear not, the Patpong bars have been secured but the Thai army now refusing to leave.

More photos from AP & Reuters here: Dailylife.com

You think he might have been thinking "I'll break all my limbs and maybe my spine and possibly end up brain damaged, but at least she'll see I'm unhappy".

Maybe he was following the 'How Thai are you?' topic on the main board and wanted to up the stakes and go for the ultimate in irrational thought processes. +5 points for him anyway.

Thanks for the info - Mantrini looks good. Have to have a closer look at PP Residence too

They have elections to fill the time between military coups as it gives the masses something to talk about other than soap operas. When the army gets bored with running the country they let someone else have a go. Elections are called and a party backed by big business wins and are allowed to milk the country dry for a few years.

Then other business people get jealous and decide it should be their turn to own the cash cow. So the upper echelons of Thai society who are not political in any way ( officially ) will allow them to have a go at running the country for a few years.

Problems arise when rival groups of business people want to run the country at the same time and forget that all they really have to do is wait their turn as the other group will surely screw it up within a couple of years of being 'elected' anyway.

It was so much simpler a few years ago, before we started judging people by the colour of their shirts.

I would like to call on all Thais, and TV readers to stop this and revert to the traditional Thai way of doing things . . . . by judging people on the colour of their skin.

Also worth considering . . .

"Does any TV gameshow have a mesmerising, almost hypnotic effect on you? " If so, add + 1 to your Thainess Index.

BUT, if you still watch TV news and show an interest in the world outside your village, deduct 5 points. Ignorance is bliss. Knowledge leads to headaches which in turn leads to brain cancer and certain death by the age of 30.

Also add a point for the number of time you exclaim "Oh, ho" , in a deep manly voice ( or a high pitched "Oiiii" if you are female) whenever you come across anything new, surprising, wierd, novel or vaguely interesting.

Bonus points for drinking JW Black with a 10:1 soda to whisky mix, as you insist that it tastes better that way. Or adding ice to a glass of red wine.

You know you have gone 'Full Thai' when you hire a hitman to knock off someone who you argued with 3 years ago over something petty.

Looking for a nice hotel in Chiang Rai for a couple of nights in August. There are a few very fancy 4-5* resorts and also other older more run down 2* places. Plus various guesthouses. But for something that's convenient, comfortable,clean and not way out in the sticks there doesnt seem to be many options. Phowadol Resort seems to be OK.

Any other recommendations for hotel / nice guesthouse in the 1,500 - 2,000 Baht/night?

Watermelon army and tomato police. What a fruity affair.

Wait till the strawberry SWAT, rhubarb marines and rambutan rangers come into play. Then things will really kick off.

The Rama V cult started in the late 80s / early 90s mainly by the middle classes, businessmen and entreprenuers in Bangkok according to a Thai historian who wrote about the new craze at the time.

Interesting fact . . . a lot of gogo bars have Rama V shrines / photos as bar girls admire him as he provided financially for his many consorts and educated their sons. ( So maybe some of his good nature will rub off on the guys coming into said establishments.)

Koh Chang isn't for people who need someone else to provide entertainment for them or lay on things for them to do. If you can organise yourself and like relatively quiet islands then it's not bad. I've been here for 6+ years and have a quiet place to live where the only noise is that of the birds in the morning and insects at night. Not on the beach though but on the estuary. Not a lot of concrete around - most buildings are wooden fisherman's houses some of which have been renovated. The beach is 150 metres walk through the mangroves and coconut fields at the back of the house.

It is a bit pricey - that is true. I have to pay 30 baht for a plate of food at a local restaurant in the village. Could probably save 10 baht per meal by living in Isaan somewhere.

The neighbourhood.

The beach where I walk the dog every day. I guess it could be improved by the addition of umpteen bars and concrete boxes masquerading as beach bungalows but for now it suits me fine.

Pridi Banomyong would be one in most countries but I doubt you'll ever see lots of statues to him in Thailand. Discounting the royals as they are all heroes in Thai eyes, you're left with Ad Carabao for the masses to admire.

Quick fix is to buy a 1000 baht mobile from Tesco that makes calls and sends SMS and use that instead. Not as flash as an iphone but they work all the time - and you can change the battery yourself if needbe

I am in the medical profession. A profession in which the imprecise use of language costs lives.

Ahem . . .

It is up to teacher's here . . .

sbstitutes.

Fortunately no lives were lost this time.

^ I think you'll find most farangs have the movie star wife as the Minor Wife. Similar to having sticker on your Vios that says 'My other car's a Porsche'

I'll be using Evian and possibly even some Perrier too, in order to conserve Thailand's natural supplies. ( You get a better class of water throwers round our way. Although one of the local Pu Yings upped the stakes last year when she had an Icelandic glacier melted and shipped over specially for the kids to use.)

At the moment there seems to be a proliferation of incorrectly inserted quotes in posts which makes them indiscernible from the actual post. It's making things bloody difficult to read!

You lost me with all that tech stuff. If only there was a ' Wrap in Quote tags' button I could use that would add them automatically.

^ Khao San Road last night

TwitPic from Newley

Video from last night at Democracy Monument - a few mins walk from Khao San - Part 1 of 4

Couple of good videos from last nights' violence now on Youtube

(All rioting)

( The second video starts out with the reds partying at Democracy monument then things turn around 2'40" )

Teargas & lots of gunfire around Hotel De Moc and Khao San area right now - according to this twitterer

http://twitter.com/bethanyshondark

If the government does fall, mob rule will have won the day.

Yeah, it'd be like when a small group forced the closure of the airport in order to get their guys in power and remove the elected government.

Meanwhile in the 11th Army HQ our confident leader keeps an eye on Thaivisa

Although it does look like he might be looking at something more likely to relieve his stress -given the position of his left hand.

Meanwhile - photos of a reporter shot by someone & Reuters now reporting that soldiers fired live ammo at crowds

^ All part of the army's attempt to lull the reds into a false sense of security. A page out of the Blackadder Book of Cunning Plans.

The army can't/won't control a mob of only 2500? That is pitiful.

Just like they couldn't / wouldn't control a similar sized mob outside Suvarnabhumi 15 months ago.

Photos taken inside Thaicom and updated regularly- looks like the red leaders and the top brass are sitting down for a chat now.

See: Tweetphoto.com/17732865