Changian

I only clicked on this because I thought it said 'Slash lives in Bangkok'

Apparently there used to be loads of dolphins around Koh Chang and you couldn't go out on a boat without seeing them a decade ago. But not now.

The body of the one in the photo is still on the beach 4 days later - no one seems interested in moving it, smells pretty bad too.

The big squid is German. You expected him to predict the Dutch to win? Red card!

Ahem, Paul is English - born at Sea Life Park in Weymouth but went to Germany a few years ago in part exchange for Owen Hargreaves. Looks like the Germans got the better deal than Man Utd in that one.

Let's keep this Thailand related shall we. As Lin Ping, the Chiang Mai panda cub has also gone for Spain.

Anything an octopus can do, so can a panda. ( Although I think she may just have copied Paul's result.)

The number of recorded dolphin deaths on Koh Chang i.e. bodies found, in the past 2 weeks is up to eight now. (There are probably more that have washed up elsewhere or decomposed at sea.) Most of the bodies are intact and eath was probably due to drowing after they were caught in fishermen's nets.

But the adult Irrawaddy dolphin I found this afternoon had been butchered and the meat cut off it. If dolphins are as intelligent as everyone makes out, they might want to steer clear of Koh Chang.

It was announced - in the Samui Express June 25th edition.

Unfortunately we don't get that paper on Koh Chang.

As Bangkok Airways hasn't got round to announcing their new route yet I thought I'd do it for them.

A piece of good news for anyone who wants a two centre beach holiday in Thailand. Flights between Samui and Trat, the jumping off point for Koh Chang / Koh Mak / Koh Kood, will begin on 3 December with four flights per week. Book online at www.bangkokair.com, ticket price for all seats is 4,500 Baht.

Good news. But also worth noting Malaysia is already well on the way to having 4G & Wimax networks covering the country. ( See: Another step towards 4G network rollout in Malaysia

ICT Minister Chuti Krairiksh said that in the beginning, this project would recruit 200 people from around the country, including students, teachers, government officials and the private sector, who have computers and Internet literacy.

These people will be trained in the proper use of the Internet . .

So if even the 'students, teachers, government officials and the private sector, who have computers and Internet literacy' need to be trained in the 'proper use of the internet' what hope is there for the masses?

Next week the ICT minister announces it is time for all Thais to decide if they want terrorism and Camfrog or a democratic monarchy and harmony for all.

For anyone wondering what makes The Nation the quality paper it is, maybe we should look at the thoughts of the Managing Editor K. Thanong who Tweeted yesterday . . .

Don't be misled by Freedom, Human rights, Democracy, globalisation and other crazy fashionable ideas. They are poisonous and hollow.

After being called out about this he did go on and clarify his point meaning what he meant to say were that these western notions weren't suitable for Thai people to follow. Real Thais should embrace the 'Sukhothai' model which seems to be based on everyone living in harmony 600 years ago, and which is the proper Thai way of doing things.

In short, if we stick to nam phriek pla too, we'll be OK. If we go for spaghgetti and hamburger, we'll be in trouble.

So, anyone know what they're adding to the coffee at The Nation offices?

Thailand recently became the first country in the world to block or blacklist over 100,000 websites. Up to 113,000 and more being added every day. According to the Freedom Against Press Censorship group FACT Thailand. ( Whose site you wont be able to see if you are in Thailand as it has been blocked.)

The Hub of Censorship.

Woohoo. I can now chat with loads of middle aged blokes.

On second thoughts . . .

Put me down for two tickets at 10 baht each.

I looked at Wellcome A88 before getting a Samsung Galaxy Spica a month ago. Just because the other Samsung stuff I've bought always works well.

Spica is listed at 9,900 baht but the shops I tried in The Mall Bangkapi immediately discounted to 9,000. 1.6 is installed on it but can get an upgrade to Android 2.1. What the shop doesn't tell you is that you have to go to the Samsung Service Centre in Fortune Town to get this done, Samsung mobile shops elsewhere cant do it for you. The alternative is to leave your phone at a Samsung shop for a few days while they send it there for you.

I bought my wife according to her. It's sortof what sinsot is all about.

Quote ... You buy my life, I must stay with you .........

If she says it, why shouldn't someone else. What does your wife say?

She's not much of a romantic, is she?. Didn't indentured workers used to say the same thing?

So unlike The Nation to take a press release and try to pass it off as serious 'news'. Why would they do that?

BANGKOK 25 June, 2010 – Surreal Holidays, a UK tourism specialising in up-market travel to Thailand, hosted a lavish bash in Bangkok last evening to launch its first programmes.

Active for just five months, the company is owned and managed by a Thai-UK citizen, Runci Weeden, who led a team of executives and invited media from the UK for the two-day launch.

It sponsored three journalists on a free junket to attend the launch, rented an exclusive venue, Chakrabongse Villa on Bangkok’s river side and hosted a river cruise with dinner for 45 representatives of up-market hotels, TAT officials and media. The gig was estimated to have cost at least Bt1 million.

(From TTRWeekly.com)

Ahh, free food, that explains it.

Given the current state of their website - pbrl-group.com - I guess they've done a runner / gone bust.

Have a look at Thai Lanna Home. Lot of info, floorplans, prices etc

He bought it and renamed it 'Dr Evil's Secret Lair'. It was from here that he masterminded the recent red shirt protests. (This was in The Nation - so it must be true.)

As I try to tell people who email me it is virtually impossible to get a Koh Chang landlord to give a registered lease. Most people believe me, some think they are different and can talk the landlord round and some think it is all somehow part of a cunning scam (i.e. the German guy who, after emailing me, posted here about resorts on Koh Chang to get some info and also posted a fake 'For Sale' ad in the TV classifieds section, to try to get info from other potential buyers about their experiences.)

But for some lucky buyers, Thai govt legislation seems to stop just after you get off the ferry and you can get a 99 year lease on farmland on Koh Chang. (Anyone in Phuket, Samui, Pattaya envious yet?) I know this because I've seen a contract an Aussie guy signed when he 'bought' his land for a house. He was assured this was all totally legit as the land was owned by a lawyer, the contract was witnessed by the local Kamnan and drawn up by another lawyer who is based on Koh Chang. How much more legally binding could it get? (Other than actually complying with Thai law.)

More seriously, I only know of a couple of small western 'owned' resorts that definitely have reg. leases and in both cases their landlords aren't Koh Chang natives. But nowadays in any of the main beach areas you aren't going to get a registered lease. Also on most, but not all of the inland land, which is where the small resorts pop up, the land is still farmland and so leases cant be registered anyway. Landlords with Chanotes also don't like to give registered leases now.

That's just the way it is. You want to rent land, build some bungalows then you can. But realistically, you almost certainly aren't going to get the leased registered unless you are in a very out of the way location. There is some safety in numbers though as it isn't as though there are just a handful of businesses / resorts in the same boat and the vast majority of local landlords seem perfectly happy to hang onto their land and simply collect the tax-free rent from business owners once a year. Bottom line is that to have a resort on Koh Chang, you either have to be willing to do things the 'local way' and the way everyone else in the same situation does it, or just accepting of the reality that a 15 year lease contract on paper doesn't come with any guarantees unless it is covered in stamps from the Land Office.

I thought there were some laws governing the maximum angle of the slops that you could build on? This looks over 45 degrees. But I like those concrete slides owners can use to get into the sea.

I forsee housing developments populated entirely by expats who have followed the OPs example and changed their name to Somchai Wangoonbat.

Looks like the transfer window is open. If I were a Democrat or coalition MP this is just the type of rumour I'd start in order to secure a nice offer from my current employer to stay on side.

On the plus side it might deter some Sun readers from coming to Pattaya.

Have to go to Bkk for a couple of nights later this week so just booked Pantip Court on Sathorn Soi 1, which gets rave reviews on Tripadvisor, for 1,785B/night. Huge 97sqm, 1 bed apartment inc breakfast, free internet, free shuttle to BTS etc.