Datsun240Z

I remember the VN trying to help Burma with the cyclone, almost everything was blocked by the army regime their. I bet the money came in their hands, instead to the people.

I trust you realize that Burma received hundreds of millions of $$$ through back channels from the power-that-be, regardless of the official line. They played the surface propaganda like an orchestra....and we bought into it.

Yeah so sad. I can remember the goverment here launched an Giro line so people could donate money, milions went into it, without those people even realising how the situation is controlled by the army there in Burma.

I remember the VN trying to help Burma with the cyclone, almost everything was blocked by the army regime their. I bet the money came in their hands, instead to the people.

you have a very narrow definition of marriage.

do you think marriage is a piece of paper?

small mind.

do you think in biblical times they went to a courthouse?

if i was thai parent, and a older falang was banging my daughter, i would 'test' him as well. i don't see it as being about money. they probably just don't like you very much. or maybe they just don't have a high opinion of falangs. at any rate, they are probably think they have their daughters best interest in mind.

if i was an american parent, i would ask your intentions as well. and if i couldn't do it verbally, i would do it in other ways. a parents protection for their children crosses all cutlures. its a natural response. money doesn't play a part in this.

probably there are alot of racists on this website that think a poor farmer from thailand only care about money. whatever makes you sleep at night. whatever makes you feel superior.

What an incredibly naive post.

And how many times can you contradict yourself? I highlighted just one example.

The comment I liked was this one: "money doesn't play a part in this." So why is it that money is what they are asking for? And then, ALWAYS, the race card. Sure - we're all racists because we do not support extortion.

I think this will always be when a in their eyes "rich" foreigner is trying to marry a poor country families daughter. When Thailand develops, newer generations will be easier, and more understandable, I think we just have to face facts as it is now, all we can do is teach them, this is wrong.

you have a very narrow definition of marriage.

do you think marriage is a piece of paper?

small mind.

Actually it is .

In Europe more and more people start to realize, living together is absolutely the same. If you love and thrust each other, you can share just as good, the love is the same, there is no need for a marriage paper to bound stuff and $ together. In the past here ( 30 years back or more ) everybody had the same view about marriage as in Thailand these days. The boy from the local village, found a girl from another village and there was the "aprovement" by the family". Now they got smarter, and realize it isn't everything.

Hello,

been living with my Thai gf here in bangkok for a few months although we have dated for over a year. Today went to her parents house because her mother wanted to speak to us. Should point out that she is from a poor family.

They told us today they want 100,000 or 200,000 bhat plus gold because we are now "something".....this was all in Thai..but gf explained it as "kind of engaged".

I quietly thought ...<deleted>?.... we are not engaged and are still at early stages of living together in a full on relationship.

I have read that dowrys still exist here for marriage but has anyone heard of a custom of giving alot of money to the parents just to date the daughter. my gf could not explain it well. Also a little bit flustered because her family has not been especially friendly so far but today were all smiles. hmmm.

Thanks.

As stated several times the custom of payment is for marriage, not dating. However, that being said, there is no law against breaking with tradition. I never paid anything to my wife's parents prior to marriage or after. It was simple - my wife had lived on her own for many years and believed that OUR money be saved for OUR family. Therefore no dowry. She was the only young Thai that I found that shared my beliefs. For me it would have been a deal breaker.

That being said, it's really what your gf's position is in all of this. If she is encouraging you to pay, I would tell her it's not your way and that if that is what she believes is correct, then it's good that you found out now, and have a good life. You don't want her to live with guilt by not following through with what she believes in and thereby complying with her parent's wishes, and you don't want to live with resentment should you cave in and pay. So best to part amicably at this point in time if no resolution.

If you're living together, then you're obviously engaged... in something. One way or another in the long run you gotta' share the wealth, whether houses, cars, allowance, whatever... it's not right for your partner's parents to live in poverty while you casually fuc_k the daughter they raised for your pleasure. There's no welfare state here, you might have noticed.

The argument of 'just testing the goods' doesn't cut it with most parents. Imagine the shame that parents must feel that their daughter is living with a farang. That means she's a whore to a lot of people.

I can't believe you guys act righteous like 'we get it for free,' while admitting to spending U$ 2000/mo. here (previous thread), even 'Cheap Charlies'. What are you spending it on? I assume most wives here get an allowance. Where does it go?

I don't like the symbolism of payment, dowry, bride price, sin sot, etc. There are other ways to accomplish the same thing. But you might want to go to the temple one morning with some goodies and get a monk to read you the riot act, whether you register a marriage or not. He'll even tell your wife to obey you. Take your voice recorder along.

I can't believe

And therein lies one of the differences in our respective (Thai vs. Western) cultures. Thai way of thinking: "you casually fuc_k the daughter they raised for your pleasure." Really? Western way of thinking: Parents raise a child out of pride and obligation - they created the child, not as an investment for their future, but, one would hope, out of love.

Okay, now you explain that to the rest of Thailand, and a lot more happy couples

At the end of the day there are definitely ladies out there who will not be grabbing your money,but i think they are rare jewels hard to find but not impossible.

I found mine 20 years ago.

Much depends on how you present yourself in the first few dates.

My first date with my wife (20 years ago) was a dinner at Siam Square, and then I sent her home by public bus (non-aircon), at Bangkapi.

If my wife did not accept the fact I cannot even afford taxi fare, we would not have subsequent dates, nor got married 15 years ago.

Amazing!

Why bother to ask? Are you an engineer? Are you the chief director of Airbus? NO, so just fly.

Has anybody had the feeling from expats wheather it be on TV or meeting them in person

like they have the right to be here more than you?

Also giving advice to stay away it's not for you?

Why do they not want anymore expats to re-locate here?

Quite sad on there part really but a little funny also.

Mostly the folks who have shed loads of money, and don't care about anothers life. They also have 100 girlfriends.

Abhisit should be aware of the effects of swine flu

if you wake up looking like this:

do not go to work......

!!!

Britain is one of the best countries in the World to drive. Superb roads, affordable cars and drivers with manners.

Rivalled only by Germany and Japan. Possibly second division England too if not for too many bogan ute drivers with mullets.

I agree however with the comparison of Thailand with Yemen.

When was the last time that you drove in the UK?

Superb roads? I must have missed that stretch of road, the roads in the Uk are a disgrace,

Affordable cars, true,

Drivers with manners? Must have missed that driver. I've driven in the UK for 23 years and the standard of driving is shocking.

Brigante7.

At least it's better than Thailand

3 farmer leaders jailed six months for blocking Chiang Rai road

..unbelievable; 6 months...

Indeed, even heavy criminals here in NL, don't get 6 Months !

Thailand must really do something on it's attitude.

Honda/Toyota is better engine than GM ( Chevy ). But the Chevrolet body is better.

Now that's interesting. Buddhism is supposed to teach or embrace non-attachment to things. Well, the Thai's are pretty well attached and only seem to think about nothing but money. How does that make any sense at all?

If this not changes, no democracy at all. It will get worse, civil war will come.... Burma II

This is a joke right? Abhisit and his gang, are the same criminals as Takkie. Only Takkie does something good for the country, and Abhisit just sits out his time.

"btw, what's the Thai word for the Netherlands?"

uuuuuuuuummmm shit hole full of Moroccans...... Oh sorry that's just what a Dutch friend of mine calls Rotterdam.

Absolutely true. Muslim influence is becoming to great here. That's why Mr.Wilders and his PVV party is so populair.

Nukes or no nukes, N.Korea is no threat.

That's true. US has so many nukes ( Don't forget USSR to! ), nothing will happen if they do get crazy.

Sure it is less than we pay for at home. But it is because of people like you that make it this way.

When Japanese tourist go to the UK or America or Australia we don't charge them double because their incomes and cost of living are might be higher. Do we?

Why should Thais have this right?

If you don't mind turning a Buddhist culture from a non-materialistic culture to one of not only thinking of money, but one that justifies charging double because of your race, maybe you are the one missing the point of what Thailand really is and leave, so as not to further pollute it with such thinking.

Overpaying not only sends the wrong message but creates a cultural snowball effect of more greed, corruption and crime.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Thursday downplayed a suggestion from US Secretary of States Hillary Clinton that Burma should be kick out of Asean because of its poor human rights record.

Abhisit said an isolated Burma would not help the reconciliation and democratisation process in the military-run state.

Asked on Thai television interview whether Asean should expelled Burma if it does not free the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Clinton replied: "It would be an appropriate policy change to consider

-- The Nation 23/07/09http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/30108177/Abhisit-downplays-Clinton's-suggestion-on-Bur

The people from North-Holland ( Friesland/Groningen ) are one on their own, they also speak a different dialect language.

You can bring it to me, I throw it in my car. Changing oil is bullshit. I'm running a Opel Corsa 1.4 8V petrol here with 370.000 on the clock, still going fresh and doing about 1:22. But I throw old oil in all of my cars engines. No problems.

Yet regular tourists/expats that cant get a Non O/B or retirement visa are now being turned away from Penang if asking for a tourist visa...OK they alraey have 3 but these people stay here and spend money on everything from food/entertainment and services.....beggars beliefe....why dont they just make it easy for people to stay here....lost count how many people I know have moved to Malaysia and Cambodia where it is more visa friendly.....wake up immigration, you want the revenue...be a bit more inviting..

Thailand is the country with the worst visa system in the region.........nobody talks about "perpetual tourists" or "border runners" or "real tourists" in Cambodia or the Philippines or Malaysia.

Why? Because those governments are smart enough not to care......it actually makes no difference at all in terms of security.

It makes a big difference in terms of whether you are seen as expat friendly or tourists friendly.

It makes a big difference if you want money from tourists and expats.

It is Thailand's social engineering program that is the problem.....with all of its nonsense about what a "real tourist" is.

I have mentioned this so many times now I feel like a talking parrot: One simple solution is to introduce a pay to stay visa system (for permanent residents/tourists simply require a security check).

Under this type of system (similar but not identical to both Cambodia and the Philippines), the tourists/expats are happy.........and the security function of the immigration department is met.

Good point, but since the Thai people know, this brings money in the drawyer, I don't think they will change it.

You bet they have, If every stopped doing things for a month, just protest, you watch what happen!

Most people in Thailand are poor and don't have that choice.

Yes and Farangs don't have one either

Yes they do, Farang can leave 99% of thai people cannot and have to live with it.

Yes, and then when they have a chance to go to EU with a farang, they ruin it for the money, and end up back in Thailand. The people in Thailand really live day by day. No future for-seeing at all.

At first for transport ( Poor ) then for meat.

Hello

The first post i make is a most sad and distressing one for me,I live in the uk with my thai wife and our 19 month old uk born daughter had a holiday in Thailand arrived 1/4/09 we submitted another settlement visa on 3/4/09 did the online application and submitted all the docs 3/4/09 tracking system states sent to uk embassy now i'm back in england wife and baby in isaan.Wife lands a bombshell and says she no longer wants to return to the uk to live with me and intends to keep our baby girl in Thailand the baby is british passport holder no dual nationality on a tourist visa valid 21/6/09.I still hope i can talk my wife round to return to uk with our baby once visa is issued but she is also talking of obtaining a thai passport also for our baby to counter any border runs and tighten her grip of custody of our baby.I realize there probably is no thai lawyers on here but i'm desperate for any help or advice.I've checked the net and seems embassy help is little to non and looks like dealing with Thai lawyers wise in family law is the other option.Though i hope i can sort our marriage out by talking with my wife i need advice.Help anyone please.

Another story. Unbelievable what those Thai wifes do....

She is so dumb, scared, or has family influence, UK will be a far better life for her.

Since the ousting of Taksin...

...Thailand is only getting worse.