monkeycountry

I recall many of my countrymen saying back then when they were very much against bailing Greece out, that Greece would run from its obligations once it got the money - such is their mentality, which is also partly why they are in this situation in the first place. And now look what happened, almost on the day they get the rest of the money, they get a new government and decide that they do not want to pay their debt.

The EU might as well have lent the money to a bargirl from soi 6.

Thailand, the hub of african/asian ivory trade, and one of the main perpetrators in the extinction of the elephant race.

Congratulations Thailand, your greed and stupidity (Thainess) won once again!

Plenty of hotels on Samui have bike rental service, and they do not require anything. Of course they already have a copy of your passport and maybe a deposit or your credit card details from when you checked in at the hotel.

I bet the mother put the baby back in the trunk afterwards!

"The airport said it has also set up a checkpoint to verify that every taxi driver leaving the taxi stand is using the meter."

This could be the best idea ever in Thailand. I do not know how this works, but at the end of the road where the taxi area is, a single airport employee or police man could be stationed to stop all taxis leaving and check if the meter is on. If not, automatically report the taxi to the authorities together with driver name/number, so he can get fined/banned. A very efficient and cheap solution to this problem.

The gaurd called for help ! What a brave man he must have been ! can it never be 1 on 1 in this place?????

We don't know the story, but going out drinking with 600 Bt is not very bright. Then he claims to go to an ATM and of course return hahahaha

Not everyone has a predictable night where they sit and and sip one beer all by themselves in a corner all night. Some people go out with say 10 or 20k, but end up spending it. Unless the whole night is planned in advance, one easily ends up buying more drinks and shots and paying more tips than one can afford with the cash left, and then eventually one has to go to the ATM, and most bars have no problem with that at all. In fact I am quite sure both the bar and the girls prefer those customers over the cheap charlie type.

Not that I usually spend more money than I have on me in a bar or any where for that matter but if I did after reading this I would ask one of the bar staff to walk with me to the ATM and then walk back with them to the bar so all staff can see I paid.

In the guards eyes you would now not only be walking away from an unpaid bill, but also from an unpaid barfine.

Of course overwhelming majority of Thai men are cowards. Never got the balls to do anything 1-1. Its with " associates,guns,knives or some other weapon!

To be fair, according to the article, the guard did first hit the oblivious foreigner, before he called for reinforcements.

We have all be saying this for years, but with little change from the powers in control.

As Thailand is all about saving face, will be interesting if this Japanese man's rant gains

some traction in social media, and forces the junta to make some changes. Japan carries

a LOT of financial clout here in Thailand, so will be interesting to see what happens...

I think there will definately be some change, but the change will not be to the airport or the taxi scams, but to the japanese mans visa status.

Despite him already having fled once, does anyone want to bet on whether he will be out on bail today or tomorrow?

"Miss Morrison became abusive towards firefighters and journalists."

I can understand the last part. Firefighters need to get in, but I doubt the police have any right to invite journalists into people homes, or to takes pictures themselves to give/sell to the press. (investigative pictures kept in police records are a different matter).

In the west the police and firefighters will go in, but they will also tell the press that they have to wait on the street.

Seems the malaysians managed to discover 2 of the 12 routes of Thainess in one go, which could perhaps explain the rather high price? First the bar experience, and secondly the police experience, or are they both part of the same route?

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PTT. Perennially Tightarsed Tycoons.

At least PTT pays taxes. I bet none of the 429 fishermen have ever paid any income tax, despite their claim that they make alot of money.

If they have made alot of money and filed tax returns to prove it, then simply show those papers in court and get compensation from PTTGC.

You have seen PTT's tax returns? Would you like to share? Or if you have access to certified financial statements, that would suffice. Just because a company files a tax return doesn't mean it paid any taxes. It's amazing how phantom or inflated expenses can throw a business into a loss for tax purposes, not that PTT would do such a thing.

Oh, and keep in mind, the majority shareholder in PTT is the ministry of finance (51%), so even if PTT did not pay taxes (which it does), then most of it's profit would end in the public coffers anyway, as dividend paid to the finance ministry.

This info is also on the SET website mentioned above :-)

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PTT. Perennially Tightarsed Tycoons.

At least PTT pays taxes. I bet none of the 429 fishermen have ever paid any income tax, despite their claim that they make alot of money.

If they have made alot of money and filed tax returns to prove it, then simply show those papers in court and get compensation from PTTGC.

You have seen PTT's tax returns? Would you like to share? Or if you have access to certified financial statements, that would suffice. Just because a company files a tax return doesn't mean it paid any taxes. It's amazing how phantom or inflated expenses can throw a business into a loss for tax purposes, not that PTT would do such a thing.

Everyone has access to their financial statements, as it is a public company. I thought that was common knowledge? How else do you expect investors to decide if it is a good investment or not?

If interested you can see their financial statements, as well as tax payments, both on PTT's own websites and on the SET's website (www.set.or.th).

I think he really believes someone, anyone, will actually bid

on any Thai project !

Since the government and thereby the general is the majority shareholder of PTT I can pretty much guarantee there will be at least one bidder.

I have read all the comments on here...NOT one for Samui....with VERY GOOD REASON...I have been a Samui man for 30yrs now[live in Lamai]...the scams are getting worse by the day taxis/beach vendors.shops/bars etc..do your self a favour give it a widw berth.

I would not have been saying this 5/7yrs ago..its a shame & breaks my heart to say it now,but its true.

The reason for this...95% is all the scum from ISSAN have descended on Samui...they think it's TREASURE ISLAND...bar girls/shop workers in particular...I could go on & on...any one who wants to know more...PM me

I think all people who live in Thailand have learned to stay away from jetskis by now, no matter where they are, and yes taxis are a big problem on Samui and Phuket etc. which is why most tourists rent a car or bike.

Besides the taxis and jetskis I do not think there are many scams. Could you elaborate?

A beach vendor or shop trying to charge a high price for something is hardly a scam is it? And even if it is, it is easily avoided, just say no thanks.

As far as nightlife goes, especially in Lamai, I think anyone who is used to say Bangkok nightlife, will be quite pleased with the prices for everything nightlife related in Lamai and Samui in general.

In any case, most people who live on or visit Samui seem quite happy, and quite alot of tourists are repeat visitors.

Islam is the reason muslims believe in some form of paradise after death which means they do no longer care about their life on earth, which makes them willing to risk their own life in a terrorist attack. This is why most suicide bombers are muslim. If you do not believe in paradise after death it makes no sense to kill yourself for any reason or cause.

This is partly why these terrorist attacks have everything to do with Islam.

first stop is to pick up a flood plane map from the local ampur for the area, then look at zoning (ampur has access to this also) for the area of intrest. water, electric avaliablity, airport, schools hospital, temple near by etc.

good luck

Don't need a map for flood part in many cases. Simply look aropund and see if your house is higher or lower than the general area (won't work if the whole area is completely flat of course. Then check the neighbouring houses. If they have been flooded in recent years some of them will still have traces of a flood line on the walls, if that line is higher than the ground level of your house, then stay away. If none of the above works, then yes, get a map.

Another of the 12 routes to Thainess?

Most of us have been tired and upset 1000s of times, yet we don't hit anyone. Further, if a friend wants to start a fight, you try to stop him, you do not join the fight. These "lifeguards" have proven they are a bunch of agressive and violent hotheads, like so many others, and should be nowehere near the beach or tourists in general. Thai beaches already have enough wannabe Thai boxing gangsters such as the jetski monkeys.

In any first world country a lifeguard who starts a fight would be fired on the spot, no matter how frustrated or tired he is. This generally ensures the quality of the lifeguards.

Just send all the muslims back to their muslim countries, problem solved.

The terrorists who carried out the Charlie Hebdo were French citizens, born in France.

Yet their allegiance was to Allah not France, which shows that some muslims may be French on paper, but not in mind, no matter how long they have lived in France (or other countries).

Even if one accepts this, which Muslim country should these disloyal French citizens be sent back to? (as per godden's post).

No idea, ask godden.

My point was simply that your post shows that being born and raised in France does not necessarily make a muslim French, except on paper. I bet that thought is running through the head of many non-muslim Frenchmen these days.

I bet a tourism campaign on how to avoid Thainess would be alot more successful