Nonsi

Thanks very much everybody for your very helpful answers !

Has anybody else made the experience recently that Aspirin is not available in Thailand anymore ?

I live about 20 kms from Khon Kean airport towards Chumpai, we live on five rai and bought three years ago, and since then prices have gone up three to four times, its worth a bit of checking, if you want your money back contact me I am sure I would be very interested

Thanks very much for that. But we'd rather lease the land and hang on to it for a few more years. At the moment, we only make 5k THB / year by renting it out to grow rice and we would like to know if this is a realistic price. Any ideas ?

Ah, UK trying to make a second Australia out of Thailand. Won't be so easy this time to get rid of the locals ...

We own 5 Rai of farm land near Paradorn's Far Fang (spelling ?) resort - a few kilometers from the airport road - with full chanot. The land is used as rice fields at the moment and has road access. We bought this land 8 years ago in order to help somebody in my wife's family.

As we are living on the Eastern Seabord, we have no idea about the land prices in Isaan.

Does anybody of you guys in Khon Kaen know about the prices for such land ? Alternatively, for how much could such land be rent out to grow rice ?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

@ Soutpeel ... same same ...

Been quite a regular there for the last couple of months. Great food reasonably priced. Definitely recommendable !

I tutor students in the area, I have children from most international and EP schools. Although REPS is a good school they have recently let themselves down badly on the English language. Many parents complain to me that there offspring cannot handle English despite being at REPS for two or more years. I support the previous poster in that the school is no longer an EP school of note, as it used to be.

Fully agree with sunshine 69's statement and these are exactly the observations we've made. It seems to have something to do with the clientele at REPS for the last few years. Many Thai officials from the Navy and government enroll their children at REPS for more 'fashionable' reasons rather than to care about any conversational English skills of their offspring. In fact, they even complain that the school does not point out the Thai educational system enough. Obviously, REPS has to follow the requirements of their main clientele and that's why they have let them down so badly on the English language.

We had our son at REPS during early years. First, he enjoyed it as there were many other 'luk kreungs'. But during the last few years more and more Thai children from the officers at the Navy base in Sattahip joined this school and he became more and more an outsider as the 'farang'. I also had the feeling that the attitude of the Thai teachers towards Westerners changed a lot, bowing to the officers in their uniforms when they bring their children to school and ignoring the few farangs.

Another disadvantage of REPS is that the communication is mostly in Thai, especially now that there are not many farang children left. So if your child is not fluent in English yet REPS is surely not the right place to learn it properly.

We enrolled him at GIS from primary 1 on and he's now very happy there. His English skills have improved rapidly and we are fully convinced that it was the only right move to do.

I'd like to repeat my question because it got lost in some other threads already without any answers:

As K. Yingluck already had the chance to campaign in Chiang Mai and Bangkok without any interruptions and she will be on tour in the North-East the coming weekend, when is K. Abhisit due to campaign in the North and North-East ? Anybody knows ?

I read in a newsflash from the other paper that k. Abhsit will be in BKK today, South Friday and North-East Saturday. Stay tuned for more

rubl, thanks for the info !

I'd like to repeat my question because it got lost in some other threads already without any answers:

As K. Yingluck already had the chance to campaign in Chiang Mai and Bangkok without any interruptions and she will be on tour in the North-East the coming weekend, when is K. Abhisit due to campaign in the North and North-East ? Anybody knows ?

With Ms. Yingluck on tour in the North-East 25-27 of May, k. Abhisit in Bangkok today, South on Friday and North-East on Saturday, I'm sure we'll get some nice new poll results. Most likely all contradicting each other. 39 more days, now that must be a lucky number

rubl

How do you know about K. Abhisit campaigning in the North-East on Saturday ? And when will he be on tour in the North, Chiang Mai etc. ?

IMO, all the discussions about democracy in Thailand are completely useless and fruitless at the moment. Almost any problem in Thailand comes down to one major issue, the non-existing police force in this country.

As long as not every party can campaign freely and peacefully in every part of the country, there is no need to hold new elections. As long as the local authorities are either not willing or not in a position to provide security for each party to campaign in an orderly manner, the locals will be brain washed by one side only.

Does anybody really believe this is the right time for any civil government to take over ? How should they ever sort out the mess having a police force which is completely out of control and wouldn't give a dime about the orders from any civil government ?

May be the better way would be to clear up this mess first (military government ?) and then hand over to a regular civil government.

People complaining the army about the handling of the red shirt riots last year should think about how it got that far. Would the BIB have done their jobs by following simple orders from the government the situation would never had escalated that much. In the end, what was the government supposed to do rather than to ask the army to step in and do the BIB's job ?

Expat businessman really that innocent? First off there is the question of a farang legally owning land/property. Being an experienced businessman I'm sure he knew what he was doing when he bought the properties. He only slept with here twice and she was then relegated to a housekeeper?? You got to be joking! No doubt that was story he came up with (didn't want to share the house in a break up).

Exactly !

Look no further than Mr Drummond incorrect interpretation of what happened! The woman was never his girl friend. She was employed from day one as a housekeeper and child minder and thats how it remained until she ran. How many of us drunk or sober have done the dirty deed and been fortunate that we did not add another sprog to the family tree ? How many of us have bought properties from respected legal firms and have not been ripped off? Even handed over checks for thousands if not millions of pounds or dollars.She got into debt borrowed money from the Mafia who then used her to defraud Mr Vard. She lived with him for over 10 years without a single incident. Never took as much as 100 Baht without asking. The simple fact is we must trust lawyers if not how can we hope to do business in Thailand or anywhere. Back home I have bought perhaps 10 houses with solicitors and never once were the title deeds in my possession. Now consider if your trusted solicitor unknowns to you transfered your properties into his name and sold them on. You would know bugger all until thes*it hit the fan. That is what happened here.

Well that is in fact a fairly correct summary except that the housekeeper was paid from day one. I doubt she borrowed money from the 'mafia' more like her senior associates took 90 per cent of what she made. The fact is that you have to have good local knowledge to know who the good lawyers are. Even all embassies issue disclaimers when they provide lists of lawyers and I have seen some bad ones on those lists.

Btw foreigners can own 49% property in Thailand through a company providing that company is a genuine working company.

There will however be tens of thousand of foreigners in Thailand who would lose their houses if the country followed its own laws to the letter, and the laws could be excercised at any time, just depends on who they decide to pick on.

Absolutely wrong ! A foreigner cannot own any land in Thailand as clearly stated in the law. A Thai company can own land and a foreigner can hold up to 49% shares in a Thai company. That's exactly the loop-hole we were talking about earlier and it will be closed whenever the Thai authorities please to do so. Please do not mislead uninformed people into wrong assumptions hence making wrong decisions.

Expat businessman really that innocent? First off there is the question of a farang legally owning land/property. Being an experienced businessman I’m sure he knew what he was doing when he bought the properties. He only slept with here twice and she was then relegated to a housekeeper?? You got to be joking! No doubt that was story he came up with (didn’t want to share the house in a break up).

Exactly !

I find it amazing that the most important and interesting point of this story hasn’t been mentioned yet.

If somebody wants to invest his hard earned money into property in order to generate rental income why not do it in a country where you can actually own the property legally, e.g. in your home country ? Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to condone or excuse the evil behavior of this woman and her helpers in any way. But would you not agree that the fact to try and circumvent existing laws by some semi-legal constructions (forming a Thai company, 30 year lease etc.) makes one vulnerable for exactly these kind of rip-off ? Moreover, would you not agree that such a situation makes some shady Thai characters actually believing that they are entitled to ‘defend the Thai law’ and part the foreigner from his illegal investments ?

The first lesson any foreigner who wants to live in Thailand in relative peace and ease of mind should learn is to never invest into something you can’t legally own. Leave your money where it is safe and always only send exactly that much as you really need.

JT, fair enough, no pompem

JT, I believe that a farang guy being married with three Thai women at the same time might be at some risk ...

Anyway, to much off topic now.

JT, of course the murderers don't deserve any sympathy but that's not my point. I always thought TV is about to teach their members how to avoid getting into such troubles.

I think it's very common for straight farang men to try to save a girl from the bar life. Why would so many marry them otherwise ? But I do not know so many straight farang men trying to save and intercourse with three bar girls under the same roof at the same time ...

Regarding the locals here, well, they get away with many things we farang wouldn't.

What's all this fuss about ?

Gay or not, for a 55 year old wealthy guy it is obviously a stupidly dangerous thing to do to let three young males live under the same roof with him he became acquainted with in the bar scene. This is like asking for troubles.

Btw, I also don't know that many straight farang guys living together with three Thai female prostitutes under the same roof ...

No democratically elected prime minister of this country will ever be in charge of the army or police forces due to the special balance of power in Thailand (privy council etc.) ... it is not allowed to say more about it.

Therefore, it is quite ridiculous that the Red Shirts demand Abhisit's head of all people. He's a good and well educated person and has done nothing wrong so far.

There is actually not a lot what he can do now apart from informing the public properly and trying to keep the situation as calm as possible. And if it's correct what the Red Shirts claim that he has been brought into office by the army, then he should just keep his patience and let them deal with the current situation. Why should he have blood on his hands and risk to damage his own reputation ?

It is surely correct that in most democratic countries, this mob would already have been dispersed by means of water canons or tear gas. But then, in most democratic countries the government would have the power to order and enforce such measures. But in Thailand, governments tend to be quite powerless unless they try to overcome old principles and accumulate power on their side. That's what Thaksin tried to do and we all know the outcome ...

Can anybody tell me where to get a car charger for my Compaq notebook in the Pattaya/Rayong area, please ?

I have to agree with @ opebo.

I'm living and working here on a B visa and work permit since more than 6 years. Never done a 90 days report either and sometimes I'm staying for more than half a year without going abroad. Just made my one-year-extension and new multiple re-entry permit at Suan Plu and have been far over the 90 days at that point. Nobody mentioned anything.

When I'm coming back from abroad the entry stamp (= admitted until ...) always follows the valid re-entry permit (= valid until ...). So if the one-year-extension has just been granted shortly before this might show a period of almost a year.

I really don't understand what this 90 days report is all about. Never did it, never had any problems though.

I can definitely confirm what @ podgey said.

I had my dog at Steve's kennel for the whole last week and was very happy (... so was my dog ). You can PM me for Steve's phone number.

" what is it with germans and ladyboys? "

Another Paedo Arrested In Pattaya

Hi guys

I am very sorry for England ... ha ha ha, not really

Who was so delighted after Germany's out ? You always forget who has one of the worldwide most successful football teams. Who has been a three-times European champion and a three-times world champion ? England or Germany ? And who has been in the finals of the world championships in 2002 ?

Mai pen rai, see u in 2006 !