pacovl46

HI, I just got a black D-Tracker X 2 days ago in Chiang Mai. Apparently the waiting list is pretty short when you pay cash - ordered on saturday with BHT 1000 deposit (surely a first!), came on wednesday. They seem to be selling like hot cakes, two others were sold while I was getting mine.

I am no expert but it's certainly a lot of fun to drive. It's no racing bike but it has very good handling and I have to say it's super easy to ride. It's my first real bike and I had no troubles. Acceleration is perfect, but top speed was 110kph which seemed a bit low. I am thinking it might get faster once I got a few kms on the engine.

Rode it from Chiang Mai to Pai with a smile on my face all the way

Of course I am already thinking about tuning it. Maybe you experts can tell me what would be the best upgrade for a little extra power. Replacing the muffler? Twiddling with the FI (fuel injection) settings?

How much did you pay for the bike? I came across one 2 days ago in bkk. Impressive sound and looks to kill but didn't stand a chance against my cbr 150 ;-) I'm thinking about getting one but a top speed of only 110 is a bit slow for my taste.

A BRITISH man is facing a two-year sentence in a hellish Thai prison for being 'rude' to an official.

Voice reader Simon Burrowes, from Wembley, north London, was ending a holiday with a friend when Thai authorities in Phuket airport detained him on January 31, preventing him from returning to the UK.

Immigration officials suspected Burrowes' passport was a forgery. Speaking to The Voice via phone from Thailand, Burrowes said: "A woman at immigration was looking at my passport and then handed it to the man behind her. I was ushered to sit down whilst he took out a magnifying glass and proceeded to check my passport for half an hour," he explained.

He was told that he was not getting on the plane and was taken to a detention centre, whilst his friend Matthew was able to fly back to the UK. Burrowes said: "I'm a black man so I'm used to getting hassle at airports, but I was shocked by this." For three weeks, the 44-year old was held with 126 men in a cramped prison cell.

"Thai prisons are notorious for being some of the worst. There is no privacy. You go to the toilet in the open and there is no toilet paper. There were guys in there that had scabies and were next to me," said Burrowes.

He contacted the British Consulate, who confirmed his passport was genuine. However, the disgruntled Brit claims that the Consulate should have done more, saying that they took long to react to his case.

"I was disgusted and beside myself. People talk of them [the British Consulate] like they are the cavalry. If you have issues abroad they come charging to help. But they didn't really help me," he fumed. Burrowes was later charged with 'rude and aggressive behaviour' towards an immigration officer, a claim he denies, and was released on £2,000 bail. He must remain in Thailand until his trial begins on April 26, and his lawyer has warned he could face a two-year jail sentence.

"I have to find some way to sustain myself financially while I am here. I went to Thailand to enjoy the land, learn the culture and spend some money. It's turned into a nightmare," he said. Burrowes is hoping that he will soon be able to fly back to the UK.

"If they find me guilty, who knows what will happen. I met people in prison who are doing five years for having two spliffs on them. It's very difficult to hold yourself up in a Thai prison. I feel very bitter about what has happened," he said. A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London told The Voice they are

looking into the case.

Link to story here.

It would appear that he swore at the immigration official, criticised Thailand & snatched his passport back, so on that basis he got what he deserved & if he does receive a prison sentence, he has only himself to blame - end of discussion. I'd just add that I've no sympathy for him whatsoever.

hmm, let's see. He's got a real passport from the UK. He's black. They tell him his passport is fake and check it for 30 minutes until they finally come to the conclusion it's real. They still let him miss his flight, he probably got upset about it and said a few things and now probably ends up in jail for 2 years, and YOU THINK THAT'S JUSTIFIED????? I just hope the same happens to you and they give you 5 years, how about that???

In continuing to fight, and to try to damage the country's reputation overseas, he is also damaging his own reputation, which is sad. He should keep quiet, negotiate the return of most of his frozen-assets, and accept that the world has moved on.

"damage the country's reputation overseas"?

The ones who damage the country's reputation is the Army who made a coup in 2006 and those who are protecting PAD now. What are the reasons they don't arrest PAD?

In a true democracy system, Army will protect the country from emergency, not to make coups.

If someone drives me away from my home, I won't keep quiet and won't negotiate.

The world has moved on but someone still jumps on his back and gives him 2 years in jail. Why? His wife bought a land with no fault and no corruption and he signed ok for her to buy according to the law. But another law does not allow him to do this. Criminal of the century!

The world all watch Thailand where a PM was down because of his cooking shows and a whole bunch who slept 3 months in Government House, had violent protest in front of Parliament House and finally slept a week in 2 main airports are still free and has set up concerts (meetings?) here and there in Thailand.

Are you f*cking kidding me??? It's against the law for any member of parliament inclusive their spouses to buy land from the government. And they bought it for about half of its real value. That's why he got 2 years!!! Well deserved in my opinion. And that he's a criminal in so many ways is definitely out of question.

And by the way, they didn't want to drive him away from his country, they wanted to drive him into jail, but the f***** fled.

Thaksin is a megalomaniac. If he had just gone away after the coup they would have let him go, but he had to play the victim and open his big mouth and just wouldn't let it go. I want to see him going to jail for one reason only: if it had been you or me, we would have disappeared behind bars no questions asked\, but he's got money and that makes all the difference.

He's a whimsical piece of ****. All I hear is how bad they bullied him. So fricking what??? It's not like he didn't deserve it, and in his heyday he was the biggest bully of all of them!!!

I really hope that he runs out of money as soon as possible, because without it his so "loyal" supporters will abandon him in no time.

so when a group of kids are yelling to the next group of kids in a different row in a theater and ruining the experience for the rest of the audience, and I tell them to stop, I am embarrassing myself?

No, you're not. I'm with you there all the way!

yes

no, he isn't!!! there's nothing more annoying than people or kids or whatever talking all the time in a movie theater. i'd tell them to be quiet, too!

Instead of closing the thread, lets have a civil discussion about it...

We know for a fact that an underage female student being shagged/raped by a male teacher could face serious psychological problems afterwards and possibly later in life.

My question is: Would a male student suffer similar problems, or will he not?

of course not. he had the time of his (short) life ;-)

This evening I wanted to do so sports so I went out for a bicycle ride.

I always take my wallet with credit cards, bank cards, drivers license and identity card with me.

I don't know why, but I had a strange feeling today, so for the first time I decided only to take money and 1 bankcard with me. I had a watch on.

When I came back it was already dark. A motorcycle tried to stop me, but it didn't stop. The area was deserted, there were no houses. He asked for my money. I said: "I have no money" (in Thai). I could keep him busy for a while by giving 2 times a 20 Baht bill. He acted several times as he would pull a gun and even counted down for the moment he would shoot. But I think he didn't have a gun. After that he tried to "ask" for my watch. I said I didn't want to give it. I could keep him busy a bit longer by trying to stop the cars that were passing (all while I was riding bicycle). Finally we passed a big gass station and I entered there. He got bored or scared and went away.

I had 2000B with me. He got 40 baht.

The owner of the gas station called the police. The police brought me home (about 15 kms down the road).

I live in Thailand for 1 year now. This is the second time I got robbed.

Do you have tips how you can protect yourself without violating the law and without making the situation more dangerous?

Where can I buy these things?

batons and the like are illegal in thailand, despite the fact that you can get them anywhere. pepper spray is a good idea. i suggest to you to take up aikido. here's the link to the aikido association in thailand:[email protected]. you also might want to buy a jo. it's a wooden stick that's used by several martial arts. if the police stop you with one of these you can tell them you've got it because of the dogs.

And they know it was a Burmese how? Would be so easy to blame them.

that's very easy to answer. thais would "never" do that. so it must have been the poor burmese who just happened to be working close by.

God. Don't they have anything better to do??? I can't believe it!!! Viagra is legal in Thailand, so all they got is the porn. The whole thing is pathetic!

another typical case of "thai hammer and nail"

nice birthday present the lady got.

i wish the guys all the best and a speedy recovery!!!

Sometimes when filling up at the gas station back home (in Austin), it takes me an extra second or two to remind myself to actually get out of my car to fill my own tank.

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

THAT WAS A GOOD ONE MAN!!!!

gotta feel sorry for the guy, to be backstabbed and betrayed by so many people . reminds me of the war in iraq , it sounded good at the time and many people were exctited at the smell of blood but look at the mess down the road.

you gotta be fricking kidding man. thaksin is a criminal, and even if he got backstabbed (which i refuse to believe, in my opinion he just got what he had coming anyway) he'd still deserve prosecution for the things he did, and that's that. if it had been average joe committing his crimes he would have disappeared behind bars a long time ago. only his money kept him from facing the music so far, and LUCKILY it's running out now.

This seems like another ill thought out and ill conceived idea. As southerndown has mentioned, not all Thais like Farangs in the country, and petty things like this often reinforce such beleifs.

I'd be interested to know whan they actually closed down the counter, and if they have actually given any prior warning that this was going to happen. I can imagine that this is going to cause a few problems in the coming weeks, and once again casuses further inconveniences to those that need a re-entry permit. I am glad that I have multiple rentry permit, as I can't stand going to Suan Plu. Luckikly I can do the 90 day report at Rasa tower, which is much more conveneint for me, and much less of a zoo.

The whole thing seems rather curious, given that they are now waiving visa fee's, maybe it's a cunning plan to stop people leaving the country.

i can't remember when they closed it down, but i received at least two emails from thai-visa notifying me of it and it was also in the newspapers

Shocking and a disgrace.

Will the "authorities" prosecute the people who are responsible?

the real question is: "will the responsible people pay off the authorities?"

This doesn't make sense. He is found with drugs and clearly is supplying them (drugs in sealed bags). The police say he can face up to 20 years in jail, yet they allow him bail and he intends to go to Germany prior to his court hearing. Does anyone really think he will return to Thailand to answer the charges?

Have I missed something here???

Simon

r u fuc_king kidding me??? just because the drugs were packed in bags doesn't mean that he intended to sell them. maybe he just bought the drugs for his own pleasure and most likely they came in bags???

i just ran into a friend of mine who told me the following story:

he got a bike from down the road from his apartment to not far away, knowing it would be a 30B ride. the guy asked for 50 and my mate refused. the guy got aggressive, so my mate just walked off, the guy came after him of course, and my mate gave him 40b and said that was it. the guy got really agro and asked him if he lived int that apartment, and told him to watch his back, and that he should be scared, and yada yada yada. my mate isnt too concerned, but we have both heard stories as u do.

well, i had very little advice to give...anyone else?

<he didnt get the number of the guys shirt, or the bike reg., though this could be arranged>

sorry if this is incoherent, im writing in a hurry...

the f.....s think they can charge you double because you are falang and then when you don't wanna pay up they even think they have the right to get angry??? fuc_k them. I'm so tired of getting ripped off by those anti-social subjects.. I'd go to the police and tell them that he threatend you. I had the same problem once with a motorcycle-taxi guy. he wanted to charge me 20 baht over the normal fare. i refused to pay that and instead offered to pay him what's right. when he didn't wanna take the money i just dropped it on the floor and walked away. no threats, though, but since it's been at the border to cambodia and i was exiting the country a threat wouldn't have made sense anyway.

the best thing is to negotiate the price BEFORE you even get on the bike, that way there won't be any nasty surprises afterwards.

Extension of stay based on retirement requires 800.000 baht on Thai bank for at least 3 months.

You can also apply with letter from your embassy that you have 65.000/month in income.

No 1 or No2, or a combination of the above.

You can apply for extension of stay based on retirement on Jan 1st the same year you turn 50.

I thought I read in the BKK post a while ago that they lowered the requiered monthly income to 40,000 a month, but I wouldn't bet my right hand on that one.

Snakes. Round up a bunch of those cobras from the swamps and turn them lose inside the building. That will make everyone a little nervous and on edge and likely to leave.

And you could film it. Snakes in an Airport. Sequal to Snakes on a Plane.

snakes wouldn't do anything except landing in a pot to be eaten!!!

In the early hours of Thursday Morning, Pattaya Police were called to a fight in progress outside a motorbike repair shop in Soi 17, South Pattaya. Two men were fighting each other and had both sustained injuries including stab wounds.

The men appeared to be fighting because of tattoos the two men were showing off to each other.

The incident began when the two men, who were part of a larger group, went drinking together. Khun Tirashai aged 23 lifted his shirt and showed-off traditional Buddhist Bamboo Tattoos on his body which he claimed would protect him from shootings or stabbings.

The other man, Khun Gitisak of the same age, then lifted his shirt to show-off his tattoos which he claimed would offer him the same protection. This soon led to a physical altercation where both men stabbed, punched and kicked each other to test out who had the better protection.

Both men came off with injuries and were later arrested and taken to Pattaya Police Station where they were charged with criminal damage and fighting in a public place.

Pattaya One News

they should be ashamed of themselves, pretending to be Englismen

When will the Thais finally come to their senses and stop believing this superstitious bullshit like, I've got a religious tattoo and now I'm invinvible. It's so pathetic!!!!!!! Sometimes I feel like I'd love to put a fricking bullet in his knee cap just to make a point.

some foreigners in Thailand are into tattoos, one can see few shops in tourist areas that cater for this fetish. I don't have any tattoos, never had but I'm curious to know how you define someone as "heavily tattooed". At what point does one become heavily tattooed? Sleeves? Backpiece? What we talking in skin estate, 40%, 80% or more of your skin covered in tattoos? Also were these people heavily tattooed in their own country or become so after emigrating to Thailand?

What is your opinion? It'd be also interesting to know if they face discrimination from Thai society, be it at work, socialising, dealing with landlords when searching for rented accommodation, dealing with bank managers, in restaurants, shopping malls etc...

Well, I see lots of Thais with lots of tattooes, but i'm not sure if they are discriminated because of it. I just know that lots of Thai motorbike gangs use lots of tattoes and they are certainly frowned upon.

But in general I'd say one or two tattoes are not necessarily a reason to be discriminated in Thailand.

8 injured in another bomb attack outside Government House

BANGKOK: -- Eight protesters were injured, one severely, after two assailants launched a grenade at them at the Misakawan Intersection outside the Government House early Saturday.The attack was made at 2:10 am against a group of some 20 protesters who were standing and talking outside a gate of the Government House.

Anupong Samerphak, 22, was hit by bomb shrapnel at his body and neck. Ramathibodi Hospital doctors had to put him on respiratory system.

Eyewitnesses said two teenagers parked their motorcycle near the back gate of the Metropolitan Police head office and used a grenade launcher to launch a grenade at the protesters. The two fled the scene on Phitsanulok Road.

The injured protesters were standing near the Fifth Gate of the Government House Complex opposite from the Education Ministry.

The explosion caused a small hole in the ground and damaged two pick-up trucks, a sedan car and a motorcycle near the scene.

Maj Gen Anan Srihiran, commander of the Metropolitan Police Division 1, rushed to the scene with bomb disposal officers to carry out an investigation.

Pongchai Saetang, 42, a taxi driver, told police that he was waiting at the intersection for passengers when he saw a red light in the air, which was followed by a loud noise shortly.

He said the explosion occurred at the spot where about 20 people were talking.

The taxi driver said he saw two young men fleeing on their motorcycle on Phitsanulok heading to the Wang Daeng intersection.

The two men were about 200 metres away from the explosion spot when they ran to their motorcycle and fled, the taxi driver said.

The seven other injured were identified as Wirat Piangsajja, 54, Somchai Wongsonthi, 44, Pongchanok Kanchana-amorndej, 31, Samrerng Buachan, 26, Prakrong Hachai, 38, Narong Nakiam, 64 and Ekkapol Sahawat, 33.

All of them were rushed to the Ramathibodi Hospital by the PAD guards.

It was the second bomb attack after the tacit ceasefire during the royal cremation period.

Early Thursday, a grenade was launched at protesters inside the Government House complex, killing one and injuring more than 20 others.

The Thursday bomb prompted the PAD to declare war and plan a mass rally outside Parliament Sunday to try to speed up the downfall of the government.

-- The Nation 2008-11-22

welcome to amazing "iraq, afghansitan, etc"

I want to see the f..... go to jail simply for one reason: If it had been average Joe who had committed these crimes he would have gone to jail with no questions asked!!!

What I want him to go to jail for the most are the more than 2500 extrajudicial killings he ordered in his "war" against drugs. He said back then that he's gonna clean Thailand within 3 months!!!!! of drugs. This just proves that he's a delusionla megalomaniac.

And someone who's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO fricking stupid and handles his criminal activities in a way that even the stupiest person on earth can see right through it simply DESERVES to rot in prison for the rest of his life.

I pray to god that the U.K. won't grant him asylum and send him back to Thailand to serve his term.

What I can't understand is, that there are still Thais who support him. I mean how the hel_l can somebody want a criminal like him to reperesent their own country???????????????????????????????????????????????

Looking at buying a small automatic skooter/motosai in the near future. Had originally looked at buying second hand to keep the cost down but really there doesn't seem to be a massive difference in a brand new bike and a 2 year old one (maybe 10k?). I have had a look at the new Honda Icon which seems to fit most of my needs...2 wheels, decent enough looking, don't need to pedal etc etc!

I'm really looking for something to skoot around town but it needs to have enough power to get me the 25km to school from my apartment down the Phetkasem Road in one piece. Having said that I will not be driving like Batman and I believe 130km/h is ridiculously fast to be going on a machine which is little more than a bicycle with an engine!

Back on topic...Has anyone got/know anyone who has got a Honda Icon? Any reviews? More importantly, does anyone know how much they cost? I have heard they are a little cheaper than their counterparts; Nouvo, Click, Fino/Mio etc.

Any info would be appreciated

blindinbothears

hi blind

i saw an icon shortly in a really nice sort of neon pink paint scheme. it really caught my eye. but' that's about all i know about it. did u ever consider a honda airblade? so far i've heard only positive things about it and it also looks nice.

best regards