Utley

Actually, some list that the chart should include numerous information & limited info in terms of income and such while others say it is just a list of accounts with the account ID type while other still say it is a listing of your entire asset, liability, equity, income, cost of sales, expense, other income, and other expense accounts.

It depends on how much detail you want to keep in your general ledger. For example, most manufacturing companies have a stand alone inventory system to keep track of the thousands of parts they use; they would never put all that detail into the general ledger using the chart of accounts. The information is generally summarized on a monthly basis and journal entries made from the summary data.

I employed an MBA grad on arrival in 2000 at a good salary and after a month things were fine until I asked her to set up a chart of accounts! The response was 'What's that?"

I do not think any MBA graduate would understand the request. Do you mean a spread sheet listing? What info did you want in the chart? Providing clear and comprehensible instructions to personnel is a key part of getting things done.

A chart of accounts is a series of categories to track and report your assets, liabilities and equity (cash, vehicles, inventory, receivables, payables, etc.). If her MBA was in accounting, yes she should be able to create a chart of accounts once she had a grasp of the business's normal transactions.

But n the other hand, the US is in fiscal crisis due to its banking and fiscal management by the Fed and others. It has been in debt for trillions of dollars (literally) for decades and right now there is no way out. Their currency will not buy what it used to and there has to be a levelling. The hiccup could throw the USD to 25 Baht (my prediction) but Thailand cannot really stop that or fend off the fall. If the US were to devalue that far, China, Russia and Europe would become the major's and the US will be left to flounder.

When countries live on credit and social security there is not much you can do when continuing to tax business and PAYE salary earners to pay for the mismanagement. It is a death spiral and about time.

The Fed doesn't create the debt, Congress does with the approval of the President. The Fed merely does it's job by funding the debt while trying to control inflation in the process.

It is Congress that controls the purse strings!

Thailand is one of the most tourist-friendly destination in the world, and it is no coincidence that Bangkok and Chiang Mai were voted the best cities in the world in a recent tourism survey. There are scams and theft in Asia, and much more in Vietnam and Cambodia.

I wouldn't take those type of "awards" too seriously. I suspect the recipient cities pay substantially for the honor buy placing very expensive advertisements.

When "respect for the rule of law" is a national joke, you have to expect the worst but that doesn't mean you have to accept it.

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty."

Thomas Jefferson

Third President of the United States of America

Principal author of the U.S. Declaration of Independence

For retribution and satisfaction, and to take it to how things are REALLY done in Thailand, the Saudis should just start taking the laws into their own hands on Thai soil. Since it seems that all key players were killed 20 years ago, the Saudis should just start eliminating who they know is a part of the whole scheme, one by one. And use a very, very dull knife. If they're ever caught, just claim 'diplomatic immunity'.

Correct me if I am wrong but I don't believe that "diplomatic immunity" apples to homicide.

I am not sure what you mean by "night market" but if you are referring to something like the night market in Chiang Mai or the Lumpini Night Bazaar in Bangkok then the answer is no.

There is a large market along the river in central NS but it's mainly food and used by the locals so I would assume it closes fairly early.

There is a relatively new market place about a mile west of Big C but that is more of a farmers market and not open late.

<snip> there were the odd groups of special forces in the area <snip>

Nignoy, I'd be curious to know what role the special forces were playing in Thailand in the mid-60's. I've tried to get some info on the Internet but came up dry. If you happen to know, that is.

First to answer a previous question, VC specifically refers to the Viet Cong, the South Vietnamese rebel group (officially known as the NLF or the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam) whose purpose was to support the NVA infiltrating the south.

In order to eradicate the VC infrastructure which was very well established, the Phoenix program was started to gather intelligence and "neutralize"key NLF figures. While indigenous personnel were preferred, U.S. Special Forces did participate.

In Laos, Cambodia and Thailand however it was primarily MACV-Sog rather than the Special Forces.

I took my first R&R in Bangkok while serving in Vietnamin 1969. The exchange rate at that time was 20 baht to the dollar; bar fines were 250 baht. The only P4P options I recall were the bars on Patpong or fish bowl massage parlors.

There were many more canals in Bangkok at that time and I remember the smell being even worse than Saigon.

My buddy, our Thai rental girl friends and I took a tour down the Chaya Praya to the Royal Palace. A German on board the small boat started mouthing off about how the American GIs were ruining Bangkok. Since we obviously looked like GIs having very short hair cuts, I assumed his comments were directed at us. I had had enough of his big mouth and decided to toss him off the boat to see if he could swim in the choppy river – after all I had nothing to lose. What were they going to do to me – cut off my hair and send me to Vietnam? Oh, that's right, they had already done that.

I got up and made my move towards big mouth but was stopped by my buddy and our two Thai companions. The German's face went very pale and he did shut up for the rest of the trip. Apparently he figured out that insulting two young soldiers who were soon returning to combat was not a very good idea.

I do recall that the 5.5 ton Golden Buddha at Wat Traimit was in a very small building in the middle of a school playground. No guards, no ticket takers, no vendors, just small children playing at recess.

The major Thai banks now have kiosks in the baggage claim area. While waiting for your bags you can exchange your currency.

Thailand is generally known for three things: very beautiful women, great golf, and corruption. Two positives and one negative ain't all that bad.

I can personally vouch for the Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok. I had a sudden hearing loss problem and I found them to be very competent and low cost as they are government run. The price they charge for meds however is a little high.

About four years ago I applied for a fiancé visa for my now Thai wife. She had a job in Thailand, had two Thai bank accounts and owned a condo. She dressed conservatively and went for her appointment; had no problem getting her visa.

We went to the U.S., got married and returned to Thailand and recorded our marriage with the Thai Government. A year later we applied for her tourist visa so we could attend my sister's wedding in the U.S. We filled out the paperwork, provided the same documentation and she went for her interview. The U.S. Embassy person who interviewed her was very surprised that she did not stay in the U.S.on the previous trip as she had a fiancé visa which, when married, automatically leads to a green card and eventually citizenship. She told him that I am retired and we preferred to live full time in Thailand. He was impressed and gave my wife a tourist visa good for multiple entries over a 10 year period.

For us dealing with the U.S. Embassy was easy once we learned how to deal with their bureaucracy. Be aware however that the interview is all important; more important than the documentation. The U.S. Consulars are well trained and ask specific questions during the interview process for specific reasons. If the Thai applicant appears overly nervous, does not maintain eye contact, or doesn't dress well then regardless of the documentation there will be no visa.

I wonder if they will identify the 150b international transaction ATM fee as being unfair?!...somehow I think not!

or the charge they make you pay for changing small change into notes, and the fee i was once charged for paying in 3000 baht in small change into my account, apparently to pay for the time and energy taken to count the money that was already counted and bagged ready for the teller to put it on their money scales.

International fee is beyond Bank of Thailand jurisdiction.

Anyway, you people can afford it.

"Anyway, you people can afford it" is an insulting, racist comment and I ask the forum moderators to remove it!

Per Wikipedia: "For centuries, Pattaya was a small fishing village. But a change occurred on April 26, 1961, when the first group of about 100 American servicemen who were fighting in the Vietnam War arrived in Pattaya for relaxation. From this beginning, Pattaya became a popular beach resort which now attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. Fishermen's huts along the beach were replaced by resort hotel and shopping malls. Fishing vessels were adapted to become tourist boats." : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattaya

I took an R&R in '69 in Bangkok but never made it down to Pattaya.

I don’t believe that improving the fate of the rural poor was a motivating factor of the financial backers of the red shirt protest movement. They simply used simmering social unrest to their own advantage. Nor do I think it was a matter of Thaksin trying to get back into Thailand. Thaksin was probably as much of a dupe in this thing as Joe Somchai was.

Whoever started this thing was playing a high powered chess game to be in control of the national government during the all important month of September when the new heads of the military and police will be appointed. Whoever is in control in September will appoint his own people to head up the police and military thereby being in a position to dictate who will be the “successor” when the time comes.

The Thai/Chinese power family(s) who choose the successor will be in a position to control Thailand for generations to come.

That’s my best take on the red shirt protest scenario.

I agree with the article in the previous post from LA Times but even this capitalist rebellion is not going to change anything. The reds simply do not have the education or skills to compete in the modern economy. For how many centuries can you farm rice with buffalo while the rest of the world is using chemistry and futures trading to do the same? Much of it is the governments fault but then again it's the people's responsibility to elect good officials. I think these people are a lost cause and not much will change in my lifetime.

I hope you are about 85 yo then.

The farmers are using more chemicals and agricultural machines,generaly speaking.The farmers grow other products too,and many Issan folks dont rely on rice,where have you been tilak.

The Issan folk are survivers and some good education would enhance their huge potential

I really think that education is the key and a prerequisite for democracy to really work. However that is not going to be provided by a system where non-English speaking Thais are hired to teach English.

so how many european teachers dont speak correct English????

The point is that an education system that employs people to teach a subject of which they have no knowledge isn't going to impart much wisdom on the student. The kids are no better off after they graduate than before.

I agree with the article in the previous post from LA Times but even this capitalist rebellion is not going to change anything. The reds simply do not have the education or skills to compete in the modern economy. For how many centuries can you farm rice with buffalo while the rest of the world is using chemistry and futures trading to do the same? Much of it is the governments fault but then again it's the people's responsibility to elect good officials. I think these people are a lost cause and not much will change in my lifetime.

I hope you are about 85 yo then.

The farmers are using more chemicals and agricultural machines,generaly speaking.The farmers grow other products too,and many Issan folks dont rely on rice,where have you been tilak.

The Issan folk are survivers and some good education would enhance their huge potential

I really think that education is the key and a prerequisite for democracy to really work. However that is not going to be provided by a system where non-English speaking Thais are hired to teach English.

8>< SNIP NESTED QUOTES DELETED ><8

So you are saying that the red shirt leaders who are made up of provincial wealthy elite, are concerned that the national government will begin to clean house and put them out on the street. That is why they fabricated the "red shirt" movement and enlisted the backing of the rural poor; to try to stop the national government from cleaning up the provinces.

An interesting thesis probably not without merit.

I don't think that the services - food, PA equipment etc. - provided at protest sites were provided by poor farmers, nor by the BMA. Do we really believe that there are wealthy altruists who would pay so much for the benefit of their peasant brethren? They should be easy to identify, from the enlightened labour practices in their businesses, and the joy, harmony and solidarity that they share with their workers. Or perhaps, the people that funded these demonstrations (regardless of any question of recompense for lost wages etc.) exploit the poor just as their less-enlightened peers do, in which case why are they funding this struggle?

My apologies for offering more questions than answers, but the gentle reader will ignore anything I tell him, and will only believe the opinions that he forms for himself

SC

Did I miss something here?

Wow, those authors really have no idea what they're talking about regarding Thailand

Would you care to elaborate?

Well let's not forget "Thaksin" promising riches beyond their wildest dreams.

A few posters seem to indicate the Thai farmers should retrain and become techies or futures traders... rather funny actually as the growing market for commodities and agricultural goods with the world's increasing population will pay good dollars in the future particularly once the world economy increases.

A good point brought forward is the middle men making all the money in the rice production. Precisely. Why did Thaksin do nothing about this? They are being more exploited in their own territory than in Bangkok. However, you can bet the rice distributors own most of the politicians in the north east and did so when Thaksin was in power.

Reforms are needed nationwide but the farmers certainly should band together and create their own distribution network similar to the co-operative structure in North America.

I don’t think you can blame Thaksin for Thailand’s current social problems. Thailand’s social problems have been simmering for years; Thaksin was just ahead of his time in that he found a way to exploit those social problems for his own personal gain using modern communication technology; and pissed off the old guard in the process.

As I have stated in previous posts, had Thaksin shared the profits from the sale of Shin Corporation with the Privy Council as expected, he would still be PM today.

I read one interesting point of view of life in Asia in that, regardless of the type of government employed, it is the “power families” who are in control and have been for over 1,000 years.

In Asian countries that have “democracy”, it is the powerful family members who control the elections and get elected. In Asian countries that have “one party rule”, that one party is made up of interlocking powerful families.

Perhaps Asia and more specifically Southeast Asia has yet to evolve beyond feudalism! Perhaps that is the underlying problem holding Thailand back.

I agree with the article in the previous post from LA Times but even this capitalist rebellion is not going to change anything. The reds simply do not have the education or skills to compete in the modern economy. For how many centuries can you farm rice with buffalo while the rest of the world is using chemistry and futures trading to do the same? Much of it is the governments fault but then again it's the people's responsibility to elect good officials. I think these people are a lost cause and not much will change in my lifetime.

I tend to agree with your observations. I do not understand why the average Thai does not improve his lot in life. For example, the Thai rice farmer today barely scrapes together a living while the rice mill owners and rice traders make huge profits. It was the same situation in the U.S. in the 1800's but there the wheat farmers banded together and formed their own cooperatives thereby eliminating the mill owners and traders. Why doesn't that sort of thing happen in Thailand? Is it cultural?

This article in the Los Angeles Times really hit the Thai nail on the head: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,6930804.story

In part it says: “Perhaps the most obvious lesson from Thailand, one heavily underlined by the anti-government protesters, is the growing gap between haves and have-nots — those who have benefited from globalization's riches and those left behind.

Poverty is hardly new to Southeast Asia. But in recent years, the expectations of the poor have been raised by the media and opportunistic politicians, some argue, with limited policy follow-through, even as opportunities for those at the bottom have foundered, neighboring China powers ahead and the rich in Southeast Asia have become more ostentatious.

Whereas an earlier generation of rising Asian economies — Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore — saw many poor farmers slide into well-paying factory jobs in the cities, as have millions recently in China, most such people in Southeast Asia have never gotten that opportunity.

Economies in Southeast Asia are smaller, and most governments failed to use a rush of foreign investment before the 1997 Asian financial crisis to jump-start education, upgrade skills and leapfrog beyond cheap-labor economies.

Now, as China booms ahead with higher efficiency and plentiful investment capital, many Southeast Asian nations find themselves increasingly squeezed, leaving those at the bottom with low-paying jobs in tourism and related service sectors.

All the while, the poor are watching a privileged nouveau riche class in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Manila driving flashy cars, traveling abroad and doing increasingly well.

Fanning the flames of resentment are corruption, weak institutional reform, political intransigence and use of the courts to frustrate upward political mobility.”

I used my Thai drivers license in the U.S. two years ago to rent a car with no problem.

If you want a definitive answer, why don't you email the Aussie and Brit embassies in BKK and ask them.