WinnieTheKhwai

Sigh.. oh well, I'll just have to do all the raping and pillaging between 4am and midnight the next day. If I can get up that early.

Can we do a list of all the current checkpoints around town? For example, are there any on the Canal Road, Southbound?

The only ones I know of are Sridonchai Road between the moat and Chang Klan, then on Chang Klan near the interesection where teh Buarawong apartment is, and on the Hang Dong road at the Land Transport Department, so just before you get to Big C and the Ring road underpass.

How about Suthep Road?

My personal strategy is to highlight the most asinine part of a post and just add a:

Wow..

Banks don't actually send you statements in this country. It's all very 1960's when it comes to banking.

Slightly patronizing, but overall probably well meant and stating several obvious truths. Nice break from the usual hate speech in that publication.

I was fined 400 baht for this one. It doesn't seem to apply to parking in sois though, or maybe it does but it's not enforced. It actually makes sense if you think about it. The driver is positioned on the right side of the car and moves left in to oncoming traffic. This is potentially quite a dangerous maneuver.

Yes. For example, the driver could forget to look behind him for any traffic coming towards him driving on the wrong side of the road.

What made my fine a completely uniquely Thai experience was that after the policemen issued me the ticket, he rode off on the wrong side of the road in to the flow of traffic. This still makes me laugh and the story has bored many a drinking companion over the years.

Right!

Anything better than wasting away at home on internet forums. I didn't come to Thailand for that.

Says the one with 3k-plus posts in couple years.

30 minutes or so is not wasting away. Gives me something to do while on the toilet or in the bathtub. (Or in bed, having a coffee right now.)

Personally I think the issue is that when you get fed this steady stream of pro-government propaganda, celf-censored and with some topics entirely kept out off news reports, then any regular reporting by international news media will seem biased by comparison. In fact the bias was in the biased and self-censored Thai press. The Nation actually dared raise the issue of bias on the part of CNN today; completely ludicrous.. Throwing stones from a glass house.

There is a long list of magazines and viewpoints that you won't ever get to read in this country. Read ALL of the established publications, from Newsweek and the Economist to the Wall Street Journal. Right, those are all biased and The Nation is not??? wake up!

While off topic, I think it's important to note that the Southern unrest applies specifically to the former Pattani state, where ethnic Malay/Yawi speaking people live. That's a very different ethnic background from most Muslim Thais, who are very much Thai and live all over Thailand, though more in the Southern provinces, but North of the Deep South: Pattani, Narithiwat, Yala and parts of Songkhla.

It's more a territorial /ethnic background dispute than a religious one. Same same Northern Ireland before, or possibly even Palestine. The root cause is not religion, the root cause is "We want this piece of land for ourselves and throw out anyone not like us."

As part of the licensing scheme, don't forget getting shots and being neutered, Orang, and getting an RFID implant. As long as you're a law abiding non-citizen, non-resident, who could argue with that? Also there's an opportunity to fit everyone ankle bracelets, that would mean 90 day reporting may no longer be necessary. Progress.

Don't be silly, there will be elections. (2011 at the latest)

The larger issue however, as commented on in recent Newsweek and Economist articles (PM me for links), is that elections results are time and again thrown out through undemocratic means, including military coup, frivolous court rulings, and horse trading in parliament. Like one of those magazines said: "Whatever it takes, other than elections". This is the perception among non-Democrat voters at the moment. (Which includes far more people than Red/UDD people, obviously (and fortunately)).

How about all the wimps & people that are scared of there own shadow stay home so the rest of us can go enjoy ourselves?

That's exactly what I do. (Chiang Mai). No hassle from anyone if you're out at night. It's a big farce.

It's silly wannabe-Burma or something, or trying to kill the economy and tourism once and for all. The only people who really care are tourists who will stay home. Good job.

Night buses are running, provided they leave before curfew starts. To be sure, call your favorite bus company, or drop by at the Arcade Terminal.

For example, the Nakhon Chai Air call center is 0-2936-0009 (www.nca.co.th )

Scofflaws generally get their comeuppance with a weighted baton to the head....eventually.

Don't worry, it will come, when they least expect it.

Hmm.. That may be a somewhat inflammatory message; I hope it won't disrupt the discussion or upset any participants.

Anyway, I'll let you know when it happens. Anything better than wasting away at home on internet forums. I didn't come to Thailand for that.

*Not sure if you've spent any time out recently (or just in Chiang Mai in general) but LOADS of people don't take it very seriously, very much including the military at checkpoints!

What time did you park? You can't park there during morning and afternoon rush hours, even when not red (or yellow) and white.

Deaths that arise from a political protest do not change the definition of the protesters.

If deaths are being caused by protesters, of course it changes how we define them. How could it not?

Ah. Now I'm waiting to hear what we will call the military.

(Reminder: dozens of protesters and a few journalists got slaughtered, most of them unarmed, or carrying only stuff you'd find in any garden shed.)

We got a little rain. not much, but cooled things down a bit.

^ Did you get the impression (yesterday) that the curfew is more enforced now that the hours are more enforceable?

I basically stopped reading the news forum for this reason. At most I throw in a couple pearls sometimes when I come across a good link or thought, but I don't really bother to debate it as it's all pretty pointless and ultimately fruitless. It's good for the keyboard warriors to have their own padded room though.

In my view curfews help all of us if they are obeyed. They enable police to concentrate on crime and move quickly to incidents with the assumption that no one is there on the roads validly. By curfew breaking relying on falang status to be excused hurts all in thailand.

That would make total sense if one supported the military/government's actions, and thought the continued curfew is needed for Chiang Mai (and all other provinces outside BKK). Anyway, this gets very close to 'debate', instead of useful updates.

36 arrested so far in Bangkok for breaking curfew. Any takers in Chiang Mai?

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/36-ar...y-30130059.html

Official reason may be breaking curfew, but it's of course a tool to be able to arrest anyone who is deemed suspicious.

Won't stop me going out in Chiang Mai! (Plus I can think of a couple good reasons.. not difficult.)

A hot guy on a fino, is going to look like a hot guy. Period. imo. Im sure most women think the same

A hot guy on a Fino won't ever look as hot as any guy in a Benz...

On the fino you dont feel like you are going for a visit to the gynecologist!

I would hereby like to officially issue the Quote of the Day Award.

> unless, of course, you do just want bar girls and dodgy farang, in which case you don't need any assistance

Why not both, on occasion? Plus there's the places WITHOUT Farang, but WITH money grabbing girls. Bless 'em.

> Do drivers own their own songtaew or are they rented from the 'family' that seems to have a monopoly on

> public transport here? I thought they were rented by the day.

I'd say most are owned by the drivers themselves.