WinnieTheKhwai

They kind of look like tha Thai Fisherman's Pants that you see all over the night bazar and other markets. Also in the big supermarkets in the run up to Songkran.

What is this shop and where is it? The moat is 4 miles long.

I couldn't really read through all that, but either way it's 10 years late as I've been married roughly that long.

I don't get this fixation on Abhisit anymore than I get a fixation on Thaksin.. Seriously.

Call yourself an expat? Call yourself an old Asia hand? You can't even call yourself a farang until you've taken sides in this dispute!

Get out and buy your shirt NOW.

Right, good point.

Just in case someone took my statement as not having an opinion, or not caring either way. That's not the case at all. I believe there are FAR bigger forces in play than Abhisit or Thaksin. They're squabbling about the day-to-day of who gets to take care of the shop. That was kind of where I was going with not understanding either praising either one of them sky-high, or vilifying one or the other.

I've sent some of the more reasonable people above a PM.

It's hard to have a wider discussion. Especially when there's characters like one or two above, not getting much further than comparing someone to Attila the Hun and then suggesting he should get shot, typically right after blaming the red shirts for advocating violence.

Anyway, I also think it's good to now have really massive or stifling protests. Elections should be coming one way or the other soon anyway.

What do the reds have to offer in compromise? That they will stop hurling toxic body fluids if they get their way?

Compromise? They have offered zero, zil, nada for a compromise.

They did ask that the government to stop slandering them, of course, not even a compromise for their own malicious speeches which PM Abhishit is suing them for.

Nothing but a bunch of clowns.

What they have to offer is what the PM has claimed to be striving for: national reconciliation, peace and harmony. It'll happen sooner or later, one way or the other I think. What you see right now is just jostling for position.

As a side comment, some people (not talking about the OP here) seem to be a bit startled as soon as they're having a conversation with a policeman. Don't be; they're people just like everyone else. Plus, in the very unlikely event you catch a bad apple, answering smilingly and confidently and preferably in Thai (or otherwise showing experience in Thailand) will quickly send the message that there are easier targets out there.

I recall stories from years and years ago from people getting stopped at Ekamai fresh off the bus from Pattaya, with police (or "police") making a deal out of a pack of condoms or whatever. I'd blow those guys out of the water with a lecture on safe sex and/or family planning.

Well, I would take this as a pretty harmless question, with many Thai people genuinely interested what outsiders think of the whole situation.

Therefore my response would not be different compared to the dozens of others who have asked me this.

It would be an observational answer more than an opiniated one. I'm getting very good at that, with all the practice I get on this forum. Instead of saying things like "Abhisit is XXXX" or "Thaksin is XXXX", you poor it into an observational format. "The Red people want to be heard and respected. They like what Mr. Thaksin did for them." "Most people I talk to want things to remain peaceful and respectful first and foremost, it's the Thai way."

That's the way to phrase it here as well, and probably in political conversations generally. Nobody can fault you for stating what you've heard. Then you find out soon enough which way they lean.

Nice pics, thanks for posting!

(Yet another peaceful and orderly protest.. be aware that some people give every impression they don't like seeing that. )

Train to Phitsanulohk and then bus or taxi.

Well, that's nice when you're a tourist, doign it for the experience, but the train takes for-ev-ver to even get to Phitsanulok, and then you still need to get to the bus station and find a bus. I don't think that's a realistic option for anything other than sightseeing. (And I do like that train ride, don't get me wrong)

Yes, standards are good. You really want it to be as easy as possible to move it to a PC/laptop for editing. After that you can turn it into a DVD for example.

The face on the giant TV screen has reached the limits of desperation, and will say anything that could possibly have any impact at all. Funny about a 'class uprising' being incited by a rich SOB traversing the planet in a private jet. Anyway, no need to dissect and analyze what is being said, it's all just blather, and you'd be putting more thought into the words than the person who spoke them. For further entertainment along these lines give a listen to Tom Waits's 'Step Right Up.'

This is like all those conservative guys in the US denouncing elites while they themselves make millions per year for spouting their drivel. Taksin has definitely taken a few notes from these guys. Redshirts equate to the US Teabaggers.

Anyway, what class? These Issani bumpkins don't seem to have much class at all. Oops, does saying that make me an elite?

"Elite"? - no. "Bigot"? - yes.

Why? A bumpkin is an unsophisticated person. How many of the redshirts presently demonstrating would know which fork to use at a fine dining restaurant? It isn't a criticism, it's a fact.

Wow.. I don't think that even requires a reply! (Will issue a hint though, and it's got everything to do with looking down on people and dismissing their aspirations in society.)

Thai economics 101............... Less customers............Increase the price.....

Nope.

If so many cars get reposessed you would expect to be able to get a good bargain. I guess like most things here it defies logic.

Nope, nothing to do with it.

> Is it that the price of a second hand car is decided by the seller's greed?

Nope.

New cars not only require a larger down-payment, but fulfilling the requirements to get the finance is much harder, and for many Thais simply not possible.

Somewhat true.

14 year old Honda purchased originally for 500,000 Baht when the value of the baht was 25 to the USD. Then economic crisis hit in 97 and the baht when to near 50 to the USD. = Value of the Car Doubled

Nope.

Anyway.. I'm getting a numb finger copying and pasting so let's end this:

Used cars are more expensive because the value they represent X years down the road is much higher. This has everything to do with maintenance costs. In the UK if you buy a 10 year old car and the slightest thing goes wrong with it then you're writing it off. Here a mechanic will happily work on it for a day for 500 baht. So, less risk, higher value, longer life expectancy, higher price.

If you don't like this, buy new. Nothing wrong with buying new though you will still lose a percentage just driving it out the showroom.

Next.

> i think this will be a good thread with information about the different cost of living in different parts

More than the part of Thailand it depends on your own lifestyle and priorities. You're 18 and single. I'm 40 with a mortgage and a kid in school.

Not... same.. even though we both live in Chiang Mai.

When I was like you my budget was 15,000-20,000 baht a month and that didn't feel cheap. Currently that amount just about pays for kindergarten and running costs of the cars.

Anyway, here's a link, wihthout any 'link' to Thailand I might add.

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y...sl=nl&tl=en

And one more:

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y...sl=nl&tl=en

Right.. Case closed. Yet another silly topic for the pile.

Topic should probably be closed: Not Thailand Related.

But...

Red shirts threaten to hound PM everywhere

BANGKOK: -- Natthawut Saikua, a red-shirt leader, Thursday vowed to lead protesters to hound Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva no matter where he goes.

"Now, the red-shirt people are on alert. If there is a report that the prime minister attends the House meeting today, we will go there to besiege Parliament to submit our demand directly to him," Natthawut said.

"We will do the same if the prime minister goes into the Government House but we will not break in. We will follow him no matter where he goes."

-- The Nation 2010-03-18

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

Why is this story posted in a thread about an alleged plot to assassinate the prime minister? I haven't seen any official announcement linking the red-shirt demonstrators to any alleged plot, so why is TV making the linkage? Do they know something the official media doesn't know?

Exactly. Was thinking the exact same thing but almost thought what's the point of raising it.

The above link didn't quite make it.

Check here: http://www.pcd.go.th/AirQuality/Regional/Default.cfm

Made a screen shot for you as well.. It's pretty unsettling:

I don't get this fixation on Abhisit anymore than I get a fixation on Thaksin.. Seriously.

This is GREAT! Only concern is that it came out of the direction of Mae Hong Son.. But the air seems clearer already, and the breeze is nice.. Opened all windows across from each other.. lovely!

Tomorrow (or Saturday) the hot season kicks in.

Siam TV has a great selection. The new location on the South moat is excellent, I guess that's where I'd check first.

What I usually do in cases like that is do a rough comparison of what's out there price-wise, and what's on sale. Then google the brand and model number, first in combination with the word 'review' and then in combination with 'price'.

Thing is, for some brands prices are higher than internationally, for others they're competitive. So you'll get a good overview of what's really a good price/value combination.

Even though you say you don't need HD, prices are coming down a lot and as this may be something you'll use for a couple years out, and that any footage that you shoot may be treasured potentially forever, I would consider going for HD. Then again, light sensitivity and stability control is indeed probably more important.

The last election returned the seats for the people who are now Bhumjaithai after they jumped ship. That makes them elected and legitimate members of parliament, and can vote and support anyone who they want.

They were returned as Phue Thai MPs and were bought by the Elite and the military. Bhumjaithai have never stood in an election

and I repeat that as Abhisit was fully aware of what was happening he is as much responsible for the betrayal of the millions of voters whose votes were stolen as those forty MPs are themselves.

Well, words like 'betrayal' aside I don't think this is in dispute. I'd agree with the above.

He knows he has no mandate but he is so thrilled with being the PM there's no way that he will step down. The problem is he's leading this country into civil strife which is something else he's prepared to gamble with as long as he can be PM.

I think you're attributing too much to Abhisit. I think he's mostly a passenger on this ride.

> How can a man of such means be thought of as the representative of the poor and uneducated?

Because he was the first one ever to take them seriously.

The better question is: how can past governments have stamped on the rural poor for so long and gotten away with it.

The rural poor are not Chinese. Thaksin my be the first ethnic chinese PM to at least pay lip service to the plight of the rural poor but he is not the first PM to do so. But you do have to go back a long way to find an ethnic Thai as PM.

Chinese or not is apparently not a key factor. And another key thing is that while so many before him paid lip service to the poor, Thaksin is the first one to come through on lip service with a whole range of development programmes and other 'populist' measures that the poor acknowledge as being beneficial to them.

The Bhum Jai Thai party betrayed the electorate.

Can you tell me which election returned Bhumjaithai MPs. You do seem to be ducking the question.

The last election returned the seats for the people who are now Bhumjaithai after they jumped ship. That makes them elected and legitimate members of parliament, and can vote and support anyone who pays the most they want.

They're small prop planes, white with a green stripe. Some are twin engined I believe.

gee a whole lotta use a small planes gonna do, am i right?

It's not the size that matters, it's what you do with it.