WinnieTheKhwai

??? What a puzzling response. And I have no idea what you mean with a trailer. You must have me confused with someone else.

So on that assumption, I'll let the earlier remark on where I am most comfortable slide as it's aimed at someone you may know.

Congratulations on the twins I am sure you have your hands full

I do not know whether nanny is an occupation permitted for foreign nationals.

It is when they're Burmese or non-Thai hilltribe and have the appropriate permissions. As an aside, even if nanny isn't allowed, there is some leeway in the job title. So while you may find that housekeeper or nanny isn't allowed, it's likely that things like children's teacher is allowed. Then all you need to do is get her some paperwork that says that she is that, such as by sending her on a course of something or another that roughly fits.

Could it be that they are given/helped with a work permit? I believe you must have one to do even volunteer work as I have known people who have given up their time to work free for a radio only to be told that they need a work permit!

Or is it another case of duel standards in LoS?

It's the latter. Not that there has to be wrong with the arrangement per se. But a work permit is tied to a particular job and a particular location. Having a work permit to be a computer programmer in Laem Chabang doesn't mean you can then take any other job on the side, paid or not. anyway that's the law. (Pretty much worth the same as the pixels in this paragraph while on, but that's another topic)

I have personally done work for government agencies without a work permit as well. We can leave it that there's considerable leeway and flexibility in rules and regulations in this country, and to be honest that may be in part why we like it so much.

Ok so people come here for 2 or 3 weeks on holiday some come for longer. They stay in nice hotels and eat at the nice resturants. They say the people in Thailand are so friendly and always smiling. Yes they are right becuase this is what they see from there 2 or 3 weeks here. The thai people they meet in the hotels and resturants, lets not forget are paid to smile and be friendly. Like any other country in the world where people work in these jobs.

What i dont get is people who have lived here a couple of years keep calling it the land of smiles. I have been here a good while myself and i know what the real thailand is like. People here in general are no more friendly ( i think they are less friendly towards farangs ) than in most other countrys i have been. So why do people who have lived here a long time just fail to see what the real thailand is like. For us farangs who can speak thai and understand we no deep down that the ' land of smiles ' is just a myth. Farangs are never far away from racism of some sort or being ripped off . So how is this the land of smiles ? I like to think it is the land of fake smiles. Is it people who have lived here a long time no deep down that thailand is not what they thought it would be, but they just try to block it out and convince themselfs that thai people are really friendly, when they no its not ture. One thing i will say is that thailand is less violent than most western countrys. But as for being a friendly place its just a myth, that some farang's wont give up on no matter how many times racism is directed at them or how many times they get ripped off and charged double the price thais get charged .

So is this really the land of smiles ???

I think you are a stage that I have been through - happened to me after about 5 years living here. It had a lot to do with learning the language and still hanging out a bit in touristy areas, hearing all the negative stuff. I had a choice - to accept the negatives of Thailand and enjoy the positives or go insane trying to change Thai culture and having a shitty attitude. Acceptance was the key, which changed my attitude and made me smile more at the Thais which they nearly always reciprocate. You will change and Thais will see this change in your attitude/body language and you'll change your mind about the Thai people. It really is the land of smiles - you'll get to know what all the different smiles mean and find you are smiling all the time whther it be a contented smile or a pissed off smile.

My approach is slightly different, because I *ALSO* still very much enjoy the tourist areas, including Pattaya. Also in tourist areas, I don't experience any negativity aimed at me. I do hear some observations on the foreign tourists and residents in Pattaya and you know what: I can't help but agree with many of those assessments. And in the ensuing discussion I wouldn't only agree, but be able to weigh in with some more observations that likely wouldn't all be positive ones.

Because someone as an opinion of a particular demographic, (often a correct opinion I might add that's vented on this forum by foreigners just the same) shouldn't mean that you should apply it to yourself when you clearly don't fit that demographic. (Or, perhaps to an extent it DOES apply to me, in which cases I'd be happy to acknowledge it).

I find those discussions very interesting. That's why I still find tourist areas so interesting and entertaining. No way would I want to live in such an environment all the time, I know I am still maintaining a very positive outlook also in tourist areas. I have a harder time in Bangkok (tourist area or not) but I know that's mostly me.

Ok, I'll bite. What did Thaksin do to make any long term changes to the way the poor in general, and Isaan poor in particular, are treated? He had five years of complete control, so surely he made some real changes?

Ok: ASK THE PEOPLE who voted for him. Please don't take my word for it. I learned recently that some of the Thaksin-obsessed on this forum can barely order a beer in Thai, so what hope is there to learn viewpoints different than what the Bangkok media tries to feed us.. As much as I like to (and in fact often do) debate the merits and failures of the Thaksin governments, what matters at the end of the day is how many people like what they saw and support and vote for those guys. I don't even agree with half of what Thaksin did, but I do respect Thais enough to acknowledge that they need and deserve democracy (however fragile and imperfect) more than coups and meddling from extrademocratic factions.

But I'm asking you. You're the one posting here, making the claims that the Democrats are interested in keeping the people poor, while the reds want to educate them. The Thais deserve democracy, although some would say you get the government you deserve, they don't deserve to be fooled by a thieving, cheating criminal. As the reds stated aim is to bring down the current government, as they are supported by the PTP, and as the PTP's stated aim is to bring Thaksin back as PM, no one claiming to be pro democracy can seriously say they support what the reds are trying to do. Bringing back a corrupt PM who stole from his country, no matter how he was removed from office, is not democracy.

They would disagree with that assessment. What's important to them is that he's the first guy to come along and take them seriously. I find it hard to blame them for being thankful for that.

Any democratic leaning reds are swamped by the Thaksin group. Surely any true democratic leaning reds would have seen what the movement was really about and would have formed their own by now.

Yes, and this is the reason I wouldn't ever say that I support the Reds universally. I've challenged some guys in the Red movement pretty much with this line but their point of view tends to be that if they don't speak out against the current establishment, then nothing will every change. So in the short term they're very prepared to jump on the Thaksin bandwagon. I would personally disagree however, I think their time will come no matter what, and that efforts should be better spent on preparing for the next election whenever it comes. They would need to build another large coalition the way Thaksin did with the TRT party. There are far too many cracks at the moment, and one of those cracks (the bribing of the Newin faction) led to the current government. Newin by the way who would be every bit as guilty of misuse of power as everyone else in Thai politicis, both in previous governments as well as the current one.

Thaksin was taking Thailand into authoritarian rule as a corporatist. The King wisely endorsed the peaceful coup at the last minute, before Thaksin cemented his power. This was a crisis of democracy and extroardinary measures were required.

I'm happy at least that you state this so openly and blatantly.

Thaksin initially did some good things to manipulate public opinion and he tossed crumbs from his banquet table to the hungry.

Agree with that as well. In doing so he, perhaps somewhat unintentionally, awakened a belief among the rural poor that they can have and should have a meaningful voice in how the country is run. History may show that this was the moment that people started to move away from the old dinosaur politics where regional clans bought support, in favor of more issues-based campaigning. The coup put a hard stop to that, but didn't put those feelings to bed.

IMHO; those that still support this man are the types that are uncomfortable with the freedoms of messy democracy. Some are more comfortable inside a train that is forced to travel only on tracks laid by others.

Reading Red leaning blogs, groups and talking to people, I don't get that impression. PAD on the other hand was very open in stating that they wanted to move to a 'managed democracy', which of course is not a democracy at all.

The free world has decided on the latter is seems, but it's getting less free all the time anyway. The King was wise to derail this train on behalf of Thai people. I really like that man a lot. Thai people are very lucky.

I know I am and my family is, and I definitely know the Bangkok middle class by and large feels lucky.. The Red rallies and demonstrations do show however that there are people out there, typically with less money and currently without any meaningful voice into how the country is run, who feel less lucky. They too love His Majesty, as does everyone. They do however very much feel disenfranchised in the current political system.

^ Hear hear.

Agree with you on that one. It's somewhat charming though, to see people to point out the make, model, serial number and pedigree of their Thai partners at every opportunity.

My (Thai/Muang/home & business owner/BSc/MBA/1.68m/v2.0) wife just scowls at me for spending too much time on the computer.

Sorry, I've quoted from the legal ruling in the past, paragraphs that mention specifically that the junta laws and institutions were considered to be equal to having been passed by parliament. Some of you should get your noses out of The Nation on occasion.

I'm no fan of Thaksin, but this clearly is politically motivated BS.

Of course the case against him was politically motivated. He commited crimes as the PM, refused to take responsibility for his own actions, refused to call elections or resign when his mandate was up.

!!!!? Were you at all around when Thaksin called elections which then ground the entire politcial system to a halt due to a boycott from the Democrat party, causing the stalemate that directly led to the coup?

It is a political case. In no way does any of that lessen the severity of the charges he was found guilty of. The only judgement the asset trial made about the "junta" laws was that the AEC had the authority to freeze his assets. As the "junta" government had been sworn in by HM the King it was, at the time, the legal Thai government, despite what you or I may feel about the way it was installed.

That's a very creative way to say that military coups are a legal feature of the poliical landscape in this country. I'd even agree with that assessment.

And that's pretty much the topic I find interesting, not so much to what extent Thaksin was a bigger crook than every PM before and after him.

As for more topics along these lines, I'm not sure. I've been thinking recently that perhaps I should be more supportive of the Democrats. After all my middle class lifestyle, use of cheap labor for chores & fun depends on having a poor underclass around. It'd be like Sweden, where you can't afford full time maids, booze & other pleasures.

Ok, I'll bite. What did Thaksin do to make any long term changes to the way the poor in general, and Isaan poor in particular, are treated? He had five years of complete control, so surely he made some real changes?

Ok: ASK THE PEOPLE who voted for him. Please don't take my word for it. I learned recently that some of the Thaksin-obsessed on this forum can barely order a beer in Thai, so what hope is there to learn viewpoints different than what the Bangkok media tries to feed us.. As much as I like to (and in fact often do) debate the merits and failures of the Thaksin governments, what matters at the end of the day is how many people like what they saw and support and vote for those guys. I don't even agree with half of what Thaksin did, but I do respect Thais enough to acknowledge that they need and deserve democracy (however fragile and imperfect) more than coups and meddling from extrademocratic factions.

Or then again some people are living in cloud cuckoo land. If you honestly believe that most Thais don't see farangs as inferior (other than as cash cows) then good for you. May you live in that dream forever.

Yes, once they get to know you they may accept you - but generally, they see us as a source of income and not someone who is equal to them.

^

Come on, get back to Walking Street.

Been here 15 years, long enough to learn pretty fluent Thai, and work in an office with 80 or so Thais. I also enjoy spending time more at the lower end of society. There isn't a single issue in the world where I would refer to all Thais as 'they' or 'them' and then make some sort of statement that applies to all of them. They're all individuals, no different from you and me.

^

Now suddenly RFID is bad..?

When there are some (what seem to be researched) facts stated, there is never much in the way of critical comment and discussion - it just goes back to the usual comments about Abhisit not being a legitimate PM and Thaksin being a crook or what the Yellows and Reds have done of the last couple of years..

Very true.

What about if instead of going into the standard comments for/against whoever (that we read on EVERY political related post), why don't you just write "xxxx Supporter" (where xxxx = Thaksin, Abhisit, Yellow, Red) and save everyone some time.

My problem with that would be that I am not a supporter of any of those people/factions. They all more or less represent the status quo in Thai politics; some a little more than others, but I have few illusions about the greater democratic aspirations of most Red leaning people.

At least some people in the Red camp have thos asperations, but by and large there are far too many idiots & dinosaurs around to actually support the Red side unconditionally. I mean it includes horrendously scary people like Chalerm and Seh Daeng.. yikes.

Sorry, I've quoted from the legal ruling in the past, paragraphs that mention specifically that the junta laws and institutions were considered to be equal to having been passed by parliament. Some of you should get your noses out of The Nation on occasion.

I'm no fan of Thaksin, but this clearly is politically motivated BS.

Foreigners who can speak the language sufficiently to have an adult conversation with Thais, quickly learn that they despise us ...

They tell me that most Thais find farangs disgusting.

They wish foreigners weren't here.

The best case I have ever heard for NOT learning Thai!

Or you could learn it and find out for yourself that Oneman is talking a load of <deleted>.

Indeed.

I'm not surprised however (relieved, perhaps) to learn that JT never learned Thai. Means I better understand where he obtains his information, and which perspectives are absent.

LOL, I liked the poll options "yes" or "yes". Reminds me of the referendum on the constitution that the last junta cooked up.

EDIT: I find the tone of some of the bloggers here simply terrifying- you'll allow every one of your rights to be taken away as long as it only affects people you disagree with. I'll be looking for you among the frenzied lynch mobs stuffing shoes down the throats of the hanging democracy-activists. Wake up, and don't allow history to repeat itself.

Sorry, but these laws have been in place for quite a while, some of them even before the coup. Eihter way, the exact same thing could happen right now with your posts on the Thaivisa server. This forum is required by law to keep your personal details (IP address, etc of every post). The server may be outside Thailand, but as the business is very much a Thai one it'd be good to understand that records will be handed over on request.

The above is more in general; in this particular case though it's fairly black and white. Threatening terrorism through ANY type of media is an offense; it'd be prosecuted no matter if it was printed on paper, yelled from a soap box or posted on Youtube.

I like it. Let me try: "I think the courts decision was fair, however if it were me then I wouldn't have grabbed personal assets under laws that came about during the junta government and after shredding the last legitimate constitution and then applied them retroactively."

Wow, a Democrat-bashing topic... I never thought i'd see the day.

There are no rules against Democrat bashing threads as far as i know Winnie. If the feel forum needs them and the Dems deserve them, why for goodness sake don't you get off your derriere and start some instead of standing around lamenting all the reds bashing threads.

Nobody's implying there's rules against it, however I do notice that the loudest and most frequent posting forum members tend to lean to the conservative/yellow side..

As for more topics along these lines, I'm not sure. I've been thinking recently that perhaps I should be more supportive of the Democrats. After all my middle class lifestyle, use of cheap labor for chores & fun depends on having a poor underclass around. It'd be like Sweden, where you can't afford full time maids, booze & other pleasures.

I'm intrigued though. Why restrict yourself to hotels.

Fair question, but I don't want to get into a discussion about it on this thread.

It's difficult enough to keep any thread here on topic without offering more temptation to those who persist in going off topic.

So I will acknowledge your question here, and answer in a private message.

Now I'm REALLY intrigued.. Anything to do with having accommodation nearby after luring womenfolk to go have dinner with you? Cause for the life of me I can't think of any other reason why it would make sense to dine in hotels..

For me: YES, Thailand is very much the land of smiles. (15 years)

I do live in Chiang Mai though; I get a lesser sense of Thai smiles in places like Bangkok.

I just don't understand some people who seem miserable all day, spending their time ranting on online forums. Why do that in Thailand..

Wow, a Democrat-bashing topic... I never thought i'd see the day. and the only retorts are personal jabs such as above by rixalex..

Especially when it's yellow. (Just stay away from any airports, and leave the guns at home please! )

I got some of these just over a year ago and they didn't work for me, the 1mg did pretty much nothing to me. I didn't want to take a high dose so I found something else which works perfectly every time - I hate being awake for the full distance on long flights especially overnight ones.

What did you get instead? Last time I asked my doctor he gave me $()#$ valium, which is nasty stuff. Ok it was free under social insurance, but still.

the Hub of Unseen Hubs

(I appreciate that one. )

10) Announce that the 14th of March is to become "National Walking Day".

A protest action by a European gay rights group comes to mind, who asked gay students to call in sick for the day in protest of something or another. Imagine what that did to people who really were sick that day.

So in the spirit of this topic, and to lighten it up a little, they could declare a city-wide Gay Parade for Bangkok, with Red being the color of choice. (At least one South Park episode also come to mind.)