Rafale

The reason the journalist included the fact that the farang & companion are gay, was so that smart people would be able to deduce the motive, which was omitted from the story.

you are deducing that the farang is gay, why? Besides, I am pretty sure the transsexual will also deny being gay!

As for motive, I doubt this is gay phobia, not usually a problem with Thais.

Thumbs up for the couple who didn't shy away from the photographer!

Academic bla bla..... What for should it be useful to have a third world country citizenship???

You can own land?

In my case, live legally in the country I have loved and lived in since I was a kid, some thirty years ago.

So it might be a "third world country citizenship" to you but believe me, I would gladly exchange my Swiss passport for a Thai!

"Working might also give you access to Thai social security and medical benefits."

I believe that if u get this and work long enough to be able to carry it over into retirement, this is a major major benefit. For about 400 baht per month you get EXCELLENT and prompt treatment at Government Hospitals.

Also they will not be looking to give you unnecesary treatment...e.g. Full MRI for a few varicose veins on the calf.

I have had treatment at "Soon Sirikit" Satahip and Lerdsin Hospital Bangkok and cannot speak too highly of them.

I've also had treatment at Bumrungrad and BNH over the years and rate the Gov. Hospitals way above them.

Indeed, but... retirement mean you loose your work permit, so how is it possible to continue paying social security? Is there a "retirement visa for "aliens" having worked here over x years, and until they can legally retire"?

I have a work permit and paid social security since at least ten straight years, and like you I appreciate the treatment given in gov hospitals.

I can keep my work permit as long as I want (my company), but am thinking of taking an "early retirement" and want to cut costs, but still stay legal and not lose free emergency care.

Is becoming a resident the only solution, or is it one at all?

Any advice from you or others welcome.

After losing your job one can continue to pay into the social security fund, less than 400 baht a month. Many people do that.

Thanks Mario, but are you sure, really... with any kind of visa or... none? Sounds to good to be true, but good news are welcome!

"Working might also give you access to Thai social security and medical benefits."

I believe that if u get this and work long enough to be able to carry it over into retirement, this is a major major benefit. For about 400 baht per month you get EXCELLENT and prompt treatment at Government Hospitals.

Also they will not be looking to give you unnecesary treatment...e.g. Full MRI for a few varicose veins on the calf.

I have had treatment at "Soon Sirikit" Satahip and Lerdsin Hospital Bangkok and cannot speak too highly of them.

I've also had treatment at Bumrungrad and BNH over the years and rate the Gov. Hospitals way above them.

Indeed, but... retirement mean you loose your work permit, so how is it possible to continue paying social security? Is there a "retirement visa for "aliens" having worked here over x years, and until they can legally retire"?

I have a work permit and paid social security since at least ten straight years, and like you I appreciate the treatment given in gov hospitals.

I can keep my work permit as long as I want (my company), but am thinking of taking an "early retirement" and want to cut costs, but still stay legal and not lose free emergency care.

Is becoming a resident the only solution, or is it one at all?

Any advice from you or others welcome.

I will be there + 1, thanks.

Well, I asked more than 4 hours ago what would be the correct Thai word to call a foreigner from who you don't know the name nor his nationality.

But untill now nobody has given me the answer, while there have been many at the same time who have said that farang is bad,very bad.

Do you actually know

I am in my mid 40s, a 100% Farang who wasn't born, but grew up in Thailand, maybe you will hear me, and hopefully relax.

Your Thai friends are joking, or you misunderstood them. No offense should be taken by this "F" word, and unless people know, remember and can pronounce your name, the "F" as in "Farang" in itself is not meant to be insulting at all, not even close to the "N" word, or even the "Black" or "White", or "Yellow".

Foreigners -as someone from an other country- are "Khon Tang Chart". A Caucasian, or anyone who doesn't have black eyes, is called "Farang", and it is not at all "bad" or "very bad" as you were told, not an insult at all.,

I did hate the word "Farang" when I was a teenager, but that was because I considered myself a "Dek Thep" (Bkk Kid), but I finally realized that, however long I tried, I would never really become a Thai, and that I would be a Farang forever. Now, some 28 years later, when Seven Eleven girls ask me if I am half Thai, I just answer "Farang 100%, khong teah (the real thing)", then they say something like "but, you speak Thai like..." And now the usual answer I give is "Nong, I spoke Thai before you were even born"... Before I got married, it was more like "I can be whatever you want me to be, nong"... But that is another story.

BTW, few people call me "Farang" anymore, usually it is by my name or "Pee" (big brother), or "Loong" (Uncle) for kids.

Hope I am making some sense here!

and here I was just starting to respect that particular cop, oh well...

I'm always amused with posters here calling Yingluck a puppet. What they fail to realize is that she is a woman. I have never been able to tell a woman anything, not my sister in particular. My Thai wife knows everything. My wife does consult me about major decisions then she does exactly what she wants to do.

Theirs is much more of a father/daughter relationship. Quite different than a sibling or spousal relationship.

Yingluck publicly declined to get involved in politics numerous times. It was only when the election was rapidly approaching and with no suitable PM candidate for the position that met Thaksin's approval, eg. his turning down the proposal for his brother Payup to become PM, did Yingluck finally relent after a family clan meeting in Dubai, and agree to become PM. A scant 49 days later, she was in the position.

She did what she wanted (avoid politics) for quite some time... but eventually acquiesced to her brother's decision, which she has for most of her life, eg. going to school in the USA, fulfilling fluff positions in his corporations, etc.

.

Prime Minister "Payup"?????

Now that's funny

Not being a native English speaker, I failed to catch it initially, but many thanks!

I wonder... does this story seems a little "too real" to be totally true, or not?

If true, I hope the hero taxi driver gets a real thanks + 2000 Bht from the Ambassador himself. This in itself is a start, but not enough, I believe a honorary citizenship and a medal of some kind is in order here, presented by our lovely PM herself, no less.

The security guard, Thai or not, should of course be jailed for non-assistance of persons in danger, and his direct boss seriously reprehended, or simply fired.

Good luck Pattaya, and if it works apply the same rules to Phuket, and to our famous Tuk Tuk mafia too...

Nothing wrong with day-dreaming folks!

What makes anyone think that his trial wouldn't be fair? The guy he allegedly killed was not wealthy, not influential, and there is nO one behind the scenes with any interest whatsoever in pushing through the prosecution of an innocent man. It's not like he killed the local mafia boss's son. Just two ordinary young sexpat nobodies.

That's not fair, the victim was a decorated Marine, not a sexpat nobody!

I don't get it. Reading here I only see criticisms of the Thai way. You don't seem to realize that things like this actually are what make Thailand what it is; the place we have chosen to live or visit on holiday. Here there aren't laws and regulations for everything; and the ones there are aren't enforced very strictly. This gives you the wonderful freedom to use your head and be responsible for yourself instead of having others packing you into cotton balls and deciding what's best for you.

I surely feel sorry for the young man's family and friends because of this tragic accident. However Thailand is what it is and accident like this occur here. Before going here on holiday, or to live here, you should be aware of that, and make up your mind whether you are willing to run the risks that goes with it or not. People ought to be responsible for themselves instead of always just blaming things on others.

I have worked and lived most of my life in 3^rdworld countries, been in the midst of civil wars, terrorist attacks, mob rule, and similar stuff. Yet I'm still alive, have never been hurt, badly cheated, or otherwise burned my fingers severely. I surely had my share of bad experiences, but when that happened I only blamed myself for my lack of forethought, not the place or the people I had chosen to be amongst. Once I had a close friend killed by a dentist in Bangladesh. Who's really to blame? The poorly educated dentist who gave my friend an overdose of anaesthesia or my highly educated friend who was stupid enough to go to a dentist in Bangladesh? If you are a smoker and catch lungcancer can you then blame the tobacco industry?

If you want babysitter mentality with laws and regulations for everything try out a place like Denmark or Singapore instead of Thailand. I'm sure you're going to love it .

Newbie or not that was an outstanding post, agreed totally.

Me too!

Outstanding post indeed! Yet I hope the family is going to sue the dept. store to the max Thai laws allows.

It won't bring the poor kid back but it might save some lives in the future.

Hi folks. This is my first post here. I have been a member of TV since a few years but never could find enough courage to post anything here... TV has some very erudite and intelligent members -that's why I bother to check on TV every other day- but also a few with nothing to do but chastise and criticize a post for a grammar or spelling error. I am "farang" but not an English Native... so please bare with me.

This thread started with Pattaya's tuktuks and now seems to be about Phuket Tuks as well.

I have lived in both places and don't know which is worse, both are mafias, use intimidation or pure violence and are destroying what once were great/good tourist destinations.

When I arrived in Thailand 25 years ago, the tuk tuk (and the bus) were my favorite way of going around Bkk, un-metered taxis were available but too expensive for a teenager. A few years later a miracle happened: Metered taxis started showing up in Bkk, they were safer, comfortable, had insurance and were, surprise, much cheaper then the Tuk Tuk. Very soon nobody (Thai or long staying farangs) used these poor Tuk Tuk anymore and they were left with "first timer" tourists around Kaosan, Patpong and Nana. Of course there were so many Tuk Tuk available that it became a war of who would be able to pick-up customers, were and who would be able to park to await the gullible tourist. Several "groups" were created and it ended-up with which group (aka mafia) could provide most protection money. All kinds of scams had to be invented, mostly dealing with Jewelry and drugs. But mostly there were/was no violence involved. It was/is the capital, the City of Angels, after all.

Now in Phuket things happened differently: The local mob saw what happened in Bkk and (I believe) they swore it would not happen again.

I sure was surprised when (6 yrs ago) I saw a Taxi meter -exactly like a Bkk Taxi- crossing Phuket town, I chased him with my motorcycle because I thought I had seen a Phuket No Plate, that was fantastic, unbelievable.. A miracle had happened in Bkk a few years earlier, but who would dare challenge the Phuket TT Mafia? Anyhow I got the tel number of the newly created company and I used these metered taxis a few times. from Phuket Town to a touristic area (Kata-Karon-Patong), the problem was that they wouldn't even wait 10 minutes for me to go back to the town, they were shaking with fear and just wanted to get away from those tourist ghettos.

A month later one of the meter taxi drivers got beaten up severely right in Phuket's Airport. Nowadays Taxi-meters in Phuket are rarely seen, and when I see one I can't help but think: this guy's got balls, or he just got here...

Why a Tuk Tuk ride? Well it is -and still is- a "symbol" of Thailand in most tourists minds, such as a brand of Beer that few Thais drink anymore. The floating market is another example of how tourists get swindled in their effort to live something authentic..

All this said, Phuket is still a great place to live, just avoid Patong and the TukTuk mafia, it's a big island after all!

Best regards.

R.