noelani

I hate trying to get information from blogs because everyone is a know it all and many are way off base. I know a guy who was busted for a few joints on Koh Chang a long time ago. He was caught on a Friday so spent the weekend in detention, then got out on 20,000 baht bail. We (who lent him the bail) were expecting them to keep it as the fine, but they gave it all back except 700 baht. That was the extent of his punishment. Not to say your's will be similar, but if you go to court and act properly, you'll probably get a slap on the wrist. Once you start paying people off, it gets really expensive. It should be easy to find out the law and sentence for this offense.

Please do some research on DDT. I know, I know, it's evil, but no one has ever died from it, even when they used to dump tons and tons of the stuff on crops. Hundreds of millions of human lives could have been saved with the use of DDT in the last few decades. Apparently, used wisely, there is no great harm done to the environment.

My conspiracy theorist friend maintains that DDT was banned to help depopulate the world. It certainly looks that way.

BMA boost security measures in buildings after night club fire

Santika Club after the fire on January 1, 2009. Photo: MCOT

BANGKOK: -- Responding to the fire at the Santika Club which left 64 people dead on New Year's Day, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has set up a committee to inspect and improve the safety of buildings in the Thai capital.

Permanent Secretary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Pongsakti Saemsan said after a meeting with BMA's senior officials that the special committee will inspect security measures of the buildings of cinemas, hotels, department stores, apartments, markets and other structures which can affect lives and property of the public.

The inspection criteria include installation of fire extinguishers, emergency alarms and fire exits.

Mr. Pongsakti said if the committee finds any building to be substandard, it will be closed immediately and strong legal action will be taken against the operators or the owners even if they are influential persons.

The BMA assigned the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department to convene a meeting with building owners next week to instruct them on building security measures.

BMA deputy permanent secretary Pongsakti will work with officials of the the capital's district offices to build understanding with the public and to distribute handbooks on safety measures in case of emergency.

-- TNA 2009-01-06

"I think 1997 made us very aware of the role that risk management has to play," said Kosit Panpiemras, executive chairman of Bangkok Bank, speaking of Thai banks in general. "I think we have also been very careful about liquidity, particularly here at Bangkok Bank. Our loan-to-deposit ratio is something like 90 percent -- only 90 percent of our deposits have been lent out."

Only 90 percent? Since when is 90 percent not much? Perhaps he meant to say "only 10 percent..."

Banks are allowed to lend out ten times the amount of money deposited, so 90% would be a very low figure.