h5kaf

god bless Waterboarding....and any other ways of extracting information from death mongering terrorists. We need more Jack Bauer's in this world. http://static.thaivisa.com/forum//public/style_emoticons/default/whistling.gif

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This is a very dark area.

There are things that go on in this world that we are not privy to. There are those who wish to destroy our freedom by any means necessary. There are those who have chosen to protect our freedom by any means necessary and by doing so have turned a dark corner and given up their lives for ours.

Freedom isn't free. It comes at a price, and those people who protect us pay that price when they are forced to become someone I'm sure they would prefer not to be in order to obtain information and intelligence to continue to protect our freedom.

The idealism that everyone lives by the rules is naive. For us to be free to follow the rules of society a small few have to be prepared to break moral boundaries to maintain society.

Some people have given up their human rights when they turn to terrorism, unfortunately there will be collateral cost, the protection of the masses outweighs the civil rights of the few who have either proven themselves to be sub-human or for some reason caught within a web of suspicion.

There is also a grey area in there somewhere which makes this a very tricky debate.... but when talking absolutes, I have no doubt which I would rather have protecting me between rights or people to protect us against those to wish to do harm to our society.

This is the most sensible post I have seen on this Forum. Eloquently states the truth of the matter.

£410 Million? Okay that's a lot of money. Now let's put it in perspective.

Pensions - £138 Billion. Out of a total of £684 billion.

So, 0.3% of the pension budget. 0.06% of the overall budget.

Yes, I'm sure clawing a fraction of that back will fix all their problems. Much more effective than not spending £12Bn on a computer system then scrapping it because it doesn't work. Or the £2.4Bn battlefield radios (that don't work) for the MOD. How about the £250M helicopters that can't fly at night (or in clouds). I'd sure like to see a breakdown of exactly how "policing" Julian Assange has cost the taxpayers £3M (so far). And these are 'tip of the iceberg' examples.

Spot on. Of course we pensioners (who have paid in our national insurance contributions all our working lives) are less important than those who live in Africa, Pakistan and other areas of the world where Cameroon and his mates (Cleggie) want to increase the foreign aid by many billions of £s. They also opposed the payment of pension increases to those living in Thailand and other overseas locations. This went to the European court where the government claimed that the UK pensions were not dependent upon national insurance contributions, so the court upheld the idea that some pensions need not be increased. This latest disclosure puts paid to that lie by the UK government - it has always been about a person's national insurance contributions.

MPs can award themselves huge increases in their salaries, expenses allowances and anything else they choose - after all they only have to apply every 5 years for a new employment contract, which in most cases is a formality. They can spend billions on useless wind farms, gay marriage legislation and keeping a small band of Liberated Demons on side - but happily forget those who have spent a lifetime contributing and who are trying to enjoy what is left of their short life spans. PATHETIC.

Chai, whose real name is Somchai Katanyutanan, posted on his Facebook page photographs of Yingluck delivering a speech in Mongolia with the caption: "Please understand that prostitutes are not bad women. Prostitutes only sell their body, but a bad woman has been wandering around trying to sell the country."

Wouldn't it seem more logical to compare her to a " pimp" rather than a prostitute then ?

You have a good point and this touches on something very worrying about this law suit. "filed a defamation lawsuit [cut] for comparing her to a prostitute" .. he didn't say she was a prostitute, or was like one .. merely mentioned her and prostitutes in the same sentence. Whatever next?

What is also puzzling is that among the general population 'working girls' are considered normal members of society. It is only in the so called 'civilised' West that the pejorative term 'prostitute' denotes a socially bad person. For the Prime Minister to be compared to many of the female population would seem to be a unifying gesture rather than defamatory. I have met many ladies working in the entertainment industry who are both beautiful and intelligent, Yingluck should be grateful not angry.

What about the farangs over 65 or with pre existing conditions. They couldn't get health insurance. Would this mean they can't get visas as well?

Yes - you have got it in one. In Europe, Oz and the USA once you are over 65/70 you are virtually uninsurable even without pre-existing conditions. In the very few instances where insurance is offered there are comprehensive exclusions and a premium almost the size of the cost of a major hospital stay.

Perhaps Thailand will tailor a special deal for all old foreigners - but don't hold your breath.

Again a reminder - Insurance companies are essentially about collecting premiums not about paying out claims, if they can avoid them.

Is there a realistic way to correct this subsidence? And why is there a subsidence in the first place?

It's a swamp and always has been. There's no way to stop it - the ground is sinking AND ocean levels are rising. The average altitude of greater BKK is less than five metres above sea level.

An ocean rise of 50-100cm will wipe out most of samut prakarn and the southern part of BKK.

Nissan will become very attractive real estate.

Not sure about "Nissan" but I do foresee the new big Boeing Aircraft being fitted with floats instead of wheels, and water taxi companies sprouting up everywhere. Bangkok the venice of South East Asia - now there's a thought. Also the rise of a whole new set of water based 'hubs'.

Not sure what they problem is. Weren't we told a couple of months ago the Bangkok barrage would be in place in a few years?

Not much point in an underwater barrage.

24 year old Frenchman found hanging from a doorway...not suspicious say police !!!!!!

I guess that's what Frenchmen do!!

They should execute him, then you won't have any worries about his treatment Trademark ! He has proved his value to society by murdering a fellow human being. Put him where he belongs, in the trash bin.

Now Iam worrying about his treatment? Go check the dictionary for the definition of worry... While you at it have a look at a reading course to understand forum posts better. Furthermore have a crack at the bible or any other basic human concept if religion doesn't do it for you. Maybe as some added course work you could sneak a peak at some criminal rehabilitation articles and things pertaining to the judiciary system in general to see how ludicrous your trash bin comment is. Maybe then I would entertain some form of debate with you.

Agreed Oldsailor. Take no notice of TM he is either trying to wind posters up or he has forgotten to take today's medication. On the other hand he might be one of those 'armchair tree huggers' who hate this forum but continue to read the articles. SAD.

Thai Prison life compared to his home country UK prison life isnt even comparable. He is paying the price.

Good and I hope he is given a specially hard time as punishment for the cowardly murder of a young 23 year old man. He has pleaded guilty so there is no doubt, and I would like to see him executed; that option no longer exists so I hope prison life is especially hard.

1. It should be mandatory.

2. Under no circumstances should they extend the 30 baht scheme to farangs.

It's a scheme for the Thai working class and poor, not a scheme to assist farangs in lifestyle decisions.

I think it's ridiculous.......RIDICULOUS!......that anyone in all conscience would try to use up the few precious resources available to the Thai poor.

Just in case your confused, I think it's ridiculous.

Just so you know.

So what do you think foreigners with Thai wife and children should do?

Those who are too old to get any insurance?

Those who are too poor to afford insurance?

Are you suggesting they should desert their wife and family and move back to their home country?

What would you suggest they do?

In most civilised countries married foreigners already living in that country are allowed citizenship.

I can empathize with people in this position. However everybody has points in their life when they should have or could have considered the ramifications of this sort of issue and taken steps to protect themselves (to the best of their ability and affordability) from any form of future disaster, be it health, accident, or not being able to provide for their health care in their old age.

This probably sounds pompous (Blether, can I borrow your flameproof suit?), but I made serious sacrifices when I was younger to make sure I am well protected with life insurances, health insurances, travel insurances etc. I commenced policies at a young age when it was obvious there were no pre-existing conditions etc. I'm still making sacrifices today to ensure that I am as well protected as I can - and believe me the premiums get more the older you get.

Some policies expire at 70, some at 78, so when I get there in 20 odd years I'm striving to ensure I have enough savings to live comfortably and the ability to pay for health care.

Flamers: make sure you have the gas tanks fully charged!

Gsxrnz as a 50 something you are full of fire and hormones, and the premiums for good cover worldwide are pretty reasonable. I just hope that you have a very big pot when you are 70 because that is when many policies cease to cover you - even without pre-existing conditions. If after that age you are unlucky enough to have your hips wear out, or have a heart problem or even have a couple of bouts of Dengue Fever then you had better have a 5 or 6 million baht pot to spend on your health care,if you are going to use the International Hospitals.

As for travel insurance, it is available from a few companies for the 70+ travellers, BUT the cost is almost the same as the airfare LHR-BKK for 14 days cover - then look at the list of exclusions.

Insurance companies are all about collecting premiums they are not about wanting to pay out. Always read the small print before you buy - a hassle I know but a sure money saver.

Yes, with highly motivated, hard-working and enthusiastic Thai staff, International Corporations, can not wait to make the move.

Above, coupled with excellent English skills would double if not triple efficiency.

Thailand well on the way to becoming the "HUB" of the world.

Its a worry for a lot of Expats having to go back. Your boy is your life as you say and he will make it all worth while. Yours is a common view held by many ecpats who do actually love living in Thailand.. I would miss the freedom I have here. The weather and still how cheap it can be if you avoid the excess of beer and lady drinkies.. I have been here 11 years and hopefully will stay to the end! But not 100% sure I will be able to.

Hi George - Thrush here - you are right mate stay there as long as you can. It's hard after a while to appreciate the freedom you have in LOS unless you return here and are battered by political correctness everywhere. Had to come back for the sake of the little one, and the fact that in LOS they put my health insurance premiums up by 300+ %.

The worst thing here is the cold. It gets into your bones and then life can be pretty miserable. Still I get lots of laughs on this forum reading the comments on most topics - the best comedy forum on the internet!!

In spite of the whinging,everyone knows when it's time to go home and get some free treatment,on that terrible NHS Service!

Poor old Majic living in his own dream world. Keep taking the pills mate.

Its a worry for a lot of Expats having to go back. Your boy is your life as you say and he will make it all worth while. Yours is a common view held by many ecpats who do actually love living in Thailand.. I would miss the freedom I have here. The weather and still how cheap it can be if you avoid the excess of beer and lady drinkies.. I have been here 11 years and hopefully will stay to the end! But not 100% sure I will be able to.

Hi George - Thrush here - you are right mate stay there as long as you can. It's hard after a while to appreciate the freedom you have in LOS unless you return here and are battered by political correctness everywhere. Had to come back for the sake of the little one, and the fact that in LOS they put my health insurance premiums up by 300+ %.

The worst thing here is the cold. It gets into your bones and then life can be pretty miserable. Still I get lots of laughs on this forum reading the comments on most topics - the best comedy forum on the internet!!

Majic - my mam has had to wait more than a week for a doctors' appointment. When I've told her to kick up a fuss, she reminds me that there are only 2 doctors' surgeries in the village, and in England the other doctor has to agree to put you on to their list, so whatever you do don't p155 off the girl on reception. Last year, I was ready to take her to A&E as a way of getting her in to see somebody, but she couldn't have something like that put on her records (?). I'm still convinced my dad died after being diagnosed with the wrong disease in a rather off-hand manner, and as he lay dying, mam brought clean pyjama's for the man in the next bed who had no family and she cleaned up his vomit (her words 'the nurses really shouldn't have pretended not to notice, but they are busy you know and it wasn't nice sitting there for me so I couldn't just leave it and have that smell the last thing that dad remembered'). The NHS isn't doing so brilliantly, although I know it does good in some area's.

In relation to interviews, I've always phone interviews as a prelude to the real thing. No point wasting your time (and theirs) interviewing someone who can barely string two words together. The first contact is the main one as far as I'm concerned because you have caught the person off-guard. Every job I've been offered started with a phone call.

We left England in 1987 and it seems each year that we go back it seems to gets worse. Particularly scary (for me) is that young people aren't afraid of the police. Just the threat of 'I'm going to get the Bobby' was enough to put us in place for a good while, but now there is no respect for them at all.

I returned to the UK 18 months ago after 15 years in LOS. Doppa has got it spot on, and I am amused at the attempt by Majjic to champion the UK. I live in the so called "rich southeast" and I have had to go to see the doctor on three occasions. The quickest appointment I got was 16 days forward. It is true that if you think it is an emergency you can phone for an ambulance but much of the time this is what you need a doctor to decide. Also you must hope that the local ambulance service is not overstretched or the wait could be long. The horror stories of patients waiting in A&E on stretchers is not fantasy - the NHS is stretched to breaking point with doctors and nurses worked to their very limits.

The whole scenario here is one of 'Political Correctness' taken to ludicrous proportions. The politicians here are little different from those in LOS with power and re-election being the two most important issues to them. They talk a good story but the real situation is as Doppa describes - but WORSE. If the politicians were in charge of the weather we would be told it is mid summer and hot whereas in reality it is almost summer and bloody cold.

Sorry to be a bit of a wet blanket on this forum - must go, my next dose of anti depressants is due.

Henly, try a few words of Thai to make the effort. You be a star in no time.

Not a bad idea. I would say: My name is Henly ... A LOT. Rub it in.

BTW, there really is no doubt, they really ARE dissing you big time by calling you f-rang after all these years.

You really have hurt me with this post. My name is Farang and I have been under the impression that there are many here with the same very popular name. Furthermore I have been delighted that so many Thai people are so friendly as to call me by my first name, even those who don't know me. Strangely the only one who doesn't call me by my name 'Farang' is my wife who calls me by my nickname 'John'.

Its not a nice feeling to have one's bubble burst in such a public manner.

so far has not & will not respond tp emails, calls etc....

None of my business however tread carefully.

Who told you he doesnt reply?

My best advice to you is send an e-mail to the husband and explain the situation, you may not like the reply.

A friend of mine is one such guy, his mrs ripped him off sin sot etc etc, he packed his bags and went home.

His wife met another sucker and wanted to marry him but couldnt, the friend said you want a divorce, pay my ticket to come to Thailand, never heard from her again.

Another guy I knew was told the same "buffalo story", a load of BS, she wasnt married but had spun a line to the new farang sucker on the block about being married bad farang wont give divorce, you pay money we can marry quickly etc etc.

Tread carefuly, and under no circumtsances part with any money.

This is very sound advice, though some might consider a little 'cynical'. Life here makes us this way.

When I met my wife 13 years ago she told me she was single and had never had a child. I was understandably delighted at my luck and ignoring all the warning advice from friends, considered that my lady was "different". After about 18 months when marriage came to the discussion table it appeared that she did have a child. No problem I was in love and forgave that little lapse of memory. Later on at the discussion table it appeared that she could not marry "just yet" as she had to go to her local amphur for the necessary papers. This turned out to be that she had to divorce her existing (non existent) husband before she could marry me. Still very much in love I stumped up the 30,000 baht necessary to persuade her husband to divorce her.

This is my story, real life, not some tale heard in the local bar. We now have our own children and I still love her - a little. I have come to the conclusion that telling lies is woven into the very fabric of Thai female society. Just be aware of the possible potential stumbling blocks, cross your fingers and enjoy the ride.

We all know, that a fair amount of those money, are going to end up in

the wrong pockets. Which most to us is not acceptable, simply due to the

big amounts we are talking about.

it is none of our (expats) business to judge what is acceptable/charming or not

in our "host" country. moreover, no bitching will change the situation.

I agree. However the original question posed was not really about "charming" but about at what level is it acceptable ('more than an exotic part of every day life'). This issue is no different from that old talking point of the man who asks his friend's wife to sleep with him for £200,000. She agrees. When he readjusts the price to £20 she refuses indignantly asking him "what do you think I am"? His reply, "we have established what you are, and are now just haggling over the price".

It seems to me that the issue of 'small corruption' or 'big corruption' clouds the main issue. Corruption is corruption and here in Thailand is unlikely to go away. If we expats cannot live with the practice then we should return to those civilised paradises we have left. I don't see much chance of that happening!!! As Naam says 'no bitching will change the situation'.

easy way, everybody who is effected by this make a donation, and you built a phuket foundation, hire a lawyer and every day he go to police station and make a report a criminal report, until police and official will start doing something, the crime statistic will go up more than 1000% and the police chief has to react, if every residence in phuket make a 1000 baht donation and every ripped off, angry tourist will give 100 baht you will have millions in short time, make advertising, show the pictures of the drivers and cars and places online, make everything public, invite TV channels for reports, they are happy to make a report how their tourist get ripped off, and this will make all officials make a very quick reaction, public how many crime reports are made at what police station and how many not worked out, make all tourist give the lawyer a power of attorney (can be printed and copied) so easy to fill in, and if police not start working, let the embassy make claims that police not do their work and for sure there will be change in phukets public transport, only you have to publish, and make reports, for the money comes in by donation it is enough for 4-5 lawyers full time working only to fix this problem, write comments on all Phuket connected pages, tell tourist not book phuket without a free round trip from airport to hotel, if they will do it is on their own risk and they will get ripped off, they will pay more for taxi than for the flight to phuket, if there will be every day many police reports, police can not hide and stop do nothing,

A good idea BUT which lawyer would take on such a very dangerous brief? It would not be long before there were unexplained accidents involving lawyers. The vested interests are too powerful and the greed levels are too high for any change to occur. Sad but true.

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The TVIB are on to it. I am sure that they will conclude that he did not die of natural causes. However he need not have been dumped from a vehicle. What if he had been chased by a band of highly sexed lady boys and at 84 had run out of breath at that very point in the road. Panting and on the verge of collapse, with impending unending sex in sight he failed to see the approach of a fast moving truck. A sad end for an 84 year old German gentleman.

Brilliant that on April the 1st a discovery worth US$57,344,000,000,000 has been made. Wonder how many "bar hostesses" have shares in the company?

HELL! thats gonna be dangerous . Anyhow, a large % of them drive on the wrong side already.

Ha! Ha! If it wasn't the 1st April this is quite believable. In a country where the average motorist drives anywhere they like, changing the rules from left to right seems like normal Thai government planning. However the article seems unable to make its mind up when to use the word "left" and when to use the word"right".

A better quality April 1st post.

Last winter was the hottest Bangkok winter I'd experienced. This yr NZ summer has bn prolonged, though much cooler than when I came to Auckland 42 yrs ago. I used to get dozens of mosquito bites in Feb. but seldom get one now.

Maybe you are less tasty than you were 42 years ago!!

What a joke, the BIB can't even find a Swiss girl in prison for over a month while her mom is worried sick and they expect to communicate with all the local hospitality spots and organize all the paperwork from this. They claim its so they can "keep track" of people, but they can't even communicate with other gov. agencies. Unreal.

I think you miss the point. This has been the law in Thailand all along, but with the fine set at 2,000baht (not per day) there was little incentive for the immigration police or the BiB to get excited. Now that there is a bounty of 8,000 baht per day the whole exercise becomes one of great importance to all concerned. The potential for serious salary enhancement has now come into play so this is a major career activity from now on.

The poster who mentioned heavy fines as a way to reduce road crime was on the right track. The more salary enhancement opportunities that the BiB have then the more seriously they will take their duties.

I have no sympathy for this man. He deserved what he got plus a lot more for cheating on his wife. Maybe his wife has a straight razor and some ducks.

"He was accompanied by his Thai wife when he went to the police in Udon Thani."

His wife has more "understanding" what a "man" sometimes needs! Just a bit, 3 times in 4 month? You want hang him high?

OMG

More Papal than the Pope (own wife)

He would not approach the Police and sure not with her, if she would disagree to much.

Some older Thai wife encourage even the husband to get a Mia Noi or a Gig, so they do not have to shoulder that Sex burden any more!

I understand what you are saying. In my opinion if a guy/girl is single they can do what they please as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. But after they enter in to marriage there is a commitment of both parties. Just call me old fashioned but that's the way I see it. I wonder what this guys' reaction would have been if it had been his wife that was seeing another guy and got caught?

Why don't you pop down to the local bar and ask the question? Most expats that I have met have had to face up to the fact that their wives/girlfriends have been 'soothing fevered brows' outside their homes.

You can rely on the "hang 'em bomb 'em brigade" to once more take the moral high ground. I have no doubt that all contributors to this forum see marriage as a life long contract and have never cheated. Oh to be one of the Great and the Good.