h5kaf

Why did she have sex with a 70 year old man?

What a brilliantly simple and truly illuminating question. It says it all.

The poster doesn't want the usual cynical responses from this forum, yet the anger and moral indignation in the original post is hardly likely to be ignored in a country not noted for "innocent, naive" 20 year old girls.

i have done a bit of digging, and see there is another document your wife can get wjich is useful, from the ampur. it is called 'por kor 14' and shows that your wife has sole guardianship of your child.

maybe this is what you need

In my case - different I know because I'm the father - I only had to show the paper their mother signed at the amphoe when we registered our divorce. Just for reference for future googlers. . .

As I understand it the papers signed by the wife, mentioned above, would, if property, alimony or child guardianship were involved have led to the production of the 'po kor 14' as recording the agreed final situation. If there was no agreement between the parties then the matter would have to be decided by the Court. This at least is how it has been explained to me by a lawyer.

When your wife and her ex husband, divorced I take it legal sole custody of your step daughter was granted to your wife, at the ampur office? is that the paper your wife has? if it names your wife as having sole custody, i think that is all she needs. I guess she would also need to prove sole responsibility as well, but should not be too hard to do.

my GF got sole custody of her daughter in March this year. when she and her ex divorced custody was given to him.

I am confused by this reply and hope the last word should be "her" and not "him". If "him" what was the reason and process for changing the decision made at the Amphur Office?

Alas, the people who complain about "special treatment" are usually the ones who are not getting it. And once they receive "special treatment" they will be first in line to try to justify why they deserve it. I don't believe for one moment that the "complainants" in this case have never used their position in Thai society to extract special treatment in one form or another.

Absolutely spot on. And contrary to the nonsense written by one poster Abhisit is the caretaker acting in the role of PM, and is seen as such and respected as such by other Asean countries. A very busy man on many fronts, whilst No. 6 candidate and No. 4 or 5 candidate on anyone's list have lots of time on their hands - mainly it seems to complain.

as history repeats itself - this propagandist piece resurfaces a year later - from 9 May 2010 on this forum, and again 20 May 2010 on this forum

The Rural Poor Of Thailand... Some Surprises

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/363389-the-rural-poor-of-thailand-some-surprises/

The Down-trodden Rural Poor Of Thailand

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/367424-the-down-trodden-rural-poor-of-thailand/page__p__3624764__hl__robert+woodrow__fromsearch__1#entry3624764

it was attributed to one Robert Woodrow and appeared on a blog early May 2010.

Had I known this I would not have posted. Still "propagandist" or not my intention was to inform and perhaps there are some who have yet to see it. But thank you for this post.

(N.B. Perhaps if the moderators consider it to be 'overkill' they will delete the topic. I have no problem with that.)

I recently came across this article on Thailand and thought that members of the Forum would be interested to read it. Note the research and accreditation note at the end of the article.

Here's what you need to know about the rural have-nots of Thailand. They are the richest poor people in the Third World. And they owe none of their affluence to Thaksin Shinawatra.

Fugitive former Prime Minster Thaksin, a billionaire wanted in connection with corruption and tax-evasion on a staggeringly egregious scale, has done a remarkable job of convincing the world that he is the champion of the rural poor in Thailand, and that such prosperity as the farmer enjoys is in some way due to him. Yet all of "his" programs have been in place for decades. His well-financed public-relations machine merely invented catchy new terms for them.

In Europe and North America, farmers tend to be affluent. A comparison is therefore not at all meaningful. But take a village carpenter in Thailand's northeast and compare him with a wood-worker in a small town in Iowa. To the American, the Thai seems impoverished, his house appalling basic, his expectations in life distressingly limited. But the Thai carpenter probably lives on family land rent-free, pays nothing to moderate the climate, produces his own vegetables, chickens, eggs and pork, and rides his own motor-cycle to his jobs. He's seen the American lifestyle on TV, and it's so far beyond the range of his experience, he doesn't feel deprived or envious.

Every village in Thailand was on the electricity grid long before Thaksin came on the scene, and virtually every village family has a refrigerator, electric rice-cooker, TV, radio and a couple of oscillating fans. Almost all rural households have a motorcycle, though it may be old and battered. In every village several families own pickup trucks. Animals are no longer used for farm work except in extremely remote corners of the kingdom. If farmers don't have a mini-tractor of their own, they rent or borrow one from a neighbor.

The "landless peasant" class exists, but is very small when compared with the Philippines, India and much of South America. The rich absentee farm landlord is almost unknown. Most farming families tend a small plot of land they own outright, mortgage-free (due to unscrupulous practices in the past, an outdated, paternalistic law prevents them putting up land as security with money-lenders, though they may borrow on anticipated harvests.) They sell a small cash crop through a co-operative. Their grown-up or adolescent children supplement the family income from jobs they hold in the cities.

Thailand, like the U.S., has a fallen-through-the-cracks underclass. While statistics*, as everywhere, have to be taken with a large measure of skepticism, officially 10% of the population is below the poverty line (12% in the U.S., 14% in Britain, 36% in Bangladesh). Of course, that means the poverty line for Thailand and no international comparisons are invoked. Poverty doesn't necessarily mean doing without TV or not being able to lean a beat-up old 100 c.c. Honda Dream by the door.

Unemployment in Thailand is 1.4% -- among the lowest in the world. Here it has to be cautioned that employment statistics are notoriously unreliable. Even in advanced countries, economists cannot agree whether to include the under-employed and those not actively seeking work. But unskilled work, if not well-paid, is not hard to find. My Bangkok apartment building has had a "security guard wanted" sign out for weeks.

During the dry season, many farmers supplement their income with construction work in the cities. But some prefer to do without extra luxuries and live the slow-paced, well-fed rural life. Two or three years ago, I found it impossible for several weeks to find a plumber to put in a new bathroom. Many "peasants" have become self-employed entrepreneurs and done well for themselves. Thaksin's policies had no discernible impact on the labor force.

There is no population pressure in Thailand, since each female, on average, gives birth to 1.6 children in her lifetime. That is well below replacement level, so the population will in time shrink unless immigration is vigorously promoted. Reduction in family size was achieved through education and the perceived economic benefits of smaller families, the same way it was reduced in Europe and Japan. This got started in the 1960s.

Wealth distribution in Thailand is no more extreme than in most industrialised countries. The poorest 10% of the people of Thailand own 2.6% of the nation's wealth. The richest 10% own 33.7%. In the U.S., the comparable figures are 2% and 30%, in the U.K. 2.1% and 28.5%. These statistics may not be wholly reliable, but distribution of wealth is unquestionably much more equitable than in China, India, Brazil or South Africa. Even isolated Thai villages, especially in the central plains, would seem very prosperous to rural Pakistanis and positively utopian to most Nigerians. Thaksin's much-vaunted "village revolving development funds" financing local enterprise had their antecedents in the 1970s.

All main roads in Thailand are paved (close to First-World standards), and most secondary roads are surfaced, as are a good many of the tracks that lead into remote villages, even in the poorer north and northeast parts of the country. It was like this when Thaksin was still a bankrupt ex-cop.

There are slums in Bangkok, but you have to go out of your way to find them. Since almost everyone is employed, squatters on state land in the cities often live there by choice because it is rent-free. You certainly do not have to go out of your way to see red-light districts. Incomes from the sex industry (obviously denied to those lacking looks and personally) exceed factory wages fivefold or more. The blind and maimed can apply for state aid, but street begging is often more lucrative. One sets one's own moral priorities.

There was care at government hospitals and health clinics long before Thaksin came along with his fancy $1 scheme. Treatment is not world-class but it is medical care nonetheless. People in need of operations get them for small fees, and if they have no money the charge is written off. No one is turned away from emergency rooms at government hospitals. Doctors who went through medical school on state scholarships owe as many years of modestly paid service in rural hospitals as they had in tuition.

Almost no Thais are unable read & write. Girls on average get 14 years of schooling and boys 13 years (note that girls are ahead). About 1.75 million post-secondary students (over 20% of their age group) are enrolled in universities (ranging from world-class to barely respectable), two-year colleges or vocational schools. Bright kids from poor families get government scholarships, so up-by-the-bootstraps success stories are so common as to be unremarkable. This high rate of upward social mobility goes back at least half a century.

Infant deaths per 1,000 live births in Thailand tallies 17, compared with 180 in Angola, 153 in Afghanistan and 6 in the U.S. Life-expectancy at birth is 73.1 years (78.1 in the U.S., 66.1 in Russia). HIV-positive people make up 1.4% of Thailand's population (0.6% in the U.S.)

With a population of 66 million, Thailand has 62 million registered cellphones and 7 million landlines. Service is as reliable as it is in Europe. One-fourth of the people regularly use the Internet. Thaksin's own company, which prospered prodigiously while he was prime minister, had one-third of the nation's mobile-phone customers. He sold the firm to an investment arm of the Singapore government (and paid no income tax).

Thailand routinely exports more than it imports. It is attractive for foreign direct investment. It therefore has enormous foreign reserves, and even though the country has few natural resources to sell abroad, its reserves, at $138 billion, are the 10th highest in the world. (Britain has $56 billion, Australia $45 billion). This means plenty of capital for employment-creating new manufacturing jobs, which entice rural folk seeking work in cities. The Thai currency is so strong that even recent political troubles have not budged it.

Contrary to a widespread perception, the country's main exports are not agricultural products, but cars & trucks, motorcycles & vehicle parts (made by foreign-owned subsidiary companies). Exported pick-up trucks, the biggest single-selling item, contain negligible imported parts. One Japanese manufacturer sources its world-wide production of one-ton pickups, including those sold in Japan, from its Thai factories. Machinery is another big export, as are components for computers and other electronic goods, textiles, garments & footwear, processed food and animal fodder. Way down the list of foreign-currency earners are rice, sugar and tourism.

Over the years the Thai government has routinely produced a trade surplus, a current-account surplus and (though not this year) a budget surplus.

Since 1960 (when Thaksin was 11) no "developing" country has exceeded Thailand in average annual per-capita GDP growth. The farmers are still poor by western standards, but they've had their share of this rising affluence, and they are better off than rural folk in any other nation on earth for which we reserve the term Third World. ✹

All statistics quoted in this article were independently cross-referenced from at least three of these sources: UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank, Asian Devt. Bank, IMF, CIA, WHO, Bank of Thailand, Thai National Statistics Office. In no case is a figure quoted from purely Thai sources. In addition, plausibility comparisons were made with the statistics of a number of other countries.

of coarse there would be water inside his body if he was knocked out and nearly dead before being thrown into the water.

Maybe he did die from drowning but i am guessing that someone could be unconsious before being thrown into the lake which is why he could not climb out.

if he did die offically from drowning what happened before he fell into the lake or was thrown into the lake.

just to be fair with the story to move out any question that he hit his head or back on the way down. was there anything sharp that he could have fallen on on the way down.

Just being nutural. Is it possible the marks on his body could have been on the fall on the way down. or are the marks from the angles and the type of marks impossible to be from an accident.

if he had puncher wholes on his back then sounds like he could have been stabbed from behinde.

If stabbed from behinde then i do not think that it was a scrap between mates,

seems like a proffessional hit as the person who would have done it would not want to show his or her face.

in a scenario. for example if someone wanted to kill someone in the lake in the dark. then someone who does not reckonise could get up close stab him in the back then push him in the water to wipe away evidence,

not saying that is what happeneed because i do not know but in thriory someone could do this

I guess from this well written analysis you must be a forensic scientist or perhaps an English teacher!!

It's not technical nor happenstance.Quite deliberate....

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

This succinctly summarises most 'official announcements'.

No mate, Interpol and FBI being involved will make it harder for these guys to get off.

Interpol has no powers of arrest it exists for investigation only. What powers do you think the FBI have for a crime committed in Thailand, against antipodeans?

As maverick put it, "Just a walk in the park, kazanski"

I am pretty sure that if the FBI is involved they must have some powers or they would not bother. I have seen on TV (Television) a Interpol show with agents making arrest's for all sorts of crimes committed internationally. So what say ye

Sadly you are wrong.

The US agencies can do nothing.

I was under the impression that the US authorities gave themselves the right to go after anyone who attacks/kills etc a US citizen. Similarly they give themselves the right to prosecute in the USA any US citizen who has committed crime against Americans anywhere in the world. So no need for rendition the FBI can escort them back when they are thrown out of Thailand.

And perhaps if the husband was not a sweating heaving snoring farting beer-bellied mass of arrogant suet in the bed next to her, she wouldn't feel the urge to cheat either.

You have a gift with words, Sir. If you were any more specific people would start to recognise themselves, and might be less than impressed. I am still laughing, and every time I see an overweight farang pensioner, bottle in hand with a nice little 20 something I shall recall your crystal clear description above.

Well, for both of you I am happy to burst your bubbles! I am absolutely happily married to the most wonderful woman I have ever met. The most important thing in her life is myself and our two children. She is a dedicated Mother, a truly inspirational wife, my best friend, sensational lover and could get a Michelin star for her cooking. If I were to cheat on her, it would devastate her to the core, and I would never ever threaten the most precious thing I have found for 20 mins inside the pants of some bar girl. She is similar and would never ever even contemplate going with another person. I am absolutely sure there are many many other guys out there in the same position as myself who are truly happy, and a 'bit on the side' is just not on the agenda either for themselves or their wives. Some couples here did find love you know, and not everyones wife was a bar girl focused on dollar signs. Thailand has a real problem with divorce rates and 'playing around', and I have a theory as to why, but not all marriages are bad and not all Thai men/women are bad, come to that matter, not all farang are bad either.

Gentleman Jim it was a pure pleasure to read your post. Congratulations and I hope you remain in your current blissful state for the rest of your life. You are a truly lucky man.

Can we change the title of this thread to 'Thai apologists fail to admit any faults in thailand'

You miss the point of the posts completely.

As you probably know this forum is renowned for its intolerant membership on all matters Thai that do not conform to the USA, UK or Aussie standards. It is loaded with whingers. BUT these people mostly live here and have made the necessary adjustments to the Thai way of life. This includes living with corruption, double and treble standards, filth, poor service if any at all etc.etc.etc. It is the Thai style to ignore the laws (especially traffic laws) and to send their children back to the village to be cared for by the grandparents. Few of the ladies in the Patong "entertainment" scene could earn similar amounts in a shop or a bank, and in my experience would not want to do any other work anyway.

SO to see a 22 year old, all teeth and smiles, OOhing and AAhing to carefully selected Thais and presenting this as the 'norm' to the UK audience is unbearable for many posters on this forum. At least the whingers live here and have the knowledge to complain. They should send her to Afganistan to see what she makes of it over there.

I watched it last night, another hour of my life wasted. It was hardly Ross Kemps idea of darkside then again she was nearly out the door when a rat turned up so I guess it was a positively dreadful experience, it's not like there's not billions of rats in the uk don't know why she was squealing so much.

BBC please stop wasting taxpayers money on this tripe journalism.

I agree that this was one of the worst 'tripe' programs I have watched. The girl was barely literate, with constant Oohs and Aarhs over every little thing. She spent one night in a Patong hotel and declared Thailand hotels to be better value than the UK ones she usually stayed in - Eh! back packers usually go for cheap. The program was so biased that it was obvious that there was an agenda from the outset. She did not understand any of the fundamental Thai values, or ways of life which we residents have learned to accept and get on with.

I wonder if she even has heard of Chalong, Phuket Town, Chern Talay, Surin etc etc etc, but good old Patong gets the vote and the slanging. At 22 and "missing her mum" she is very poorly qualified to comment on cultural matters in other countries than the UK. Much less interfere in their internal issues. If she went on the telly reporting on UK under privilege she would be a figure of fun.

If I give the impression that I am less than pleased then this is correct. I hate trashy, biased reporting on any topic more so when it is done by a less than professional person condone by a UK media organisation.

I'm no navy man but with the Gulf of Thailand max depth 200ft i would think a sub would be an easy target.

Maybe they want them to be a museum the same as the aircraft carrier they have in Sattahip with kids climbing all over it. What a waste of money that was.

Very astute! I think you have cracked it. They are secretly preparing the ground to be the "submarine museum hub" of the world. At last a realistic objective.

Hubba Hubba

Ha! Ha! They are intent on becoming a 'hub' for everything. It is as if they think that someone in the government, or one of the many bureaucracies, only has to mention the word 'hub' and all will be well. How many 'hubs' are we now?

Suthep's comments might seem a bit harsh and inappropriate (they are!), but if you ask any Thai - who isn't an ardent red shirt - how they feel about foreign election monitors, you'll probably get a similar response!

From various discussions with pretty well educated Thais about condominium investment and purchasing many said they were happy for other Thais (rich) to take advantage of them and accepted it as the way Thailand is, but were indignant about foreigners doing it as wrong and immoral.

You can only laugh...

or complain on internet forums.

This post mirrors precisely my own view. This attitude is universal from top to bottom. It is essentially the reason why Thais can do what they like whilst 'farangs' are supposed to obey the various laws and set an example. Traffic laws are an excellent example.

Thailand is the centre of the universe and Thais are the chosen ones!!!!!!!http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif

All this is more posturing by those with top jobs and nothing to do. The ban on sale of alcohol between 2pm and 5pm is ludicrous. If one wants a serious stock of drink then buy the day before or even from one of the many small stores who ignore this rule. The only people who take this rule seriously are the big stores like TOPS, Big C etc., and they lose thousands of sales to bewildered tourists who cant understand why they cannot buy that bottle of wine or case of beer to drink later in the evening. Also if bars can sell drink during these hours why the ban on stores??? TiT!!!

Far better to make Thailand the 'alcohol hub' along with all the other hubs it professes to be, unlike the idea of the IT hub an alcohol hub would probably be a big economic success. Just imagine a universally happy population - if somewhat disconnected.

Stress???

I have never seen them work, what stress?

If they want stress .... telll them to ride a bus with a sleepy driver from Surin to Ratchasima

Spot on, my thoughts exactly.

Send a Royal Thai Navy extraction force to Libiya to get these people out.

Your joking of course. That action would only increase the number of Thais missing in Libya.

"Last year Thailand received 15.8 million international tourists, generating income of Bt585 million, he said."

That averages out at a tad over 37 Baht per international visitor. Is the quoted line a typo, or are the PM's advisors/scriptwriters slacking a bit?

Anyway, sad to say that Thailand (in common with just about every other country trying to entice tourists) can't be too picky at the moment.

Good point. Another pointer to the thinking can be found in the speech of the TAT representative. "Suraphon said the TAT would lure new visitors by launching the "Amazing Stopover" programme". To lure tourists is to imply that you are going to fleece them or do something unpleasant, but to attract tpourists is to imply that you are trying to impress them. Slip of the tongue or a Freudian slip?

Side effects include: Dizziness, headaches, loss of appetite, hair loss, loose stools, excessive urination, enlarged heart, enlarged spleen, night sweats, difficulty concentrating, night blindness, sensitivity to bright light, jaundice, increased risk for colon cancer, and difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection.

I must protest here! Though I don't think we have met you have plagiarised my latest health check report. As this is supposed to be confidential I am a little upset that all and sundry now know what is possible as one ages. Though I feel OK most of the time the above symptoms can be a nuisance when entertaining in the early hours!!!

I will get slammed for being insensitive and cruel.

No you'll get slammed for being an opinionated windbag who thinks that having acquaintances who are homosexual makes you an expert on the homosexual condition. You're just someone with an opinion.

I totally agree. What an opinionated, ego inflated windbag.

All the prostitutes (they are known as working girls/boys) have made their choices long before the occasional visitor from overseas comes to spend his money and time with them. Most do it voluntarily, whilst others are encouraged by their parents. It is not seen as bad, as in western society otherwise places like Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya etc would be closed down.

There is one main point here - in all societies MURDER IS BAD. This convicted person was a murderer, I hope he suffers in jail and I hope they catch the other accomplices. Oh and I am not the usual 'hang 'em; bomb 'em' poster you get on this forum.

Not really proud of it, But things happen

Pinball, you have got lots of advice on your post. Some from the "hang em" "bomb em" brigade and some from "admirers". I have already posted but would add a few questions to you.

a. Do you seriously want to leave your family and friends in Thailand (especially when you have no-one in the UK left) for no good reason?

b. If you have a spare 20000 baht plus some court money and some bribe money, don't you think that would be better spent on your children and family?

c. What would happen if you had to leave and live in the UK? Your Thai family would be without you and the Uk is a very forbidding place if you have no money or family and you are British.

Do yourself a favour and forget this nonesense. Carry on the good life with your family and in the village in which you are fully integrated. Wherever you are in the world there can be no finer gravestone engraving than: 'he lived respected and died regretted'.

Finally, your behaviour in no way affects any other Farang in Thailand. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Sorry,

but i take that as an absolute insult to me AND all the others in thailand that keep their visa`s up to date and often loss intrest on money we have to bring in and show in our thai bank accounts for visa`s.......SHAME ON YOU SIR

You are insulted?, Why should he feel shamed ? From the brief details that has been given ,he has a family which he has been with for 20+ years, So he didn't have a visa ,maybe he could not afford the expense . Given what he has said ,he only has his family here . If I was in his position I would of probably done the same , So what he has not got a visa ,that don't make him a bad person just a guy that has put roots down & probably contributed to his new (30yr +) homeland .

Has to what he should do now , well I would say unless he is really planning on going places just do more of the same . However if he goes the other way I would advice him to just turn up with a ticket pay the fine . If they mark your passport then get a new one.

Good luck to him & I hope it all works out fine for him & his.

As to you feeling insulted , maybe you should consider getting a new life if something like this cuts you so much. I don't feel insulted in any way so there is 1 of all the others that keep their visa's up to day that you are not speaking for .

You have no right to speak for all the others as you put it.

Well said. I am another who is up to date in all respects but in no way feel insulted - good luck to you. Logically why bring problems to yourself and your family if you do not need to leave the country. Just carry on as you have been for the last 25 years. You are cherished and respected by your family and in your community and are a credit to Thailand in the way in which you have integrated. My advice would be not to get involved with the greedy and corrupt immigration people - enjoy the rest of your life with those you love and forget the visa rules.

The latest offering by the Nation says it all. He is a thief. He was fined by the court for theft and did not challenge the decision.