johnefallis

Image of the Royal Thai Police at stake

Their image is already that of a band of corrupt murdering thieves.

All Thai police are criminals....either by directly being corrupt, or knowing someone who is and looking the other way.

There may be an honest Thai cop, but he would have to be blind,deaf,dumb and mentally retarded.

....Did I come in here last night, and spend 10,000 baht? I did? Oh thank God.....I thought I'd lost it !!

-Hahahahahahahahahahahaha, was I at the same place???

Very recently (within the past week) my B1,000/month 4Mbps TT&T MaxNet Indy connection was bumped up to 5Mbps. I like these silent upgrades, but don't understand why TT&T doesn't announce them.

Last night I was downloading a bunch of Linux updates and noticed the transfer was often at 545kB/sec, so checked my modem stats, and sure enough, the download stream now is 5120kbps.

What??? My 800 something baht 1GB True connection only gets about 130k-270k speeds most of the time. Where do I sign up for TT&T ???

Drug crackdown in Patong pubs...

-- Phuket Gazette 2009-03-07

Well, even before I decided not to waste money on airfare or hotels for a trip to Phuket, I had already stopped going out to the clubs and bars in Bangkok to avoid being hassled for being out spending money and having a good time. No doubt after significant investment in an evening, the police don't compensate for the expense and trouble to those that don't test positive.

Works out great for me, no taxi to pay for, no restaurant to pay for, no ladies drinks to buy, no suits to buy, beer is way cheaper, etc. All in all, it saves me a lot of money. My gf is really happy about it too!

Thanks TAT!

When I read these stories it terrifies me. I have never used drugs, but the thought of a false positive, and subsequently being sent to the woefully overcrowded Phuket Provincial Prison for who knows how long scares the hel_l out of me. From where I am from, this blatant violation of personal liberty would be unconscionable.

I used drugs in the past but that is a long time ago, but i would be worried about a false positive too. Or about corrupt police trying to get you to pay up or frame you. Its just that i don't trust the police in Thailand that much.

My job is so easy on forums like this.

In order to make the chase a bit more challenging

Let me provide a few hints

The purple color is just how we actually bust you.

It is only so that you can understand why you are under arrest

No one needs that grape koolaid stuff any more

We first monitor the falang forums for evidence.

Drug use results in both paranoia & memory failure.

It also brings on an inflated sense of what constitutes personal liberty

wherever it was you were from...we flag occurrences of "personal liberty"

I think you boys are giving yourselves away.

Expect our visit a few minutes before 0500

even if you don't go to the speakeasy tonight

We never mistakenly haul anyone in.

The good citizens on innocent vacation

Remember everything,

Fear nothing,

Are concerned far more about personal responsibility back where they are from

We know they are clean just as they themselves do....it is written all over them.

If I was unexpectedly thrown into your position,

I'd quietly invest in window tint film, after market magnifying rear view mirrors and good tires

But above all,

don't let on that you are worried about it...

Narc Officers look first for the tiniest telltale hints of paranoia

insignificant things to the untrained eye,

eye twitches, scratching the side of the nose, moving feet while seated

This Slippery body language is like a beacon on a fog horn to us

Be bold,

have loads of personal liberty,

do your mess right out in the open,

because we always check the back rooms first.

Do your deals outdoors under a streetlight in bright clothing,

we will ever suspect that

Also, Our manual teaches that druggies collect and discard many women.

If you only ever are seen with the same respectable woman,

you can do whatever your personal liberty says.

Finally, Narc Officers are trained that exactly half of all Druggies prefer ugly women.

Make sure your one steady is pretty, and every other day you are safe.

Enjoy your stay in Thailand.

It's the things I didn't tell you that I will still bust you on.

So your paranoia is justified.

You won't necessarily need your memory

Your personal liberties will be returned in the same manila envelope as your jewelry and civilian clothing

along with your release papers and expulsion orders.

Oh yes,

There are no Visa formalities at the Phuket Provincial Prison,

we handle all your 90 day extensions

We are truly a one-stop accommodation.

SOUNDS LIKE THE RAMBLINGS OF A TWEEKER! HE'S RIGHT, THEY REALLY DO STAND OUT, HAHA!!!

No CIA prisoners brought here since 2003 - Bangkok Post, January 22, 2008

...Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister at the time of the interrogations, has always denied that there was any CIA "base" or "prison" in Thailand. Foreign sources have told the Bangkok Post that the denials were technically correct.

The interrogations - or torture - of al-Qaeda suspects were carried out at so-called safe houses on a military base in Thailand, the sources said...

Funny, this link is suddenly not able to be found. ??? Censure in effect?

His wife, also with a small red dot to protect her dignity, eluded police capture.

hahahahahahahahahahahaha....uh, hahahahahahahahaha, ROFLMAO!

I went the to Americam Embassy to renew my passport as it expires in June ...

One suggestion to all, is to only take a COPY of your passport to hand over, or say you lost it. Can always claim you "found" it again. That way you don't have to worry about them taking it. Typical $#!^, took me 4 years to get mine again last time it expired.

Military and child support owed me, both played a part. Ex was in arrears when I my child went back to live with them, but if I don't pay because they owe me still, I'm in arrears, go figure!

These Ozzies, so stupid.

All he had to do was wear a "Yellow Shirt" then you can go about hitting, kicking, shooting policeman, stealing their cars and vans, shutting airports etc...

Moral of the story - "WEAR A YELLOW SHIRT" with a PAD headband when committing crimes................

But still, don't forget to break a light bulb on your way out!

A small red dot is all it took for his "dignity".

It took quite a bit more red to conceal his man boobs.

Maybe this one will save a little more of his "dignity"??

Some Nelson Mandela that Thaksin dude, riiiight.

I can't imagine the UK or US letting Worldcom execs or Madoff running for President all the while slamming the judicial system, or better yet, while on the run from the police and hiding in Nicaragua.

But if you can imagine Thaksin as Nelson Mandela everything else is possible.

1st, I didn't compare Mandela and Thaksin personally, never even crossed my mind, I only referenced YOUR reference to "convicted criminal" and "politics", in which you are explicitly incompetent.

2nd. Nobody cares much what you can imagine. Corporate execs are often candidates for political office. Including George Bush and their many corporations. Your attempt to compare Thaksin to Madoff is also incompetent. (a.) Madoff hasn't be convicted (b.) There really is no other comparison (c.) If Madoff wanted to run for President, he could. .

***flame deleted ***

Recall the last TRT Government: illegal election, vote buying, they could not get the parliament filled like necessary by the constitution, the time of the caretaker government was expired. The last TRT Government was complete outside of the 1997 constitution.

You must have parroted five hundred times that the TRT and PPP Governments were illegitimate and that every single person who voted for them was bribed

Fact it: the governments both existed - they were both legally appointed by the King. They were not fictitious.

They were found guilty of cheating, so went phut.

Now. you can accuse me of having Alzheimers, Jdinasia can say i'm wearing blinkers. But people in general feel a sense of unease about what has happened. The haters of the Great Serpent haven't chipped away at that - over what, 250,000 posts ? (at a conservative estimate). In fact they say, 'we're not trying to persuade'.

In spite of having the Government that the western markets and media has prayed for for 10 years - Abhisit Vejajiva's. That media is still not happy. It feels a sense of unease too.

You can shrug and say 'Thats their problem. They must have Alzheimers'

That mentality means you'll all still be yapping on inanely for the next ten years with no resolution. As Plus has said more than once 'there is no other side of the argument to hear'.

Right enough.

Why don't they just have Thaksin pay a fine for the petty things he/his wife may or may not have done, give him back his money and citizenship, and let him come run in the next elections?

I'd say that would be good compromise that would certainly lead to finding out what the people want.

Other "thing(s)" will likely change in the next few years that will lead Thailand in a new direction anyway, if you know what I mean.

I'm sure the constitution will eventually clearly limit terms in office as well.

Quit pissing up a rope already everyone.

Cheese and rice!

Dems got into power legitimately by coersing former govt parties to switch sides.

Beyond that I don't see how TRT election wins, or price of fish are related to this thread. Five years ago Thaksin was a an ambitious, risging star. Now he is a convicted criminal whose backroom dealings have been exposed for everyone to see.

Shit like that happens all the time here, he's not the first one, Asean members are not striving for his return.

The best remark that sums up their attitude came from Bush, of all people. I can easily visualise his chuckle - "He got caught, heh?"

Maybe the Thai people want an ambitious rising star that knows how to backroom deal.

Maybe it was Bush who taught him how to backroom deal. We all know he knows how to do it.

Who are you going to vote for? Oh yeah, you can't vote here.

Better be more concerned about the price of fish.

Or better yet, as somebody else put it, the broads, the beer and the bars.

Think he would be better served to worry about the supposed support for the convicted criminal ex PM who is jet setting round the world stirring up trouble - isn't about time a warrant was issued for his arrest and some effort put into bringing him back to justice, and don't forget the stupidity of the supporters for their recent voodoo and witchcraft merit making - what a joke this must appear to the rest of the world - or at least those who have any passing interest in Thailand which you can assume to be the ASEAN block for starters.

In a Democracy, even "supposed convicted criminals" can run for office, Mr. Aussie, that should be REALLY clear to you. If not then hit the history books.

And if I was illegally removed from office, through an illegal action, by the military, and any following government, which would be illegal, supported that outcome, then I'd be trying to do something about it too.

Maybe the courts should be convicting those that took that "illegal" action, and jailing them??? Or the same ones who took no action during the other illegal activities of the PAD??

Things that make you go "hmmm?"

In the last 30 years, the Democrats havent won an election with overall majority even once.

Thailand has a multiparty system, no party has ever won overall majority until TRT in 2005. Don't remember exact numbers for 2000.

I think the key word is "won" and TRT would have done a hat-trick.

Sorry, but weren't the TRT found to be illegally buying votes? "Won" doesn't equate to "bought". And if Thaksin had an absolute majority, why did he feel it necessary to bring all the same old corrupt snouts to his shiney new TRT trough? The only hat trick Thaksin does these days is to pass one around.

So based generally on what's been said, what if we sent Abhisit to hang out in Dubai on taxpayer baht, then held new elections, and since Thaksin isn't here to "buy votes", then if he wins, that's it, right?

I don't get why red shirt supporters always bring up the elections won by TRT.

Vote buying= INVALID election results. How many times you need to be told? Get over Taksin, he wouldn't give a hoot about you. You think even if he did come back that he's gonna be foriegner/Thai friendly?

Taksins supporters held a special ceremony to rid him of bad luck. They included names of his enemies, including Abhisit and Prem. If you agree that Prem is his enemy, then 'you-know-who' must certainly be as well. Maybe another reason why Taksin didn't get his pardon???????????? Got an excuse for this one?

If you disagree, then what are you complaining about??

Taksin, TRT, Samak, PPP, Somchai...... who cares! Did they ever promote transparency? I never saw their govt spending plans aired on TV. If you need someone to hate, how about the guy that's got your tax dollars too, and he's been living it up in Dubai. If you're happy to pay for that, sure, go ahead.

I'm sure if he could ever come back to Thailand, he's gonna love foreigners!! Another war on drugs, but this time mostly foreigners and southerners will be the victims. Nothing to do with drugs I assure you.

Who's living it up in Dubai with tax dollars???

If abuse of power, of any kind, was the focus, why didn't it take place it the courts whilst Thaksin was in office???

Yet, I agree, if Abhisit can hold it together, then let him have a go at it. Since he was "apparently" elected into office.

(my highlight above)

Perhaps you just had to be here four years ago, seeing the checks-and-balances being sytematically removed or subverted, to understand why this would never have happened. "Democracy is not my aim" & 'I'm here for the next 20 years' ring any bells ?

Abhisit & the Democrats' coalition-government, elected by MPs voted-in a year ago by the people, currently remain the best of a very short list of not-very-good alternatives, IMHO of course. Better than civil-war on-the-streets, another military-government, or a kleptocracy/dictatorship ala Marcos, let-alone the marxist vision of a peoples' uprising, which simply isn't going to happen.

If it fails, then one can then hope for an election, to try & break the log-jam.

Good points, well said.

Hopefully a new election would include people being free to vote for whoever they want in office. Whoever they think will best represent their issues. Good or bad, this is the road to democracy, unfortunately, it usually has some potholes and even the occasional collapsed bridge.

Maybe this would be a good time to add another option to the ballot "_ none of the above", that would effectively reject the candidates presented. Maybe even an additional blank line allowing the people to fill in the name of their nomination.

Now that would be something.

Asean members know very well what the deal is, who reds are and what they rally for, and it ain't democracy.

So yes, it is a worrying image if so many people keep trying to bring a convicted criminal back to power, a man Asean members don't want in their own countries.

Riiiight, after about 30 years in prison Nelson Mandella should not have come to power either, right????

The whole point of Democracy is that if the system is broken, there's a chance it can be fixed.

Are some of you still living in the dark ages?? Sometimes it's better just to say nothing.

dam_n, I got several tickets, among other things, over the years that I was guilty of, for one reason or another, that makes me a criminal, I guess I should never be allowed to run for office, or even vote any more???

Can you imagine if the U.K. or U.S. complied with that way of thinking? Who would have been the founding fathers??? Certainly not all those CRIMINALS??? Or how about Australia??? Certainly not all those criminals???

Sorry, had to, conscience.

You are comparing 'tickets' to 'abuse of power' etc?

What a VERY sad comparison.

More so, I was comparing a military coup de etat to the tickets, other extreme.

If abuse of power, of any kind, was the focus, why didn't it take place it the courts whilst Thaksin was in office???

Yet, I agree, if Abhisit can hold it together, then let him have a go at it. Since he was "apparently" elected into office.

Asean members know very well what the deal is, who reds are and what they rally for, and it ain't democracy.

So yes, it is a worrying image if so many people keep trying to bring a convicted criminal back to power, a man Asean members don't want in their own countries.

Riiiight, after about 30 years in prison Nelson Mandella should not have come to power either, right????

The whole point of Democracy is that if the system is broken, there's a chance it can be fixed.

Are some of you still living in the dark ages?? Sometimes it's better just to say nothing.

dam_n, I got several tickets, among other things, over the years that I was guilty of, for one reason or another, that makes me a criminal, I guess I should never be allowed to run for office, or even vote any more???

Can you imagine if the U.K. or U.S. complied with that way of thinking? Who would have been the founding fathers??? Certainly not all those CRIMINALS??? Or how about Australia??? Certainly not all those criminals???

Sorry, had to, conscience.

Maybe the Thais should have been as stupid as the idiots in the west and bankrupted the country.

And I'm sure the OP is really concerned about the welfare of the Thai people, nothing to do with his own currency being total crap.

Why can't the west be more like Thaialnd, they may also have a strong currency....lol

Your right maigo6

BUT

me myself would love it if the baht weaken back to 70 against the pound. Not gonna happen but im hoping. Got a family to look after.

Ps its spelt thailand not thaialand!!!

P.P.S. He didn't spell it Thaialand, he spelt it Thaialnd.

Time for Thaivisa to include...oh, wait, there is a spellchecker built in!

Maybe his book will start selling and some good will come of it.

He should also have the material for a new book, preferably written under a nom-de-plume, about life in a Thai prison.

He could call it Midnight Express 2, er,...wait.. that was a "Turkish" prison. At least it started with a "T"

too tired to really address the danger issue, but every place in the world can be dangerous, and i am pretty street smart. i am not worried too much about that. i have travelled half the world solo.

i work for US companies via the internet so work is not really an issue unless all my projects dry up, and $2500 a month is about what i spend in BKK so it seems like mexico and thailand are comparable as far as cost of living goes.

i will most likely (if i decide to) fly over after songkran here and stay in a hotel for a couple weeks to feel out the place/find longer term accomodation. i just don't know really where to start out from. i don't want to live in a super touristy area. prefer a very laid back beach town not too far from a big city. no interest at all in living in a border town, but do wonder how and where i would do visa runs? trying to think what borders mexico besides the US, but again, too tired now.

so tips on places to start out looking would be great! again, here are my requirements:

near the beach, with a good mix of expats and locals, with public transportation, good infrastructure (need internet connection to work), and that is generally safe for an american female? should also be near a large city with an international airport and cosmopolitan lifestyle

Visa info for you, direct from www.state.gov/travel

...Travelers entering Mexico for purposes other than tourism or business or for stays of longer than 180 days require a visa and must carry a valid U.S. passport. U.S. citizens planning to work or live in Mexico should apply for the appropriate Mexican visa at the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C., or nearest Mexican consulate in the United States.

All you need is a tourist card.

As it says here;

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: For the latest entry requirements, contact the Embassy of Mexico web site at http://portal.sre.gob.mx/usa/ or contact the Embassy of Mexico at 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006, telephone (202) 736-1000 or any Mexican consulate in the United States for the most current information.

All Americans traveling by air outside the United States are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States. This requirement will be extended to sea travel (except closed loop cruises), including ferry service, by the summer of 2009. Until then, U.S. citizens traveling by sea must have government-issued photo identification and a document showing their U.S. citizenship (for example, a birth certificate or certificate of nationalization), or other Western Hemisphere Travel initiative (WHTI) compliant document such as a passport card for entry or re-entry to the U.S. Sea travelers should also check with their cruise line and countries of destination for any foreign entry requirements.

The new U.S. Passport Card is now being issued. The card may not be used to travel by air and is available only to U.S. citizens. Further information is available at http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html and upcoming changes to U.S. passport policy can be found on the Bureau of Consular Affairs web site at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html. We strongly encourage all American citizen travelers to apply for a U.S. passport well in advance of anticipated travel. American citizens can visit travel.state.gov or call 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778) for information on how to apply for their passports.

Land travelers must have a valid U.S. passport or a U.S. citizenship document accompanied by acceptable photo identification, such as a state or military issued ID. U.S. legal permanent residents in possession of their I-551 Permanent Resident card may board flights to the U.S. from Mexico.

Hope this helps... oh yeah, Baja...

too tired to really address the danger issue, but every place in the world can be dangerous, and i am pretty street smart. i am not worried too much about that. i have travelled half the world solo.

i work for US companies via the internet so work is not really an issue unless all my projects dry up, and $2500 a month is about what i spend in BKK so it seems like mexico and thailand are comparable as far as cost of living goes.

i will most likely (if i decide to) fly over after songkran here and stay in a hotel for a couple weeks to feel out the place/find longer term accomodation. i just don't know really where to start out from. i don't want to live in a super touristy area. prefer a very laid back beach town not too far from a big city. no interest at all in living in a border town, but do wonder how and where i would do visa runs? trying to think what borders mexico besides the US, but again, too tired now.

so tips on places to start out looking would be great! again, here are my requirements:

near the beach, with a good mix of expats and locals, with public transportation, good infrastructure (need internet connection to work), and that is generally safe for an american female? should also be near a large city with an international airport and cosmopolitan lifestyle

Guadalajara or, my choice, Baja. Visa? We don't need no stinking visa, haha. $2500 is more than enough to live away from the tourist traps.

i am on koh chang right now- lived on lonely beach for a year around 2004, and am amazed at how much it has changed in the 5 years since i have been gone! it used to be a very quiet beach with just basic huts and mostly jungle around. it still has the jungle though a lot of encroachment has happened since then, and gone are most of the basic huts. i am staying at kachapura, which is cheaper than warapura but i actually like it better. very nice rooms with all amenities (though it tends to run out of hot water), walking distance from everything you need. the beach has become too crowded for me- now with plastic floats and beach chairs and loads of kids- kind of a disappointment. there is actually a little village now too, though it has a laid back, hippie feeling to it rather than an overdeveloped feel. lots of open air bars and restaurants. the thing i love about koh chang is that the roads are paved, so i can drive a motorbike all around the island, though some of the hills are daunting and there is a lot more traffic than there was before. it's a gorgeous drive with beautiful views along the way. may head to the herbal sauna at bai lan this afternoon and then to bang bao this evening for fresh seafood. very happy to be here and i definitely recommend it despite the changes.

How much is your place at kachapura? And warapura?

Thais place great emphasis on the highest level of job applicants' educational qualifications.

With your qualifications, you would need to rely on 4 things to get you a job. Excellent experience, preferably with blue-chip comanies, contacts in Thailand, your ability to talk your way into a job and persistence.

For English teaching, anybody including your binman, can start tomorrow and if you're prepared to put in the hours, you should make 50,000 Baht a month. Hard yakka though.

Where's that job teaching English??? I want to start tomorrow.