johnefallis

Backing up back to the checkpoint... now that is a <deleted> joke of a charge... My guess is they made that up when the other excuses for a ripoff ticket dried up

First off, it doesn't say "Backing up to a checkpoint", anybody with a brain knows it's backing up AT a checkpoint", and it equates to failure to yield, by trying to avoid inspection. As far as rip off, my experience has been that I could get tickets wantonly in Thailand for 10 years and wouldn't cost me what 1 basic ticket would in the U.S., not to mention the grief.

Quit whining...

we ALL should share this link and future links about tragedys like that in Thailand in FaceBook ....if the world is aware of whats happend here

and more tourists refuse to visit this SAVE country, may be they start changing something....I never give up hope :jap:

Seriously?

Rather sad that some ferangs have to mention Hi So,when a word of sympathy is all that's needed.

No one is wishing any social group to be affected, but I think many of us are wondering how many deaths it takes before the government regulates the safety of these buses for ALL.

Once again, I'm sure that would all be much easier if you all paid $150-$200 for the same ticket that costs $20 here. I'm pretty dam_n sure the buses and fuel isn't any cheaper here than it is in he west.

+++To those of you that perpetuate the whining, the rest of us need to start taking your man-card's and in the future send you to make your comments in the forum for Needlepoint Weekly!+++

Very sad.

Let us not forget that these kind of accidents do happen in Europe, too.

Maybe, but not with the frequency they happen here.

***Feel free, all of you, to pay $150-$200 for this same trip you now pay about $20 for, I'm sure all that added expense would make the improvements you suggest easier. Or move home where that's approximately the corelating cost, in fact, if you don't appreciate the benefits of being here living for cheap, feel free to just go away, and quit subjecting everybody else to your constant freaking whining.***

he's threatened to kill me many times for simply stating privately that i dislike him and that he shouldn't give life advices to people when hes poor and full of hooker diseases and a complete mess who only had friends because he was in an area where socially awkward white boys would hang out with anybody that was white and not 60years old..

His advices were quite dangerous and completely false.

Oh Lord, really? The way you run your mouth I'm not surprised....

No the difference is that those case were once in a lifetime mistakes. Ronaldo is a sociopath who was ticking time bomb and now that he has tasted easy blood, it will stick with him and he'll want more.

Im frankly surprised it took him so long to kill someone here. He has a short fuse and a napoleon complex

And you know this for a fact? How do you know this? Are you a psychiatrist or psychologist that was assigned to the case? What gives you any more insight into this case than the average punter?

Psychiatrist...hahaha, maybe 6th grade is my guess...

Only pre-meditated murder gets the death sentence.

How many years did that Thai cop get for killing that Canadian bloke and then cold-bloodedly shooting his girlfriend to get rid of the witness?

Oh yeah.......he never went to jail.

How about the son of a very prominent politician whos son shot a man dead in a night-club in front of two hundred witnesses? Oh yeah.......he never went to jail.

What about the son of an important businessman and his wife (ex-Miss Thailand 1996) who deliberately drove his car into a bus queue killing one innocent woman? Oh yeah.......he never went to jail.

Roger that. You could also mention the case of the Canadian lady who shot her farang husband in Chiang Mai and was out and back home to Canada in less than 5 years. Or the case of two other farangs in Chiang Mai who got drunk together ending in a fight with one shooting the other in the face. Guilty party out in under 5 years again. While I'm not defending Fanelli's actions his sentence seems to be in proportion to the other sentences I have knowledge of.

It is so refreshing to see at least some intelligent observations and conversation on this topic. I really get tired of all the ignorant comments and opinions so prevalent on Thaivisa.

It is a SCANDAL this statement if the US Embassy! So it is an EXCUSE to be a murderer, because he was a state protected murderer before? What kind of logics stand behind that? So.....have a little mercy with him, because the US GOVERNMENT made him be like that raw piece of sh.. He is? sounds like he should get a kind of bonus for what he did to the afghanis before. GET LOST, US EMBASSY!!!!!!

Another shining example of an intelligent individual.

Makes me wonder just how many losers are hiding out in Thailand.

Only pre-meditated murder gets the death sentence.

How many years did that Thai cop get for killing that Canadian bloke and then cold-bloodedly shooting his girlfriend to get rid of the witness?

Oh yeah.......he never went to jail.

How about the son of a very prominent politician whos son shot a man dead in a night-club in front of two hundred witnesses? Oh yeah.......he never went to jail.

What about the son of an important businessman and his wife (ex-Miss Thailand 1996) who deliberately drove his car into a bus queue killing one innocent woman? Oh yeah.......he never went to jail.

Thank you for that. Well stated. Of course all of the people in those examples were probably also affected from military combat PTSD....or not!

The U.S. Embassy pleads his case given his duty in Afghanistan might have altered his behaviour as he killed so many people.

Is the U.S. Government now saying that every staff member that has killed in the name of war is now a potential murderer? If so, they should be warning the general public.

This is one instance when the Embassy should butt out. Ludicrous defense and offensive that they try to plead the case for a man who confessed to an awful crime.

I hope he gets the 20 years and finds a nice boyfriend in jail.

You clearly have no clue what serving in the military during wartime is like, nor the effects of PTSD, especially from combat.

Of course I'm sure the rest of your OPINION is based on closely following the case and trial in it's entirety.

There are WAY too many opinionated old women on this forum already...

" the water level between the two bigbag sides was 30cm, and would continue decreasing."

If the wall is working, shouldn't the difference be increasing?

Really??? You seriously don't think a water level going down would be a "decreasing" level?

......NTB...

"Extortionate prices"? It's a free market, isn't it?

Actually, No, it is a monopoly controlled by the boat owners if there is no other means of transport.

A monopoly would be when one person or one company owns all the boats. That isn't the case here. Where I live there are laws against price gouging in emergencies. To me that has never made any sense. For example if I sold bottled water, and there was a tornado 200 miles away, why would I travel that far if I could just stay at home and sell it for the same price. However if I could charge any price I wanted to do, I might make the effort, and thus help meet a critical shortage.

The high price of boat transport will induce other boat owners to go that neighborhood, and thus by the law of supply and demand. lower the prices. And for every family that is "forced" to pay the high boat price, it only means that the good samaritans are able to help another family that really can't afford that price.

Agreed.

"Extortionate prices"? It's a free market, isn't it?

Actually, No, it is a monopoly controlled by the boat owners if there is no other means of transport.

OMG,..Yeah, I'm sure these boat operators carefully planned this flood and supressed any competition just so they could monopolize boat transport. Which of course would also assume all the boats were operated by the same group so as not to compete with eachother...

"Extortionate prices"? It's a free market, isn't it?

Exactly, they want it to be free. Besides that, by definition, doesn't extortion presume some kind of force is used?

If the government provided these services to those who can't afford it, the ones who could afford it would likely be the same ones who benefit from unrestricted profits when their own product or service is in demand.

I wonder who pays these boat operaters at times their service isn't in demand?

Maybe everybody should buy their own boat so they won't have to hire one when they need it?

That all being said, it's appalling that they are charging so much. How much are they charging?

Hey, do they take complaints on tuk tuk drivers that charge too much?

Many micro organisms will survive brief boiling, you should boil for 5 minutes. If you use the type of kettle with auto shut off, leave the top open, then it will keep boiling. Boiling will not remove inorganic pollutants. For pure water collect the output from your aircon and melt the ice buildup in your fridge.

Be very careful if you start to drink ultra pure water such as distilled or dionised it does not contain any bacteria, which you need to digest, and technically you can 'drown' with it. There are many documented cases of people dying from drinking pure water for too long.

I guess you could buy stuff like instant ice tea or disolvable vitamin tablets or even Alka Selzer to ad to the destilled water. I think that helps a little to ad minarals and (i guess) bacteria.

Just don't ad too much as the stuff also contains a lot of sugar...

Anybody ever see the movie Dumb & Dumber?.....

;-)

Yes it is going to take a lot of hard work and posative attitude to clear up all the mess, I just hope for the people's sake there is no western attitude to add to the disaster.

Care to remind us what is western attitude?

Usually us, westerner, we use to plan ahead, we also to prepare contingency plans (as it is obvious we are only humans, so prone to errors and forgetting stuffs when planning).

We also usually do not hide behind fake statements (that Iwil not call total BS, because I would like to keep it polite).

Most of important, when we are humbled by a natural castastrophe, we do accept that fact and we do ask/beg for foreign expertises (recent examples would be New Orleans for USA, and the cyclone that crossed european France in 2000, that for 2 of the most 'arrogant' countries of the world)

I would tend to believe some western attitudes would have reduce the scope of the actual flood (that is nowhere a natural castastrophe by itslef, but a human failure if not even a human deed); and would certainly help in mitigating it in the present and near future.

Even us french would be glad and thankfull if such flood was hitting us (let say such phenomena might happend in the French RIviera , in the city of Nice specifically) and the US Navy was proposing a aircraft carrier for help.

And thanks for that, because you're spot on. If blame must be laid, it must be laid at the doorstep of excessive Thai nationalism and xenophobic arrogance coupled with a refusal to do advance contingency planning ("If it hasn't happened yet, why worry?"). Everything is handled on an ad hoc fire fight basis. Instead of preventing the fires, they wait until they spring up randomly and fight each one as it comes. It's laid back and not all that bad sometimes. I live here and love it. But sometimes these attitudes lead to disaster and this is one of those times. Things will recover and nothing will change. Life goes on. But even so, Danlo is still a prick.

Haha, and you're another expat genius of the geriatric female persuasion....

Yes it is going to take a lot of hard work and posative attitude to clear up all the mess, I just hope for the people's sake there is no western attitude to add to the disaster.

A "Western attitude?" Let's try to define that. Hmm. Would that be a rational attitude, or a sensible attitude unfettered by polite denial and the silly niceties that obfuscate and procrastinate rather than address actionable approaches to the given crisis? Would that be an attitude that is at once concerned about placing blame AND saving face? Would that be an attitude that accepts offers of assistance without hesitation over political fears and expediency? Would that be an attitude that sacrifices poor communities over rich ones while knowing full well that in order to mitigate flooding of this magnitude, ALL communities, rich and poor, would eventually get hammered? Would not 10 to 20 cms. of water spread evenly throughout all of central Bangkok have been been a little more equitable (if not inconvenient, untidy or otherwise annoying to tourists and commerce) over decisions that allowed as much as 3 meters of flood waters in one place while completely dry in another? Or is that too alien and Western an attitude? I'm all for the hard work and "posative" (sic) attitude, I'm just not convinced, Danlo, that your bigoted remark and expressed attitude isn't already adding to the disaster. "For the people's sake," a whole spectrum of attitudes are essential to, as you put it, "clear up the mess."

Case and point, 555+

Yes it is going to take a lot of hard work and posative attitude to clear up all the mess, I just hope for the people's sake there is no western attitude to add to the disaster.

Care to remind us what is western attitude?

Usually us, westerner, we use to plan ahead, we also to prepare contingency plans (as it is obvious we are only humans, so prone to errors and forgetting stuffs when planning).

We also usually do not hide behind fake statements (that Iwil not call total BS, because I would like to keep it polite).

Most of important, when we are humbled by a natural castastrophe, we do accept that fact and we do ask/beg for foreign expertises (recent examples would be New Orleans for USA, and the cyclone that crossed european France in 2000, that for 2 of the most 'arrogant' countries of the world)

I would tend to believe some western attitudes would have reduce the scope of the actual flood (that is nowhere a natural castastrophe by itslef, but a human failure if not even a human deed); and would certainly help in mitigating it in the present and near future.

Even us french would be glad and thankfull if such flood was hitting us (let say such phenomena might happend in the French RIviera , in the city of Nice specifically) and the US Navy was proposing a aircraft carrier for help.

You maybe interested in this,, saw an interview on a Thai TV channel very late last night with an Netherlands embassy offical, he said the Netherland and Thailands Water management engineers have been consulting with each other for some years now, he also said no one or no government could have stopped this huge flood, he also said all countries learn from disasters like this flood, and that the Thai could have not done a lot more to lessen the affect of this huge flood, as for the amount of garbage any large city would have the same problem, if some of the posters on TV want to experance really dirty cities there are many that would make Bangkok look like a pristine paradise.

I experanced a flood in Australia and the worst thing was the stench, I dont thing Australia is a dirty place, but all floods leave garbage, rats, cockroachs and the like after the flood is gone.

Reading some of the post on TV I don't understand why some people live in Thailand, If I had the same outlook on Thailand I would be on the first plane out, just think about going through every day with all that hate and loathing, why do they do it to themself,???

I think the answer you are looking for, in a word, is "idiots".

Danlo....

Yes it is going to take a lot of hard work and posative attitude to clear up all the mess, I just hope for the people's sake there is no western attitude to add to the disaster.

.................

Care to remind us what is western attitude?

Usually us, westerner, we use to plan ahead, we also to prepare contingency plans (as it is obvious we are only humans, so prone to errors and forgetting stuffs when planning). ......BLAH BLAH BLAH....

Yes i would like to know what is meant by "western attitude " also , you must remember that many westerners come to Thailand for a holiday or to settle there and we do not make any derogative remarks about Thai people or the ...............should all those people who degrade Thailand on here should stop decrying the government and get off your lazy backsides and help out with the situation as it is. i have seen young men to lazy to help build the dams at Thammasat resccue centre and i have also seen old women and very young boys help also, you should all pull together and help each other not just mouth off at everything that doesn't suit you . Enough said

And if you do not like what i have said TOUGH get of your backside and do something about the situation and then you will know that i am not referring to you.

But I don't have a work permit.

Hahahahaha, LMAO!

Accurately candid comments sure bring the old women out, don't they?

Yes it is going to take a lot of hard work and posative attitude to clear up all the mess, I just hope for the people's sake there is no western attitude to add to the disaster.

What is that left handed remark to MEAN???

Do you really need it explained to you? If so, good chance it's you he's talking about!

A city the size of BKK must have several huge garbage dumps/landfills.

Does anybody know where they are and if they are flooded???

Sukhumvit Soi 23 to Nana

;-)

And costs $22000 USD per year to raise - an estimated $250000 per child from start to finish

While I won't dispute your figures (though I doubt them!), does this mean that they leave home or pass away before age 12?

Hahahaha, gotta love Thaivisa member "facts"....

I went back to Bangkok (staying in Pattaya temporarily... of all places...) to check on my house. It was under a meter of water on the 4th of November outside the house:

We had moved everything up (well, ALMOST everything... we're going to lose a couple bookcases, tables and wooden benches and beds that couldn't be moved) a week before we got hit. The only other thing that was a bit of a consolation was that the water didn't reek. I'm keeping my fingers crossed we don't get ~that~ kind of water... it'll just make things so much worse.

Best of luck to you. Thanks for the photo.

Many micro organisms will survive brief boiling, you should boil for 5 minutes. If you use the type of kettle with auto shut off, leave the top open, then it will keep boiling. Boiling will not remove inorganic pollutants. For pure water collect the output from your aircon and melt the ice buildup in your fridge.

Be very careful if you start to drink ultra pure water such as distilled or dionised it does not contain any bacteria, which you need to digest, and technically you can 'drown' with it. There are many documented cases of people dying from drinking pure water for too long.

Reeeeally? Post a link to just ONE please...

So whats new about three tons of garbage laying around Thai roads & streets?

Try 30,000 tons, and (to answer your question), .....nothing new about it, except it's now waterlogged garbage.

Maybe some of the water-borne radioactivity from Fukushima will kill some of the toxic organisms that slowly flush down in to the bay, from the 10,000 acre cesspool known as Bkk.

Even in the best of time, there's asbestos dust (from roof shingles and auto brakes), dog poop from a million dogs, and a zillion other types of garbage seep out from Bkk.

Q. What's the one best thing a person can do for the environment?

A. Not have children. Each added child adds untold tons of garbage to this finite planet.

Maybe you should move before your tears add to the flooding?