DaleBlue

I do not know about the price.

All I know is that my boy friend still owe me a ring.

He keep saying that it is too expensive at the moment.

Guess I have to wait a few more years.

Hopefully price will fall before I am 30, else I will find a richer man (just kidding).

I don't understand why men choice to have sex with themselves. Especially in Thailand. Although I disapprove of it, but to be realistic, sex partner in Thailand is not exactly difficult to find. Just give the bell boy a call, and things can be easily arranged at minimal cost (by western standard).

I have Peruvian blood hence I look very much like Thai. Would you consider my Farang? Or is the term Farang refer to White only?

My Thai bf and I are not married, we just stay together. He has a very close childhood lady friend in Chonburi. Let just call her Miss X.

Miss X come from a wealthy chinese family. Since my bf introduce us, Miss X and I have been very good friend, and we often go to do the usual lady things together.

I suspect my bf and Miss X do have sex form time to time. Some time I slip in the question when he is least expected, he just joke and change the subject (which he is very good at).

I am not sure if I should ask Miss X about this. What if I am wrong? Will I upset Miss X? She is now a good friend of mine, and I do not know if that will be an insult to her.

If your bf insists there isn't an issue, I would be inclined to believe him. I don't see why you would be expecting any more contact from your bfs family. Thai's don't tend to send cards or letters much and they will be getting information about you from your bf (believe me, they will be asking about you). They probably feel quite shy to speak over the phone with you and if you feel like they avoid doing that, then that is probably why. I think you should just relax.

This is so true. I am in the US visiting family and Mr sbk and I talk on the phone once a week.

He isn't much of a phone person so the conversations never last longer than 15 minutes either.

I wouldn't read too much into a lack of communication. (and I don't )

You are right. My Thai bf don't like to talk over the phone too. He rather we get together.

Have anyone sees what happen to Honduras now.

IF Thaksin were to fly in from whereever now in his private jet and request to land in Swampy, I am afraid so many Thaksin support will go to welcome him that police and army will confront Thaksin protesters with tear gas, any most likely AOT will shut the airport down again. Just my imagination.

Kasit Not to resign

By The Nation

Published on July 6, 2009

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya will keep on working although police have issued a summons for him and other leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), to be questioned on alleged involvement in last year's seizure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/07/06...cs_30106752.php

IMHO the more Lese Majeste complains are filed for futile reasons, the more it undermines the position of His Majesty .

Perhaps, that's her real intention.

No need to be afraid of the Cambodian.

The Swedish will be delivering the new planes soon.

In all seriousness, history has shown in this region air superiority doesn't always bring victory when pitted against hardened guerilla fighters like those ex-Khmer Rouge on the Cambodian side of the border.

Thailand can only lose here, in the international media they are perceived as bullying a weaker neighbour and if they engage militarily they could get another bloody nose and lose face.

If the Thais step too far over the line the real military power in the region, Viet Nam, could come to Cambodia's aid and things could get quickly out of hand.

I just returned from cambodia last night after a 4 day visa run and the talk there is that Thailand is planing a military exersize in the disputed territory on the 8th which will probably lead to more clashes and the vietnamese are massing troops along their border with cambodia in order to come to the aid of the cambodians dont know if its true or not but thats the talk going around at the moment.

I hope what you hear is not true. Pattaya is just a short distance from the Cambodia border. Maybe I should move to Phuket just to be on a save side.

Shame on the Thai people. That's all I have to say.

What's wrong with the name Woranuch. It is a great name, and the name of a popular Thai soap star:

http://images.google.co.th/images?hl=en&am...anuch+wongsawan

Am I missing something? Back in Post 170 there was a link to a story which included the first link to the King Power video and letter of explanation about the incident in the initial post. As I was reading thru the posts I was forming the ASSUMPTION that there appeared to be some scam involving King Power. I finally gave up reading the posts soon after #170 as it appeared that the bashing of King Power continued on without much objectivity in view of the video they produced. King Power obviously felt the need to respond to published reports given the bad press they are receiving over this matter. What stopped me in my tracks was the video which based on the flawed quality of the video posted on the internet seems to me to show she stole the wallet. That with the letter of explanation from King Power about there change of outer garments, seating at separate tables, him going to the restroom, wallet being found in the trash, leads me to strongly SUSPECT that they did indeed steal the wallet. It is doubtful to me that King Power (a multimillion dollar operation) is trying to scam some tourist for the little amount of money they would receive after the police, prosecutor, translator, et al had taken their cut. The scam if anything is the police taking bribes to get the couple out of the situation. Everyone can say that the punishment does not fit the crime. In fact they received no punishment and were not brought to court as they paid their way out. If a similar crime had happened in a local store here in Los Angeles, the police would have been called and the store would be given the option of going forward with a complaint or letting the person go. Shoplifting cases are often prosecuted. The penalty is handed out by the court. If anything King Power is being "screwed" by the police and prosecutors office for not doing their job. Whether you like or do not like King Power and its monopoly in the airport, it is highly doubtful the corporate management is involved in a "scam". Like most stories of this type it is difficult to ever get all the facts. It is very possible that individual employees have been brought into a scam operation but the video in this case shows, at least to me, that there is a distinct possibility that the couple did indeed steal the wallet. I personally would have kept my mouth shut. Now there is a video out there for their friends, family, coworkers, and the whole world to see. Their credability is shot as far as I am concerned. Could the video have been doctored? Sure. But on face value along with the explanation from King Power in the letter, it sure makes me think twice about this whole incident. We all know that Thai politics, police and many of its institutions are corrupt and bribes are regularly given and accepted to get things done. They played into that game and got hit big time. In their shoes, I sure would not have wanted to go to court with that video in existance. In my mind they are lucky they are back in jolly old England (well, maybe they are not feeling so jolly about now).

As usual here at thai visa lots of people jump on the bandwagon to bash at someone or something without waiting for more facts to come out. This topic will die out and be replace by another event and everyone will get riled up about that. Never a dull moment here on Thai Visa.

I quite agree with your view.

"Fellow Thai citizens a few months back went to a police station near the airport and put a charge against me as being a terrorist ... I have been called by the police to meet them." Kasit

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pac...4542789332.html

Sound to me like those "fellow Thai citizens" are the bad guys.

Thaksin May Not Be Entitled To Pardon - Wrong

Thaksin Will Not Be Entitled To Pardon - Correct

The Plot thickens.

Here we go again:

Irish scientist escapes Thai airport shoplifting charge in flight to freedom

Published

By Andrew Drummond on July 5, 2009

An Irish scientist arrested in Thailand and accused of shoplifting at Bangkok's international airport yesterday fled with her husband and one year old son.

Dr. Angela ' Ashie' Norris, from Dublin, a scientist working for the international fish farming company Marine Harvest in Letterkenny, boarded a European bound flight after checking out of the city's five star Metropolitan Hotel.

Last night they were all back at their home in Churchtown, Dublin.

Dr. Norris had been seized by Thai police at the request of King Power for alleged shoplifting after attending an International Symposium as a guest of a Kasetsart University, Bangkok.

Prior to their departure husband Dr. Ronan Loftus, a director of IdentiGen, the Dublin based company which tracks DNA in food, had flown from Dublin with their one year old son Aran. Since then he said he had been in regular contact with the Irish Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur Eugene Hutchinson and Eóin Duggan, the Deputy Head of Mission.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs have been fully informed."

The non executive Chairman of IdentiGen, Dr. Patrick Cunningham is Chief scientific advisor to the Irish government.

Dr. Norris, 41, the mother of three boys, aged 5, 4, and 1, was arrested on Thursday June 24, after allegedly stealing a 'Bobby Brown' eyeliner worth 900 Thai baht (18.87 Euros) from the duty free zone at Suvarnabhumi International airport in Bangkok - a kilometre long area of duty free and designer shops, including branches of Harrods and Boots, run by King Power.

The arrest came in the middle of an international scandal over the Duty Free Zone in which claims were made that people arrested there for alleged shoplifting were being shaken down for vast amounts of money to gain their freedom.

The Irish Embassy along with other Embassies in Thailand is considering updating their travel advisory to Thailand. On Thursday last week the British Embassy was the first Embassy to issue a warning about the 'market' area at Suvarnabhumi International airport.

"This advice has been reviewed and reissued with amendments to the Crime section (shops and stalls, particularly in market areas and at Suvarnabhumi Airport).

"You should also be careful to observe demarcation lines between shops and stalls, particularly in market areas and at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Taking items from one shop's area to another is likely to be treated by shop staff as suspected theft. You may be arrested by the police and asked to pay a substantial fine and/or face imprisonment"

This followed the case of a British couple from Cambridge, Stephen Ingram and Xi Lin, both IT specialists who were forced to pay out the equivalent of 9337 Euros for their freedom after being accused of stealing a Givenchy wallet worth 140 Euros from an airport duty free shop.

Dr. Norris was arrested as she awaited a late night flight back to Dublin via London. She had been in Bangkok at the invitation of Kasetsart University for the '10th International Symposium on Genetics and Aquaculture."

"I had been cooped up in the conference for four days and had no time to do shopping. So at the airport I bought some stuff for my children and then decided to treat myself to some make-up".

She had approached the cashier with two items she said. She presented her boarding card and credit card and signed the slip.

Two minutes after she left she shop she said she was surrounded by security guards employed by King Power, a company run by a Thai businessman and polo playing chum of Britain's Prince Charles.

"They were shouting at me. 'You! You! You go jail six months!' I did not know what they were talking about. They took the eyeliner off me and started waving it in my face. I said I had paid for it, but when I looked at the receipt it was only a receipt for 576 baht (12 Euros) for the Bobby Brown lipstick."

"They took me to the airport police station and then to a police station outside the airport. It was terrifying. The cell was filthy and stank and was full of mosquitoes. I paced the cell all night. I did not want to sit or lie down."

"What do I do?" she asked the Irish Mail on Sunday last week. "I have never been away from my baby son for more than four days. I have to do whatever it takes to get home."

" I did not steal the eyeliner. I did not intend to steal the eyeliner. But I did leave the shop without paying for it. Of course I may have to pay to go free.

"To fight the case I would have to wait for up to a year if I pleaded not guilty and several months even if I were to plead guilty. They have you and they know it."

It is not immediately clear how Dr. Norris left Thailand. She did not appear in court but claimed authorities told her she had no case to answer. But she also claimed just hours before her departure that her passport had not been returned and no longer trusted anybody. The Irish government may have given her a second passport in her married name.

Her husband Ronan, the Director in charge of Global Development for IdentiGen said: "What is happening here is outrageous and needs to be exposed. It's a national scandal."

fao_logoDr Loftus has also worked for UNFAO, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation.

On June 25th Dr. Norris was given bail in the sum of 100,000 Thai baht (2097 Euros), after contacting Thai friends who said they would negotiate with the police, and then released from Rajatewa Police station near the international airport.

Late on Thursday she told the Irish Mail on Sunday: "I spent all day at the police station and prosecutor's office. My understanding from both the police chief and the prosecutor is that there is no case to answer. They said that my passport would be returned and Immigration Police would stamp me out of the country".

But when she went to Immigration Police Headquarters on Friday she said she was arrested again.

Close to tears she said: "We do not know what is going on. We do not trust anybody. Thailand has a public holiday for the first three days of next week. We cannot even talk to anybody. We have to leave.

"I have only been to Bangkok once before, twenty years ago, after I left University.

"Then my friends and I fell for the local jewellery scam. By the time we reached Australia we had virtually no money left"

(The jewellery scam is a famous Bangkok scam. Tourists are told they have arrived on a special day when the government is giving massive discounts on jewellery for selected tourists. They can pay for their holidays for the profits, they are told.)

Husband Ronan, 43 added: "We have no choice but to leave. We have people who will help us. The Irish Government is being supportive."

K.P. Company Ltd, which trades under the name King Power is owned by Vichai Ratsriaksorn, President of the Siam Polo Club and Ham Polo Club, just outside London. He has a stable of 100 polo ponies.

King Power insists it has sold evidence against the Britons, Stephen Ingram and Xi Lin, and Dr. Norris.

Managing Director Sombat Dechapanichkul said: "The evidence (CCTV) clearly shows that Mrs. Norris only presented one item to the cashier. We would like to confirm that none of our staff are involved in (any) extortion and scam."

To support their case King Power have been putting up video clips on the internet. ( http://www.kingpower.com/2009/index.php#). Travel Trade Report in an article this week says that King Power feel victimised over the recent allegations. The company is expected shortly to put up video of Dr. Norris.

Stephen Ingram denies that the video clip implicates him and is suing for 1 million Thai baht for wrongful arrest and imprisonment. The video appears to show Xi Lin putting he wallet in her shoulder bag while Stephen Ingram looks on.

He says he has no evidence that King Power is in on the scam but was told that part of his money had already been paid to security staff at King Power.

Dr.Norris says that what she saw does not implicate her either. Dr. Norris, author of 'Breeding for business', needed to return home to her family and her work for Marine Harvest, which is one of the two biggest salmon farming companies in the world.

Said Stephen Ingram: "The scam does not happen until you get to the police station. We had to pay, and for that we got letters from the prosecutor's office and police saying there was no evidence against us. The only other choice was a year in jail. But we were innocent anyway", he told the Irish Mail on Sunday.

He said that the principal dealer, a Sri Lankan police volunteer/ translator, Sunil Rathnayaka had tried to scam him right up to the last minute. We had already paid out the equivalent of £8000 then as we were leaving he asked for another £1000. We just did not have it.

"He boasted that he had dealt with 160 other cases. He had three houses. He claimed he did it to help people. He did not need the money."

Rathnayaka, who receives the money at an account of Siam Commercial Bank at Big C in Rajdamri Bangkok, had approached Dr. Norris, but disappeared when the scandal broke. "Don't get a lawyer. I am the only person who can help." he had said.

The British Embassy says that some 25 of its citizens have been arrested over the last two and a half years. They are liaising with other Embassies to build a fuller picture of what is going on.

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs says that Dr.Norris had been given full consular support.

"The issue of the travel advisory is under discussion with our Consular Division, our mission in Kuala Lumpur and the Consulate in Bangkok.

I can confirm that we have no record of any similar arrests of Irish citizens at Suvarnabhumi airport."

I am more dubious than ever that the videos are either genuine, and/or implicate the arrested Brits.

In no circumstances would I recommend anyone in any circumstances whatsoever to go near KP at the airport. This business is beginning to stink from a great height.

Please don't change the subject.

So do you think the British couple is guilty or not?

have they been charged or summonsed to give statements ?

It's just a summons.Charges will never be pressed and PAD know it.That (and in the knowledge their action was highly unpopular) is why they're not out on the streets squealing like stuck pigs.

We should not tread Kasit guilty until he has been charge. We have to give him the benefit of doubt.

I realize it is bad to shut down the airports. But looking at the bright side, no body knew that Pattaya (where I live) has an airport before then.

out of love of HM, does that make her a bad person?

Prove this was done out of love of HM!! and not for a different reason.

Correct me if I am wrong, but hasn't the King himself expressed his desire to revoke the lese mageste laws?

Mildly

Discussing about the King's intention should not be allowed. I guess.

Serve you right JonTan on your comments a few minutes ago.

Now you are BANNED.

Osama and Obama sound so similar. I am confuse sometimes.

I hope no egg throwing in Buri Ram. I really like Mark.

We allow the discussion of the case, but keep the monarchy out of the discussion. We are not going to discuss what His Majesty said or not. I hope that is clear

With the greatest of respect. If one is not allowed to quote from His majesty's own words, which is highly pertinent to the overall subject of Lese majeste in the Kingdom Of Thailand, then perhaps the topic should not be discussed at all.

I do have a favourite from His Majesty's wisdom, which I try to live by. Forgive the spelling, but it is

'Por Piang'

A good point.

HRM is quoted daily around the country in print and on buildings.

It is done precisely and respectfully of course.

Including those in translation to other tounges.

Agreed, if discussion of a topic that involves the monarchy in a non insulting, non defamatory way is not allowed then the thread should be stopped before it starts because the complete picture and views of the members are not presented on this forum. However if something is said against the monarchy, the the mods should and rightly so delete it as it is against the law and they could face a charge of lese majeste. Come on Mods, grow some cajoles!!! don't just delete everything that mentions the the HM or the Monarchy

I am in favor of shutting this thread, before the LM police knock on TV door.

What's the best noodle stall in Rayong? Prefer beef noodle, but will eat anything.

In the UK, there are more gambling shop (called book keepers) than you friendly corner shops (grocery).

For the benefit to those who have not been in the UK, the book keepers shop density is about the same as 7-Eleven in Thailand.

What is wrong with that. I don't see that the British are gamble crazy like the Thais.

These farang have some nerve to slander the King's good name. I hope all of these farang receive the full 15 year prison sentence for their actions here.

What a **** idiot, Jakraphob and Veera didn't say anything to slander the King at the FCCT - go watch the **** video on YouTube.

If you wanna see a real lese-majeste speech search YouTube for 'Giles Ungpakorn SOAS'. Idiots at MICT haven't blocked that too!

I just watch it from outside Thailand.

Very GOOD stuff.

I am not sure if this clip is block in Thailand.

This guy is a Republican, and by that alone, should get 15 years sentence in Thailand.

No one in Thailand can be a Republican.

i got two tickets bkk-bali-bkk for 3500thb... including 15kg carry on for one of us... what a steal!!

What dates and when did you book?

Website is showing 6500 for 2 return. Leaving end of August coming back beginning of September.

RAZZ

Try Oct09-Mar10

Try www.airasiaplus.com to check 15 days a pop.