LazarusLong

So have they provided the BIB with breathalysers?

Or we still down to one unit at Din Daeng on a Saturday night.

I'm all for it.

Come on, is it April 1st. Booze going down in price.

It will never happen.

I got stopped outside of Pat Pong at 0100 hrs about a year ago and they had a hand held breathalyser. Unlike my girlfriend, I blew a zero. I also wanted to comment on the new fine. 5000 locals - - 20,000 farang ++

Well, and why not?

I am personally for "Don't drink and drive", but hey, to each his own and drunk driving IS somehow a sad custom in Thailand. However, biggest risk particulary on Samui roads are elderly gents on powerful motorbikes, boozed up without helmet and in flip-flops.

To get this straight...I LOVE motorbiking and I love my Singha, but c'mon...it's time to take some of these suicide bombers of the road. Drunk locals usually do not drive 100 hp bikes ;-)

As for the driving license, well, most Farang renting bikes do not have a license for bikes either - in most countries car licenses do not include motorbikes. Those who happen to have one often have no driving practice, so 9 out of 10 traffic-related deaths in Samui are Farang-related.

Yeah, I do have to smile as well about the frequent crackdowns, but at least they try to do something.

And as much as I try to avoid unnecessary expenses myself I'm all for it to charge the Farang more.

For serious criminal offenses the Germans usually impose penalties based on the individual daily income- that will guarantee that the welfare recipient with 25 Euros a Day is hurt the same way than the Executive (...theoretically, however the latter will likely have savings) with 500 Euros a day.

FYI - a fine of 60 daily incomes or more will get you a criminal record. One of the few things the Germans did get right.

Again, find out what you're talking about before opening your mouth.

She was not a drugs dealer either.

She was carrying an amount that would not even have gotten a custodial sentence in UK.

That may be. However, she clearly is and has been an adult at that time which means that she MUST have been aware of the "Zero Tolerance" policy regarding drugs in Thai law.

Each country is free to impose their own rights, dues and laws - I wouldn't want to live in the UK, after all, with all my e-mails checked and 100% CCTV supervised.

So my point is: Either COMPLY with the laws of your host country or bust.

What will it be next - complaining that you can not run a porn fair in Riyadh ?

Be clear about it - if you do not like the laws of a particular country you are free NOT to go there.

If I would want to do some weed smoking I'd travel to Cambodia where everything goes for $$$.

ANd please don't tell me that especially Meth consumption is a big issue in thailand as well:

As true as that may be, the laws exist and everyone thinking of drug use or drug running into and out of Thailand, Malysia or Singapore should be prepared for death row or life. I am unable to pity the crackheads who come up with statements that "I never tought, imagined, assumed, knew, figured....that...".

Mind the old saying that "assuming makes an a** out of u and me".

Laz

He should call himself Donald Duck, wouldn't be far from the truth...

Naah. Donald is pictured as a born loser in the Disney comics...DAGOBERT would be more fitting.

After all, like another forum member rightly said: He indeed IS a crafty old bugger.

So can somebody tell me, can you still get bootleg software at Pantip and bootleg dvd's at Pantip and MBK? That's a big industry in Thailand.

Yes, you can still get it, but why bother?

10 years ago I used to buy there. I still browse...sometimes they have something interesting...but I I really would want any POPULAR software, hey, I'd download it over BitTorrent and good.

That ***Bios Emulation for Vista ULtimate worked like a dream, even MS recognizes it as legal...so no update hassle.

What you really get in Panthip & MBK (if you are not a real Poweruser, and those usually don't go there) is a fat chance for a Virus and/or a Trojan.

Whatever you want-most of it is on BitTorrent. Check IsoHunt and learn how to sort out fakes, and voila, you are good to go.

That being said one should be familiar with advanced OS functions, editing registries, performinga thorough Virus scan and slipstreaming customized installation media.

Main issue is that too many Joe Averages want new Software just because it's NEW, and they trade a perfectly well working legal XP for a badly patched Win7 or Vista which can't be updated.

My advice is stay away from that bootleg stuff, unless you are in a position not to need advice regarding IT Matters ;-)

In internet shop now they do not let me download a moviefile that is on a free website because they said is illegal... What is the joke ? i'm Italian and our national TV leave in podcast all movies they made the day after of the official transmission and i can't take it ?

Like this now is better to do not have a computer anymore , is much more dangerous to use a computer then a gun in thailand.

A quick question... What about tourist who come here with their own computers ?

Since software piracy is a crime almost everywhere you are theoretically in danger. Practically I would think you only run a risk if you have bragged about those "cheap copies" to your bedwarmer and didn't treat her well :-).

You could run into a situation where Thai police might ask you to prove that your software is genuine (such as when using in an internet cafe).

A few friendly words, a glimpse on the license number and, most important, 200 to 500 Baht tea money should resolve all issues.

You should be aware that a lot of laptops have been conficated by US CBP even from business travellers and sometimes returned only after 6 weeks to 9 months, so play it safe, do a total encryption of your harddisk and make sure you have recent backups ;-)

I just don't understand Cambodia's intentions by even having Thaksin there. It almost seems that life is so dull that one needs to pick a fight with someone or something just to make it interesting. Can't Thaksin consider this a work at home job and do it from the comfort of some tropical island? What a home business opportunity, advisor to Cambodia, I wonder if he accepts Paypal?

Don't speak of "Cambodia's Intentions" but the intentions of Hun Sen and his entourage.

One the one hand Cambodia is dependent on Western aid (ever seen all those big SUV's before the 4 and 5 star hotels? AUSAid, UNHCR, WFP, etc.etc...name the professional do-gooders, they're there), on the other hand probably the corruptest country on earth.

Hun Sen just hopes Thaksin would be able to fill his coffers - look at all the Hummers, GMC Denalis, Porsches etc. with CAAC Military plates - easy to understand why they are in desperate need of some unscrupulos tycoon. Thaksin is good in that, and from own experience I can think of a number of real money machines in Cambodia. May it be aviation, creation of tax-free special economy zones, gambling, prostitution (well, call it entertainment :-) - there are real opportunities, provided that you have found access to high government officals so that you know in advance what amount of bribes you gotta include in your calculations and to make sure there will not be any law enacted just to schmooze the NGO's and pry out some additional "help". Read the Phnom Penh Post, or just go there, and you undestand why.

That being said I actually admire Thaksin for his business savvy - if I were him I would certainly move in the same direction, it's the logical thing to do.

you had someone remove a tooth from you mouth for the sum of $3.50 US ?!?

you are either demented or a crack addict.

...Hmmmm...reminds me that last year October while I was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia they opened a pretty flashy "European Dental Center".

Advertised all over town "Tooth extraction including anesthesia for $1":-)

I had a look since one of my wisdom tooth was in dire need of extraction and everything appeared swell,

but at the end of the day I decided to wait with extraction until I was back in Canada... didn't want to get into a situation where I might have to RELY on medical services in Cambodia.

Off the record: Does crack numb tooth pain ? ;-)

I hope he manages to fight the charges and is set free.

Given politics however, who knows how the court case will go.

Do you have any idea what he is accused of? What about the liberties of the thousands he alleged to be responsible for the death of? However I don't see why usa has to continue to be the worlds self appointed police, the UN should really get there finger out and take control.

May I remind you that weapons by itself are neither good nor evil and that these do not kill by themselves ?

People kill people, period. The US have always been a stronghold of weaponry possession and that guy in my view may have done little wrong, if at all. He's probably violated some export/import control regulations, but so what ?

The US have supplied weapons more than once, and Saddam Hussein got much of his staff from the US while he was still expected to fight communism and muslim fanatics from Iran. Things do not become right or wrong just because a government does it.

It is pretty much understandable that the Americans want him, but at the end of the day that's just smart political marketing of the Obama administration who would like to deviate from their catastrophic interior politics record.

The UN or whoever feels in charge may go after the weapons user (or abuser), but basically a gun, a tank or a missile is a commodity like iron ore, rice or consumer electronics.

That may not be politically correct, but yup, it's a fact, folks.

Hi guys, 1st post.

We've been waiting 10 weeks for my wife's settlement visa to UK and got a refusal yesterday.

Thought we had everything covered, good history, 4 successful visitor visas and a family visit.

We got married last November officially in Bangrak.

My wife got a call from the consulate 2 weeks ago and asked her to fax (yes fax) a copy of her divorce paper and my payslips. We did this no problem.

Next thing we get the refusal based on the fact that she had failed to provide evidence that her previous marriage had been dissolved, the guy admitted having the fax but said he could not conclusively verify whether she was genuinely free to marry her sponsor (me). He said it would have been reasonable to supply the original copy of the document!! But they asked for a fax, if they had said 2 weeks ago they wanted the original then we would have complied.

Does anybody out there also think this is a crazy decision? After all we have a genuine marriage certificate (which they have the original). Bangrak wouldn't have allowed us to get married if we had not verified our previous marital status.

Are we a victim of quotas?

Gutted

Not quite sure about UK system, but since UK is Schengen too they should basically have the same system than Germany.

I needed a relocation visa for my Thai wife a few months ago since we had lived for some years in Canada after gotten married.

Although we of course submitted docs to German Embassy in BKK the decision was made in Germany at the alien"s department of the City where we were going to live (royal pain in the a*** since I had to fly over in advance, get apartment, get registered etc.). Six weeks, no visa. Eight weeks, no visa and embassy telling me that they haven"t heard from Germany. So eventually I had to fly over alone (since I was due to start my new job) and was just told by alien department that "it'll take as long as it takes".

So, I sent a quite polite letter to both the town mayor (also responsible for alien's dept) and the provincial MP - guess what, visa was granted after 48 hours.

In a nutshell, try to find out if it's the embassy making the decision or some bureaucrat in the UK. If it's UK try to get some higher instance involved - at least that can't hurt.

And again, is you agent qualified ? They really SHOULD have forwared either the original or a certified copy of the certificate by themselves... .

C'u, Laz

While Thai Air has been lambasted for poor management and massive corruption, this is a wise decision. Buying new planes in the middle of a global recession is not prudent. Anyway- I haven't flown TG in years as their prices just aren't competitive anymore...

Folks,

Gotta get a bit of sense into this topic.

1) It IS wise to BUY aircraft just now. Because of financial crisis and recession you get discounts previously unheard of, especially if you take over slots from cancelled orders. However, you should be able to pay cash - that"s why Air Asia, Air NZ, Emirates, Quatar, Etihad and others placed huge orders.

2)ILFC, the worlds biggest AC leasing co has hinted they may cancel their A380 order as well.

Three reasons: a) ILFC, although itself healthy, suffers from refinancing problems as their parent AIG just went down the gutter. They may just want to negotiate a steep discount

c)Probably the best: ILFC hinted in a press release the because of declining passenger traffic the market just isn"t there to operate 500-seater aircraft. I totally agree.

2) United wants to buy 150 aircraft, but only the less costly twin-engine jets (787, 777, 350, 340). Its seen as a bit of an issue as UA does NOT have the necessary cash.

Please do not come up with conspiration myths and statements how poorly TG is managed. I am NOT a TG employee (and have never been) but a customer of TG who has suffered his share. However, TG is BETTER than most - and if they weren't obliged to fulfill certain crazy Thai governmental obligations they WOULD have more cash and better service.

It certainly was nuts to buy those A 340 for the JFK route (which is now cancelled and the 340 parked as these gas-guzzlers have no buyer) and ultimately the 380, but alas, that is politics...Thailand has received EU Support for placing orders. There may have been bribes or not, but that is no specific Thai issue - care to remember how Air Canada placed that big Airbus order in the early 80 ? Germany still tried to get a hold of Gerhard Schreiber :-).

If you don't like TG fly with other carriers, there's plenty of options. For me TG, GF and BR are still my personal favs.

What TG really needs are 3 or 4 777/200F's - as ridiculous it seems, THai doesn't have a freighter any more and they're in dire need of it. Retrofitting their old 744's to BCF's makes little sense, so the cash for the unneeded 380 is wiser spent on upgrading their fleet with 773's and 788's Pax and 772F's.

If you want to follow that up just check airtransportworld and atwonline.

Cheers, Laz

This has to be being played for Thai consumption. THere is no way they don't understand how this will be viewed in other countries.

... which is exactly what these "refugees" wanted.

These Rohingya know pretty well that they have no legal means to enter Thailand. For me the "Violation" of their human rights is just a false accusation to gain publicity and possibly refugee status.

May I remind the other posters that "wetbacks" crossing the border from Mexico into the US are also not really popular there ?

Europe has its struggles with illegal immigrants as well.

If you have a look at what is going on in the THai south, especially in the Hat Yai area you'll understand that particulary MUSLIM immigrants are not that welcome for a reason.

THailand is struggling hard with the impact of the world financial crisis and its internal woes, Ms. Jolie has neither done Thailand nor the UN or the Burmese refugees any good with her not very smart comments.

I'd be careful to make any accusations before more facts are known.

Nothing to worry about... new generation sims will work in most phones that are GSM based or Quad band. Most important thing is if your Phone in tied to your provider from the country you are coming from... or it is UNLOCKED... and will accept any sim card.

If your phone is locked... your screwed :-) at least the start.. in most cases you can find a shop to unlock it... except if it is Blackberry... then forget it :-P

No need to worry, even though it's Blackberry :-)

1) ALL unlocked Quadband phones worrk in Thailand

2) Check for coverage. DTAC, AIS and Orange should work nationwide here.

3) Locked phones can be unlocked for about 150 to 500 Baht (depending on type) in one of the phone shops in the 5th floor at MBK in BKK.

4) You can also google for, say "Unlock Blackberry 8820". You usually pay with credit card or PayPal (use PayPal, MUCH safer) and get your unlock code e-mailed. Done that three times and never a problem, cost for my BB was 45 USD.

5) For Blackberry owners NOT hooked up to a corporate Balckberry server and in need of the Push-Mail function:

That will require a contract and there's only one option, AIS. Cost is (depending on free call minutes allowance) 200, 400 or 600 Baht per month PLUS 850 Baht for unlimited Internet & Push-mail.

Contract runs 3 month as a minimum but can be terminated any time after that. Beware: In order to get a contract you have to have either a Thai g/f, spouse or friend (then contract will be in her name) OR a work permit & visa. I am using the AIS Service for a month now and I"m actually very pleased - navigation, push-mail, internet, everything works on my Canadian BB 8820 which was formerly tied to Rogers Canada. Unlocking took less than one minute - you simply type in a code and that's it.

6) there is NO SUCH THING as an generic unlock code for MOST phones, Unlock codes depend on IMEI (something like the phone serial number and must be calculated, e.g. you would need the proper software for that. Beware of websites advertising "free unlocking tools", most are virus-infested and won't work.

If you know how to EEProm your phone you may try to get a generic image of the firmware, but even then flashing will usually require unlocking of the phone/PDA first.

But he's told me he still has feelings for me, but he loves her!

he doesnt love her , but he probably loves the way he feels when having sex with her , these girls can make a man feel very wanted indeed , but when the novelty wears off , he will run from her.

perhaps if you are still in love with him you might consider the true meaning of love , which is to take happiness from seeing your partners happiness , and rather than feeling anger at what you see as a betrayal , rather than trying to keep him in a cage that at this time he feels like escaping from , allow him his happiness and his freedom at this time of his life in a selfless manner.

allow him his fling , wait for his return......

Well, I thought I better add my 2 cent, for whatever it's worth:

It's admirable how all of you take the "morally sound" position. However, don't be too quick in your judgment, and especially avoid the trap of thinking of the girl as "Just a bargirl". I've met a few and whilst most of them would fit one's idea about "that type of woman" not all do, two of my friends are very happily married to ex-bargirls (another, though, lost sense and all retirement savings).

I myself had been married for 9 years when business brought me to Thailand for the first time 12 years ago. Been bored in my marriage I did what many do, and I must say that I had a really good time getting around (sorry folks....).

In the end I divorced my wife and married a Thai girl (NOT a bar girl) half my age three years ago and there's not been a single day I had to regret it.

She's faithful, commited, smart and a good companion - much more than just what one might assume. My Ex-wife gave me hel_l on earth during the divorce although I was entirely fair (besides cheating on her initially).

So what ? Sometimes people gotta move on with their life. This is not the first nor will it be the last case of someone loosing his heart to Thailand and Thai girls.

Best advice I can give is sort out your finances and move on. You may get back his mind, but not his soul... as one will always remember those humid nights in Khrung Them where nothing else seemed to matter but the body sweat, no matter how that ended.

........ and then take him to the cleaners !