dumpling

it's clear that someone is responsible. said someone somewhere, blah blah blah.

wasn't this a movie ....The hunt for reds in October????

Just when the authorities are having some trouble to keep justifying the State of Emergency, along comes another bomb explosion to underline how wise they are to keep it. It's lucky that the powers that be take such good care of their subjects. Otherwise the country could descend into chaos so easily.

This is bad news which ever way you paint it people dead and injured my condolences.

Just one thought, if this was a bomb factory or arms cache of some sort then it paints a bleak picture and makes me wonder what is being planned for the future?

Only a couple of posts back I commented on the last bombing mentioning that they would have to step things up to make the international media these days and it looks like that could have been on the cards I hope this is a tragic accident and not the act of wanna be terrorist.

This on the back of the predicted 20/30 % rise in tourist figures , I am busy reassuring family members due for a visit that it is safe but when they read the newspapers and see these bombings small as they are it still cast doubt as to whether they should come or not.

It would be so much better if the response from the authorities was a little more committal and they at least appeared to be making efforts to catch the culprits.

Thailand is becoming like the old west no justice or action until money is involved , maybe it is time to dust of my Stetson grab my six shooter and find me a bounty that needs collecting.

yipee kai aye

Where do they get these figures from? I suspect someone pulled this from their a*s - LOL

That pre-supposes they actually know where their a*s is.

I am rolling around laughing remembering this post and then a day later the newspapers are reporting 20/30% rise.I think the next budget should give the TOT a few more baht so they can buy some new calculators or take a few math classes.

Am I missing something? If the fees are hiked 50% (increase fromm 10b to 15b) how do the banks lose money??? What other business could up their fees by 50% and stay in business?

The comment about each bank losing 100 million is a smoke screen surely??

All I see lately in this country are companies and people grabbing what they can while they can, what do they know that we don't ??????

Horse stables means Amata elite and rich folks.

A pretty good target if rage against the rich or successful is part of your mindset.

Certainly it will get press, but most all will bombs gain press. This could make

'the rich' think about making their own world smaller, not letting their kids

go for riding lessons, or going to the track and check their animals.

Or just go for a ride.

Add to that is is the "Royal Riding Stables",

lets not lose that bit of the insult it is clearly intended to have.

3 bombs in 3 days and still only getting press in Thailand.I worry they will step things up so the situation here will get more coverage from the world press.This is a bad on so many levels with people getting hurt and killed and damaging the countries reputation and all this heading into "tourist season".

lets hope cooler heads prevail and those who are carrying out these attacks are caught and made examples of.

I have been in Thailand for many years, and have been in education for the past 13+ years. Prior to teaching, I worked in another capacity, but I remember the endless articles in the news about the quality of education. Since I have been in education, I have seen precious few changes. Lack of computers, lack of internet access, lack of basic teaching tools and lack of other supplies is common.

We recently had an inspection by the headquarters of our school: Their complaints about the teachers included such things as they have 'ticked' the workbooks/notebooks on the wrong side--even though they were told to tick them that way last time. They don't sign their name neatly when signing in. They should make the students write more neatly etc. Absolutely nothing about the curriculum, methods of teaching, or accuracy of information.

The curriculum is boring, the books are atrocious, there are no overhead projectors or anything (oops, sorry, some classes have a CD player--but most of these are the personal property of the teacher). Photocopies are difficult to have made.

The teachers I supervise have my greatest sympathy (and support). There is virtually nothing good or nice said to them. If they do a particularly good job, then the question is "why don't you do that everyday?" If there is nothing else to complain about, then criticize what they are wearing. And, I might add, the Thai teachers have it worse.

Rant over. Best of luck to Thailand.

This situation sounds oh so familiar.

I think the word education and Thailand should not be in the same sentence that is unless they change the dictionary definition from :

ed·u·ca·tion n.1. The act or process of educating or being educated.2. The knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process.3. A program of instruction of a specified kind or level: driver education; a college education.4. The field of study that is concerned with the pedagogy of teaching and learning.5. An instructive or enlightening experience:

to

1. The act of entertaining.2. The art or field of entertaining.3. Something that amuses, pleases, or diverts, especially a performance or show.4. The pleasure afforded by being entertained; amusement: The comedian performed for our entertainment.5. Archaic Maintenance; support.6. Obsolete Employment.

I have lived In Bangkok Yai for many years but the word is out and I have lost my franchise on being the only farang in the village , move over here it is great with some really nice little bars and restaurants some good gyms and great little markets and it is not far from the city centre so if you crave foreign style entertainment only a short taxi ride awaits.

I can see it now Khun Puying living in Farangland chatting with friends and relatives

Khun Puying " I think that you should visit Thailand"

Friends/relatives " What is there for us to do and see "

Khun Puying " lots of exciting things to do visit the beautiful temples, try some wonderful food, meet great people "

Friends/relatives " sounds wonderful , is it safe ? "

Khun Puying " errrmmmmm yes " !

I am not knocking this country I love it but if they want to gain more tourist shouldn't they be focusing on the bigger problems?

What is a 'floor' in a system?

A first post of the day still half asleep mistake , it should say flaw my sincerest apologies.

The floor in the system , how many Thais actually have a drivers licence?

will this system have a bias towards high end model cars and those who they know can pay.

The question should be , who is doin all the tipping off recently of these drug mules ? Is it a greater source that is setting these people up to protect their own drugs trade ?

Just seems strange that recently there have been daily cases of drug arrests at the airport , and it can't be the local doin the work at the airport as they are always asleep !

I think that anyone involved in drugs reaps what they sow but its strange that there have been so many caught here over the past few months is it down to better police work or an increase in drug trafficking.

hhmmmmmm long term tourist plan "need more of them" not difficult.

I'm just a humble kite flyer

Kite flyers of Thailand Unite! (Let's forget the 'joining hands' bit though).

What a Wan*$# well that's how my Thai dictionary put it !!!

Am I "miss" translating kite flier ?

This mornings BKK Post quotes Suthep as warning about the possibility of car bombs in Central Bangkok "in early August".....in another article a dozen or so beaches have been downgraded because of "waste water" contamination (meaning household rubbish - industrial waste - and sewerage) I have 6 family members arriving tomorrow from New Zealand..spending 3 days in "Central Bangkok" at a prebooked hotel...then flying to the "waste water" capital of Thailand namely Phuket for 8 days....where they will now, apart from avoiding the scams and ripoffs, may have to also avoid rubbish and turds when swimming....

If it wasnt for the fact that they are almost on their way here......I definitely would have stopped them coming and sent them elsewhere.

So here we have 6 tourists arriving tomorrow already "at personal risk" on their very first visit to the LOB (land of bullshit)

yesterdays news was the rising tourist numbers , this country just keeps flip flopping its way with no real end to the problems in sight.Where will we be in a year from here?

millions of tourist arriving to watch the on street fire works!

I hope they get their act together before we reach the tilting point.

I tend to agree with the earlier post about doing this at the airport / borders. Not only stops them from going to Pattaya but the whole country. One might also think that it would cut down on potential corruptive issues?

Example: Tourist A) clears through Thai immigration = no need to check them again when they check into their hotel / apartment / boat etc.

Seems a bit bass akward to me to do it once they have already entered the country.

but if they can not enter the country then how can they pay the "supposed bribes " to those who can grant their freedom?

hotels get a booking paid minus the quest, everyone is a winner.

Quite a Colemanballs of a headline.

"Continuously mounting tourists" in Thailand.

is this guy confused or talking about the bar girls?

Dumpling.... the weed remark was linked to your avatar. Made in jest.

I thought it was funny actually.....

silly me , I never really thought of it as a drug reference just a cigarette.I think I shall have to change it hahahaha

Also many people who holiday here do so as they like the freedom and ease of running around to what ever part of the country their whims take them having to register your stay and duration of stay at hotels detracts from this.

well, not really, every time you check in at a hotel the form you fill out is supposed to go to immigration, maybe they send them off and maybe they don't, but it hardly detracts from your freedom as you fill the form in anyway.

o.k I retract the second part of my comment but my first thought is more important.

well i didn't comment on that part, but if you think it's more important then I will.

let me get it straight first though ok? You think that the immigration police think that tourists are going to be subjected to violence and killed, so, in order to be able to identify their bodies, they want the hotels to adhere to the existing legislation regarding the reporting of foreigners staying with them?

I think you smoke too much weed.

It was a valid thought and a comment asking others their opinion and the article did state the problems they had identifying victims of the tsunami , there is no need to get so personal this is forum and an area to discuss ideas and thoughts, referring to me as a drug user I find offensive.

Civility in all things please.

Also many people who holiday here do so as they like the freedom and ease of running around to what ever part of the country their whims take them having to register your stay and duration of stay at hotels detracts from this.

well, not really, every time you check in at a hotel the form you fill out is supposed to go to immigration, maybe they send them off and maybe they don't, but it hardly detracts from your freedom as you fill the form in anyway.

o.k I retract the second part of my comment but my first thought is more important.

Reading between the lines .... why are they now enforcing this old rule ?

Maybe they are expecting something bad to befall tourist , two bombings last week both of which were in areas popular with tourist are they expecting an increase in such incidents thus needing better records for identification purposes.

Also many people who holiday here do so as they like the freedom and ease of running around to what ever part of the country their whims take them having to register your stay and duration of stay at hotels detracts from this.

update the robberies continue , two old ladies have become victims one losing a gold necklace the other her shopping bag and still no signs of a brown uniform!

After having my wallet stolen I am having some trouble replacing my U.K driving licence it seems that you must be in the U.K to apply , as you can guess I do not really want to fly home for the sole purpose of renewing a licence does any one have any suggestions?

I think it was premeditated or an extremely lucky find on their part . I live in a very small soi and know everyone well the timing and the place where it happened indicates that i was being watched and my morning routine noted , I left the house locked up and walked off, i was not 2 mins around the corner from the house when they flew past on a motorcycle , the speed also makes me think that this was planned as i would think that if it were a chance crime then they would have slowed down to snatch it?