spidermike007

The big question is, when will they start investigating, and locking up the mayors? So many of them are super corrupt millionaires. They could start with the mayors in Phuket, and the mayor of Samui. All are super corrupt. At least the mayor of Samui does some work to benefit the island. But, my question is, what ever happened to the 800 million baht the central government gave Samui to pave re-surface the Ring Road? Only half the job has been completed 4 years later. Someone has enjoyed all that loot. I have heard he has been purchasing hotels with that money. Is that possible? Accurate? If so, it would be a good place for the new leaders to start.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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With the amount of work the Army has to do on Phuket, they should get to Samui around the year 2020. Please be patient.

Unfortunately, they will be gone sometime in 2015. There lies the crux of the problem.

I dare say this will be Phuket's last chance to come online with the rest of Thailand. If it doesn't happen under this Army's watch - it will never happen.

If the island's main issues are not resolved by the Army, this time around, they never will be, which sends a green light to those in authority here to ramp up their corruption.

It's a case of now or never for Phuket.

The future of the tourism industry, and the flow on effect to expats and locals, is all about what the Army does whilst here, and what they implement for the future of Phuket.

So far we have seen some illegal businesses on the beach removed, taxi drivers and a few politicians arrested - but nothing has changed with the "systems" these corrupt people have put in place. Their corrupt money making schemes need to be dismantled.

There is so much more work for the Army to do here.

I suppose they could institute some really radical? I am not a big supporter of the Saudis, but you have to admire the chutzpah required to cut someones hands off for stealing. Maybe some Thais need to have their hands removed?

The big question is, when will they start investigating, and locking up the mayors? So many of them are super corrupt millionaires. They could start with the mayors in Phuket, and the mayor of Samui. All are super corrupt. At least the mayor of Samui does some work to benefit the island. But, my question is, what ever happened to the 800 million baht the central government gave Samui to pave re-surface the Ring Road? Only half the job has been completed 4 years later. Someone has enjoyed all that loot. I have heard he has been purchasing hotels with that money. Is that possible? Accurate? If so, it would be a good place for the new leaders to start.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

With the amount of work the Army has to do on Phuket, they should get to Samui around the year 2020. Please be patient.

Unfortunately, they will be gone sometime in 2015. There lies the crux of the problem.

And it is not a unique problem. One of the most startling things about Thai politics is the extreme lack of continuity when it comes to agendas, issues, programs, legislation, and progress in general. One administration starts something good, and the next one abandons it. Like children pretending to be men and women.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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OK. I pushed the post back so that we could set the line. It wasn't broken then.

I am angry because he exploited the hour of my absence to push the post over even further and break it. (by accident I presume). He ran away when I came back home, later told me that I had broken it and it took me an hour to get an apology which is all I wanted. Before that he wanted to fight.

I think what you are addressing is the average Thai mans ability to deal with truth. Why so many are willing to resort to lying, to get out of a situation, or as a way of dealing with their problems, is beyond my ability to understand. There seems to be something inherent within the culture that allows them to think lying is OK behavior. What is that? I do not even want to hear about face. It is the behavior of an absolute coward. Only cowards refuse to look within, and admit fault. So, face is used to get out of admitting fault, basically. The defamation laws are essentially the same thing. I will lie to you, steal your money, and then when confronted about the crime I committed later, use the weak, dastardly, cowardly defamation laws, to deflect blame. But, why are so many willing to lie, as a way of dealing with a problem, or when confronted with evidence of their guilt? Bizarre behavior, if you ask me.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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Utterly shocked to hear

Walgreens

Sears

McDonalds

7/11

Etc are going out of business

Surprised that two booksellers, a camera seller, and video store might close stores too just how could that possibly happen?

ps you have Blockbuster twice at least that's one less perhaps we'll survive.

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The news about 7/11 is a little hard to believe. With 6800 stores in Thailand alone? And McDonalds? Not in our lifetime.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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The banking bailout was one of the greatest acts of cowardice perpetrated by modern men. Obama committed an abomination when he went along with it, without asking for any risk on the part of the banks. No risks, no concessions, nothing. The banking lobbyists basically said we need an unlimited amount of money, payable at little or no interest, for as long as we want, without any strings attached. And Obama, and his weakling Geitner, basically said, OK no problem. You can have whatever you want. The entire corporate mindset has changed since then. Service departments are being eradicated, pensions are being eliminated, health plans are out the window. The very idea of the company you have devoted your life to, looking after you is history. The middle class is being decimated, and the rich are getting much richer, as a result. I recently read an article stating that Australia is on the verge of financial collapse. One of the few remaining economies that has been relatively unaffected by all this, due to the mineral boom. Where does that leave the rest of us? How long until the average Joe stands up and says enough?

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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Nothing short of a life sentence, forfeiture of all of their assets, and absolute blackening of the family name on every level, will be adequate punishment for this horrific crime against this woman. Pigs like this need to be rounded up, and locked up for life. Or sent to work on chain gangs. Such black hearts. What swine. If the couple cannot be found, I suggest all the offspring be held responsible, and locked up in their place.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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The big question is, when will they start investigating, and locking up the mayors? So many of them are super corrupt millionaires. They could start with the mayors in Phuket, and the mayor of Samui. All are super corrupt. At least the mayor of Samui does some work to benefit the island. But, my question is, what ever happened to the 800 million baht the central government gave Samui to pave re-surface the Ring Road? Only half the job has been completed 4 years later. Someone has enjoyed all that loot. I have heard he has been purchasing hotels with that money. Is that possible? Accurate? If so, it would be a good place for the new leaders to start.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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Any improvement would be welcome. But my suggestion is to dismantle the system entirely, and rebuild it from the ground up. Get rid of all older teachers, and administrators. Send some of the administrative staff overseas, to learn what real education looks like. Encourage all students to question the voracity of the teachers. Make sure the teachers can pass the tests they administer. Hire foreigners to teach English. Break down the broken system. Now is the best time to start. First, an admission of just how broken the system is, would go a long way towards establishing a willingness to fix it.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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I think that they are crazy if they increase the prices on food and beer etc. the only thing they will achieve is very little income. If they reduce the prices, at least they will get some money for their troubles. As the saying goes "Half of something is better than half of nothing"

But, that approach takes a certain amount of wisdom, familiarity with competitive pricing, and a real business head on your shoulders. Not many have that combination here.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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There is a phone app called localphone. Works best on a tablet or ipad. also look into rebtel. You put $10 into the accounts, and it lasts for quite a long time. I used to use it to call Thailand from the US. I think you can also use it from here to all back there.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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When I went to Patonga about two years ago I was shocked how expensive food and alcohol was compared to pattay and bkk

It was almost back home prices eg $17 for a small fish dish which was about 8-11 in bkk and patttaya

Probably won't go back there

Patong is a really dreadful place. I cannot imagine why anyone would want to live there. I made the mistake of staying there, and could not wait to leave. On my next trip to Phuket I visited for two hours, and that was enough. Kata was a lot more pleasant. Or Surin. Many better spots on Phuket. Very overpriced. Very congested, and not clean, or tidy. Food was grossly overpriced. Skip this place. Do yourself a huge favor.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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How about Sukhumvit? Those sidewalks are literally taken over by vendors selling virtually useless junk, every evening. Who has been profiting from this trade? The cops? A fortune must be made from this. Come on. It is time to clean up that mess.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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Imagine an American president being charged, or held for corruption? My guess is that King George II, along with his cronies, such as Rumsfeld, Cheney, and others squirreled away billions of dollars. There was just too much money changing hands during the Iraq war, for them to not have profited from it. Yet, has anyone looked into it? Not that I know of.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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I suggest considering self insuring. Every year, you take your annual premium, and put the cash in a safe. Increase this amount by at least 15% each year, as that is what the crime lord insurance guys would have done anyway. If you get sick, use this money. If not, do not touch it. If you stay well, you will have a lot of cash to show for this effort. This plan only works in Thailand, as medical cost are manageable for self paying individuals. And it presumes your health is good. But, there is a lot of satisfaction in depriving these insurance companies their premiums.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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Try a calling app like rebtel. Much cheaper than the local providers. Also, local phone is a good one, at about 1 baht per minute.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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Would be good if the "junta" had an email addy or phone line where the public could report extortion.

Now, that is a beautiful idea. Some of the thugs must be a little bit concerned about all this cracking down. The roaches were so accustomed to roaming free, and never having to deal with any of the "authorities". Now, there is a new sheriff on town. Good on the new leaders. Clean up this place. Let's get rid of the coward, pig vermins.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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Thai law prohibits defamation, not just slander. As far as I know you can be prosecuted in Thailand for defamation anywhere, if it is clear that you are the person who did the naming and shaming.

Thai law may allow someone to sue you for slander, but that is just pathetic and weak. So fight this guy tooth and nail. Call him out at every opportunity you can. Blast him online, and make his name mud. Who cares about this ridiculous, juvenile, protectionist law? Not I. And hopefully not you. Fight this law. It is about as incorrect as any law in Thailand, and insures that criminals can go on committing crimes against consumers.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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What happened to trust?

Yes, correct. If you have to track her, have you considered maybe she is just the wrong gal for you? If it is not working out, just let it go. Could you imagine Bond ever tracking his girl? Give me a break. Be a man. Move on. This kind of drama is very unbecoming in a man. Real men just do not track their gals.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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Just curious. Drink was fully paid and 20 % tip on top.

Had just eaten big meal and was stuffed and abdominal cramping to boot.

Please call out the pigs by name. That way we can all collectively avoid that spot. That kind of behavior is unacceptable. They charge 150 baht for a soda water that is about 5 or 6 baht wholesale. Enough profit. And there are plenty of other customers who make up for guys that do not drink much. Be a gentleman. Treat your customers correctly. Do not be a pig owner.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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If the company is legit (i.e. trading and active), this is perfectly safe and OK since any company has the right to have its own premises. If it is just a sleeping company created just to buy the house, there could be problems in theory. But I doubt it will happen unless you have a large beachfront plot in Phuket.

I am told the most common way the authorities find sleeping companies, is to look at the tax records. If you do not pay annual taxes on the company, that is a huge red flag. Create some income, the company generates, and pay taxes on that income.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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every company, even "sleeping" ones pays taxes.

I meant to create some actual business the company conducts. Associate it with something apart from just the property it holds. And then pay taxes on that. It is called the art of deflection.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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All I can hope and dream of, is that they are able to find some clean prosecutors, and judges. So much of the judiciary is compromised here. So, unless they can find a few that are willing to turn down very large sums of cash, nothing will come of this. A very small percentage of the time, when they are prosecution guys with deep pockets, such as these very wealthy crime lord taxi guys, is a meaningful sentence imposed, and prison time handed out. Very few times. We are talking about a very impotent, and cowardly judiciary here.

You have about 60 billionaire generals, who have controlled most industry there for decades. Even after this utterly false declaration of reform, which Obama has accepted due to pressure from the Chinese, very, very little has changed. The generals are still making billions off of illegal ruby smuggling, and dealing in heroin. So, how much is available for the people? Whatever the generals and Than Shwe (yes, he is still in control) choose to allow them to participate in.

There are always morons who no nothing of what they say. I am a gem dealer and it is very open dealing in ruby in Myanmar and I have not seen or had dealings with those so called Billionaire Generals who you think control the ruby markets.I dont know about drugs because I have nothing to do with that market but rubies are a open market controlled by local miners

Get a job on a communist paper then you can believe what you read

Although you probably do not think so, I got my information from very reliable sources, who have been in business in Burma (I refuse to refer to the place as Myanmar, as I feel that is a nod to the mafia don generals, who you can see I am not very fond of) for years. Apparently, the government controls a number of the mines, or some of the mining output, and they send their wealthy minions to europe with bags full of rubies, on a monthly basis. Billions are earned from this trade. I am sure there is some free trading done too, and I am happy to hear that.

My favourite chocolate bar, a small Lindt, has just gone up from 30 to 37 Baht. More than 22%

Yes. Everything I see is going up in price. I cannot pay any heed to these surveys, and anything issued by any government. All I can pay heed to is my wallet, and how much I am spending. I see prices rising rather significantly, and no matter what anyone tells me, that is what I believe.

You have about 60 billionaire generals, who have controlled most industry there for decades. Even after this utterly false declaration of reform, which Obama has accepted due to pressure from the Chinese, very, very little has changed. The generals are still making billions off of illegal ruby smuggling, and dealing in heroin. So, how much is available for the people? Whatever the generals and Than Shwe (yes, he is still in control) choose to allow them to participate in.