Oberkommando

The above is all true. More time than it is worth imo.

Do what I did, and take your operations to India instead.

Millions saved and our workforce is far more productive.

You should also be very much aware of the ridiculous laws protecting Thai employees which makes it impossible to discipline and get rid of incompetent and dishonest staff.

Hope Fisher & Paykel are prepared because my operations are of a similar size and we had nothing but problems here. One wonders if it was a gamble made in a drunken, horny night in Patpong rather than an informed decision. Time will tell.

It's because the packaging companies deliberately make them difficult for farang fingers to open.

They are exacting a little piece of revenge on you every time you frustrate yourself trying to open a packet of crisps.

In general Thai women like young Thai guys.

They don't really like Western men. They don't like our style, our attitude, our superior education, our habits, our sense of humour and they don't understand us, our culture nor our wants and our needs.

There are exceptions but that's how it is.

I know my Thai girlfriend is with me for financial betterment, as are many of my friends' Thai spouses (whether they know it or not).

Now that's truism laugh.gif . Funny though, they think they look like Brad Pit when drunk (Brad pit's ass perhaps).

Anyone can be Brad Pitt for a few thousand Baht.

The sad truth of a nation that so willingly sells its daughters into sexual slavery.

You are only meant to bring in a litre but I bring in 5/6 bottles.

So do you declare this or not? If not, what happens when they open your luggage?

We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

The Sakdina make money from the slavery of their own people, hence no need to worry about unwelcome foreigners coming or not coming.

Normal people will just have to be more 'sufficient' while the elite scoff swan and guzzle gin.

The problem for Thailand is that once people discover the other nearby countries, such as Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia, which they will because they'll be sick of being jerked around in Thailand, those tourists probably wont come back. They'll make one of the nearby countries their new

holiday destination of choice.

Thailand does not have a mortgage on sunshine and pretty girls.

I have been to all those countries, and I still live in Thailand and would never consider those as an alternative, how about you ?

But you live in Thailand, you are not a tourist.

I would move to Phnom Penh in an instant but I have 25 years in Thailand that I can't just leave behind now. I take all my vacations outside Thailand now though, mostly in Cambo, Laos and Vietnam, so they've lost me as a paying tourist, even though I still live here.

Yabaaa and Simon have responded in a very positive manner,

Simon is turning people away and yabaaa has all 5 condos rented out, maybe it's not as bad as some people would lead us to believe.

Thailand will always get Tourists, it will never dry up.

If Thailand could be controlled by a tap, and that tap turned off the flow of women and sunshine, then Thailands flow of tourists would be severely cut, but until then, Thailand will fare a lot better than other countries semi reliant upon the tourist dollar.

I mean, the weather in Europe isn't gonna change overnight is it, UK will still be cold and damp and miserable in the winter, just like it has always been, Scandanavian countries will also be cold, so countries like Thailand will always attract tourists.

Add to that the other attractions that are available in Thailand, it's always gonna be a winner, this downturn in tourism is a global thing, I would guess that Thailand will fare a lot better than others in the tourism industry.

Why do so many people from the UK come to Thailand, Scandanavians and Russians too ?

Cos they freeze their nuts off in their own countries 6 months of the year........and there is a hosepipe ban for the other 6 months.

Problem is, that's all Thailand has got to offer in the main; women and sun.

Only 0.6% of British tourists visit Thailand, so it isn't many in the big scheme of things.

When you start to understand people don't want to go on holiday only for these reasons, you'll understand why Britain gets at least 3 times the amount of tourists Thailand does.

If you know your Thai history, and the long, continuous military interference in Thai politics, you could never support a coup for whatever reason.

With the coup they have destabilised Thailand and set the economy back decades.

Look at the farce that has followed the coup; airport shut-downs, violence in Bangkok, escalation of violence in the Southern Provinces, judicial coup, blockades of government house etc, etc, etc.

The damage, both economically and to Thailand's reputation internationally is immeasurable.

Yet they seem dead set on sending the country further down the abyss with ridiculous localist economic policy and draconian laws and punishments for thought crimes.

Glad I won't be here to see it completely disintegrate when the inevitable happens.

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It was these kinds of policies that ensured the Democrats were unelectable for a decade in the aftermath of the economic crash with Chuan's hugely unpopular 'bitter medicine' policies.

In stark contrast with the Thaksin years where people were better off and prospered.

I wonder if they will discover dead bodies in those containers found in the sea off Sattahip?

Could well be further evidence of atrocities committed by the Thai military.

I get my wine from Cambodia. Bayon Market on Monivong in Phnom Penh.

You are only meant to bring in a litre but I bring in 5/6 bottles.

They've got Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke too, as well as many of the other treats people here are missing.

Reminds me of Sri-Thanonchai selling the reflection of the moon in the water.

I do remember the proposals but don't remember the privy council 'rejecting' them. By what mechanism were the privy council able to reject the idea? Do you have a reference?

http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/06/25/hea...es_30007268.php

That's a clear rejection, as Prem's quote I posted earlier indicated.

Thaksin was removed in the 2006 coup a couple of months later, having vowed to implement the NRC's findings.

Not at all. Pandora's box will be hard to close. As I said, the most optimistic reports say it will take another 20 years to undo what the Thaksin regime has wrought in the deep south.

It will if the military continues with its tactics of oppression, intimidation and violence.

Thaksin failed, but he was in the process of attempting to rectify that failure when he was ousted. Given that the NRC's findings are directly in contention with the beliefs of the Privy Council and the Nationalistic ideals of the Thai Military, I doubt we'll see any of those recommendations implemented in the near future.

Shame, as many of the suggestions could have gone some way to healing the deep divisions.

Of course the theory that the Army is in a better position that the Police to control the South has been proven to be nonsense after the Junta claims in 2006 they would solve the problems.

Violence escalated under the Junta's Hearts and Minds campaign, 30% more violence post-coup in the South.

Khun Prem hails from the South, Songkhla I believe, perhaps that means he knew more at first-hand about the local situation and politics, than the recently-installed PM from Chiang Mai ? I recall Thaksin's early claim that the muslim separatists were just crooks, rather than people with a possible political grievance, struck me at the time as being rather out-of-touch.

I doubt he knew more than the National Reconciliation Commission report, especially when it was heralded by local leaders in the Southern Provinces.

It was headed by Anand also BTW, not Thaksin.

I found Prem's quote in reference to one of the NRC's findings, he said, "We cannot accept that [proposal] as we are Thai. The country is Thai and the language is Thai... We have to be proud to be Thai and have the Thai language as the sole national language".

In retrospect, Prem et al were 100% correct in their assessment of the situation in the south. We are now reaping the fruit of Thaksin's grievously miscalculated southern strategy, which dismantled the power balance initiated during the Prem era.

In fact Prem et al did nothing to prevent or 'reject' anything Thaksin did in the south. Please give an example of where they were rejected by the Privy Council, and by which mechanism they could enforce such a 'rejection.' If they could have done, it might have saved an estimated 1200 lives in those three provinces.

There was a 'think-tank' put together by the Thaksin Government, headed by former PM Anand that made several suggestions such as making Yala an official language and bringing in certain elements of Islamic Law.

They were submitted to the Privy Council for perusal and rejected out of hand. Prem signalled to the government at the time the suggestions were simply unacceptable to Thailand's sovereignty. There was another one of Prem's famous ignorant quotes refering to the suggestions on reconcilliation, alas I am unable to find it on the internet.

I'm surprised you don't seem to be aware of this considering by your own admission you "spent about three decades writing and reporting on the situation in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat."

I can certainly tell you that they are not happy. its a complicated situation, and one that based on various theories and complexities, I would argue against blaming it on Thaksin. and to claim that it should be FULLY attributed to him says that you need to perhaps familiarise yourself with the various complexities of the problem a lot more?

Key word = sovereignty.

The Thaksin administration, after their prior mishandling of the situation in the South, had some forward thinking solutions to solve some of the problems, and took into account why there was so much dissatisfaction in the Southern Provinces.

Before there could be a decision to implement some of these changes they were rejected out of hand by Prem and the Privy Council.

Hopefully, he'll be the catalyst for the real change Thailand badly needs.

Do you actually believe he will EVER take power now after all that has gone down? Of course, anything is possible, but the odds are now really against that ever happening. He could have faced his trial and maybe done some time and come back legally and ethically. Not this way.

BTW, I do sincerely believe the results of this poll on this expat board are very similar to the feeling on the Thai street. Thaksin's recent adventurism has really seriously, probably fatally wounded his political career. The change in sentiment towards the negative against him is massive, dramatic and palpable. Red is out.

I said catalyst for change, not take power again.

Big difference.

I have to support him for many reasons, doesn't mean I like the man personally, although having met him, he seems pleasant and approachable.

Hopefully, he'll be the catalyst for the real change Thailand badly needs. Yet to be seen if he will be or not.

Took Pridi a while to see the light as well.

He annoys the expats that post on this site until they are blue in the face so that's an additional bonus.

Here's Ayudhya's exchange rates chart as of 9:45 am Friday morning....

Interesting, it doesn't appear to show any reference to DCC rates....

Those are Thursday's rates. Banks closed on Friday.

We had the computer game Grand Theft Auto 4 banned in Thailand recently as some Thai imitated the game by hijacking a taxi and killing the driver.

No, the game was voluntarily not imported by the distributor after one (1) youth's case could, if you tilted your head and squinted and sung a song, be linked to the game.

Not several and no definite link in any way.

Thailand bans Grand Theft Auto IV

Copies of Grand Theft Auto IV have been pulled in Thailand after a teenager confessed to murdering a taxi driver.

The 18-year-old high school student is accused of stabbing the cab driver to death by trying to copy a scene from the game.

The biggest video game publisher in the south-east Asian country, New Era Interactive Media, has told retailers to stop selling GTA IV.

It is due to be replaced by another video game title.

<snip>

Thailand's Culture Ministry has recently been pushing for tougher regulation of games like Grand Theft Auto.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technolo...000/7540623.stm

One year's time folks = 80thb to the Pound.

Now it was indicated this fee only applies to visa, master & JCB cards/networks so perhaps plus/cirrus atm/cash cards is still fee free with all banks & can perhaps explain why a few here & there still claims fee free withdrawals at bangkok bank atms etc?

I used my overseas Cirrus in a Bangkok Bank ATM and was prompted to accept a 150thb charge, so it is all foreign cards, not just Visa and Mastercard.

Sounds like another case of these vendors believing they are above the law, as well as the usual Thai law enforcement tactics of harassment, intimidation, bullying and ultimately, violence.