dashan

Why don't you start a thread on the horrors of Songkran? It is about that time of year and it will make you feel better.

I actually like one day of throwing water. Almost as much as a tuna sandwich, or burrito, or pizza,or The Duke's, or the Duke's, or a double cheeseberger, or the Duke's, or spaghetti, or maybe tacos, but not tuna sandwhiches that are dry and contain less than 100 grams of tuna and served with miracle whip. You don't eat those do you?

Looks a lot like you were banned from Thai Visa recently "dashan". I would really like to know what your old nick was, but I don't suppose that you are going to tell us.

C'mon you didn't answer my question: true mayo or miracle whip?

Ouch, that silly little anaimated icon is really tearing me up. You really know how to hurt a guy. I give! I'll tell you all, old great purveyor of dusty, yet dear, tomes. Please just go easy on me, OK? If you do I'll make you a very special sandwich.

It seems someone has has take the bait -- so to speak -- on the OP's original chum, which is a grand effort at a little satire.

Sounds like you are the one taking the bait. Everyone else just ignored the grumbling and turned a bitter lemon of a post into lemonade.

Sorry fellas, but every thread can't be complaints about the weather, the pollution, what is wrong with Thailand or how much you hate Songkran.

Every thread? This forum often reads like a gormand's -- not gourmet's -- guide to Chiang Mai. BTW, do you prefer real mayo or miracle whip? How do you like your lemonade? I for one really want to know.

It seems someone has has take the bait -- so to speak -- on the OP's original chum, which is a grand effort at a little satire. Lord knows any direct criticism of the permitted topics allowed for discussion here are closed, deleted and people banned quickly enough.

So continuing this important, permitted topic: UG, how many grams of tuna should be in your ideal sandwich? Do you prefer true mayo or the miracle whip, sweet variety? How many used books to you have to flog to pay for a yummie tuna sandwich like grandma used to make?

Is this the same story as the one immediately closed by TV moderators last week?

(www.thaivisa.com/forum/Child-Abusers-Thailand-Myanm-t250613.html)

It appears to be the same, but with an error in the last name by one or the other of the accounts. Also, check the two photos. Looks like the same guy.

From Chiang Mai Mail

Two men charged with sexual abuse of young girls in their care

Saksit Meesubkwang

Two men, one American and one Thai, were recently arrested and charged with sexual abuse against a number of young hill tribe girls between the ages of 13 and 15. It seems that the two men's abuse of the young girls in their charge may have been continuing unreported for a number of years. The men were questioned and charged at Police Bureau Region 5's Juvenile and Women's Protection Division; a search of the foundation's premises resulted in the seizure of CDs and DVDs which will be used as evidence.

Robert Moss, 55, the proprietor of Hor Fuang Fah, a foundation which supplied accommodation and access to education for hill tribe girls, with premises in Muang and Mae Taeng districts, together with his employee Chailong Siriwong, 49, are, at present, denying the charges. During questioning, Chailong insisted that he had not sexually abused the girls, and that he had loved them as would a father. He refused to comment about Moss's involvement, stating that it was "none of his business".

Prior to the two men's arrest, Somboon Jai-ngarm, the principal of Mae Tang's Sop Perng Wittaya School, had become concerned about the behaviour of a number of young girls from the foundation's Mae Taeng premises who were being educated at the school. The students seemed ill, nervous and depressed, and were often found crying. Suspecting child sexual abuse, Somboon contacted local police, and was finally able to persuade 7 of the girls to talk with police. After the subsequent arrest of their alleged abusers, the victims felt able to tell their full stories.

The Hor Fuang Fah foundation was supposedly acting to sponsor <snip>

Bars are readily available now. Great business opportunity.

Set yourself up for a low outlay, let's say minimum Thb500,000, sit back, relax, be your own best customer, impress your friends and within 6 months try to sell it for whatever you can get.

Ya Blinky, you been there done that. One of the many proud aulmni owners of the Overlander (some of who didn't know they were onwers "together" as the place sold about 250 percent of its available shares).

So I take it no one knows. Can anyone venture a guess without sarcasm?

Well damian, you're still alive (or so it would appear) so that would seem to suggest that it (the homicide rate) is one less than it could be

But in all seriousness do you think that Thailand has the ability let alone the will to publish anything definitive.

And you also are still alive, so that makes 2 less than it could be, yea? Well, it's a good start.

No, I don't think Thailand would have the ability or the will. Wondering if anyone besides Thailand had a clue. If anyone had an educated guess. Like 1 a day? 5 a day? 50?

In the province of Chiang Mai I would say it is more than one a day. A pure guess, but homicide is certainly not rare. But then it depends if you classify manslaughter as homicide or not. Death resulting form violence is unfortunately too common.

In the 14 years I lived in Chiang Mai I knew two people personally who were murdered. In the States when I lived there for much longer I knew no one personally... very unscientific all the way around, but my feedback does provide something a little better than "well it might not be too bad because I haven't been killed (yet)."

French man injured in alleged self-immolation in Khon Kaen

KHON KAEN: -- A French man allegedly knocked his Thai girlfriend out and set her and himself on fire, police said.

The man, identified only as Lawa, was severely burned before fire fighters could rescue him and his Thai girlfriend, Somjit Insee, 42, from their rented room in Muang district at 10 am.

Somjit suffered burns only on her arms. She said she ran to hide in the toilet room.

She claimed that that man, she met four months ago, knocked her out by banging her head into the floor. When she came to herself, he saw the man was pouring petrol over the floor and on himself and her. She said the man lit up the fire and she ran to hide in the toilet room.

-- The Nation 2009-03-20

This is an "English-language" newspaper? The "toilet room?" Bathroom?

Or this:

"She claimed that that man, she met four months ago (terrible grammar), knocked her out by banging her head into the floor. When she came to herself, he saw the man was pouring ..."

And she came to herself as well. Is this case of immolation and masturbation?

The expat numbers - in my opinion - have definitely increased since the early nineties, by a HUGE margin. <snip>

I'm sure you would know. I was talking more about people who did things like start furniture or jewelry factories, or for that matter international schools, or large-scale operations in the Lamphun Industrial Estate.

There must be a lot more retirees today.

Much of my first rant had to do with Thailand's inability to sustain significant development.

I think you are way off the mark , back in the early to mid 90 s you could go into any of the old hangouts and you would know every expat in there the only people you didnt know where holiday makers . Nowadays there are bars everywhere and almost everyone i speak to are living in chiangmai full time although i have never seen them before let alone know them by name ,there are definately more in chiangmai now than the so called peak in the mid 90s. And i say this as a tourist myself.

It could be ... I was talking about expats who worked or made a living in Chiang Mai, and by that I don't mean retirees who start small restaurants or bars, or are retired and hang out in small restaurants or bars.

As for a previous post about how great Thaksin was: The Night Safari, Floral Expo and other grandiose schemes for Chiang Mai? Long-time expats have to check in at immigration every 90 days -- often with an intern who can't even understand the passports they're handling? There was also some new high finance regulation under Thaksin that restricted capital movement in and out of the country (I didn't pay much attention at the time, but I remember businessmen howling about that). And then there was the the general tone of "Thai Rak Thai" that fed on the notion that foreigners are really not to be trusted. Thaksin, though he might have helped the rural poor so they would vote for him and he could continue to snatch the spoils of victory, was a demagogue who had his own interests at play. They all do that, but with Thaksin you never knew what the next scheme would be -- and some were extremely destructive.

I remember writing a piece about the stream of "crackdowns" and "hubs" that the Thaksin administration announced almost daily. Of course the conclusion was that Thailand would become the hub for crackdowns. To say this guy was shooting from the hip is to put it mildly.

The american $ is higher than it's been in 2 years against the baht.

But that is cherry-picking the chart. The baht is down 14% from when I bought my first bike here in 2003. Now I am cherry-picking 36 is much better than 32. So, I am bringing in money to finish the new house. With proceeds from a mutual fund that is down about 45%....

For many years now - maybe 15 - Thailand has had an increasing number of NEW expats. That supply may dry up.

surely the number of new expats has increased every year since the first one arrived who knows when ??

I seriously doubt the number of expat residents has increased every year. It probably peaked in the mid-'90s. Thanksin, new visa rules and general chaos have driven a lot off and made it difficult for newcomers to grip the ground.

When I arrived in 1992 the chaos was appealing because it was accompanied by a laxness in visa matters. I overstayed my visa several times and simply got a slap on the wrist. As well, Thailand was reputed to become the next "Tiger" economy, so there were a host of expats with new ideas and fresh energy. Almost all were long ago ground up and spit out, left licking their wounds and limping toward better environs. A number of the more colorful characters died.

This also before the Bangkok big faces took over Niemanhemin Road -- which was considered somewhat out of town back then -- and traffic in Chiang Mai was tolerable. It was a fun place to be back in those days.

I spent 14 years working and living in Chiang Mai and left two years ago for China. My parting comment was "everything is built on sand here," and now it appears that is true for the wider world as well.

But unfortunately Thailand, unlike many nations, was unable to benefit greatly from the boom cycles due to many factors:

* Inability to plan ahead and develop infrastructure and an educated talent pool

* Incessant bickering -- and at times violence -- over who gets to carve up the spoils

* Cultural ethnocentrism that results an inability to truly absorb and use new ideas and technology (simply parroting a Thai version is not enough -- just copying does not bring progress).

* Resulting exclusionary laws on foreigners denies the ideas and capital they can bring (the Chinese are long term thinkers who are willing to allow foreigners to actually own something while the Chinese learn).

That's BEFORE the golbal meltdown that is looking increasingly dire -- as if the capitalist system itself has actually failed. The whole thing from banks to property to the stock market and personal finances appears to have been one enormous, systemic bubble that has burst.

For the vast majority of Thais who have always been disenfranchised the bust might not have as big an impact -- they were already in the sh*t, so subsistence rice farming and "mai pen rai" will continue to be their life, and might look increasingly appealing to others.

But for further industrialization and any type of new sustainable development -- forget it. The productive foreigners who haven't already gotten out of Dodge will do so soon. If they have anywhere to go.

Hopefully foreigners will get back on their feet enough to continue to support Thailand's tourism industry -- if drunk cops shooting tourists or battling color-shirted thugs don't scare them off altogether. Thailand's wonderful rice will continue to be crucial to the Kingdom's well-being.

For the sake of the poor of Thailand, I for one hope the big faces who've ridden their back for so long fall far and hard.