TheGhostWithin

You are technically not even allowed to sit in the bar if you are the owner, as it would appear that you have sufficient ownership capacity to be "controlling" the business over and above your legal 49% ownership right, and also may be deemed that you are providing an entertainment aspect adding value to your business for which is a role a Farang cannot perform in an entertainment venue. True fact.

Interesting information. That would see all Falange under arrest as they all sit in their bars, all the ones I have been in over the years in Pattaya and Khon Kaen

Yes, as I mentioned in a later post the law can be used as it was intended, or it can be used as a weapon by those who feel it is their right to bend it to their own means.

Just like many things in our modern day, failure is often driven by the jealousy and greed of others, and it is important to protect yourself from that in advance if you want to ensure long term prosperity.

He was obviously making a habit of picking up fares from the hotel, and the taxi drivers caught onto it. A farang picking up someone from a hotel would obviously not be an issue otherwise.

If you own a bar - you can't serve a beer to a custoner in your own bar, as that is an occupation reserved for Thai's.

If you own a guest house / hotel / resort - it's appears you can't operate as a "transfer driver" for your own establishment, as it could appear you are simply "working" in an occupation reserved for Thai's, despite you owning the business.

You are technically not even allowed to sit in the bar if you are the owner, as it would appear that you have sufficient ownership capacity to be "controlling" the business over and above your legal 49% ownership right, and also may be deemed that you are providing an entertainment aspect adding value to your business for which is a role a Farang cannot perform in an entertainment venue. True fact.

Well, to hell with all this. You can pick up friends and clients....all those saying you can't are full of hogwash. The thing is, this guy does appear to be working and he didn't deal with it correctly. The correct answer was C) I am picking up my friends. I have picked up and taken people to airports and bus/train stations all over thailand....it would be stupid if you could't. Of course, I wasn't working, so it wasn't a thing. This guy was just doubly dumb for working and then not knowing how to actually work it in phuket, of all places....shizenhole on earth...never going there any time soon. I prefer my current pleasant view of thailand, despite its flaws.

One could interpret under Thai law that by picking up your client that you were having a "business meeting", and unless your work permit did not specify a physical address for which you were to undertake your work, technically you would be breaching the terms of your work permit.

Again, Thai law is not a tool which is used to instill order in society, it is a system which is used by the elite (of all colors) to squash opponents. The law, just as love, just as war, is not seen the same way in Thailand as it is where most of us are from.

I am willing to support most laws being upheld, but the law which states that jobs which can be performed by Thais MUST be performed by Thais. You watch the country go up in flames when a global decision is made that chefs in Thai restaurants around the world cannot be Thai, and must be local, or that ladies in Thai massage shops must be local as well. Watch that foreign currency inflow fall through the floor.

It is a law which takes advantage of weak conditions of trade laws globally.

They look like the Chinese carbon copy of "1 direction", just like the apple stores in provincial China look like real Apple stores. Or like 5 Psy's all lined up to make everyone (except me perhaps) scream..

Maybe they were so fearsome they caused the shutdown of the US Govt?

About 15,000 persons from 4,400 households in Ubon Ratchathani and Si Sa Ket provinces had to evacuate their homes.

We're three of them and I can't say with words how weird the situation is.-

I understand how weird it is... and it will get weirder when you return home.

Weird? I am not on the ground but I know Ubon well. Can you englighten me?

I will be coming to Thailand in good time, and going to check that the businesses and families that looked after me in Ubon are OK as I visit, willing to get my hands dirty for those that cannot help themselves.

Determined to make the difference in complete contrast the current government who put greed and ignorance ahead of the lives of the people who sadly probably voted them into power... If anyone needs an extra pair of hands or their elderly neighbors etc, I will be over in 4 weeks time, send me a PM.

Pattaya ... Hub of dishonest Ladyboys

As compare to what? an honest ladyboy? I'm yet to hear of one,

One of the nicest people I ever met was a ladyboy. Though not in Thailand. In Malaysia. I too lost a lot of money which was unable to be recovered by insurance on short notice. My ladyboy friend let me stay with her (no, no funny business) to save on accommodation. Not all lady boys are heartless. Really.

Lots of snakes out there.

agreed. having spent lots of time bush in Thailand I can say the forest has many more dangers than I am used to in New Zealand, or even when I am with the parents in Australia.

Irony, that a lot of the rubber grown in the south is grown on stolen land, (crown land, national parks) and now the farmers want the government to subsidise their theft!!

quote from post #20: "saying that burning police cars was illegal" Really?

My girlfriends family grow rubber in the South. They own the land. They farm it with their own hands. Not every agricultural worker is dishonest or undertakes in squatting. Just so that there is no confusion and the lines are clearly drawn.

There's good people and bad people everywhere.I remember once when the I.R.A performed one of their spectaculars in London. One of the victims was asked her feelings towards Irish people. She replied''it was an Irishman who tried to kill her(the bomber) and an Irishman who saved her life (the surgeon) and that she held no grudge against anyone.This in my opinion is an admirable but correct and open-minded view.

And John, Muhammed (a fictional Thai national) drove a bike into a Buddhist street in Pattani (yes, there are places specifically where Buddhists go because it is the only place they feel safe) and walked away. Minutes later the bike explodes, killing 15 buddhists as well as Abdullah, a 10 year old Muslim boy walking home from school.

The government would respond with "talks to stop the violence", with promises that some self placed Bangkok Hi So turned politician will come and solve the issue, but he never keeps his promise. Buddhists blame the government for not protecting them enough, and Muslims blame the Buddhists because the attack which killed Abdullah took place in their street. Disillusioned, rudderless and confused, the fighting goes on.

This is the reality of the south, it is a very different place than London, or even Dublin. As they say, this is Thailand, this is the Thailand that Thais are too afraid to visit. The difference between Northern Ireland and the three states of the South is that both parties understood that coming to a middle ground meant understanding what each wanted and being willing to lose ground in order to stop the killing. In the south, both parties seem to see the killing as acceptable cannon fodder - one to continue their grinding insurgency, the other to protect their beloved Bangkok.

The tragedy of killing in Thailand continues. Thais seem to regard this as "Thailand South" as separate and distinct from Thailand.

My fiance certainly doesn't/. Her old primary school was bombed last week in Yala. There are those of us that would want to help, Thai and Farang. But the government does not understand who they are fighting with or why, but thinks that throwing shonky agreements and money at them will make things go away.

Only when you understand that anyone not willing to work with you is the enemy will you ever be able to consider victory. Bangkok is a long way from understanding what "Thailand South" is. But those brave souls of the south who remain hope that Bangkok will come to its' senses sooner rather than later, as enough innocent non-combatant blood has been spilled.

Who would want to travel with Jetstar to Thailand? Awful service and not cheap at all. Infact their prices are domestically the same price as Air Nz here in NZ...

I fly with AirAsia,Virgin and Cebu Pacific regularly and the service dors not even compare. No smiles, no consideration,just frowns and "those are the fare rules sir now pay again" statements.

They ripped me off when I experienced a "technical issue" with their payment system along with hundreds of others when attempting to book an Auckland to Singapore special. Someone complained on TV and got their ticket but when I got back to them again afterwards they still refused to honor the deal...

Fly with Jetstar? No way. They are the only Airline I have true hatred for.

A few years ago I was with a lady who decided that she would solve my impending departure by throwing my passport in water at her Lat Prao apartment while I slept.

I took the wet passport (yeas, soaked) through to the NZ embassy. Fortunately they made a note on the system that my document had been damaged and they allowed me to travel home on it, with the conditionality that it be replaced on return to New Zealand. I must state that the front cover had begun coming apart from the photo at the front, they were very kind and lenient with me.

I would check with my embassy before going to the Police - it may not be necessary.

Use common sense when investing in any asset class, including American currency!

Fake gold is easy to detect. Stick with reputable dealers if you're worried. One-baht gold bars, one ounce gold coins and small jewelry are nearly impossible to fake. Large one kilogram bars may contain tungsten or perhaps alloyed with some other metal (unlikely). Either way, simple tests can reveal the phonies.

It comes down to knowing what you are buying. I often wonder how many people purely rely on "reputable" dealers and do no other checking when they buy bullion. I wonder how many rely on assay certs which can also be faked.

Lehmans, Fanny May and ford were all "great" certified viable financial businesses to many relying on financial advisors in recent years to those that were happy to earn and invest their money but did not understand the functions they were investing in.

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These look like Suisse Pamp bars. Wish I had a close up. Good on the dealers for picking this up. I expect this kind of swindling is more common than reported, as some may attempt to recover lost assets "their own way" as a point of speculation.

Interesting that they state the fraudulent bullion may have been smuggled into the country. Are Police stating that Thai customs are not doing their job properly? Another point is that Thailand is a major industrial nation more than capable of producing fraudulent bullion all by itself. Considering it was a Thai peraon selling to a Thai jeweller, I would suggest this is an attempt to pass the buck on and divert attention from the fact that such fraudulent bullion is made in the face of passive policing in Thailand.

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Thanks for the suggestion with Tiger, I had looked at that and it should work out OK.

I go to the Dau terminal from Clark, and have a friend in the area and he is happy to drive me there for the price of a dinner and a catch up. The friend brings his neighbor (a nice Filipino guy) who helps me secure a good seat on a good bus, which usually gets me to my place of relaxation (Sagada) where I can enjoy hand made yogurt and fresh pancakes every morning, clean fresh air, and beautiful scenery.. a world away from the hustle and bustle of Manila.

I have cancelled my flight and been confirmed with a full refund which apparently will take 12 weeks to process, as I felt by the time I paid for cabs from NAIA (and possibly got scammed, as I have a 50% record of being so currently after 4 trips to the Phils), went over to Sampaloc terminal, waded through the hordes of passengers (last time, I had to even wait 30 minutes for a seat at the canteen inside the terminal) and got on board, the whole time guarding my bags to avoid pick pockets it just could not justify the extra 3000 baht charge (which actually only works out 1-2000 extra when you consider the extra cost of getting to/from NAIA and further north).

Cebu Pacific were fairly good about it, but I too was shocked they had cancelled the route as I had always observed the flights fairly well packed also.

No reason to plaster the guy's image ( nor even make headline news) for pinching 100 baht <deleted>.

He has allegedly done this several times before.. so he has probably taken more than 100 baht.

Besides, it is not the point. He is a visitor in a country and stealing from the house of its' prevalent religion. It is an insult to all Thais who consider themselves Buddhists. It is an insult on the trust and respect that we as foreigners are given when we go to the temple. Every time I go to the temple I feel humbled at the kindness and attention to care given to me not only by other attendees, but by the monks themselves. I'm not referring to "tourist Wats" which are effectively religified tourist attractions, but places that everyday Thais go to show their respects, look for guidance and consider their precepts.

This might be in Karon, but it is not a bar, a dirty dusty street, there is no music and there are no elephants running riot beside howling tuk tuk drivers. This is where a few men find their ability in direction onto a better life.. do you not wish more Thais (and perhaps Italians if we judge all Italians by the actions of this ignorant visitor, which I think is unfair) did the same?

Seems to me that the monks are usually in Panthip on a Sunday afternoon, usually 3 or 4 pm buying their latest gadgets.

Generally buying their gadgets with that donation money!

Hence, their promptness to call the police... isn't the idea of Buddhism to change souls by showing compassion and leniency? Actually for monks, just a business. Not astonishing they behave like any shipowner would do with a shoplifter.

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Yes, I have seen those monks. And the head abbots of Bangkok should be in there dishing out punishment to those that are there. Or Police should be removing them. They are not just there to look, but actually buying things. Some really expensive things many Thais (such as the man with his head probably still stuck underneath the phone box) cannot afford. Yes, the monk-hood is to demonstrate and lead with compassion and leniency, but perhaps considering he had done the same thing several times in a place of thought, they thought they had been compassionate and lenient enough. How many Thais have you heard that have stolen from Vatican churches?

Hi all,

just letting everyone who normally flys the Bangkok to Clark route (it was usually cheaper than flying into Manila due to the lower airport taxes and easier to access the north and mountain provinces) that this route has now been cancelled.

I booked in mid May during a sale, a few days (I suspect) before the route was cancelled. My credit card was charged and journey confirmed. The route was then cancelled in late May without notification (there is still no official announcement on this, however I had confirmation over the phone today from two separate Cebu offices) and my itinerary re-routed to Bangkok-Manila, with no ongoing transport to Clark from Manila.

I was told that I would not have been told as it was "too early", though when asking what my options were I was told I could re-book but to hurry, as the period I was travelling was over Christmas and many flights were already sold out. Flying into Manila (I originally intentionally avoided the chaos and intimidation of Manila International and the scamming which goes on right outside the main doors) and then having to arrange transport through to Clark just to begin my journey was too much to even consider.

At this stage I am now seeking a refund, which I am told will take 60 working days (12 weeks, or 3 months for those of us normal people). They certainly allowed me to book my seat a lot more quicker than that! Hopefully it comes through in the end, but heads up to anyone else who was looking to enjoy the Christmas celebrations in the north of the Phils.

Who pays for that?

I always wondered about people who are pulled out of line for an inspection, especially the Oral cavity checks, and end up missing their flight and on top of that, found innocent.

So Gov can damage your property and cause you to miss your flight and have NO responsibility?

Sucks.

The rules in SE Asia appear to be different. 3-4 years ago I took a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Penang (Malaysian domestic). Upon arrival I realized that my phone had been stolen from where it was resting between my legs, probably by the friendly man sitting beside me. I had in flight travel insurance, they refused to refund.

Upon picking up my bags, I noted that someone had cut a 30-40cm hole in the side of the bag with a knife or something similar.. I had travel insurance so thought I was set. I filed a claim after waiting in a long line for a long time.

A few days later, I got a call at 2am (yes, 2AM from the airline whose country I was in) to inform me that my insurance claim had been refused because I did not have a receipt for the luggage which was damaged, and that they did not insure items which were carried on-board on my personal during flight.

There are consumer rights, and then there are consumer rights in Asia. They are very different things I have discovered.

The thing missing from this article is if the couple packed their own bags, when the locks were "locked", when they noticed the locks were missing, and if the couple were in possession of their luggage the whole time that the bags were locked. They obviously were not if the locks were cut, but establishing this would quickly narrow down the places and periods of time which the locks could have been cut and who would have been responsible.

If you located such items in your luggage at the airport and you declared it, would one still be charged with possession? My concern is that in the Kingdom there would be little consideration given to honest declaration, which I am sure has caused huge complications for some in the past who are forced to traffic drugs by international drug gangs but do not want to.

They weren't in possession of their bags the whole time, they left the bags with hotel staff for around 30 minutes whilst they took a walk waiting for their ride. The woman gives her story in the link attached. They were very lucky and a good move I think to immeadiately contact the Australian Embassy for advice.

Thank you. I heard the news feed. I wondered if they might have not noticed the locks were damaged between the hotel and getting to the airport.. most people would go through their bags prior to checking in without even noticing, everyone has something in their bag they pull out before checking in (for me, it is moisturizer, the air con onboard kills my skin).

Perhaps instead of doing terrible things like kidnapping tourists, the Police should now be pulling cameras and interviewing all staff on site at the hotel that day to have the person which is found to have planted it with possession of drugs, tampering with luggage, intentional damage, and theft.

A good opportunity to show that the Thai Police really can protect tourists from Mafias.

A sign that domestic price inflation is finally hitting international tourist arrivals into Thailand perhaps?

Time for those internal policies which stoke the flames of inflation and make the poor poorer to be re-looked at, and money to be spent where it can benefit the smartest no matter what class they come from, and no matter what their last name is, perhaps? Even those snotty nosed village kids have potential and some might even be gifted, if you took the time to give them a chance and notice them.

I was one of those kids once not so long ago.