TheGhostWithin

first is your gf mother living in chiangrai city or in the country? if she lives in the country then my advice would be stay in a hotel, because if you stay in the house then the neighbours will " GOSSIP" her and family and then this will make them lose face, because in my cultule when a man come to visit woman family it is like a promise of marriage ( engagement ).

talk with your gf first and know exactly what you are geting into, if it is going to be an engagement meeting then yes you will need to give your gf some gold and some money for parent as a deposit to show you intend to marry also you shoud pay for food and drink.

if it is NOT going to be engagement meeting then there is no need for any gift or money but you shoud be prepired to pay for food and drink

Agree with you Wildorchid,

I really wonder thouh sometimes why we are expected to follow Thai culture to the tee, when often no regard is given to our culture as westerners.

My girlfriend told me a year ago that she wanted marriage, I asked about sin sot and was told her mother would want 1 million baht. I smiled and said that was great, because it is custom in my culture for the father to pay for the wedding, and I estimated the wedding may cost about 1 million. I was happy nobody would gain and nobody would lose. I have now been told the sin sot could be a lot less. It does not matter to me. It is about mutual respect and openness about what is culture, and what is invented culture to profit from. Even good families have one or two whom will attempt to spoil a great thing, don't let them :-)

Buy products from your home country if you can find them, and but small individual gifts for any children. Good thai families treasure their children, so win them and you are halfway there.

Ask them to take you to buy some local crafts to bond you to the mmory of the trip - I dressed in traditional Manora dress on my last trip to Yala.

Best of luck :-)

As for the Chinese/Thais, funny how where ever they go, the Chinese do well in business, they hold a lot of the local wealth in Indonesia too, could this be down to the fact they work their little socks off, where the indigenous population tend to be , dare I say it, a little lazy.

PS Hope you are all having a great festive period :-)

Agreed, Lee. Hope you have had a great festive period as well.

Unfortunately the if you study the migration of Chinese in countries such as Indonesia and Thailand, it is normally the first wave that work their socks off establishing the market structure, but it is the second wave (the rich ones that come once the poor and desperate come have proven the case for market potential) who makes the true profit.

For the poster who queries how we are all experts, you would be surprised at how many on here are business owners, or have immediate Thai family involved both Politically and from a business standpoint in the country. It is through this direct contact that many develop an understanding which cannot be read in any book.

If prices for accommodation do go up, it it will be another real downer for me, I usually spend 3 months of the year in hotels in Thailand, this would add a considerable cost to my trip - and unfortunately a cost which I do not see as tangible (something I can keep, either holding in my hands or as a memory) but more so a service being provided. I have stayed in some awful hotels, but the staff made it special. I have stayed in some 5* hotels, which I would never return to at any cost.

The tourism department planners need to study very hard western and far eastern economics (Japan, Korea for starters) - increasing price decreases demand. You cannot have increasing arrival figures, increasing average stays (in days), and increasing average daily spends. What you are asking for is countries to provide more annual leave to staff, salary increases and a fall in the cost of living of foreign countries. It ain't gonna happen.

Hello all,

As a New Zealander I understand that I can work in Australia indefinitely without the need for a formal visa other than the passport stamps.

I am currently working in NZ and have been offered a job in Australia, paying much better money - and my family do live in Australia, though none are citizens or permanent residents that I am aware of.

My partner is Thai, and is currently on a 2 year work visa (I sponsored her). She is not eligible for permanent residence for another 1 year, as per the minimum stay in NZ aspect of the permanent residence application.

What are our options if I were to take up the role, in terms of getting her to Australia? We have been together for a long time, I would not be happy heading to Australia without her, even though she insists I should - it is a great offer that has been presented to me.

Interested to hear any ideas

If the Thai banking system and Government are worried about this, they should ask the question, Why will most retailers and particularly small businesses NOT accept plastic transactions. Answer CASH IS KING here. no trace no tax to pay, simple !!

If you were a bar girl making 50-100K per month undeclared because of the nature of your work, I am sure you would not want the tax department knowing how much you earnt either. Like it or lump it, a large amount of revenue comes from three sources in Thailand: Exports of food/produce, exports of technology and the profits of (mostly sex) tourism. The first and second groups would comply with the law, however for the most part the third would not, as their activities are largely considered illegal as we know. The only way I can see tax revenue rising from this group is the legalization of prostitution, which has a lot of resistance within the Kingdom. My opinion of this is muted, I do enjoy the occasional drink with friends though it is normally always with my partner, my best friend of 6 years works in one of the more interesting places to dance in Bangkok.

Another reason that could be causing the concern, would be the fact that without Thailand's cash reserves, the country has nothing to fall back on if growth slows, which it will as ASEAN kicks in, with there being both more efficient (and advanced) neighbors, and also neighbors who will work for much less. Thailand has yet to define the competitive advantage in which it holds over its competitors.. I mean.. neighbors.

If you are in this part of the world for holidays, where else would you go? Philippines? More scammer and dangerous. Malaysia? Boring. Singapore? Expensive. Loas, Cambodia, Vietnam? Indonesia or Brunei. Despite all the scams I still think Thailand is a much better place overall..

Yes, I am asking myself the same question. Sadly for now I am just forgoing my holiday and keeping it for an extended vacation some other year. Malaysia fell out of favor with me some years ago after I was attacked by a (possibly mentally unwell) Muslim, who told me Malaysia was a Muslim country, not a place for Christians and that I should go back to America.. too bad I am an Atheist from New Zealand

You are right, Singapore is about on par as expensive as it is to travel in my own country. Brunei and Indonesia.. I will not visit these countries after my Malaysia experience and several trips to Yala which have shown me that a large proportion of Muslims really do not want me as a young white Male around them at all.

I found the far east of Thailand to be really nice, and the Philippines is good, provided you have a level head, do not over-drink and you make sure you are in a position of control at all times. This means not going home with strangers, not taking strangers to your room and not going somewhere unless you are driving or with a friend in the taxi. I am very tempted to go to Cambodia or Vietnam next time, for a change of scenery.

It is sad for me that the old kindness of Thailand is largely gone, and will probably never get back.

You never know - if he runs as an independent he might actually get more votes - those from Pua Thai who would like an independent governor, and those from the democrats who like him.

Many people in Bangkok respect him just for his family connections - I find that annoying as I think you should be judged on your results, but I would place him as the most likely person to win the election, running in any party.

If he'd just sit down and concentrate on some of the outstanding issues in Bangkok - finishing the drainage tunnels, ensuring the mass transit constructions run on-time, resurveying and deploying a new traffic control system (last one is 30 years old now?), and maybe, just maybe, solving the outstanding issue of the new firetrucks sitting/rusting in customs for the last 2 years.

You could dream.....(feel free to add to the list)

Agreed. But I do believe he is a good person for the job. He has wanted to do more, but been constrained by the political establishment and been a victim of "big fish eats little fish" syndrome, with the politicians not being as cooperative as they should be (the time of the floods comes to mind) in dealing with both development and also (most importantly) crisis management.

Bangkok has a lot of crisis situations, I believe that whoever the new governor is, he should be given more freedom and be less constrained by the decrepit, corrupt governmental setup in the current form.

I believe he could be a better governor without political ties and loyalties, with the freedom to carry out his work without having to adhere to corruption before even taking on the duties required to make things work (such as allowing illegal casinos owned by the party in power at the time to operate with impunity within his borders, and then closing down some when the new party gets into power, and being forced to close others of the old regime).

Governors or mayors really should be party neutral, supporting one party or another can and does cause conflicts of interest and makes for a less-efficient local government.

The Tourism Department, which is part of the Tourism and Sports Ministry, expects the number of foreign visitors to reach 21.8 million this year, an increase of 13 per cent from the 2011 level, while revenue is forecast at Bt930 billion.

Next year, it expects the number to grow by 10 per cent to 24 million, despite the ongoing economic difficulties in Europe and the US."

They do realise that the worlds population is not growing at 10% or more per year, right? As long as I have had an interest in Thailand, and have been visiting Thailand, they have been throwing around these rediculously high figures which would make the Chinese economy proud. Years of bantering on here has failed to make the Tourism Authority see that we know their figures are a wee bit skewed.. It would be very interesting to see an international body oversee the counting, and have it administered the same way as most other countries in the world are: One passport in, and out is counted as a single traveler, if by land, sea or air for entry or exit, and that only foreign nationals are counted as tourists (Thais are only domestic tourists in Thailand), and those returning to the country very quickly although return tourists may not be complying with employment or other immigration laws, and probably need to be talked with. That means visa runs do not count as a "new" tourist to Thailand.. simply because your system has loopholes in it does not mean you get to score more brownie points for not doing your job properly.

I have skipped my bi-annual trip to Thailand for the past year (the first time in 7 years), because of the increasing prices, the scamming, and the greediness of Thais which has taken away what I loved about Thailand.. and no, I am not a Khao San Road regular.. I spend on average 6,000-7000 baht a day taking my friends out, having a good time, and staying in good hotels. But I don't get what I used to for that price, in terms of service at restaurants and hotels, and I have to speak in Thai to scare the scammers off, who constantly ask me "first time Thailand sir?", then stop when they get "mai au" back at them.

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The GDP figures, based on per capita, are quite misleading, as you have countries like Monaco, Luxembourg, and Bermuda on the top of the list. These are incredibly irrelevent countries on the world stage. Thailand has major manufacturing, and the point I was trying to make was that if the country does not protect it's FDI sponsors, then what direction is it going to move in?

If you are in the financial services industry you will know that Luxembourg is not Irrelivant, if you are in the accounting industry you will understand that Monaco is no less irrelivant. The money is disbursed at a much higher rate per person, which is the definition of GDP essentially.

Thailand is not protecting FDI, it still has not completed anti-flood measures for its' foreign factories, its tourists are being robbed and overcharged, and foreigners wanting to work and begin a life in the Kingdom are being told they are not wanted unless Thailand can gain more from the transaction than they will give back to the applicant. This is why in countries like Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia (countries Thailand has announced it will "lead" in ASEAN) are rapidly increasing GDP output, and economies of scale are ramping up, whilst Thailand is stagnant, unless you rely on botched government figures. I rely on what I see.

Countries like Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam, with others having mutual interest in preventing Thailand from gaining influence or power (such as Cambodia and Myanmar) will ensure that Thailand remains stagnant long after ASEAN kicks in. How far do you think that Thai GDP can fall before they allow someone with sense and a modern attitude to take the reigns and change the country for the better? I hope you packed your lunch.

Shouldn't the advice be to simply go to places nicer than Phuket?

But then again the scammers would just follow the tourists, maybe better to keep the number of such cesspools limited.

It is my opinion that there would possibly be a fairly even disbursement of scammers to tourists as a ratio, throughout Thailand. Places like Phuket and Pattaya are read about in the media all the time, simply because that is where most of the tourists are, it is also where most of the first time tourists are, who are less exposed to this type of activity and rather than having the "mai bpen rai" attitude over being scammed on small amounts and just "paying up and walking away" like some others might.

The snake rots from the head, this is true in all totalitarian countries, which the USSR was, which Bosnia was, which China is, and which Thailand is. At least the aforementioned countries actually openly declared who ran the establishment, unlike Thailand who simply cannot as it would impeach the entire current government. As we know, the name of the game is about power and position, from the "top cop" shot callers, right down to the bottom feeding fare collectors.

The government does not see that there is a problem, because the system is providing them what they see the purpose of the system is for - personal influential and financial gain. Until the system is changed or people are bought into the system who think differently, Thailand will continue to ignore the world.

Yes, I view this is a positive article because the only way we are going to see things improve is if various consulates project travelers warnings and people stop coming here.

Only then will the powers that be do something about the problem.

But with tourist numbers continually growing, I doubt anything will be done.

C'mon America, Canada, Western Europe, etc. find some balls and follow in these guy's footsteps.

Sadly, Officials, in the interests of keeping their positions, will only find new ways of skewing arrival numbers in order to ensure that tourism is "observed" to be continually increasing. Anyone with a business relying on foreigners, as well as regular visitors, can tell you that not only is the number of foreign visitors appearing to be on the decrease, but the quality of visitors is decreasing too. I can say that a lot of the guys that I see around Silom, Sukhumvit etc, which used to be the "up standard" area for tourists, I would have only expected to find on Khao San Road 5 years ago.

And they drink themselves until they can't stand anymore, wondering why they got robbed afterwards.

In rural Isaan, I have observed more foreigners too, who appear to be creating pockets of their home countries, or at least a western Oasis.. that isn't what Isaan is about. The tourists are out of touch with the embassies, the embassies are out of touch with their countrymen, and the government is out of touch with the world.

Sadly, I believe part of the reason that the government does little more than use the southern insurgency for red government photo opportunities is that it gives their soldiers exposure to a live war zone, bearing in mind its neighbors bith being Cambodia and Burma, two countries which have not seen eye to eye. Technology alone does not win wars, experience plays perhaps an even greater role.

I am a strong supporter of the use of drone use in the south, perhaps even at a weapons deployment level. Something more needs to be done, you cannot figt an unconventional war with a conventional army.

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"The situation in Pattani is getting better under tightened security measures, Pramuk said,"

Just because nobody was killed the last three days? Thai/Muslim teachers with a towel on their heads would be the best prevention--

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Unfortunately, you are wrong. The attacks are against anyone, indescriminant of their religion, race, sex etc, because they do not abide by Muslim teachings in government schools. The only teachers which are not a target are those which teach within the Islamist Schools which do teach the Koran (yes, the same as the madrassas in Pakistan etc, making them recite for hours on end).

There is no solution, as the murders are the outcome of the problem. The murders will stop when the Government properly identifies the cause and meets it with sufficient force to overcome it.

Mogoso, can you explain why? He makes poor decisions, he does not keep his word, or something else?

She did not realise she had been sexually assaulted, until he refused to pay.

I get the feeling I am being ignorant considering a few others have liked your post, but are you suggesting that every time a man and woman have intimate interactions, the Man is sexually assaulting the woman? This kind of approach is common with feminists in my country, and a large reason why I never have, and never will, touch a New Zealand woman. Could sex have been used as a weapon to attempt to extort even more money in this case, or is this guy a genuine rapist? It really is a he said she said situation, sadly.

It is a serious concern when sex becomes a weapon IMO.

Question: I wonder how many Police will read this article (translated into Thai, unless they were one of the fortunate ones to take the 6 week English classes and are now fluent English speakers) and now realise that they may have non-functioning breathalyzers.

This is one piece of equipment the Police can use to genuinely make a difference and improve the safety of EVERYONE in Thailand. If they really had to, I guess they could make a few dollars to "help the impoverished families of the Bangkok Police Fund" while they were at it, but one hopes most Police are honest and would not lower themselves to this after doing good work and identifying a drunk driver.

Innocent question: who does own these bars anyway? BIB ?

Individuals own the bar/stake...they sell it on if or when they chose and for whatever reason...the police charge a nightly rent!I have over the years spent plenty of time frequenting the bars on suk' like probably many others on here have...There was a mamasun that used to run the show for the cops there that I became good friends with over time and so I was able to gain some insight into how some of the setup operated..not all of it but some things.She was pushed down the pecking order 2 years back when the new BiB guard took over..swings n' roundabouts sums it up...

I happen to know that a few of the bars in Nana are owned by Police and until recently also Crown Group (not sure if they still are), that bars in Soi Cowboy are currently owned by Police, and one could imagine (I cannot confirm it) that bars in places like Patpong, which feature in several books suggesting the fact that many of those bars are owned by the Police. Other bar owners include Outlaws Motorcycle Club (yes, the same lot that the FBI and ATF have gone after in the US) in Nana Plaza, "The Arab" in Soi Cowboy to name a few. Not so many are individually owned now, but the nice Aussie hang out on soi 7 is, as well as quite a few down there. I enjoy watching some League and Rugby undisturbed in that fine establishment, and no questions get asked by Teerak if she knows I am going there .

Give me his number, he can run me around next time if he likes, just because he is a good guy. Not many refuse me because time teaches us how to deal with the refusers, but guys like this are a golden gem.. what an awesome attitude to the customer, thanks unidentified taxi driver.. people like you certainly do make traveling in a taxi much easier, and happier

How about some credit to the police for trying to do something about the crime. Everyone complains about the police doing nothing then they try to do something and everyone complains. You all are really a bunch of little whiny jack offs

I appreciate your frustrations, but Policing where the crimes are actually committed would be more effective - though as stated in my previous post it does depend on which crimes you are trying to identify and commit.. sorry, I meant identify and stop.

This "safety zone" is a great way to identify which bars are not just serving drinks (ho ho ho) and shut them down, as well as cart a few of their customers off to the monkey house. A true "safety zone" would be more effective from Soi Nana right up Sukhumvit to Soi 33 or so, where most of the scammers, theives and drug dealers swindle visitors, many of which are afraid to go to the Police when something goes wrong, so the crime goes under-reported.

A trained eye in the securities industry (which is effectivly what the Police are providing here) could see this as more of a Farang containment zone, protecting the outside world from what is inside, rather than the prior assumed, which is also a bit of a concern.

I can say that I have been one of this statistic along the stretch before and would have done a treat with a cop outside the restaurant in which I was robbed by a passing Katoey. The 10,000 baht s/he took from me as I pushed s/he away politely refusing her "random hug" after SCB had earlier in the day refused my query to open a bank account to put it in cost me a lot of money.. s/he just ran, and I knew going to the Police about it would just end up costing me more in one way, shape, or form.

Considering the lovely Lumpini Police stopped my partner and I in the area a few years ago and attempted to extort money from me after suggesting she was a prostitute and I had picked her up from a bar, and not listening to me tell Officer Somchai that despite his assumptions, prostitutes did not wear long dresses, nor did their customers wear shiny dress shoes and formal attire... I will feel more safe outside of the "safety zone" thanks.

I suppose on the positive, the men of the Congo, Nigeria and the women of the Ukraine now only need walk across the road to the booth at the end of the street, and it will be guaranteed an officer will be present to accept their "donation" to ensure that nobody commits crimes against them whilst they are tourists in Thailand.

A good joke, from a seriously bombastic organization needing to look at themselves before judging others. Bangkok Police are but a shade of their country-folk friends who in my experience do a much better and fairer job of Policing. What most people in the Nana area deem crime (e.g. anything other crime minus prostitution) does not take place at Nana, it takes place when the girl leaves with the guy. This leaves the question.. are we protecting Farangs from crime being committed against them, or ensuring that Farangs do not commit crime within the safety areas?

Will be interesting when there is an "incident" and the owners of half the bars in Nana Plaza, Outlaws MC, turn up to take care of business.

This is a very strange release. The issue at hand is taking place in the three most ultra conservative provinces in Thailand, on both the Buddhist and Muslim "sides" of the conflict.

In Islam, the role of a woman is to serve the needs of a man, and to ensure his happiness as he provides to his wife/wives and other family members. There is no place for women in leadership in Islam. If you do not understand this fact, you have no chance of getting any ultra-conservative Muslim to listen to you, and these are the people comitting a very high proportion of thw acts of agression in present day.

On the Buddhist side, you have a group of people very different than their northern brothers and sisters, much more conservative and hardened in their ways than those of the seat of power or anywjere else in Thailand. Women serve in civil positions just as often as men, but men hold the positions of power in all essential services - Police, Army, Medical. Women do not make the decisions on the Buddist side either.

To be a "force", you need to be in a position to effect change, either inhierrently or by sheer persistence and willpower. I am sure those Muslims seeking a united and Buddhist free nation state are far more determined than any of the groups pushing for an increase of western womens ideals in the South.

Good luck, but this is their home, both Buddhist and Muslim, not a place to play your feminist ideal world cards. It hasn't worked in the west with men now flocking to Thailand to get a better lady, and won't work in the south.

Good to see the expat community supporting each other, it is a necessary thing when you look at the lack of support you receive from local government like you may in other countries closer to home. Really felt good to read this, get well soon Kevin.

50 baht per hour is a pretty good wage for unskilled work.

That might be true if they were working 8 hours per day, but they don't. They spend a lot of unpaid time waiting for a customer with no compensation at all.

When I am broke, I avoid places where a tip is expected - just like I did in the USA. If one can not afford a 50 baht tip for massage, they should skip the massage until they have more money.

And they spend most of this time watching tv, sleeping, or eating som tam. This is a luxury those poor guys and gals on the construction sites balancing on state of the art bamboo scaffolding risking life and limb for 200 baht per day do not have, ever.