TheGhostWithin

What does this have to do with him? Since when does a fugitive from justice get to have input on government policy...??

Since PTP won the last election, wasn't it?

Because the political system here is broken, and attacking long term, big problems is discouraged and appearing to tackle them is encouraged, in a word, yes. Thaksin says, PTP does.

Until laws are used to prevent fugitives from influencing politics in Thailand, and proof is obtained and used to show that both financial (at times of elections and unrest) and personal influence are used to sway decisions in the development and day to day running of the country by the political establishment, criminals (not just Thaksin Shinawatra) will continue to commit crimes in the name of an increasing sphere of power and wealth, whilst on the other hand use the political establishment to protect their interests and silence their enemies and competition.

Thaksin Shinawatra undertook an interview with interviewer Haslinda Amin in Singapore for Bloomberg television this morning.

Thaksin openly supported the rice production program currently being undertaken by the PTP government, stating that although it is costing the country 11% of annual GDP, this figure was inaccurate, as some of the purchases of rice were sold in the local market, and others on-sold to the international market, meaning that some of the money was recouped in the Thai Market. He stated that the previous democrat party "spoiled" farmers, by ensuring that rice prices remained below natural levels, manipulating the market through subsidies.

He also discussed the moves of the Democrat party putting several cases in motion, and stated that there was too much power of outside committees or smaller enterprises which had the ability to destabilize power from those who the people wished to control it.

When asked by the interviewer concerning political issues if he would be willing to do time in prison as a result of his guilty verdict on certain charges so far, Thaksin stated that he felt he should not have to go to prison, as he had done nothing wrong, and that the charges were politically motivated.

When quizzed on the Reconciliation Committees' potential suggestion that Thaksin should remain out of politics to allow Thailand time to heal politically, Thaksin stated that he felt he should be allowed back into politics, and that the reason this had been suggested were personal issues between himself, and the committee chairman (Kasit). He stated that Kasit still held bad personal feelings towards him after he (Thaksin) bought back old Thai Rak Thai members to the current party, and as such resigned and that the feelings were personal and unprofessional. He stated that many things in Thailand happened that should not, because of personal vendettas.

Related article (not the interview itself): http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-24/thaksin-signals-sister-to-avert-political-crisis-southeast-asia.html

I may be interested in buying some, if and when you get it here. Please let me know. [email protected]

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Thanks Spidermark, what sort of price are you willing to pay per kg? As you can see from the picture, I have 6kg that I want to sell.

I have no plans to come over, but would come if the price was right as I have a few other things I need to do there as well.

Hi all,

I have a fairly large amount of silver bullion here in NZ.

I am thinking of cashing it in by the end of the year, but find the dealers here are very greedy - they are wanting on average a 10-20% discount on the spot fee. I know Thailand can do better than this, but also know Thai people prefer gold over silver.

Are there any dealers which will buy silver in 5kg or so quantities, or would I be better selling here? I understand there will be some issues getting the silver in the country, as it is apparently a taxable item in Thailand.

I realise this has been raised before, but those topics are stale, so wanted fresh information.

Does that mean that all 45+ are worse people? Yes, it's true that men like to see a sexy ass in a uniform, even some girls do.

Yes, it's true that flirting with a 21 year old makes us guys happy.

It's not about what men want to see, it;s about the right to do your job until you're 60.

And that might have some serious financial reasons regarding retirement as well. Could you please forward me Raksanee's phone number, just wanted to thank her----

Ha ha, I would have offered to thank her too, had I had the guts to do so, and had I been single But regardless, she smiled and provided me with kindness that was not shown (and has never been shown) by the older cabin crew on TG. I think it is fine to raise the age to 60, but only for senior positions (eg. in-flight service managers). The numbers should be whittled down depending on age, with a smaller number of highly experienced staff who show outstanding consistent performance, managing a younger, more friendly (and better looking) front line staff (male and female, though the senior Thai male staff do present themselves very well, I commend them) - which face it, are often cheaper to hire straight out of university than their older peers.

Raksanee S, I sincerely hope is on my next flight, I shall be bringing a kiwi gift for her (yes, I will actually buy her something from here ).

They already have 60 year old flight attendants in F class on TG. I have had quite a few already on my flights. Some are downright rude and belong on the ground .

Agreed. On one domestic flight I was on, the older Thai attendant (on a flight Bangkok to Chiang Mai) refused to communicate with me because she apparently could not understand my Thai, and did not speak English (apparently). All patrons on-board were served water during the flight, except for me. Lets say I was less than happy with the service.

On my last trip (in July), we had excellent service from Auckland to Bangkok by a waitress named Ransanee S., a young and really lovely girl. I had a bit of a disagreement with the other half, and childishly went on hunger strike. I am not the smallest lad, so it only lasted 3 hours... when I asked the attendant (Raksanee S, 22-25yrs old female, if they had meals, she told me they did not, but that she would give me her meal so as to not go hungry. I didn't deserve it, but I am Farang, so have a reputation to uphold..

Later in the flight, I asked the on-board manager for a feedback note so that I could ensure Raksanee was given the appreciation from the company for the outstanding service she had provided. Upon return, the inflight manager gave me the feedback form, requesting I kindly give positive feedback for him too (Thai Male, 50+ years) for having bought the form over.

And yes, I do appreciate better looking flight attendants, that is one of the main reasons I fly with TG, and my girlfriend knows, but it does not bother her... We are men, after all

"On the mammoth investment of Bt350 billion budget for long-term flood prevention, the finance minister said the government is assessing proposals for various projects from the private sector, both domestic and international, after which concessions will be awarded. (MCOT online news)"

Too late.. A year has already passed since the last floods, and this years floods are already apparently coming. You are considering proposals? Too late, the government is showing the inefficiency, immobility and ignorance it is famous for worldwide. I guess, when you have people like the person pictured (the DPM?) in charge, it is not hard to come to a quick conclusion as to why things are the way they are.

I do think things would be further along under the Democrats, but there are corrupt people within that circle too - and as we know in Thailand, the fish rots from the head. How many people have to die, how many people have to lose their hopes, their dreams, livelihoods and futures before people will start openly ousting corrupt, lazy political officials in this country who are not interested in serving anyone other than themselves?

Vladimir has a newly issued passport - about 15 days old.

Has he travelled to Thailand or from out behind the Iron Curtain before?

It is possible that Vladimir fits a profile, and that as such may have been working and experienced his "fall" as a result of not being in Thailand under a work Visa.

But in all seriousness, he has a new passport and has the correct age, and racial demographic to be undertaking black market business in Thailand. I go with the idea that CCTV footage of the hotel and any surrounding area cameras needs to be looked at, as well as if any guests were reported checking in/out of the victims room during the stay. Where did the victim frequent, who were his associates etc. Unless he had a very loud speaker, nobody is going to hear a second voice shouting with Vladimir over the phone. They however would throw the phone causing it to smash in a struggle when Vladimir was calling "whoever" for help, right before a few baht was given so that the visit was never recorded.

How did they establish who are prostitutes and who are toursits? I can tell you that not all sitting on the chairs and sand are prostitutes, especially during the day. And not all of those Russian and Eastern European women walking around looking aling the beach are legitimate tourists. Not all of those thai men seemingly waiting for their friends are what we may think they are, and the noodle sellers are not necessarily only concerned with selling noodles.

Maybe removing the bad birds from a group that many visit that city of sodom, sorry, Pattaya specifically for would help improve the sparkling image of the grand city...

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If the advantages of holding the card were the same as the previoud campaign, how about offering it to all previous holders who actually paid for the card at a discount of what they paid before to restore those important persons opinions on the Thai Political establishment?

I am sure the first wave were the truly infludntial target market, this wave will simply be the newly rich, or those not aware of the previous white elephant and resulting river of tears by the said holders for being given false promises.

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Hi all,

I am currently in New Zealand, away from my friends, of which I would normally go to their villages up country to learn to play the Khaen.

In July I went to Roi Et, and bought a Khaen. It was partially damaged by a lovely person on the way back to Auckland, after he just dumped his bags on top of it (he was the last passenger, the guy they were calling over the intercom to hurry up because he was delaying the flight).

I am trying to play a B note on my Khaen, though no sound is coming out. Have checked the obvious and confirmed nothing appears to be blocking the reed. Can anyone ask their wives, or brother in laws, or maybe you know personally, if it is normal that no sound will be emitted when playing a b note alone on a Khaen? I hope this is normal and the lovely late passenger did not ruin what I traveled for 16 hours in total to pick up..

Hamish

Who was he working for? I know English teachers in Udon, they are not particularly well paid and are in heavy demand. I am guessing they are somewhat of a commodity in Udon, as things western are seen as the way ahead at least for the younger generation.

There must be more to this story.

It is making the news here in NZL now.

These things really dont help.

I have a Thai wife and we would like to semi retire there in the future ( not Pattaya ).

But this constant bad news from Thailand is making my wife afraid to live there.

A thai person!

It is almost weekly.

I knew one of the people that deceased a couple of years ago in Phuket. He was 100% good guy.

Bag snatch for gods sake.

Thanks for that, yes, I see I even got a mention on the NZHerald (lucky me!). My partner is also Thai, and simply rolled her eyes when I told her where it happens.

I have not told her of the interesting folks I run into when I go out drinking with my friends from time to time in places you would not expect to find lunatics. But as another poster said here, it is not so much the people that have big heads in establishments that are often dangerous, as the ones that men continue to take home without anyone knowing they are going with someone and end up in very bad situations.

I guess that at least they are not (yet) having the home invasion problems that much of the western world has, or the random shootings that are taking place in parts of the Philippines and also in the south of Thailand (where my girlfriend is from).

Maybe one day we can have a beer together many years from now when we retire!

Strange this has not been reported in the NZ press that I have found. Shame on the NZ press. Could there be more to this story? Unless the Swede was really over it drowned in alcohol, I don't know a sane person that would react this way.

I found it is quite difficult avoiding aggressive people at times in Thailand, because you do not know the guy you are saying a friendly hello to at the bar, restaurant or the club. Because they come from different cultures, it is harder to "sniff out" Jabba the Hutt, you may believe you are talking with Princess Laya, but infact you are talking with a Wookie..

/quote]

Remember, when trying to feed and care for a family, nothing is voluntary.

The definition of being forced to do something against your will, is be definition doing something because the consequences of not doing it are far more dire than doing it, or being tricked to do something out of fear.

You cannot say (without having access to those payment books) if they were or were not working by force. I can say, as someone previously involved in surveillance, that not all of the Russian women I see around are being "minded", at least not when they are walking in the streets.

The Red mafia is a mysterious beast, other forms of force may be:

The girl may be required to send a set amount of money home per month for the "security" of her loved ones.

The girl may need to make a certain amount of money daily, giving the proceeds to their "managers" - the red mafia does not care how she goes about her business or what her craft is.

The manager may have a good relation with Thai officials (high ranking or not), of which they may only stay in the kingdom and earn whilst they are kicking a commission to the holders of her credentials in Thailand. Failing to do so would mean deportation and harsh consequences on the return home. Staying means earning a good living and providing for the family at home.

With regards to the Thais putting up with the competition, they may realise that certain men actually prefer a Russian woman (they are uncommon in some countries, making them sought after). If the Russian girl can get 5000 for her "services", and they pay the Thais 2000 (the price of the local girl) for taking the place of a local girl, without the local girl having to turn off her lakorn and work, that is money for jam. More productivity with less capital input. Go figure.

I can say that not all women of eastern origin are working by force, and yes, there are rich people, even in Russia, Uzbekistan and Turkey.. some come here by choice because they can earn more in a day than they could in a week at home (the reason I took my partner out of her job at Suvarnabhumi and bought her to NZ to work as a restaurant manager), providing a better financial future for her to further her place in life and education.

Working as a prostitute to feed the family in Uzbekistan is not being forced, it is being greedy - every other Olga does it in Tashkent without selling her back end on Sukhumvit.

Fair enough it was arrogant of me to assume you where new to Thailand sorry for that but even though I take your point about the H I V papers not being up to date the fact remains that after living here in Thailand for 34 years i have seen or heard of dozens of people dieing of aids and none of these to my knowledge have been pataya workers mostly it's Thai men visiting brothels then passing it on to there wives or girl friends who then pass it on themselves

Given the choose of unprotected sex with a pataya worker or a ordinary girl picked up in a club or disco up country I would choose the pataya girl every time

Hi Steve,

Yes I have heard and read this type of thing too, though these days would be more cautious of someone I met on the street, particulalrly in areas such as Sukhumvit. Word from a few friends is that all that ICE trafficking and dealing money from the men of the dark continent now gets partially kicked up to the street workers, and even a few go go girls. Friends tell me they are often willing to pay a premium, understanding that they perhaps are not the preferred client. As the statistics show, both unprotected sex and transmission rates are or are around the highest on their home continent.

In my opinion, this same group is the single biggest threat not only in this respect, but a wider range of issues in Bangkok ranging from minor immigration crimes to the well organised Black Mafia which controls drug distribution and prostituion of their native women. Thoug, the Bangkok Police are too busy shaking down businesses and other everyday people to realise how they have lost control of the streets because of their inability to adapt to the changing environment.

I did visit Surin during July, I must say you are so lucky to have so many beautiful and nice ladies there, they (from what I saw) are much happier and more respectable than most I have met in the Kingdom. And your night market is great, particularly the pad thai stall with the katoey chef, really excellent :-)

Sorry to go OT.

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Most guys my age busy catching H I V in pataya  this guy hasn't been in Thailand long

The girls in pataya are checked on a regular basis ( mostly) then they go home to there Thai boyfriend in the sticks enough said !!!!!!

Steve,

Thanks for the reply, even if mildly arrogant. I have been coming to Thailand since I was 19 years old, I am now 27. I spend at least 3 months of every year in Thailand, in various places but mostly in Bangkok and Udon Thani.

Are younaware of the doctor that can give a clean bill for std and hiv within 30 minutes? I can assure you that even someone with an std or HIV could get a stamp from this particular clinic ;-) land of smiles, land of illusions. I know of this doctor because I do not judge my friends by their chosen profession, a few of my friends do work in the scene.

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I was in Roi Et 2 weeks ago - I am a 27 year old Male, I am told I am a "handsome man", but they are probably just taking a guess at the size of my wallet.. but seirously..

Roi Et was great, it has a huge night food market, a better range than many places. I got a lot of attention, maybe because of my age, most guys my age are too busy catching HIV in Pattaya to notice Roi Et. I went there to buy a Khaen, but really enjoyed the place. I stayed at Petcharat Garden Hotel, 600thb a night or so. Complimentary breakfast and a really nice swimming pool.

I like to walk, and had to walk probably 2-300m from the main area inside the moat to get to civilsation, though there are a lot of beer bars along the stretch, they mostly appear to cater to Thais. I did not go out in Roi Et, I was not looking for company.

Dont get lost, the city can be very confusing as it is in a circular shape and has two bodies of water, do not confuse the two. I did, and found myself giving up finding my way home and spend 2hrs playing basketball with the local kids to vent my frustration.

No transport after dark that I could see, so make sure you have your snake in the hole before that time unless you have your own moto.

Thanks for all the replies and putting up with my slow responses - I have decided on a trek to Ayyuthaya to find some good Gaeng Som, may spend a few days there. Thanks to all that replied, mods you may now close the thread.

This sounds like a good idea. I will need to read into this, I have only had the Note for a week, and am still familiarising myself with all of the different features.

Hi there,

At the moment I am using approx 1-1.5GB/month here at home. I guess I would use about the same, all things considered - sorry for missing the thread, my apologies.

Yes, switching sims between the devices is not a problem. It is something that I do here.

I don't have to make calls - I can buy a separate SIM for this.

Hi all,

Im sure the question has been asked (I did have a quick look, but could not see anything specific to my needs).

I will be in Thailand for 3 weeks, and have both a Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1 (3g version) as well as a Samsung Galaxy Note (I like big screens, because I have small eyes).

I will be traveling from Bangkok, to Ubon, and heading up to Udon Thani.

What are my options with regards to well-priced mobile internet? I don't skype or anything but spend quite a bit of time surfing the internet, as well as managing stocks.

Cheap and not-quite-working is not going to cut the mustard for me, on the flip side I do not need a fiber optic cable connected to the miniusb port.

Can anyone recommend a good pre-paid plan to go with and what costs are involved?

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Does the Royal Thai Navy not have its' own firefighters? So, they could not protect their own fleet in the case of fire at sea in this case? A bit of a concern. Luckily their enemies would mostly attack by land and out of reach of naval fire.

Thailand, the hub of firemen without fire equipment!

imo stay at D'Living, it's nice and just 400 Baht a night (It doesn't have the frills of the Takasila, but is still very nice with rooms 2x the size and 1/3rd the price). It's on the main bar street (around 1-2km from the shopping mall/bus station / takasila. Although it's not that close to the bus station, so you would want to have your own motorcycle or car. Their number is 04 3742210.

Vasu (mentioned earlier) is right next door to the main nightclub in Maha Sarakham, so you wouldn't need to drive home (If you're thinking about hitting the bars etc while you're there). Vasu is ok, the 700 Baht rooms have baths which is nice, but it's a fair dip in quality compared to Takasila. It's still fine though, and the location is convenient.

Tonnes of students in Sarakham, a good place to hang out and meet some of the locals. If you want, pm me if you're heading there and might be able to go for a beer with ya, I don't live there, but often visit on the weekends to catch up with mates etc.

SlyAnimal,

Awesome to see a fellow Kiwi in the area! Well, will be my first time through so your advice as with others has been very helpful.

Like the sound of D'Living, though cannot seem to find a website for their hotel nor any online record or reports. Do happen to have a card with their website or anything on it? Even a phone number would be useful, so that I could call them.

Otherwise, I may check in at Taksila.

Are there any motorbike rental co's around? I would likely only stay for 1-2 days as I want to go to Khon Kaen and play basketball with a few friends there.

Thanks again,

Hamish