mamborobert

I think he would do better using his other TV (and older) promotional shots. I used to love him as a kid.

Look at the bright side...its was'nt in the gents

How is this "work" different from running a bar which is widely accepted as a back seat operation, are we not running the risk of Thaivisa publicly promoting and encouraging illegal work?

How "legal" is this as far as you are concerned?

As no one here has stated which visa type he or she has, as far as I remember, this should be no problem.

It would be different if someone said "I have a tourist visa (however that may officially be called) and still do my main business here, haha."

But as this hasn't happened and only the general idea of making money online and meeting to exchange knowledge and experience about that is discussed, I don't see any problems.

Yes, there are people who mention that they make money from the internet whilst staying in Thailand, but none said that they were doing this without the proper visa, so I see absolutely no potential problems for Thai Visa.

Correct me if I should be wrong :-)

Sebastian

I am not talking about a tourist Visa. I doubt that all of the long ter Thaivisa members are on Tourist Visas, Anyone here long term on a non immigrant for example is meant to engage in activities consistent with their visa (ie spouse, study etc) and not "work".

I remain concerned about a meeting promoting (and registering myself) an activity inconsistent with my visa. From what I see this meeting (which I am interested in) will go beyond the exchange of info and experience, but even if it exchanges just that we could be exchanging info or current experience that we may not be legally allowed to inform.

I just want to know on what visa do you have to be on where it is acceptable/permissable from the Thai authorities to establish or promote, or market products or services over the internet which is where the meeting I gather starts and is the hopeful end result for those attending.

From your resonse we are innocent by ommission...the legality of what is being proposed and potentialy acted upon has still not been resolved. Thats not the way i work in business...or the way of the people I work with.

While trying to be respectful your response as a member of only a few days with three posts, all on this thread, does not assure me. I would like facts...what specicifc visas is this ok to proceed on.

very interesting thread so far.

I thought that you would need a work visa in order to do internet marketing whilst in Thailand. While the semantics of "work" and "location" can be argued endlessly for quite a few people there would be engaging in an activity inconsistent with their visa (retiree, spouse etc). What you or I argue is immaterial...its what Immigration and the BIB conclude that is the determinent. A business visa (which I have held in the past) is a different case altogether.

It would be hard to "work" under the wire in Thailand (if you were extravagantly successful)..if the authorities however unlikely did not pick up on it, a disgruntled ex, jealous friend, or dare I say someone in an internet marketing group would be quite happy to drop a dime on someone successful...even moderately so.

I do run an internet marketing company ( with offshore 2$ company name registration) on the side here for interest and supplement but there is a point where I do not want it to grow and/or become overtly noticeable locally (such as joining a group, email list, significant number of remittances direct to a Thai bank (or God forbid payments from a Thai bank account purchaser direct to my account), or attend a public meeting with other farangs) as I do have concerns for the possible consequences.

How is this "work" different from running a bar which is widely accepted as a back seat operation, are we not running the risk of Thaivisa publicly promoting and encouraging illegal work?

How "legal" is this as far as you are concerned?

Pictures can be very graphic on some of the Thai websites and print media publications.

What I always find amusing (and not wishing to diminish the death of this individual in any way) is that with motor cycle accidents and the like where alcohol was a visible factor, there will be graphic pictures of the injury and bood flow, but pixelated alcohol bottles (or cigarettes).

Everybody knows what they are. Its not like its good brand advertising. Off topic it may be but I do wish that Thais (and the media) would link alcohol and motor accidents far better. Sure the individual dies and comes back in another life...does not make it any easier for the family they leave behind, or any innocents they take with them.

This South thing is getting out of hand though, seems to me that there are more and more dealy contacts. would not want to be a head man, teacher, or police officer/volunteer there. But then again that is the purpose of these terrible events. If the government does not do something to stop or severly limit these events then they will simply escalate to Bangkok where the offenders will think there message will get some result. Bangkok and Thailand has enough problems...I wish this one would go away or reduce...its a beautiful part of the country and a tragedy for the locals.

I go to a great female barber (well great for me) at the markets. She only knows one style for men....very short back and sides ie school boy/army which suits me down to the ground (a stylist she is not).

While we have often had some light hearted and licentious banter I have never been offered a happy ending (there anyway....in Vietnam it was almost obligatory with female barbers...no wonder regukarky cut short hair was so fashionable)..

Guess I just don't have the come hither eyes of the OP. You did after all go out the back, and answered yes to the code word "shampoo". Your upset but your barber just thinks your a tease.

There are just as many bad newspapers (and i am not suggesting all Pattya newspapers are bad) in the US, UK, Germany, France, Australia. Tabloid journalism, bad taste, and mans inhumanity to man are not the sole confines of Thailand.

Having said that I do read the Pattaya Daily News and quite a few times it has been the first (and sometimes only) English newspaper to report events in Chiang Mai. There are more than enough posts on TV querying why the local media does not report scams for example. There are other far more insidious acts occurring in Chiang Mai that fail to geta good run (if any here)...that the Pattya Daily News does cover. In some respects they go above and beyond Pattaya and do a service to Chiang Mai that is not performed locally for whatever reason.

There are many many good news Chiang Mai stories in the Pattaya Daily News that also get a run on local press...but the bad like the OP mentions never seem to get any (or enough) coverage locally.

It is not hard to find underage girls and boys about the city walls any night. Where is the coverage on this, let alone the police prosecution or state protection....It appears that the plight of young Burmese and non ID Thais in Chiang Mai is little deserving of reporting.

A few "bad" related samples from last year...that did not get a an adequate run here (ergo less or no respect) and were handled competently by Pattaya media.

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/06/30/australian-pedophile-arrested-for-rape-of-a-minor-in-chiangmai/

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/04/03/child-sex-ring-run-by-monk-busted-in-chiang-mai/

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/03/31/brit-arrested-in-chiang-mai-for-child-sex-offenses/

Not all bad things happen in Pattaya. Not all media in Pattaya are bad. Some media may be cynical for sure but a lot here in Chiang Mai iit is often non responsive.

Like the OP mentioned it would be good id these events were covered adequately ..but it apears that Chiang Mai media is a perhaps a bit more shy than the OP believes.

Gonzo, many thanks for the quick replyly and there really is no need to apologise.

These things happen...mostly to me. Had a temporary leave pass from wifey, showered, shaved, clean jocks, (and other accoutrements) and off I went. Probably reflects my bad luck to rock up at exactly the wrong time, half an hour either side and would have made it no problems.

It was the closed gate that threw me....As am not a resident of guesthouse there was no way I would open and enter.

The map was crystal clear and very easy to find for me (as I live in Wat Ket).

Next leave pass will come down again for sure.

Just a quick question if I may.

Is there a specific entrance to PunPun. All of this food discussion got the appetite going so got on the moto and off I go around 1.30pm. Map is spot on, found it easy enough, good signage, just in from Rattana Kosin, river side....but when I got there the entrance seemed closed, drawn gates across the front and no body in sight.

Was the place closed? Only open in the evenings? Closed gate for security of guest house clients?, Is there another entrance? Do I just open the gates and drive through (which does not sit comfortably with me)?. Or was everybody eating at Maccas, some new Fish and Chip place, or my own "love that dare not speak its name", TRL.

Any tips on hours, insights entrances or entrance procedures....thankee

Just a quick report back on a visit to the flea market (next to Prince's) on my amulet hunt

Firstly it is big, goes entire length of street and then spreads down adjoinging sois, and t junction at the end.

Quite literally oodles of amulet desks.

For those of you who like flea markets it is full of the usual brickabat, car parts, casette tapes, second hand clothes, army surplus, second hand watches, ....it appears the crap sold at flea markets is universal...the only thing different with this to a western one was the amulets. A handful of farangs selling stuff as well (football memorabillia etc).

And on to the amulets...there were quite literally thousands most ranging in price from 20 to 80 baht (reflecting Thai clientele).

A lot was mass produced stuff in cases, different monk amulets, the King, older Kings etc.

Whilst I have no knowledge of what is good, through previous careers I have a good knowledge of what is not good. A lot still "smelled" new, some had manufactured and uniform seams, polished rather than scraped backs, even to the millimetre on 4 sides, no wear of ageing, or a combination of perfect sides but aged. You would see various aged medallions or amulets in the exact same mass produced lockets, or attempts at ornate lockets through thinly plated metals to beautify older appearing items.

On some of the larger displays once I had established that what was available was not to my liking the good stuff came out from cars, locked cases, top pockets.

Purchased four very nice peices and more than happy (three as presents and unplanned one very small figure for myself). You are not going to find ancient pieces, or discover a hidden gem by any means. Having said that some of the Thais were very impressed by pieces that were perhaps 50 years old at most, perhaps the value for them being in a known monk or temple rather than value in a monetary or antiquity sense.

Showed the intended recipient the peices as he is (as stated before) an enthusiastic admirer/adherent. He studied each piece earnestly , backfront, different light, under magnification and pronounced them all very good.

He was quite shocked, perplexed, and speechless when I said they were his as presents for the new year. He ran off to have deep and meaningful convrsatons with my siginificant other as to why I had did this, and did I know what I was doing giving these pieces to him.

Once satisfied that all was on the up they now adorn his neck.

One happy Buddhist and having seen his joy more than a little bit of Matthew 6:19-21 for myself.

The Flea Market is definately a place I will go again to wander aimlously. Not a place as much to look for speciic items (other than amulets) but wander and let the unplanned junk piece purchase of your dreams leap out at you, and wander who would by such crap as what is next your dream item as you reach for your money.

Obviously from this news flash...the Pizza Company fails as well.

I too am on an endless search for the "right", not even perfect, pizza.

"We cannot stand idly by while the so-called Pizza Company continues to create these deformed culinary abuses and call them pizza," said Mario Lugano, a spokesperson for the Council. "We have been patient with the Company for over a decade, politely asking them to use another word as early as 1997, when they were Pizza Hut Thailand, and they introduced the seafood pizza with imitation crab stick and Thousand Island dipping sauce."

According to Lugano, the Pizza Company's violations against pizza integrity grew more and more unbearable during the 2000s, with the creation of a cheese-filled crust, a hot-dog-ring crust, the sausage-cheese-bacon crust, and the goda-glazed sausage-bite crust. The final straw was the introduction of the prawn-topped cheese-pool crust.

"You cannot look upon such a monstrosity and even think it resembles pizza," Lugano said. "To do so is to spit in the faces of my Neapolitan ancestors."

http://www.thaivisa....-of-word-pizza/

you gotta love notthenation for this

From what I have experienced Motown has limited (if any) appeal to Thais, especially younger "club girls in Chiang Mai.

Generally they seem happier with Usher, JayZ, Black Eyed Peas or what my father gnerally refers to as "doof doof" music.

Motown has had limited exposure and regarded as "old". As for impressing with your movess, good luck, they will not know what you are doing and may just regard you as a drunk farang.

The taste here seems to be pretty mainstream and modern...its not like the UK with various charts....

I remember in 1987 in the UK, "Stand By Me" charted againv (after a TV advert, and had already been up the year before from the movIE), One wonders how many doof doof songs will chart again in a few decades time.

Mamo, i wouldn't expect young Thai girls to know anything about Motown and why would they even the older Thais wouldn't have been listening to Motown in the 60's and 70's.

I was thinking of trying to attract Ex Pats for a Motown night not Thai's.

Could'nt .agree more and that was my point.

Methinks the OP was more interested in displaying his skills in a club/bar to Thais (and younger females at that), rather than Ex Pats (that may have well danced to these tracks when they were first released). Its hard to do the twist in support hose with a walker.

Having said that...bring it on to a venue and I will come with Thai wifey, I will dance, drink and grin, she will sit, drink and growl (not a fan at all).

Look forward to i if it can be arranged.

From what I have experienced Motown has limited (if any) appeal to Thais, especially younger "club girls in Chiang Mai.

Generally they seem happier with Usher, JayZ, Black Eyed Peas or what my father gnerally refers to as "doof doof" music.

Motown has had limited exposure and regarded as "old". As for impressing with your movess, good luck, they will not know what you are doing and may just regard you as a drunk farang.

The taste here seems to be pretty mainstream and modern...its not like the UK with various charts....

I remember in 1987 in the UK, "Stand By Me" charted againv (after a TV advert, and had already been up the year before from the movIE), One wonders how many doof doof songs will chart again in a few decades time.

I see one of the Churches in Wat Ket (looks like Lanna International Church from the photo) has got quickly over that pesky moral Christmassy thing and been implicated in bad deeds by the BIB.

Seems somone was filming the teenage girls and young women in showers....and BIB also located unregistered firearms?

Anyone have better Thai than me?

http://www.cm108.com/bbb/38253.html

I too have searched in vain and am pretty sure you will be flat out of luck for anything regular.

Kevin does play complilations but understandably it varies to keep everyone entertained which is fair enough and is not particularly "wall of sound" volume, aga. so everyone can have a yack (fair enough again)

I get my fix in a sly way several times a week at a small local Thai karaoke place in Wat Ket from maybe 5.00 pm to 8.00pm solid there is a farang guy who the owner lets plug in his Ipod into the karaoke machine. Fantastic collection (including some great live tracks/albums)...have heard there Ben E King, Sam Cooke, The Drifters, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Otis Redding, Jimmy Ruffin, Smokie Robinson (and the Miracles), Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Blues Brothers, Ray Charles, (little) Stevie Wonder, Booker T, Dorothy Moore, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye....and thats just off the top of my head.

As soon as the Thais start coming (around 8.00pm) the plug gets pulled so the machine can be coin fed for karaoke.

Love going there..and the live tracks are so much different (quicker/louder) than the studio stuff. You can really hear how great some of these artsists were live as entertainers as well as singers.

Many thanks to one and all so far, some useful and interesting information. This could start a very dangerous trend on Thaivisa

As a casual observer it appears to me that there has been an increase in monk faced amulets of late and whilst I note that much of the discussion on the history of amulets in general, it would appear, to me, that the abundance of monk faced amulets is not a progression but rather a development.

I say this as likening the practice of monk faced amulets to that of the last Pope who churned out saints (a saint factory as it were) so much so that he created more saints than all the other Popes combined. In doing so he moved away from an ideal "Italian" model for saints and basically gave many countries, cities, towns, hamlets, and religious orders their own saint. A saint as such is then more valued in one area that another, (if they are valued in another area at all), and also helps to regionalise and enliven faith.

Given this I thought that the monk faced amulets would be generally differentially valued/treasured on a regional basis (my monk is better than your monk). with very little assessable differences other than "faith", again the mysterious Catholic virtue. They would also be another way to emphasise Thai buddhism from other strains.

As a side when I first mentioned to wifey that Buddha was from India it was regarded with some siginificant distaste. Discussions then followed with her friends which then came to the conclusion that "Buddha was from India but not from India" which I still do not understand other than taking it as another way for Thais to legitimise a "national" based Buddhism. Certainly there was no desire to view Buddha as Inidan/Nepalese or Aryan based on her (or her friends) current level of exposure and knowledge of these peoples,

Anyhow..it seems to me that a Buddha image is a safer bet in the longer term as far as acceptance ( ie I could pick the wrong monk) and value as I would imagine that not all living or recently deceased monks would have longevity in value (similar but not on the same scale as Jatukam) if (as I believe) the monk faced amulets are recent and localised.

Happt to be corrected on any of the above and once again thanks to all so far....

All over....had to be the worse test match I have ever had the misfortune to see

I hesitate even as I type these words.....but does anyone know a reputable (or the location of a reputable) amulet dealer/shop.

Preferably some place with a wide price range (and ideally legitimately priced) and selection.

I do not want to buy online or through the many amulet magazines that inhabit 7/11's

Never had much time for these myself but would like to purchase one or more for an elderley Thai gentlemen who greatly treasures these amulets and has been a great help to my wife in her shop over the last several months, seeking no gain and always remained available.

Not looking for an dissertations on amulets just some directions as I am sure that he is not expecting anything and would welcome the gift whatever (given that I will stick to the non spirit baby related amulets and the like).

thanks in anticiaption folks.....

My nearest Farang neighbour (lets just call him Ned Flanders for now) advises that everything can be peachy and you can be at one with the universe if you accept Jesus Christ as your personal saviour. Apparently I am also desired as sunbeam material.

Ever since I found this out I have been all sweetness and light. I feel airy and free as a bird on the wing.

The again it could be the effects of the perfectly charmingand natural Christmas Beer Lao stupor is kicking in again.

Beer Lao 1 Born Again 0

I am rapidly changing moods through disgusted, embarassed, sad, appalled, dejected......but disgusted is getting a very good run (and will stay that way for a lot longer than most Aussie batsmen stayed at the crease).

"Being an Aussie I am ready for my shafting so pls give it to me now so I can come back with a fresh outlook after the lunch break" moetownblues

This was no shafting....it was more the Aussies, bent over and parted cheeks and said "come and get me boys, I'm all yours".

Its hard to come back from the lunch break when you have no guts to start it with.

The Fat Lady with the Fosters is belting out Khe Sahn.

I'm not too sure that I would agree with "most don't want the noise".

You only have to look at the number of Karoke places in predominately Thai areas. Normally the license is to close down the machine at midnight, but a most let a few tracks go on till say 12.30, then often close the doors to try and muffle some of the sound so there are no police attendances (with hands out), a sort of tacit acknowledgment of the license requirements.....then finish at 2.00am or 3.00am or later. My local has gone one step further by usually having police drinking on site anyway. Generally they (the smller ones) will stay open as long as there is a single customer who is willing to drink and/or drop his or her 10 baht into the machine.

Music is incredibly popular here, contemporary pop hits, love ballads, and the odd classics. I would be of the opinion that most Thais, young and old, are more than willing to get up and belt out a tune. Near me there is one that at all hours someone will eventually give Theresa Teng (Mandarin from the mountains) a belt as well.

It might be unusual in the original setting (Nimm)of the initial poster but noise and Thais (particularly rural/workers) go very well together especially over Karaoke and Whisky

very unfortunate incident. seeing it was in Loi Kroh would suggest the sleezier part of town where the tourist was ???? perhaps a few drinks in him and had a big mouth as Aussies tend to do..

Nice one.....triple bonus points for irrelevance...slag off Loi Kroh, drinking and Aussies.

We do not know if he was drunk, nationality is irrelevant, if he did mouth of (and that's if) the response (and one may well have been required) was certainly not proportionate.

This thread seems to have developed into two areas, one whether there is a right to speak one's mind, and second the welfare of the elephants. When I posted the article I just thought that this is one more piece of international coverage that Chiang Mai does not need.

Having said that there are some things that are universally wrong, and drunk or not, Loi Kroh or not, Aussie or not, the guy spoke up.....and suffered wrongly

As you are fond of Edmund Burke quotes you might recall one of his more famous ones "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Just came across this Chiang Mai piece in an Oz news page.

Biggest problem I ever had with feeding elephants in town is that the pollution cannot be good for the younger elephants, also the amout of sugar cane type products being fed to the young would I imagine not be beneficial in the long term.

I wonder how long any "crackdown" will last? Then again I doubt one will even start

AN enraged Thai elephant trainer beat an Australian tourist with a hooked stick after the man criticised him for using elephants to milk cash from tourists, Thai police said.

Kingsley William, 41, suffered cuts to his arm, head and ear when the elephant trainer and guide, known as a mahout, attacked him with a hook used for controlling elephants in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.

An Australian woman, Kim Kavanagh, 31, was injured when she went to Mr William's aid.

Reports in Bangkok said the mahout, Bancha Niyomsakul, attacked Mr William after the Australian accused him of exploiting elephants to beg for money.

Thai police said Bancha became angry when the Australian tourists refused to buy bananas for the elephants, and the two men argued with Mr Niyomsakul lashing out at Mr William.

Elephants are regularly brought to tourist areas where mahouts ask passersby to buy bananas for the elephants.

Bags of bananas cost about 75 Australian cents or 20 baht.

But foreign tourists are often critical of the practice, seen as a form of begging.

Mr William and Ms Kavanagh were not hospitalised following the incident and continued on their travels.

Thai tourism authorities and police have launched crackdowns against practice of bringing elephants into cities and towns.

Tourist and local police were not immediately available for comment.

In Thailand the captive elephant population is estimated at around 2000, with a further 2000 still living in the wild.

The Forest Industry Organisation which oversees an elephant rehabilitation centre in northern Thailand estimates the Thai elephant population is declining by a rate of three per cent a year.

The elephants are largely known for working in the forest and logging industries. But an end to forest concessions in recent decades has led to many elephants being put to work in the tourist industry.

At the risk of incurring the eternal wrath (perhaps ironically by way of flames) I must admit that I am a part time domestic pyromaniac myself.I grew up in suburban Australia where even though there was (and still is weekly and now green collections) most houses along with the hills hoist in the back yard had an incinerator, and shock horror they were used (culturally or not I do not know), but be your neighbour of Greek/Macedonian/Slav/Italian or Irish, they were used pretty much by all. So perhaps its also a (perhaps dated) suburban Australian culture as well.

There was always some consideration for windage, whether it was Mrs Jones washing day (for smoke and ash), fire ban days, how long the fire would go on for etc but every few evenings, certainly at least once a week, we would fire it up. It was always great for getting rid of bulk stuff (say cardboard container for a new washing machine or fridge) or you would have it hanging round for weeks tearing of small pieces to fit in your weekly pick up when there was space. Otherwise you had to hoard, stuff for months, hire a trailer, and then compete with everyone else going to the tip, and now pay for the pleasure of disposing of said rubbish yourself in bulk.

They are quick and (and here comes the wrath) healthier and tidier than leaving rotten garbage in this heat or to be scattered by roaming dogs.