Thaidream

Thailand would be better off simply realizing that  tourism for 2020 is finished.  the schemes they are  pursuing will do nothing to enhance tourism/

During this period- it's time to clean up the beaches; make the water  blue again and train staff how to market , advertise and service tourists.

Once the virus has eased- international roadshows to Europe; North and South America should welcome the tourists back by promising lower prices and a great experience.

The Thai Government needs to inform the Immigration Department to stop asking people why they come to Thailand; and just stamp the people in according to their Visa type.  A smile and a welcome should be the norm.

The Government needs to suspend taxes on hotel guests and restaurant taxes as well as any taxes on alcohol. This will allow  places of business to lower prices .

Any place that  sells alcohol and wants to remain open- can do so 24/7.  The nonsensical alcohol selling hours at stores need to be rescinded.

No double pricing anywhere for anything.

Every Taxi needs to use a meter and take any passenger anywhere without argument.

Tolls everywhere need to be stopped to ensure traffic moves smoothly.

You want tourists back when the virus is contained-not now when it can be spread and is not contained.  You take the hit now; plan for the near future and take care of all the negatives that drive tourists away.

IMO- the young man was targetted because he had on expensive headphones and the thugs only interest was stealing them. As they approached and realized he was not a native Englishman- they threw in the words corona- which could have beed viewed as racial-  had he been a white Anglo- they most likely have  gone after the headphones  anyway.

Street crime is a problem in large cities Worldwide but in Thailand, I have found it to be rare .

As far as racism- I have found it to have increased over the past decade- everywhere to include Thailand although in Thailand it is more subtle than explicit.

There is a complete lack of leadership regarding  foreigners everywhere- Government leaders have become less responsvie to Racism and discrimination. In every country of the World- income disparity has caused an increase in the poor and marginalised populace.  Foreigners and Immigrants have become popular targets of the population to blame for ineffective leadership- whether it's in Thailand or abroad.

When you have Presidents; Prime Ministers and even Health Ministers that use vulgarity; racial epitthets - the general population starts to believe this type of behavior is the norm.  

The real fact is that foreigners everywhere are not the reason society and economies have declined and not been responsvie to the needs of all their people's. 

The real reason is the greed; avarice and corruption of the elite and leadership. The average person is just a pawn in the deception.

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Right now, Ericsson and Nokia are the only companies apart from Huawei who are spending enough money to develop a real 5G system. Many others are working on it, but not spending enough to make it happen at the super fast level that is being discussed. Most will be glorified 4G systems. So, unless the US is able to establish a partnership with either of these companies, or purchase a controlling interest, they are simply blowing alot of hot air, flexing muscles with nothing behind them, and forcing policies with no substance behind them. Not an unusual position for a broken nation to take.

While I share your comments, it appears 5G is already a reality in the US as T-Mobile constantly advertises Nationwide service.

I am the last one to give Donald Trump any praises as i find him ofensive in so many ways.  However- Huawei is an army of the Chinese Government and for the US or now the UK to  allow any portion of Huawei to build it;s 5 G network is like allowing the Chinese Government to view all the technology developed by the Weste but also gain entry into the entire network.

China loves 5G because they know its much more than mobile data it is the ultimate entry to control of all data Worldwide and the monitoring of people and proprietary information.

The Chinese repreent a clear and present danger to the World.  Their goal is to kep the Communist Party in power forever and to do that they must get access to needed natural resources, land; technology and intelligence and to ultimately steal anything they cannot gain in other ways.  

Why does Hong Kong continually have demonstrations; destroy cameras mounted on every street post and express displeasure against being a part of the Mainland.  They know what the Cinese Communist Leadership has planned.

Allowing Huawei any access to Western systems is like giving a convicted thief a key to your home.   

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Some will. But some will also flood to Klobuchar because Klobuchar is a much more credible candidate to take on 45. Mayor of a small city? Gimme a break. 

While I like her, I don't  think she can stand up to a debate with Trump and win the Electoral votes needed in the swing states.  We need a candidate who can beat Trump not only on issues but personality.

While I firmly believe  Bernie's platform is what America needs, Trump will eviscerate him  on the Socialism isues.

IMO, the only candidate who can beat Trump is  Mike Bloomberg.  He has the background- a New Yorker- knows how Trump operates and won;t back down on the insults. While i have not seen his platform in detail he appears to be a centrist who will go left on some issues and right on  other issues.  His running mate would be the key-  Iwould go with a Bloomberg- Koubachar ticket for all the reasons stated about her. 

Bloomberg will bring in the male business oriented vote and keep the markets calm regarding any socialism issue as well as tackle Trump head on regarding actual issues as he is much smarter than Trump and can talk real business.

Amy will bring in the female vote and the minority vote as she has appeal to that sector and can well hold her own against Pence in any debate/  Cabinet positions for Bernie Sanders; Mayor Pete and Andrew Yang. and Elizabeth Warren- named after the Democratic Convention by Mike and Amy.

1 hour ago, Boon Mee said:

This Videman character was in subordinate and thus ran afoul of many of the UCMJ rules. 

He needs to be stripped of rank and spend some quality time military prison

Absolute nonsense.  He was on temporary duty at the White House. He emigrated from Ukrne a and is fluent in the language.  He was the perfect person to have on a call with Trump and the Ukranian President.

What he heard was disturbing in that the President of the US was attempting to coerce a foreign government to get 'dirt' on a US presidential candidate.

The Colonel reported what he heard . Trump himself  verified what he said on the call and others have heard it verbatim.

The Colonel's oath is to the United States- not the President and no member of the Armed Forces has to follow an illegal order.

He should be given a medal for doing his duty under the most difficult circumstances and held up as an example of an extraordinary officer and when retired given honors.

If Trump felt that Biden and his son were in violation of a law or  involved in corruption he should have contacted the US Justice Department with the evidence and requested an investigation be started.  Instead, he tried to  bribe the Ukranian government and then sent his personal lawyer- Rudy Guliani to Ukraine to dig up dirt and further coerce others to participate in illegal activities.

Just because the US Senate acquitted  Trump on Impeachment does not mean  Trump committed no crime. He is corrupt to the bone and is under investigation  for violating the emoulment clause of the constitution as well as tax evasion and money laundering. 

If he was really smart he would accept a deal and resign with a pardon by Pense.  Instead, he thinks he is untouchable and maybe so as long as he is President but the clock is ticking until we see  him  indicted; convicted and jailed by the Southern District of New York under the RICO act, the same law used by Rudy Guliani to break the US Mafia.

7 hours ago, geronimo said:

ame from my head Sir!

Very  well done but your statements about  America wanting to control the World through it's military expansion is ill informed.   It is much more complicated than that.

Most Americans, if you ask them, would agree to a smaller budget on defense in order to fund things like healthcare and  education.  No doubt, things like a war in Afghanistan and Iraq were ill conceived and give the impression that the US is a predatory power but it's people mostly want the wars to stop and they will as long as the body politic refuses to accept them and votes accordingly.

Don't forget, America was attacked in 2001 and lost almost 3,000 dead.  This attack shocked Americans like never before, even more so than the attack on Hawaii in 1941 as New York is in the heart of the American mainland.  Americans have given up much freedom, loss of life and loss of treasure due to the attack and eventually some form of normality will  force a complete change in direction-  Election 2020

However, IMO while climate change is one of the most pressing issues in the World- the real threat is Artificial Intelligence.   Five G (5G)  is not just about making your mobile faster and more diverse- it is the start of total control of the population.

Cameras are everywhere now but they will be truly everywhere within 10 years and they will use facial recognition; instant eye scans and every person's fingerprints will be in a massive database/

Tho powers that be and the inventors will tell us what a wonderful thing AI is as it will make everything work so much better- medicine will save lives; instant identification will stop fraud and theft and our  social lives improve by leaps and bounds due to more leisure time.

In reality, the World will see massive unwmployment; a complete loss of privacy and an intrusive network that tracks our every movement.

Wake up in the morning and the lights go on and our AI helper greets us and prepares breafast.  They know what we like.

Our autonomous vehicle  starts the minute we walk out the door- we simply say bank and off  we go to do our banking. As we enter we are greeted by AI and as we approach the counter- we have already been scanned and our account has been brought up. We can update our cards (no money needed- replaced by virtual currency).

Many of us won't be going to work as  our jobs are already replaced by AI. They don't need us anymore.  The bank has just updated our debit cards with  money provided by the 'Government' or the consortium which pays people to do nothing.  Since many jobs are abolished wealth conglomerates have made huge profits and can easily afford to pay people to do nothing and still make huge profits.

What do we do all day- ask the vehicle to find  the local pharmacy so we can get our medicine or  plant mixture to keep us  feeling good all day while we  use our  tablets to view the sports scores; read  what were once newspapers and books and contemplate what the World used to be like.  The weed  stops the depression mostly

At the end of the day- our  AI minder will remind us it's time to eat and reccommend a restaurant.  As we  enter we are greeted by name; provided a list of our last orders and asked if we have the order- it just so happens that the helper already knew what we wanted from past history and  it is cooking and almost ready.  A bottle of vodka is placed on the table in case we need more relaxation.  Payment is automatic- don't even have to show the debit card- the restaurant has acess to our bank information through the central AI terminal/

We are on the way home where we are greeted by our 'wife' or 'other' which we purchased once the Japanese had perfected  'buy a mate' which provides an exact designed replica of a perfect female or male.  For  the advanced model- every 3 months one can have their mate change nationality and skin color.  I won't go into the sexual aspects that are offered.

If you think I am joking- I am not.  Some of it allready exists- some is in the design stage and some in the conception stage.

IMO this type of World is not one that is livable (although the  buy a mate could work-it probably cuts down on divorces) and would creat massive social problems.  Just because you can build; do it or conceive it- doesn't mean you must .

I would rather look forward to an Alien invasion- benevelnt of course.

1 hour ago, Jacobi Barnes said:

Frankly, as a white 30 year male, I am so disgusted and ashamed of my fellow Caucasians when I see an old white 80 year old male cruising around with an 18 year old Thai girl. It's shameful. I cringe and laugh with embarrassment whenever i see it. I view these people as the lowest of the low. I am extremely happy that the Thai government is pushing said folks out.

 

I've lived in Thailand for five year and have only ever been treated like royalty. I've never experienced discrimination of any kind. Most Thais think i'm some sort of "super star" / American celebrity. I have Thai women offering to sleep with me just when I walk down the street. Not just prostitutes, many are high so Thais. True. You want to be treated well, dress properly, get a hair cut, learn how to speak Thai, and learn some basic manners.

Listen up sonny- I was in Thailand before you were even born.   You don't know squat how Thai people think or feel toward farang or any other nationality.

Are you trying to tell me, I cannot walk into a Thai restaurant with my 21 year old University educated Thai daughter  becaause someone might think she isn't my daughter?   That surely is the height of bigotry and arrogance- not from a Thai but from you.

Thailand opted for mass tourism and they got the good, the bad and the ugly just like other countries that have done the same.

All the Thais I know from the poorest to the super rich mostly could care less and understand how things in Thailand work.  The majority of Thai people  go about their business not really caring what is going on around them. They may frown if they see public nudity; a foreigner or a Thai grabbing at a female on the street or a foreigner causing a commotion.  They might even think that a scruffy foreigner, who is drunk and disordly is 'low class' but they also think the same of their own people.

If you know anything about Thai society and mores, you will find that it is normally the elite who have developed a superior attitude and look down upon everyone else including foreigners and their fellow human beings.  They expect defrence be shown; their word never questioned and everyone wai them accordingly.

The minister in question is from that social strata and as such acts accordingly.  He did slip up and voiced how he really feels and we  and the World now know. He has lost face-big time.

And by the way- I will continue to go wherever I want with my young Thai daughter and wife of 20 years marriage whether you like it or not!

5 minutes ago, riclag said:

And thats why the founders conceived that the senate should oversee the peoples house  and that there should be a 2 thirds majority to make impeachment process complete and to negate a possible tyrannical bias  majority assault on the office of the POTUS. There is a Supreme Court Justice to announce that he was acquitted not guilty  in accordance by the laws of the constitution. 

 

Should of, could of, would of, is irrelevant

Agreed.  He was acquitted as I and others knew he would be.  According to the Republicans in the Senate what he did was not considered by them- to be an impeachable ofense.

Actually impeachment is a political event  going back to the acquital of Andrew Johnson after the Civil War and to  Bill Clinton.

Trump admitted to what he had done. However, he claimed he was  going after corruption in Ukraine. However, the only corruption just hapened to be the son of one of his opponents in the 2020 election.

The law is really quite clear- if Trump really needed to out this type of corruption- he should have notified the Justice Department and an investigation started.  The Preident of the US does not send his personal lawyer; withold funds that were already voted and approved by the US Congress and cavort with  known  felons in search of 'dirt'.

He has been acquited but not vindicated. Even the most ardent Trump supporters have to know that this man has no respect for the US Constitution, the one document that protects all Americasn from tyranny.

It is up to the American people in November to decide on whether  the Nation will vote for the ideals that made the US a Nation where truth and justice prevails not just for those who have riches but for those who have nothing.

Remember this, if you are American, your  grandfathers and grandmothers (unless Native Americans) ventured from their original country to a new frontier in search of opportunity and to build a Nation.  They were poor; they were dishelved and could not speak English.  Some of them were people of color.

My own grandparents came  a century ago from Europe. poor, without much education and a note pinned on their chest indicating they could not speak English.  They managed to build a pretty good life for themselves and for us.

In the World of Donald Trump- his idea of building America is only for the chosen few; the wealthy .  He would not allow into America those who cannot speak English- the uneducated- the downtrodden.  In Donald Trump's World your  relatives and mine would not be able to enter.

Donald Trump has no understanding of what built Amereica.  He never broke a sweat working at a job; he has never walked down the street- always riding in his own limo; he doesn't understand discrimination or racism because he practices it on a daily basis unaware of the suffering some Americans have to endure.

Donald Trump has never spent a minute in uniform; having beat consription into the Vietnam War with exemptions from a doctor friend.  He has no understanding of what the Vietnam Memorial stands for or the white croses - at Arlington.

Does anyone really believe Donald Trump  paid any attention to the words of Dr. Marting L. King or what  the marches on Washington; Selma and Memphis meant or the suffering and discrimination  endured by millions of black Americans. How could he- he was sued for discrimination by the State of New York.

If Donald Trump and his philosophy are then what you really believe to include his bullying of the downtrodden; making fun of the disabled; indicating that people in the KKK are decent people and generally making America hated around the World you are selling your country for a few pieces of silver which are going to eventually turn to copper.

I don't know who I will be voting for yet- but I do know who I won't be voting for.

18 hours ago, Yinn said:

Look like many TVF member believe is acceptable behaiviour in Thailand. And the Thai people should all think it wonderful.

Khun yinn- this is a very general statement by you in which you are implying that we as foreigners are here for prostitution.

Nothing could be further from the truth......but first my thoughts on the Paveena Foundation.

I am well aware who Khun Paveena is and have known of her work from the beginning in 1988 when she used her notoriety to  establish a foundation to help women and children, especially those subject to forced prostitution and  sex trafficing.  I have followed her foundation's work for years and know of many successes.  She is a hero to many Thai and foreigners alike.

I can assure in 1971 when I first entered Thailand- I was  very naive and knew nothing about  prostitution or that it even existed in Thailand.  I actually came for the culture and the fact that Thailand was an exotic destination for a young guy  born in a rural city in mid America.

I loved the country immediately; the friendly people; the ease of living; the smells of the market and the smiles everywhere.   I knew at that time,  I would come back-marry a Thai girl and eventuallt live in Thailand forever.

There are so many good things about Thailand and Thai people that I have learned and I swear each day still I learn something new.

However, through the years-and yes- for me- it is 50 years- I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Do you seriously believe if I was single I would pick up a 21 year old service girl; walk hand in hand down the street and believe I had found true love?

The overt sex trade has developed over the decades for a variety of reasons, some being  trapped in poverty; a lack of government assistance; corruption and exploitation Of course mass tourism bringing temporary visitors with a higher wealth base has fuelled a seeming lust for 'easy' money.  Except , many have found that the money is not so easy and not much fun.  Throw in commercialism; greed; drugs and a lack of hope and you have what we see now. Whose ot blame?  You know the truth.

I used to think Thailand was  the true Shangrila which was the mysthical place in the World wjere everything is perfect.  Once i learned to speak Thai and understand the ins and outs of the real Thailand, I realized it was not perfect.

I am not going to list all the problems Thailand has; what caused them; who is really responsible and how to solve them.  Only the Thai people can  determine this.

While I learned that not all Thai people are perfect, you need to try and understand us also.  While some people come for the easy access to 'service girls'; many of us do not  like it or feel comfortable with what we see .

IMO it has nothning to do with prostitution in itself. As long as both parties agree to the relationship and do not exploit each other- it is a product of just that.  I don't like to see Thai women and farang men kissing on the street or grabbing each other in public- it's not the Thai way.  In 50 years in Thailand- I can say I have never done it.

However, when I walk in the mall with my 20 year old daughter who is a univeresity student- I don't want to be prejudged by others ;  If I walk down the street with my Thai spouse of 20 years- i dont want to be treated like a pariah.   I don't expect to be treated any better when visiting an establishment nor any worse than a Thai person.

The key is tolerance- we need to understeand each other

10 hours ago, Matzzon said:

Even if it´s just up to every single individual IO, they must have some kind of small marks that makes them look at things the same way. I would like to believe, anyway. ???? 

-Use the fast track lane

-Go to a male IO

-Be dressed in a long sleve shirt and slacks with prop shoes

-Be over the age of 50

-No tattoos showing

-Smile and  say Hello in Thai

-Make sure your  entry card is properly filled out and you have  the boarding pass stub.

-Come into the airport at a busy time

All these things will enhance one' chance of getting stamped in even without the proper Visa.

1 hour ago, zydeco said:

Can't really blame the UK after Trump stepped in and gave exemptions to US companies to continue to deal with Huawei. Even Trump is defying Trump.

I blame them all- silly bastards are selling their countries security for pieces of silver. One the Chinese technology is in our systems, it will spread like a fire and enable them to steal more of our secrets and our own technology.

Their concept of 5G is to monitor everyone of their citizens and enable them to monitor us also.  5G is not just mobile technology it is true artificial intelligence.  It will eventually be able to take the fingerprint and facial scans at Bangkok airport and connect with other information in their huge database.  They think resistance is futile

Their concept of convenience is convenience for them to know every bit of data on everyone so they can stay in power forever.