Just1Voice

Serious, serious mistake to go the Chinese route.

Bravo, Khun Vibul! I hope soon Americans left-liberal fundamentalists will realize that Thailand is not their marionette anymore

I see you've stopped taking your meds again.

Anyone know the name of that bus company by any chance?

"He said the country's image was being challenged by three issues - human trafficking, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and irregular migration."

Let's also add Jet Ski scams, tuk tuk and taxi mafia scams, quadruple (and more) overcharging of foreigners, totally unsafe driving conditions, increased crimes such as muggings, robbery and assault against tourists, total and compete rip offs of everything possible, in every way imaginable. Shall I go on?

"There will not be a coup." - General Prayuth Chan-O-Cha

"I personally don't even want power," - (illegal) Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-O-Cha

Well, let's see. Maybe if the Thai pilots were as competent as the foreign pilots, this wouldn't be an issue.

Sad.

Saw an article a couple of weeks back that claimed DNA proof that Chelsea wasn't Bill's daughter.

Didn't bother to read it, but what the hell, it wouldn't surprise me if it was true.

^ Your "cop in the family" story doesn't mean a thing. Just a story - maybe it's true, maybe it isn't. Hardly proof.

Believe it you want to. I need a bit more.

Now I'll go take a look at that link . . .

And now having done so the article also repeats what has often been said in regard to dead/injured. Once again, that is not proof.

There are none so blind.....

You have WHO and the UN telling you. You have cops by the droves telling you. What more damn proof do you want????

I have no more time for frigging idiots who can't see what's right in their faces.

300,000 more Americans? God, I love their optimism!

I travelled a lot in Namibia and never saw as much carnage on the roads as we see in Thailand.. About time they claimed the top spot !

Sad but true.

They only count the dead at the scene of the accident, if you die on the way to hospital you only get listed as injured.

I wish someone would prove this often repeated chestnut just one time to me about this dead/injured thing. I doubt anyone really can. And I don't mean "a policeman told me" or "an ambulance guy said so". I mean some real proof.

I don't know if it's true or not but there are so many thing here that are told as fact that are actually urban myths.

I've asked to see some sorta proof on other such threads and no one has done it yet.

You want some proof. Try the link in aptley's post. Or how about this. I have a cop in the family, a Senior Sergeant Major, who works patrol on a CBR with his partner. I questioned him about this, and he confirmed it. They ONLY count the dead at the scene. If someone dies on the way to the hospital, or after they arrive at the hospital, they are NOT counted as dead from the accident.

Will that do for you?

Take away their plastic bags and rubber bands, and you'd have mass suicide in Thailand within a week.

Ok, here's something for all you "legal experts" to mull on. The courts later ruled the land deal by his wife was "Null and Void". Legally, that means it NEVER HAPPENED. She gave the land back, and she got her money back (plus interest), and that was the end of it. For those of you unfamiliar with legal jargon, if the deed is null and void, that also means all actions leading up to the deed also legally NEVER HAPPENED. Therefore, Thaksin's conviction for illegal actions in relation to this case should also be null and void as, legally, THEY NEVER HAPPENED. In most civilized countries, if this had been the court ruling, his conviction would have automatically thrown out.

I'm not defending him, but merely pointing out the law. Or rather, what SHOULD be the law. But this is Thailand, where the law is applied arbitrarily in far too many cases.

Why don't you rob a bank. If by some unlucky chance you get caught, just give the money back and tell them it means your crime is now null and void. Let us know how you get on

Your analysis of the law is flawed - more Hollywood than what would happen in most civilized countries.

1 - You are comparing apples to oranges. Doesn't work.

2 - As a Certified Para-Legal in 3 states (Indiana, Ohio, California), I think my understanding of the law is probably a hell of a lot better than yours.

I'm amused by those of you who think this woman is rich. As pointed by out by kerryd:

Anna Reese isn't some major "A-Lister" movie star. In the last 9 years she's had small parts in 4 movies and a bit part in on episode of a TV show. Her last gig was 3 years ago. Hardly a "star" and not likely "rich" by any means.

As for the Benz she was driving? Hell, I know more than a few Thai who have a Benz and are in hock up to their eyebrows.

I'm not commenting on her guilt or innocence in this case, but only pointing out how some of you seem to think that the word "actress" attached to her name automatically makes her filthy rich.

Your prejudice is in blatant display when you think like that.

Ok, here's something for all you "legal experts" to mull on. The courts later ruled the land deal by his wife was "Null and Void". Legally, that means it NEVER HAPPENED. She gave the land back, and she got her money back (plus interest), and that was the end of it. For those of you unfamiliar with legal jargon, if the deed is null and void, that also means all actions leading up to the deed also legally NEVER HAPPENED. Therefore, Thaksin's conviction for illegal actions in relation to this case should also be null and void as, legally, THEY NEVER HAPPENED. In most civilized countries, if this had been the court ruling, his conviction would have automatically thrown out.

I'm not defending him, but merely pointing out the law. Or rather, what SHOULD be the law. But this is Thailand, where the law is applied arbitrarily in far too many cases.

The Ministry should be totally embarrassed by this horrendous translation, but of course they won't be. They'll all think it is a wonderful job.

Just for the record, for the few who have stated the cop was "on duty". No, he was not on duty. He was off duty, supposedly on his way home, but pulled off to the side of the road and went to sleep. That's when she hit him. So, is she to blame? Probably, yes. But the cop is also to blame for pulling over, parking and going to sleep. He could have found a much better place to do so.

I seriously hope you were being facetious with your comment about the statue, as it is one of a cop carrying a injured/sick child, and NOT his drunk buddy. If you weren't being facetious, then shame on you.

I bet you're a riot at parties.

I wouldn't know, as I stopped going to "parties" years ago. I found them stupid, and almost always full of drunks who have a habit of running off at the mouth, usually about things they have no knowledge of. For me, my CBR and an open road is a hell of a lot more fun.

Once again, I am reminded of Mexico. I just looked at the weather in Hermosillo. 104F with 41% humidity, low 80, tomorrow 105F, with a slim chance of a T-storm. The "normal" tourists, expats, and residents (with a brain) are doing a siesta during the high heat, or taking their date to one of those hourly hotels with the curtains to hide your car. The bars will get rolling about 23:00, and go all night. The only municipality in the nation, whose tap water is 100% treated. http://www.weather.com/weather/today/l/MXSR0091:1:MX Many do a similar variation here. Go out in the morning for a while, run a few errands, maybe a temple or two, then you come back and the maid has cleaned your room, your date is gone, your passport is safe...time for a nap....it might even work to your advantage to be sober during prime "viewing" hours. I was out walking today and it is hot as F^^^ out in the sun. I almost had to stop at ICON and KSK to cool off on a five mile walk. I grew up in an area, where everyone worked a day job (too many for the government) and people who came and went at strange hours were always "suspect." I heard about a lady being scrutinized for being on the phone on her porch at midnight..some folks thought they were working for the Cali Cartel or something ridiculous...turns out it was the only opportunity she had to speak with her son, who was on combat duty in Iraq. Once I lived in other areas, I realized that lots of people work weird hours for whatever reason. There is a bar across from Phoenix Baptist Hospital named The Recovery Room. Opens at 0600. It seemed to be a more educated crowd than the 5pm Guiness Pint people, who wore their neckties to Happy Hour. I hope this all works out for the good of the economy in Chiang Mai. Apparently, some of the Police are pretty big drinkers themselves as I noticed their is a statue out front of the Mueang Station depicting an officer carrying his drunken partner out of a bar, after drinking too much. Such dedication and teamwork.

cnxpd1.jpg

I seriously hope you were being facetious with your comment about the statue, as it is one of a cop carrying a injured/sick child, and NOT his drunk buddy. If you weren't being facetious, then shame on you.

In other words, DO IT OR ELSE! Strip him of his passports, strip him of his police rank, and while you're at it, strip him of his citizenship so he's no longer a Thai. You can strip him of everything "strip-able", but the Boogy Man ain't going away. And, let's face it, in the world outside of Tiny Thailand, Thaksin has more friends, and more clout, than General P and all his friends combined.

The military top brass if genuinely patriotic and if truly wishing to drive the country forward would return to barracks, stop interfering in politics, abandon their business interests , end the corruption in military procurement, drastically reduce the bloated number of generals and submit to the complete direction of a civilian democratically elected government.

Agree 100%, but it ain't never gonna happen!

Two things come to mind:

1 - Thais love Thais

2 - Thailand is a Buddhist country.

Dead wrong on both counts.

As I sit here this morning and read this, I'm not sure if I feel "left out" or just "amused". I've been living in CM for 7 years, and I don't know of a single place mentioned in these posts. Not a one. That's due, more than likely, to the fact that I don't drink. I know of hundred of great (and not so great) little restaurants scattered over the north and north east from my monthly bike trips (prior to my stroke), but can't tell anyone where a single bar or club is in CM. I know there are some in Chiang Mai Land, but according to my wife, those are pretty much "Thai Only", and they don't really care for falang. In some of my night rides around CM, I've seen various karaoke bars, but never paid much attention to them. I don't need some pretty telling me what a "hansum man" I am, while I get slammed with a bar bill that could cover my house payment.

At the same time, I know there are a lot of people who, as has been mentioned, like to have a late night drink without all the "party scene" and loud noise around them, and I feel bad for them not being able to. Nothing wrong with that, if that is what they like, and use it to relax or unwind.

I guess the only thing any of us can do is try to ride this out and see where it goes, but from what I'm reading on here, and hearing from a few others, things aren't going well.

For those of you claiming that Tai Chi and Yoga are the same thing, PLEASE do some research on both of them, and you will quickly find out they are NOT the same!

As others have mentioned, there are a whole host of negatives to go against you.

1st - The 51% Thai ownership. If you have a Thai you actually know, and trust, you can avoid that. DO NOT count on lawyers to set it up for you with "Thai Owners" you don't know. I know 3 people who got seriously screwed and damn near lost everything, including their life, doing it that way.

2nd - "Copycat" businesses. If you have a good business going, you can bet your ass that within a year, there will be 3-4-5 others, all within a stones throw, that will open up as well, all taking business from each other, and no one really making any money.

3rd - Cops. You can bet your ass they will come by weekly/monthly, to collect their fee, and you will have NO CHOICE but to pay it. If you don't, they will find a way to shut you down quick, fast, and in a hurry. And it won't do you a damn bit of good to report them to their superiors, as they money they collect from you is also split with their superiors. Reporting them will only result in more headaches for you. Your licenses will come under serious scrutiny, and could easily be "revoked" by them if you don't play ball with them.

My advice to anyone wanting to come here and open a business is - DON'T! Chiang Mai is a wonderful place to retire, I've been doing that for the past 7 years, but no way in hell would I even consider opening a business.

Take it for what it's worth.