Hooliganzone

I have never read so much CRAP in all my life resolved in 4 months who are they trying to kid, 4 years more like and thats if they are lucky

Maybe they should abolish racist policies regarding entrance fees to temples, parks, zoos, etc. If you have Asian physiognomy, go right in for the Thai price. But if a white skin -- Whoa, stop right there!!! Pull out your wallet, and be prepared to pay!! Amazing!

This policy is not "racist." I do not mean to say that Thailand is not racist, it is a very racist country.

But, regarding entrance fees, once you procure a Thai Drivers License, this will be viewed as Thai ID for everything, travel, entrance, etc, the only place that refused to accept this was the Long Neck's in Mae Hong Song, and they are forced to be zoo people to survive here, but on the other hand, the man I was with is from Shang Hai and holds a Chinese, Taiwanese, and Thai Passport, and is not Thai, but he is give benefits of being Thai.

Regarding racism, much of it comes from this board, board members use the word "farang" often here, which I have requested this word be banned from the site. Farang is a "fruit to be peeled" in Thai, the Thai know it's a dirty word, and even upon using the word, will admit to their friends "I know it's not a very nice word," and yet, the man farang keep using the word. Perhaps if we had more respect for ourselves, and stopped calling ourselves "fruit-to-be-peeled," the Thai and other groups here would stop viewing us as fruit-to-be-peeled.

Lately, I am tired of people blaming others. I think that on this one, you are incorrect about entrance requirements, and I think about racism, much of it is our fault. You reference "thai's," but where I live there are nearly 40 various tribes, and try, just try to find a workable, universal definition of a "Thai." I can assure you, that any definition a "Thai" can offer, I can give counter-examples in Thai society and culture as to why the definition is invalid.

About charging non-locals to use services for which we pay taxes, I agree! And, I wish the USA would do the same. Actually, I would like to see the Id Checks and benevolent treatment of locals over unwanted aliens to extend to the USA as well.

Another thing: People are here because they want to be here, if people don't like it here, why are they here. On the other hand, some groups which are not Thai call us farang .. but try calling a mountain tribal person a "kohn paa" and see what happens, and yet that is what thai's think when they reference people from the mountains, and their skin pigment is a commonplace skin pigment, but some groups, such as the "lisu" are not even capable of tracing their origin and their history exists in family worship and demon worship songs which goes back for thousands of years and may take weeks or months for them to sing in order to pass along their heritage. As we end the demonic worship, we end the lineage tracings. There are many things to consider, and perhaps our own narcissism and arrogance was taught to them. Did you ever read "Uncle Tom's Cabin?" That book isn't racist, in the way it typifies the "whites," and never even alludes to Black Slave Owners and mercantilism and their profits and abuses and death factories? And yet, we see a king brought up from childhood by Ana, and a modern king born in Cambridge, and they are the two most widely photograph distributed of the kings, while the first of the ramas was my personal favorite. If they Thai's are racist to the core, we would not be here, and they would not be respecting kings who liberated them based upon white cultures, racism towards whites and the omission of blacks slavers.

This culture is thousands of years old, and many of our birthplaces are only hundreds, and yet the king is born in a country that is about the same age as this country, and yet siam goes back for thousands of years as do the other kingdoms of this area. Etruscans also may predate the indo chinese groups, and of course we can all go back to ninevah and the Tower of Babel and recall WHY and HOW languages were created and divisions were created by God Himself.

Siracha Tiger Zoo dont accept Thai drivers licence, Ko Samet so called National park (National Goldmine more like) there is a check point just before you get to the beach (not when you get to the island) 20 baht for Thais 200 baht for farangs what a ripoff. They even have guard look outs with binoculars on the beach to catch people who come with speed boats thus missing out the check point.

Maybe they should abolish racist policies regarding entrance fees to temples, parks, zoos, etc. If you have Asian physiognomy, go right in for the Thai price. But if a white skin -- Whoa, stop right there!!! Pull out your wallet, and be prepared to pay!! Amazing!

Also Siracha Tiger zoo wont accept Thai drivers licences, Ko Samet national park 20 baht for Thais 200 baht for farangs a government rip off

there are far too many people in this thread mixing up 'tourism' with 'residency'. what attracts tourists to thailand is not the same thing as what brings residents and retirees in. it's a global perception issue that tourists have rather than the minutiae of living here day to day and all the travails that go with that. top level = political instability, risk of riots, airport closures and that's about it. every tourist destination in the world has its scare stories of police corruption, muggings, drownings, the odd disease outbreak and what have you. they're incidental to the average tourist, they just believe what the foreign office tells them. thailand needs to improve its public message about this being a safe and stable country to come to which is beautiful and full of lovely people. everything after that is very secondary.

Agree completely. Have just returned from first visit to Thailand and found it to be great value for money. I'm Irish and got a really good fare with Malaysian Airlines from Dublin via Heathrow and Kuala Lumpur to Phuket. Got really good hotels for a fraction of what they would cost in Europe and food and drink were also considerably cheaper than almost anywhere in Europe (I travel a lot in Europe....Thank You Ryanair). So overall I had a cheaper 3 week holiday in Thailand than I could possibly have had in Europe. So Thailang is still a low cost travel destination. But people simply aren't travelling because of the global economic situation. Confidence is way down and what money people have they are holding onto because of future uncertainty. There were only 20 people on my flight from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket (boeing 737-400). Many of the comments here pertain to residents not holiday makers as the average holiday maker has no knowledge of, or interest in owning property or visa regulations etc.

The Thai Baht is not the problem. What many have failed to recognise is that the $ and GB£ have plummeted in value which is hardly the Thais fault. Both the $ and GB£ have devalued about 30% against the euro (making UK and USA low cost destinations for euro travellers) but the Baht has remained relatively stable against the euro.

But the bad publicity surrounding airport closures, riots, political instability, the ASEAN summit fiasco, the killing of the guy on his boat by fishermen etc have all taken have all given a perception of an unsafe destination.

Add to this the international publicity that surrounded, and the perception that resulted from, the guy prevented from boarding his flight in Phuket because somebody wrongly believed his passport to be false and the fact that he then spent so long in a Thai prison even after his passport was shown to be genuine. Or the aussie woman held in custody for stealing a bar mat. I'm not commenting on whether these people were authors of their own misfortune or not I'm merely commenting on the perception of Thailand that these cases made internationally. And remember that to the average tourist looking at a holiday destination in a brochure, perception is everything.

Anyway, from a personal perspective I loved Thailand. I found the people to be helpful, courteous and gracious. The scenery and beaches are beautiful and the weather (though a tad hot for me) wonderful. I only have 2 complaints though perhaps not enough to put me off a return visit.

(1) As a single 52 year old male I was immediately assumed to be a sex tourist by all (farang and Thai alike) and was treated as something of an oddity for not having a dolly bird (or guy) half my age on my arm.

(2) I had several conversations (nothing more) with a Thai woman working in the hotel I stayed in on Samui and lo and behold 3 days after I got home I got the "Sick Buffalo" SMS. I can only presume she got my phone no. from hotel records. I haven't replied or sent money

Yes there Buffalo's always get sick I blame it on the (H1-N1) flu hahaha.

there are far too many people in this thread mixing up 'tourism' with 'residency'. what attracts tourists to thailand is not the same thing as what brings residents and retirees in. it's a global perception issue that tourists have rather than the minutiae of living here day to day and all the travails that go with that. top level = political instability, risk of riots, airport closures and that's about it. every tourist destination in the world has its scare stories of police corruption, muggings, drownings, the odd disease outbreak and what have you. they're incidental to the average tourist, they just believe what the foreign office tells them. thailand needs to improve its public message about this being a safe and stable country to come to which is beautiful and full of lovely people. everything after that is very secondary.

Agree completely. Have just returned from first visit to Thailand and found it to be great value for money. I'm Irish and got a really good fare with Malaysian Airlines from Dublin via Heathrow and Kuala Lumpur to Phuket. Got really good hotels for a fraction of what they would cost in Europe and food and drink were also considerably cheaper than almost anywhere in Europe (I travel a lot in Europe....Thank You Ryanair). So overall I had a cheaper 3 week holiday in Thailand than I could possibly have had in Europe. So Thailang is still a low cost travel destination. But people simply aren't travelling because of the global economic situation. Confidence is way down and what money people have they are holding onto because of future uncertainty. There were only 20 people on my flight from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket (boeing 737-400). Many of the comments here pertain to residents not holiday makers as the average holiday maker has no knowledge of, or interest in owning property or visa regulations etc.

The Thai Baht is not the problem. What many have failed to recognise is that the $ and GB£ have plummeted in value which is hardly the Thais fault. Both the $ and GB£ have devalued about 30% against the euro (making UK and USA low cost destinations for euro travellers) but the Baht has remained relatively stable against the euro.

But the bad publicity surrounding airport closures, riots, political instability, the ASEAN summit fiasco, the killing of the guy on his boat by fishermen etc have all taken have all given a perception of an unsafe destination.

Add to this the international publicity that surrounded, and the perception that resulted from, the guy prevented from boarding his flight in Phuket because somebody wrongly believed his passport to be false and the fact that he then spent so long in a Thai prison even after his passport was shown to be genuine. Or the aussie woman held in custody for stealing a bar mat. I'm not commenting on whether these people were authors of their own misfortune or not I'm merely commenting on the perception of Thailand that these cases made internationally. And remember that to the average tourist looking at a holiday destination in a brochure, perception is everything.

Anyway, from a personal perspective I loved Thailand. I found the people to be helpful, courteous and gracious. The scenery and beaches are beautiful and the weather (though a tad hot for me) wonderful. I only have 2 complaints though perhaps not enough to put me off a return visit.

(1) As a single 52 year old male I was immediately assumed to be a sex tourist by all (farang and Thai alike) and was treated as something of an oddity for not having a dolly bird (or guy) half my age on my arm.

(2) I had several conversations (nothing more) with a Thai woman working in the hotel I stayed in on Samui and lo and behold 3 days after I got home I got the "Sick Buffalo" SMS. I can only presume she got my phone no. from hotel records. I haven't replied or sent money

Yes there Buffalo's always get sick I blame it on the (H1-N1) flu hahaha.

How does 165000 to 27000 equate to a 33.45% drop? Even if this statistic was meant to be a drop "OF" 27000, it does not add up. This is wildly wrong or else I an misinterpreting "year on year".......

Anyone?

Hmmm my math... a drop of 611%, in as 27000 goes into 165000 6.11 times....

OR... this year is 16.3 % of what the previous year was...

Airport closures, riots, global economic recession, and now H1N1.... What's next???

SEAFOOD FLU HA HA HA, it serves them right they brought it on themselves!!! I have no pity for them the same as they feel for us farangs. LAND OF "FALSE" SMILES!!! I am going in October and cant wait to see there gloomy faces.

Bloody Farangs coming here with your desease and destroying our tourists inductry.

THE FARANGS DIDN'T DESTROY YOUR TOURIST INDUSTRY, THEY MADE YOUR TOURIST INDUSTRY!!! You destroyed it by yourselfs, by being greedy for money, treating many tourists badly, CORRUPT POLICE and RACIST against them, plus all the problems made by your RED and YELLOW shirts these are the facts, NOT FLU.

So dont try passing the blame, when you have only yourselves to blame and your problems are far from over they are just starting best of luck.

AMAZING THAILAND, VERY TRUE!!!

PS, Remember that you are not the only country with sun, sea, sand and cheep prices, not that Thailand is that cheep anymore there are many places much cheeper nearby I dont think I need to name them.

I have lived in Thailand for 20 years so I think I know what I am talking about, but know I am thinking of leaving the LAND OF FALSE SMILES!!!