connda

I love it when folks decide to toss in the 'race card'. There is always someone who's gotta end their comments with "You're being a racist!!!"

Well, how the hell does that work when I'm buying tanning cream for my trip to the beach so that I can become a handsome-bronzed man like George Hamilton. I guess when you can't win an intelligent conversation with someone, you just start tossing around the connotation that perhaps anybody who has light-skin is a racist, Weak argument at best -- maybe even racist!

What's worse than the Thai obsession to have light-white skin, is Unilever's politically correct press release. That's sort of hypocritical, mai?

Unilever -- grow a set -- you're advertising scheme is working like a charm, so you're apologizing for what reason??? Perhaps you need new blood in your marketing department.

Air pollution linked to lower birth weights.

<deleted>. Not the current generation of Thais. One more generation and they're going to be having the same problems with obesity as Westerners. IMHO

If they are eating traditional Thai food than they eat a balance diet.

It's the pudgy little fat boys and girls that are gobbling up the corporate-mass-made, GMO, highly-processed junk food that Westerners live on. Heck, I lost 6 kilos the first year I was here by just changing my diet to Thai food.

Trust me -- its a no-brainer!

SOS - DD
Same old sh*t - Different day!

RIP

I used to be a Starbucks customer, but abject greed in the corporate world like this totally turns me off to their (overpriced) products. There are times when corporate jackasses should simple ignore small vendors who present absolutely no threat to these corporate behemoths multi-multi billion dollars profit centers. All they have accomplished is to tarnish their own image, if you want to call moving your operation offshore to avoid US taxes and image. "He is without sin should cast the first stone'. I hope they win in Thai court and have the 'damages' are reduced to 1 baht and a slap on the hand. These corporate giants have better things to do other than pursuing Intelligent Property suits against some poor individual pushing around a hand cart -- you know, like evading their social responsibility to pay taxes. I won't go to Starbucks again. I found a place in Chiang Mai that makes coffee drinks that are just as good as Star(Big)Bucks for less than half the price. Star(Mega)Bucks would probably send out the hounds in an attempt to prove they pirated their 'specific coffee making methods'. Big government and Big Corporation have one thing in common -- Big Greed.

Connda; If you would read some of the previous comments on this topic, you would know that Starbucks cannot "simple ignore small vendors who present absolutely no threat to these corporate behemoths". It isn't that simple. Read rametindallas's comment below. Besides that, Starbucks gave those copy-cat thieves the opportunity to cease their illegal actions before Starbucks started any legal actions against them.

Starbucks has been very responsible in their actions.

If Starbucks knowingly lets one person violate their trademark, then they have to let anyone violate their trademark. Once the precedent has been set, (that you don't care who uses your trademark) then any large company can come in and do what the small offender did and there would be nothing Starbucks could do about it. You can't have selective enforcement. It is costing Starbucks much more in legal fees and bad publicity that even ten pushcarts like Mr. Bung runs but they have to protect their trademark or lose all rights to it. I don't know why this is so difficult to understand.

Another point would be, why does it make a difference if the thief is small time or big time; you have still been robbed. Let me personalize it for you. Would it make a difference to you and your family if a poor thief with six children to feed robbed your house or a gang of professional thieves robbed your house? You suffer a loss in both cases. With your logic, you would let the poor thief off with no punishment (and even allow him to reoffend) and prosecute the professional gang. What would your family (stockholders), that your are responsible to, say about your generous spirit?

Connda;

Your statement that Starbucks has "moving your operation offshore to avoid US taxes" is factually incorrect and zany nonsense.

Starbucks has thousands of stores in the U.S. and it's corporate headquarters is in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

Your statement that Starbucks is " evading their social responsibility to pay taxes" is again factually incorrect and more zany nonsense.

Starbucks DID NOT evade paying taxes. They used applicable tax laws to pay the least amount of taxes that they are required to pay. And 99.99% plus of all individuals and businesses do exactly that. That is exactly what Starbucks did in Britain. Nothing legally, ethically, or socially wrong with it at all.

Tax evasion is an individual or business performing illegal acts to evade paying legally required taxes. Acts such as not reporting income, misreporting types of income, claiming deductions that are not valid, etc. Starbucks in Britain DID NOT do any of this.

Your comment " Star(Mega)Bucks would probably send out the hounds in an attempt to prove they pirated their 'specific coffee making methods'." is yet more zany nonsense.

If your favored Chiang Mai coffee house does not start using the Starbucks logo in an intent to deceive customers or take some action to deceive people that they are making Starbucks coffee, etc; They have very little to worry about any legal action from Starbucks.

My bad. I retract my statement regarding StarBucks avoiding taxes in the US. They were avoiding taxes in the UK. That makes them a paragon of social responsibility. And chasing down cart vendors for IP infringement is an exercise in diminishing returns. and a waste of time. Just my opinion, No one has to agree with me.

More than 100,000 foreigners staying illegally in Thailand

My my...If this was the United States, staying in Thailand illegally would be the quickest way to obtain citizenship!!!. Expats would be flooding immigration demanding a path to citizenship for expats here illegally, they'd lobby parliament to let those entering Thailand illegal the ability to stay and suck off the teat of Mother Thailand's social welfare program, and they would be chaining themselves to the deportation buses to keep their fellow expats from being transported to either the airport of the detention center.

Of course, it also would be politically incorrect to call them illegals. You would have to use a more compassionate, sensitive term like undocumented. Perhaps they are here to do work that no other Thai wants to do. So come on, get with the liberal agenda. No more saying illegal -- it's now politically correct to say 'undocumented expats'!

I see a contingent of the NAMBLA seems to be chiming in in defense of the abbot. Comments like these insinuate that underaged teens and pre-teens not only are willing participants, but the actual 'leader' of the acts.

NAMBLA members and sympathizers -- you people are sick. Go get some help. If you abused my child and I found out, you'd be a post-op katoey by the time you attended your court date.

I used to be a Starbucks customer, but abject greed in the corporate world like this totally turns me off to their (overpriced) products. There are times when corporate jackasses should simple ignore small vendors who present absolutely no threat to these corporate behemoths multi-multi billion dollars profit centers. All they have accomplished is to tarnish their own image, if you want to call moving your operation offshore to avoid US taxes and image. "He is without sin should cast the first stone'. I hope they win in Thai court and have the 'damages' are reduced to 1 baht and a slap on the hand. These corporate giants have better things to do other than pursuing Intelligent Property suits against some poor individual pushing around a hand cart -- you know, like evading their social responsibility to pay taxes. I won't go to Starbucks again. I found a place in Chiang Mai that makes coffee drinks that are just as good as Star(Big)Bucks for less than half the price. Star(Mega)Bucks would probably send out the hounds in an attempt to prove they pirated their 'specific coffee making methods'. Big government and Big Corporation have one thing in common -- Big Greed.

This article is outrageous and unnecessary.

We foreigners are vaguely aware of certain cultural anomalies in the behavior of Monks and their novices in Thai Buddhist Temples.

It is not our place to judge the Nane (Novices) or their Teachers (Monks). It is normal for a Nane (Novice) to be assigned to an individual mentor(Monk) when he first enters the temple. Usually a Nane will remain in the service of his master for some years.

However to accuse a deceased monk of habitual improper behavior is unfair and unreasonable.

According to the article, this wasn't an isolated instance. Usually, where there is smoke, there is fire.

Members of the Sangha are not above reproach or criticism -- even by Thais, and the fact that I'm 'non-Thai' does not discount that I've been a Theravada Buddhist for the better part of 35 years. "We" foreigners? Really. Buddhism isn't unique to Thailand, nor does Thailand own a franchise on this religion. Vinaya is Vinaya. Thai, Sri-Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, US, UK.....

I unfortunately whole-heatedly disagree with you...that's the non-Thai part of me that is quite unafraid to voice an opinion. Things like this need to see the light of day.

He Canuckamuck,

In the sector of independent dealers, you would be surprised how many owners from ny brand are scored a below average for the dealer after buying a budget model. This incluses people who bought Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and other respectable dealers....

It seems that most people of small displacement motorcycles (less than 250cc) in Thailand dislike the original dealers they bought it....

This was one of the main reasons why Honda Thailand launched big bikes through a seperatated outlet they fully francince (control).

Interesting. I have a Honda Dream 125 also. I bought it in Korat, and the dealer provided some of the best customer service I've experienced in or outside of Thailand.

And having moved back to Northern Thailand, I've found the Honda service centers to generally be above average. It usually has a lot to do with the service manager, plus Honda has a reputation to maintain, But Lifan??? Hummm.

Like Canuckamuck said, I do like the bike. Smooth, comfortable ride for a relatively small displacement motorcycle. I like it better than the Honda Phantom or Kawasaki Boss. Great gas mileage and enough power for any roads I'm driving here in Thailand (it would be a little too small in the US or Canada). But the quality of service??? Ouch!

When celibacy is forced upon anyone, this is likely to happen as it is against the most basic instinct of man or animal to have sex. Being celibate should be a choice and not a requirement for a priest in any religion.

Nobody is forcing priests and monks to be priests and monks. Celibacy is part of the package. If they want to be religious and have sex too, they can go the protestant minister route, or go back to being layman such as Mitsuo Shibahashi (Phra Mitsuo Gavesako).

The issue isn't celibacy -- it's morality -- and at least in Buddhism, morality is the underpinning of the religion.

Pra Kru Indra-Sanuwattna crossed the line and it came back and bit him.

Whoever wrote the op-ed obviously was educated outside of Thailand.

KIA -- Karma in Action.

As an Australian I am deeply ashamed to read some of the above posts from my countrymen.

Australia is incredibly lucky to have so few refugees compared to European countries.

The numbers arriving are a tiny, tiny percentage of our population.

Unfortunately the gutter-press, radio shock-jocks and conservative politicians have used this issue to whip up hate and discontent in the community.

Most of the wild claims about favorable treatment of refuges are cruel lies and can be easily refuted with a little research.

The lying politicians rely on their followers being so dumb that they believe everything they hear in the MSM.

Question: If I jump in a dingy and row to Australia, will I get to stay if I ask for asylum?

Answer: No.

Has living as a foreigner in Thailand changed your opinion about foreigners living in your own country ?

Nope. Individuals who enter my home country illegally are breaking the law and need to be deported. It would be absurd to expect Thailand to grant foreigners citizenship simply because they have overstayed their visas and are living in the country illegally. But that's exactly what is happening in the West.

Hey! Let's all throw our passports away and march en-mass on Thai immigration and demand citizenship!!! I wonder where that will get us. LMAO

Progress of sorts and the new court is a very welcome prop for tourists.

But let's put the derisory fine of B1,000 into perspective. It should have been B100,000.

For a poor Thai B1,000 it is a chunk of money....for a Jet ski operator it is a pittance when you scam and cheat the renter out of up to B50,000 per rental.

At that rate it will take 50 court appearances to drop the proceeds of just a single scam.

How did you arrive at B100,000? Why not 50,000 or 200,000? "Should" is an often used word that has blurred meanings at times. Fines and bail amounts are usually computed taking into consideration numerous factors, most of which are unknown to any or us. We are foreigners and our values are influenced by our experiences back home which may not be valid here in the LOS.

Yes...20, 50kk...whatever.

I am influenced by the amount these cheats rob and thieve from innocent tourists and also that the penalty should reflect the crime.

What is primarily taken into consideration in this disgustingly corrupt country, is the fact they are Thai and the victims are not. This fact is all too clearly demonstrated here on TV on a daily basis.

I would "compute and take into consideration" the fact of what they steal from tourists. The figure often quoted from those that have been mugged by jet ski renters is 50,000 Baht....per incident.

What is your point anyway? You think that 1,000 baht is a reasonable fine and penalty?

I'm in 100% agreement. But...TIT. Frustrating, isn't it? I always hate seeing bad guys get a slap and the wrist. 1000 bath when these guys extort hundreds of thousands baht each year.

Gold is one of the sexyist investments available: Up and down, up and down, up and down. Whew! Would that make JP Morgan analogous to the Manhattan Madame?

"...but who also get behind the wheel of a vehicle without having the correct documentation, such as an international driving license."

Rental cars do not require international driving licenses ... does anyone know if Thai law does?

From my understanding you do require an international licence that is translated into Thai and if you are in the country for 3 months or more then you require a Thai driver licence. Australia has the same laws. I have also heard that if you are involved in a collision then the Thai insurance companies will only accept a Thai driver licence but I will stand corrected.

International licenses are seldom if ever checked. I drove in Thailand two years and never was asked for one even though I had one. My valid, foreign drivers license was always accepted by the BIB.

I live here in CM. I read in one of the local papers that the plan was to simply require car and motorcycle rental shops to validate that the 'foreign' renter had a valid driver's license. Obviously, that is a step in the right direction. Traffic here is dangerous, but there is a sort of organization to the chaotic driving habits of the locals. A seasoned, licensed driver who drives defensively is probably as safe as anyone else on the road. But I have seen foreigners on motorcycles who probably had never driven one before, and probably were not licensed to drive a motorcycle in their own country, doing really, really stupid things on the road. So requiring a license check isn't a bad idea. But in reality is it enforceable? I have my doubts.

In the larger scope of things though, the bad driving foreigners are no more of a danger than 50% of the local native drivers. Until Thailand puts mobile police units on the road and start enforcing Moving Traffic Violations as they do in Western countries, the roads will never be any safer.

My rear shocks on my Lifan 250-B cruiser need to be replaced. The housings for the rear shocks are adjustable, but I'm already at the 'stiffest' setting and I occasionally 'bottom out' on bumps and depressions in the road that are not that deep. I'm average weight for a Westerner (about 85 kilos).

I will not go to my local Lifan dealer (been there, done that, and not happy with the service, and don't want to go back again if I can help it), so putting OEM replacements on the bike is at the bottom of my 'want to do' list. So I need recommendations for make/model of shocks that would fit my bike. I have a Thai mechanic who has been working on my bike and has fix the problems I was having, however when I asked him to replace the shocks he wanted me to go with him to select a shock from a shop that deals in motorcycle parts. I figured that was a like asking a blind man to go to the paint store to pick out the color of paint for his house. I wouldn't have a clue what to buy. Any recommendations?

Also, the valve stem on the rear tire is extremely difficult to access. It's sandwiched between the spokes and sometimes I find it impossible to get a air hose connected to the valve. I've been putting off buying a portable pump (which I really need for on-road tire repair) because most of the pumps I found have valve connectors that are larger that will probably fit securely. There's nothing like deflating your tire while trying, unsuccessfully, to get the pump connected to the tire's valve stem (I don't want the happening in the middle of nowhere). Any suggestion on what to do in this instance.

Thanks!

Dear Thailand,

Welcome to the "Nanny State".

And they have been eating bugs in Thailand for how long? And there have been how many confirmed deaths?

This isn't Ripley's amazing world of facts website is it?

I see dead people. They're everywhere. They don't know they're dead.

Cheek.

Then again I suppose it must be difficult for Americans and Europeans to get used to driving on the correct side of the road, I could see many of them getting into trouble, unlike we Brits who are naturally superior drivers due to our advanced testing, and knowledge of how to drive on the right.

I don't know why you guys couldn't just follow our lead. We tell you not to form your own government but nope, and look at you now, government is shut down. We tell you not to start the Euro but nope, you had to go ahead and cause a financial crisis, and now your over here annoying the Thais with your bad driving habits.

Strewth. Maybe we should restart the Empire and sort you lot out.

it must be difficult for Americans and Europeans here in Chiang Mai because they come from a driving environment where there are more rules enforced on the road. At home these folks drive in a more predicable and ultimately a more safer manner.

Than they get here and it's like driving in a zoo. Anticipating other drivers goes out the window -- drivers pull out from side streets without looking, cars and trucks will pull out in front of motorcycles without a care, It takes a defensive skill set to handle driving Thai roads and patiences. What blows me away is when I see a group of guys head out on bikes and start driving like idiots because they know there is no real enforcement of 'moving violations'. Bad local drivers vs stupid foreign drivers - both on testosterone while there actions are governed by ignorance and sheer stupidity.

Yeah -- not safe.

It's the phitsunulok immigration. When u apply the so called marriage visa, they will visit your house to do a checking whether is it genuine. After the visit,they will process and approve the visa. I pay once and I already have doubts on this 500bht as there is nothing stated in the immigration regulations and no official receipt. But because they are the one handling my visa,I do not want quarrel with them for this 500bht and later make my visa difficult to get. But I'm thinking if the next time I renew my visa again,what can I do to avoid this 500bht if they ask again?

The first year on a marriage extension they will visit, talk to neighbors, check you out to see if you gaming the system by saying you're marriage to some Thai gal in order to qualify for the 'marriage extension'. The guy asked for 500 baht -- Oh well. Your visa extension will probably be processed efficiently instead of 'getting lost'.

In the following years they should pretty well just "rubber stamp" your visa extension. The first year they investigate, after that you should be good to go. If they show up next year, just say no.