jcb2001

Tony Blair a pillar of high morals, etc. Wasn't he friends with Gaddafi?

Even worse, he is friends with Bush.

And worse than that, he is friends with Obama.

Banded kraits are actually not very aggressive, contrary to what someone else has claimed, which is a good thing, because their poison is very potent. Otherwise the chap in the red shirt would probably not be handling it like that. Cobras on the other hand are aggressive and irritated easily. I've had encounters with both, but nothing really scary. For those who like to spend time outdoors, especially in the forest, watch out for Malayan pit vipers. This year I've already seen three of them. They're quite common around here, and unlike other snakes they don't run away when humans show up. They just stay put as they're very well camouflaged and if you come too close they might strike.

Cheers, CM-Expat

This is what bothers me the most about snakes. Like the ones that are not afraid of you, the (Malayan pit vipers). They stand their ground and will strike unexpectedly. Also, finding a cobra under my bed would be pretty traumatic as well. But at least most snakes in Thailand will avoid any contact with humans and depart at the earliest opportunity. Having snakes like rattlesnakes, copperheads from SE USA, and even Malayan pit vipers around Chaing Mai that stand their ground and strike freely are most dangerous and the ones I worry about.

xxxxx? why is this report coming from Thaksin??

Because he's running the government and represents the government overseas.

He told the Foreign Minister because they are close cousins.

Commerce Minister Niwatthumrong doesn't rank high enough to be included on personal discussions.

It will be the Foreign Minister then who transfers the information to the appropriate Commerce Minister to deal with the issue.

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This is a sign of things to come. With Thaksin in charge, who needs a parliament or cabinet to run the gov't?

What are the taxis charging/extorting now?

I wonder if they were able to resolve the situation with the taxis not being paid when the aircraft carrier arrived at Phuket for a R&R port call several months ago.

Soccer is OK to watch every now and then, but does anyone offer NFL games? Seems CTH is just catering to the Europeans here.

Good local website: http://www.thailandsnakes.com/

This is an awesome site for anyone to find out info on the snakes they see here in Thailand. Vern even has a section where you fill in the blanks about the snake you want identified and he will email you back with what he believes it is. I've asked for help many times about snakes I encounter here in Ubon. Vern always responds to my request. He also has some great You Tube videos.

This country will not get anywhere until they learn that if they do not like the government, they have to wait for the next election.

The problem is that there will not be any more elections. Just speculating.

Too bad the UN doesn't have any teeth.

Watch BLUESKY TV live here...regards to topic here. http://www.tvjaa.com/stream/blueskychannel.html

Great TV. Thanks for sharing.

It sure would be nice if Thailand had some good investigative reporters. If I'm not mistaken, I think Koh Chang is owned by Thaksin. It wouldn't surprise me if he was there.

Today, I was told that my 6 day old bank statement to support my yearly O visa renewal was too old.

The Phibun Immigration office said the new requirement is now 3 days from issue to turning in. Has anybody

else been told this or are they messing with me?

Thought I would add my 2 cents worth about Phibun Immigration.

Today started out great as I entered with my yearly O package completed and neatly put together. I was the first in line. Right away, the lady told me that my bank statement was not fresh enough. She said it had to be less than 3 days old. Seems to me it use to be 2 weeks. No problem, and off to Lotus to get another bank statement.

Got back about 2 hours later, and she said everything looked fine and come back at 1PM. No problem.

Came back and waited until 2:30PM, when another lady told me that my marriage certificate had to be certified by my embassy.

This is my 5th "O visa" yearly extension and never had a problem about it before. Even the Thai embassy in Los Angeles, where I started the process, accepted it. When I politely asked why this time it was not acceptable, she replied "We are checking more closely."

I'm beginning to wonder if they really want me in their country. Has anyone else heard about the bank statement being no older than 3 days? I have about had it with Thai Immigration. Sometimes, I wonder if it is really worth it living here and putting up with this Immigration mess.

One can only wounder where the PTP will exactly schedule this request on it's rather busy agenda,, keeping in mind that a former Prime minister ,was under investigation for rights abuse on he's watch by the U.N. and now resides in Dubai, little if anything will become of this request from HRW , as we all know , they do what they like , when they like, so up U jack, that's Thai Democracy at it's greatest.

More problems for Pheu Thai.. Now, the International Human Rights Commission along with numerous other UN agencies are bringing this to the world's attention. Pheu Thai definitely wants this out of the international spotlight. I can't think of a better way for Pheu Thai to drop this amnesty bill like a hot potato.

The Royal Thai Army protects the Thai people any malitia porpurting to be "The Peoples Army" is in fact committing Lese Majeste and a contradiction to the Thai Constitution.

If a militia with the banner of "The Peoples Ary" inflicts harm on any of the people they should be considered to be Traitors and should be considered to be trying to pervert the Constitution of Thailand.

So, would your assumption about "The people's Army" apply to the Red Shirts?

This is not routine. It's a show of force. But it's all getting so confusing...wish they'd also announce who exactly they're trying to scare.

Agree, this could be YS and Pheu Thai trying to show they have control of the Army. If true, it is meant to demoralize the anti-gov't protesters. Sounds like Pheu Thai is trying to gain the upper hand before the protest starts.

Ninja quality is not there compared to the Honda. On a long haul, the Honda can't be beat. I agree, the Ninja is lighter, but the Honda is a much better riding bike.

This type of ridiculously insane situation seems to happen with more and more frequency. And are we just hearing about a fraction of the violent crime committed here?

Perhaps embassies and passport issuing offices need to make clear and serious warnings to people traveling to Thailand (and other countries with a similar problem) about being extremely careful how they interact with the locals, especially if they are off the usual beaten track. One would think that enough common sense would prevail (even though western governments are dumbing down their citizens) for people to keep a fairly clear mind (i.e. Don't get falling-down drunk.) and get out of a situation that seems dicey, but I guess not.

I suspect in this case the unwanted singers were possibly impaired too much by alcohol to realize just how much the aggravation level of the band had risen and the dangerous position they were in. (Pure speculation, I realize, but to not heed the wishes (one can assume strongly) expressed by the band would indicate that their judgement was screwed up.)

It's often hard to find sympathy for anybody in these situations, but I certainly agree that unless the Thais felt physically threatened (which one claims was the case when his breathing was restricted) their actions were not appropriate.

So sad. These tourist expecting entertainment and now the dad's dead and the son seriously injured. Time for the travelling tourist coming to Thailand wake up and see this place for what it really is. I agree, the embassies need to be more forthcoming to advise tourist of the dangers they face.

It sure isn't going to help get high end tourist into Thailand with all the problems around Phuket. Most foreign tourist will be wanting a pleasant experience of the pristine beaches of Thailand they have read about. They are in for a big surprise when they encounter Tuk Tuk drivers that are out to scam them and jet ski operators that rip off the tourist. Until Thailand can get a handle on this, many tourist will fly back home disappointed after their holiday here.

Certainly of no concern for Thaksin. He says he has many Muslim friends as he lives in Dubai.

What arrogance!!!!!

I wonder how many of them actually know whats going on.... and vote because they person beside them did -sic-

I got a bad feeling that the anti-government protesters are just not up to putting a wrench into the amnesty bill negotiations. They (anti-gov't protesters) appear to be all talk without any action. What a shame! This demonstration against the Pheu Thai needs to be the biggest ever to stop this government's rape of this country. I hope I am wrong, but I'm worried as I see no indications of any large protest scheduled.

When you went over the limit of 3G on Dtac you should have got a text SMS message to tell you how to top it up.

Problem with that is that all the SMS messages are in Thai. Sadly, I never learned to read Thai.

We aren't talking about a supermarket here, it's a trade cash and carry. Shop traders come and buy pallet loads at a time so how the hell can they only stock the shelves at night.....ridiculous idea.

Apart from which they have lorries delivering the goods around the clock, so they need to put the stock somewhere when they unload it.

I do all my shopping at Macro but I am always very aware what is going on around me as admittedly it can be a bit hazardous but it's ok if you use your eyes and ears.

The answer is if you don't want to make allowances for the bulk buying side of it then go to a nice safe Tesco's or Big C.

HL

I hate shopping at Macro. From trying to park the truck, to trying to push their shopping carts in a straight line, to the employees looking to see if you are cheating them when you check out and leave. Also, don't even consider the power tools there. They are cheaply made and will not last.

I understand Macro is for the commercial buyer and people trying to save a baht or two. That's fine for them, but I prefer Big C. No hassles there.

Thailand, the hub of passport and visa fraud.

Yingluck to be out of the country during the upcoming important session of parliament?

I seriously think that Yingluck believes the anti government protest facing Pheu Thai will turn into a public disaster for her government or even a coup. She will not be around to see what happens. She can't handle the pressure and the heat from the opposition is too much for her. She has no experience with how to deal with the day to day criticism she and her government are facing.

Thailand has to do something about road safety, that includes road maintainance, some of the potholes are huge, rough uneven surfaces, driviers overtaking at speed on blind corners, reckless disregard for the road rules (if the drivers know them at all), lax law enforcement including officers taking bribes to look the other way. I have been driving my car when I have been unable to avoid a patch of road that has been gouged out by overloaded trucks and had to fight for control as the car bounced sideways through the cratered surface. I have face cars, trucks, busses and motorbike coming at me on the wrong side of the road around a blind corner, thier response when they see you, flash thier headlight to say 'out of the way I'm coming through' with no apparent care for thier safety or anyone else's. some people may say that corruption doesn't hurt them, well it does, how much money intended for road maitainance finds it's way into the pockets of local government officials, contractors, forman and police officers who come to 'inspect. whatever work is being done, all of it takes away from what should be done and lowers the safety standard resulting in loss of life in combination with other factors.

I'm almost at the point of saying "There is no Hope for Thailand." The Thai mindset of Me, Me, Me first is sinking this country fast.