sriracha john

For the price of the aircraft, I refer you to common sense and common knowledge regarding the cost of commercial aircraft.

I'd say your calculations will be skewed % wise if you're only counting cranky expats and a handful of local academics.

Communist? No, it just means it's business as usual.

For the cost, it's been a baht versus dollar miscommunication.

For the dissatisfaction, it's been pretty resoundingly negative and rightly so as the purchase is indefensible and reprehensible.

For the telecoms, it's been Thaksin-driven gouging... hopefully with the establishment of the NTC, it will loosen up and Thailand can join the rest of the normal rates that most people world-wide enjoy, although I'm not holding my breath.

For attempting to defend Thaksin, I feel sorry for you... unless like most Thaksin defenders, you're either on his payroll, have received some "pork-barrel" government spending, or a member of his family.

The list of Thaksin atrocities is almost endless, starting from before day 1 with his asset concealments and will likely only end with the total collapse of the Thai economy.

I seriously doubt it's a billion dollar plane. The list price is like $35 milllion USD. I don't think they put $965 million in options on it. More likely they got a special promotional deal on the plane (as it's pretty good advertising/PR).

Yeah, telecoms service is expensive here. After all, we're not communists.

For the cost, I would refer you to any of the aforementioned news articles.

For the PR, it's been a 99.9% NEGATIVE response so not really "good" PR.

For the telecom costs, does that mean that the other 190 countries where the costs are cheaper are all communist?

Hey, since that isn't specifically on the list of banned occupations for foreigners and I meet the employment requirements, can I apply for the job? 

Go for it! Sounds like a real growth industry. No promise we can swing you a work permit though...

No work permit?... hmmm.. that's ok, that never stopped me before.....

For Any Immigration Officials Reading This Thread:

I'M KIDDING!!!

Thank you Axel.

can we be deported for writing these messages?

That thought has crossed my mind....

So in order to balance my negative comments, may I add some positives about this fine man.......................................................

hmm.. give me a sec, ok?.......................

uhmmm........

....................

gee, this one is a toughie....

..............

..............

ahhhh, i got it!......

...........................

naw, that's not really such a positive thing as much as a lesser degree negative....

...........................

gosh, someone help???

How many AIS subscriber months to pay for a $25 million dollar plane?   Big deal.  And if he is using taxpayer money, I'd say the productivity from having nearly the entire population linked by telecoms (thanks in part to him) for the last decade or so probably exceeds $25,,.

Thank you Thaksin!  I happily have all my AIS phone bills paid the same day they come in because you rock!  

for Heng Shinawatra:

It's not 25 million, it's 1.1 Billion, with a capital B. How many worthwhile projects would that fund?

It was tax-funded, not his own funds. He never seems to use his own money for most things, except vote-buying.

Thai telecom service is one of the most expensive in the world "(thanks in part to him)".

The only thing that "rocks" about Toxin is that it is the composition of his grey matter.

It seems to me that most foreigners here are well aware of what the government is up to and rightly criticize however the people that matter, the Thais are seemingly apathetic. Or as one Thai told me "it's none of my business" in other words it doesn't concern him. So things in Thailand will continue to "amaze" me.

one possible explanation might be that, historically and presently, people that "rock the boat" in Thailand tend to disappear, thus not making it apathy that explains their behavior, but self-preservation.

He was charged with rape last year before a general court martial after the woman wrote to Alpert’s regimental commander in Australia. It was unclear why he was not charged under Thai law.

Yes, that IS strange he isn't being prosecuted here? It'd be interesting to find out how that all transpired.

Your account seems to indicate some kind of drug that acted on you very quickly. I really wonder if it was something in your drink, or perhaps an aerosol sprayed in your face?

A further possibility unexplored up to now is a seizure or other medical condition which can certainly match up with the described situation with the resulting robbery and transporting across town and cigarette burns et al occuring after the fact.

Thank you, Axel, for the additional information from a different source, which always makes a topic more interesting. Please post any further details (assuming the news sources are written in German and I mai kaow jai).

So sad that someone could steal that kind of money from their father and then squander it so recklessly and then get commit a felony terrorist extortion. Such a burden that some parents are forced to bare.

I have seen no reports on this either in this Forum or in the Bangkok Post

I've mentioned it on three separate occasions on three different threads.

If anyone thinks this jet is for anyone besides Thaksin, I've got partial ownership of an English Premier League team for them to buy.

The Nation is the only paper with "guts" anymore, that's why the Bangkok Post has kept quiet.

a) 'intoxicated' Thailand Losing Billions to Lottery

Posted on: Wed 2004-09-08, 23:50:18

...or his new personal jet, bought for 1.1 Billion Baht

Govt Hopes To Send First Thai Into Space

Posted on: Mon 2004-09-06, 08:12:34

1. I do think Thaksin loves his country, but unfortunately he clearly loves himself, his money, and his cronies more.

2. I do think Thaksin wants Thailand to be strong, just so long as it doesn't conflict with Shin Satellite, A.I.S., AirAsia, ITV, etc. being the strongest companies in their respective fields.

3. If Thaksin doesn't want his country to suffer from poverty, he has a strange way of showing after squandering a B(with a b)illion plus tax-payer baht on his ego-boosting airplane

c) Thailand To Bid For 2016 Games?

Posted on: Sat 2004-09-04, 09:59:15

If there is ever an Olympic event for money squandering, Thaksin is assured of a gold medal:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/page.news....ess=1&id=120197

Wasn't this same basic thing announced as occurring imminently about six months ago...?

Same ages targeted with same offences. The only thing I detected new was the "manners monitors"... LOL .... what a job title.

Hey, since that isn't specifically on the list of banned occupations for foreigners and I meet the employment requirements, can I apply for the job?

The court in this southern city ruled that the 44-year-old had sent dozens of emails threatening to kill people or blow up buildings if he was not paid because he needed money for a flight home from Asia.

He told airport authorities in the messages that he would detonate hidden bombs if he did not receive between €50,000 and €100,000.

He needs to find a better travel agent because I believe you can find a cheaper flight to Germany than E50,000 - E100,000.

Average income in Thailand 2003 was US 7400, -

Which is approximately 307,000, - Baht. Divide that with twelve months and you get around 25500, - Baht.

I would submit that a more accurate picture of Thai incomes would be to look at median and not average annual income. This is because of the disparity between the super-super rich, like Thaksin, and the average Somchai. His billions (some say Trillion) artificially inflate the Thai average annual income. The latest figures I found (2002) for median annual income : $2100 = B81,600 = B7,175/month.

at first this man surprised me ... now far to be amazed, I compare him to the french extrem-right wing's "le pen" ... not funny at all

As for me, I'm getting a strange sense of deja vu ...

living in the Philippines in the late 1970's under the martial law of Ferdinand Marcos....

(may his corpse rot in ######).

LOL@yet another hub...

...or his new personal jet, bought for 1.1 Billion Baht

I would think a "safe" contact would be:

The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand

18th Floor Kian Gwan Bldg. 2, 140/1 Wireless Road, Lumphini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330

Tel: +66 (0) 2251 9266-7

Pudgemelion you a ###### cccrrreeep,,I'd love ta kick the crap out of you,,,,,,,,,,,,,,you probably a Thai................

It's so encouraging to see that you've taken the pacifist Buddhist philosophy to heart so well during your stay in Thailand.

To echo Lopburi's comments, I know people that live in Thailand on 11,000 per month and had a friend who left because he didn't think his 120,000 was enough. Thailand living expenses can be whatever you want them to be.

btw, I do have to laugh at BoonMee's comment that you'd have "to live like a Thai" if you have less than 65K in Bkk... like it's some curse.

Danone Quotes:

obviously you missed kindergarten.

...and did every poster that asks a question on thaivisa miss out as well?

you're right, there are tricky questions with many visa rules.

...thank you for meeting Mr. Reality. I hope you can stay friends.

but in any other "decent" country over half of the people staying here on visas would be rejected for long term stays.

...slamming over 1/2 the members of thaivisa and at the same time degrading every Thai member by insinuating Thailand is indecent. Great pennings. Keep up the fantastic posting. You're on a roll.

As DMV's are administered at a State level, it's going to vary. In Illinois, your license in Thailand would be valid for 30 days.

following the visa rules is easier than attending kindergarten.

Sorry, but I'm going to have to call you on this one as it totally destroys any and all credibility you may have or will ever have now.

If taken at face value, it must mean that the XX,XXX (moderator help..how many members of thaivisa.com are there now?)... have not progressed beyone nursery school. If the plethora of visa rules were truly simple and straight-forward, this website would not exist.

Well, apparently it IS happening. The "Student Inspector Unit" (sounds straight out of Orwell's 1984) caught a number of students doing it (whatever "it" can be interpreted to mean).

Between the Student Inspector Unit and the Farang Volunteer Police unit...how soon before there are more police in Thailand than farmers?

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/page.news....20410&usrsess=1

John Kerry and John Edwards arrive at a McDonalds during a campaign swing through the Midwest. In her excitement at seeing the two candidates, an employee accidentally spills coffee on Kerry’s hand.

Within minutes Edwards had filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against McDonalds while .... you guessed it .... Kerry was busy writing the incident up for his fourth Purple Heart

...and Bush didn't go into the McDonalds because he had heard it was dangerous, so he had his family arrange for an alternative source for lunch...

...and Cheney can't go into a McDonalds anymore... just seeing the pictures of french fries on the wall give him chest pains...