Stocky

On 1/20/2019 at 10:34 PM, ta158 said:

In 2016, there were more than 3,000 homicides by a firearm in Thailand - a rate of 4.45 deaths per 100,000 people, according to research by the University of Washington.

That includes casualties from the war going on just south of here, so not really a fair comparison.

As for the OP and UK safety, he doesn't say where in the UK he was so terrified. Personally I spend one to two months back in the UK each year. Stourbridge isn't a hot bed of crime & violence, but I do venture into Brum for a shufty at the goings on on Broad Street, and/or a curry on Ladypool Rd, can't say I've ever felt threatened, but I don't go looking for trouble and touch wood none has found me.

I'm a light user, but just find the postpaid option easier. I switched over about five years ago, all they wanted was my passport.

I'm on the AIS 4G Max Speed Non-Stop package, the cheapest at Bht299, gives me 100 mins plus 1Gb 4G/3G unlimited after that 128Kbps. Usually the bill with a few sms (not in the voice package) is about Bht340 per month.

Additionally I have a data SIM package for my Huawei MiFi, my Internet backup, the AIS Buffet Net Plus Bht450 package I have gives me unlimited Internet at a max speed of 2Mbps.

8 hours ago, phuketsub said:

As for the lack of nightlife (take note Stocky), the border town of Betong (Yala) has lots of it and also has a 60s James Bond feel that is hard to beat IMHO.

OK, excluding the border towns, Sungai Golok is pretty lively too though it's a few years since I was there last

12 minutes ago, madmen said:

There is good reason why Malaysia is hardly ever mentioned as an alternative to Thailand.
Probably George Town might be ok and certainly many of us are familiar with it through visa runs but overall Malaysia is no alternative to Thailand they are poles apart.
We are talking Islam here with 20 million Muslims that practice sharia law
 

Certainly Malaysia and Thailand are different, and yes 70% of the population are Malay Muslim, true there is a dual system of law, but the Syariah Courts plays a fairly minor role, limited largely to civil matters, primarily marriage, inheritance and apostasy, most importantly Syariah law only applies to Muslims.

Malaysia has a 10 year long stay visa under the Malaysia My Second Home programme. For someone over 50 to qualify they need to show financial proof of RM350,000 in liquid assets and off-shore income of RM10,000 per month.

http://www.mm2h.gov.my/index.php/en/

4 hours ago, connda said:

Islam will never take over Buddhist nations in SE Asia

The conflict in the south has its roots in Phibunsongkhram's 1930s policy of Thaification and forced assimilation. The Patanni States have been Muslim since the 13th century. They want recognition of their language and culture. The conflict has remained largely within the south, it hasn't escalated into the rest of Thailand, even in those provinces such as Songkhla, Satun, Trang and Phuket all of which have sizeable Muslim populations.

Militarising Buddhist temples seems to be exactly the sort of thing Prayut has been saying they won't do; escalate the conflict further. Though the killing of three Imams just before Christmas is no doubt the reason the temple and monks were targeted.

13 hours ago, webfact said:

a ‘selfless, hardworking’ political party

Shows that even after 4 years he still has very little understanding of politics and politicians.

I don't think we have any regular posters who live in the three southern states of Pattani, Yala or Narathiwat.

As with the US, the UK Government advisory is avoid travel in all three provinces plus  Southern Songkhla province (south of the A43 road). The times I have ventured south either down the coast a bit toward Pattani, there are some nice beaches and good food, or to some of the national parks, it's during day light hours. The locals always seem friendly and happy to see you. But neither I nor the wife fancy any extended tours of the south, and wouldn't want to stay after dark - not much night life anyway, at least not any you'd wish to witness.

We live in an area of Hat Yai with a large Muslim community, many being refugees from the south, and we all get along fine.

13 hours ago, dabhand said:

Just checked now and have same issues with no connection available. May well be a country / region block which seems to be more prevalent recently, rather than being Thai induced.

Yes same for me, can't access from my TOT connection, does work if I use a VPN for UK, US, Australia, won't work with a Singapore VPN connection. The website has a regional block on SE Asia.

Should drop them and email and ask for a refund if you don't have a VPN.

Why not head south to Hat Yai.

You asked for:

• clean air - 95% of the time, very rarely we get the Indonesian haze extend as far as us
• low cost of living - cheaper than a lot of Thailand
• busy enough to have lively markets - plenty of markets and shopping
• some notion of transit/buses - good transport
• lots of restaurant options - plenty of restaurants
• a decent airport - Hat Yai has a good airport with plenty of domestic flight options plus Singapore and KL
• As a bonus we have several good hospitals

You didn't want, be we do have

• nightlife
• Western restaurants/groceries

Downside

• She ain't a pretty town, and its not on the coast
• We live just north of a war zone, the city has increased security, but every now and again someone sets a bomb off

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On 1/20/2019 at 11:33 AM, hansnl said:

As there is no war, officially, this atrocity is a terrorist attack on innocents, consistent with the muslim style of murdering "infidels".

Look for the money stream and for the Iran connection.

Money comes from Saudi Arabia not Iran.

4 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

 

Isn't any credible ISP supposed NOT to overload their connections, and provide a reliable service to their customers?

Certainly, but do you honestly believe that even the best Thai ISP adheres to that kind of customer service commitment?

17 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

In pre ADSL and FIBER days perhaps but now in most areas good internet is available within Thailand from all providers that serve the area. and they do provide paid for service speeds (or you change) - the slowdown is mostly external links and for that provider can make a difference, but it can also vary by route and times.  Remember that artificial caps may be placed on speed under contract fair use policy if too high for too long.  Expect many of us have that happen on occasion and blame the internet connection.

You say that, but there are often complaints, even in this thread, that such and such ISP providers fiber connection is bad yet another post will praise the same ISP. In many rural areas the fiber connection is only to the nearest microwave or satellite link, and depending on how many subscribers that shared link can just get overloaded. Where you live is certainly a factor to consider.

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3 hours ago, KittenKong said:

So choosing the right provider is important.

I think where you live is probably equally or possibly more important.

Coprolites

Since a couple of weeks back I've been getting an error message when looking for Windows updates.

When I first noticed it I was off on an overseas trip so left it until my return. However connected to the Internet in Johannesburg I got a Windows updates available message, so the issue isn't with my computer. Now I'm back home I've checked again and the problem still exists, that is unless I connect to my AIS MiFi, or use my TOT connection with the VPN. So the issue isn't with my computer, nor I guess with my router, but seemingly with my TOT connection.

Anyone have any ideas or found similar issues?

On 1/18/2019 at 1:10 PM, JulesMad said:

Please keep also the following in mind:
- surveillance camera's are increasing status...
- it means you have valuable things in your house (simply put: you are rich, and therefor worthwhile to rob)
- Are you living in a 'robbing' area?
- Do you really believe the police is going to catch a hooded thief from a vague picture at best?

Maybe it is better to invest that money in better locks and such...

That was my wife's reaction to the idea of adding a couple of security cameras, it just makes the house look more like a promising target, better to spend the money on making sure they can't get in.

23 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Windows 7 is like driving a Model T Ford. Get W10.

Nah, Windows 7 is a classic car, Windows 10 is some tacky new model full of air bags, kiddy locks, and beeping noises to tell to fasten your seat belt.

I moved SGD10,000 from Singapore to Thailand beginning of the month, yes TransferWise charged me SGD54.23 which is SGD24.23 more than my bank, but the difference in exchange rates meant I still came out a little over Bht4,000 better off. Using TransferWise the monies arrived the next day, usually via my bank it's the same day, but with the rate guaranteed there's no real issue.

Until someone suggests something better I'm sticking with TransferWise over SWIFT.

13 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Not keen on ever having to use the terminal a lot

It's very seldom that I need to use the terminal window, most things you need can be found via the Software Manager.

Our row of shophouses back on to the river, many of the units are multi-occupancy, mainly students from the nearby Hat Yai University. You might think they'd know better, but no, rather than take their bag of rubbish down to the street and leave it for collection, they just hoy it off the roof into the river or onto the bank. One of the reason we get rats and then snakes is the rubbish on the bank, there are daily rubbish collections so no excuse for dumping rubbish.

As for fly tipping in Hat Yai, it's endemic, there's builders rubble and household waste dumped on many vacant lots. The worst was after the 2010 flood, there were piles of spoiled furniture and ruined appliances everywhere in the city.

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41 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

To reduce the risk of explosions, Suwannachai recommended opting for helium instead. Helium is more expensive than hydrogen but far less flammable and less prone to leaks. 

Helium is an inert gas, it's not the slightest bit flammable.

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On 11/14/2018 at 12:23 PM, possum1931 said:

Shredless Marmalade

That's not Marmalade, that's orange jelly. What's the point, Marmalade is supposed to have shredded peel. If you don't like the bits as someone suggested have the girlfriend/wife pick them out for you.

Thung Song floods just about every year without fail, more often than not that includes the main north-south highway. It's a pity the monies made available every year for flood mitigation and defence are squandered on projects that are either fail to address the problems, or frequently never seem to start. Failure is two fold, firstly project selection, then crucially accountability. No one ever seems to check where the money went - Amazing Thailand.