Johpa

Yes indeed. The timing of his signed approval added with all the associated paperwork could prove his undoing.

Sure, just like the paper trail to those who took national park land on Koh Phi Phi and then built their private resorts. Or how about the paper trail on the public lands at Nai Harn on Phuket that became the private lands of a well known MP. Or how about the paper trail on the public land in Mae Rim that became the Four Seasons Resort up in Chiang Mai, the public lands developed privately at Op Luang Gorge, the public lands in Sankhampeng that became Shinawat family lands after the local school head who protested the encroachment was shot in the head. And these are only well known cases and do not include the public lands in my local village that now house a banker and his little resort and countless other cases of paper trails leading to land fraud.

Little will happen to any Shinawat, it is all just smoke and mirrors. So a different clique within the old boys network of the Thai elite now gets the control of the largest piece of the pie. For those who understand Thailand, nothing has changed. What us outsiders think of it all is of no consequence. Get over the coup. If you stay around long enough it won't be the last one. Just be thankful it was bloodless. As for those upset or those who see it as a step backwards for Thailand, perhaps Thailand is not really for you.

My wife is has a very close relationship to her mother and father. They take care of her and worry about her, and vice versa. But no hugging or kissing, in public or private. She has told me that they didn't hug her once she was past toddlerhood. Just the way they do it I guess, or at least some families here.

My inlaws are very close to each other apart from when they are having a spat, and at least one of the ten siblings is temporaily on the outs at any one time. But although there is not alot of outward displays of affection, certainly never in public outside the home, they will spend hours upon hours for days on end with each other talking into the wee hours when meeting after long separations. There is no lack of affection, it is just displayed differently.

Just one example:

The Montri Hotel is newly remodeled and located right at Thaphae Gate in the old city in the middle of the tourist district and is clean, convienient, has air-con, free wi-fi in rooms and cable TV for 750 per night.

They have rooms for many dates at:.......

Yea, they use to have lots of dates just sitting around in the lobby.

Democracy is two wolves and a sheep, voting on what to eat for dinner...

Liberty is a well armed sheep contesting the vote. - Thomas Jefferson

Actually attributed more often to Ben Franklin.

Pizza Hut, KFC, Burger King, Subways, etc? Freaking pathetic if you ask me. Why are you folks even bothering to live in Thailand?

You know Johpa, when I didnt live in Thailand, I also could not understand how these companies could even exist considering how cheap, plentiful and good the local Thai food scene is.

But when you have had Thai and Muang food for almost every single meal over 5 years, you sometimes want to intersperse it with something else - not for the quality, but for the sake of variety.

What word should we use for someone who resurrects a year old thread?

My original caustic comment should only be read within the context of the preceeding comments at the time. I have no problems eating western food on occasion when in-country. I would rather go to the Stube for western food than to a fast food estabishment, but I have taken the kids to McDonalds and other such outlets when in town at the shopping malls.

if they really rate Chaweng beach as a quality 4star beach.....dear oooh dear......my own little 1sq.mtre garden beach in austria must be AT LEAST 10 stars.....what a crap study that is....Chaweng never ever even 1 star...

my 2baht

Agree with you about Chaweng

Hey not true, 20+ years ago Chaweng was 5 star.

Agreed. Its about time this country started sending out some positive messages to investors, instead of the nationalistic cant spouted out to appease uneducated simpletons.

I miss Carlsberg.

Yea, who needs colonies when you can convince small countries like Thailand to open their "markets". We all know how countries like the US and the UK, and their associated simpletons, grew without the need for any protectionist legislation. It is just so much cleaner to let the corporations do the colonizing.

Chaiyo to all you neo-sahibs

He said the new government – installed after a military coup ousted Mr Thaksin in September – aimed to restore investor confidence by making the rules more explicit, though he offered no further details

Errr? I don't have an MBA, but I don't think a coup inspires investor confidence.

I think you wrong, the military coup in Latin amricas (Stroessner, Videla, Pinocher .... all the good guys backed by CIA) were followed by huge investements from 'friendly' '''''''foreign''''' companies (read US companies).

So yes a coup can inspires investor confidence , in some cases.

In these coups and many like them, investor confidence is but a euphemism for large western based mulitnational corporations to maximize the profits they can take out of the target country while leaving the least amount of money in the local coffers, which is why, as a later poster noted, you do not see many economic powerhouses in Latin America. Investor confidence does not always bode well for the citizens of a country, even a country like Thailand.

If dad is English/American/Ozzie/Canuck etc and mom is Thai, it's pretty well a given that the kids will be 100% bilingual, i.e. dad speaks English at home and they go to int'l school or some school that teaches English at a respectable level. Naturally Thai will be their first lingo due to environment.

It is never a given that the kids will become bilingual as it does take some commitment by the parents, especially the parent of the non-dominant language. But it is quite normal for kids to have a "mother-tongue" spoken in the home and a "native-tongue" spoken outside the home with their peers.

But there is nothing wrong with exposing kids to a third language. If you are really serious, try to find an immersion school in Mandarin. I have been amazed at the language proficiency of young kids who were entered into some of the elementary school Spanish immersion programs here in the US. Save the English language International Schools for high school.

The previous regime here in LOS was a minor sponsor of this

regime.

Current regime has not made any great waves (I've read that

they want to continue the existing relationship).

The major sponsor is of course a "country" I think you are

familiar with.

Do you really think that a trickle of farang tourists is as

important to these oligarchs as the financial support of

the empire to the north ?

It has been more than just the previous regime that worked hand in hand with the wackos in Burma. There has been an unending line of Thai generals who have for the past several decades backed the military in Rangoon in return for commercial favors, Chawalit being one name that leaps to mind. Some of us remember when the Thai military allowed the Burmese military to deploy on Thai soil in order to brutally attack refugee camps along the border.

But yes, there is an interesting Chinese business relationship between Beijing and Singapore that bankrolls the regime in Burma/Myamar. Burma may very well become the next Tibet if the investments are threatened.

Meanwhile, activists in the US are launching a new public awareness campaign, "3000

Villages Campaign" which is meant to confront the United Nations over its lack of action on (or even, until this week, acknowledgement of) the destruction of over 3000 villages in Eastern Burma during the past ten years.

Here is a link to their website: http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/home.html

Sure are a lot of the newer generation of ex-pats who can't handle a traditional Thai WC without bringing along some TP or would probably, the guys at least, not know how to correctly tie a phakamaa. And judging from this thread and some other recent threads, the ways and correct manners of usage of a traditional Thai commode remain a mystery to many on these boards.

Perhaps just as well?

Squatting doesn't seem very conducive to reading the newspaper. And forget abouot doing the crossword.

I have read many a newspaper quite comfortably whilst using the traditional Thai commode in my home. But methinks that reading a newspaper in the WC is not a Thai cultural trait.

Sure are a lot of the newer generation of ex-pats who can't handle a traditional Thai WC without bringing along some TP or would probably, the guys at least, not know how to correctly tie a phakamaa. And judging from this thread and some other recent threads, the ways and correct manners of usage of a traditional Thai commode remain a mystery to many on these boards. Needless to say, knowing such mysteries removes the need to travel with TP in hand. Yet trust me fellows, squatting in and of itself, without further action taken, as suggested on this thread, is not recommended.

But to return on topic, they even drink bottled water these days in many rural villages where correct commode behavior remains common knowledge.

Excellent post Rikker! It should be pinned to the board, mod please take note.

400 mil. to build 200 toilets that comes to 2 mil per toilet, that seems overpriced unless the fixtures are all imported, and toilet standard are the same as a five star hotel

To complete within 45 days? I doubt it

Oh, I bet this was all planned out years ago, sort of like the road contractors disappearing after only finishing half the job thus causing an even newer contract to be issued to finish it all. Of course it is alot easier to finish a road than to install a major plumbing upgrade to an existing structure. It wll be interesting to see if there is actually some pre-installed infrastucture for the "new" loos or whether they are going to have to break open the floors to install new plumbing.

Either way, one can only say, Chaiyo!

Just out of curiosity as I hope to be visiting in town again this summer, are there still any of the Jook (congee) shops still open in the AM? Always found them to be one of the best AM breakfast stops when not stopping to meet old friends (many of whom have now passed away) at the Stube.

Most of detained North Koreans wish to go to South Korea

.....The report came as Thai authorities were scrambling to contain further damages from the mass arrest that put Thailand in bad light among the international community who see the plight of the "displaced" North Koreans as a humanitarian issue, not a matter of law and order. Moon said.

The Nation

Meanwhile the same international community has no issues with the plight of hundreds of thousands of displaced refugees from Burma living in squalid border camps who flee into Thailand to escape the continued ethnic cleansing pogroms taking place in Burma by the psychotic Burman government that has the support of both Beijing and its vassal state in Bangkok.

Rural youths are virtually feral. They have less in common with us as they do with the animals in the forest.

Having said that they bear their inhibitions lightly. They don't agonise about sex and feel compelled to hyper-analyse it via GQ, Equire or Marie Claire.

They just get on with shagging. Shagging here, shagging there, shagging shagging everywhere. They love it, they're little root rats. Of course pregnancy ensues to their consternation.

They need discipline, but their parents are totally unequipped to give any as they are cut of the same cloth.

Uh, I think you are confusing rural Thai youths with the most common type of Caucasian ex-pat to be found in the Kingdom of Thailand.

If you said it ฉันโง่ไม่พอที่จะหลงกลคุณ, does it strike anyone else as overly emphasizing the ฉันโง่ part? The basic meaning is ฉันไม่โง่, so I can understand why colloquially พอ is used ไม่+verb+พอ.

when it's said like ฉันโง่ไม่พอที่จะหลงกลคุณ, , it seems ,at least to a westerner , to imply that ones stupidness needs to be worked on ( i.e. wait until i'm more stupid , then your tricks will work , as opposed to you will need to improve your tricks before i will fall for them ) . it might work with a more positive adjective (clever , talented) , but not with a negative meaning such as stupid.

how the thai brain assimilates these nuances when listening to their language , i have no idea.

I confess that I have never heard such a phrase in Thai such as ฉันโง่ไม่พอ. And yes, I too would parse such a phrase as indicating the speaker wished to increase his stupidity.

In this particular instance, and I apologize for not having the ability to produce a Thai font (phim phasaa thai mai pen) the correct phrase, in my mind would be

chan mai ngoo thung khanat nan thii ca......

I've done a search but couldn't really find what I'm after so here goes.

1.) How do I use Phaw.. as in "it's not spicy enough!!"

Is it mai phet phaw or phet mai phaw, or are they both correct??

there are lots more to come!! I'm getting into it properly now, but every step forward there are ten more questions!!

The correct phrase would be phet mai phaw (not spicey enough)

Thai often combines a word with another associated (semantically) word to effect a negation. I am sure there is a long forgotten (by me that is) linguistic word for this type of construction. Other examples being mong mai hen (can't see) and kin mai long (can't eat it). Perhaps the most generic constructions would be verb + mai pen or verb + mai wai.

khap rot mai pen (I can't drive a car because I don't know how.)

khap rot mai wai (I can't drive a car at the moment due to some impairment, a phrase not heard often enough in LOS)

I've got to agree with meadish. I've seen the Haa Baht expression with big smile used plenty of times and it's always returned with a welcoming smile from the recipient.

Sort of like the old expression (inflation has caused its usage to cease) haa roi baat being accepted as the translation of "I love you" in Thai.

Just a joke folks, just a joke, but a joke that once played a part in an Internert libel case in the UK.

I hope they'll wisely and safely manage the surplus for some areas downstream with upcoming dry season and the seemingly inevitable yearly droughts.

I daresay that once storage capacity behind the dams hits 100% there is little in the way of management that is possible. At that point one only hopes they have enough sense to save the dams from bursting.

One hardly expects them to talk down their business.

They may be right, they may be wrong but they are not impartial observers.

If you believe what a property developer or a real estate agent is saying, anywhere in the world, then do I have a deal for you, prime Arizona waterfront beach property.

Yea, sure the link works, but it is no more authentic "hilltribe" silver than the "hilltribe" or "Karen" silver sold on Ebay. Find a silver shop anywhere in Thailand (or elsewhere as nobody really cares), have them make you some "ethnic" looking bracelets and voila, you have instant hilltribe silver.

Also, I thought the Mexican food at the 2005 Fourth of July party was okay, but I didn't write home to south Texas about it.

Too bad, years ago the 4th of July party was a blast with the Consulate flying in all-American foods (hot dogs and hamburgers), condiments, and beer. This was well before imported foods were readily available. The Consulate grounds were much larger then, just a big open yard inside the walls. Those in attendance were an odd-ball mix of free lance teachers, missionaries coming down from the hills who one rarely saw the remainder of the year in town, and Consulate staff, along with the upper reaches of Chiang Mai society including the Provincial governor, the heads of CMU and Phayap, and others who us free lance teachers and regular consulate staff employees would otherwise have no chance of rubbing elbows with. The funniest thing I remember was that the Consulate staff members who helped organized the event brought in many of the best known women from the few hostess bars catering to Farangs to help serve the food and drink to the assembled guests.

Very interesting. I also buy noodles when things are tight--and I thought I was being really smart!!

I must admit, I don't have to do it, but I do it as a sort of financial punishment for being extravagant. They are inexpensive and good.

Anybody know how nutritious they are?

Many years ago there was quite the local scandal in Bangkok when it was discovered that some noodle manufacturers were using used motor oil in the manufacturing process. Your nutritional mileage may vary.

Locally here in the US, I have a pal who owns a commercial laundry who swears by the napkin index, the number of napkins being washed through the laundry is the best local leading economic indicator he has seen, going up as confidence increases amongst the business community and quickly turning down in a slowing economy.

Yes, Chinese tourism will increase dramatically in the years to come but it will be package tourists and not the 'Quality tourist'.

LaoPo[/color]

The "package" tourist is perceived as part of the "quality" tourist group as the money they spend can be tightly controlled. The perceived problem with the "low-budget" independent tourist is not always the total "dollar" amount they spend as they often spend. over two months in-country, what the wealtheir tourist spends in one week, but the money the budget tourist spends is not controlled and can end up in anyone's hands, even some down trodden Isaan noodle shop owner.