sylver

she is just jealous for not looking as good as the others and that she can't get the attention of the lecturer.

Likely the disgruntled student wanted something that was beyond her "natural" ability, so she filed a complaint.

Wow, some of you guys have a problem. Blaming the victim, and speculating that she was the one at fault in this case, really is the pits.

The "victim"... Are you really this dumb?

You read a short newspaper article and decide you know everything there is to know about the situation. BS. The truth? All you know is that a female student (no name given)supposedly complained (but did not file a claim to the proper authorities) that a lecturer (no name given) gives better grades to attractive students, and makes inappropriate contacts with some other female students (none of whom confirmed that was the case).

What is the situation really? You don't **** know.

It could be that the student is correct and that the teacher is a leech. It could be that the student is just trying to find excuses for her own poor grades and lack of work. It could be that the student blackmailed the professor, was called on it and is following through. Or it could be that this is a slow news day and that the reporter decided to steer *** about a situation that doesn't actually exist (wouldn't be the first time).

Bottom line, there is insufficient data to make a judgment, so can it.

The US ran the printing press and punched out huge amounts of cash, then turned around and gave it all to the banks, no questions asked.

If Thailand runs the printing press and actually uses some part of it to help people who suffered from the floods and restart the industries damaged following the floods, they will come out far better than the US and most of our "civilized" countries.

I told someone over a week ago that it would not surprise me in the least of people outside of the protected areas of BKK finally get fed up with them being constantly flooded and losing everything, while precious BKK is kept safe and dry, and do something about it, like tearing down flood walls and dykes.

I wish no bad luck on anyone, and it is the poor who live in BKK who would suffer the most from BKK flooding. But maybe, just maybe, if the BKK elite and snobs finally get an idea of what so many other Thai have to deal with on a nearly yearly basis, then something will finally be done to take the necessary steps to correct this situation.

Let's face it, the government, and not just this one, but just about any of them, really don't have a clue as to what to do. Governments for the past 20 years have ignored the warnings from the experts and now it's coming back to haunt them. And in reality, the Army is in no better position to do anything other than restrict movement and protect what's already been put into place.

Until the real experts are brought in - and Thailand has them - and then actually LISTENED TO, and their advice followed, things are not going to change. More than one has basically said, "Open the gates, take down the temporary barriers and Let The Water Flow!" Yes, it will flood BKK for a while, but it will be much less than what it will be if they continue to try and block/divert it, and it will be over with for everyone much quicker.

I've heard people say in the "other" paper things such as: "I don't care about what happens in the provinces, Bangkok must be saved at all costs! Bangkok IS Thailand!". These people really need to come down from their penthouse, or out of their mansion, and get a look at the real world. They fail to realize that without the provinces, without the food and work force that comes from those provinces, Bangkok could not survive. Bangkok is Bangkok, it is NOT Thailand.

Dear 1voice

I think I know you from "that other newspaper" and I recall amny very sensible posts there from your side.

This is why I am very surprised to read posts like this from you.

I am all on your side in the analysis of more than the current government making heaps of mistakes (adding to corruptiom, neglecting laws of nature and physics, "mai pen rai" etc), that were leading up to this point.

And NO, Bangkok is not Thailand.

But if I am not mistaken, 25% of the Thai population work here, 40% of the money in all of Thailand is accumulated here (industry, business).

I really have a problem seein, what a capitol, submerged in 1,5 meter of stinking contaminated water for 4 to 6 weeks, will actually gain for Thailand?!

If Bangkok comes to a standstill, it is "back to the stoneage" for Thailand. It will hurt EVERYBODY. The people who are suffering now, will suffer even more, because cleaning up a mess in Ayutthaya may take weeks...imagine devastation on a scale like that in Bangkok.

I am all for "Bangkok has to take one for the team", but tearing down floodwalls and allowing water to freely flow into the city? Submerging it for days or weeks? No way, that should be allowed. t would be a disaster of EPIC proportions and no SOE or Royal decree or whatever would help here.

I feel for eveyone, having lost homes or jobs and I think I have not even the slightest idea, how bad it is "out there"...but adding another few millions to that suffering? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me!

Mostly because you have the wrong picture.

I live in Chiang Mai, near the river, so my place was flooded with 1.5 m of water at most (my area is below street level and below river level - worst case scenario). It took 4 days for the water to disappear completely (the top meter of water disappeared by flowing, the rest mostly went into the ground).

Why only 4 days? simple: no dikes were built just below me, so water just flowed. It came in and it went out. Damage: computer, fridge, car and motorbike (All of which would have been prevented with a 1 day advance warning).

Some reflexions:

1. 4-6 weeks for the water to evacuate. This is a misrepresentation of the situation: if the water flows, each individual area would be flooded for 4 days at most, so we are not talking about "Bangkok under water for 4-6 weeks", we are talking about each area having to deal with a couple days of flooding. More for some areas, less for others. Concentrating the pumps to the non flowing areas would render

2. Depth: Most areas would suffer from a few cm of water, not 1.5 m. The main reason why the water is high above Bangkok is that it was prevented from flowing, forcing the water to accumulate. If it weren't for those stupid flood barriers the whole situation would have been over about a week ago.

Either way, allowing the water to flow through Bangkok would spread it on a much larger surface, meaning the depth of the water would be much lower. Probably knee deep at worst.

The government is worried about locals destroying the flood barriers, They should be worried about having those stupid flood barriers in the first place.

And for all the idiots clamoring for a state of emergency... Are you really that keen to have your freedoms removed? What would a state of emergency do that can't be done right now?

If "ease of getting electricity" and "ease of starting a business" are weighted similarly, the whole thing is a piece of trash.

In Thailand, the survey should be split down between the ease of doing business for Thai nationals and for Foreigners. For Thais, it looks like doing business is reasonably easy. For foreigners, it's a *** mess.

They could not airlift other supplies. Suggestion that they should airlift the new boots got ridiculed by the government fan-boys. Can we hear the rationale now?

New boots? What the hell for? How are 40 cm high boots going to help you with floods over a meter high?

My house got flooded (in CM, near the river). New boots has to be the last thing on the list of things needed.

What a pathetic excuse to say "Not get a fair trial because of racism" in Australia, Factually incorrect and their lawyer must be desperate or else he knows something about the Thai judiciary I dont know.. ? Yes Im sure he does, Another reason why NO government from the "developed world" should allow a foriegner to be extradited to Thailand for a "trial"

Out of curiosity, would you want to be tried in Thailand for murder of a Thai man? Or would you prefer to be tried back home?

Do you think you would get a fair trial in Thailand, as a farang accused of murdering a Thai? I think the concern about not getting a fair trial in a foreign country is a valid one.

That said, extradition should proceed in my opinion, because Australia is where the evidences are, and while they are innocent until proven guilty, proving them guilty should be given a fair chance. What kind of investigation could be done in Thailand for a murder in Australia? And the victim's family shouldn't be forced to fly to Thailand to seek justice for a crime committed in Australia

Quick question: If you were in Thaksin's position, how many of you would accept to serve the jail sentence?

Or, let's rephrase that. How many of you would accept a judgment from a court convened at your worst enemy's orders and where judges and jury have been appointed by people who hate your guts?

...You read it the same as I did at first but re-read it and the Russian had his own passport. And with the smell of alcohol he probably was pretty drunk.

That means nothing. At all.

Most likely, the Russian guy rented a bike for one of these guys. They would have the passport, wouldn't they? So after they beat the guy up they put the passport back on him and that's the whole trick.

The typical scam is that the guy comes back, the rental guys complain about fake damages and ask for payment. They hold the passport hostage. The guy refuses to pay, they beat him up and call the police. The guy is out, so he can't say anything, and even if he could, the police would probably not understand him.

Here, these guys are trying to make us believe that some drunk russian guy managed to spill gas on their bikes AND on himself, pulled out a lighter, and then that they were able to prevent him from sparkling a flame? They supposedly couldn't stop this drunk guy to walk with a large canister of gas (has to be heavy to contain enough gas) and pour it over their bikes & on himself, but they were able to snatch the lighter at the last minute? Who the *** do these guys think they are kidding?

...

As well as incorrectly saying theres no freelance visa, they also totally contradict what other depts say about work permits for online consulting.

http://www.phuketgaz...ils.asp?id=1175

"Doing business online is considered a type of work, so foreigners are required to have a work permit to do so"

Somkiat Baiadul, an officer at the work permit division of the Phuket Department of Employment

"If we find out that a foreigner is doing business online without a work permit, we will arrest them and take legal action through the court."

Pol Col Panuwat Ruamrak, Superintendent of Phuket Immigration

Left hand.. Meet right hand..

The worst part of it is that they are BOTH right according to the law.

The definition of work is all inclusive and encompass all human activities. Tying your own shoes is an obvious application of skill and as such can be deemed to be work within the official definition of work. "Of course", no one would be arrested for tying his shoes... because application of the law is left to the common sense of the person enforcing the law. Applying the law to the letter would find EVERY foreigner in Thailand to be working. On holidays and playing a round of Golf? Guilty. Driving a rented car? Guilty. Negotiating the price of a shirt? Guilty.

In other words, the law is what the officer in front of you thinks it is. Therefore, both are entirely correct. They couldn't possibly be wrong since their own common sense is the standard used to determine whether or not you are violating the law. If a labor department official deems you to be guilty, you are guilty. If he deems you to be innocent, you are innocent... until you meet another official who thinks you are guilty.

This law is a joke and will remain a joke until they actually figure out what is really authorized and what isn't, and write down the darn thing in specific terms that do not provide unlimited powers to officials in charge...

I don't think that you can count the entire 36.4% of PTP vorets actually being "we want Thaksin back" voters. Most would be though

No. But the point was, that those that don't vote for PTP most likely don't want Thaksin back either.

So, AT A MAXIMUM, 36.4% want Thaksin back. Certainly not a majority (not that the reds know what a majority means).

Really? So you must mean that the only possible reason someone does not vote for PTP is that they do not want Thaksin back?

And what does it say about the Democrats, then?

Thaksin raises a major issue here: institutionalized corruption of the police, and regardless of anything else, I think this is one nail he is hitting square on the head:

Police salaries are too low for policemen to actually survive with a family. A Thai policeman earns THB 6,000 per month, in Bangkok. And he must pay for his equipment, if I recall it correctly. If he wishes to move up the ranks, he must pay for the position, which of course is impossible on THB 6,000 per month. (for reference, the post of chief of police in Mae Sai used to cost THB 10 millions - Mae Sai is the small border town that controls traffic between Thailand and Myanmar)

Take the example of a good police officer. Joined the force to help people, protect and serve, etc. There he, is with his THB 6,000 in his pocket. While he is busy doing his job and living a life of privation and abstinence, his colleages all drive cars, party and earn many times over what he is making. His boss, his boss' boss and his boss' boss' boss all paid their position using money extorted through the usual practices. The "big boss" is a rich kid whose parents bought the position because they figure having a high ranking police official would be a good thing. Police stations are running using bribes collected from the various illegal activities that occur in their area.

Not only that, but at regular intervals, his boss will ask for their share of the extortion they expect him to do and if he stayed clean, he certainly won't have the money.

How long is our good police officer going to stay "good"? How long before he joins in or ends up in a ditch somewhere?

Corruption can not be eradicated if corruption is the only way to survive. The system has to change. Promotions and positions have to be awarded on merit alone. Salaries have to be brought to a level where a policeman can lead a reasonable life without having to turn to a life of crime.

Thaksin has a valid point. Do I trust Thaksin to make these changes? I would have to see it before I believe it, but one thing is for sure, I don't trust the current elite to even try.

36,000,000 baht.

28 years.

1,285,000 per year.

107,000 per month.

From 50,000 per month salary?

If he was a cop, that would make sense.

However there is also the issue of the other people killed, so I guess they also figure in the equation somewhere.

Personally, I find this pretty disgusting. It was an accident. Sure the driver at fault should take responsibility, but this is just greedy.

Why don't they grow some balls ( the government ) and kick them out of the force, not just transfer them so they can start somewhere else.

The government are so weak it's like a comedy show.

Proper way of handling things is to sack these corrupted folks. Transferring them is to save them face.

Really? Do you think that's the proper way to handle corrupt police officers? What about jail time? These guys are typically more criminals than the people they arrest.

keep it up Thaksin,

EC is watching a 5 year banned politician campaigning for Phua Thai

if you were to win, the party will be dissolved because of you and you will have hung yourself with your own rope.................

That is exactly what I thought

How can a banned politician be making these kind of statements

The why is easy - his real thought process is "me me me me ......"

Thaksin was a legally elected PM taken out by force by the army. Then he was "banned". No offense, but given the circumstances, he is perfectly within his rights to continue campaigning. He didn't give up and he ought to get some credit for that.

Bye bye PTP

Not only will the lose the coming election IMO

After the election - PTP go bye bye - disolved

That's an interesting line, especially considering that the democrat party committed similar crimes, was found guilty and was not dissolved thank to a technicality.

If PTP is dissolved again, things will probably get messier than they should. And let's be fair, they have cause.

"Also, we have to act fast on projects to help drought victims."

Can someone explain this sentence to me? It's been pouring rain like never before 2 months before the usual start of the rainy season. Most of the South has been flooded. And they are worried about drought victims.

Am I missing something?

more vote buying!

The Cabinet also approved Bt212 million proposed by the Interior Ministry to renovate Udon Thani municipality office, which was damaged during last year's red-shirt protests

Thai peoples tax money being spent to repair the red revolutionaries efforts to bring down the legitimate government

212 million would have built a provincial hospital to help the poor families the reds claim to be trying to help

shame on you Reds for this example of your destruction and for every other cost you have needlessly incurred the Thai people by your senseless pursuit of the fugitive criminal Thaksin's doctrine ..........

I seem to remember rather a large sum of money had to be spent on repairing Government House after the yellow shirts ransacked it during their occupation.

The part I enjoy is the amount approved for this specific task. Bt212 Millions? That should be enough money to build that office from scratch 50 times over! Including the land it sits on.

And who is going to pocket the difference between the actual costs of repair and this lofty amount, I wonder? Oh, probably someone in Udon Thani...

I wonder why do they bother to to itemize these items. Why not simply call them kickbacks and be done with it. Bt66Bn in bribes and vote buying items. 10 times the fortune of a certain red leader. Someone wants to win this election me thinks.

It is good that these people have got their rightful status back.

But the juvenile behavior of the MP.s who went off for a drink with their mates or whatever and didnt attend to finish business is pretty disgusting.

Dont they realise that being an MP is a job and they should do the work associated with that job?

If they worked for a company and skived off the job they would be sacked pretty quick.

Needs to be a system of yellow cards, as per football, where one transgrassion, not attending the house when they should, gets a yellow and their pay is docked for the time they are not present.

A second gets a red card (possibly PTP will all want a red) with a months pay deducted.

Either that or the whips really need to be given a whip to keep their charges in line.

And as for "Your Excellencies" not a lot thats excellent about most of them.

Most MPs in most "civilized" countries don't actually read the bills they vote on, and they don't really show up. Just look at the votes on all but the most popular bills and you find out that there is really only 20-30 MPs doing their job.

As another poster says, car rental is ABSOLUTELY the way to go in Phuket. It's a bit expensive if your idea of holidays is to stay at the same beach everyday, but if you like to move around and go to the less touristy places, it's cheaper than taxi, it's available when you need it, it gives you a place to store your valuables (theft is not very common in Thailand. For some reason, Thais prefer to extort money by force or threaten, theft is surprisingly rare) and it saves you from ever having to talk with the criminals who prass off as taxi drivers.

That last bit alone is worth the daily rental rates Being able to tell taxi touts to f... off and not depend on them for anything. If money is an issue, get a motorcycle.

One thing that bugs me is that the thieve was not arrested. To withdraw the money so fast, he had to do so at a local ATM.

The transaction should be easy to track and it should be easy to see on the ATM's camera who did the transaction. Given a picture of the guy as well as his exact location a few hours earlier, it shouldn't be too hard for any competent cop to identify and arrest the culprit.

Oh, wait... I think I see the problem.

He waited for more than one week before reporting the case to the authorities. While he was informing his bank after returning to his hotel.

Authority stands here for Police and Bank stands for Bank. Not so stupid after all. But one needs to be not too stupid to read.

If that's really what this is, someone is REALLY stupid and it's not the reader. He calls the bank to report the problem, finds out he got ripped off by 200K, then waits one week before reporting the matter to the police?

That doesn't make any *** sense.

For the withdrawal upper limit, 200K is the upper limit for most Thai banks on Thai cards held by foreigners (needs to be requested). And there are a lot of people who wouldn't put up with a £300 a day max.

Question: I can't seem to find recent report of red stamps in Vientienne.

Are they still being distributed? Has anyone received a red stamp from Vientienne on account of the number of back-to-back TR visas in December?

I think an important factor will be whether or not the tourism industry will have recovered by then. According to yesterday's Chiang Mai Mail, Chiang Mai alone reports 700,000 tourists less than the previous year and that figure is expected to reach a million by the end of the year. A strong clamp down is certainly not going to help.

Genuine tourists will not be affected by this clampdown, as such it will have little effect on the tourism industry as a whole.

That's a very short view. Try thinking about all the consequences.

1. Many of these "not-a-tourist" bring income from overseas which they spend in the country. Tourists they may not be, but their 1000 bahts bills are just as grey as everyone else's. As "farangs", they also tend to use tourist facilities a lot more than average thais do. For instance, how many travel by plane a couple times per month or more and stay in hotels very regularly? I know I do.

Economically speaking, the footprint of the "not-a-tourist" is actually more positive than that of a "genuine tourist".

2. When people turned away from the country and have their visa rejected, do you think it ends there? What kind of press and word of mouth is generated? Do you realize how much long distance tourism relies on word of mouth? People go to Thailand because they have heard it's great or they know someone who went there and loved it, but most of them would barely able to place it on the map otherwise. Now, turn loose several thousands of disgruntled "non-tourists". What kind of word of mouth are you starting? "Thailand's happy days are over."

...

Look at the larger picture. Tourism is a competitive industry. To the traveller, there are thousands of places vying to capture a slice of that tourist pie. Do you think you can turn away thousands or even tens of thousands of people and not affect the tourist industry... dream on.

Looking and the word “may” in the red stamp, and in conjunction with the announcement posted on the websites of some Thai consulates, this is my interpretation:

1. The consulate gives you the red stamp because it suspects that you are working illegally in Thailand.

2. With “may not accept the application next time” the consulate is telling you that next time you apply for a tourist visa in Vientiane you better have some convincing proof that you are a genuine tourist.

...

--

Maestro

In the last few year, the most interaction I have witnessed with immigration officials in Vientiane was limited to waiting in line, handing paperwork and getting a receipt. There was never time for more, and occasionally, the immigration office closes before people ever get a chance to reach the window. (happened to me once. window closed after 3 hours of wait in the sun and told to come back on the next day). There are about 420 applications submitted each day between 8:30 and 12 am. That means 120 applications per hour, or 2 applications per minute. (I rounded the numbers, but they are pretty realist).

So, there is barely time enough to give your paper and for the official to confirm you have given all that was needed. Unless they double the immigration staff and set up additional facilities, and/or increase opening hours very significantly, practically speaking, they won't be able to handle the flow of people attempting to prove that they are not working (which is virtually impossible. How would you go about proving that you aren't working? Do you have constant footage of your activities while in the kingdom? The best you could do would be to disclose your oversea income sources, but that wouldn't be proof of not working).

If it was limited to a few cases, it might be possible to get private interviews and explain the situation. But with a large number of people having their applications red stamped, I doubt they will be able to provide a decent review process.

All in all, while I would much prefer your interpretation over mine, I don't think it is too realistic.

If I can venture a guess at what is going to happen, some people with red stamp will just up and go for good, some will arrange a different type of visa one way or another (I predict a lot of people will go for the 3 years business visa, married people will push through their non-O, people will set up more fake companies for visa purposes) and a large group will simply wait and see, and try for a new tourist visa in spite of the red stamp. At that point 6 months will have gone by and the Thai government will have to decide if they are going to hold the course or if their real objective has been reached. I think an important factor will be whether or not the tourism industry will have recovered by then. According to yesterday's Chiang Mai Mail, Chiang Mai alone reports 700,000 tourists less than the previous year and that figure is expected to reach a million by the end of the year. A strong clamp down is certainly not going to help.

Sylver.

Most of your posts contain wrong information and seem to be designed purely to wind members up.

If you just want to argue I suggest you visit the Pub Forum.

This is a serious forum in which we try to help people out with facts and information.

You are more than welcome here if you have anything of a factual nature to offer.

Thank You.

What wrong information have I provided?

A couple members stated that I had it wrong about the non-immigrant O visa (marriage) requiring a proof of funds and that I was confusing the non-immigrant O visa requirements with that of the extension for the same visa.

The official website of the Thai embassy of Singapore states: "Required documents are... 7. Bank Statement (at least 400,000 Baht)" (http://www.thaiembassy.sg/consular-visa-ma...a-o-thai-spouse)

My understanding of this is that there is indeed a financial requirement for a marriage visa, and that all I said originally.

What else was I supposedly "wrong" about? My interpretation of the Human Rights and how it would apply to the subject of immigration? I have provided a rather clear explanation of what I thought, and I was interested in discussing this point. It turns out that this was the wrong forum to have such a discussion (yes, I was wrong about that). It does not make my points or information wrong.

My interpretation of the text of the red stamp? That was just English. If the stamp doesn't mean what it says, then do tell. I would be happy to know what this stamp really means. Is it some sort of code or a historical reference?

Anyway, I have already provided all the facts I have about my recent visa trip to Vientiane, and if that's all this forum will permit, then I will take my leave, I have nothing to add.

getting off topic again but no a warning stamp at one consulate does not mean denial at other consulates. Penang issued these warnings for years and no problem to go to another consulate like KL, Khota Baru or Ventiane

Correct... I had one red stamp from Penang in 2006, and I had my next TV from Vientiane without trouble three months later.

What was the text on your red stamp? Was it the same text as the current red stamp delivered in Vientiane?

The text of the current red stamp says what it says.

If it is "same ol', same ol'", then I fail to understand why there are over 50 pages of discussion on various forums.

...

I considered those definitions, and I am debating your points on their lack of merit. The fact remains, at this point no one has reported being denied a visa, only being issued the additional red stamp. And even if one does have a visa application denied, they can gain entry by "visa exempt" or "visa on arrival" status, or apply for a visa at another location.

...

"Only being issued an additionnal red stamp". The red stamp states that you may not obtain further tourist visas. Meaning, that your future applications are denied in advance, in this location or others. You may speculate that they don't mean what they wrote, but as of right now, it's what it says. Your future tourist visa applications are denied.

That you can gain entry through visa on arrival if your visa application has been denied is speculation on your part.