BOS2BKK

I doubt there is a lot of opium being grown in that area now. Besides, it seems to be rather out of the way of transhipment points (i.e. between Myanmar and Thailand).

^^^^^ Right there, that is where you said it ^^^^^^ This is obviously not correct, because a major shipment of Meth being smuggled by Burmese was busted in Chiang Rai that same day. So I guess the smugglers don't think it is too far out of their way.

As for where I get my intel

I am an armchair expert drunken retiree who thinks the view from his Condo balcony in Pattaya/Chiang Mai is all of Thailand, so I just make it up, like every other poster right? Sometimes I am not at all surprised why people get thrown off balconies as often as they do here. I would love to take a ride in your Helicopter some time. Let me know the details so I can let it out.

Another armchair expert on the subject of opium production. Have you ever seen opium being grown? Did you know that it is very easy to spot opium from the air? You honestly think that these tribal people at Chiang Rai are morons don't you?

Burmese Wa Army guys came from Burma. Not Thailand. Can you even see the difference?

The other guy was saying opium. My reply was about opium and not crystal meth.

Yes. I did know it is easy to spot from the air. It's especially easy to spot from the ELINT suite of an MC130. I spent quite a bit of time working with poppy eradication teams. Where did you garner your expertise on opium smuggling may I ask that you feel qualified to call someone you don't know an armchair expert? Maybe you can PM me your address and we can explore the topic of your expertise in more detail?

Opium growing, and opium processing are two entirely different ventures. The golden triangle is not as legendary for growing it, as it is for being a central point for smuggling and processing. Yes, they probably did stop actually growing it there since the US Government, at the invitation of the Thai government runs a coordinated poppy eradication program.

My comment on meth bing smuggled through Chiang Rai was in reply to your statement Chiang Rai is not a transshipment point for smugglers. This is obviously an incorrect assumption as that very same day Burmese Meth smugglers were busted there. Well...at least that is my armchair expert opinion.

"expressed his appreciation to the Thai government for dispatching medical teams consisting of one pediatrician and one nurse to assist" .....surely this cant be right, poor writing or did they really only send two people ?

Maybe the Thais are crazy like Foxes. There are hundreds of thousands of displaced Japanese getting chunks of cash from the government to stay in temporary housing while they rebuild. If I were faced with free money for the near future, and the option of spending $3000 a month for an apartment in Japan, or $300 a month for an apartment in BKK while they rebuilt my office building....That is an easy A.

There used to be lots of opium on the hills of Chiang Rai.Do I have personal information about this - Yes! Used to see them back in the year 2000. That was 11 years ago - BT (before Taksin). Since then most of the opium came from across the border. Saw opium plant again only once (around 3 years ago) on the hands of someone in uniform near Doi Wawi. I doubt there is a lot of opium being grown in that area now. Besides, it seems to be rather out of the way of transhipment points (i.e. between Myanmar and Thailand).

One word comes to mind... opium. Lots of it.

Yeah...no opium in the golden triangle. What color is the sky in the universe you live in? The hill tribes have been processing opium for hundreds of years. Maybe it is less in your face, but it is still there, and now we have added Meth to the mix as well.

See another story the same day where they busted a couple of Burmese Wa army guys with over a million tabs of Meth in Chiang Rai. It is almost as if smugglers would want to AVOID popular transhipment points to allay suspicion.

Hey...maybe those guys had a buy scheduled with a couple of Yakuza who didn't show up?

I'm just surprised that there was $10,000 left in one of the backpacks by the time anyone got there.

That was 10K left after the tour guide, the villagers who helped the wounded man, and the BiB got a shot at it. I wonder how much was there before?

I have to agree with multiple previous posts. The head of a Yakuza family was not packing a pistol and a wad of cash around one of the worlds largest Opium processing hubs (and don't lets forget MethAmphetamine) to go take pictures of the stilt houses. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's a duck. This was a drug deal gone bad, or maybe the Thai guide knew nothing of their plan, realized they had a ton of cash and robbed them. One lived...oops... they were Yakuza....double oops....

Its funny how just about everyone on here chooses to be in Thailand, and most of them could easily go back to their own country or a number of other countries. But all they want to do is complain and moan and jump all over everything and everyone in Thailand. Geez, if you hate it so much...LEAVE! It is an entirely different culture, with different values, and the corruption is out in the open (as opposed to the countries where you come from, where the corruption is probably worse, but since it behind closed doors, no one seems to notice or care).

It would seem fairly obvious to anyone paying attention in the world that two high level drug gang members trekking through a remote area of the golden triangle are probably not after a picture of a temple or a monkey. And a 'tour guide' who is not only armed, but capable to taking down an armed Yakuza member is probably not the kind of guy who hangs around the airport in a tuk tuk. Sorry, but I have a hard time believing the 'tourist' was a really a victim of a psychotic tour guide with no patience and an itchy trigger finger. Regardless of if it was a hit, or just a reaction to a very heated situation with someone who was also armed, and may well have killed numerous people in his life for no good reason. Gang/mafia leaders are not well regarded for their patience and understanding when things don't go their way.

Seconded.

A silly excuse for killing someone. But how can they prove the guy was yakuza?

If you read the article first you would see it was reported to them by the Japanese Embassy.

Anyone who thinks there is not ALOT more to this story than is reported is kidding themselves. If the tour guide and the BIB left behind 10K in cash, how much was there before??? And the dead tourist was wearing a holster? Come on. This is too fishy, even for Thailand.

There is always the possibility this could be just what it is though too...Japanese men can be vile towards Thais, and Gangsters carrying guns to boot. I can see this guy pissing them off early, the whole situation going to hell and the Guide fearing for his life. I was once followed out of a bar, unbeknownst to my drunk ass, by a Russian mobster with a drawn gun. I offended him by dropping my beer bottle and it breaking on his shoes (I was pretty drunk) and seeing the bouncer headed my way I left before he had a chance to throw me out. Had I not walked out the door, and right into the next bar I may have wound up dead. I only found out about my brush with death when I arrived home a few hours later to find all my friends sitting vigil in our hotel, thinking I was face down in a dumpster somewhere.

My point it this. Gangsters are gangsters. The mentality pervades regardless of culture. These people consider themselves above the law to begin with, and then they mistake the Thai "mai pen rai" attitude as a license to do as they please.

No mate, Interpol and FBI being involved will make it harder for these guys to get off.

Most Americans are probably not aware, but in 2004 congress passed an expat felony bill. It was actually passed to address the gray area occupied by military contractors who, because of SOF agreements. could not be prosecuted locally, but because they were civilians were not subject to UCMJ... However the law is not limited to that use. It can be applied to anyone, for anything.

Anyway....

You can be prosecuted by the US federal government for any violation of a US felony with a minimum sentence of greater than one year REGARDLESS of where the crime occurred. So with the FBI involved, any US citizens can be prosecuted by the feds regardless of what they get away with Thailand.

Basically you have to be a good boy no matter where you are.

The Gripen is a first rate fighter, and trying to decry this will thought out comprehensive purchase initiative by comparing it to a low level corruption scandal like the GT200 is ridiculous. ... The Gripen purchase program is one of the most sensible decisions I have seen the Thai military make in the decade I have been following it. Like the wing commander said, they didn't just purchase the fighters, they purchased the airborne control aircraft, training, and maintenance as well. The Gripen is NATO STANAG, so it will wear any weapons package purchased from a NATO nation like the US or England, meaning they can arm it with their existing stock, and the biggest one, is the Swedes gave them training on the base technology, something the US and EU almost never do. This means the Thais can develop and expand the technology to suit their needs without having to depend on the good will of often fickle world powers. I applaud the Thais for this step towards independence.

Sorry, but the Gripen is not a "first rate fighter." The problems with it are many when compared to other available aircraft. However, it is a servicable fighter at a reasonable cost, so it may be a very solid choice for the Thai government.

The real threat to Thailand, in my opinion, is an increase in fighting in the south which could draw in Malaysia, and the Malaysian Air force, with both the SU-30 and F-18D would prove quite formidable to the Gripen. Without a conflict with Malaysia, though, the Gripen should do the job at a smaller cost than the newest incarnation of the F-16 or other options.

I am not sure where you are drawing your information on any of your points. First off, First rate, and absolute state of the art are not the same thing. Is the Gripen a fresh off the assembly line Raptor? No it isn't, but the Thais are a long way from that kind of a purchase. The Gripen is a reliable, well established multirole air superiority fighter, that is in front line service with a number of first world air forces, and has just undergone an extensive technology refit to bring it up to current standards. I am not sure what problems you are referring too. The SAAB had its share of the usual prototype issues that plague alot of new fighters, including the F18, but they were resolved 20 years and 3 variants ago.

It is absolutely a first rate MRCAC, and the Thais should be proud of their purchase. As for the Malays, You are not being objective. The upgrades made to the F/A18D models principally involve it's ground attack capabilities for the US Marines, which were not universally included in export models. (not sure what was or wasn't included in the Malaysian variant) As for the SU30 the Malaysians can barely keep them in the air, India has stopped supplying them with spare parts, and so has Russia. They did not buy an off the shelf version, instead piecing together components from whatever country would sell to them/give them a deal using the Indian licensed MK model as a base. You can not attribute directly the performance characteristics of the purebred Russian, or even the Indian knockoff.

In a war with Malaysia the Gripen is well matched in armament, speed, and climb rate to the Hornet and the Flanker. The Malay variant of the Flanker does have some maneuver advantage because it is a thrust vectoring aircraft, but like I said, the Malays did not anticipate the high maintenance burden of Soviet Era technology, are short of parts, and can barely keep them flying. All of these fighters are from the same era, and share much of the same level technology. With the exception of the Gripens new combat control and airborne early warning system. That is unique to the Saab. To my knowledge the Malays have no AWACS capability. And finally I didn't bring it up, because we are talking about the Gripen, let's not forget the Thais are still flying about 50 F-16s, most of which just received avionics upgrades.

If Thailand engaged in an air war with Malaysia it would surely be a battle of pilot skill not equipment superiority.

I am really at a loss as to why the purchase of a dozen new aircraft to replace an aging fleet of F5's has caused such a stir. Is it because they didn't "Buy American"?

Finally. The current insurgency in southern Thailand may well be supported by Malaysia, but it is hardly going to break into a full scale war. The Thais and Malays both participate in the Joint CARAT exercise with the US Navy every year. The Thais will more likely tangle with the Cambodians or the Vietnamese long before anything happens with the Malays, I am not sure what scenario you are envisioning where Malaysia and Thailand are in a full scale war without third party involvement. I would like to hear it though. I am always interested in a viewpoint I may not have considered. You can be certain of one thing. If Thailand goes to war at anything larger than border skirmish level, the US will be there.

36,000,000 baht.

28 years.

1,285,000 per year.

107,000 per month.

From 50,000 per month salary?

Maybe annual pay rises are factored in.

Do you still get paid the same salary as you were 28 years ago?

OK. I suppose it depends on how the money is paid to them, then. Not that I expect any, or that much, will be paid anyway.

edit: after some calcs ... if he were to get a 5% salary increase every year, he would only earn 35 mil baht. Are they suggesting that he gave all his salary to them?

Did it occur to anybody they may have factored in things like burial and legal fees, a temple donation, taxes, and with a public windfall like that in Thailand, the inevitable bribes/honorarium that will have to be payed to someone for something???

It is always vulgar trying to put a cash value on a human life, unfortunately the family wasn't given a choice. That decision was made for them by an unlicensed 16YO girl who thought the rules didn't apply to her.

This intro about the Gripen is made to sound good, and I suppose if Thailand does need the said aircraft (and can afford them, AND IT SAID THEY CAN) then by all means use them to train up your pilots. But this package has much more thought than the AIRCRAFT carrier-and the SUBMARINE buying, those two decisions, were in the least ridiculous, you could have bought 12 Gripen-OR better health care, Even Updating DON MUANG BKK second airport HUB, so not even spending the monies allocated on updating Swampy.

Concur - air supremacy wins most battes, not subs or tanks - we only have to see what is happening in Libya for results oriented as well as the Iraq forced submission. A few well armed aircraft make mincemeat of any ground or sea threat, far less man power and far less expensive to maintain.

Any country with as much coastline relative to it's landmass as Thailand is wise to invest in it's Navy. I will agree the aircraft carrier was a bit of a shortsighted purchase.

That said, if you have ever spent a minute in Thailand, you will know that long term thinking and sound judgement on purchases is not a Thai cultural strength.

Some old man was drunk at a bar and felt snubbed when his neighbor talked about his new DVD player....I mean some MP was probably at a conference and felt like he lost face when some other country talked about Aircraft carriers...so he convinced his wife to ship all his daughters off to the gogo bars...I mean he convinced Parliament of the value of raising revenue.... until the family could afford a DVD player...I mean the nation could afford an aircraft carrier....

The Thai people are lost if they are not trying to keep up with the Jones'. Aircraft Carriers and Subs are the Parliamentary equivalent of the iPhone and Toyota Hilux.

Why don't you ask the pilots of the US Orion's and Vikings, the British Nimrods, or Russian Bears. They will be readily acknowledged as far more of a threat to a sub than even another sub, because quite simply the sub is absolutely no threat to them. They can drop sonar Buoys without even attempting to hide their position, actively seek a subs location, and direct Naval assets, or yes...I hate to break it to you... some aircraft are still equipped to drop torpedoes.

First, thank you for comments on the Gripen... which I didn't comment on, but still your comments on it were worthwhile.

As for the above submarine comments, IMHO, you got a couple things wrong. The biggest detection threat to a sub is another sub. By a wide margin.

Regarding aircraft detection of subs, even though they are the best in the world at sub detection, the P-3 Orion is still not very good at it. Yes, thee can actively seek all they want, but rarely will thee find. They other aspect is that the only country in SE Asia that has the P-3's.... is Thailand.

As for air-launched anti-submarine torpedoes, see the preceding post.

I am glad we agree on the Gripen purchase, thank you. I don't want to get too far off topic, but I do I do have to defend myself on the "Wrong by a wide margin point" Aircraft are the bane of a subs existence. Not necessarily because they can make mincemeat of it, as one poster questioned, but simply because they are so dissimilar. A subs value lies in it's stealthiness. Sub on Sub fights are a battle of who gets detected first. Like the bear hunting dogs used in Russia, the dog is no threat to the bear, but the dog forces the bear into a reactive posture, allowing the hunter to gain the upper hand. Aircraft work on the same principal, since they don't need to maintain secrecy of location they are able to actively seek a subs location. The security guard doesn't have to ever be aware of a burglar, but the sight of the approaching flashlight forces the burglar into a restricted range of options. Just the act of dropping SonoBuouys has the same effect on a sub. Aircraft don't do detections as well as another sub, but they succeed because they force the sub into a reactive/defensive operational posture to avoid detection, reactivity is an inherently weak position. A sub who's location is known is very soon a dead sub, by narrowing a subs maneuvering options it is more likely to be detected and attacked by air dropped torpedoes, even if they are not that effective. (Depth charges killed alot more sea life than submarines, but ask a WWII Submariner what the thing they feared most was?) but the most important capability of any aircraft is the vectoring of more effective naval assets such as other subs, and ASW surface ships.

I would point out that if the Saab system possesses this capability it would more probably be in the Airborne Radar support aircraft rather than in the Gripen itself.

That said... Back to the point of the post... I am happy to see the Thai military making a purchase with brains rather than their egos or balls. A good quality, versatile air superiority fighter that allows Thais more independence is a smart move.

This intro about the Gripen is made to sound good, and I suppose if Thailand does need the said aircraft (and can afford them, AND IT SAID THEY CAN) then by all means use them to train up your pilots. But this package has much more thought than the AIRCRAFT carrier-and the SUBMARINE buying, those two decisions, were in the least ridiculous, you could have bought 12 Gripen-OR better health care, Even Updating DON MUANG BKK second airport HUB, so not even spending the monies allocated on updating Swampy.

Concur - air supremacy wins most battes, not subs or tanks - we only have to see what is happening in Libya for results oriented as well as the Iraq forced submission. A few well armed aircraft make mincemeat of any ground or sea threat, far less man power and far less expensive to maintain.

How does an aircraft make "mincemeat" of a sub?

Why don't you ask the pilots of the US Orion's and Vikings, the British Nimrods, or Russian Bears. They will be readily acknowledged as far more of a threat to a sub than even another sub, because quite simply the sub is absolutely no threat to them. They can drop sonar Buoys without even attempting to hide their position, actively seek a subs location, and direct Naval assets, or yes...I hate to break it to you... some aircraft are still equipped to drop torpedoes. The Gripen is a first rate fighter, and trying to decry this will thought out comprehensive purchase initiative by comparing it to a low level corruption scandal like the GT200 is ridiculous. That is like comparing the purchase of a Honda accord, to a late night spending spree on the home shopping channel. Thailand has made some poor decisions in the past based on their "Face" mentality. They are playing ball alongside first world countries, and as a regional power they want to act like a regional power. Unfortunately while they are trying to act globally, they are still thinking locally. The Gripen purchase program is one of the most sensible decisions I have seen the Thai military make in the decade I have been following it. Like the wing commander said, they didn't just purchase the fighters, they purchased the airborne control aircraft, training, and maintenance as well. The Gripen is NATO STANAG, so it will wear any weapons package purchased from a NATO nation like the US or England, meaning they can arm it with their existing stock, and the biggest one, is the Swedes gave them training on the base technology, something the US and EU almost never do. This means the Thais can develop and expand the technology to suit their needs without having to depend on the good will of often fickle world powers. I applaud the Thais for this step towards independence. And as for the "Bakesale to buy a bomber" bumpr sticker comments, the 60s are long over, let the hippie mindset go. National defense is just as important as education.

This intro about the Gripen is made to sound good, and I suppose if Thailand does need the said aircraft (and can afford them, AND IT SAID THEY CAN) then by all means use them to train up your pilots. But this package has much more thought than the AIRCRAFT carrier-and the SUBMARINE buying, those two decisions, were in the least ridiculous, you could have bought 12 Gripen-OR better health care, Even Updating DON MUANG BKK second airport HUB, so not even spending the monies allocated on updating Swampy.

Concur - air supremacy wins most battes, not subs or tanks - we only have to see what is happening in Libya for results oriented as well as the Iraq forced submission. A few well armed aircraft make mincemeat of any ground or sea threat, far less man power and far less expensive to maintain.

How does an aircraft make "mincemeat" of a sub?

Just thought I might mention this before some idiot gets on here to applaud the move and decry the cynics as Thailand-hate mongers.

Too Late...

NEVER Transfer money in a transaction you did not initiate. If you do, you deserve to lose it.

Sorry, I don't get it.

I've never had a long wait at the airport clearing immigration and customs in Suvaranabhumi. Rather the contrary - it's about the fastest I've ever cleared. Try the lines in New York. And in China they met us with drug-sniffing dogs.

And I've never had a hard time getting a metered taxi there, once you know where they are - and they've always been in the same place every time I've gone through the airport for the last three years.

As for the food, I've never seen an airport where food wasn't grossly overpriced compared to the local economy. A cup of coffee at the airport in Miami is $5.00.

If you think the touts are bad here, you should try the airport in Delhi or Mumbai. You haven't experienced what a real tout is like until you've been to India.

I have to agree completely. I travel all over the world for work. Everywhere from Dirt strips in Africa to Major hubs. Sure Suvarnabhum has it's issues. It was a big reach for the THais to build, and yes maybe they reached a touch too far...but they didn't do that on their own. It was WESTERN architechts and designers that came up with the bright ideas like using evaporative cooling in a country with average 98% humidity, and the long single terminal was a function of using the space you had available. Would you have preferred the airport be ANOTHER hour further away from the city?

I have stood in line at Immmigration. When bad timing had me the misfortune of arriving at the same time as two or three other jumbo airliners. That is just the luck of the draw with modern travel. I have more often than not breezed through immigration in 5 minutes, and I have never not gotten a smile out of them. I went through JFK in November and stood in immigration for over an hour. All the while the line being patrolled by drug and fruit sniffing dogs...only to finally get my bags searched because I was coming from notorious Thailand.... Welcome back to America...why don't you come home more often?

As for the food. I have to agree yet again. It is only expensive if you are comparing it to the noodle stalls on the streets. 350 Baht($11us) for 2 beers and a plate of food in an airport? Try buying a candy bar at Narita ($4us) or a bottle of coke from a vending machine at JFK ($3.75us!!!) I think you need to do alot more traveling if you think this is the worst airport in the world. I do think Thai Visa forum seems to attract the whiniest old women in all of asia, but that is another thread...

Huge animals exploited and abused with sharp hooks- no good can come of it. How utterly horrid for that woman, trampled to death. RIP

Please people, do not patronize these awful animal attractions

That is the most ridiculous statement I think I have ever seen on this forum.

Large beasts of burden have been working side by side with man for thousands of years. Horses, water buffalo, elephants, dogs. Humans would be nothing without all of these animals, and at some time or another every one of these animals has snapped and attacked it's trainer. Just like every once in a while you get some office worker who goes off his rocker and shoots up his office.

There are literally thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of elephant rides taken in Thailand every day, and to see one incident every couple of years is not a sign of "poor abused animals". I have been many times, and would not hesitate to go again. Elephants are highly intelligent animals, with complex social interactions that are only barely understood by even the most experienced trainers. If you ACTUALLY READ the article, you would have seen that two male elephants got into a fight, it had nothing to do with the trainers, or the people riding, they were unfortunate victims.

That said there still may be an element of neglect because the elephants were male. It is well known that male elephants can become violent with little warning, and it is generally considered inappropriate to use them for this type of service after a certain age specifically because of incidents like this.

To try and exploit this tragedy by touting some nonsense "humans are the devil exploiting the world" agenda is in the poorest taste.

Have you ever been to Vegas, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Frankfurt's Redlight district, or The Wall in Nuremberg? I'm sure there are a lot more.

I doubt Thailand invented this industry.

True. Thailand neither invented prostitution, nor karaoke bars. Then again, I doubt that you'll find 13-year old prostitutes (this fact perhaps even being known by some government officials) in Amsterdam, Frankfurt or the US. Nor will parents in those places sell their teenage daughters to brothels.

Hmmm I can guarantee you can get a 13yr old in the USA. Not sure about the other places. I don't think they buy girls as much as they capture them.

Agree. I am guessing it might be easier here but I personally have never seen underage girls working out in the open here either ... at least not in BKK at places like Nana and Cowboy. Didn't check IDs but generally Thais look considerably younger than they are ... not older.

If you are not seeing them it is because you choose not too. I was on one of the Rainbows at Nana 2 weeks ago. The Mama san was pushing a new girl on me, I told her that she looked like a baby, how old was she? The mamasan replied openly without a second thought, that she was old enough to work, she was 15...this was January so coupled with the Thai custom of calling yourself the age you turn in that year, there was a very good chance that she was in reality 14, turning 15 this year. I know of a 15 year old girl working in Sheeba on Cowboy, and a 17 YO working in Rawhide. Alot of them will tell you with only a little prodding. I accidentally took home a 16YO from Apache bar back when it was still a gogo. As we walked into my hotel she became really concerned about whether they would check ID's. I pressed her on it, and she admitted she was only 16. I gave her half the money agreed and sent her on her way. I have no desire to wind up in jail. These are only a couple of anecdotes from my recent personal experience. I wonder if people rally started looking hom many more they would find?

I am all for the lifestyle here. I think what adults do is their own business. One thing we have to accept to some degree or another is that different cultures have different ideas of what is an adult. Until the Thais change their ideal of a girl bring sexually mature at 14 or 15 then you will always be seeing this.

How can the police do a fair trial/hearing, they probably own the bar.

That is a western concept. Nobody in Thailand expects there would be one, except for expats trying to force their ideals on the Thais. When in Rome, do as the Romans. ATM justice is just another way of doing things.

If you hang out in that wretched den of scum and villainy

I'm reading that part of your post as if spoken by Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Now read it as spoken by Obiwan Kenobi to Luke Skywalker when he warns him to watch his back in Mos Eisly. Whenever I am forced to go to Pattaya I always imagine that scene. "You will never find a more wretched den of scum and villany"

I tried mate but all I got was " These aren't the droids you're looking for " in the voice of Peter " Hosepipe" North. I think I'd better lay of the cough medicine the pharmacist sold me.

When you imagine voices you are stuck on Johnny Depp in Makeup, and Peter North? Hmmm...you might want to explore that with a professional sooner rather than later. :-) Not that there's anything wrong with that....

If you hang out in that wretched den of scum and villainy

I'm reading that part of your post as if spoken by Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Now read it as spoken by Obiwan Kenobi to Luke Skywalker when he warns him to watch his back in Mos Eisly. Whenever I am forced to go to Pattaya I always imagine that scene. "You will never find a more wretched den of scum and villany"

One of the many things I love about living here.

It really bugs me how many people make comments like this. Sure Thailand has different standards than alot of western countries, is it perfect? No. Do they welcome your opinion on their culture such that you should continue to offer support and constructive criticism? No.

That said, they are going to change when they feel like changing. The Thais make it very clear that they accept you to reside here at will, but you are not welcome to comment on their society. You are a guest not a prisoner. There are daily flights from several airports back to wherever you are from. If you are not happy here, or wherever you are on earth you should leave. Life is too short to be so miserable all the time.

My other peeve is these stories almost always come out of either Pattaya, or Patong, Phuket. Do not generalize Thai nightlife to include these places. I have been living here off and on for 8 years, and I have managed to go that entire time without even witnessing an event like this. The rare occasion when I have seen someone being "attitude adjusted" by a bar or gogo staff, they deserved it. I went to Pattaya a few times in the beginning, and recognized it for what it was, and stopped going there. Never had a problem. I also go to Phuket pretty regularly, but I stay on Kata or Kata Noi beach, and rarely venture to Patong. Never had a problem. I don't go drinking in the Harlem NY, Newark, South Central in LA, Roxbury in Boston, South Houston, Tijuana, Juarez...you get the point I think.

We all know there is always more to the story when a HiSo Thai is involved with a LoSo Thai in a conflict, and we also know that Pattaya is one of the true cesspools of the world, so calling someone a prominent Pattaya business person, in my book is that same as saying "New Jersey Sanitation Company owner" or "Chicago political organizer" This is corrupt shitbags fighting with other corrupt shitbags over who knows what slight, perceived or actual, in a corrupt shit hole filled with drunks,losers, and rookies.

I will humbly offer this piece of advice from my limited world experience. If you take money from an ATM in the South Bronx at 4AM next to the parking lot where the junkies hang out, you will get robbed. If you hang out in that wretched den of scum and villany known as Pattaya you will get exactly what you pay for.

That about sums up the state of your country mate, is the USA thinking of making Thailand a state?

Why not. We already made England our bitches. I am sure it is impossible to find a rough neighborhood in London or Manchester. England is one step above Bombay these days. At least you can get a good curry there.

One of the many things I love about living here.

It really bugs me how many people make comments like this. Sure Thailand has different standards than alot of western countries, is it perfect? No. Do they welcome your opinion on their culture such that you should continue to offer support and constructive criticism? No.

That said, they are going to change when they feel like changing. The Thais make it very clear that they accept you to reside here at will, but you are not welcome to comment on their society. You are a guest not a prisoner. There are daily flights from several airports back to wherever you are from. If you are not happy here, or wherever you are on earth you should leave. Life is too short to be so miserable all the time.

My other peeve is these stories almost always come out of either Pattaya, or Patong, Phuket. Do not generalize Thai nightlife to include these places. I have been living here off and on for 8 years, and I have managed to go that entire time without even witnessing an event like this. The rare occasion when I have seen someone being "attitude adjusted" by a bar or gogo staff, they deserved it. I went to Pattaya a few times in the beginning, and recognized it for what it was, and stopped going there. Never had a problem. I also go to Phuket pretty regularly, but I stay on Kata or Kata Noi beach, and rarely venture to Patong. Never had a problem. I don't go drinking in the Harlem NY, Newark, South Central in LA, Roxbury in Boston, South Houston, Tijuana, Juarez...you get the point I think.

We all know there is always more to the story when a HiSo Thai is involved with a LoSo Thai in a conflict, and we also know that Pattaya is one of the true cesspools of the world, so calling someone a prominent Pattaya business person, in my book is that same as saying "New Jersey Sanitation Company owner" or "Chicago political organizer" This is corrupt shitbags fighting with other corrupt shitbags over who knows what slight, perceived or actual, in a corrupt shit hole filled with drunks,losers, and rookies.

I will humbly offer this piece of advice from my limited world experience. If you take money from an ATM in the South Bronx at 4AM next to the parking lot where the junkies hang out, you will get robbed. If you hang out in that wretched den of scum and villany known as Pattaya you will get exactly what you pay for.

Not sure the Thai navy are involved at all - indeed no involvement from Thailand apart from it being their port of departure. Royal Navy in this case will be the British Navy since it is aq quote from a UK newspaper.

The Thais are actively participating in the exercise in the Indian Ocean. Seems the Thai navy has extensive experience picking up small boats full of passengers off the coast and punishing them DO'H

They probably passed the request on, with a hearty chuckle, to the Brits who are running the show.

I love that attitude of the quoted couple. It's like calling the police....ummm no it's like calling a frigate with the better part of a thousand men that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a day to float to escort your privileged ass across a stretch of ocean where this very military has said "we can not reasonably protect you" this is the Euro socialist entitlement mentality run amock. These are the same people who protest when the government makes a life expectancy adjustment to the retirement age.

Like the man above said. if you are really that worried about it fly home, and pay a company to take your boat. Better yet, if the price is right, contact me in BKK. I moght be interested in buying it.

I think we need lots of pictures to help us really understand the issue at hand here - lol

Yes we need pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!

And lots of them so we can see what the problem really is......and come up with suggestions!

We definitely need photos, but I disagree with "lots". Let's focus only on the worst offenders. Please submit only photos of the tightest most revealing nature. An affective judgment can only be rendered when all the facts are reviewed in context. Perhaps some photos of the worst offenders of other cultures? apanese, Chinese,and say as European representatives Swedish, and Ukrainian, could be included for comparison?