samiotis

You can shoe shine that threat as long as you wish, but it doesn't change the fact that someone was turned back from the immigration office in ranong yesterday with the permission to stay until october first and than leave the country for 90 days at least. He arrived back on koh tao this morning. so what's it gonna be for all those people who have been here 90 days on VOA visas? Nothing changed? you must be kiddin'me!

Breaking News - Neck breaking, yes!

Just learnd from an english guy who live(d)s on Koh Tao for the last three years on VOA visas, that he was refused another visa in Ranong yesterday! He got 14 days to packup and leave!!!

That means that 90 days count backwards. No 90 days from October first! And if you try Malaysia....nothing is older than news from yesterday.....same story, you want be allowed back into Thailand if you already have three continuing stamps in your passport. And about just flight home and get a year visa, you might as well get that out of your heads. no way they would issue a year visa under this circumsdances. Face it we are not wanted here anymore.

In two weeks from now they'll have to put on extra flights from Thailand, evacuating all those people.

It's time to say goodbye to the land of smiles

To make bad things worst; i just hung up the phone with Mr. Haji Tajudeen from N&K Enterprises in Penang. (He runs one of the book stores in Chulia Street from where we usualy get our visas done)

Mr. Tajudeen informed me that only ONE ENTRY 2 Month Tourist visas with an option on 30 days extention are issued from the Thai embassy in Penang from now on!

He couldn't tell me though if the there will be a second visa issued after the first one has run out. Considering that we are still tourists and have been in the country for 90 days already, there is a good chance that this question will be answered with a strikt NO in the near future.

That would mean that by January first, a lot of people will have to leave Thailand. That also means that all relatives and friends of those who will not be here over the next high season, will most likely also not come to Thailand. If one has not juast studied the birds outside the window while having a math-class; how could he/she say that this would have no impact on the revenue off the tourist industry? Does a million visitors up or down does have so little impact?

Sure it want have much impact to the people who are making those laws and rules. But what about smaller and medium buisnesses who depend very much and especially in low-season on the long stayers in this beautiful country?

Staying in Koh Tao, one of the top spots, worldwide, for scuba diving lessons, i have to ask myself, if the quality of PADI diving courses can be kept up by ever changing freelance diving instructors. It want make a difference at all on how many farang stay in Thailand and work in the dive industry and help building it up. The needs have to be and will be covered one way or the other. Just the faces will change every three month. Or is there anybody out there who thinks that all 48 dive centers in Koh Tao are going to close every 3 month for three month?

It is a simple fact that there is no way for dive centers to get more than 2 working visas for farang instructors or dive masters. Anything more than that and the taxes would start to chew them up. It's another fact that one instructor and one divemaster want cover the needs of a dive resort and there is by far not enough thai instructors and divemasters to fill the gap what is opening here.

I'm not saying it should be allowed to stay and work illigaly here in Thailand, no way, but i think it would be a great idea to not only make new rules but also rules they work for the majority of the people and have something to do with real life.

So far most of the people on the island are very confused. Thai and Farang! It's a 'no future' situation and thousends of long year friendships will break up. I wonder who thinks that who can benefit from this situation?

Dark days loom for late-night swingers

BANGKOK: -- Thailand is looking at more energy-saving measures to cut ballooning oil-import bills, which are slowing economic growth, officials said yesterday.

makes me thinking back to the 70's when we had carfree sundays in switzerland. he could save a month worth energy in one sunday and let the people do there work. -- can you see the picture of BKK without cars on the streeet -- I can imagine how the people in phuket and kao lak think about it. they have no tourism anymore, but the few coming back, get told, 'sorry we can not serve you on mondays'.

there is also the plan with the odd and even numbers. worked well in athens, same system as parking on the right or left side of the street. one day the odd numbers are on the street, next day the others. Very good for the environement.

Energy saving can only be done by educating people. not by buying big airplanes for the own fun, just becouse george has one, i want one.

instead of buying Liverpool, one could spend the money on a education campaign to tell people to turn the lights off if they leave a room, turn their engines off on a redlight and and and....

Cutting down the night entertainment any further will result in a loss of tourism and as thailand is not the most popular destination at the moment anyway i dought that this is the right thing to do.....

Do i get sacked now???

hmmmm....where to register? on a police station? immigration? 7/11? that would be interssting to know.

About security, we 're talking terrorists here. i guess they would not hook a bomb on a phone with the battery in and they will get stolen phones from any pick-pocket anywhere. a new buisness is raising out the ashes, phone-dealing.

I agree also completly with the fact that there are enough poor people walking the street who would do more then that for 500 baht. it's a sad story but it all end up that it is easy now for big brother to give a name to a funny pfone call they grab out of the air, regarding just about anything. folks we live in 2005. technology is everywhere.

only solution here: Back to the good old SMOKE SIGNALS

They should send that guy right to Irak....very much to the frontline!

Where is that gonna solve - what problem? kick everyone on the street and then what? prostitution is not gonna stop at 01.00 am neither does drug consumation. What it will do is slow down tourism and this i can tell you is very bad for economics. we can see it here in greece everyday. what we want from tourists then? should they just visit the country and leave their money outside the window and go home again? did'nt work here and it want work in thailand.

We all know that a player for Liverpool is worth much moore then 500'000 baht so what's the hassel for? Getting those little streetsellers is like helping other little streetsellers to find a job. vacancy: 91 pornsellers wanted for BKK.

all the best luck

UUUPS----I recently visit my doctor and he gave me the final results:

you should stop smoking, you should give up drinking and it's no good for you to have sex anymore, he saied. hmmm, i asked him; then i will live longer??? ?

no, he answered, but it will seem longer ...--- so what, we drink, we get drunk AND WE DO NOT DRIVE....but??

This country wants very hard to become a virgin again, ask any women if that works....hmmm..best regards g