Gforbes

You do the crime - you do the time.

When are these punishments going to be imposed in Samui? It is impossible to take a taxi and use their meter. The standard charge for a short journey is Baht400, more for longer trips.

The real problem is that there is no effective garbage collection service on Samui and there seems to be little in the way of management. Garbage is collected most days from the stinking rubbish piles randomly located every few hundred meters apart around the island. The collection 'wheelie' bins are too small and usually overflowing. What is needed is a dumpster type of collection bin and a mechanical lifting device on the front of the truck. There is also a need for the dumpster bins to be pressure washed regularly. Disposal of the collected waste is a separate problem. But as two incinerators apparently exists, but have broken down, then fixing the incinerators would seem to be the first course of action. The whole garbage collection/disposal system on Samui needs to be up-dated and yes, it does and will have a detrimental effect upon tourism.

When is this situation going to be sorted out by the Army. The situation with the police in Samui is an open secret, if you want to open a business in Samui, you have to pay the police! They demand money from every shopkeeper on this island, selling legitimate or illegitimate merchandise. If they can't get the store for 'copyright' infringements they go for the work permits of the employees. Either way it is impossible to operate a business in Samui without paying the police. This is not a secret, it is common knowledge. So get it sorted!!

I can tell you that the Chinese will have no problem with Thai toilets. Having lived 20 years in China, I can confirm that Chinese toilets are easily the dirtiest, smelliest and most unhygienic toilets in the world!! The tourist will marvel at the Thai toilets - believe me!!

On a positive note. I visited Kamala Beach last weekend for the first time in a long time. The last time I was there Kamala resembled a sort of Brazilian Barrio with roughly built shacks posing as tourist shops and restaurants. Now, following the clean up, Kamala Beach is a 1st class beach area with nice, clean restaurants complete with sea views (impossible with the Barrio between the legitimate restaurants and the beach) and concreted walkway. I hold no strong views on the political situation, but the present government should be complimented on their actions at Kamala.

Great post, thanks.

If anyone in any doubt, the roads in Koh Samui are dangerous, very dangerous. But what do you expect when it is possible to rent a motor scooter or even a high powered motorcycle with nothing more than a copy of your passport? The influx of Chinese have not made matters easier, nothing against the Chinese but motorcycles are not very popular in China and even banned in some cities. But being here on holiday does something to tourist's senses. Most would never dream of venturing on to a public road without a licence and insurance back home, but here in Samui it is all part of the 'experience'. Sadly that experience can also be fatal or at least, spoil your holiday. One has only to visit the local hospitals and see that most of the injuries in the ER are motorcycle crash injuries and most of these are foreigners. The physical condition of the roads do not help, potholes, missing drainage grates and sand are the main problems not to mention the less than street-wise dogs. If you have a car licence, rent a car, they are cheap and usually in good condition and usually insurance. Be careful, be safe!!

Good start, guys. But this is a move that is supported by the army. When an election comes and the corrupt politician scum (of whichever party) return to power all of these positive moves will be abandoned and forgotten, unfortunately.

PTP are just vote catching. No one like paying taxes, that is human nature. But land and property taxes are part of a mature society. The bigger (more valuable) the house/property the more land tax you pay. This is a tax on the landowning classes and is fair. There is a threshold for these taxes and that can be adjusted as property/wealth increases. There is also a higher tax on undeveloped property which should stimulate growth. Now the sting in the tail. Is the Thai government going to collect taxes from 'illegal' farang land owners? We all know the vagaries of the land ownership deal in Thailand. We 'own' our properties, but actually legally we don't. So by collecting land taxes from 'illegal' ownership does this legalise us? Big question. So may I suggest that every farang 'landowner' would be only too happy to pay these taxes if it guaranteed us legality. Please think about that government. Thais can buy property (even football clubs) in Europe/US without restriction, but the Europeans/US citizens are denied the same rights in Thailand, I do not feel the happiness from that situation!

As an Irishman I am used to being called 'a Mick', 'a Paddy' and a variety of other expressions. I do not take offence and I wonder why other people from other countries would object to the rainbow of slang expressions describing specific nationalities. A Pom is an Englishman, a Jock a Scotsman, a Cloggy a Dutchman - these expressions are in regular use and do not, I believe, cause offence but are expressions of a humourous nature. It also seems that those that take most offence are non-white, perhaps some people should ditch the chip on their shoulder.

Lets hope that this action will include Koh Samui and other such places.

I can only say that I have had only good hotel experiences in Thailand. Clearly the reviewers forgot about China, where a 4 star hotel is the equivalent of a one star Thai hotel. The star rating in China is controlled by the Government and has no relationship with the one we all know and understand.

Hi,

I know a guy who install this system from DSTV in bangkok. The system is very cheap compared to other shops. He offer pacakges starting from THB 5,500 to THB 55,000 depending upon different types of connections. Drop an email to - [email protected] if you need more details about this system.

You can watch channels like SuperSport 1 - Rugby, SuperSport 2 - Cricket, SuperSport 3 - Football, SuperSport 4 - Blitz, SuperSport 5 – Tennis/Wrestling, SuperSport 6 - Cricket, SuperSport 7 - Sports 24x7, SuperSport 8 - Sports PGA Golf/Cycling/Other Sports, Movie Magic, Hallmark Channel, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Cartoon Network, ESPN, MTV,CNN International, BBC World, Reality TV, Mnet Action, History Channel, BBC Prime, Sky News, BBC Food ,BBC Lifestyle, Movie Magic 2, M-Net East, CNBC Europe, Fashion TV, Entertainemnt TV, Travel Channel, Al-Jazeera, Bloomberg TV, Big Brother Africa, TV 5 Afrique, Africa 2 Africa, RTP International, DD sports, Zoom, The Music and much more....

Has anyone heard that SuperSports is changing Satellite and may not be available after May 2010?

Somebody who was going to pay 30,000 baht for a weeks accom here can afford to put it down to experience. Nobody made you sign anything. You signed because you thought you were getting something for free. I knoiw a few of the people you are talking about. They drink in a bar I frequent. Smooth taliking salesmen they certainly are but not the scammers you are making them out to be as far as I am aware! As said if you can spend that amount of money on a weeks hotel then its not the end of world. I have a friend who just lost 20,000 baht between the ATM and getting into the bank and he is Scottish as well so think how he feels.

Please let me know the name of the bar - so I can avoid it. I get stopped by these guys almost daily in Chaweng, there is the Londoner with the motorcycle cruisin' on the Beach Road, there is the German with the pony tail, there is the English girl with the French girl on the back of the step-thru (can be found in Fisherman's Village usually) and more recently, a few Thai guys being run by a Farang who hangs back in the door of McDonalds. They are all a pain in the butt, but you do not have to listen to their horse manure and I suspect they are all less than legal.

I have read with interest the comments concerning the choice of education facilities on Samui. I am planning to move to Samui early in 2010 and I am seeking an education for my 11 year old daughter. I can choose Samui or a boarding school, so I have a broader choice than some. My daughter has been educated wholly within the 'International School' school system, with emphasis on IB, in China. I have not found anyone offering IB in Samui, which I find a little disappointing. IB gives a far greater 'international' qualification and one that is accepted worldwide and within the 'international school' community. The IGCSE base seems very narrow if I were to move to another country where there is less UK influence (like China). I note that most of the comments were made some time ago and I would like to hear how Open Gates new campus is proceeding, if Bluewaters has obtained their accreditation and any general, but non-partisan please, comments on these two schools and any others that may have opened.