proto

.. police brutality imposed on rodney king in la, english troops sent to northern ireland in 1911 ... forget it !!! Whomever believe that whatever wisdom eventually were learned from those and other western historical events could possibly help solving Thailands siuation as of today, clearly better have to buy a brainwash and start from there so they can start learning on a clean ground. The silliest thing I've ever seen on TV was when the long standing and to me hirhertho well respected member- Rinrada- compared the Bangkok situation to Fort Alamo where David Crockett and Jim Bowie somewhere in 16-18.th century almost saved USA from the total of Mexican hordes by standing back-to-back and waiving with heir bowie knives. I got one idol less then.

Lesson one: What is happening in Bangkok these days have never happened anywhere else in the world! - Better start from there.

I also read in numerous reports that when a tire fire (yes, I am American) caught a building on fire, the Red Shirts scrambled and put out the blaze themselves. They are not out to destroy the city or its infrastructure.

That's not what Red leader Arisaman said in his often-posted youtube video. He talked about destroying Bangkok.

Burning it to the ground along with destroying all Muslim mosques and NGO's and bridges and hospitals.

In this speech?

Seems to be an oldie and therefore perhaps outdated - a date of when he made that speach would be highly appreciated.

I like this game too

... Christiani & Nielsen (one of the largest construction firms ...

...

Sorry, for quoting this totally out of context ... and I can appreciate if you now don't remember the context from where you, yourself, pulled the quoted name.  However, if you do remember -  do you mind posting a link?

... generally, WS i cheaper than nightbazaar ... seeking parking south of Ratcahdamnern would statistically bring you closest to the center of Sunday WS, but unless you come early, you'll be better off parking somewhere east of Thapae gate and include the extra walking as part of the experience. As for special good bargains - help youself - I'm on the stall owners' side so no help from me regarding how to get this or that same item the cheapest. Can recommend eating in any one of the three temple grounds closets to TP gate, though.... Particularly the Kao Soi offered next to the entrance (closest to TP) of Wat Pan On (order a double at 40b, if you wan't a full meal)

Reds gathering on Lad Prao Rd nr. Big C

Ups, ... spreading even further out it seems. Government on the loosing streak, then 

I forgot ---can any one remember??? ....Did the army or police disperse the protesters that shut down the airport, or the government offices (two years ago) Or was that settled by a change in government?

Just in case your question isn't rhetorical (and in case some reader shouldn't know) despite being ordered by the PM of those days (Taxins brother-in-law, Somchai) several times to clean out the protesters, the responsible leaders of the forces that in democratic countries just would have done their duty, didn't do anything with any effect except for a tiny, but heavily armed, police task-force that handed over all their weapon to the yellow guards the moment the latter asked for them, just to be sure the Police chiefs now had an excuse for not entering the airport area any more. 

Does Thailand actually have water canons? - If they have, who are charge of when water canons are to be put into use? Surely, if the Abhisit government had brought the current - seemingly constantly towards the abyss spiralling situation - to and end without much bloodshed and within a few hours after the ultimatum ended at 3.00 pm - we would have a great (and seemingly strong  )winner in the opinion of that vast majority of Thais who are more mai-ben-lai than confrontation minded. Water canons - in a sufficiant number - could have accomplished that. So, seek those who control the water canons - if such exists in thailand - and you'll have pinpointed one partee that doesn't wan't the current government to come out strong.

In lack of water canons - may i suggest some responsible partee gets hold of, buy, confiscate, borrow or whatever - of a bunch of construction bulldozers that must exist by the plenty in Downtown BKK but now being idle. Ever seen that Hollywood movie with some Hero single handledly demolish a stronghold with about 1000 guys heavily armed with uncountable numbers of just about each and every kind of heavy duty weapons that has ever existed - with rocketlaunchers, mortars etc, - seems to be no match for a standard construction bulldozer.

UPS, now I've probably given a hint that only boozed  out crackhead mobsters would have brains and organization skills to effectuate.

Would you call that boy looking over the tyres a human shield.I suggest you print something factual.My thioughts would have been,he is showing the boy to the soldiers to show that he is there.

Where's the difference?

From the replies to my question, Chiang Mai seems like a wonderful place with friendly people.

I would just like to point out that Chiang Mai has its fair share of Thais who don't like foreigners. Almost every time I go out on my motorbike I get some asshol_e, usually going the other way, say something like "Go!" or "awk!" (out) or "bpai!" (go). A few of them are women. Happens in malls sometimes too. They think they can say what they like to you in Thai without you understanding, especially as it is usually muttered under their breath so that it's not obvious.

Unlike most places in Thailand, most people here have had some contact with foreigners and some have surely had negative experiences. Unfortunately all foreigners are then stereotyped.

Some of the farangs that i see in Chiang Mai i would not want to encounter in my own country .I dont blame the thais at all .We do not have any problems with the thai people we come into contact with.

Ditto here. After six years I haven't yet experienced one example of the sort of rudeness from any Thai that seahorse claims to meet on a regular basis. Can't help but wonder whether ones own behaviour, dresscode or looks could make any difference. 

Can't support any kind of killing but if one has to chose between bads - these sniper strategies the various parties seem to be using is to prefer over just confronting mobs head on with live bullets. I didn't know Seh Daeng well enought to have anything personal against him, but i can't help but wonder how many lives have been saved because he was taken out prior to the current offensive measures by the authorities.

What i would like some comment on is this - when i vote for a person to represent me in government at home in Europe i would expect them to act with honour and if challenged to go to the polls to p[rove their mandate to govern I would expect them to go - I wish only to vote for strong honest people win or loose and accept the outcome ...

... and in case your strong and honest government didn't meet your demand of a premature poll - even if you besieged the downtown area of your capital for months together with several thousand of similarly dissatisfied citizen of said democratic country causing distress and loss of income to tens (or is it hundreds?) of thousand other members of said democracy - would you then consider your government weak and dishonest if they still didn't budge? - Maybe you would, but what if now you were one member of your European socalled democracy that weren't against the sitting government, but rather one of those fellow citizens that loose out very big each day your government allows you to keep preventing the capitals main business district from functioning?

My greatest clap of hands to whatever entity is in charge of Thailand for not having turned things into a bloodbath several weeks ago. My barricade life came and went way back in the 60'ties and 70'ties but I were illegally arrested a sufficient number of times to understand why law enforcers can get away with a lot of things during times of civic unrest even in countries like tiny Denmark where otherwise poor police behavior is frontpage stuff for months. Can't imagine any other country on planet Earth that would have allowed such a clearly lawbreaking mob to have the say for such a long time without removing them with whatever means were necessary. No, I don't want the government (assuming it is in power) to clean out the streets - just want to clap my hands for severe bloodshed not to have happened (yet).

The first year of my job as managing director of "my own" company, I paid 2,000 b/m plus 10,000 b for the year-end report to an English speaking attorney. After having learned the tricks, I did the month-by-month accounting and reporting all by myself  - free of charge although I did spend about 15 minutes plus 2 minutes to coerce my wife to go and pay revenue department the VAT, I had found reasonable to report that month... Had to have the same discussion every year with a registered accountant whether he just should have the minimum of 8,000 baht for signing my 12-15 sheets of honest and humanly readable excell-printouts or he should have 22,000 for having some staff entering the figures into a computer to produce something like 600 indecipherable sheets of (to me) seemingly random numbers that would make sure that the revenue-office would absolutely not pick my tiny business for a closer investigation.

Whenever old threads are relived, it seems that about 2/3 of the posters are now banned. Who, in their right mind, could possibly become addicted to site that disposes of their members to that degree?

I'd say that the very fact that females can't just ordain like males clearly says that females are regarded as inferior. However, don't make that a problem. All females should be happy being born a such. They thereby has been given a whole lifespan where they can work on the bad karma that brought them their current miserable situation so they have the chance to be reborn as a real human next time around. Note: That was sarcasm and not my opinion. - I know you have to truthfully answer 'Yes' to the question of whether you are a whole (that is with intact appendices) human when ordaining, but is that a man or Buddha given requirement?  (Joking aside, I would appreciate a documented answer to this).

cheers lads i appreciate the responses.

the B 300,000 registered capital is just a bank statement right? and i take it theres no problem if the money is transfered from my uk bank account?

VAT is only payable when the ltd company has an declared income of over 1.8m?

is there any minimum requirement for staff employed by the company?

I'm not quite sure about todays' figures - been 5 years since i went through a company setup process. Let's assume it is correct what has been said hitherto and that otherwise things are just as they used to be. Then you're right that the 300K are just a formality - but you'll have to put in real money on some account to get the bank statement, of course. Yes, there are some minimum requirements for staff. To be legal, Thai employees must get at least the minimum wage (my knowledge is outdated, but it would be at the 6,000 b/m level). If you are contemplating yourself - assumed to be a foreigner - as an employee there used to be the rule that the company had at least 4 Thai employees pr employed foreigner (2 if the foreigner is married to a Thai) plus that the company had to be VAT-registered regardless of turnover. Believe me, that rule could be a killer in case your company is on the street level where any Thai can compete.

To me "Buddhism" is a convenient frame of reference. It is quite nice to have contemplation places scattered around, with only a few hundred meters between them, and noone lifting an eye when you enter and kneel down or squat for doing your 'thing".

 ...and you are free from... (typing error there, it should be from not form)...that desire to know yourself as a quality or substance.

Thanks. I was reading this thread with objections to the part: "you are free form that desire to know yourself as a quality or a substance" on my mind. Assuming your correction is correct, I have no objection left. - In case 'form' should represent the correct sequence of characters, I would relate more to something like: "you are free form that DO NOT desire to know yourself as a quality or a substance" .

I suppose the suffering we pay due to accumulated khamma can either propel us into further negative behavior or to fashion us into being better people. I suspect that my suffering has helped me to to develop my empathy & care for the plight of others. Has anyone else been experiencing the fruits of past negative khamma?

I feel it the opposite way around. Well, none of my various business adventures ever succeeded, but nevertheless - my life has been an easy one. Never had any real financial problems. Well, I were homeless and lived in the bushes of a park of my hometown for a while, but didn't feel that like suffering - more like an adventure. Now, at the age of 59, I am a bit worried. I've had all the opportunities, one could possibly wish for regarding living a life with no other responsibilities than practice related and no worries about money or any other kind of problems related to physical survival. Although, I've had my periods over the years, where I did do practice (guided by Vedanta and Yoga teachers) - I realize I didn't put in enough effort to pay off the good karma I must previously have had accumulated as to be able to live that easy and effortless.

However, about two years ago I thought that I had chest pains, suggesting lung cancer, and thus I had to get on accords with the chance that even ***I*** might seize to exist. This turned my attention to Buddhist literature and I've been practicing walking and sitting meditation on a regular basis since then. Haven't visited a doctor regarding the chest pains, but they are mainly gone and seem to reappear only when I've done a lot of computer work and no physical exercise for a couple of days. So, although I now don't feel the time of my death to be anyway near, I am now very devoted to an (almost) daily practice - not because of accumulated bad karma, but rather because of hitherto wasted good karma. --- I feel that if I do not strive to take advantage of the apparent good position regarding practicing, earlier accumulated good karma has given me, ***I*** most likely would have to next lifetime deal with the survival struggles of a Zimbabwean peasant, a Myanmar Karen, or someone else in similar situations where the struggle for bare survival by no means leaves luxury time for practice or mindfulness - (if not worse).

Actually, nothing essential has changed since the the first primordial entities learned to split into two - what's on your mind?

Live upcountry and no noticeable effects around here. The local Thais couldn't care less...

In Lampang we had about twenty minutes of heavy rain a few days ago - might reach Chiang Mai some day.

If I remember correctly, "seh daeng" in thai language means "red shirt(s)".

So is the shot persons name a coincidence or you have it a bit missmatched ?!

'seh daeng' isn't but a transcription of the Thai word for  'color red' and isn't but the nick name given to the guy in question - no coincidence and no mismatch.

To add to Lop3's comment, ALWAYS a good idea to get the Re-Entry permit, even a single at baht 1,000, even if you don't plan any travel outside Thailand during the next year. Who knows, some emergency might come up on a Friday afternoon and you'd need to travel over the weekend, sans re-entry permit, and return to Swampy with a 30-day airport chop.

Mac

It isn't ALWAYS a good idea. For me - for instance - since I haven/t been out of Thailand since '05 , I would have totally wasted 5000 Baht. It's like paying for a car insurance although you have no car.