tooninthai

Unbeknown to us several local teenagers had been kicked off their motorbikes. Some of the m/c were stolen and the thief/thieves never found.

A couple of months back Am (the girlfriend's son) was kicked off his bike. The family thought it was related to some ongoing incident and the local mafia boss was contacted, he being a long time friend of the family, so he could investigate. The family had a partial number plate reading and a poor description of the perpetrator's own bike. It was dark when the incident took place and Am was naturally a bit dazed by the incident.

Today a phone call came through. They have the man who kicked Am off his bike and wanted to talk to his mother.

Seems the culprit is a Yabba junkie with previous form. He has confessed to being the perpetrator and of previous incidents where he stole the bikes and sold them to pay for his habit.

There is no money to pay for damage to Am's bike or to pay for hospital treatment. Am's mother was asked what she wanted done with this guy.

I gather he was understandably nervous as he awaited her decision

She asked for him to be handed over to the police. When the police turned up to arrest him the man had a quantity of Yabba in his pocket. Now he is being done for theft, assault and dealing Yabba. He can expect rather a long time in prison.

The police had been unable or unwilling to catch this guy.

Thanks then have to go to the local boss of the mafia for getting this scum bag off the streets. A few people will be able to ride their motorbikes around safer than before.

Certainly Am and his mother feel relief that the perpetrator has been caught at last.

Maybe we do knock these 'mafia' guys sometimes but in this instance they took their time and got the man who is now locked safely away in a cell awaiting his appearance before the judge. Also they did it for nothing. 'Same same as family' the boss says.

Look and talk to people out in the provinces. They are being stopped from getting anywhere near Bangkok by the police.

At police checkpoints all vehicles are being searched for Red shirts and various other items. No wonder they are slow in reaching Bangkok.

Maybe it is the same in your area.

I gather the Reds are really getting p*ssed off at this treatment. The authorities need to take care in case their is a backlash against this treatment.

Of course, if these people cannot get to Bangkok then the government and their allies here on Thai Visa can say the rally was a failure.

And you are going to blame the government or the military for this caution and not Sae Daeng and Arisman etc etc etc?

Red leadership calls for violence and people are surprised that a civil government tries to protect its citizens? Amazing Thailand!

Blah blah blah. Same old rhetoric. So, if these vehicles are being stopped at checkpoints it is who making sure it happens? Ah, of course, it is the Reds fault. Like I said, same old rhetoric. Change the tune.

Had family travelling South to BKK and they say it was he_l South of Chai Nat with the police roadblocks and miles of cars queued up for checks.

Look and talk to people out in the provinces. They are being stopped from getting anywhere near Bangkok by the police.

At police checkpoints all vehicles are being searched for Red shirts and various other items. No wonder they are slow in reaching Bangkok.

Maybe it is the same in your area.

I gather the Reds are really getting p*ssed off at this treatment. The authorities need to take care in case their is a backlash against this treatment.

Of course, if these people cannot get to Bangkok then the government and their allies here on Thai Visa can say the rally was a failure.

Mods can we have the thread title changed? this one a bit missleading something like

Video: Organizers Hand Out Cash To Red-shirt Drivers to Buy GAS!

Thanks

If you check the video the organizers have a photocopy of driving licenses which are checked against the original before the 2000B is handed over.

Now guys please a video of Red Shirt demonstrators being paid if you please

But Thaivisa would not find that half as interesting as lambasting the Thai people for taking a bribe.

Big deal! A lot of those people need to cover their expenses at home even if they get a free ride to Bangkok and a few free meals while they are there.

The majority if these people from out of town are doing it for the money. It is a big deal. If they were passionate about seeing Mr. T reinstated and passionate about the cause, they'd come no matter what. But they come because they are paid and it's a hel_l of a lot more money than any of these people make in a day. Try Bt200 a day for the majority. Do the math. Food is already provided at these events. There is no per diem needed. This is salary pure and simple.

On 200 Baht a day for working in the fields, 4,000 Baht a month in a restaurant and so on, how would you expect the majority of these people to get to Bangkok?

OK, they get a hand out. A hand out of a few hundred baht a day. Not exactly going to make them rich, is it?

Liken it to strike pay

the thing has not even started in earnest yet and the same old posters on here proving their tediousness, how about waiting for tomorrow and Sunday, then make a judgement call, after all the rally is tomorrow and not today, today is small gatherings.

I sometimes wonder what people hope to achieve with such nonsense as this thread, do they think it makes one iota of difference to the actual happenings? do they think abhisit is reading this forum and getting excited because some nomark says not many reds have turned up, or do you think he is concerned with the facts rather than the ramblings of some old fool on a farang forum.

No, it has not started yet

With it being a Friday today and many people still working it was not really expected to warm up yet.

But, I have seen a lot of coaches filled with red shirts late this afternoon and they are heading Bangkok way.

The last 3 days I have found the internet is getting slower. Is that the case for others as well?

It crossed my mind that those in power may be monitoring the internet and slowing things down.

Apex I've been here for twenty years and I was a regular visitor for some 15 years prior to that. Thai democracy hasn't changed one bit over the 35 years I've known this country.

Thai democracy is all about how fat the politicians wallet is at the time of an election and how fat it will become after an election.

The affluent become more effluent.

The common man just gets fed more effluent by the effluent affluent

True words and well said.

I note that no-one really seems to care that they are all corrupt. Politicians from both sides, Police, Amphurs and so many more. And no-one wants to stop the corruption as they are happy with it. It pays for their lifestyle.

At one local election last year politicians on all sides who had money were paying people to vote so the people got paid at least twice. I heard no complaints from any side.

These texts have been going on for weeks. I do not see a problem with people subscribing if that is their wish. Or are some of you going to deny people their right to subscribe s well as their right to demonstrate?

As for the 1,000,000 or 1,000 I notice it is the press that has been bandying these numbers about.

Pity they did not secure the airport when the Yellows were on the rampage.

Ah, yes, one rule for the uneducated masses and another for the elite

Cheers for that. It was a new compressor approx 3 months ago. From the comments above I would conclude the mechanic can't have made sure there was oil in it. I hope it does not pack in on me.

Thanks for the confirmation on the oil in the compressor. I had been wracking my brain as to the cause of the stalling and not having air con in a car before did not even know it needed oil, much less that lack of oil could cause such problems.

We live and learn

Cheers

Oh!! Stop complaining!! It's absolutely freezing here, I am wearing two sweatshirts and a sweater, two pairs of socks and my woolly slippers. Oh, to be where you are!!

Next year, hopefully......

You sound like my grandmother - all dressed up for bed

Obviously not many Toon fans out there. But we had a brilliant game against Barsley and we won 6-1.

Now 8 points clear at the top of the championship with a game in hand. Surely only a matter of time before we are back in the EPL.

I had several bits of work done on the car over a short period of time including a new compressor for the air con, some electrical work and other stuff.

Shortly after that the engine would stop. It did not matter if I was slowing for a junction, stopping at traffic lights or decelerating.

Quite scary at times to find you suddenly have no power steering, heavy brakes and no engine power and you have to pull over to the side of the road quickly before you get rear ended.

I went to a new mechanic when the air con packed in working. He renewed the gas and also added oil to the air con compressor (g/f's translation). Since then the engine has not cut out once and the work was done 2 weeks ago. The idle speed is better too and now does not keep dropping down to 2/300 rpm on tick over.

Does that make sense to you mechanically minded guys out there? (I've not had air con before coming over here).

And it is an Auto box.

Lets give a Thai a manual gearbox and lets see how they cope then

Most Thai drivers I have seen with a manual gearbox drive very well and I have been in a car with a few of those.

Maybe an auto box makes people cae less and think less of how they drive?

There is a tower where I often drive and it gives the time and the current temp. Yesterday evening at 17-00 hrs it was 37 deg C. I'd be curious what the reading was at midday. Must have been near 39 or 40 deg.

Yes it it hot at the moment.

As said, get in touch with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). They are best served to advise you.

Good luck with this and the phobia.

Think what a wonderful adventure it would be. If the trip only even done the one time.

I would try it, considering that from house to house it currently takes 24 hours.

Darn it. There was me and the family going to have fun at the demo too.

Spoilsports

Worth it to have a love-in later on to make up for it. Maybe get some special treatment

Mine does blow up occasionally. When she does it takes hours to get her to stop mouthing off. That is when I take her to her mothers. That soon shuts her up. I leave her there and let her mother give her he_l. I go to the pub and refuse to answer the phone. Makes her wonder what I am up to and who with

Next day all is fine and dandy again. Wonderful things - women.

I'd not trade mine in for anything.

I wonder how they are going to manage that, surly it would be a better idea to just create a brand new 20 pound note altogether or do you think that would be way more hassel ?

We have new £20 pound notes it is the older ones that are being phased out.

Maybe worth a visit to the Bank of England website, not quite as scary as the OP suggests!

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/newtwenty/

some more information here.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6272PQ20100308

I never meant it to be scary. Just a bald statement of fact. And forewarned is forearmed, especially for those bank robbers with their hoards of cash stashed under the mattress

And as there might be people here with some of the older £20 notes it is surely better to trade them in now before the Thai banks decide not to take them any more? The Thai banks can be fickle at the best of times.

"The officer didn't want to annoy the customer or inconvenience him any more, so he didn't really look at the passport number," Mr Thurdsak admitted.

Probably had his mind on what he was going to order for lunch.

but passport numbers change with the issuing of a new passport, so what's to say checking the passport is 100% fool proof

At least with a good photocopy of his passport they would have had his details and a mug shot to go on.

Have a look in your wallet: any £20 notes with the image of Edward Elgar on them will not be legal tender after June 30 this year.

This means that shops no longer have to accept the notes, and it is up to banks whether they agree to swap notes after this date.

Source :- Daily Telegraph.

Obviously if any of you are hoarding your millions in £20 notes or have robbed any banks, get them changed soon

It seems to me that the actions that occurred last year in Pattaya and Bangkok, as well as statements made by some of their members along with grenade attacks and the planting of bombs in the city within the city in the past few months justify the label of terrorists. These are not just peaceful opponents of the government but a group, factions of which have engaged in and advocated violence to topple the government.

'Factions' do not make the Red shirts terrorists.