Stray

Not possible, neon light, no matter how bright or how close to the light's cover, can not ignite

a fire as it doesn't omit and heat that can be hot enough to melt plastic and start a fire....

keep looking, or is it another cover up in the making going on there?......

The tubes, of fluorescent lights, are relatively cool. However, the ballasts (transformers) and even the 'tombstones' (which the ends of the tubes fit into and are heated by the steel ends of the tubes) can run hot.

Have seen scorch marks on ceilings of houses (and within the metal cases) when replacing old fluorescent lighting units. This was NOT in Thailand. The potential for a fire from poorly/incorrectly installed/maintained lighting fixtures is possible.

No need to be in politics anymore anyway lol.

There is going to be a new super board. All 12 state enterprises will be under the superboard control. Including ministry of education, thai airways, electric company and several others. This wonderful superboard will be independent of government scrutiny and interference, so as to prevent continued corruption by those nasty governments.

I am not sure but I think Prayut has appointed himself as head of this superboard.

We can rest assured, with the 250 member appointed senate and the superboard of state enterprises the army has made sure thailand is in good strong arms of happiness.

Interesting rant but what has it to do with Cambodia?

Mmm..

look as Vigo cut beemer:whistling:

If, as you allege, the driver of the Toyota pushed in front of the BMW, how do you account for the damage, to the back, left hand side, of the Toyota, in the OP photo?

Has anyone on this thread ever talked to a Thai about what went on in the day? I live by the railway and have asked the Father in law. Not happy talking about it. His main memory is "us" bombing the shit out of the locals.

My MiL, a wonderful old bear now well into her 90's, loves telling anyone and everyone who will listen how many 'Japs' she sent to the next life by derailing trains (I understand she was actually in the organised Thai resistance).

I don't have the heart to tell her I'm working for the Japanese, in Thailand, building a railway! (something that goes over the heads of many of my UK mates too)

One person's freedom fighter/resistance is another person's terrorist.

The irony of your situation seems similar to my old job; working for an American demolitions company in Vietnam. Okay, we did do construction but we had to demolish the original structure, first.

Day off for Thai bashing, looks like it's the Japanese's turn, albeit in tragic circumstances.

Thank god it was a Jap. Delayed justice in my opinion !

Never too late to show your racism, eh?

"Jap" is an ethnic slur, whether you think it's justified or not.

Any moderators willing to do the right thing?

Thanks.

Is "Brits" and "Yanks" and Aussies" and "Kiwis" ethnic slurs, too?"

It all depends on the context.

For instance, if you referred to me as a 'Brit' or a 'Yank', I would be offended. If you referred to me as a 'Kiwi', I would be deeply offended.

Come in Spinner!!!

It's a sad day when an Australian, who had all the benefits of an education, gets taken hook, line and sinker.

I put your own words back to you, "I suggest that you think a little more deeply before posting your next reply."

Please stop roaming, Aussie, pick up a dictionary and look up the word 'sarcasm'. Now, for your benefit, I wrote the word slowly so you wouldn't miss it.

When a poster has to highlight their own sarcasm it is often that they failed. Fallen into the trap myself. If your sarcasm goes unheeded man up and let it go. (possibly woman up but I doubt it).

Are you implying that I do not understand the OP and have no concept of the words I have written?

The same can be said for your multitude of replies. Let it go!

Yes.

Aren't you the all knowing one! No way I can respond to such a wise response . . . I bow down to your far greater intellect.

If the train operator had time to sound the whistle, several times, why didn't he swerve around the guy taking photos of himself?

Afterall, as everyone should know, you are obligated to give way to those who are ignoring everything going on around themselves and playing with their telephones.

Pray tell how a train on a railway track could swerve around the man? I suggest that you think a little more deeply before posting your next reply. Maybe the train driver could have applied his emergency brake if he had one installed.

Come in Spinner!!!

It's a sad day when an Australian, who had all the benefits of an education, gets taken hook, line and sinker.

I put your own words back to you, "I suggest that you think a little more deeply before posting your next reply."

Please stop roaming, Aussie, pick up a dictionary and look up the word 'sarcasm'. Now, for your benefit, I wrote the word slowly so you wouldn't miss it.

When a poster has to highlight their own sarcasm it is often that they failed. Fallen into the trap myself. If your sarcasm goes unheeded man up and let it go. (possibly woman up but I doubt it).

Are you implying that I do not understand the OP and have no concept of the words I have written?

The same can be said for your multitude of replies. Let it go!

If the train operator had time to sound the whistle, several times, why didn't he swerve around the guy taking photos of himself?

Afterall, as everyone should know, you are obligated to give way to those who are ignoring everything going on around themselves and playing with their telephones.

Pray tell how a train on a railway track could swerve around the man? I suggest that you think a little more deeply before posting your next reply. Maybe the train driver could have applied his emergency brake if he had one installed.

Please don't point out the stupidity of posters. Swerving trains? Classic.

Please refer to my response to aussieroaming, post #98.

I put you in a similar category.

If the train operator had time to sound the whistle, several times, why didn't he swerve around the guy taking photos of himself?

Afterall, as everyone should know, you are obligated to give way to those who are ignoring everything going on around themselves and playing with their telephones.

Pray tell how a train on a railway track could swerve around the man? I suggest that you think a little more deeply before posting your next reply. Maybe the train driver could have applied his emergency brake if he had one installed.

Come in Spinner!!!

It's a sad day when an Australian, who had all the benefits of an education, gets taken hook, line and sinker.

I put your own words back to you, "I suggest that you think a little more deeply before posting your next reply."

Please stop roaming, Aussie, pick up a dictionary and look up the word 'sarcasm'. Now, for your benefit, I wrote the word slowly so you wouldn't miss it.

Thanks again, drtreelove.

I have a similar sounding beetle (as the OP) which primarily attacks my palm oil and coconut trees, at night. As there is also a growing colony of 'lady beetles', I have been reluctant to use anything to destroy the pests as I don't want to kill/repel the 'lady beetles'. I was conducting my own nightly raids on the pests (hand to hand combat), unfortunately, my trees are very young and are not recovering from the enemy attacks.

It may be time for me to launch 'chemical' warfare, as suggested by drtreelove and learn to live with the collateral damage to other, more beneficial, bugs.

If the train operator had time to sound the whistle, several times, why didn't he swerve around the guy taking photos of himself?

Afterall, as everyone should know, you are obligated to give way to those who are ignoring everything going on around themselves and playing with their telephones.

Not exactly Khun Stray;

" nam " means also the number " five "

and viet = people viet, like people french or english or german;

nam means the south of China , and not from China .

I'm not a vietnamese people but was living there during many years; forgot a little bit the language ( more than a little bit ) but can speak sometimes with thai people who are living in my province, Sakon Nakhon .

In Nakon Phanom there is a big clock , a gift from vietnamese people living abroad ( Viet Kieu )

The 'modern' Vietnamese language has 6 tones.

The word 'Việt' refers to the Vietnamese people alone and NOT to people originating from other countries. When referring to someone from another country the word 'người' precedes the name of the country. 'Nhân dân' can also be used. To use the examples you gave me, French people - nhân dân Pháp, English people - người Anh, German people - người Đức.

The word 'nam', with NO tone markers means 'south' or 'male', depending on the context. In the case of the name of the country, the word means 'south' and refers to the Việt people, from the south of China who moved into this area and claimed it as their own.

The number 5 is written 'năm'. Hence, the name of the country is Việt Nam. Not Việt Năm.

edit: to remove images in reply.

By the way, the name of the country, Viet Nam, is a clue as to where the people originally came from.

The southern Viet people, from China.

Uncle Ho was the perfect symbol of valiant who prevail over the strong.

Today Vietnam is the small free and independent for having resist to his invaders:

- Japanese

- Chinese

- French

- US like always...

Well done Thailand in order to sublimate this model.

Not wanting to divert from the original topic but are you suggesting that none of the above countries, you mention, ruled over Vietnam/North Vietnam/South Vietnam/Indochina?

Insight to the brains of BMW drivers the pay kiosk is on the right:facepalm:

No, no, no! The BMW driver is very clever.

That's how they've been able to keep up the monthly car payments. By sneaking through the toll booths, hidden by larger vehicles and avoiding paying the tolls. Just, this time, the vehicle they were hiding behind was just a little wider than expected.

Why would you think BMW drivers pay every month for the car? II have a BMW and paid cash, so much for your insightful comment

So, are you saying that EVERY BMW driver paid cash for their vehicle?

Or, are you saying that ALL BMW drivers are too stupid to understand the formalities at toll gates?

If you reread my post (above) very, very slowly (sorry if I wrote it too quickly for you) you may notice that I was referring to ONE (and ONE only) BMW driver/owner. Here's a hint, the one in the OP photo.

Hang on! Is that a photo of YOUR BMW?

By the way, I also paid cash for my vehicles (plural) but there are other threads for dropping out your private bits and comparing sizes.

Insight to the brains of BMW drivers the pay kiosk is on the right:facepalm:

No, no, no! The BMW driver is very clever.

That's how they've been able to keep up the monthly car payments. By sneaking through the toll booths, hidden by larger vehicles and avoiding paying the tolls. Just, this time, the vehicle they were hiding behind was just a little wider than expected.

laolover88, a quick question.

Do you still have a UK driving licence, or just the Thai licence?

I assume that you only have the Thai licence, hence, obtaining a Thai IDP for driving in the UK.

In my case, as you have already probably noted, I have licences issued from both Thailand and Australia (with Thai address). I use my Thai licence when driving in Thailand and my Australian licence for all other countries.

Getting a little off track as my post relates to Australia.

I am an Australian citizen but I am not a resident (I do not even have an Australian residential address). I am the holder of Thai driving licences (car and motorcycle). I am also the holder of an Australian licence which has my Thai address stamped on it.

I cannot claim to know anything about UK driving licences but an Australian citizen is permitted to hold an Australian driving licence with a foreign address.

With renewals of my Australian driving licence, the paperwork is sent to my Thai address, after filling it out, the paperwork and photo (if it requires updating) is taken to the Australian embassy for certification and then sent to the Australian department of licencing (in my case, VicRoads). They then send my new licence to me, in Thailand.

Hi Stray

I'm also an Australian and have been here 4 years and am now Non-O based on marriage. In the first few years I paid for the international license from WA, but for the past 2 years I haven't bothered. Am I in fact driving illegally?

Does this depend on residency status, i.e. more than 180 days per year out the country according to the ATO?

Is it a case of...

... if you're an Australian resident for tax purposes, you drive on your Australian license or you drive on your Australian license + an internal driving permit?

... if you're not an Australian resident for tax purposes, you get a Thai license or get an Australian license with a Thai address or both?

... or is it nothing to do with tax / residence status?

I don't drive a lot so never really bothered getting it right, but since this article came up I thought I'd ask...

Police have checked me a few times and they just looked at my Australian license with an Australian address and didn't care, even though I don't even live at that address anymore, it was just the house I rented before coming here...

G'day tails,

I hope laolover88 doesn't mind us going off on a tangent from the original post (thank you for posting as I'm sure there are some that will read it and take on board some of the excellent information from your experience).

To maintain an Australian licence, you must give the licencing authority your current address details. Whether that be your Thai address or your mate's place, in Australia. The Australian residency requirement (180 concurrent days out of Australia), isn't a factor. As your Australian driving licence is, in effect, a form of Australian ID, the details must be current and correct. In the case of using your mate's place, from that address, you can be located and contacted.

In Victoria, updating to an international address is quick and easy (I'm not talking about the 'returning to Australia in 6 years option' which can be done online). I visited a VicRoads office and the change of address process took less time than finding a car parking space in Melbourne's CBD.

A bonus in using my Thai address is that, while I still must vote in federal elections, I am no longer eligible to vote (and pay fines for failure to vote) in council and state elections. I also had ready proof for changing the address of Australian bank accounts, employment related matters (Australian issued permits and licences) etc.

I am not going to get into the argument about what countries can drive in Thailand without requiring an IDP. The simple fact of the matter is, if the police pull you over and request/demand you show an IDP and you can't, you may be fined. So, prior to obtaining my Thai driving licences, I was using my Australian driving licence (with Thai address) and using an Australian IDP. The reason being that I no longer had a valid Australian address and had not bothered to look into the requirements for obtaining a Thai driving licence.

As an Australian licence appears to be easier to use, over a Thai licence, when renting and driving in other countries, I will retain my Australian driving licence and have kept it current.

Getting a little off track as my post relates to Australia.

I am an Australian citizen but I am not a resident (I do not even have an Australian residential address). I am the holder of Thai driving licences (car and motorcycle). I am also the holder of an Australian licence which has my Thai address stamped on it.

I cannot claim to know anything about UK driving licences but an Australian citizen is permitted to hold an Australian driving licence with a foreign address.

With renewals of my Australian driving licence, the paperwork is sent to my Thai address, after filling it out, the paperwork and photo (if it requires updating) is taken to the Australian embassy for certification and then sent to the Australian department of licencing (in my case, VicRoads). They then send my new licence to me, in Thailand.

WOW!!! So many people who own houses/condos/shacks with separate toilet and bathroom facilities for males and females. So many who only fly on airlines with separate facilities for different genders. So many who only stay in hotels that provide separate bathrooms for each gender in the rooms.

Unisex toilets are more prolific than you think. Ever seen/used 'handicapped' toilets?

They test for colour blindness??

This is not even necessary for a pilot's licence these days.

I am very colour blind and I have car and bike licence here.

Have been driving for over 45 years in many countries and never experienced a problem.

I seem to recall that the 'colour-blindness' test is in fact a reaction time test. You must use a simulated brake pedal within a certain time after a change of colour on the screen.

Been many years and I am often wrong.

The colour blindness test involves a light which will illuminate in either red, amber or green and you tell them the colour that appears. Say 'yellow', not 'amber'.

The 'reaction time test' is a separate test.

Taxi in Singapore refused an offered tip- not allowed apparently

WARNING: off topic!

Never, never, never had a Singapore taxi driver refuse a tip (I used to spend several months a year working in Singapore and catch taxis on a daily basis). Actually, never had a taxi driver in any country refuse a tip.

Okay, back to the topic at hand.

There are some who claim that they've never been scammed by Thai taxi drivers but reports (such as the OP) cannot all be made up. I rarely visit Bangkok but have been hit with the "meter not working" and offered an exorbitantly high flat rate. However, on the other hand, I have also had dealings with fantastic drivers.

Unfortunately, the poor experiences are passed on to more people than the good experiences. 'Incidents' such as, "Flagged down a taxi today. Didn't have to discuss destination through the window prior to jumping into the cab. Driver used the meter, used the most direct route and drove relatively safely. Received correct change from a 100 baht note, for a 38 baht fare." This occurs many, many times every day, in Thailand, but rarely make it onto a stand alone thread.

Most of the comments here must be from folk who live in heavily policed areas, immigration or other. Out in the boons it's not a case of brown envelopes but more of who you know either at the Tessabaan or local cop shop. I know of 3 farangs doing similar stuff and all have top cover.

Exactly. Out near where I live, a local market had a German man and his son selling hot dogs etc. for a couple of years. Recently went to a different market I'd never been to before and was surprised to see next to the entrance, a small van with a Turkish looking man doing a brisk trade selling kebabs. He sells at other locations I was told and has been around for a while. Very tasty and reasonably priced.

We have a Japanese guy selling sushi and California rolls, from a cart, at a local market. Has been for years.

I must admit that I don't know the procedure when changing from a domestic flight, to an international flight, in Thailand.

Are you saying, that in the past, it was possible to bypass all of the international security procedures at Swampy airport, simply by flying into Swampy on a domestic flight?

If this is the case, I applaud the change of policy.

I don't know of any country where it is possible to change from domestic to international flights without first clearing international flight security checks.

Should try some of the transit flights through Doha. Security screening at an international transit point?!?

Let me try and explain what is happening here.

<SNIP>

Thank you, Bsd, for explaining the process, changes and affects. Appreciate the time you have taken.

Also, understand how this change in policy, if not clearly announced, could cause problems with people's travel plans, due to unexpected delays at Swampy.

I have often wondered why no one seems to believe in crop rotation.

Crop rotation requires spare land which many farmers just don't have. Further, as soalbundy points out, only crops that have marketable value can be grown.

On farms that have comparatively large tracts of land, crop rotation IS carried out in many areas. Rice is grown during one season and, during the dry, cassava is planted. Crops such as corn and sugar cane are also grown. Rice is not planted again, on the same plot, for around 2 years. That doesn't mean that rice isn't grown on the farm, just not on the same plot of land.

Unbeknownst to many keyboard experts, there are farmers around that are aware of the affects of anaerobic bacteria upon their soil. Hence, the reason for allowing it to rest, from rice crops, for a couple of seasons. They are also aware of crop rotation methods. However, for many, these requirements are just not financially feasible. Hence, the growing debt and selling off of sections of land and the overburdening of the soil they have remaining.