drummer

I guess you're calling me an ignorant sex tourist. I work a serious job here and have the same girlfriend for 4 1/2 years. I work[ed] with hundreds of Thais, and talking about culture, I'm almost certain that the post above is true, the officers took the money and made the arrest anyway.

Oh - I don't doubt that- I've seen that happen myself!

I was just commenting that Thai Rak Thai goes a lot deeper than who is dating who...

The bin Laden family had approximately US$2 million invested with the Carlyle Group. That scarcely made them "major investors" in the Caryle Group, nor did that $2 million constitutute a significant percentage of the bin Laden families assests. While the roll call of world leaders who has been associated with the Carlyle Group may in itself be an indication of "cronyism", the evidence of wrongdoing against them amounts to nothing more than Michael Moore styled innuendo.

I'm sure you fully support the war in Iraq, and are certain that Saddam Hussein himself personlly picked the 9-11 hijackers!

The Carlyle Group is comprised of highly influential politicians and those at the levers of power. Smoe are seemingly clean, and others are convicted dirtbgs. Several Carlyle members have ties to BCCI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_Credi...e_International

George HW Bush, for example. He laundered the money from arm sales to Iran through BCCI, in order to fund the Contras. You have heard of the Iran-Contra affair? If you need a refresher, Bush Co sold weapons to the Iranian Mullahs to give to the Contras, in order to fight the Sandanistas. The Contras were/are are right wing paramilitary gruop that, among other things, killed priests and nuns, and generally engaged in death squads and terrorism. Nice guys. (Salem bin Laden played a role in the Iran-Contra affair)

This is NOT 'Michael Moore style innuendo" it is a matter of public record.

Of course, you may very well think that Ollie North was a great American hero, and/or the Iran-Contra affair never existed. Perhaps you believe that conspiracies are merely the realm of wakos. (in which case I'd like to refer you to the cases of Julius Caesar and Pearl Harbor) http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/SH.html

ORganized crime - i.e. pre-existing mafia rganizations have decided that ID fraud will be a very profitable venture, and have moved in full bore. More than one bank have announced that their computers have been hacked.

Of course, if someone sets up a dodgy ATM with a dodgy camera next to it, then they would be able to get at least a dozen fake credit cards/ day. Heck - even a high res camera set up would do it - you could take read the numbers and everything righ off the card itself .... even get the signature.

It has been no news for 100 years or so that Thais love easy bucks, and that makes them no different than people from countries like France, Italy or the states.

If this was my country, then I'd probably not be eager to help out foreigners either; although I would also not try to get their money in ridiculous ways.

There seem to be some threads that indicate the rules are being applied at the will of the immigration officers. Some people gettnig 4 stamps, some getting 7 days. Still a bit early.

The real effects will be if they start to put quotas on the tourist visas frmo local consulates / embassies.

Maybe it wasn't a prank - maybe all they wanted is to disrupt their work, and send a warning.

Another attempt at media intimidation (if it wasn't a prank).

It could very easily be entirely unrelated, or a rogue agent of someone acting no their own.

Assuming the bombings were a political action, either side might have done the original one. If it was Thksin behind the Nation threat, it would be stupid, although the current gov't gains credibility on the new threats.

This could be very nuanced - and the press is bound to have "gotten the picture" already ... if there is a picture to be gotten here.

Incidentally, with all the caps in the opening line - I thought this was a much more serious topic! (i.e. 'the nation', not 'The Nation')

"A guy in California this last year made an electric car that drives like a bat out of hel_l putting laptop batteries in series and in parrellel. "

Let's hope he didn't use SONY laptop batteries!

rofl

I have to say I am happy to see the rules apply to every one for a change, get legal or leave. If you can't get legal there is a good reason for it.

I think you are in for a sad surprise... Thai style is to apply the rules according to the spirit o the law, not the letter. Enforcement is always going to be spotty for this reason. In addition, there will be folks who have the influence to get around it easily enough for various reasons.

Reoprts coming already show some people getting renewed visas and others told to leave.

I was joking.

Well, I admit I've never met a lot of expats living in the sticks, so my obserations are laregly based on BKKers + Southerners. I can certainly see your point. Now that you mention it, I do know some people who literally can't go back home to their home country (exiles) and the new laws are really making them feel truly bad. (married with kids on the way, 15 year residents)

So I yield that last post. Good point.

However, it is not my experience that sexpats couldn't give a rat's ass... a lot of them are devoted to Thailand because they like the lifestyle. Many even take a massive pay cut to stay in LOS. I know several parents with Thai wives th have relocated back home. It is, among other things, a strong impulse in me on its own, now that I'm a father. Nothing against Thailand at all, but I wanted to go back home for a while. The uncertainty of the new visa laws and their xenophobic nature were a major motivator to go home. Just speaking for myself here.

The baht bus mafia will no doubt use their influence to make sure it's only assigned to night routes.

LOL

Unfortnately, I don;'t think the 'bhat bus' mafia is the one they really have to worry about. The oil cartel is FAR more powerful (and a very big reason why we haven't adopted the previously mentioned technologies here alerady)

One more thing .... here in a rahter environmentally minded area of the US, we are just now getting around to adopting 100 year old fuel technogy and other longstanding - yet easy to do - things to make our busses cleaner and more efficient. Thailand is way ahead of the game by even announcing this stuff.

If they do get it done, they will become a world model.

"maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour"

Only when it plunges to the ground from a highway overpass.

Scoff if you will, but there is some great technolgies coming out. A guy in California this last year made an electric car that drives like a bat out of hel_l putting laptop batteries in series and in parrellel.

There are a lot of technolgies that improve fuel efficiency - such as spinning the wheels and others - that basically re-use power - greatly increasing efficiency.

Solar power per se may be a little weak, but it may plug in, too - that was clearly an option reading the report.

If it ever does get off the groud then it will save Thailand a TON of money in a great many areas. From pollution related hospital bills to petroleum savings. Then there are the reduction in pollution, the noise, etc etc.

These things can be damned expensive and still save a lot of money in the long run.

Major kudos if they get it working! They might, too - Thailand has the biggest biofuels program in the world running. Hopefully they keep the price down, and subsidize the purchase of these busses. If the fare is expensive it won't have any practical effect.

It would be really great if they could come up with a small electric motorcycle!! Th would really help the pollution.

Busy news week, eh?

If Surayud reallly did have a tip-off about the bombings, this might be part of his reaction.

Of course, it might very well be a power grab. The guy, from what I can tell, seems like a stand up guy. And, theoretically, the best possible goverment type is a benevolent monarchy. It could be that if he really becomes one of these fair kings that Thailand is famous for that it could bode well for Thailand. The problem with it, and any monarchy, is succession. That, and power corrupts.

Burma, for example, is in a bad state. Consolidating powr in the hands of one or a few men is just a bad idea in the mid to long term. Even if you are lucky enough to get a good guy for a while, someone who resists the temptations and trappings of power, the next guy in line probably won't be so strong. It is all the difference between Augustus and Caligula.

Any secret police force to maintain social order scares the bejeebusses out of me. I 'trust' Surayud et al more than most in their position, but trust is certainly to strong of a word!

Just because Thaksin was more corrupt, other's corruption can be ignored and is beyond scrutinity?

One dubious and small land deal - for personal use are a FAR FAR FAR cry from what Thaksin was/is up to. This is the difference between stealing a candy bar from a 7-11 and rigging an ATM. Thaksin was using his position to help his businesses gain unfair advantages. Surayud got a house on government land that maybe he shouldn't have, and th could have very well hve been an honest mistake. Even if it wasn't, if you took out every politician in Thailand(as well as Europe, the US, etc) who did something similar to this you would quickly find yourself without a government.

This is not to say I condone the 'perks' of he job - I am dead set against them. While great many politicians in th West engage in such behavior it largely goes unnoticed. If it did come to light then that politician would likely be in a lot of trouble. Corruption at any level promotes corruption at every level. BUT we realistically can't expect the guy to be athe Buddha, can we?

And double marriage certificates? TIT, not Victorian England, and bigamy is de facto accepted. This does sound like Thaksin's folks grabbing at proverbial straws.

i wonder why any prime targets to kill farangs didn't get hit! any ideas anyone? i dont think its political, perhaps more sinister or cowardly reasons might be the answer

What would be a prime target to hit farangs? (By the way, there were farangs hit). And if it is not against farangs and it is not political, then what is it? Or why would it be only political if farangs get hit? I think its purely Thai internal and VERY political.

Perhaps because farang really aren't the center of the world - even in Thailand....

Great map of bomb sites on the BBC site

Stunning....I can't believe they do something like that !

something like the map?

wait. ... smoking at bus stops.... there is a truly tasteless joke in there somewhere given the current events....

I LOVE the one about not smoking at bus stops. On what planet are you when you think smoking at a bus stop in Thailand is going to make any significant difference to the pollution inhaled ?

It isn't ikely to make any difference directly, however, it will protect smokers more than anyone else. If there are fewer places to smoke, smokers will smoke fewer cigarrettes. Those like me, who are ocial smokers, will face less temptation to light one up.

I haven't smoked for about a month now, and it is mostly out of sight, out of mind. If I'm around smokers, though, the temptation is there. The fewer places to smoke, the better!

I didn't read the whole thread, but there are a lot of ill effects associated with smoking - and getting rid of them will help everyone. I don't really think they should be illegal, but keeping them behind closed doors is a good move, IMHO.

It also helps to keep people from smoking to begin with!

ITV reported a few minutes ago that there was a suspicious object found in or near Buddy Bar on KSR, but no explosion.

Probably just an unusual looking batch of cookies....

There was no immediate word on the bombers' identities or possible motive, but Government Spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp told a news conference that the incidents were apparently the work of ill-intentioned people who wished to create disturbances in the country

A regular Sherlock Holmes...

Though I also think the worst of the clampdown will start on the 1/1/07

Yes - this seems to have been planned well in advance, and October was probably chosen to be 3 months before the new year...

Just thought I'd say the title of the thread sounds like a blood test result ...

I thought the way it was supposed to work is that you got 90 days, regardless of entry stamps - then 90 out of the country.

It seems they are autonomously run entities in their interpretation of the rules.

One thing I noticed in September is that the new regs say that each visa issue point will be subject to annual review in their practices by central Imm. If they want to change things up, they are putting all the pieces in place to really do so. Starting with the increase in overstay fines a few months before the new regs got announced.

Nobpdy is going to get worried unless they start really getting serious. In my own experience, sexpats are more dedicated to Thailand than anoyone else... even married people with kids. Guys can take their wives to their home country, but they can't take Soi Cowboy with them....

[quote name='pete_r' date='2006-12-26 13:23:05' post='1048911'

I thought the US had one of the highest rates of deaths by firearms in the world, counting both accidents and murders. I sure don't want that in Thailand.

I think Iraq and Sudan have those honors at the moment...

Anyway, its not guns that kill people, it is people that kill people. Canada ha TWICE the gnus per capita than the US and a much lower gun crime rate. Switzerland has the highest gun ownership rate in the world and a low crime rate. It isn't the availability of guns that drives crime. Outlaw guns and only outlaws will have guns... Never owned a gun myself, but a dispassionate look at the facts produces ome pretty darned clear conclusions