Why Is It So..

[globe]

I speak, read and write fluent German as well as Spanish.

I ventured on a German chat-room some time ago, over a theme involving "Kinder, einer verlorenen Generation". (Children of a lost generation). I posted the same picture of the sleeping Libo and the reply of some Kraut was, (in German): "Well I was talking about German children, he is just a little too dark for my taste. "Just because he is not blond and blue eyed?"

Well, my nasty reply caused me to kicked of the website. May pen ray.

Anyway.

Trying to contribute something to the community here, which had lost many children to the tsunami, I donated halve a Million Baht to the repair of the destroyed perimeter driveway of the primary school the boys attended at the time.

Before:

http://media.livedigital.com/pictures/bb/3...73bc4faf279.jpg

http://media.livedigital.com/pictures/23/1...e6b75b2a455.jpg

After:

http://media.livedigital.com/pictures/74/3...ab7e22f5b1f.jpg

http://media.livedigital.com/pictures/de/d...4bbaeed83b7.jpg

Today there are new buildings, plaques of contributors with as little as 100 baht all over the place. Me? Nada en absoluto

I never even got a "thank you".

I never asked for laurels, but I guess their attitude was; hey, falang has much money, can afford it.

[LivinginKata]

I venture to suggest that 'Aviator' is reincarnated as 'Globe'. Why the change of name ???

[globe]

Not really.

Aviator was not available, so I opted for globe which is the way I always posted on the Thai and Thai/Puket forum.

I do use the Spanish version "aviador" occasionally on other forums. Why? Do you have a problem with it ?

[donna]

whilst i understand your feelings about not being thanked, globe, the true art of giving is not done for recognition. its done from the heart and expects no thanks.

[kat]

First of all that boy does not look Burmese, secondly I find your post extremely weird and thirdly your pictures look set up and voyeuristic.

Where did you crawl out from under what rock?

What are Burmese supposed to look like? Horned devils perhaps?

He is sitting right next to me, eating his lunch

Anyway, I am sorry I posted it. If you find it "setup and voyeuristic" that's your problem.

Sorry, Kat is right he does not look Burmese (Burman). If he was he would not be in Thailand working in slave labor conditions but rather here on holiday with plenty of money. No, he definately looks to be ethnically Karen one of the most persecuted of all ethnic groups in Myanmar because they actually had the audacity to stand up and fight the "Burmese" military regime.

Don't you dare be sorry for posting your email!! I would say he sure looks like the 12 year old boy below. But I'm sure someone will comment this pic is also "set up".

I applaud you for being able to identify the difference between ethnic Burmans and ethnic Karens, especially in noted photographs of child soldiers for the KNLA.

I really couldn't care less what you and others have to say about me, because I spent almost my entire time in Thailand working with ethnic Burmese and understand the situation and history very well.

I really don't care to make an issue over the looks or ethnicity of the boy in the picture either, because it's not that important. However, in passing and from these photogrpahs, my first instinct would be that he is from a Sea Gypsy ethnicity. My real issue was the creepy intonations of the post, and yes, the voyeuristic nature of these pictures.

Also, if you are really concerned for his humanity, why are you posting pictures of his mouth and his dental procedure as if he is some livestock that you are exhibiting on an internet forum? Do you pictures of your own children at the dentist?

I seriously don't care what your response is. And by the way, I'm plenty alive and kicking, thanks

*Nicely posted, Donna. She is a lot more diplomatic than me, but then again, I never wanted to be a diplomat.

** However, through all of this nastiness and disagreement, I want to say that it was nice of you for trying to rebuild the community.

[donna]

i have just read the previous page in this thread.

posters, please refrain from abusive posts or warnings will be issued, which is the last thing i want to do.

we can do better than this guys, so lets keep it nice please.

[globe]

you are right. This is why I didn't make a big deal out of it. Most Thais, especially the children don't know how to say "thank you" (cop koon khap) when handed something.

On another note, while I think of it. It's terrible to be retired and have nothing to do, espeacially since I, as a pilot was always driven by the clock.

No I am lying. I get up when I feel like it, eat when I am hungry, take naps when I get tired in the afternoon and go to sleep whenever I feel like it. Something I always wanted to do.

I may have posted the following once before, but that was my first encounter with kids in Thailand who are not really wanted.

I had invested a great deal of money in a transportation company when I first arrived, owned by a fellow everybody called Mr. T. Nice young man, 29 years old, spoke reasonable English, pregnant wife and well-to-do in laws. I really didn’t want to work but to just sit on my butt; this seemed to be ideal to earn a few sheckels without much effort on my part. We operated 10 mini buses and had contracts with all the major hotels in the area. Well the tsunami changed all that.

But that is another story. (I could write a book: “How I got screwed out of 3 Million baht within 2 short years”)

I will start with the story of Lucky which I had written and sent more than 2 years ago to various people.

I was at T's father’s restaurant when he introduced me to his nephew Lucky. His name is actually Anoluk. Luck is what they call him is 12 years old and because of a severe head injury he received the age of 4 never learned to read and write. The boy spoke well, was very polite and seemed quite normal to me; I even saw him ride his sister’s motorcycle. I invited him to come to my house to play video games. This kid mastered a complicated game within 20 minutes, which I can not play to this day and on an English keyboard no less. “Wait a minute“…………., I said to myself. “There is nothing wrong with this child“. I asked T, if he was ever tested? No, was the answer, but his teacher told the parents that he was brain damaged and unable to learn.

Now the whole story. He comes from a very poor family about 1,600 km from here near the Cambodian border. They don't even have electricity there. The stupid parents sent this boy to school at the age of 5, after falling off a tree at age 4 undergoing brain surgery and having been in a coma for 3 months. The teacher, underpaid and overworked (which is the rule here) simply could not cope with the boy's special needs, so he, or she pronounced him mentally retarded.

Also, as is customary here, he did not measure up to the parent’s standards so he was shipped off to some relatives.

I am no genius but I know that the human brain at a young age is very resilient, so I volunteered to hire a special teacher at the horrendous rate of 300 Baht per hour (about $ 7.50 :>)) which is normally a day’s pay for a teacher) twice a week for 3 hours per day to see if he was capable of learning. That was about 8 weeks ago. Lucky is making tremendous progress and is a whiz at math.

Last week the parents came to visit, after a 22 hour bus ride and stopped by to thank me. They casually mentioned, if I wanted to "have" the boy? For 5000 Baht, (around $ 120.oo) they would give (sell I suppose) the child to me. “Hey, no way José, I am not in the habit of buying children. I like the kid but thanks for the offer“. That was that. They thanked me again and left.

As usual, Luck showed up every day (walking about 8 km from Bangniang to my home) and like all the other kids in the neighborhood to play video games and watch satellite TV. About 3 days ago, he came with all his meager possessions in a plastic bag and politely asked if he could stay overnight. “OK I said. “No problem, although my bed is sort of small“. "No“, he said “I like to sleep on the floor anyway, because it is cooler there". Later that day I received a phone call from T, saying the parents "gave" me the kid as a present. But wait!!!! THAT DID NOT FIT INTO THE EQUATION. Well what could I say, or do? He really had no place to go and was shoved from relative to relative, the last one happy to have found someone like me.

So, I always wanted a grandson but never thought it would be this way though. :>))) He is a bit of a handful sometimes because he never learned discipline. Luck does his own cooking knows how to sew and cleans up afterwards. I love to see him smile. The hugs I get from him every morning and when he comes back in the afternoon make up for all the trouble >)) As it turned out the boy is simply dyslectic which can not be cured, but one can learn to live with it.

In August 2005 the parents came back again and asked if Luck would go with them to their hometown, about an annual pilgrimage custom to their Buddhist temple for atonement or something. Lucky agreed.

Update March 2006:

The boys and I were having breakfast at the restaurant across the street from the school when Lucky showed up. He came to visit his grandmother for Songkram. My, did he grow! Well he is probably 14 now. He has a job at a local telephone shop since there is electricity there as well.

I received a big hug.

It was gratifying to see that he is able to lead a normal life.

http://media.livedigital.com/pictures/00/0a/000ae4bc92ebefae681fdf18ab01cb36.jpg

Note the scar on the boys head. It went from behind the left ear to almost the forehead.

It is better visible in this picture.

http://media.livedigital.com/pictures/62/b...0a9afd5f0dd.jpg

I am trying to chronicle my "adventures" in Thailand, because when I decided to move to Thailand at the age of 68 the consensus from my family was: " You are nuts", at your age?.. Thanks to digital photography and having plenty of time I can do this without guilt feelings.

After my sons were emancipated, my wife divorced me after our 30 year marriage, because, as she put it I was boring . It was a nice, mutually agreed on divorce. Even though I haven't heard from my sons (38 and 40 for more than 3 years, I correspond with my wife almost weekly.

Go figure.

[kat]

Sorry, Kat is right he does not look Burmese (Burman). If he was he would not be in Thailand working in slave labor conditions but rather here on holiday with plenty of money. No, he definately looks to be ethnically Karen one of the most persecuted of all ethnic groups in Myanmar because they actually had the audacity to stand up and fight the "Burmese" military regime.

Don't you dare be sorry for posting your email!! I would say he sure looks like the 12 year old boy below. But I'm sure someone will comment this pic is also "set up".

I applaud you for being able to identify the difference between ethnic Burmans and ethnic Karens, especially in noted photographs of child soldiers for the KNLA.

I really couldn't care less what you and others have to say about me, because I spent almost my entire time in Thailand working with ethnic Burmese and understand the situation and history very well.

Actually, on closer inspection your stock photo looks like a child soldier for the DKBA or Tatmadaw. Even worse! So much for your cut and paste approach to the issue.

[Tinkelbell]

quoted........."Overall, the US treatment of Mexicans is not nearly as bad. In fact, alot of Mexican culture is now embraced by much of the mainstream, the food, music, even some Mexican language and slang...."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

In fact, some of the several US towns have more Spanish speaking people than English speaking natives. In other word, in these parts of towns, the natives became a minority.

Recently, reading about some US colleges students were protesting about the extra benefits in which the schools for many decades have provided for the minority students. Now the table had turned: The English speaking native students have become a minotity themselves, they want to leap that same extra benefits, or reverse the ruling, either way.

The Mexicans who're sneaking into the US, not only gain ultra benefits from getting a job and living off at the expenses of US taxpayers, they also manage to siphon their hard earned cash to their country- Mexico at the tune of over $1.5 billion last year alone.

[geriatrickid]

It's a rather sad state, when people feel the need to denigrate this Globe guy for being responsible and kindhearted. For those that wish to attach negative connotations, please note that the mentally disturbed people that you allude to do not behave in his fashion, nor are they as forthcoming and open about it. And if you disaprove, nothing stops you folks from getting off your butts and doing it instead of him.

Having been on the border a decade ago and been shot at by armed children I do understand the fears of many Thais. Unfortunately, the Burmese smugglers are aided and abetted by Thais. One cannot bring in heroin and trade in endangered species, humans and timber otherwise. As many posters have stated, it is easier to blame the "darkies" then it is to accept responsibility and to go after the snakeheads. Throw the masses something to distract them and they'll quiet down.

[LivinginKata]

Not really.

Aviator was not available, so I opted for globe which is the way I always posted on the Thai and Thai/Puket forum.

I do use the Spanish version "aviador" occasionally on other forums. Why? Do you have a problem with it ?

No I don't have a problem Just wondered why the name change. I did applaud your support of the boy, however in your long time ago previous posts on TV as Aviador (or similar) I was puzzled by your repeated critism of Thais when you lost money a number of times, IMHO due to your own naivity (some less kind might say stupidity).

Now that I know you are Aviador I join the 'suspicious' camp.

[LivinLOS]

I venture to suggest that 'Aviator' is reincarnated as 'Globe'. Why the change of name ???

Yeah I realized that as I was going through the posts...

Those locals not fully cleaned you out by now ???

[globe]

Oh yes, they (it's only one however) and yes it was because of my naïveté and trust in human nature.

Not quite done yet, but I am waiting for him at this very moment.

Well “Kamoy” had returned to his wife and son. What was I supposed to do? Sue him? I wouldn’t have snowball’s chance in hel_l to win. Him Thai, me Falang. This would drag out for years and at 72 ½ I don’t have the time. He apologized profusely and promised to pay me back “next season.” As with my other miseries I needed some cash in the bank to get the minimum required for the retirement visa, which I should have had 2 years ago, were it not for the tsunami and T's cleaning out my bank account. His family own acres of real estate which has tripled in value. They are selling a great deal and building resorts. These people won't lift a finger to help me. I know blood is thicker than water. The 100,000 Baht he borrowed from me for the lumber when he was building his house, every time I look at it I could throw up. They all drive brand new cars.On a recent rip to Phuket’s International Hospital with my erstwhile business partner as designated driver, since I refuse to drive in Phuket, It was necessary to replenish the money supply via some conveniently located ATM machines in the lobby. It appeared two of them did not care for my US card. My “friend” came up, asked what the problem was and suggested one outside of the building. This one indeed was kind enough to dispense the requested amount.

Upon leaving, a floor walker, a personable retired Irish volunteer approached me and advised me that he noticed my “friend” shooting a movie over my shoulder with his cell phone as I was entering the PIN.

What he expects to do with it, I do not know, since would need the card as well. Just to be safe I closed the account immediately.

This guy had swindled me out of over 1 Million Baht had the nerve to come back and laugh at me when I threatened him with the Police.

His E-mail to me earlier this year:

why you talk ih me about police. Before you will do any think, if you go to police both of us have to fight by lawyer. And it will bring to many problems between us . Also you have no contect no paper ith me about money problems.

Yes he made sure there was no money trail. For lack of space I kept some of my papers in his (our) office which was destroyed by the tsunami. Since had also emptied my personal account I had no money for a lawyer anyway and they don’t come cheap in any country.

A thought hit me. Since I paid cash for the truck, hey, finance the thing, interest rates are low and it would get me around 250,000 baht into my account. with this and my income from Social Security I should have no problem. When I die, the truck will be up for grabs anyway. Meanwhile he confessed that he registered the truck in his name. For cheaper insurance, he said. When I approached him about the financing he was willing to assist me. The insurance company agreed to pay for the dented tailgate, (Someone had hit me while I was stopped, but drove off, what else is new in Thailand) but the bank also wanted some small dents and scratches taken care of . The body shop in Phuket said 2 weeks but it has been 9 weeks and today is the day I am supposed to get the vehicle back. After a million excuses I won’t be holding my breath since he has the book and probably sold it by now.

I received a call the last week from him, advising me that a falang has to return to Sweden and is selling several items, including a CPU sans keyboard or monitor. I bought a washing machine from him almost new and cheap, he said; He wants 4000 Baht for the CPU. Cool, since my laptop gave up I need a second computer, since I have 2 keyboards and 2 monitors laying around.

He came up to the house, I handed him 4000 Baht and that's the last I heard from him for a week. He wouldn't answer the phone so I sent him an SMS. His answer? "I don't have time to drive to Takuapa for this, other things to do". He never told me this thing was in Takuapa, I would have said no.

After stealing over a Million Baht from me, does he really need the lousy 4000 Baht? Perhaps he feels he is entitled to it. Trust any Thai ??? Not as far as I can throw them.

T's family apparently destroyed my mail, because one day last February, my Social Security payments stopped. A frantic call to Manila revealed that SS had sent me 3 notices 4 weeks apart which were never returned. I was therefore declared dead. Luckily I have a brother living in North Carolina who made numerous phone calls and managed to get everything re-instated after 4 months.

I queried T's family where the mail was delivered. (The mailman does not come up here) who insisted that they never received anything.

Listen to this dialog:

"Mailman no read English, so when I not home, he take mail back".

Ohh-kay, what about the next day? "No they keep mail". As a souvenir? "I donno". So the way I understand it; an illiterate mailman will just take the mail back to the main post office where they let it rot?

I can see one mail getting lost, but 3 on 3 difrent occasions? No way.

Trip to Phuket:

I did not want to drive myself because # 1, I am still gun shy, due to the accident I had there, # 2, I really don’t enjoy driving anymore. I offered to pay one of T.s brother in laws, a young Thai who drives a local taxi, was supposedly familiar with the city but spoke no English. Additionally, in case of an accident, falang are automatically guilty. I read a story where some fellow was waiting for a traffic light to change, when he was hit by a motorcycle trying to beat the light, killing its driver. 5 “eye witnesses” swore they saw the truck hit the bike. It cost the man 100,000 Baht and the use of his car for more then a month, which had been impounded.

The US Embassy had their visit-day, I needed verification of my still being alive and well also needed extra pages in my passport. I had downloaded a map of Phuket, printed a copy, marked the place where the meeting was to take place and gave it to the guy the night before. It was the “Phuket Hilton Arcadia”, at the South end of the island. My guess was that the trip would take at least 2 hours knowing how these people drive. The embassy staff was to be available from 8 AM to 12 noon, therefore I told this fellow to meet me in front of his house as 6 AM sharp, in order to be one of the first ones to be taken care of.

Arrived at the other guy’s home exactly at 6 AM (German punctuality) but found no one waiting. 6:05 I blew the horn, which resulted in mother appearing 1 minute later, motioning to me, that he was getting dressed. 5 more minutes passed, I was now told he was taking a shower. Grrr :>((( Anyway we left at 6:15, thundering along at 110 to 120 km/hr along this mostly 2 lane road, blazing through towns which were already crowed with motor bikes. Mario Andretti wannabe showed off his skills in handling a car, how to waste fuel and wear out brakes in record time.

I remember reading the map, noting that Arcadia was south of Patong and was surprised that he stopped there several times to ask for directions. Apparently he had forgotten to bring the map and got lost. We finally did arrive at 8:15, exactly 2 hours after we departed Khao Lak. There were already about 20 people ahead of me, but things moved along smartly. Additional pages in the passport, having my citizenship verified, outfitted with the official seal took less than 20 minutes. I now asked the man if he could fax this to the embassy in Manila which houses the Social Security office for Asia, as soon as possible and could hardly believe my ears when he said: “Official documents can not be faxed, they have to me MAILED” !!!!!!!!!!! :>((( Mailed ??? It will get lost sure as shoot’n and take weeks. Just send it via DHL he said, there is an office here in Phuket. Of course no one knew where, but a nice young lady at the hotel desk suggested the airport. Sure, make sense, where else

I motioned to my non English speaking genius that we needed to get to the airport, however not to the airline terminal, rather the cargo section. I even wrote, in big letters DHL on a sheet of paper to facilitate the search, by asking the personnel at the entrance, which he declined by saying: “ROO JAK” (I know). Right then it started to rain heavily and where did he take me ? Straight to the Passenger Terminal :>(( OK Einstein, let’s try this: Drive to the exit, (after paying for parking which we didn’t) and shout “CARGO” ???? to the attendant. Hey that worked, because the lady pointed south. Finding the place wasn’t difficult, but we were denied access due to security regulations. He did manage to talk the fellow at the booth into issuing us 2 badges. Entering the huge building, I asked another guard the location of the DHL office. “May mee” (no have) “ is in City“. Where in city ? May roo. (don’t know). I was close to screaming when a young lady approached and pointed “upstairs”. Hallelujah !!! The second intelligent Thai person I met so far today, both female. Upstairs was indeed an agent of DHL. Filled out the paperwork, she copied my passport, I paid 1000 Baht, now here the 64,000 Dollar question: HOW LONG? “3 working days” Well, it was Thursday afternoon, we have Friday, then the weekend, therefore the soonest this thing could arrive in Manila would be Tuesday. Do some people still use carrier pigeons?? It would have been faster. Ahhh life in the LOS.

PS: Arriving back in Khao Lak where it rained like crazy, the guy jumped out, I switched seats, started up the hill to my house when the engine quit.

The truck was out of fuel. :>((( He couldn’t have pointed this out to me while we were driving back? I couldn't see the gage from the left seat anyway. Why me, oh Lord, why me?

When they gave out brains, Thais must have been way back in line.

PS: I found out later; this fellow did not forget the map; he had no idea what to do with it.

[LivinginKata]

Yawn yawn.... read all your long winded rants last year. Was interesting at first, then became totally predictable & boring. At first you had my sympathy, then it became clear you walked into your messes with your eyes open. I wonder why you latched onto this topic and re-started your long winded story.

Boring, boring... best go back to sleep again

[Bobegraves]

Not laughed as much in ages! Beats Eastenders hands down.

[jts-khorat]

Oh yes, they (it's only one however) and yes it was because of my naïveté

What is wrong with you???

You trust a thief, repeatedly, and you seemingly force him to steal again and again and rip you off even one more time. Basically you pulled down your own trousers and now you post this here so we all can see you naked ass. And you do not even seem to think of it as a satire on yourself.

Plain sad.

[globe]

I live in my own little world, but it's OK, they know me here.

[canadiangirl]

I speak, read and write fluent German as well as Spanish.

I ventured on a German chat-room some time ago, over a theme involving "Kinder, einer verlorenen Generation". (Children of a lost generation). I posted the same picture of the sleeping Libo and the reply of some Kraut was, (in German): "Well I was talking about German children, he is just a little too dark for my taste. "Just because he is not blond and blue eyed?"

That is a very interesting comment to make about a child.

[kat]

Yes, it is CG, but somehow mysteriously has escaped everyone here. I also recall him being American on one post, and then German on another.

But of course, they'd much rather see me bludgeoned to death than comment on it, or even apologize.

[Prakanong]

Yes, it is CG, but somehow mysteriously has escaped everyone here. I also recall him being American on one post, and then German on another.

But of course, they'd much rather see me bludgeoned to death than comment on it, or even apologize.

It is a very creepy statement but I read it as globe quoting a German guy saying that when globe showed him a picture of the Bumrmese kid.

Whichever it is strange indeed.

[LivinginKata]

This guy Aviador/Globe has always claimed to be a US citizen,and a commercial pilot, but also claims to speak German & Spanish. But one has to wonder why he always seems to have young boys spending time in his home. Reading his past history in Khao Lak he should have been well cleaned out of money by now.

He is for sure a real character, with a rich basket of life stories, and a long winded writing style. a suspicious person indeed....

[canadiangirl]

Yes, it is CG, but somehow mysteriously has escaped everyone here. I also recall him being American on one post, and then German on another.

But of course, they'd much rather see me bludgeoned to death than comment on it, or even apologize.

I am equally surprised that only a few people have picked up on this vibe as well. Looking back through globe's posts,

He is young enough, we judge him to be 11 or 12 to still love to hug (my happy birthday present) which isn't bad for the old guy's mantra either :>)

Anyway, I would love to adopt this kid and buy him out which probably amounts to next to nothing but; at my age, I am just shy of 73 who knows? Then what?? without He speaks Burmese and Thai as well as quite a bit of English by now.

There's a web site that profiles different internet subcultures by examining public posts from various discussion forums. One week they profiled adult men with a dubious interest in young children.

Have you ever wondered what people like that say to each other?

It's hardly "hey, I f* children", "hey me too". Instead, it is exactly this kind of stuff -- this slightly-off idealisation of children and childhood, a dwelling on the details, going on about how affectionate his relationship with the child is, how much the child loves him -- in a way that goes on just a bit too long, with the kind of detail most parents would be vary of posting to the eyes of strangers in this day and age.

He seems to have done lots of great things for the kid, it's true, but doing good things for children has never been incompatible with an unsavory interest in them: think of certain priests, boy scout leaders, soccer coaches, etc.

For those wondering why he lets himself get ripped off by the locals time after time, when he should really know better by now. Could it be because the locals tolerate a vice that would not be viewed so kindly at home?

[aviador69]

I venture to suggest that 'Aviator' is reincarnated as 'Globe'. Why the change of name ???

Somehow I was banned from posting here and was jumping through hoops trying to get back on, just to reply to some of the insulting answers like the following.

[basically you pulled down your own trousers and now you post this here so we all can see you naked ass. ]

Would you like to have a picure of the birthmark on my ass?? I can oblige you with that if you wish.

[Yes, it is CG, but somehow mysteriously has escaped everyone here. I also recall him being American on one post, and then German on another.

But of course, they'd much rather see me bludgeoned to death than comment on it, or even apologize.]

I was looking for a polite affirmation of the word "female canine", but can not find anything that would fit the "Cat". I remember going round with this overblown model of femininism a few years ago and the very reason I haven't posted since.

This guy Aviador/Globe has always claimed to be a US citizen,and a commercial pilot, but also claims to speak German & Spanish. But one has to wonder why he always seems to have young boys spending time in his home. Reading his past history in Khao Lak he should have been well cleaned out of money by now.

He is for sure a real character, with a rich basket of life stories, and a long winded writing style. a suspicious person indeed.... Reading his past history in Khao Lak he should have been well cleaned out of money by now.

Bravo livingincata, thanks for the laurals.

I may have posted this in the "long winded" for above.

Yes, the witch hunt is on. Every kindness shown to a child in the US and Europe today is frowned upon and viewed with suspicion. Since my own sons are too busy with their own lives, I am grateful to have some young life around me. The brats who were 10, 11 and 12 keep me young although since some of them now are approaching 15 they are not children anymore and hard to handle.The mothers whose "husbands" have deserted them (for the umptienth time) are grateful I make sure they go to school, have a place to hang out, watch TV and play games on the computer. I am invited to all of their birthday parties.

I never needed to invite any of them in. When I moved in, I had UBC satellite TV, 2 computers and it didn't take long for them to come out of the woodwork (well here the jungle) Some just never went home. Almost 2 years ago when a Swiss diving instructor from Tap Lamu, whom I knew was arrested for allegedly abusing some Burmese boys, the FBI did show up and interviewed some of "my" boys. I was taking a nap in the bedroom and after awaking was informed by Eg (one of the kids) "Papa police come before". Apparently they questioned the boys who asked if they should wake me, which th cops did not deem necessary.

I enjoy playing Grandpa.

Ja, ich spreche fließend Deutsch, came to the US as a teenager and assimilated. Became fluent in English within one year and even without a formal education in English spell better than my 2 sons, both of whom are college graduates.

Porque fui un piloto, viajar a Sudamérica muchos veces yo me aprendido Español también.

Reading his past history in Khao Lak he should have been well cleaned out of money by now.

Yes, in spades. Today I was supposed to get my truck back. Nothing but more excuses and stalling tactics. I haven't lost my humor yet though. At one point I was seriously thinking of getting a fire arm and and blow the guy's brains out, but what good would it do? He has a wife and a 3 year-old son.

- I am a nobody, nobody is perfect, therefore I am perfect.

[chinthee]

This for sure is an interesting case study. I see both sides of the argument. I wasn't around earlier so can't comment on his prior posts. It does seem to me that he should be even more angry at the blasting he's gotten if he is, in fact, doing "God's work" and caring for these kids.

Can't wait for the next installment.

[endure]

If you folks have no evidence that any of the posters on this thread are indulging in illegal activities I suggest you keep your assumptions to yourselves. Destroying other people's reputations by innuendo will not be tolerated.

[canadiangirl]

If you folks have no evidence that any of the posters on this thread are indulging in illegal activities I suggest you keep your assumptions to yourselves. Destroying other people's reputations by innuendo will not be tolerated.

I understand your concern. However, if I refer to one's of global's posts (who was banned, and has now returned as aviador69):

Anyway, I would love to adopt this kid and buy him out which probably amounts to next to nothing but; at my age, I am just shy of 73 who knows? Then what?? without He speaks Burmese and Thai as well as quite a bit of English by now.

Last time I checked, it wasn't exactly legal to buy children, even for next to nothing.

[endure]

If you folks have no evidence that any of the posters on this thread are indulging in illegal activities I suggest you keep your assumptions to yourselves. Destroying other people's reputations by innuendo will not be tolerated.

I understand your concern. However, if I refer to one's of global's posts (who was banned, and has now returned as aviador69):

Anyway, I would love to adopt this kid and buy him out which probably amounts to next to nothing but; at my age, I am just shy of 73 who knows? Then what?? without He speaks Burmese and Thai as well as quite a bit of English by now.

Last time I checked, it wasn't exactly legal to buy children, even for next to nothing.

I suggest you sharpen up your comprehension a little. In post 138 you accuse aviador of making a 'very interesting comment' about a child when, in fact, he's reporting the remarks of someone else. As far as the 'buying out' comment is concerned I would have thought that buying a child out of slavery would be an admirable thing to do.

As I said, if you have evidence that anyone is committing a crime report it to the authorities. If not, stop sullying their character by innuendo.

[geriatrickid]

Wow, I actually agree 100% with endure on something. I hope I don't cause conniptions when he sees that.

I suppose if one sees evil everywhere, one will interpret a post as he or she sees fit. Not everyone is possessed of deviant motives or an evil heart. There are still good people, albeit a bit odd, that exist.

Yes canadiangirl there are laws in Thailand that prohibit the sale and trade of humans. There are also laws in Thailand against indentured servitude and child labour. And yet it exists. It is not an uncommon occurrence in many SE Asian nations for child and women advocacy groups to pay subsistence farmers, brothels or small factories for the release of workers. It may not be to some people's liking but it can be more effective than trying to act through government agencies, that more often than not are so slow that the subjects in question are moved by the time an authority figure arrives. Assuming of course that anyone in authority would arrive. A burmese orphan isn't going to elicit the response that you think it would.

Ask some of the public health workers in the border regions near Burma and Laos if they have ever "purchased" kids. You might be shocked by the answer. In a perfect world, this wouldn't happen, but then we humans aren't known for our consistent compassion.

As I stated previously, if you object, feel free to intervene on the child's behalf, either by directly helping the child or by working on his behalf with the appropriate provincial authority.

[kat]

For the record:

I'm not making any innuendos here or allegations, but rather responding directly to that which is a bit off, as I've already noted.

I am not a frivolous person, and my instincts are excellent. They have literally saved my life on a couple of occasions. But again, I don't really care what people on this tread think about me.

In many respects men and women have very different instincts, but especially about potentially creepy people and off-kilter situations. Quite frankly, most women have more experience with this at a very young age, end of story.

At the moment, there is no one here that can prove anything one way or the other. I am not trying to prove anything, but merely to engage in this forum as it found me.

In that regard, I must say: it is odd to be on a website about children, where others comment about them not suiting their "taste." Do you come across comments like this about children regularly as an adult? I've only heard people talk about their taste in that manner about inanimate things or potential romantic partners.

But again, we must be mindful of when to ask these questions as to not start a witch hunt, but also where and with whom, so as not to become the hunted yourself.

This is not the place or the audience.

*typo

[LivinLOS]

Witch witch !! Burn the witch..

It is a witch !!See look at its nose..