No Need To Turn Off The Television In Thailand

[Greer]

I would be interested to know the real figure for the number and power of television broadcast transmitters in the Kingdom. It would be most surprising to find that there are as many as quoted above that are 50KW.

UBC should not be affected as they transmit via cable and satellite, unless the concept is simply to prevent people from having TV's on after midnight - but I agree with others here who say that there really are not that many people watching TV after midnight - so this reduction is purely window-dressing...and would achieve virtually nothing.

Reduction of the A/C power consumption by setting temperatures in the 24 to 25 degree mark is a reasonable one - shutting down A/C for an hour or so at lunch time will end up costing money as the building will heat up and need to be cooled down again - and as people will be at work, they will certainly want to cool the place rapidly to avoid lost work time - so the A/C will be set down to 15 degrees or something to bring the temp down quickly - end result - no savings at all - maybe even an increase...

No A/C at night is simply not realistic - I for one cannot sleep in the 30 degree heat we get in the middle of the night - result - lost sleep, less productivity, lower output - overall loss for the Kingdom...

I am not trying to be negative, but I do think that a lot more thought needs to be put into this before they try to implement controls like this.

And as said earlier, this will have a very negative effct on tourism - and that WILL hurt the hip-pocket nerve...

Edited June 25, 2005 by Greer

[chownah]

...............

For the people that state - Speed does not reduce consumption!  Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph (100KPH). Each mpg driven over 60 will result in an additional 10 cents per gallon. ................

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Can you please clarify "Each mpg driven over 60 will result in an additional 10 cents per gallon."

[sonnyJ]

I would be interested to know the real figure for the number and power of television broadcast transmitters in the Kingdom. It would be most surprising to find that there are as many as quoted above that are 50KW.

UBC should not be affected as they transmit via cable and satellite, unless the concept is simply to prevent people from having TV's on after midnight - but I agree with others here who say that there really are not that many people watching TV after midnight - so this reduction is purely window-dressing...and would achieve virtually nothing.

Reduction of the A/C power consumption by setting temperatures in the 24 to 25 degree mark is a reasonable one - shutting down A/C for an hour or so at lunch time will end up costing money as the building will heat up and need to be cooled down again - and as people will be at work, they will certainly want to cool the place rapidly to avoid lost work time - so the A/C will be set down to 15 degrees or something to bring the temp down quickly - end result - no savings at all - maybe even an increase...

No A/C at night is simply not realistic - I for one cannot sleep in the 30 degree heat we get in the middle of the night - result - lost sleep, less productivity, lower output - overall loss for the Kingdom...

I am not trying to be negative, but I do think that a lot more thought needs to be put into this before they try to implement controls like this.

And as said earlier, this will have a very negative effct on tourism - and that WILL hurt the hip-pocket nerve...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I haven't used air con for months. I have a 300 baht fan.

Have you ever visited Burma? It's a real shaite when the electricity cuts all the time for hours and your fan stops too.. Then all you have is a hand operated traditional fan, but it's difficult to use while your sleeping..

[kidtongue]

If the Government helped poorer people get

solar power for there homes this would greatly

reduce consumption.The whole of rural Thailand

could be self-sufficient.

As it is at the moment solar & wind power is way

out of your average Thais reach

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for playing. You can create a solar panel out of fruit juice and titantium dioxide and immaculate plate glass. Doesn't last long but a lot of poor people here can't even afford the plate glass. But they could listen to the radio during the day, for a while. And it could even qualify for the Chinese knock-off OTOP program.

[cclub75]

This is what its all about!!!

CONTROL

CONTROL

CONTROL

              of the little white mice, or in this case brown!!!!!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, no. It's about LOOSING CONTROL !

There is nothing "rational" the governement can do about the oil crisis (at 60 USD per baril, we can call it a crisis). Taxin is trapped. He starts to understand it.

That's why we can hear and read thoses mountains of crap and crazy ideas...

They are loosing their self control. They are fuXXed.

[Sturbuc]

Thailand sells vision for energy-saving remote control

BANGKOK: -- Turn off the television in Thailand, the Government will do it for you. Amid an energy crisis, the Government has told TV and radio stations to shut down from midnight each night or face broadcasting bans.

"It's time for a serious saving of energy consumption by all the people in the country," Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said. "I urge everyone to do their part to help conserve energy. We need to tighten our belts really hard."

Thailand's energy crisis is not about a shortage of power, but its cost to the economy.

"We are addicted to oil. We consume it in many ways, household, industrial and electricity," said energy researcher Suthakij Nuntavorakarn.

--The Age, AU, 2005-06-24

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Seems that thailand's waking up from wasting energy. But: if you build a house of walls like paper (almost no isolation) how can the cold from your aircon to be kept inside? How can you save gas by not using your car when the car's still running to keep it cold inside in case of you might use it, even at night?

And why there is almost no facility to use solar power or just sun-heated warm water-facilities (e.g. for the shower). And almost no power-plants using wind-energy.....

[thaibebop]

&lt;deleted&gt;?

What is all this energy saving really about?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well maybe not so much brainless as clueless. Thailand has, by its own definition only 10 years of Natural Gas left, so switching to LNG/Propane verhicles isn't going to help much. Wave differential engines require something like the Bay of Fundy or Inchon to be economical, and Indonesia/Australian coal is likely to get more expensive rather than less.

If Toxin really wants to bite the bullet he should raise petrol prices and diesel prices for the retail buyer. Try buying gasoline in Sweden or South Korea. While everyone will complain initially, a large enough bite would shift demand Closing the malls and megastores at 9 PM is an alternative, *or*, only allowing them to be open between say 6 PM and 8 AM (off peak) might work as well.

As large trucks are already required to be off-the-road in Bkk until after 10 PM, the alernate number idea has real merit but I think it will really take "fuel rationing", getting the bus fleet modernized to the point where it uses more than it smokes, mass transit, an intercity rail system that works, income tax credits for anyone actually using a solar panel capable of generating more than 150 watts and raising taxi prices to European equivalency.

Of course no one should like this because it will also mean that everyone will need a salary increase from nurses and teachers to electricians and plumbers. Haircuts will cost 300 baht and the water bills will rise. In short, both government and private service costs will rise, in some cases dramatically and a lot of expats will move on to Vietnam, Western China or Brazil. The garment industry is getting ready to close up next year taking out 35,000 jobs anyway, so such a move would be along the trend line. With paradise no longer affordable or competitive property prices would once again stall, allowing Thais to scoop of abandoned condos as panicked farangs get while they still have flights out. The farangs being gone, the Thais can reclaim Bkk and other cities thus reducing transit needs and costs and thus concluding the never-ending wisdom of Thai Rak Thai.

1 Pound Sterling for a 2548 1 stang coin. New lamps for old.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow! Okay.

[cobra]

Find a blank channel with white noise (snow). ... That is theorectically legacy noise from the big bang. I could watch it for hours...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

.. don't forget to tape it and play it backwards for hidden messages ..

[carlthailand]

Maybe I am the only halfway intelligent person responding to this thread or m aybe I have turned Thai but I think shutting down the tv transmitters after midnight is a great idea. Not to stop people from using TV though it might stop some, but think about how transmitters are in Thailand. Just about every province has at least one transmitters and if you figure out how many channels, there easily could be in excess of 500 to 1000 transmitters of tv and radio in Thailand. At 50kw per pop, that could save 50megawatts per hour of blackout. Not to mention there is much more use of power than just the trnasmitters, air con to cool, faciltiies that need to be manned. Get the idea? 250megawatts per day of saved energy for shutting down 5 hours. Maybe my figures are off, but not that much. Don't knock the government, shutting down the tv and radio trnasmitters is a good idea.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah but that is very much an unfair policy. What about shift workers etc. Not everyone works regular hours. I understand the principal BUT why not shut it off during the day when people are at work.

CC

[carlthailand]

If the Government helped poorer people get

solar power for there homes this would greatly

reduce consumption.The whole of rural Thailand

could be self-sufficient.

As it is at the moment solar & wind power is way

out of your average Thais reach

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just out of interest... Does anyone know how many solar panels could supply a small village... it wouldn't be a bad idea... but what's the initial outlay..? I imagine it's quite high..

totster

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In some Asian countries like Vietnam they actually have small generators which work from a flowing river. Perhaps they could look at this too.

CC

[Sojourner]

&lt;deleted&gt;?

What is all this energy saving really about?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well maybe not so much brainless as clueless. Thailand has, by its own definition only 10 years of Natural Gas left, so switching to LNG/Propane verhicles isn't going to help much. Wave differential engines require something like the Bay of Fundy or Inchon to be economical, and Indonesia/Australian coal is likely to get more expensive rather than less.

If it's true that Thailand has only ten years of natural gas left in the Gulf of Thailand then why are they going ahead with a plan to build a natural gas pipeline to Vietnam? Is Thailand buying or selling???

[Martin]

carlthailand says "In some Asian countries like Vietnam they actually have small generators which work from a flowing river. Perhaps they could look at this too."

Unfortunately for most of the population of Thailand this can't help.

Unless the river is flowing down a considerable slope it is not possible to take the water off to a point sufficiently higher than a generator situated beside the river that the water has to go back into.

I took a group of Singapore engineering students along the trek to Everest Base Camp as their Engineering Training Practice Programme.

They studied the rivers at each Nepalese village and how the village was getting, or could get, electricity therefrom.

In many places the possible generation sites were well away from the village where the river was coming down quite steeply.

The village itself had been built where the land was flatter and the crops would grow better. But there the river was also running with very little 'fall'.

Maybe in the hills along the border with Myanmar (Burma) there is potential for village microhydroelectric plants, but not among the rice fields on the plains. And the great majority of Thais live on the plains.

Better to get the Laos government to let us have some big hydro-electric dams on their rivers, and pay them in Thai rice!!!

(Edits) I posted the above and then realised I had left myself open to howls of outrage from all the young, 'still wet-behind-ears', 'engineering-is-too-hard-take a Uni-soft-option' Environmental Studies graduates.

I could well be castigated about:

"economic colonialism" (though most Laos would love to be in an economic colony of Thailand!),

"displacing poor peasants" (who are glad to be displaced for an apprpriate fee!),

"spoiling the pristine countryside" (which nobody ever went to see!).

Ah, well....(nobody ever promised me that my life would be easy!).

Edited June 26, 2005 by Martin

[ray23]

carlthailand says    "In some Asian countries like Vietnam they actually have small generators which work from a flowing river. Perhaps they could look at this too."

Unfortunately for most of the population of Thailand this can't help.

Unless the river is flowing down a considerable slope it is not possible to take the water off to a point sufficiently higher than a generator situated beside the river that the water has to go back into.

I took a group of Singapore engineering students along the trek to Everest Base Camp as their Engineering Training Practice Programme.

They studied the rivers at each Nepalese village and how the village was getting, or could get, electricity therefrom.

In many places the possible generation sites were well away from the village where the river was coming down quite steeply.

The village itself had been built where the land was flatter and the crops would grow better. But there the river was also running with very little 'fall'. 

Maybe in the hills along the border with Myanmar (Burma) there is potential for village microhydroelectric plants, but not among the rice fields on the plains. And the great majority of Thais live on the plains.

Better to get the Laos government to let us have some big hydro-electric dams on their rivers, and pay them in Thai rice!!!

(Edits) I posted the above and then realised I had left myself open to howls of outrage from all the young, 'still wet-behind-ears', 'engineering-is-too-hard-take a Uni-soft-option' Environmental Studies graduates.

          I could well be castigated about:

      "economic colonialism" (though most Laos would love to be in an economic colony of Thailand!),

      "displacing poor peasants" (who are glad to be displaced for an apprpriate fee!),

        "spoiling the pristine countryside" (which nobody ever went to see!).

    Ah, well....(nobody ever promised me that my life would be easy!).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How about wind power?

[Martin]

Ray Fisher asks: "How about wind power?".

Wind power has had a lot of attention lately, but it is never going to be a big player.

And it can't act as a 'stand alone' provision, even for a small village.

The storage batteries to tide the village over a calm period would be too big and expensive.

So wind power only has a role as a minor addition to centralised-generation, universal-distribution systems.

Wave power is more continuous, but it has yet to be proved that the generators will last long enough to generate enough electricity to justify the energy that would have to be used to build them.

Unfortunately it takes a lot of electricity/petroleum/coal to mine iron ore, transport it, and refine it, to end up with a ton of steel.

Same goes for nuclear---the materials for a nuclear power station may well need as much energy in their 'manufacture' as the station will produce in its lifetime.

But the prospects are a lot bleaker for some other countries.

Thailand can cut back on its energy consumtion quite drastically without enormous hardship.

But countries where people need heating to get them through their winter are not in such a good position.

Thailand could concievably end up as one of the relatively richer countries of the much poorer world (as Siam was when London was just a scruffy town and when there were not yet any white faces to be seen on Manhatten Island).

Airflight costs will kill our present tourism industry, but we are well placed to make a good living out of taking in the Western world's geriatrics (on one-way tickets) in lieu.

[RDN]

...How about wind power?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, Taksin generates a lot of hot air.

[Sojourner]

Energy crisis? Electricity generation sucking up too much crude distillates such as fuel oil and diesel oil? Need to turn off appliances to save importation of crude oil? Read on, http://pr.egat.co.th/prweb/new/generation.htm

Take a look at the pie chart to see just how much crude oil products are used to generate electricity (negligible). Now look at the percent of natural gas and lignite used. Were does the natural gas come from? The Gulf of Thailand. That's what Unocal and Caltex are doing there. The lignite comes from Lampang.

Is the natural gas supplies running out in the Gulf of Thailand? If that's true why did this article end up in the news the other day?

Vietnam signs U.S. deals including planes, phones

Tue Jun 21, 2005 02:07 PM ET

Other agreements signed included an amendment to a contract enabling Fluor Corp. (FLR.N: Quote, Profile, Research) to consult with Petrol Vietnam on transporting natural gas from the Gulf of Thailand to southern Vietnam.

IMHO, this is nothing more than the PM scolding his children and threatening to cut off our MTV if we don't cut back on our driving.

[carlthailand]

Just back on the original topic about turning tele off. I read it will be only until August. Mmmm wonder if thats got anything to do with English Premier League starting again. LOL

[BlackJack]

mmmmm

7 year cycles

if we run on Thai time the bust should happen sometime next year

[WhiteShiva]

Energy crisis?  Electricity generation sucking up too much crude distillates such as fuel oil and diesel oil?  Need to turn off appliances to save importation of crude oil?  Read on, http://pr.egat.co.th/prweb/new/generation.htm

Take a look at the pie chart to see just how much crude oil products are used to generate electricity (negligible).  Now look at the percent of natural gas and lignite used.  Were does the natural gas come from?  The Gulf of Thailand. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, a fair bit of the natural gas used in Thailand is imported from Burma, and is payed for in hard currency.

My only concern is that if people really did cut down on their electricity use, and spent the money they saved on imported goods (rolex, BMW, gucci, nokia, etc), it would not make one bit of difference to Thailands ecconomy. Money would still flow out of the country, only this times it ends up with foreign manufacturers, rather than with the oil companies....

[mnoorsapl]

So, kicked out of the bars at midnight and now no TV either.  Looks like there might be a baby-boom in Thailand shortly!

Ruritania.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's what I heard at the grassroot. Create your own excitement.

[mfindlay]

Find a blank channel with white noise (snow). ... That is theorectically legacy noise from the big bang. I could watch it for hours...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

UBC is run by the CP Group! They will be getting a boost in sales if this policy goes ahead! Typical Thai logic, turn off the terestrial transmitters! There would be a greater power saving if the TV was turned off on the switch and not just the remote, the standby consumption is almost as much as the normal with a normal screen!

[Thanh-BKK]

Hello.

Have to contribute here, since i myself "proposed" this idea months ago. Maybe Toxin was reading my post on this website......

I am "punished" with a thai partner who has for his only hobby, like so many other thais, "watching TV". Go where ever you want, you will find TV's running. Even the homeless (i have seen that myself, i am not kidding you, people living under a bridge with cardboard for walls and electricity from a lightpole!) have televisions.

Beside my apartment is a construction site, and the crew lives in shoddy sheetmetal huts. but each "room' has a television, and they are watching it 24 hours a day (for the kids and wives who don't work on the construction).

Parents "park" their kids in front of the television to be rid of them so that they can watch their own favourites in another room.

Thailand is SO television addicted! Even in traffic, i see more and more drivers (particular taxis) watching TV while driving! Not just when standing in jams... no, while driving!!

And then, considered the quality of the programs....... gameshows, talkshows, soap operas, and 75% of the overall airtime is commercials........ a bit of news to make it look serious, and then back to the brainless stuff thai people seem to love.

How about this: Shut off the whole television channels for a month. I bet that during that time many people will remember what up-country people do, and what we did when we were young (and i'm only 30)....... read a book, play a board game, go outside and kick a ball! If no ball available, a coke can is perfect for a substitute, own experience!

But in this time, children have no idea what life really is, if not for what's shown on television......... and parents are just happy for every minute after work they don't need to care for the kids, so television is very welcome....... a pacifier of sorts.

i am a 30 year old farang who in his home country didn't watch TV if not for formula one races and the occasional movie or news. Here in Thailand i get news the old way, by buying the paper. Formula one i gave up on since UBC is expensive, and if i would get THAT just for the sake of f1, my boyfriend would NEVER turn the goddamn thing off for MTV and all the other channels that would serve for zapping during the commercials in his favourite soap.

Television - only addicts cry if it's taken away. For me - it could disappear tonight and i wouldn't miss it.

Just my 2 satang.

Thanh

Edited June 27, 2005 by Thanh-BKK

[sunshine146]

Logic

Logic

Logic.

The tv costs next to nothing in electric. I see lots of big empty cars on the road everyday with silly big engines running idle in traffic.

logic

what about double glazing and some insulation in new offices. maybe give grants toward double glazing and the like.

Logic

Any simple logic.

Bring out a few more small cars in thailand with small engines.

Small cars are lighter and more zippy and don't need to use all the precious oil to push themselves around.

Is it the status thing again?

maybe make it cool to own smaller cars with smaller engines and all that jazz.

I'm in bed by 12 every night so i don't care but it sure seems a bit silly to cut the tv at 12 to save a tiny tiny fraction of a percent of oil use. The people on night duty would be fair sad to hear that.

[hextac]

- Alternate day vehicle operation based on even-odd number license plate.

- Stop all inter-provincial and inter-city buses from departing stations every 30 minutes unless buses are more than 50% full or alternatively, on the hour.

- Expressway, motorway, and general road speed for all vehicles cannot exceed 90kph.

- Switching off air conditioner’s during lunch will require the use of MORE electricity to cool down the room after lunch. Setting back the air conditioner to 22-23C is a better alternative.

- All malls/shopping centers must close by 8-9 PM daily.

- All long-haul inter-provincial trucks can only travel after 8-9 PM.

- Turning off every other highway light throughout the kingdom.

WOW!

LOL - I'm assuming this was some sort of subtle comedy beyond my comprehension... OR you MUST work for the Thai (or American) government? Roughly, what was your blood-alcohol level at posting time?

P.S. the first suggestion is a classic! - Maybe we could apply a similar rule, alphabetically, to surnames of people buying alcohol? - therefore restricting alcoholics from buying booze on any two consecutive days?

[i'd pick apart the rest but I'm laughing too hard to type (honestly)!]

HEX.

[thaibebop]

Hello.

Have to contribute here, since i myself "proposed" this idea months ago. Maybe Toxin was reading my post on this website......

I am "punished" with a thai partner who has for his only hobby, like so many other thais, "watching TV". Go where ever you want, you will find TV's running. Even the homeless (i have seen that myself, i am not kidding you, people living under a bridge with cardboard for walls and electricity from a lightpole!) have televisions.

Beside my apartment is a construction site, and the crew lives in shoddy sheetmetal huts. but each "room' has a television, and they are watching it 24 hours a day (for the kids and wives who don't work on the construction).

Parents "park" their kids in front of the television to be rid of them so that they can watch their own favourites in another room.

Thailand is SO television addicted! Even in traffic, i see more and more drivers (particular taxis) watching TV while driving! Not just when standing in jams... no, while driving!!

And then, considered the quality of the programs....... gameshows, talkshows, soap operas, and 75% of the overall airtime is commercials........ a bit of news to make it look serious, and then back to the brainless stuff thai people seem to love.

How about this: Shut off the whole television channels for a month. I bet that during that time many people will remember what up-country people do, and what we did when we were young (and i'm only 30)....... read a book, play a board game, go outside and kick a ball! If no ball available, a coke can is perfect for a substitute, own experience!

But in this time, children have no idea what life really is, if not for what's shown on television......... and parents are just happy for every minute after work they don't need to care for the kids, so television is very welcome....... a pacifier of sorts.

i am a 30 year old farang who in his home country didn't watch TV if not for formula one races and the occasional movie or news. Here in Thailand i get news the old way, by buying the paper. Formula one i gave up on since UBC is expensive, and if i would get THAT just for the sake of f1, my boyfriend would NEVER turn the goddamn thing off for MTV and all the other channels that would serve for zapping during the commercials in his favourite soap.

Television - only addicts cry if it's taken away. For me - it could disappear tonight and i wouldn't miss it.

Just my 2 satang.

Thanh

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do Thais have educational TV shows? That's the stuff I really love to watch.

[ChickenTonight]

Ah, I see. So its not about oil, its about sending all your money abroad. So you need forex to buy the oil, but all you need is a tsuami to stop the foriengers comming. Thus more forex going out then comming in.

I love Thailand, dont get me wrong, but forward planning is not a Thai attribute (in general terms). Thus, they must have known that a growing economy needs power, and thus in general terms this could be planned for.

Thailand has alot of gas in the Gulf of Thailand? You can use that to generate power. How about nuclear power generation; this is what countries who do not have oil, etc, use to generate power. Ok, its not as safe as oil, but then its much cheaper. Maybe they should concentrate less on giving large projects to the big construction companies to keep them monied and build less of those dual carriageways that are poping up everywhere, and spend money on future power generation that does not use oil. Its just planning right?

Me thinks there is more going on in the background than the government is letting known. Are we in for a big surprise sometime soon?

Teaching Thais to be prudent? Well that is radical 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A Thai run nuclear power station? Run for the hills!

[thohts]

Find a blank channel with white noise (snow). ... That is theorectically legacy noise from the big bang. I could watch it for hours...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

only hours?

You don't seem to care much about the origin of the universe, do you?

[thohts]

<<

I know ###### well that petrol is not subsidised in the US.>>

It is indirectly subsidized through super-low gas taxes.

Gas taxes that are much lower than they should be encourage consumption.

[thohts]

I also realize that enforcing a 90 KPH speed limit in Thailand would be ‘extremely difficult’ but not impossible.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In nearly 2 years of driving in Thailand I have never seen a car being pulled over for anything, much less speeding.

Traffic laws are not enforced here, unless the police have set up a checkpoint of some type. (But then it's usually only for drivers of motorcycles not wearing helmets - nevermind unprotected passengers or babies hanging on the bike.) There is no highway patrol, and there probably never will be.

[Martin]

I also realize that enforcing a 90 KPH speed limit in Thailand would be ‘extremely difficult’ but not impossible.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In nearly 2 years of driving in Thailand I have never seen a car being pulled over for anything, much less speeding.

Traffic laws are not enforced here, unless the police have set up a checkpoint of some type. (But then it's usually only for drivers of motorcycles not wearing helmets - nevermind unprotected passengers or babies hanging on the bike.) There is no highway patrol, and there probably never will be.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You haven't travelled much in Esarn on Highway 2 during that 2 years, if you still believe there is no Highway Police. We have an excellent Highway Police service, with rest areas (including toilets) beside their posts, about every 50 km.

And if you do come up here and are prone to exceed the speed limit, learn to speak Thai and the Lao/Thai dialect and be ready to do an act of "I am really a very nice, friendly farang who thinks Esarn is great, and Esarn food is 'saab, saab karp' and 'yes, it is 'lawn', but 'bo peng yang, karp'. If you are lucky, you may be allowed to go on your way without a ticket.

They are human, too; and it isn't a very entertaining job patrolling a highway, so a really pleasant conversation with a 'jolly nice chappy from Ang Grit' can get them into a cheery and tolerant mood.

But it is hard work!

And you may go on your way wondering if it really was worth all that effort to save paying out 200 baht (for which you get a receipt).

EDIT: sorry, george. I posted before I realised we were way off topic.

Edited June 30, 2005 by Martin