Astrologer Sees Tsunami, Hotels Suffer Cancellations

[Boater]

the bangkok post are reporting that the Astrologer Warin Buawiratlert has predicted a Tsunami is Phuket which has lead to about 10% cancellations, mainly from Thai's

do people really take this guy for real ? , does he not realize his statements are causing damage?

[phaethon]

There is a very small probability of another tsunami occurring in the region, or anywhere else at any particular time. If a con man makes a random guess and nothing happens then it will all soon be forgotten. If a tsunami does arrive more or less on time through, effectively, random chance then the con man will be granted a great deal of publicity, money and a job for life, even if he never 'predicts' anything correctly ever again, he/she/it will always be the one who 'predicted the tsunami'.

Very little risk, very great reward... in other words it's worth a punt. Who cares if a bunch of suckers panic and businesses suffer?

[DougLee]

My gf said it came from the Japanese as they say on sanook.

told her to <deleted>, obviously i also explained that there are tsunamis like everyday in the middle of the ocean and killer waves.. Nobody can predict any of that

Edited December 11, 2010 by DougLee

[DougLee]

There is a very small probability of another tsunami occurring in the region, or anywhere else at any particular time. If a con man makes a random guess and nothing happens then it will all soon be forgotten. If a tsunami does arrive more or less on time through, effectively, random chance then the con man will be granted a great deal of publicity, money and a job for life, even if he never 'predicts' anything correctly ever again, he/she/it will always be the one who 'predicted the tsunami'.

Very little risk, very great reward... in other words it's worth a punt. Who cares if a bunch of suckers panic and businesses suffer?

If it happens in 5 year, he'll come back in 5 years and explain that he read his signs wrong and misplaced just 1 letter that meant 5 years.

There is no losing for those idiots

[Xircal]

Apparently, this particular astrologer is quite well known in Thailand, so his predictions are treated seriously by the Thai population.

International sites seem to be picking up the story though such as Redsky News. But do have a look at the video on the same page which shows vehicles sliding down an icy road in Seattle. Quite amusing.

[Boater]

Apparently, this particular astrologer is quite well known in Thailand, so his predictions are treated seriously by the Thai population.

International sites seem to be picking up the story though such as Redsky News. But do have a look at the video on the same page which shows vehicles sliding down an icy road in Seattle. Quite amusing.

i did like that video....

[AGareth2]

Thought they were predicting pattaya

[geriatrickid]

Thought they were predicting pattaya

Only the good die young. Pattaya is filled with evil elderly trash. They should be safe.

Perhaps, the papers should consult with Gustav the Swedish soothsayer. I understand his reading of his daily turd is just as reliable as a Thai fortuneteller.

[logbags]

The doomsaying comes from the fact the next full Moon on the 21st will be a total lunar eclipse. This is where the full Moon fell on the morning of the tsunami in 2004 and the two stars the Sun and Moon fall in have a particulary bad reputation in the East as being stars of disaster and misfortune.

The Sun will be in a constellation the Hindus call Mula and the full Moon in one called Ardra, both have reputations for trouble when certain planets move through them. The attacks on September 11th in America also took place on this axis with the Moon in Ardra opposite Mars in Mula. Mars of course is the planet of war.

Vedic astrology is vastly different from the astrology that is used in the west. It is very complicated and as a system it is basically the same one that has been used for thousands of years in India. Western astrology or the tropical zodiac is simply wrong in its calculations and is a watered down almost comical version of the authentic Vedic version. The Greeks at the time of Ptolemy forgot about the precession of the equinox.

I studied and researched it for 10 years after being originally taught by an elderly Sri Lankan man who made some brilliant predictions I witnessed. I just had to learn more after seeing a few things happen. People are skeptical which is understandable but when you make a comment bagging a subject you know nothing about it then becomes ignorance. Mind you I'd say 99.9% of public astrologers are shit talkers either way. The best Vedic astrologers I know don't even practice it for money, I can count them on 3 fingers.

The genuine astrologer cannot win either way, I made a lengthy attack on George Bush based on the horoscope for the time of his inauguration that was posted online. ( Most people don't even know the U.S President is elected in November but not sworn in until midday January 20 as the basic horoscope of that day is considered powerful.) I said he would lead America into war, ruin the economy and people would live in fear while he ruled. I was attacked as a "doomsayer" and never even once did anybody say I was correct. I also predicted the resignation of Thaksin, the EXACT day 6 months before he resigned. I posted it on webboards but again people just think you made a lucky guess.

The current doomsaying in Thailand is not without precedent. When the massive economic crash came it was also at the time of a total lunar eclipse. The Thais were all going to the temple dressed in black with black chickens etc to pay homage to Rahu the mythical demon that appears to swallow the Moon during a total lunar eclipse.

When I was doing my research I had discussions with people ranging from a scientist at N.A.S.A to an Indian guy working at the Pentagon. The guy at N.A.S.A said that during the peak of the solar flare cycle the earth is bombarded with all sorts of violent energies that effect everything from radars to animal behaviour. I was extremely interested in solar eclipses as earthquakes often follow in countries where the eclipse was seen.

Not every psychic is a crackpot, I know a lady who worked for the FBI and also the Goldman family in the OJ Simpson case. She told me something about what was to happen to me and it happened almost word for word. She consulted me to see if Vedic astrology confirmed or contradicted her psychic visions. She has a TV show now.

I did a lot of research as the internet is an amazing study resource to look into events that happened in the past. I'm pretty good at working out exactly when an event will occur, the trouble is defining exactly what, as good or bad are relative terms. As an example, winning the lottery is actually shown to be something not so good in Vedic astrology. People don't realise all these subjects like Yoga, Vedic astrology and Ayurveda are only tools for a person to realise the unicity and intelligence of the energy that controls our universe and existence.

You don't even have to be a seer to know what is going on, Wiki Leaks is quietly funded by George Soros who was behind the last economic crash in Asia. I'm expecting more bail outs and more economic woes. I don't actually do much astrology now other than observe. As for a tsunami, just watch the animals, they'll know a long time before any of us idiots do.

[DougLee]

post link to said forum with your prediction accurate to the day.

If its not there anymore, look on the internet archive website, it will be.

Dont need to write 10 paragraphs, just have some proo.

I believe some people are perceiving deeper meanings in life through energy, but even i need real proof. (i have seen lucid dreamers communicate together through dreams from thousand of miles away)

Edited December 11, 2010 by DougLee

[keestha]

Every time there is a "tsunami rumour" thread, I hope that people will quickly start new threads, or revive old ones, so that the tsunami rumour goes to page 2. Any publicity (or even just talking about it) makes the damaging rumour stronger.

[logbags]

The Thai government was warned about the 2004 tsunami BEFORE it struck. This is fact.

It has been charged that the government held back this information because it didn’t want the country’s tourist industry damaged if it turned out to be a false alarm. Although the army was called out after the disaster, on January 3 the government dispatched 10,000 troops on a counter-insurgency mission to the southern provinces along the Malaysian border. Officials were "worried about possible negative feedback from certain quarters," noted Suthichai Yoon, head of the Nation Group of publications, a Thai publishing group, explaining why Thailand had not issued a tsunami warning.

And to the guy who wants proof. What hope do I have if this guy wasn't believed.

Ten years before the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, a Thai scientist boldly predicted a powerful earthquake hitting the Andaman Sea that could trigger giant waves lashing the western coast of Thailand. He warned the government to be prepared.

Dr Smith Dharmasaroja was not just ignored and ridiculed. Tour and hotel operators and other businesses heavily dependent on tourism warned him against ever setting foot on the famous beaches he had forecast would be hit by a tsunami.

When the disaster struck on December 26, 2004, people who had scoffed at the prediction could only sit up and recall those dire warnings which could have saved lives.

Sadly proven right, Dr Smith could only shake his head. “It’s a very valuable lesson by not listening to me ten years ago. If they only listened to me we could have saved at least ten thousand lives.”

The earthquake that occurred on December 26 was 500 kilometers away from where he had said it might happen. But all the areas in Thailand listed in his confidential memo as being at risk were all hit by the tsunami.

One of the worst hit was Phuket, the tourist paradise which declared the scientist a persona non grata after he first issued those tsunami warnings in 1994.

Dr. Smith explains, “It’s very difficult to tell people what’s going to happen because that (natural phenomenon) didn’t happen for a long time. The thing has not happened for a hundred years, and you say this thing can happen in the future. They say you’re crazy, there is no proof. But from now on they are starting to believe because we have proof.”

Shortly after the tsunami, the 70-year-old meteorologist and seismologist was pulled out of retirement to head Thailand’s National Disaster Warning Center, whose immediate task was to install a tsunami early warning system.

In 1994, as director-general of Thailand’s Meteorological Department, Dr. Smith predicted an earthquake would occur in an area in the Andaman Sea off the western coast of Thailand. This earthquake, he said, could trigger a tsunami.

He repeated the warning two years later. “I wrote a confidential letter to the government and told them what’s going to happen and asked them to warn the people quietly so people will not panic,” he recalls. “I even told them where it’s going to hit, but they disregarded my warning.”

The government had its reasons for ignoring the warning. Thailand’s tourism industry, after all, was at its peak, raking in millions of dollars from European tourists flocking to Phuket’s famed beaches – the very area Dr. Smith said was in danger.

After being ignored by the government, he disclosed his prediction to the media. He was immediately criticized.

“Some of them made a joke of my prediction. They called me a madman. Even officials, some governors in this area called me and said I was destroying the tourism industry. Hotel operators, tour operators were angry at me for making that prediction.”

Ignored by his own government, rebuked by his own people, Dr. Smith retired from public office feeling dejected that his work for over 25 years was disregarded. He had spent a better part of his career in Thailand’s Meteorology Department collating information about earthquakes in his country, analyzing data from available sources and developing a formula to make a prediction.

“I have had previous background (information) up to a hundred years in order to predict this kind of earthquake,” Dr. Smith adds.

But he is quick to admit it is hard to convince people of an upcoming disaster when no one has ever experienced it happen in their area.

Before the 2004 tsunami, Thailand has been largely spared major natural disasters because of its geographical location. That it might be hit by an earthquake or a tsunami was almost unthinkable until that fateful day in December. The proof that the people had demanded turned out to be one of the worst disasters Thailand and the whole region ever experienced.

Though people are generally now taking heed, not all are anxious to hear more of Dr. Smith’s predictions. Some tour operators in Phuket and Phang Nga province insist he should stop talking.

At a time when they are wooing tourists back to their beaches, Dr. Smith’s statements of more disasters to come is not helping.

Even the Chief Executive Officer of Phuket, Anchalee Tephabutra does not seem to enjoy talking about Dr. Smith. In a chance interview, she was asked to make a remark about Dr. Smith. Her short reply, “No comment!”

Dr. Smith insists his predictions are not meant to scare people but to educate them, and make them understand the fundamentals of nature and natural disasters. Besides, he asserts, there are ways of warning people without causing panic.

He says he is not alone in the quest to better understand nature in order to preclude possible disasters. There are countless experts like him churning out data and figures, anxious to second guess what nature is going to do next, especially in a region where natural calamities are part and parcel of everyday life.

“If they want to save lives, governments should listen to us. If I’m wrong their lives can still go on. If I’m right fewer people will get killed. No loss, it’s a win-win situation,” Dr. Smith points out as he warns of bigger tsunamis to come.

He said that because the December 26 was so strong, at magnitude 9.3, the second strongest earthquake in recorded history, “it has affected every plate around the world.”

Dr. Smith is especially concerned about an earthquake that occurred near the Andaman Islands on June 26, 1941. That earthquake had a magnitude of 8.7. “Earthquakes occur in cycles between fifty and a hundred years”, he explains. “You need time for them to accumulate.”

It’s been over 60 years since the June 1941 earthquake and another similar earthquake could happen again between now and 2011, he predicted.

Singapore and Malaysia are especially vulnerable according to Dr. Smith. An earthquake between the Andaman and Nicobar Islands could generate a tsunami that will travel directly towards the Straight of Malacca. As the channel narrows heading towards Singapore, more water will build up creating huge waves potentially bigger than the December 26 tsunami.

But with tsunami warning buoys recently installed along the western coast of Thailand, Dr. Smith assures, they can send out alerts to Singapore and Malaysia. Then again, he insists, the two countries should start planning for such a disaster.

Thailand’s capital Bangkok is also vulnerable to a huge earthquake, according to Dr. Smith.

Although there are no fault lines near the Thai capital, a big earthquake could spell disaster for the thriving city.

Bangkok sits on clay ground much like Mexico City, and clay ground amplifies earthquakes three times, Dr Smith says.

In September 1985, as many as 10,000 people died in an 8.1 magnitude earthquake in Mexico City that also toppled seven hotels, three large hospitals and more than 100 government buildings.

What worries Dr Smith is that Bangkok has no building code. Tall buildings constructed in the last 15 years could survive but buildings 40 years and older face the likelihood of collapse, he warns.

But unlike the last time when a frightening prediction was ignored, the Thai government is now all ears to Dr. Smith. Bangkok is coming up with stricter building requirements and authorities are now formulating a building code.

People may not like the Dr Smith’s bold predictions, but they should have more sense this time not to ignore them.

[logbags]

Every time there is a "tsunami rumour" thread, I hope that people will quickly start new threads, or revive old ones, so that the tsunami rumour goes to page 2. Any publicity (or even just talking about it) makes the damaging rumour stronger

So you favour the Ostrich approach? People don't drown everyday either but we prefer lifeguards to be there just in case. Would keeping an eye open on certain days be so hard. Would making a mental note of escape routes etc be considered so superstitious and doomsaying? Earthquakes only come along once in a blue moon also but we still build with them in mind. Why do people think a tsunami rumour is such a bad thing. It just might make those bloody Russians move their loungers back from the waters edge a bit.

[barka]

LOGBAGS go and get a job with the Gazette....as an astrologer..they might even pay you.......you would have to reduce your sentences and words ..you would probably need the whole paper for your predictions...HAPPY XMAS....

[logbags]

The Gazette??? I'd make more money selling fried bananas in Bangla. A friend of mine was a reporter for them. Told me he thought slavery had been abolished until he started there. Trying hard to keep this post on top.........

[FritsSikkink]

The doomsaying comes from the fact the next full Moon on the 21st will be a total lunar eclipse. This is where the full Moon fell on the morning of the tsunami in 2004 and the two stars the Sun and Moon fall in have a particulary bad reputation in the East as being stars of disaster and misfortune.

The Sun will be in a constellation the Hindus call Mula and the full Moon in one called Ardra, both have reputations for trouble when certain planets move through them. The attacks on September 11th in America also took place on this axis with the Moon in Ardra opposite Mars in Mula. Mars of course is the planet of war.

Vedic astrology is vastly different from the astrology that is used in the west. It is very complicated and as a system it is basically the same one that has been used for thousands of years in India. Western astrology or the tropical zodiac is simply wrong in its calculations and is a watered down almost comical version of the authentic Vedic version. The Greeks at the time of Ptolemy forgot about the precession of the equinox.

I studied and researched it for 10 years after being originally taught by an elderly Sri Lankan man who made some brilliant predictions I witnessed. I just had to learn more after seeing a few things happen. People are skeptical which is understandable but when you make a comment bagging a subject you know nothing about it then becomes ignorance. Mind you I'd say 99.9% of public astrologers are shit talkers either way. The best Vedic astrologers I know don't even practice it for money, I can count them on 3 fingers.

The genuine astrologer cannot win either way, I made a lengthy attack on George Bush based on the horoscope for the time of his inauguration that was posted online. ( Most people don't even know the U.S President is elected in November but not sworn in until midday January 20 as the basic horoscope of that day is considered powerful.) I said he would lead America into war, ruin the economy and people would live in fear while he ruled. I was attacked as a "doomsayer" and never even once did anybody say I was correct. I also predicted the resignation of Thaksin, the EXACT day 6 months before he resigned. I posted it on webboards but again people just think you made a lucky guess.

The current doomsaying in Thailand is not without precedent. When the massive economic crash came it was also at the time of a total lunar eclipse. The Thais were all going to the temple dressed in black with black chickens etc to pay homage to Rahu the mythical demon that appears to swallow the Moon during a total lunar eclipse.

When I was doing my research I had discussions with people ranging from a scientist at N.A.S.A to an Indian guy working at the Pentagon. The guy at N.A.S.A said that during the peak of the solar flare cycle the earth is bombarded with all sorts of violent energies that effect everything from radars to animal behaviour. I was extremely interested in solar eclipses as earthquakes often follow in countries where the eclipse was seen.

Not every psychic is a crackpot, I know a lady who worked for the FBI and also the Goldman family in the OJ Simpson case. She told me something about what was to happen to me and it happened almost word for word. She consulted me to see if Vedic astrology confirmed or contradicted her psychic visions. She has a TV show now.

I did a lot of research as the internet is an amazing study resource to look into events that happened in the past. I'm pretty good at working out exactly when an event will occur, the trouble is defining exactly what, as good or bad are relative terms. As an example, winning the lottery is actually shown to be something not so good in Vedic astrology. People don't realise all these subjects like Yoga, Vedic astrology and Ayurveda are only tools for a person to realise the unicity and intelligence of the energy that controls our universe and existence.

You don't even have to be a seer to know what is going on, Wiki Leaks is quietly funded by George Soros who was behind the last economic crash in Asia. I'm expecting more bail outs and more economic woes. I don't actually do much astrology now other than observe. As for a tsunami, just watch the animals, they'll know a long time before any of us idiots do.

bla bla bla

[DougLee]

The scientist predicted it would happen in 2004.

That's 12 months where it could happen. and if it had happened 3months before or after 2004 he would of kept his street cred..

Can't give too much credit do that.. for something to be so inaccurate as years, he could just be a retard randomly choosing numbers. Especialy since predicting those kind of things are IMPOSSIBLE. They predicted Yellowstone volcano would kill of the USA/CANADA like 10 years ago, i remember. i couldn't sleep for weeks. Well, its still sleeping.

[mrvpliss]

The doomsaying comes from the fact the next full Moon on the 21st will be a total lunar eclipse. This is where the full Moon fell on the morning of the tsunami in 2004 and the two stars the Sun and Moon fall in have a particulary bad reputation in the East as being stars of disaster and misfortune.

The Sun will be in a constellation the Hindus call Mula and the full Moon in one called Ardra, both have reputations for trouble when certain planets move through them. The attacks on September 11th in America also took place on this axis with the Moon in Ardra opposite Mars in Mula. Mars of course is the planet of war.

Vedic astrology is vastly different from the astrology that is used in the west. It is very complicated and as a system it is basically the same one that has been used for thousands of years in India. Western astrology or the tropical zodiac is simply wrong in its calculations and is a watered down almost comical version of the authentic Vedic version. The Greeks at the time of Ptolemy forgot about the precession of the equinox.

I studied and researched it for 10 years after being originally taught by an elderly Sri Lankan man who made some brilliant predictions I witnessed. I just had to learn more after seeing a few things happen. People are skeptical which is understandable but when you make a comment bagging a subject you know nothing about it then becomes ignorance. Mind you I'd say 99.9% of public astrologers are shit talkers either way. The best Vedic astrologers I know don't even practice it for money, I can count them on 3 fingers.

The genuine astrologer cannot win either way, I made a lengthy attack on George Bush based on the horoscope for the time of his inauguration that was posted online. ( Most people don't even know the U.S President is elected in November but not sworn in until midday January 20 as the basic horoscope of that day is considered powerful.) I said he would lead America into war, ruin the economy and people would live in fear while he ruled. I was attacked as a "doomsayer" and never even once did anybody say I was correct. I also predicted the resignation of Thaksin, the EXACT day 6 months before he resigned. I posted it on webboards but again people just think you made a lucky guess.

The current doomsaying in Thailand is not without precedent. When the massive economic crash came it was also at the time of a total lunar eclipse. The Thais were all going to the temple dressed in black with black chickens etc to pay homage to Rahu the mythical demon that appears to swallow the Moon during a total lunar eclipse.

When I was doing my research I had discussions with people ranging from a scientist at N.A.S.A to an Indian guy working at the Pentagon. The guy at N.A.S.A said that during the peak of the solar flare cycle the earth is bombarded with all sorts of violent energies that effect everything from radars to animal behaviour. I was extremely interested in solar eclipses as earthquakes often follow in countries where the eclipse was seen.

Not every psychic is a crackpot, I know a lady who worked for the FBI and also the Goldman family in the OJ Simpson case. She told me something about what was to happen to me and it happened almost word for word. She consulted me to see if Vedic astrology confirmed or contradicted her psychic visions. She has a TV show now.

I did a lot of research as the internet is an amazing study resource to look into events that happened in the past. I'm pretty good at working out exactly when an event will occur, the trouble is defining exactly what, as good or bad are relative terms. As an example, winning the lottery is actually shown to be something not so good in Vedic astrology. People don't realise all these subjects like Yoga, Vedic astrology and Ayurveda are only tools for a person to realise the unicity and intelligence of the energy that controls our universe and existence.

You don't even have to be a seer to know what is going on, Wiki Leaks is quietly funded by George Soros who was behind the last economic crash in Asia. I'm expecting more bail outs and more economic woes. I don't actually do much astrology now other than observe. As for a tsunami, just watch the animals, they'll know a long time before any of us idiots do.

bla bla bla

Good info logbags and although i've only delved into basics Ayurveda and other astrologies can understand to a fair degree your post.

unfortunately you seem to have forgotten where you are now posting it is thaivisa..phuket forum mate!!

as the reply from fritssinkink shows that many on this forum are not worldly enough to make comment about anything more involved than ''best burgers'' or ''favourite pizza '' or ''why i hate...........thai.....

[keestha]

Every time there is a "tsunami rumour" thread, I hope that people will quickly start new threads, or revive old ones, so that the tsunami rumour goes to page 2. Any publicity (or even just talking about it) makes the damaging rumour stronger

So you favour the Ostrich approach? People don't drown everyday either but we prefer lifeguards to be there just in case. Would keeping an eye open on certain days be so hard. Would making a mental note of escape routes etc be considered so superstitious and doomsaying? Earthquakes only come along once in a blue moon also but we still build with them in mind. Why do people think a tsunami rumour is such a bad thing. It just might make those bloody Russians move their loungers back from the waters edge a bit.

Logbags,

I am a tsunami victim. My resort in Khao Lak was razed to the ground, five of my guests and two of my staff died, and myself I barely escaped running.

Every time there is an Indian Ocean earthquake, I am notified by text message, and I run to the computer to look at the PTWC (Pacific Tsunami Warning Center) website, also if it happens at 3 AM.

Im am doing OK now, I rebuilt my resort and never felt traumatized. But those spreading unfounded rumours do a lot of damage to people who lived through this and whose nerves are still a little bit on edge.

[logbags]

That's 12 months where it could happen. and if it had happened 3months before or after 2004 he would of kept his street cred..

Can't give too much credit do that.. for something to be so inaccurate as years, he could just be a retard randomly choosing numbers. Especialy since predicting those kind of things are IMPOSSIBLE. They predicted Yellowstone volcano would kill of the USA/CANADA like 10 years ago, i remember. i couldn't sleep for weeks. Well, its still sleeping.

What about the Y2K bug? Man I wish I could come up with scams like that. Global warming is the new one. Carbon taxes, credit swaps etc. When will the rich and powerful give us a spell from the despotism? Fear is a powerful tool

[FritsSikkink]

bla bla bla

Good info logbags and although i've only delved into basics Ayurveda and other astrologies can understand to a fair degree your post.

unfortunately you seem to have forgotten where you are now posting it is thaivisa..phuket forum mate!!

as the reply from fritssinkink shows that many on this forum are not worldly enough to make comment about anything more involved than ''best burgers'' or ''favourite pizza '' or ''why i hate...........thai.....

If not believing in astrology makes me not wordly so be it

[logbags]

Logbags,

I am a tsunami victim. My resort in Khao Lak was razed to the ground, five of my guests and two of my staff died, and myself I barely escaped running.

Every time there is an Indian Ocean earthquake, I am notified by text message, and I run to the computer to look at the PTWC (Pacific Tsunami Warning Center) website, also if it happens at 3 AM.

Im am doing OK now, I rebuilt my resort and never felt traumatized. But those spreading unfounded rumours do a lot of damage to people who lived through this and whose nerves are still a little bit on edge.

I knew you have a resort, that was obvious but my anger is directed straight at the Thaksin cabinet. They were warned but chose not release a warning, worrying about their vested interests. Thousands died because a few greedy men wouldn't put the overall interest and safety of the country first. This is typical of Thailand. I share your grief, we all lost people. I left one week before it hit. Even a 15 minute warning would have saved lives if it had gone out on all media.

I have studied Buddhism, Hinduism, Yoga, Ayurvedic medicine and Vedic Astrology ever since I first travelled to Thailand in the early 80's as a kid. I was once a prolific writer on some of these subjects. When I first came to Thailand there were still a lot of old guys who had Vedic minds and lived accordingly. Thaksin constantly spoke about how being rich was everything, how it should be your most prized goal in life. Not only that, he promised the poor and uneducated they could be rich like him if they just believed in him. They are probably worse off now than they've ever been. Blokes like Banharn were bigger crooks than Thaksin but were also quiet old time Chinese crooks who kept their vast wealth out of the public eye.

Much of the trouble that is causing so much division is directly because of Thaksin. Even Newin knew when enough was enough and backed off. I hate to say it but when two elderly men we can't talk about die off, all hell is likely to break out when old feuds get settled. This is what is holding Thailand back. I had 11 Thai relatives at my place here in Australia tonight, they run 3 restaurants and a beauty salon between them. We know people in the airlines, tourist and resort industry. Everyone is saying how bad it is across the board in Thailand. We're in food and people fortunately have to eat daily. I honestly think there is just too much of everything in Thailand and not enough people travelling to fill all the beds available. Corruption is basically out of control and I hope it doesn't take another disaster (financial or natural) to wake people up about what is really important.

[mrvpliss]

If not believing in astrology makes me not wordly so be it

sorry, you missunderstood me ...not believing in astrology makes me not wordly so be it...no,no mate it was your worldly reply as below that did it ';

bla bla bla

[surangw]

is it too late to book a room on the top floor?

[logbags]

I think a tsunami rumour is just that, Phukets problems are far deeper than that unfortunately. Price ramping can be a bit of a joke when you see some of the prices being sought by developers.

I was looking at some places that were around the corner from where I stay in Bang Tao, they are like 2 bedroom apartments that look well built. I was wondering what they cost so checked online. I was a bit shocked when I saw they wanted 21 to 25 million baht to buy one or 240,0000 baht a month to rent. Now the area they are in is ok but the photos on the website are somewhat unrealistic as to the true state of that area. For example there is a development even closer to the beach than theirs that has gone belly up, left to rot and is a ugy eyesore for the area. 240 large a month for an apartment in Bang Tao? Is that a realistic price? Doesn't even include the power! They will however clean the place and change the towels twice a week.

A mate of mine lives in Bang Jo, he pays 35k a month for a nice well built farang owned house. Has a pool, internet, electric gate and video security. To me that's a realistic price. I had an American couple over for a week or so who came around daily. They had a room in the place next door to the Surin Bay. They were paying 900 baht for a room then moved to a nicer place for 800 a night and they'd never been in Thailand before. Just negotiated and got huge room rate reductions. It's a buyers market now.

How are things in Khao Lak this year? I really think they need to de-value the baht to make Thailand cheap again. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are leeching more and more people from Thailand from what I hear. Three mates of mine who were die hard regulars in Patong left after being pinched 3 days in a row by the traffic cops. They have never gone back. They now go to Cambodia, Laos and even Nepal. Sometimes people just get sick of being ripped off or extorted by the cops so never come back. I remember seeing Jim who built the Kangaroo Bar in Bangla, he said he'd never go back to Thailand let alone Phuket. He was there when it was nice too. :lol.

[Traxster]

I think the real 'idiots' are the people who,when they read or hear about these 'predictions', cancel their holidays......!!

There is a very small probability of another tsunami occurring in the region, or anywhere else at any particular time. If a con man makes a random guess and nothing happens then it will all soon be forgotten. If a tsunami does arrive more or less on time through, effectively, random chance then the con man will be granted a great deal of publicity, money and a job for life, even if he never 'predicts' anything correctly ever again, he/she/it will always be the one who 'predicted the tsunami'.

Very little risk, very great reward... in other words it's worth a punt. Who cares if a bunch of suckers panic and businesses suffer?

If it happens in 5 year, he'll come back in 5 years and explain that he read his signs wrong and misplaced just 1 letter that meant 5 years.

There is no losing for those idiots

[apetley]

The scientist who predicted the tsunami of 2004 ten years before it occurred was using his knowledge of plate tectonics to make that forecast.

Astrologers who predict disaster based on dates, the alignment of the stars, tea leaves or animal entrails are charlatans abusing their position to con the gullible and uneducated.

[DougLee]

I think a tsunami rumour is just that, Phukets problems are far deeper than that unfortunately. Price ramping can be a bit of a joke when you see some of the prices being sought by developers.

I was looking at some places that were around the corner from where I stay in Bang Tao, they are like 2 bedroom apartments that look well built. I was wondering what they cost so checked online. I was a bit shocked when I saw they wanted 21 to 25 million baht to buy one or 240,0000 baht a month to rent. Now the area they are in is ok but the photos on the website are somewhat unrealistic as to the true state of that area. For example there is a development even closer to the beach than theirs that has gone belly up, left to rot and is a ugy eyesore for the area. 240 large a month for an apartment in Bang Tao? Is that a realistic price? Doesn't even include the power! They will however clean the place and change the towels twice a week.

A mate of mine lives in Bang Jo, he pays 35k a month for a nice well built farang owned house. Has a pool, internet, electric gate and video security. To me that's a realistic price. I had an American couple over for a week or so who came around daily. They had a room in the place next door to the Surin Bay. They were paying 900 baht for a room then moved to a nicer place for 800 a night and they'd never been in Thailand before. Just negotiated and got huge room rate reductions. It's a buyers market now.

How are things in Khao Lak this year? I really think they need to de-value the baht to make Thailand cheap again. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are leeching more and more people from Thailand from what I hear. Three mates of mine who were die hard regulars in Patong left after being pinched 3 days in a row by the traffic cops. They have never gone back. They now go to Cambodia, Laos and even Nepal. Sometimes people just get sick of being ripped off or extorted by the cops so never come back. I remember seeing Jim who built the Kangaroo Bar in Bangla, he said he'd never go back to Thailand let alone Phuket. He was there when it was nice too. :lol.

In pattaya, a house worth 15mil baht rents for 30-50k per month

in bangkok, a condo worth-15 25mil baht can rent from 30-60k per month if propriety is a little older but right next to park/emporium/lumpini

in phuket, anything over 7mb rents at 40 to 300k per month

[phaethon]

If it happens in 5 year, he'll come back in 5 years and explain that he read his signs wrong and misplaced just 1 letter that meant 5 years.

Can't be five years, we're all going to be dead by the year after next, a bunch of dead Central Americans told me...

[inmysights]

Thought they were predicting pattaya

Only the good die young. Pattaya is filled with evil elderly trash. They should be safe.

Um, Mahatma Ghandi, Carl Gustaf Jung, Louise Bourgoise, Mother Theresa, and many more of course ... Any more for Cliche? lol?!