Why do Police allow children to drive on roads in Thailand?

[Sviss Geez]

I have mixed feelings about this topic. Yes it is a bit strange the amount of kids riding motorbikes here, especially to school (my son is 13 and I actually encourage him to ride, but I also teach him how to try to look out for danger) The school he goes to has two cops and two School security on the road outside, each morning and afternoon, they do not give a toss about the kids riding bikes, NO HELMETS, 3 UP! crazy.

I think it is better to try and teach your kids how to drive safely (as safe as possible here) they get a bit of freedom and learn to look out for themselves, a bit of independence in a way.

What I really disagree with is the retards in my area that are allowed to drive kids to school in their clapped out shit trucks and minibuses, often seriously overloaded, driven by retards that are 70 or more years old that should not be allowed to drive a remote controlled car let alone a bus full of kids.

You see them every day, they pile all of the kids bags on the front windscreen leaving about 3 inches of clear filthy glass to see out of, these are the real hazards! Most of them cannot keep up with the traffic, have no idea of how to drive.

You cannot wrap kids in cotton wool, they want their freedom, I think the best thing you can do is to try to teach them the best you can to try to see what the dangers are out there. You can never predict everything, but you can try to give them a head start.

Buy them a decent helmet, some protective gear, jackets, gloves etc. and try to instill a rule that they wear all of the gear all of the time, it could save their lives. Kids learn very very quickly, so use it to your and their advantage.

"...my son is 13 and I actually encourage him to ride,"

"...the retards in my area..."

Says it all really.

Any other life threatening illegal activities you encourage you 13 year old to take part in?

[culicine]

Does anyone remember seeing that Youtube video of an 8-year old girl DRIVING A CAR herself down in Southern Thailand somewhere recently? Absolutely amazingly stupid! But apparently in that case the police did intervene and forced the parents of the child to no longer allow the child to drive herself, and also handed out a fine. The child couldn't understand all the fuss and wanted to continue to be allowed driving because apparently she had never caused an accident before!

If she's never caused an accident shes probably better than 98% of the drivers on the roads here lol. Just about every new driver seems to get into fender benders here. I think a lot of it is to do with driver training. It's virtually non-existent here. All the driver has to do is driver around a few cones to pass the test. I'd love to see a Thai do a practical driving test in a busy neighborhood. The reverse park up a hill will do them in, if they got that far without failing. Having said that, it seems Thais prefer to 'learn on the job'. Not just driving skills, but just about all the trades I know of too.

[Vogele123]

Another annoying aspect of all this , my mate in his truck got hit by one of these kids on a motor cycle.

The kid was in the wrong , but my mate had to pay for his medical bills and to get the bike fixed.

Needless to say he was bloody fuming to say the least.

P.S. and he had to pay to get his truck fixed.

So to all you mai bpen rai gang , it could be you next time.

I sympathize on this one, personally I would try to sue the guilty party. I was told this years ago that if you hit anyone and you had the bigger vehicle you got the short straw! In my village a truck knocked an idiot off its bike, rather than risk the penalties, he reversed a few times over its head, end of story, funeral bills and not a life long medical expense.

These days, I think that there is actually a legal point that you can fight your corner, it is not as stupid as it was 10/15 years ago. A lawyer might be a good investment. There would be no way in hell that I would pay one satang for some retard that hit me or was driving without lights at night, I would hire a lawyer to make sure that him or his family had to pay to clean his blood off my car and repair the damage!

[Vogele123]

I have mixed feelings about this topic. Yes it is a bit strange the amount of kids riding motorbikes here, especially to school (my son is 13 and I actually encourage him to ride, but I also teach him how to try to look out for danger) The school he goes to has two cops and two School security on the road outside, each morning and afternoon, they do not give a toss about the kids riding bikes, NO HELMETS, 3 UP! crazy.

I think it is better to try and teach your kids how to drive safely (as safe as possible here) they get a bit of freedom and learn to look out for themselves, a bit of independence in a way.

What I really disagree with is the retards in my area that are allowed to drive kids to school in their clapped out shit trucks and minibuses, often seriously overloaded, driven by retards that are 70 or more years old that should not be allowed to drive a remote controlled car let alone a bus full of kids.

You see them every day, they pile all of the kids bags on the front windscreen leaving about 3 inches of clear filthy glass to see out of, these are the real hazards! Most of them cannot keep up with the traffic, have no idea of how to drive.

You cannot wrap kids in cotton wool, they want their freedom, I think the best thing you can do is to try to teach them the best you can to try to see what the dangers are out there. You can never predict everything, but you can try to give them a head start.

Buy them a decent helmet, some protective gear, jackets, gloves etc. and try to instill a rule that they wear all of the gear all of the time, it could save their lives. Kids learn very very quickly, so use it to your and their advantage.

"...my son is 13 and I actually encourage him to ride,"

"...the retards in my area..."

Says it all really.

Any other life threatening illegal activities you encourage you 13 year old to take part in?

Life threatening and illegal activities? Grow up! maybe I could give him a spliff or cocaine, some of you people belong in a museum!

And your point is? It matters not one bit how OLD someone is when it comes to their ability to ride a bike! There are retards on these roads that have been riding for 50 years and are still retards and have learned nothing in 50 years, they still drive like retards! If you take a sensible approach and teach a youngster safety and riding skills at an early age then they will gravitate over the retards exponentially, I think you have probably no idea of driving, learning or teaching. Can you tell me why a 13 year old cannot learn to ride a bike rather than a 17 year old? If they are big enough to control the bike? Age does not matter in the least, it is all about attitude. You are an ingnoramus!

Instead of spouting your garbage, you actually bothered to look at teaching kids to ride a bike, how to predict traffic etc. then they might have a better chance of surviving on these roads! Do you really think that by having a birthday suddenely qualifies these kids to ride a bike? are you subnormal? you do not wake up when you are 17 and become a competent biker, it is practice, practice practice. The younger the better you old fossil!

Look at the retards around at night time, no rear lights on a dual carriageway, (where I live these idiots often come down the wrong side of a dual carriageway, in the fast lane on the wrong side with no lights! and do you think I would pay for these bastards if I hit one? Not a cat in hells chance!!!)do you think I would teach my son to drive like these spastics? If he has not got a helmet, jacket gloves etc. he does not go out on the bike, he does not ride in a T-shirt and Flip Flops, he will not get out of the door without some safety gear.

Edited January 3, 2015 by Vogele123

[Vogele123]

The more posts you make here on Thai Visa, the more you will realize it is just like that album Nick Cave made back in the '80's - "Kicking Against The Pricks!" looking at a lot of the posters on this site I really can imagine them drunk, cutting their own flesh and listening to that song by the Eagles "Hotel California" Tossing themselves off when they still had 300 Baht for a wank down Soi Cowboy!

it almost makes you want to die at times when you read responses from some of these hate filled rabid pit bull dogs! (Rabies might be a blessing)

Got to nip off to bed, Oncha is on giving us our blessing on TV and the wife needs a good kicking!

Edited January 3, 2015 by Vogele123

[dave_boo]

Another annoying aspect of all this , my mate in his truck got hit by one of these kids on a motor cycle.

The kid was in the wrong , but my mate had to pay for his medical bills and to get the bike fixed.

Needless to say he was bloody fuming to say the least.

P.S. and he had to pay to get his truck fixed.

So to all you mai bpen rai gang , it could be you next time.

I sympathize on this one, personally I would try to sue the guilty party. I was told this years ago that if you hit anyone and you had the bigger vehicle you got the short straw! In my village a truck knocked an idiot off its bike, rather than risk the penalties, he reversed a few times over its head, end of story, funeral bills and not a life long medical expense.

These days, I think that there is actually a legal point that you can fight your corner, it is not as stupid as it was 10/15 years ago. A lawyer might be a good investment. There would be no way in hell that I would pay one satang for some retard that hit me or was driving without lights at night, I would hire a lawyer to make sure that him or his family had to pay to clean his blood off my car and repair the damage!

Have a mate who works in Vegas. One night after his shift he was headed home and a drunk ran across the three lanes of traffic headed the opposite way and made it past the first lane in the direction my mate was driving. The runner turned just in time for my mate to see his eyes go wide and it was all over. He said there were two trails of snot sprayed over his hood (bonnet) along with all the blood.

Insurance agent and cops were called. Obviously he wasn't at fault and since he had coverage all was good. At that time the deceased's wife had arrived and the adjuster actually had the gall to ask my mate if he wanted to sue her for his deductible. I imagine he thought he was just doing his job, but that's a little cold when the blood is still fresh on the truck.

[transam]

The more posts you make here on Thai Visa, the more you will realize it is just like that album Nick Cave made back in the '80's - "Kicking Against The Pricks!" looking at a lot of the posters on this site I really can imagine them drunk, cutting their own flesh and listening to that song by the Eagles "Hotel California" Tossing themselves off when they still had 300 Baht for a wank down Soi Cowboy!

it almost makes you want to die at times when you read responses from some of these hate filled rabid pit bull dogs! (Rabies might be a blessing)

Got to nip off to bed, Oncha is on giving us our blessing on TV and the wife needs a good kicking!

What an inspiring post.........

[rotorbreeze]

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OP how do you expect them to get to school? That's how my mate's ex put it to him when he asked her. And she's a teacher.

I've heard the same up here in Phitsanulok. They seem to totally ignore the kids between the going to/coming from school periods.

The two most dangerous times of the day on the roads.................

Ya see here in Thailand children will grow up being to Multitask... advance driving with up to three on the bike, drive against traffic flow....advanced communication skills, driving while texting and reading reply...oh yes no helmet as this interfere with communication on cell phone...no problem this is Thailand. These advanced skill are passed on ONLY to students whom live through learning times...as adults they are fully advanced and skillful drivers..some become police and know this is NORMAL and must be allowed to shows faith n Buddha will look after them in learning new skills.

[Tomtomtom69]

OP how do you expect them to get to school? That's how my mate's ex put it to him when he asked her. And she's a teacher.

Haha.

Well how about catching a bus? Last time I checked Thailand probably had like one of the most extensive public transport networks in the whole world, you can literally go everywhere by bus, minivan, songthaew etc.

If your mate's ex were living in outback Australia or the US, Canada etc. she'd actually have a point. Public transport in those parts is scarce to non-existent. But Thailand? Come on. Nobody needs to drive themselves here - it's just a status/face thing.

[Smurkster]

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OP how do you expect them to get to school? That's how my mate's ex put it to him when he asked her. And she's a teacher.

Haha.

Well how about catching a bus? Last time I checked Thailand probably had like one of the most extensive public transport networks in the whole world, you can literally go everywhere by bus, minivan, songthaew etc.

If your mate's ex were living in outback Australia or the US, Canada etc. she'd actually have a point. Public transport in those parts is scarce to non-existent. But Thailand? Come on. Nobody needs to drive themselves here - it's just a status/face thing.

kind of like the "lets buy a big truck we cannot afford and be in debt up to our eyeballs, just so we can be just like the neighbours who already have the newest model" status thing?

[Tomtomtom69]

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Another annoying aspect of all this , my mate in his truck got hit by one of these kids on a motor cycle.

The kid was in the wrong , but my mate had to pay for his medical bills and to get the bike fixed.

Needless to say he was bloody fuming to say the least.

P.S. and he had to pay to get his truck fixed.

So to all you mai bpen rai gang , it could be you next time.

not surprising, last year I was driving with my wife and two falang friends in the left lane turning left, the car in the lane next to me also turned left (when it was only a straight or right lane) clearly he was in the wrong, smashed up my car and the police officer standing nearby said we were in the wrong because "the left lane is a motorcycle lane" which was a HUGE crock of buffalo shit because I see cars in that lane all the time, but what happened was he saw three falangs in the car and they all thought "Hey, this is the perfect opportunity to make up all the rules on the spot" and they did. I was fuming, just like your friend, well deserved fumes I might add..12,000 Baht for Somchai's stupid mistake...cant even imagine what the outcome would be if the roles were reversed, but I can tell you it wouldn't be the same....

For me that was the straw that broke the camels back in regards to my true feelings for this place, a year and a half later I am still here, but that incident shaped the way i view this place and more importantly its people. It may sound silly and trivial but it really was a good insight and read into how the minds of these people work and i didn't like what I saw.

So was a multi-lane road? And you were in the left hand-lane, not the shoulder as the police officer implied?

Anyway one time I was rear-ended driving a Lao registered pickup near Phitsanulok. It was my friend's turn to drive at the time. It was just before the first set of lights about 50km east of Phitsanulok on the P'lok-Lom Sak-Khon Kaen highway. Stupidly I did not call the insurance (I only had 3rd party so I'm not sure if they would have paid) but the only minor damage was to my rear bumper having lost some paint (it was a painted bumper) and a dented license plate. I got 1000 Baht out of the guy who rear-ended us without even asking, but he flat out refused to give me 2500 up-front, which was my estimate of the cost of the damages until I got a quote first.

Apparently he didn't have 1st class insurance so his damages to his dented hood also had to be paid out of his own pocket. I was right about the cost of respraying my bumper - I ended up going for the cheapest quote of 2200 Baht, but most places before that one wanted 2500. I called the guy involved in the accident who told me he had repaired his hood for around 2500 but couldn't believe mine cost 2200 and refused to send me another 1200 as he had promised at the time of the accident. He even switched off his phone and refused to take my calls, possibly changed his number in the process.

What I've learned from this incident is always call the insurance and settle it with them. My situation was possibly further complicated because the car being Lao registered could only have 3rd party insurance but as it was the fault of the other party (which the other driver clearly agreed with) I'm wondering if they would have paid for damages to the car or do they only pay for injury/death of the driver and accompanying passengers in the event of a serious accident?

[Tomtomtom69]

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Another annoying aspect of all this , my mate in his truck got hit by one of these kids on a motor cycle.

The kid was in the wrong , but my mate had to pay for his medical bills and to get the bike fixed.

Needless to say he was bloody fuming to say the least.

P.S. and he had to pay to get his truck fixed.

So to all you mai bpen rai gang , it could be you next time.

not surprising, last year I was driving with my wife and two falang friends in the left lane turning left, the car in the lane next to me also turned left (when it was only a straight or right lane) clearly he was in the wrong, smashed up my car and the police officer standing nearby said we were in the wrong because "the left lane is a motorcycle lane" which was a HUGE crock of buffalo shit because I see cars in that lane all the time, but what happened was he saw three falangs in the car and they all thought "Hey, this is the perfect opportunity to make up all the rules on the spot" and they did. I was fuming, just like your friend, well deserved fumes I might add..12,000 Baht for Somchai's stupid mistake...cant even imagine what the outcome would be if the roles were reversed, but I can tell you it wouldn't be the same....

For me that was the straw that broke the camels back in regards to my true feelings for this place, a year and a half later I am still here, but that incident shaped the way i view this place and more importantly its people. It may sound silly and trivial but it really was a good insight and read into how the minds of these people work and i didn't like what I saw.

So because you see cars there all the time it can't be a motorcycle lane?

If a motorbike riding on the sidewalk gets hit by a car turning left, the bike is in the wrong, just as it sounds you were in the wrong.

Is this your first sh!t-stirring post for 2015?

Congratulations!

Regardless if there had been such an thing as a 'motorcycle lane', any traffic making a legal left turn would still have to enter it or cross it to make the exit. The muppet in the middle 'straight ahead' lane to the immediate right of the complainant was your typical arrogant local who can't wait in line and decided to cut in front... like they do millions of time every day all over this land of erudite and polite drivers.

Do you imagine that there is anywhere in this country where motorcycle drivers would willingly restrict themselves to staying in any designated 'motorcycle lane' when the cops aint out there? When I was working in Bangok I encountered a few of these but the bikes tended to go where they wanted and cars tended to fill the wasted space. Police don't enforce anything until after the fact... as the complainant affirmed.

BTW, I have never, ever seen any Thai driver double parking. But I have seen hundreds just stop driving.

You've never seen any double parking? Well go to Henri Dounant street, which I affectionally call "Henry Donut" near Siam and next to Chulalongkorn university during the day. Dozens, if not hundreds of cars all along that road are double parked, blocking cars parked closest to the curb/kerb.

[Neeranam]

The police do not stop children who drive because the police are smart enough to know that a 10 year old probably does not have 200 baht to give the police if he is stopped.

Thai logic!

What do you mean Thai logic?

You haven't a clue what Thai Logic is.

[Neeranam]

I have known a few Thai kids that drove cars although just being 12/13. The police did stop them often but they always have influential parents and the police let them off, scared of the consequences. It's the same as why they don't stop new expensive cars.

[Tomtomtom69]

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Other your home country and Pattaya, have any of you ever done any traveling? The stupidity in your comments would say no. This is not a Thai problem. It happens in Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, Kuwait, UAE, and every country in Africa I have traveled to. I have seen it in small towns in Italy and Germany. In some places in the US you can drive as young as 14.

So for all of you that are oh so smarter and better, just remember your living and spending your money in their country and all your whining isn't going to change a thing.

PS. Happy New Year

it might not be "solely a Thai problem" but facts do say that other than Namibians Thais are the most dangerous, deadly accident prone drivers in the world. So while there may be many other places in the world with this problem, clearly there is a major issue here if it has the second highest motorist death rate in the world...some other sources say #6. and for all the "Cite your sources" Police, just do a quick google search and you will see that this is no joke

I think many of the expats who are "whining" DO want to change things here but usually any attempt to help falls on deaf ears so nothing changes.

[Tomtomtom69]

I have known a few Thai kids that drove cars although just being 12/13. The police did stop them often but they always have influential parents and the police let them off, scared of the consequences. It's the same as why they don't stop new expensive cars.

Ridiculous when an ordinary citizen (even if they are rich) can exert such power over the police and even threaten them just for doing their jobs. The police are supposed to be respected and above the average citizen. It's a sad fact that in Thailand they are not and it also means that in the event that the sh** hits the fan, you are on your own.

I wonder if that will ever change?

[Smurkster]

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Other your home country and Pattaya, have any of you ever done any traveling? The stupidity in your comments would say no. This is not a Thai problem. It happens in Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, Kuwait, UAE, and every country in Africa I have traveled to. I have seen it in small towns in Italy and Germany. In some places in the US you can drive as young as 14.

So for all of you that are oh so smarter and better, just remember your living and spending your money in their country and all your whining isn't going to change a thing.

PS. Happy New Year

it might not be "solely a Thai problem" but facts do say that other than Namibians Thais are the most dangerous, deadly accident prone drivers in the world. So while there may be many other places in the world with this problem, clearly there is a major issue here if it has the second highest motorist death rate in the world...some other sources say #6. and for all the "Cite your sources" Police, just do a quick google search and you will see that this is no joke

I think many of the expats who are "whining" DO want to change things here but usually any attempt to help falls on deaf ears so nothing changes.

good point, not everyone who "whines" is a bitter old expat sod...a lot of them actually are people who have been here for a long time, are heavily invested sentimentally, monetarily and with family, and it pains them to see how things are changing not for the better...

I'm not one of them, I'm a relative Newbie, only been here for about 3 years, so I like to sometimes hear these guys out

[Fookhaht]

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I can't change a thing since I'm a foreign resident and things auch as this need to be addressed by the Thai people.

I think this was really well said

I agree, just like the political situation and everything else that Thailand will face (successfully or not) this coming year, they are going to have to do it themselves....

...to add to that, if the foreigner tries to step in and make changes he/she is only resented. Been there, done that, got the scars.

Admit it, in your home countries you would resent it too!

With that said, you even have to be super–careful when you're sometimes invited to make the changes. Sometimes the invitation is just window dressing. Tread lightly.

However, I cringe a bit for the Thai readers of this forum, in that some of the justified (and unjustified) criticism is put in some of the most crass, spiteful and downright racist language. These types of TV forum members/writers make it tougher on all of us.

There really is a time, if you can't say it tactfully and factually, leaving out all the insults and innuendoes about intelligence, barbarism, etc.....it's better to say nothing at all.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Fookhaht

[dave_boo]

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I can't change a thing since I'm a foreign resident and things auch as this need to be addressed by the Thai people.

I think this was really well said

I agree, just like the political situation and everything else that Thailand will face (successfully or not) this coming year, they are going to have to do it themselves....

...to add to that, if the foreigner tries to step in and make changes he/she is only resented. Been there, done that, got the scars.

Admit it, in your home countries you would resent it too!

With that said, you even have to be super–careful when you're sometimes invited to make the changes. Sometimes the invitation is just window dressing. Tread lightly.

However, I cringe a bit for the Thai readers of this forum, in that some of the justified (and unjustified) criticism is put in some of the most crass, spiteful and downright racist language. These types of TV forum members/writers make it tougher on all of us.

There really is a time, if you can't say it tactfully and factually, leaving out all the insults and innuendoes about intelligence, barbarism, etc.....it's better to say nothing at all.

If you think this forum (which is moderated pretty well) is bad, learn enough Thai to get a grasp of what Thais think about foreigners! Political correctness is not in their vocabulary and I think you'd be surprised. And I'm not talking about areas where the dredges of both societies are (Khao San road, Pattaya, etc), but normal everyday places. Hell, you watch enough of their TV and you'll see things that would make the most critical poster on this forum blush if they tried to put it up here.

If you need an example, look at the word they use for all foreigners. They can know where you come from and still think that because you are not Thai you are 'farang'. Doesn't matter that you have NOTHING in common with a Frenchman other than the melamine level of your skin, you are so unimportant that you are just a faceless white foreigner. I usually reply with "khon kampucha" when they throw that far an word around. Not that I have anything against the French, but because if they think all of us are same-same I shall return the favour in the most insulting way possible.

[stevenl]

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good point, not everyone who "whines" is a bitter old expat sod...a lot of them actually are people who have been here for a long time, are heavily invested sentimentally, monetarily and with family, and it pains them to see how things are changing not for the better...

I'm not one of them, I'm a relative Newbie, only been here for about 3 years, so I like to sometimes hear these guys out

It seems people who have been anywhere a long time are complaining about things changing not for the better.

[Tomtomtom69]

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I can't change a thing since I'm a foreign resident and things auch as this need to be addressed by the Thai people.

I think this was really well said

I agree, just like the political situation and everything else that Thailand will face (successfully or not) this coming year, they are going to have to do it themselves....

...to add to that, if the foreigner tries to step in and make changes he/she is only resented. Been there, done that, got the scars.

Admit it, in your home countries you would resent it too!

With that said, you even have to be super–careful when you're sometimes invited to make the changes. Sometimes the invitation is just window dressing. Tread lightly.

However, I cringe a bit for the Thai readers of this forum, in that some of the justified (and unjustified) criticism is put in some of the most crass, spiteful and downright racist language. These types of TV forum members/writers make it tougher on all of us.

There really is a time, if you can't say it tactfully and factually, leaving out all the insults and innuendoes about intelligence, barbarism, etc.....it's better to say nothing at all.

Umm I think that it really depends on a number of factors, including the topic at hand. If you don't mind, could you kindly explain what it is that you tried to "change"?

If we're talking about road safety, surely both Thais and foreigners would agree that things need to be changed and therefore I can't possibly think of anyone getting "battlescars" just because they advocated safer roads. There's got to be more to it than that.

Similarly, no one can argue that influential people should not be able to get away with causing car crashes and not be held responsible, because they are above the law. No one should be above the law in this country.

As you say, simply complaining about things is not going to fix them. But perhaps many of us do feel useless in that we don't dare/ feel like we're unable to, or otherwise can't help. It doesn't matter if our career are/were based upon making advances in the areas we are preaching and which Thailand could benefit from, or if we're just passionate about making a positive difference even if we are from different backgrounds. Either way often no one listens, but as I don't have any personal experience in trying to advocate change (as much as I'd like to), all I can go upon are reports made by other individuals.

[Fookhaht]

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I can't change a thing since I'm a foreign resident and things auch as this need to be addressed by the Thai people.

I think this was really well said

I agree, just like the political situation and everything else that Thailand will face (successfully or not) this coming year, they are going to have to do it themselves....

...to add to that, if the foreigner tries to step in and make changes he/she is only resented. Been there, done that, got the scars.

Admit it, in your home countries you would resent it too!

With that said, you even have to be super–careful when you're sometimes invited to make the changes. Sometimes the invitation is just window dressing. Tread lightly.

However, I cringe a bit for the Thai readers of this forum, in that some of the justified (and unjustified) criticism is put in some of the most crass, spiteful and downright racist language. These types of TV forum members/writers make it tougher on all of us.

There really is a time, if you can't say it tactfully and factually, leaving out all the insults and innuendoes about intelligence, barbarism, etc.....it's better to say nothing at all.

If you think this forum (which is moderated pretty well) is bad, learn enough Thai to get a grasp of what Thais think about foreigners! Political correctness is not in their vocabulary and I think you'd be surprised. And I'm not talking about areas where the dredges of both societies are (Khao San road, Pattaya, etc), but normal everyday places. Hell, you watch enough of their TV and you'll see things that would make the most critical poster on this forum blush if they tried to put it up here.

If you need an example, look at the word they use for all foreigners. They can know where you come from and still think that because you are not Thai you are 'farang'. Doesn't matter that you have NOTHING in common with a Frenchman other than the melamine level of your skin, you are so unimportant that you are just a faceless white foreigner. I usually reply with "khon kampucha" when they throw that far an word around. Not that I have anything against the French, but because if they think all of us are same-same I shall return the favour in the most insulting way possible.

Tit-for-tat mentalities like yours is what keeps the feuds of society fueled: Hamas/Israel, Sunnis/Shiites, USA blacks/whites, etc.

Grow up emotionally, and you can take it.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Fookhaht

[Fookhaht]

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I can't change a thing since I'm a foreign resident and things auch as this need to be addressed by the Thai people.

I think this was really well said

I agree, just like the political situation and everything else that Thailand will face (successfully or not) this coming year, they are going to have to do it themselves....

...to add to that, if the foreigner tries to step in and make changes he/she is only resented. Been there, done that, got the scars.

Admit it, in your home countries you would resent it too!

With that said, you even have to be super–careful when you're sometimes invited to make the changes. Sometimes the invitation is just window dressing. Tread lightly.

However, I cringe a bit for the Thai readers of this forum, in that some of the justified (and unjustified) criticism is put in some of the most crass, spiteful and downright racist language. These types of TV forum members/writers make it tougher on all of us.

There really is a time, if you can't say it tactfully and factually, leaving out all the insults and innuendoes about intelligence, barbarism, etc.....it's better to say nothing at all.

Umm I think that it really depends on a number of factors, including the topic at hand. If you don't mind, could you kindly explain what it is that you tried to "change"?

I am intermittently hired by the Thai government Ministry of Education as a consultant and specialist in teacher training.

We all know that Thailand ranks 10th among the 10 ASEAN nations for education. I don't believe that's going to change soon.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Fookhaht

[Tomtomtom69]

I am intermittently hired by the Thai government Ministry of Education as a consultant and specialist in teacher training.

We all know that Thailand ranks 10th among the 10 ASEAN nations for education. I don't believe that's going to change soon.

Ah yeah I got it. As we all know, it starts with education.

[Ace of Pop]

Be rather nice if we just left Thais to run their own country for once. .We haven't exactly done that well in our own places have we..?.

[richard_smith237]

Its not that the Police allow many of the daft and dangerous practices on the roads in Thailand to take place - its more that the Police are simply too lazy to do anything about it unless directly ordered to do so by a supervising officer.

Generally speaking, the Laws in Thailand are fine, its the lack of enforcement and resulting lack of responsibility that causes many of the issues in Thailand, particularly on the roads.

[Tomtomtom69]

Its not that the Police allow many of the daft and dangerous practices on the roads in Thailand to take place - its more that the Police are simply too lazy to do anything about it unless directly ordered to do so by a supervising officer.

Generally speaking, the Laws in Thailand are fine, its the lack of enforcement and resulting lack of responsibility that causes many of the issues in Thailand, particularly on the roads.

That's quite true, but if the laws aren't adequately enforced then there's no point in having them in the first place. Thailand traffic laws are useless and I take no notice of them as they are more of a suggestion than anything. What I do instead is drive defensively and in such a way that I reduce my chances of an accident, however I don't follow any particular rules like don't do a u-turn at this intersection in the presence of a no u-turn sign if everyone else is doing one anyway and if it looks safe to do so (i.e. no traffic coming my way).

It's things like these if they aren't enforced then there's no point in even bothering to have any laws in the first place. Maybe just declare a free for all, lol.

[richard_smith237]

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Another annoying aspect of all this , my mate in his truck got hit by one of these kids on a motor cycle.

The kid was in the wrong , but my mate had to pay for his medical bills and to get the bike fixed.

Needless to say he was bloody fuming to say the least.

P.S. and he had to pay to get his truck fixed.

So to all you mai bpen rai gang , it could be you next time.

not surprising, last year I was driving with my wife and two falang friends in the left lane turning left, the car in the lane next to me also turned left (when it was only a straight or right lane) clearly he was in the wrong, smashed up my car and the police officer standing nearby said we were in the wrong because "the left lane is a motorcycle lane" which was a HUGE crock of buffalo shit because I see cars in that lane all the time, but what happened was he saw three falangs in the car and they all thought "Hey, this is the perfect opportunity to make up all the rules on the spot" and they did. I was fuming, just like your friend, well deserved fumes I might add..12,000 Baht for Somchai's stupid mistake...cant even imagine what the outcome would be if the roles were reversed, but I can tell you it wouldn't be the same....

For me that was the straw that broke the camels back in regards to my true feelings for this place, a year and a half later I am still here, but that incident shaped the way i view this place and more importantly its people. It may sound silly and trivial but it really was a good insight and read into how the minds of these people work and i didn't like what I saw.

Through sheer bone idleness and the fact that they simply couldn't care any less the Police often take the path of least resistance.

In this case it was easier for them to try and pin the blame on you, it appears you accepted this decision instead of standing firm.

Of course, I wasn't there so I have no idea what really happened in the 'blame negotiation' - what I can offer is that I've been in the same situation and refused to accept blame even when a sufficient bribe was offered against me (i.e. the Owner of the Van company of the van which had collided with me offered a large brown paper bag of money - straight out of a stereotype).... the issue went up the chain as I continued to refuse to accept blame - until I was satisfied....

An Additional Point: I have a dash cam fixed to my car - This is for the simple purpose of proportioning blame, or rather exonerating myself from blame when a kid on a bike darts out in front of me without looking (or other similar unavoidable events)....

Edited January 12, 2015 by richard_smith237

[Ace of Pop]

Whats this Blame rubbish,the Insurance comes, that it.?. .Unless your a mouthy ferang of course.!!!

[Smurkster]

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Some years ago I asked a policeman who happened to be drinking an early morning coffee in the market at my table. why the kids were never stopped.

His answer was that the Chief of Police in Bangkok had issued orders..."Don't touch the kids"

If that is still the situation, he should be replaced by someone who cares. And the teachers who allow the kids into school should be sacked, and the irresponsible parents/guardians who allow those under 15 to have./use bikes, should be very heavily fined, and the bikes confiscated.

Most Thai parents don't care about their kids - especially the boys. The girls have uses...they can go and sell their bodies at 15+, and will collect a dowry should they one day marry.

Get used to it.

This is the way it is in Thailand.

And I do not see any problems with it.

So many of my Thai friends have children driivng motorbikes to school, and come back safely home, No more danger than on a bicycle.

Everybody knows that students can go to school driving motorbikes, and they all know that the police will not stop them.

So what if these kids kill someone, having no license or insurance for the ride...?

Thailand is a country where responsibility in an alien concept. in more ways than just on the roads...

Very well said, insightful.