SEARCH

Filter by

Showing 1-10 of 663 results

Sort by

    Forum

    Do you speak English Khun Noy?

    By surapong, Created on: 26/07/2010, Last updated on: 07/01/2016

    » Ms Noy’s gonna need some English lessons in order to pass her tests to prove that her command of the language is good enough before being granted her visa. The number of Thai women from the Northeast marrying foreigners is rising every year. Over the past few months, almost 2,000 people have shown...

    • Voice commented : Back in the 60s and 70s any girls live outside EEC countries could be an au pair here in England. But since they have formed a bigger European union the immigration law has change forever. Nowadays you won’t see a girl from Thailand or China or none EU working as an au pair in the English households. The reason that anyone outside EU has to go through these entire tests is because they don’t want foreigners from outside EU to enter their country. Even though it is not as bad as Thailand is when it comes to controlling immigration. Thailand has different idea about having foreigners in their country. First of all it has to do with how the establishment see whether or not foreigners can be a treated to them. While many other countries are allow you to the right to buy or own Thai establishment see this as a big treated to them. Since much of the foreign currencies are much stronger than Thai currency. It would have been much easy for foreigners to afford to buy up all the properties in Thailand which would have left many Thai out of the properties market. If Thailand own by foreigners Thailand won’t be belong to Thailand anymore. Only if and when they see no treats, I am sure things could be really different in Thailand. But whatever reason behind these laws or rules or whether it’s in England or Thailand. I think people who wish to live in another country should get themselves ready for a life and experience of integration with the country they will call it home. So I think it right that they should learn the language and customs so they can be ready to integrate well. Without language and integration life could become very difficult indeed. Knowing the language could get you a job, making friends and it will give you a chance to learn about another people culture too.

    • 130 replies, 902,399 views

    Forum

    Choosing cheap Chinese Products over Thai jobs

    By needchange, Created on: 17/10/2010, Last updated on: 24/11/2015

    » Everyone knows the story of what has been happening in the US in terms of the trade deficit with China. If you go to Walmart, almost every product sold there comes from China. Walmart is America's biggest retailer if I'm correct. The trend is the same at many other retailers around the country. So...

    • drake commented : [quote="needchange":288ih6hj]Well, I plugged in an extension cord and it blew the fuse in my apartment. Have you noticed how low-quality some things in Thailand are? Check out the extension cords, faucets, tools, and other hardware and electical items for a home. It's utter rubbish. Why does this stuff exist in this country? It's been the same crappy quality for the last 15 years. It is absolutely true that a faucet made 100 years ago in the west is much better quality than what is available here in Thailand today. The faucets are my grandmother's 120 years old house still work today. If you buy a faucet here in Thailand most will break within a couple years. They even rust! What a joke this is. [/quote:288ih6hj] Well, this particular issue is, unfortunately, global. Most people aren't inclined to pay for the good stuff, even if they can afford it, and the manufacturer can't keep making the good stuff unless they charges 2 arms and 3 legs which yet reduces the number of customers. It's a vicious cycle. At the end, you can't get the good stuff even if you are willing to pay. The faucets in the US DIY stores today are chrome plated plastic or cast plastic with thin metal facade - and they want $150 for those. You want chrome plated brass ? That will be $350+ thank you very much. My buddy purchased a new BMW a few years back and found out the hard way that the door handles were chrome plated plastic which broke off in his hand after 3 months. Ack. [quote:288ih6hj]And Thailand's electrical extension cords are worthless. If you plug something into them the plug often comes out. They are oversized compared to the models found in other countries. Thailand still hasn't chosen one type of pu as well. Some are round and some are flat so when you plug things in you have to screw around with the plugs. Why is this crap allowed to be sold here? The Thai government should regulate quality in this area. [/quote:288ih6hj] The Chinese powerstrips or receptacles around here seems to be European dims so if you have a US plug it's going to be a tight fit and sometime requires a little tinkering with tin snips. Had same issue in China. Now, the contacts inside these receptacles are no doubt made of crapmetal that fatigues after sitting around doing nothing for a few minutes (just like union workers) then loses it's ability to maintain tension/grip on the prongs. This isn't a problem that is unique to Thailand. They've got the same crap-a-tension-cord in the stores practically everywhere now. I've had to put up with them in China,Taiwan,Cambodia,Laos,Burma,Europe,UK,& US. Believe me, it's a global plague. Oddly, the [i:288ih6hj]wall outlets[/i:288ih6hj] in my house in the US had the same silly problem (won't retain plugs) when I moved in a few years back and those sockets were 20 yrs old US brand mfg. in Mexico not the '[i:288ih6hj]cheap Chinese junk[/i:288ih6hj]'. [quote:288ih6hj]Thailand can do better. It can make quality products. The government needs to set some standards and crack down on the junk coming in from abroad. The junk sold in these hardware stores is the same for decades. It's all coming form the same supply line which probably is from someone who is buy cheap products from China. But even the new superstores are selling this crap. I recently heard that some low-quality pirated products from China made their way to the US. They looked exactly like higher quality products and had the labels and packaging which decieved everyone. In the end they were discovered when they were used. The didn't perform like the brandname ones. Stopping these kind of products is difficult now that pirating has advanced so much.[/quote:288ih6hj] Yup, you are right on both but this is also an issue of affordability VS bling and/or outright fraud. On one hand there are superstores which specializes in low cost Chinese tools in the US. and while the tools aren't [i:288ih6hj]Craftsman[/i:288ih6hj] or [i:288ih6hj]Snap-On[/i:288ih6hj] they will get you by for the cost of just a few beers. On the other hand there are fake brand-name goods from China that are sold in low end stores in the US at heavy discount. The disti. knows they are fake, the buyer knows or suspects but they don't care because they are cheap. These counterfeits are destroyed whenever the Customs guys get a hold of the shipment. And then there's an issue with tainted industrial goods I'm sure you've heard of like the lot of Propylene Glycol that was known to contain Ethylene Glycol but tagged as Pharmaceutical grade Propylene Glycol and sold through the Chinese Govt. clearing house then ended up in cough syrup in Panama in 2006 ? Or the tainted honey which was sold to Thai packaging houses at a discount but without disclosure and then rejected (for the second time) by the EU inspectors. Or the plastic laced seaweed..... [quote:288ih6hj]A few more notes I want to bring up in all this about low quality products is about why change might not happen so quickly. First, there are those making money from pushing cheap junk from China so they don't want change. Second, the businesses here don't have a lot of foreign competition due to laws so they have more freedom to control change. Lastly, the wealthiest people who have the loudest voice for change don't speak out. This is because these people don't actually have to buy from the local shops. The wealthy people in Thailand I know don't think twice about buying something super expensive for the quality. These products are super expensive because they aren't allowed into the country in any large quantities. In addition, many of these products are smuggled in when wealthy people or others travel abroad. So my point is that Thailand's wealthy don't have to shop in mainsteam shops. They may own the shops or businesses supplying the crap products but they don't actually use them themselves. So there is a divide between what the average person has to face and what the wealthy big business people face. There's a lot of money to be made in Thailand for any Thai who wants to improve quality here. Quality is one this that is lacking across the spectrum in terms of products and services. In order to know this you really have to visit the developed world to see how different quality could be in terms of products.[/quote:288ih6hj] Believe it or not, the 'rich merchants' you are down on are stuck with the same extension cord you're using. The fairly expensive POS power strip I bought at Central was just as much a POS as the cheap ones I got at Seri Ctr. OTOH, the '[i:288ih6hj]cheap Chinese[/i:288ih6hj]' strips that I use in the US came from Walmart for about the same price I paid for the ones from Seri and they works great. Again, it's what the market will allow. The price/quality/need equation must make sense for all in a transaction. Purchasing power is a big thing. Walmart can dictate a nice product spec and still get a sweet price break because of the volume they are buying , the guy at Seri can't go to the same vendor and get the same deal. I'd recently picked up a Fluke clamp-on AC current meter, made in USA industrial grade instrument and certified accurate, for a modest price of $365 before tax. A similar meter from China is on sale this week for $14, the plastic housing is junk and the certificate is non-traceable. I'm not going near it. There's a $160 Mitutoyo digital caliper on my bench, it had served me well for almost 20 years. I can't tell the difference in term of accuracy between it and a Chinese version that only costs $15. Whatever it is, isn't it enough if it works adequately and it is affordable ? I mean, how good does it have to be to make ppl happy and how much would anyone be willing to spend on it anyway ? Speaking of visiting the developed world. I'm sure you've heard of the latest kiddies fad in the US? $50 [i:288ih6hj]cupcakes[/i:288ih6hj].....!

    • 48 replies, 211,938 views

  • News & article

    Prospects for ending the death penalty in Thailand

    Jon Fernquest, Published on 14/12/2010

    » During the last decade executions trickled to a halt in Thailand. Will a new law end them completely? Or will they begin anew?

  • News & article

    "Striking where it hurts"

    Terry Fredrickson, Published on 13/01/2011

    » The Thai Patriots Network is threatening to close a border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo to press for the release of seven Thais in a Cambodian jail.

  • News & article

    Protecting vegetable exports

    Jon Fernquest, Published on 14/01/2011

    » Insects found in Thai fruit exports to Europe may lead to a ban. Vigilance and self-policing will be necessary to avoid this outcome.

  • News & article

    Food sanitation

    Jon Fernquest, Published on 31/01/2011

    » Food carts are convenient and cheap, and also safe if sanitation regulations are regularly enforced.

  • VDOs search for " customs union "

  • News & article

    Get a lawyer

    Terry Fredrickson, Published on 07/04/2011

    » Thai women planning to marry a Western husband have been warned to learn about their legal rights or they could end up very unhappy.

  • News & article

    EU counter attacks entertainment piracy

    AFP, Published on 25/05/2011

    » The European Union mounted on Tuesday an offensive against online music and film piracy, with plans to rewrite intellectual property law across the EU market of half a billion consumers.

  • News & article

    US charges 72 over 'nightmare' child porn network

    AFP, Published on 04/08/2011

    » US officials Wednesday unveiled charges against 72 people in their largest global probe into Internet child pornography which smashed a "nightmare" online bulletin board catering to pedophiles.

  • News & article

    The upcoming aec prompts rethink of thailand's tax approach

    Business, Lawalliance Limited Company, Published on 17/01/2012

    » In a globalised world like we're in today, going it alone is not a good idea. Few countries have the ability to bargain with others in the international arena on a one-on-one basis or to share with their neighbours resources such as geographical advantages, public facilities, raw materials, trade quotas, skilled labour, and tax and duty systems. This applies to Thailand and its fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next Last

Your recent history

  • Recently searched

    • Recently viewed links

      Did you find what you were looking for? Have you got some comments for us?