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  • News & article

    My favourite Valentine's day

    Brunch, Andrew Biggs, Published on 14/02/2010

    » Valentine's Day is special for me - I first came to Thailand on that day in 1989. But there was another Valentine's Day in Thailand that turned out to be the most memorable in my life. It is not the most "sanook" story I have, but I am going to tell it to you anyway.

  • News & article

    'War on terror' exacts heavy toll on travellers

    Business, Imtiaz Muqbil, Published on 25/01/2010

    » A report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council last week paints a shocking picture of how the "war on terror" has affected the global movement of people. It says that surveillance, watch-lists, racial profiling and biometrics, "once the exception have now become customary" and warns the situation could get worse unless safeguards are built in now.

  • News & article

    An ode to the service industry

    Brunch, Andrew Biggs, Published on 10/01/2010

    » This is a column for my Thai readers only. That's because I want to teach them a lesson about their service staff. I want to make a complaint and I want Thais to sit up and take notice. Simply put ... what on earth has happened to good ol' service these days? I'm talking about restaurants.

    • Forum

    Are Farang invisible to Thai?

    By Jason McDonald, Created on: 21/06/2009, Last updated on: 15/12/2010

    » I ask this to find out if farang are really invisible to Thai. This has happened to me many times and I was wondering if it happens to other Westerners who live in Thai areas of Bangkok (or maybe elsewhere). When I am out with my Thai wife, especially shopping, I find that, Thai people refuse to...

    • observer 101 commented : In case you haven't noticed, "respect and distance are hallmarks of culture. People appear to be in a world of their own everywhere and Thais don't necessarily notice each other either. In Japan, the staff in most any business/restaurant will address a non asian in whatever language they know, be it japanese or english. Lets face it, nobody is required to speak the non national language if they do not, unless at areas with many tourists. There seems to be much fear/apprehension for the same in thailand. When I go to a restaurant with my japanese friend that doesn't speak a word of thai, the server will keep looking at him, despite me reading and ordering from the thai language menu.(I am Caucasian) This is bizarre, IMO On occasion I have sat for 25 minutes at pizza hut or the likes with nobody coming to give me a menu or take my order. Talk about fear of the unknown!!! Perhaps it will take a higher % of westerners becoming conversational in the language for things to change

    • Ian commented : I can actually relate a reverse situation. Two years ago a group of important officials descended upon my village for a series of speeches to mark the completion of a community project. The village boss and group boss were with these dignitaries on stage and I was told to join them also. I asked for my gf to join me so that she could translate events. Everyone, including my gf were shocked at this suggestion, it was not seemly. Eventually a compromise was reached, I sat in one of the ornate chairs, she sat out of sight behind me on a stool where she could whisper in my ear

    • 29 replies, 50,831 views

    Forum

    I am getting married

    By JensThai, Created on: 29/05/2009, Last updated on: 26/07/2009

    » I have been living in Thailand for more than 6 years and i am 38 years old. I read, write, speak and understand thai and Isan. I have checked my gf and she never been merried and have no children. She never worked in any kind of bar enviroment. I have a company where i have some land and 4 houses....

    • spoon commented : [quote:2r7vj52t] by Ian on Sat May 30, 2009 11:51 am [124.121.185.xx] villager, the way you live your life is not a Farang laying down the rules to his wife and her family, it is simply a male chauvanist dealing with his woman. by Ian on Sat May 30, 2009 2:28 pm [124.121.185.xx] villager, Propa, I have a simple philosophy, I will help those who I judge to be genuinely trying to help themselves, I refuse anyone seeking a free handout, whether they be a neighbour or a relative. As to how I treat people, male or female, I treat them as equals until they clearly demonstrate that they are not. My Thai companion I respect but dare not treat her as an equal , she has little understanding of money, domestic economics or management, so I handle such, but in other respects we are equals. We consult on gardening, food, furnishings, domestic layout etc. [/quote:2r7vj52t] I know you shutter your windows and bar your door to be 'safe' in the village. Might be time to step up your security, to handle the inevitable fall-out from your 'simple philosophies'. You are true a danger to yourself and well worth the watching by other visitors to learn how NOT to handle life with a Thai. I notice you have posted on this site which banks you use, how much money you have in some accounts, how many accounts, what they are for, when you come to town and myriad other details. This site and its access points are not sufficiently encrypted to protect your account at BP and thus provide an easy path to your online ID and banking transactions. Time to start smelling the coffee instead of just boasting how expensive it was to impress the 'villagers'....

    • 45 replies, 1,694,223 views

    Forum

    Where did they all go????

    By Chris-TH, Created on: 27/05/2009, Last updated on: 10/07/2009

    » Nope, this is not about missing persons from various protests over the years, but rather Court cases. Here is a tiny list: 1. The 2-3 digit lottery case with about 50 people involved 2. The donation case to the Dem party 3. The airport case (PAD) 4. The GH case (PAD) 5. The civilian damage cases...

    • alex1 commented : [quote="bkpforummod":3huwgnjl]Kind of on topic... Where I live it has come to light that there is a group of teenagers who in the late evening in 'slightly' more outlying areas - where I also happen to live - where they prey on farangs on motorbikes. They zip up along side you, or even more cunningly drop speed when they are ahead, to get along side the farang, and then kick you or the bike... With negative results. An aqauintance was battered and rolled - mostly road-rash - so in a way he got lucky. Because a week later a a good friend was brought down, went across the bars and broke his - wait for it - sternum! You want to talk about a PAINFUL and dangerous injury?!?!? It is life threatening, and indeed he had to be shipped off to the provinical hospital where they told him he got 'lucky' because when the actual break/impact occurred, the flexing, inward movement of seperated bone didn't catch key arteries or viens on the heart... There was another guy too - and that was it. Now people knew that it was intentional, conspired and organized attacks on farang. So all three guys get together and go to the local police station to report this menace. Guess what happened? The police sat back and asked for license plate numbers (which are hard to get when you flying over you handlebars), evidence (which should be apparent, at least due to the recent pattern), and when they could offer neither, the Thai cop answered, "So you had an accident." End of investigation. Thailand. Amazing. BFM -[/quote:3huwgnjl] You should have reported to the tourist police first, the local police will never take actions in favour of a farang against a Thai.

    • bkpforummod commented : Kind of on topic... Where I live it has come to light that there is a group of teenagers who in the late evening in 'slightly' more outlying areas - where I also happen to live - where they prey on farangs on motorbikes. They zip up along side you, or even more cunningly drop speed when they are ahead, to get along side the farang, and then kick you or the bike... With negative results. An aqauintance was battered and rolled - mostly road-rash - so in a way he got lucky. Because a week later a a good friend was brought down, went across the bars and broke his - wait for it - sternum! You want to talk about a PAINFUL and dangerous injury?!?!? It is life threatening, and indeed he had to be shipped off to the provinical hospital where they told him he got 'lucky' because when the actual break/impact occurred, the flexing, inward movement of seperated bone didn't catch key arteries or viens on the heart... There was another guy too - and that was it. Now people knew that it was intentional, conspired and organized attacks on farang. So all three guys get together and go to the local police station to report this menace. Guess what happened? The police sat back and asked for license plate numbers (which are hard to get when you flying over you handlebars), evidence (which should be apparent, at least due to the recent pattern), and when they could offer neither, the Thai cop answered, "So you had an accident." End of investigation. Thailand. Amazing. BFM -

    • 36 replies, 186,731 views

    Forum

    Baht too strong - urgently needs freedom to float

    By oldexplorer, Created on: 12/03/2009, Last updated on: 04/11/2015

    » As the massive Chinese economy begins a freefall descent in response to the Western financial collapse, the Abhisit government needs to assist Thai exports by allowing the Baht to float downwards. Keeping the Baht slavishly locked to the US Dollar is short-sighted, and will simply make Thai exports...

    • villager commented : Hi Ian, where i used to live in the UK ( Manchester) crime was in epidemic proportions, anything what was not "nailed down" was quickly "lifted" , funny story ,there was a liberal club quite near to my home , a guy left his almost new Vauxhaul Astra van quite nearby and took a Taxi home cos he was over the limit , he returned the following morning to find his Sat Nav and disc player gone, his van was left on bricks and all the wheels missing , but the iceing on the cake was that they had removed the engine and gearbox too!!, i spoke to a guy who worked at a free fit clutch garage who informed me anyone with the right tools and knowledge could take the engine and box out in 45 minutes, evidently they must have had both!!, as far as my little village here i,ve never had any problems whatsoever since in came here in April 04, maybe i,m just lucky eh.

    • villager commented : [quote="Sean Moran":1x1kzgmm][quote:1x1kzgmm]by villager on Fri Mar 13, 2009 5:25 am [125.26.106.xx] [b:1x1kzgmm] i find my moneys go,s further here [/b:1x1kzgmm] , and i take great comfort in know that i can walk out and leave my front door open for hours on end without worrying about someone entering and stealing my property ,which was a total impossibility where I lived in the UK.[/quote:1x1kzgmm] [b:1x1kzgmm]Oh the reality! That's nice to hear.[/b:1x1kzgmm] Remember that if you are going to start comparing the good old days 12 months ago when the AUD was peaking at 33 baht, you'd better do yourself a favour and take your mind back to the bad old days 12 yers ago when the AUD was buying 20 baht. Anyone who sat back and laughed about the Asian currency crisis in 1997, don't expect anyone to help you out now because you already set the ground rules and now you can see how it feels to be on the other side. You brought this on yourself! You brought it on yourself! He-he-he, ha-ha-ha, ho-ho-ho![/quote:1x1kzgmm]Ah Well Sean , i suppose it could be far worse eh , the scenario of parity 1 baht for one Aussy Dollar which you yourself put forward as a good idea ,could well prove the death knell for Aussy pensioners living here, and indeed Aussy Tourism too, and it is so gratifying for me that you get so much enjoyment out of the predicaments of others, so i just suppose i,ll have to struggle on with my 2 pensions and 2 rented property's back home with the Miserly sum of 68,000 baht a month until things get better won,t I,He,he,he,ha,ha,ha,ho,ho,ho.

    • 36 replies, 213,281 views

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