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    Writer jailed for 'insulting' Thai royals

    By Voice, Created on: 19/01/2009, Last updated on: 17/06/2009

    » Writer jailed for 'insulting' Thai royals Australian writer Harry Nicolaides is jailed for three years after being found guilty of insulting the Thai monarchy in his novel. Today news from the BBC, after heard the news I thought that maybe it time that maybe we should all discussing this kind of...

    • pachangamac042 commented : Regarding lese laws; In Giles case, he has 20 days to make a statement to the police, who will then decide whether to forward the case to the courts for trial. BP online edition, today. As a Thai you get informed about the acusation and given time to make a statement. [i:34nf4nhb]“A warrant for his arrest was issued in March this year, but - such is the habitual secrecy that surrounds all "l*se-maj*ste" cases - he was never informed of this. He continued to travel in and out of Thailand on visa runs, until 31 August, when he was detained as he was about to board a flight to Australia.”[/i:34nf4nhb] BBC online news, 9 September 2008 The Oz guy was just detained and put in jail without even knowing that there was an arrest warrant issued. He had no chance of making a statement, before the police’s decision was made to arrest him. After his arrest it took the courts more then [color=#FF0000:34nf4nhb]5 month to sentence [/color:34nf4nhb]him, even, [i:34nf4nhb]“He was [color=#FF0000:34nf4nhb]quickly found guilty[/color:34nf4nhb], with a judge telling the court: "He has written a book that…”[/i:34nf4nhb]. So even if he would have been ruled inocent, he would still have wasted almost half a year in a Thai jail for nothing. What a great legal system. So much in regard of eguality in Thailand. Seems like in this country there are different rules and laws for Thais and foreigners. In my humble opinion, an other great move, to advertise Thailand as a holiday destination. Looks like, when things are bad, there is always somebody who can make them worse. Dear prommee_NE, by now I got to read those passages and what can I say? Unbelieveble, that police would even issue an arrest warrant for it. With that said… To sjb, yes, good movie, great airlines as well, looks like a comfty plane.

    • Just-1-Voice commented : If you do some research, you soon find that the current ruling situation in Thailand is not an “ancient tradition”, but is actually a “modern creation” that was brought about by politicians with a need to have a focal point for everyone to look to. This image was carefully and studiously crafted in order to create the image it has today, with many new “traditions” being “invented”, but being sold to the populace as things that have always been, or were at one time, and had to be brought back. Research will also show that there are many who feel he has not always been the “All Knowing Father” who always does what is best for his people, or who has always made the right political decision, yet these things are quickly washed away, or “cleansed” by others to make things right so that no stain falls upon him of his family, thereby perpetuating the image that has been so carefully cultivated. Therefore, anyone who dares write a book or article in which less than flattering comments appear is doing so at his/her own risk, as the Les Majesty laws will be quickly leveled against them in order to maintain the “purity” of the institution, all this despite the fact that he has stated himself that he is also human and therefore not above criticism. But if you look closely, not one incident involving the arrest and jailing of someone for the violation of this seriously outdated and overused law has come from the palace. It has been the police, and others, who weld this like a club on the head of anyone they feel justified in doing so. In many cases those they have convicted have later been pardoned by him and they are allowed to go free, providing of course they leave the country. While I can see something of a need for this law, it, like any other, can be abused and seriously overused in far too many situations by those who wish to do so, and have the authority to do so. Personally I think the law should be completely stricken from the books, or at least brought under control for use against only the most serious cases of violation. In every other democratic country in the world, the people have the right of freedom of speech to talk about their rulers. Look at the leaders and political figures in the U.S. and Briton for example. Their leaders care constantly under attack by those who oppose them, and those attacks are in every form of news media available. Political cartoons lambasting their leaders appear almost daily in the print media. Yet, no one goes to jail for them, unless, of course, they make an actual threat against an individual in regards to personal harm to them or their family, or death which, to me, is the way it should be. I think the original intention of this law was relatively good and benign, but over the years it has been strengthened, distorted and abused by the military and police to a nearly fanatical level. Now is the time to carefully review this law and either return it to a more benign law, or abolish it completely, which I think would be the best thing to do. How can you have true freedom of speech with a carelessly made comment can put you in jail for up to 15 years? How can a country claim to promote “free speech”, but only as long as you don’t talk about certain subjects or people?

    • 312 replies, 1,158,552 views

    Forum

    Farang and their seemingly paradoxical ways

    By Mr. Surin Province, Created on: 17/10/2008, Last updated on: 17/04/2010

    » As a long-historied Farang resident myself, comfortable and understanding, I have to ask the age old question regarding Westerners that find it necessary to stay/live here while finding life so objectionable in many ways. Why is this so? I've experienced this throughout Asia {in particular the LOS}...

    • taysahai commented : [quote="Eggmeng":172gwzk6] I think K**g Narai did what he had to do to keep the Europeans happy at that stage in Siam's history. He probably didn't have a whole lot of choice. I would not venture to say how this reflects on his character. But assuredly there were a lot of people who were unhappy about how a relatively select few enriched themselves by cooperating with the Europeans who were raping the land and the people (often literally in some cases). As a foreigner there was perhaps less sympathy for Phaulkon than for others. That would stand to reason. But he was executed I think, largely for his perceived crimes. [/quote:172gwzk6] That was a rough time in Thailand's history. King Narai was portrayed to have brought solidarity and progress to the Thai Kingdom. Before his rule their was a power struggle for titles, posts, and even for the throne between royalty. He brought peace by excluding royalty from posts within his government, and bringing in close friends from all castes and gender to govern. The exclusion of elitists is what killed Falcon. That would be interesting to see the movie, whether Falcon would be portrayed as the greedy foreign spokesman of french influence over the Throne in an effort to conquer Thailand, or as the humble grecian who befriended Narai through acquaintance of a thai diplomat who was shipwrecked at the same time as Falcon, and who's role in the government was at Narai's request, managing the foreign trade accounts, organizing foreign ships port of call, and the head foreman of palaces in Lopburi. Knowing the old world xenophobia of Thailand, which still exists today, and knowing the unarguable facts about Narai's life, I believe Falcon was a good man. It is ironic that the recorded history in thailand by the Royal Ensign portrays Falcon as a good man completely deserving his title from Narai the great, while history recorded outside of Thailand contradicts. It is ironic because of Thailand's known xenophobia towards foreigners, this would seem like an easy way to discredit this Falang, but instead, it is Foreigners discrediting Foreigners. You might notice I am very interested in this period of history, taking the enormous amount of time to translate documents filled with Rachasap (royal vocabulary), so I am interested to see a third party perspective, and I will look for the book you recommend. We both know that because the history pertains to royalty, the history will be lacking anything of negative substance, but also you have to consider ulterior motives possibly of the British to discredit French influence.

    • 57 replies, 74,821 views

    Forum

    About Face.

    By Sean Moran, Created on: 14/10/2008, Last updated on: 13/04/2014

    » One olde axiom that comes to mind is, '[i:3b539sim]If you can't say something nice, then keep your mouth s.h.u.t.[/i:3b539sim]' Just a thread that pertains to one of the cultural differences one might notice in venturing from a typical 'westernised' society of the assertive kind to the shores of...

    • Sean Moran commented : [quote="klauskent":1449ci80]Sean, Great story.Pictures and all. Both u and fast eddy write beautifully. Also, good topic on altruism brought up by fast eddy. I would have to guess that the fruit vendor in front of E shrine probably knew less of why that shrine was built and the significance of it than some of us expats. In any case the burden of proof lies within us to establish real boundaries and adhere to them. So I guess we are moving the topic of this thread to altruism in Thai society. but again we can't really expect too much from a fruit vendor...can we. but fast eddy's point was well made and duly noted. k[/quote:1449ci80] I hope that it didn't come across as too ghey, what I wrote yesterday. It's fairly much the way things were regarding my good luck on first arriving in Thailand, and how the rural location probably helped me to meet decent people who treated me as a foreigner but in a friendly sort of way, without (mostly) thinking of trying to scam me. I was known as Mr Kangaloo, which did seem to come across as a term of endearment. I felt accepted. Not the way things tend to go in the big cities where there are millions of people cramped into little boxes who don't even know their next-door neighbours. There is a direct connection between the KMS and the young lady who was murdered that I wrote about in the Future of Issan thread and Anuchit's sister's restaurant - the two were almost across the road from each other, and the death of that girl still haunts me. I suppose that I get superstitious about respecting those who have helped me to avoid such tragic outcomes as what happened to her. I suppose there is a kind of platonic love for both she and my living friends, but looking back over the post, it comes across as a bit ghey to the reader. Sorry. It wasn't meant that way, but more about sincerity. Still, as you mention, I've taken off on a tangent to the thread topic that you have just written on, and only meant to broach the subject of altruism as a side issue, but perhaps there is more to add to that component of Face? We've focussed on responsibility (avoidance of) for quite a lot of the thread so far, until you posted the wise words about the precepts of Thai culture and how justice is served civilly, rather than with mad-dog assertiveness. Perhaps there is a subtle stick in that side, and the merit-making altruistic tendency might be what peels the carrot? Excuse me while I take some time to read back over the recent posts since you first wrote and think of how these might all combine into the same, for I reckon you've already outlined this in your first post. I'll try to clarify this later today. ---o0o--- Well, it's approaching 8am in Thailand. I'm having a think on the association of merit-making with altruism, as the former might be viewed by some as a somwhat 'selfish' means of furthering one's good karma in this or the next life from what little I understand of it, while the latter I consider as purely that of true selfless acts of kindness to others, exclusive of kin altruism. It's a very fine line, and probably best not to differentiate over such minor intercultural semantics. I reckon it works the same in the process of saving face for someone else in the event of minor issues. Still a lot more thinking to get through yet on how the idea of Face might be realted to merit-making, altruism, and the selfishness of one's belief in Karma. [quote:1449ci80]Respecting culture is great but, If you find yourself paying 10 times what something is worth then not only have you done yourself a great disservice but you are disabling the social and economic leveling mechanisms inherent within the culture. This can have the short term consequence of (what Karl Marx refers to as) [b:1449ci80]mystifying the indigenous[/b:1449ci80]. This process of mystification can easily be misconstrued and evaluated by Thais as either, 1) the reward for merit philosophy or 2) The Patron client relationship described by Mabbet.[/quote:1449ci80] It seems that by your mention of Marx's [i:1449ci80]mystifying the indigenous[/i:1449ci80] you have jagged the very first incident on that night on May 2nd, 2005 that basically saw the beginning of my friendship with Anuchit. Rather a coincidence, but you've put a name to the episode that I don't remember reading in the few chapters I've read on wool and coats and labour etc. Even to the point of estimating the multiplier of ten times, you guessed it, and seeing it's early in the morning and this is just one post in the thread, I hope I might be allowed to elaborate on what happened when I paid for my first meal in Thailand with a 1,000 baht note under the mistaken belief that it was a 100 baht note. The corner had folded over to cover the trailing zero and I didn't recognise the different markings. So, I'd arrived in Thailand the previous afternoon and been picked up at the airport by my friend and in some ways, 'sponsor', and driven from Don Muang to Rayong for the first night. Chalore and her husband took me to dinner in Ban Phe on the first night and let me stay in her brother's villa as he was away in Bangkok at the time. The next morning, my first ever in Thailand, she drove me up to Nikhom Pattana to show me around the markets, took me to breakfast, to the news-stand where she bought me the Bangkok Post and the Student Weekly. "This is what I tell the student to read." she said. We then found the apartment block in Mabkha where I was to spend the next few months, and she did the talking for me to help me move in at the monthly rate, which she paid for me herself incidently for that first month. I was then left to settle into the new room, (to put it mildly). I hadn't yet spent a single baht on anything. My wallet was full of new currency but I hadn't had time to sit down and work out what the different denominations looked like in a hurry. I'd learned that day from Chalore while we were up at the Pluak Daeng Dam sightseeing how to say [i:1449ci80]thank you[/i:1449ci80] in pasa Thai and apart from [i:1449ci80]hello[/i:1449ci80] that was all the language I spoke. I did take a walk up the road to the mini-mart to buy a mop and a broom and some detergent and stuff like that. I had the crazy idea that if I polished the floors, the rat-nest fragrance in the room might dissipate. So dinner time came. The buses stop running at around 18:00 in Mabkha. No taxis. Where the dickens am I gonna get some tucker on foot? Potato chips from the mini mart perhaps? It turned out that there were plenty of raan ahaans right near the apartments, and Mrs Pueng had the kitchen running for dining in the restaurant at the apartments or else room service if required. I wasn't aware of these options back then. I walked by a few eateries thinking that they were private homes until I'd ventured about half a mile up the road. That's when I came across the Silver Star, (the restaurant in the photo above). Anuchit and his 'sister' (chef and boss), really rolled out the red carpet for the wayward farang that night. I couldn't even remember how to say [i:1449ci80]khao phad[/i:1449ci80], but he spoke just enough English to make me feel that I was in the right place for a feed, and there I was at the special table with DEEP-FRIED CHICKEN! Heaps and heaps of fried chicken with some kind of chilly sauce and some other foods I can't remember after so long. Wow! What gives? I sensed this "special treatment" as something I wasn't really keen on, but we all played along with it for the night. I drank too much bia Chang from having so much fun. When it came time for the check-bin, I wasn't sure what to do, but I was the only customer in the restaurant that night, apart from a few blokes that I later got to meet - mates of Anuchit just dropped by to watch television. The total came to 115 baht, but I had to offer a tip, of course. It was such a rare treat to get the movie-star service so unexpectedly. So that's when I determined that 150 baht would pay for the meal and the beer, and include a reasonable tip without "mystifying the indigenous". So I paid the two banknotes, said thanks in my new language that I'd just learned that morning, and headed home, stopping on the way at the minimart for some supplies to go with the HBO and the next morning. It was only then when I went to pay for the ciggies and iced tea that I realised that I'd accidentally used the only 1,000 baht note I had to pay the check-bin, and I didn't have enough cash to cover the minimart bill. So I was rather confused. I still didn't know the words for "sorry" but I tried to look surprised and by gesture explain to the shop attendant that I had made a monetary mistake. If it wasn't for the embarrassment, it was probably quite an hilarious event. I went back up the road to the Silver Star where they were closing up. I should mention that these mates of Anuchit's were BIG blokes. I wasn't all that keen on the idea of getting assertive about MY mistake. I was actually a little wary of having even walked back in, not having any idea of how people in Thailand react to situations like this. Anuchit saw me walk in and knew innediately why I'd come back. The other three just sat there staring at me trying not to burst out laughing. No problem. 900 baht in 100s handed straight back to me. Some months later, Anuchit did mention that at the time, he thought I was offering a very big tip for the good service, although considering the additional 50 baht note on top of the 1,000, I reckon he was just trying to politely explain how a farang and his money soon go separate ways, and more fool me if I'd walked off and not realised my own stupidity. That old saying, don't look a gift horse in the mouth probably applies fairly well. If someone had paid me 10 times what I asked and then walked off, I can't be sure whether I'd run after them to tell them, although with shops and places and people I know, I try to make a point of returning any overpayment of change in a transaction. It happens once or twice over a year. What I see as having begun the friendship back on that night, was the honest way he went about sorting things out with no denial or any kind of attempt to dissuade me from asking for the change for the accidental 1,000 baht note that had the corner folded over so the numbers read 1,00 and I didn't know any better. These were big blokes. If he'd just told me to get out and go home, I know that that is exactly what I would have done. One might say I was still mystified by the indigenous back then. I hope that this long-winded saga isn't getting too off-topic. I rekcon it relates to the thread reasonably well, but I'll refrain from adding anymore photos if that's okay. I have plenty but I don't think anyone really needs to see them.

    • fast eddy commented : Morning Sean, Yes, I'm totally with you too on the vast difference in attitudes when facing village Thais and big city Thais. As I've said before, I'm trying for the perfect balance between friendly, unbiased Thais in my life and the availability of modern living. The extremes are obvious and I have tried big city life both in Bangkok (Samsen Road soi 1) and Nonthaburi (Wat Tagarn, Sai Marr) both of which places saw me make some very good Thai friends (or I should say friends of my Thai wife - she made them and I was the curiosity factor) but any financial transactions needed to be taken with me out of the picture to avoid the price hike. The other extreme doesn't really appeal as my hermit/wandering days are over and I do like a bit of creature comfort. I think I am pretty much where I want to be right now and the search has payed off. Klauskent - you are also spot on. Even Thais have said that they don't have friends as we would class people under that word. As such, alturism doesn't exist out here as every action has an inherent consequence on the scales of Karma. You may argue that if this is the case why don't they just go about helping each other wherever they can and fill up their Karma account? Well, they (the Thais that your everyday westerner would come across in daily life) do tend to live day to day through financial necessity and therefore need to score whenever and wherever they can! Do they 'trade a better tomorrow for a better today?' is their fundemental question of life! It's a constant battle - but you can be sure that it's 'game on' with whomever they transact with - be it Thai or Non-Thai. Not sure that this could be our fault as we introduced this to them. Not sure where that came from. What I do know is that the boy friend of one of my colleagues bought a little bag of pineapple from the fruit vender in front of the Errawan Shrine next to Sogo Department store and was charged 200bt for what should have been 20bt! Now this shrine is very holy and to take such a risk within a stone's throw of the place tells you a lot about Thais! fast eddy

    • 61 replies, 76,687 views

    Forum

    GANGSTERS IN AIRPORT SECURITY STAFF BKK INT'L AIRPORT

    By Anonymous, Created on: 01/03/2008, Last updated on: 30/07/2009

    » Report to Security Manager and Airport Police, robbery at X-Ray checking of passengers, 27 Feb 2008 . Copy sent to embassies and medias. 29 FEB 2008 Mr Michel XIMA Chemin du Mistral 13113 – LAMANON (France) mail : michel.xima@wanadoo.fr Attention to : CHIEF SECURITY PASSENGERS § AIRPORT...

    • 2 replies, 12,180 views

    Forum

    Some comments from typical Thai lady.

    By Anonymous, Created on: 29/01/2008, Last updated on: 25/05/2009

    » Just some comments from Thai lady side, please be known that my comments are from only my experience. Why do we look down Farang with dark woman? - They don't have the minimum standard for their wife. ( I have no complain marrying with bar girl. What the reason do you choose her to be your...

    • Anonymous commented : Hans. You are wrong about Thailand being the same or similar to Japan. If Siam and Thailand were are the similar or the same as Imperial Japan and Japan. Siam and Thailand would not be in the past and present positions economically, socially, nationally, politically, beside the political sovereignty. Majority of Thai citizens who are living in foreign countries are selected by foreign immigration laws. The real indigenous Thai people are mostly in foreign countries as contract laborers or those women who married foreigners. The vast majority of Thai citizens who immigrated to foreign countries are mostly non-indigenous urbanites with middle and upper economic classes. Another group is those educated and highly skilled Thai citizens who were financially supported and educated by Thai tax payers; these people refused to return to fulfill their obligations for Thai societies. They are mostly healthcare professional people. These were are resulted from selves-serving policies of urban elites and their allies who did not care about the rural and unclass masses. There are clear social, economic, and political divisions in Thailand that were are caused by various foreign pollutions. Today Japan represented their consistant and steadfast political, economic, and social policies throught out these past and present centuries that served and serving the interests of Japaneses and their nation. Compare the case of the Gripen jets, Japan would demand technology transfer and partially assemble the jets in Japan as they had done with jets brought from USA; this is one example that shown Japan to have better leaders who were are truely serving their Japaneses and their nation. Siam was the first nation in Asia to developed Airforce, but Thailand is now not leader in aviation in Asia because the leadership fell to have and to make the right visions at some points than and now.

    • 49 replies, 67,566 views

    Forum

    advice for a naive women

    By Anonymous, Created on: 16/12/2007, Last updated on: 03/01/2008

    » Hi, Can anyone help me or give me some advice please. Just recently my mother–in-law has visited her brother-in-law in Pattaya, and met a Thai man. The thing is she has just lost her husband of 30 years 4 months ago. She told us that she really likes him as he made her feel really special,...

    • Anonymous commented : AD. Labeling is a rude form of ignorant. As Buddhist, it is a form of sin to be ignorant. In today's political correctness, western women seemed to enjoy labeling and putting down men by labeling them while they are talking about men freely. You do not find men trying to label women as female chauvinists. In any cases, chauvinism is seemed as purely male. This western notion of chauvinism are being promoted here in Thailand also with significant corrupted western cultural influences; good influences seemed to untransmittable world wide for some reasons due to mostly profits. As I said before, Thai men have been getting the bad wraps from the faitures of our leaders and bad foreign agendas...indigenous Thais are getting bad wraps too. They are leisurely being labeled with names for profits and for advantages of others. We are third class citizens in our own land. Our young women are being catering as prostitutes, servants, export commodity, and etc.. In foreign countries in EU or North America, Asian prostitutes are portraying themselves as being Thais including in the internet. It destroying our social and cultural integrities. With muslims, chineses, and etc. wanting to make their own dominations over the expenses over our backs. As you saw and see in this past election, it seemed fair and right to label rural Thais and indigenous Thais as vote sellers. If I have my ways and resources, I wish to take all these Bangkok urbanites and politicians to court for slandering and etc..

    • 30 replies, 13,553 views

    Forum

    Kindness or weakness?

    By Anonymous, Created on: 13/09/2007, Last updated on: 23/10/2007

    » I am rather curious what other male farangs have had concerning this issue in dealing with Thai women. Is kindness by male farangs perceived by the Thai women as weakness (or stupidity)? While it is not my nature to be hard toward women, it appears, based on my experience that those who set a more...

    • Anonymous commented : hi inquirer , your post raises quite an interesting point , and infact its realy hard to answer , firstly i think every case involving a thai farang marriage should be viewed on its merits and treated individualy , the one mans meat is another mans poison syndrome springs to mind , in large i agree with your assement about being strong , the word i prefer to use is firm but fair , as you say many farangs who give everything to there spouses finish up with nothing , the best advice i could give is don,t be rushed into anything , talk to farangs who you think have a succesful marraige , if she puts her parents before you drop her like a hot potato , DO NOT LEND MONEY to her friends or family , be aware of the wage structure here in thailand , for instance some mugs as i prefer to call them are sending there beloved 30,000 a month when a bricklayer with a wife and 3 kids survives quite nicely on 10 , be aware that you have all the aces and in many cases she lived in poverty before she met you , be aware of idle threats that she,s going to leave you when its normaly hot air just to try you on , life for me here is sheer bliss and my wife is a little gem beyond a doubt , but to be candid i think maybe i,ve moulded her into what she is today , regards ,colin .

    • 3 replies, 2,360 views

    Forum

    Nuclear Power for Thailand

    By Anonymous, Created on: 04/09/2007, Last updated on: 09/07/2014

    » The Prime Minister has explained the plan for a nuclear power plant to produce energy for Thailand and help Thailand move away from reliance on oil and gas. Thailand is a net importer of energy, getting much of its energy from the middle east at a huge cost to the country. Added to that the use of...

    • Wizard commented : To Thailand Minister Of Power Why I like Geo Thermal and Makes me exited when I wake up each day. Geothermal energy - natures heat from the earth - it is free and todays energy markets it beats the door down on environmental and economic advantage over fossil and nuclear energy sources. Geo Thermal Heat from the earth can be used as the biggest energy source in the modern World, from large Offshore power stations to small and relatively simple pumping systems. My Panda 1 design for 2500MW or enough power for large city of 1 million homes. This heat energy, geothermal renewable at source, can be found almost anywhere—as far away as remote deep wells in China and Indonesia and as close as the soil in our Garden. Tapping geothermal energy is an affordable and sustainable solution to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, and the global warming and public health risks that result from their use. I wish that all Governments of this World would Try to take onboard for the benefits of the Country they serve and stride in new paths of Renewable HP Steam producing Generation investments. Three different types of power plants - dry steam, flash, and binary - are used to generate electricity from geothermal energy, depending on temperature, depth, and quality of the water and steam in the area. In all cases the condensed steam and remaining geothermal fluid is injected back into the ground to pick up more heat. In some locations, the natural supply of water producing steam from the hot underground magma deposits has been exhausted and processed waste water is injected to replenish the supply. Most geothermal fields have more fluid recharge than heat, so re-injection can cool the resource, unless it is carefully managed. Dry Steam Power A dry steam power plant uses dry steam, typically above 235°C (455°F), to directly power its turbines. Dry steam is steam that contains no water droplets. All of the molecules are in a gaseous, as opposed to liquid, state. Dry steam plants are used where there is plenty of steam available that is not mixed with water. This is the oldest type of geothermal power plant and is still in use today. Dry steam plants are the simplest and most economical of geothermal plants. However, they emit small amounts of excess steam and gases. The geothermal plants at The Green land Geysers are dry steam plants. Flash steam Flash steam power use hot water above 182 °C (360 °F) from geothermal reservoirs. The high pressure underground keeps the water in the liquid state, although it is well above the boiling point of water at normal sea level atmospheric pressure. As the water is pumped from the reservoir to the power plant, the drop in pressure causes the water to convert, or "flash", into steam to power the turbine and or generators. Any water not flashed into steam is injected back into the reservoir for reuse. Flash steam plants, like dry steam plants, emit small amounts of gases and steam. Flash steam plants are the most common type of geothermal power generation plants in operation today. Binary-cycle The water used in binary-cycle power plants is cooler than that of flash steam plants, from 107 to 182 °C (225-360 °F). The hot fluid from geothermal reservoirs is passed through a heat exchanger which transfers heat to a separate pipe containing fluids with a much lower boiling point. These fluids, usually Iso-butane or Iso-pentane, are vaporized to power the turbine. The advantage to binary-cycle power plants is their lower cost and increased efficiency. These plants also do not emit any excess gas and, because they use fluids with a lower boiling point than water, are able to utilize lower temperature reservoirs, which are much more common. Most geothermal power plants planned for construction are binary-cycle. Main Advantages Geothermal energy offers a number of advantages over traditional fossil fuel based sources. From an environmental standpoint, the energy harnessed is clean and safe for the surrounding environment. It is also sustainable because the hot water used in the geothermal process can be re-injected into the ground to produce more steam. In addition, geothermal power plants are unaffected by changing weather conditions. Geothermal power plants work continually, day and night, making them. a fantastic proposition to investors and from an economic view, geothermal energy is extremely price competitive in some areas and reduces reliance on fossil fuels and their inherent price unpredictability. It also offers a degree of scalability: a large geothermal plant can power entire cities while smaller power plants can supply more remote sites such as rural villages. The SPGAsia Concept is to use the old wellhead Platforms and Refurbish the old well bore hole with Heat resistance liner and introduce Topside Control in its Harness and Steam Process insure the safety of the sea water returns back to the Sea clean and Risk free. Typical costs are 400M/700M for each Plant offshore Gary B Edwards Managing Director Member International Geo Thermal Consultants Subsea Power Group Asia Co.,Ltd

    • 25 replies, 35,706 views

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