midasthailand

Soutpeel, on 2012-05-22 10:50:53, said:

Jeez, steady on.

If you hang people for stupidity, Thaivisa would comprise of me talking to myself, wondering where everyone else has disappeared to

This whole "war on drugs" is total BS. Another invisible enemy to dupe the mass Plebian society and control them through.

Yes drugs can be harmful,.. but so can cigarettes, alcohol and prescription drugs that the governements of the world push en-mass and with zero conscience or consequence!

As long as "illicit" drugs remain illegal it translates into the fuelling of a multi billion (trillion?) dollar industry for everyone from the cops, lawyers, judges, prison systems, pharmecutical companies,...and the list rolls on.

Enough of this insane lie-ridden BS and the condoning of judicial murder of scapegoats for an insipid hierachy of capitalist and power hungry supremacists that do zero for the genuine advancement of the human population of the world!

Tell the truth,... and the truth is that something stinks in Demark and it ain't just the cheese!

samsiam, on 2012-04-11 17:20:37, said:

a shady assumption of a layman

I'm grateful that this forum made me aware of the existence of vicious gangs of BTS security guards who randomly and for no apparent reason ambush unsuspecting and defenceless foreigners and beat the living daylight out of them.

When I recall the numerous occasions where these little buggers helped me at the turnstile or opened the barrier with a smile for my bulky luggage I'm beginning to realize that I was just inches away from a jolly good whacking.

Riding on the BTS will never be the same again.

HeavyDrinker, on 2012-03-22 18:40:57, said:

Some of the "the Thai security guard is not very bright and could not communicate in Farang languages" posters have embarrassed themselves here and shown themselves to be of lesser intelligence than any TEFLer I know...

I just wonder what all the farang protectors here would say if this happened in their own country. Man tries to take something onto a mass public transport system in the capital city a few weeks after a (failed) terrorist attack. The Security try to stop him; he gets pushy (that's being polite) and tries to push through anyway;might have or might not have attacked a female guard depending upon conflicting reports, damaged a bin (showing signs of disproportionate anger?)  and gets whacked by a security guard. What would the public in your home country say if it happened in New York, Paris, London... well when Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes pushed through a turnstile in London, failed to stop when the guards shouted stop, he ended up getting shot 7 times in the head and most people I know in the UK think "well, he was a fool, and I would rather they topped him and be wrong then not top him resulting in another 100 people getting blown up. Its almost as if because we are expats, we can not possibly be terrorists so leave us alone despite that I have known many Iranians in my time and they can look very western, almost Welsh or Irish?


Although it is rare that security people here actually do do their job, maybe it should be appreciated when they do. I'd rather cop a smack to the head myself and know they were doing a good job than to have the bts go boom, or for the entire train to get done over with Sarin at some point in the future.

I won’t pass judgement on other’s posts or topics but I will offer my own best topic which has been running for some time now.  Finished House Pictures is just a topic where people can get an idea what kind of homes we actually live in here in Thailand.

For the most part it has been devoid of the cynicism and heckling that is prevalent in many topics.  You may be looking for something controversial and stimulating to get your blood flowing and it won’t provide that.  It will give you a long leisurely stroll through expat homes, big and small.

Even though this directly affects me, although not for another 20 years or so, I can't say I'm particularly troubled by the freeze policy. It's not ideal for sure, but at the end of the day if someone hasn't made enough private provision to be here without relying on the vagaries of the UK government on the other side of the world, then som nam na. The rules are clear and explicit. It's no point coming over and then complaining about the unfairness of it all.

Any state pension I get will be an unexpected bonus, not a fundamental part of my financial strategy.

This really does depend on a number of factors such as:

• Size of hole
  
• Location of hole
  
• Thickness of material
  
• Type of material used
  
• Ethnic origin of wearer
  
• Day of the week

Please, please, please, if you are going to ask for assistance from the experts on this forum, be more specific about the problem.

1. I do own my car, Chopper and a small motorbike; don’t wanna come up with owning my wife

2. I always had a proper visa, Non-0 or Non-B. A work permit was never a problem for me in ten years of stay.

3. I love my job as kids give me more than money can buy. Some of them love me more than they love their parents.

  4. I never paid more than a Thai, except in tourist areas like Pattaya. But also Thais have to pay more.

Thais pay more for bar girls than foreigners.

5. If you’d like to watch porn, update yourself how to watch hamster porn and more.

6. I can speak Thai, so there’s no such a thing. I believe all farlang should learn the language if they want to live here.

7. Corruption is everywhere, but you can’t bribe a cop driving drunk to keep your license in Europe.

8. Most politicians all around the world should be rice farmers, not just here.

9. If you don’t like it here and you can’t afford it here, go to a neighboring country.

10. I never had the feeling that I’m not welcome here. People here treat you the way you’re treating them, as everywhere around the world.

11. The only reason for me to leave Thailand would be, because there are so many weird people from other countries.

• Foreigners can’t own anything in our own name - doesn't bother me
  
• Visas & Work Permits - not a problem for me
  
• Work is very minimal except for Teaching jobs that pay crap - I don't need to work here
  
• Double pricing - sometimes bothers me
  
• Government controlled Internet and websites being blocked - doesn't affect me
  
• Language barriers (Worst country for English speakers.) - Common to most other places I have visited/lived in and I expect it to be a barrier here
  
• Corruption is everywhere - Same as many other places I have visited/lived in
  
• Politics create instability - and sometimes create stability
  
• Things are getting MUCH more expensive then neighboring countries - ditto what some other posters have said, my experience is that Malaysia is MUCH more expensive
  
• We are no longer welcome here - I can live with that

Everyone's experiences here are likely to be different.

I have lived, visited and worked in many countries. In my opinion, on balance, Thailand has been the best place I have ever lived and when I am away from Thailand there is a lot about it that I really miss. It has an intangible something that I cannot put into words, even to try and understand it myself; So I don't. I just roll with it and try not sweat the small stuff.

This topic, and many like them, can be summarized as follows:

BERT: Thailand sucks! I can never have what I want; the girls tell me I'm handsome but they only want my money; everything is overpriced; you need a visa/work permit to be here, Thai people are all evil and it's too hot and humid!

ERNIE: Well, sorry you feel that way. But perhaps it's something within your own perception of the country that makes you feel this way? I have been living here for many years as well and my experience couldn't be more different. I feel welcome, loved and generally happy, having everything I want! Perhaps your unhappiness has got more to do with yourself then with this country?

BERT: You're wrong! You can not be happy in Thailand because you can not own your house! And you need visas and work permits to be here! People who say they're happy in Thailand are stupid and pathetic, pathetic I tell you! And there was something else... Oh yeah, pink glasses! They all wear pink glasses!

ERNIE: Why are you getting upset? Can we not have two different views of what it is like to live in Thailand?

BERT: No! That's not possible! I couldn't make my life work here, so everybody who claims he or she could is wrong! Stupid! Stupid Thailand; you're all pathetic! I am leaving and you should too! They don't appreciate foreigners here the way they should!

ERNIE: Ok, have a safe trip back home! Oh, and perhaps you can find some comfort in a local support group for disenfranchised expats when you get back home?

1. Foreigners can’t own anything in our own name.

Many businesses can be 100% owned through getting BOI privileges, which can be done in a few weeks. Thailand is the 14 easiest place in the world to do business.

We can can own houses, condos, and vehicles without any problem. There are various ways to hold land without owning it. Or we can own it through a company, or take a long term lease.

Hardly a reason to leave


2. Visas & Work Permits.

This is an issue for foreigners in most countries. Most companies handle the paperwork for the employee. Permits are issued much faster than before.


3. Work is very minimal except for Teaching jobs that pay crap.


There are plenty of well-paid jobs for qualified candidates. Sometimes the pay is lower than than in more developed economies, but why should it be otherwise? That's a trade off with lower cost of living.

Is there any country which has low cost of living and highly paid jobs for foreigners with minimal skills?


4. Double pricing.

Pretty mininal outside tourist areas and doesn't affect the bottom line in terms of cost of living. Thais also try to overcharge wealthy Thais. It's not really anything to do with your skin color, but perception of relative wealth.

National parks will not double charge if you show your social security ID or work permit or residence permit.



5. Government controlled Internet and websites being blocked.


It's difficult to address this without breaking board rules, but most foreigners know exactly how to see any site they want.

To avoid seeming like a personal attack, I can only describe people who do not know how to access all content as "less able" in matters of computer usage


6. Language barriers (Worst country for English speakers.)

The English levels of Thais have greatly improved in the 20 years I have been here. But far from there being language barriers, if you speak and read even intermediate Thai, you will get a level of acceptance and friendliness that does not exist in most other countries for speaking the local language. In China and Spanish speaking countries, foreigners whos speak some of the local languauge do not get this "benefit".

Complaining about the local people not speaking your language seems rather narrow minded to me

7. Corruption is everywhere.
8. Politics create instability.

Isn't this equally true of any developed country, especially those cheaper neighboring counties?


9. Things are getting MUCH more expensive then neighboring countries.


It's great that the difference between costs of living of emerging economies and the West is narrowing every year. Not only is it good for Thai people, but in the end these new markets will help revive Western economies.

No longer can working class farang arrive in Thailand and act like "the big man" and impress the locals with his cash.

Thais are no longer enamoured with all things farang as they were perhaps in the past. But they still see many favorable things, and a large amount of Thai women still are attracted to farang (not just for money).

What's the problem with that?

10. We are no longer welcome here


If you mean that Thais are fed up with whinging denigrating foreigners, that is probably true....

WarpSpeed, on 2012-01-20 00:09:52, said:

Can't see where I said I think it's great here and am certainly not deluded about anything here. He is just having a moan and trotting out the same old reasons for leaving, fact is, if you have a decent job ( and am sure there are plenty of proper teachers that have ) then in the current climate it's certainly a better place to live and work than many other countries.

midasthailand, on 2012-01-15 19:00:40, said:

No. You are in the first rung of the ladder towards International Gypsy status.