doggie888888

China regularly swings from periods of greatly admiring foreigners and soliciting them, to demonising them.  This is nothing new.  There is a view - expressed in the Economist this week - that the Chinese authorities have leveraged this attempted rape incident and a similar incident involving a Russian cellist who got into an abusive exchange with a local on the metro system last week to launch the 100 day campaign to detract attention away from the current negative media China is getting on a variety of fronts, most notably the blind dissident issue, a faltering economy, the Chongqing murder and the Bo incident and even the disputes with Philippines over some crappy islands.

I was in Beijing last week.  I met lots of expats who welcome the crackdown because, in their view, China is becoming over-run with low-life foreigners and it is ruining the reputation of people just trying to make a legitimate living.   Does that sound familiar.

There is a difference between an anti-foreigner crusade and a bonafide attempt to get rid of illegal foreigners.  It's every country's sovereign right to enforce its immigration rules.

I just wish Thailand did it more often.

kiniyow, on 2012-05-28 19:10:44, said:

Well, given his appearance and the name Hall, the defenders of supposed British purity can't very well claim he's not a pukka sahib Brit who doesn't look British (whatever that means  in the 21st century) or that his name doesn't really sound British.



from another thread involving a Brit arrested by Thai police:

carra, on 2012-05-18 14:16:26, said:

I think anyone who takes a child under 5 on a flight should be made to pay FULL fare for the seats either side, in front and behind.  

Ghastly crying/noisy children on a long haul flight are everyone's worse nightmare if you are in earshot.

Now if someone could just explain to the Thai drivers how you are supposed to YEILD to traffic already in the roundabout

If you have insurance why are you talking to him?
let them sort it out.

I see quite a few old farang men who have conned themselves into believing they are young again.

The price of cafe and restaurant food back in OZ!

katana, on 2012-05-07 00:35:42, said:

Combination of wife's family having a few high ranking police connections (who phoned Thong Lor police) and we indeed VOLUNTARILY offered a cash reward (it was never asked for by police). I just knew it would create a bit of motivation.

If you are going to have a happy life here, you don't have to like the way everything works around here, BUT you must accept it. From reading this forum, at times it seems i am the only member here who gets that (though the quiet ones who don't bitch about everything are more likely to be similar in thought).

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

Find it strange that the OP is turning his own lack of due diligence and common sense into an anti-Thai diatribe, and then hiding behind some misguided notion of 'losing face' as the excuse.

Oh, hold on, it is Thai Visa. Not so strange then.

Berkshire, on 2012-05-17 08:51:50, said:

Lets change the story a little.

Say I had a 1992 Toyota that I wanted to give to my 18 year old nephew, but it needed a bit of work. I send if off to the local mechanic up the road to be fixed.

My wife and I know nothing aboout cars, but the mechanic is a friend of a friend in the village.

A week later he comes back to me with a 1988 Datsun which works even worse, and charges me for the repair.

I gladly pay for the repair as my wife is looking at me in a bit of a panic.

Sure, the mechanic has a bit of gumption when trying it on, but what does it say about me given the fact that he is trying it on, and that I am willing to pay for the Datsun, while my property is sitting somewhere else, never to be seen again?

The positive thing about the strong wind storm was that it removed many billboards promoting some condo project and advertisement signs stuck on poles and along the road side. Thank you mother nature.

I'm most afraid of the U-turns at Sukumwit,
as it has turn out, nearly every thai is bent on crossing all 3 lanes immediately to make it across to the most left lane, regardless if those lanes are occupied or not.
The speed there is also high so it is a certain death sentence

We are a likeable bunch of guys ... diverse, but likeable.

Topic closed soon then?

Tonto21, on 2012-05-08 19:41:39, said:

I find I take people as I meet them, I'm an Aussie, but worked for many years in Blighty. Made some great lifelong friends over there.
Yes I have seen some very ugly big mouth Aussies when I went  to Thailand. They seem even more cringe worthy when they are your countrymen.
But met some great Aussies there too.
Judge people as individuals, on how they interact with you, I find the best policy.

I had a bit of an Issue with Indian people from my business dealings with them here in Australia. They are such tight arses in general, trying to wring every last dollar out if every deal..
But I have also met some wonderfully friendly decent Indians as well here.
Stereotyping is a bad thing, take people on face value I find.
My 2 satang.

Women with big hair.