Like Somalia - Thailand is a Lawless Country

[GLCQuantum]

I missed this one...

And the few farangs who can speak thai usually cannot read newspapers or have a real conversation with Thai people.

No, no... you're absolutely right. People who can speak Thai only have fake conversations with Thai people.

I can only read Thai at about a Grade 2 level so when I do look at the Thai newspapers, I discuss what's going on with whoever is sitting near me at the time. (Yes, by pointing at the pictures and talking about it.)

[Dannie Boy]

I missed this one...

And the few farangs who can speak thai usually cannot read newspapers or have a real conversation with Thai people.

No, no... you're absolutely right. People who can speak Thai only have fake conversations with Thai people.

I can only read Thai at about a Grade 2 level so when I do look at the Thai newspapers, I discuss what's going on with whoever is sitting near me at the time. (Yes, by pointing at the pictures and talking about it.)

You have misquoted Gerard, what he actually said was "I think it is not generalising to say that 95 % (maybe 99 %) of the foreigner living in Thailand cannot read thai newspapers and very few can have a real conversation about politics". I think it's the bit about politics that is particularly relevant - being able to read Thai is an art that not many foreigners have mastered, but even if they have, being able to discuss Thai politics is another thing altogether!!(IMO).

[Spitfire]

Like all places, if you do not like it vote with your feet.....which is what I did when I left the UK.

The sex trade is a symptom/effect of social injustice, inequality and hidden cultural interior prejudice. Those that create the social circumstances for it to perpetuate itself and those who feed and maintain/sustain it are the ones who should have the flak, not the girls, as they are only trying to survive in any way possible or find a way to something better....which ultimately we are all trying to do.

Corruption is abound because there is little disincentive to not be corrupt and law enforcement is generally academic. Corruption, big time or small time, has such an allure now as people of all walks of life have unrealistic expectations about what life owes them and everyone needs more and more money now just in an attempt to have a lifestyle that is force-fed to them through magazines, TV, newspapers and the ever destructive social media on the Internet. The world of fashion has much to answer for imo.........and that's not even getting into the vanity of many and how social acceptance often depends on appearance etc.

An increasingly disproportionate amount of people are full of greed and indifference these days, corruption is a symptom of this and it is no surprise that it is on the increase everywhere.

[GLCQuantum]

DannyBoy... I didn't misquote him at all!

When Thailand will be as "perfect" as our developed countries, I will go back home.
And people who compare Thailand with Somalia have never lived in Somalia, for sure !
Then, living in Hua Hin, Phuket or Pattaya is not really living in Thailand, is it ?
And the few farangs who can speak thai usually cannot read newspapers or have a real conversation with Thai people, so that they are not so well informed as they think.

[Gérard]

I missed this one...

And the few farangs who can speak thai usually cannot read newspapers or have a real conversation with Thai people.

No, no... you're absolutely right. People who can speak Thai only have fake conversations with Thai people.

I can only read Thai at about a Grade 2 level so when I do look at the Thai newspapers, I discuss what's going on with whoever is sitting near me at the time. (Yes, by pointing at the pictures and talking about it.)

You have misquoted Gerard, what he actually said was "I think it is not generalising to say that 95 % (maybe 99 %) of the foreigner living in Thailand cannot read thai newspapers and very few can have a real conversation about politics". I think it's the bit about politics that is particularly relevant - being able to read Thai is an art that not many foreigners have mastered, but even if they have, being able to discuss Thai politics is another thing altogether!!(IMO).

Right, Dannie Boy, that is exactly what I meant without any intention to despise anyone.

[GLCQuantum]

Fair enough.

But for the people who can understand the lingo, pretty much all you hear about right now is politics. So it's quite simple - the more advanced your Thai language skills are, the more informed (or in a position to debate) you are.

[buksida]

But for the people who can understand the lingo, pretty much all you hear about right now is politics. So it's quite simple - the more advanced your Thai language skills are, the more informed (or in a position to debate) you are.

And that may sway your stance on the situation depending on where your partner comes from or your geographical location within the Kingdom.

[GLCQuantum]

But for the people who can understand the lingo, pretty much all you hear about right now is politics. So it's quite simple - the more advanced your Thai language skills are, the more informed (or in a position to debate) you are.

And that may sway your stance on the situation depending on where your partner comes from or your geographical location within the Kingdom.

Absolutely right Buksida, hence one must try to keep an unbiased mind, while the ears are open. Debate, surpisingly, can be had with many Thais though one must choose his words carefully, whilst delicately tip-toeing around obvious firestarters.

To be perfectly honest, one (me) should just keep his nose out of it altogether while Thai's are discussing politics, but one has a tendency to not know when to keep one's opinions to himself . Hasn't got me in too much trouble yet. *GLC goes and touches the large tree trunk outside his office*

[richard]

Well my X visited me yesterday and over a cuppa we talked about how things had changed in her RED village (80kms north east of Khon Kaen city) since I had left.

People are feeling confused and no longer heed the broadcasted 6 am in the morning crap from the village elders. They only care about surviving on their income from their sugar cane crop (most have abandoned rice growing apparently).Thaksin posters which were in abundance a few years back are either removed or defaced and few have any faith in Yingluk or the opposition as they are finally realising that they are all tarred with the same corrupt brush.

'The times they are a changing'...gradually

[Stargeezer]

I would rather live in Thailand! It certainly has problems and will take our lifetimes and more to
change, but I am still hopeful it becomes more developed and less corrupt before the good old USA
fully collapses under its debt. As far as the Sex trade, I have seen it in most of the Asian countries.
Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and likely the rest are still active in that area, just some places have it hidden, but still available. It exists in North and South America as well, actually I think it will be everywhere when my grandchildren are as old as I am.
I have NO plans to ever go near Somalia, or most countries in that area, and it is not the heat that
I am most afraid of, or the sand.
Stargeezer

[charlesh]

There is a huge exodus of Somalis nowadays. Must have some down right ugly camels, goats and asses back home in the mud hut!

[Pleng]

I know full well that if I do anything wrong (against the 'laws' of the country) I can just pay money for my wrongdoings... and I have done that many times over.

You can't preach about challenging corruption while openly admitting you make use of it when it suits you. Lead by example, and all that..

How do they extract all the 'Great Unwashed' farang that feed their sex trade?

My experience of farrangs who partake in the sex trade generally take more care of their appearance (ie wash every day) than farrangs who hang about under bridges waiting for their dealer to turn up. Not always the case of course, but while we're making generalizations...

* STOP this sex trade straight away and send all sex tourists packing - this would instantly allow the country a little more respect. It's also the classic 'Two birds one stone scenario'. The country would reap the benefits of no longer being the red light capital of the world, and also, the absence of the horrific smell from those beer swigging sex tourists would not only please the people of Thailand, but probably the neighbouring countries to boot. (a strong wind can carry their odour to timbuktoo)

Nothing like simplifying things, is there? You're advocating putting thousands of people out of work without providing any kind of backup plan?

It's like evolution in reverse... Years ago (according to my basic Thai history) the Royal family introduced new crops to help the Northern tribespeople get out of their dependancy on opium - which worked very well. Then we have the Rice Pledging scheme which while terribly flawed, at lease had the intention of keeping farmers in work (whilst also lining the government's pockets, of course). Now, at the end of devolution we have GLC's fantastic plan to simply cut off a sizable, if not substantial, revenue stream with absolutely no thought whatsoever as to some kind of alternative. Lucky the country doesn't have any real kind of walfare system...

* Install politicians who have studied abroad and are not so closed minded. They also will have lost that whole 'face' thing while abroad if they were there for some time.

I don't think installing any kind of politician is the answer. The political system corrupts politicians long before they ever have the chance to make any changes.

* Spend a tenth of your year's 'free money' (you know, the money that is put aside for 'mega projects' where 10% goes into the project and 90% gets shared out into people's pockets) into building up the education system (especially in the North) and watch how the country will grow with a better education.

There's plenty of money in the education system already. The system needs overhauling and money isn't the biggest obstacle in the way by any means.

*Pay Thai police and teachers properly and train them properly (again outside help would be needed) so that poor teaching and police corruption could be a thing of the past.

Absolutely. Corruption starts at the bottom. If a police officer is introduced to bribery at the lowest level, then by the time he reaches the top it's second nature. But... who is going to police the police. A salary increase and some extra training alone won't put a stop to the evil eyed greed monster. You increase my salary from 10,000 to 30,000 isn't going to stop me taking the additional 50,000 I can make in bribes every month, is it?

* Start selling Stella to the locals instead of Lao Khao - a little less 'umph'.

Most Thai's I've spoken to would love to be able to drink beer - it's just not finacially viable.

And Stella? Really!

* Gas chamber the Shiniwatra's

And the rest of them

[Jose]

The sad thing about the gropers is that is all they do. Buy her a 150b drink and grope her. Never take her for a 1200b ST . Just watch the trailer, not the main event. F++++++++ perverts

not everyone wants to take a girl home all the time,

the girlie bar scene gets boring very quickly if you live here and have other options available other than bar girls.

Its a tough competitive industry, for every girl that gets a LT customer there will be alot more without, a simple walk down binta shows this, even when the bars are rammed.

The minimum wage will also have effect in reducing the amount of girls wanting to work in the bars, any girl that makes under 20'000 per month might not think it worthwhile working in a bar.
There must be a cut of point where the extra rewards to not match the indignity of whoring.

[cuongpjh]

there are many people who live in Thailand without knowing English, sir thailan but they can still communicate with the natives in many different ways.

[Name Taken]

How can Thailand possibly stop or even limit the sex trade, if this was stopped there would be hundreds of thousands with no income. It is an inherent aspect of life in Asia not only Thailand. Where there is poverty and people who will take advantage of the situation, both bar owners and customers it will always prevail.

GLC what you are proposing is 100% correct however we all know there is no way it will happen. Thailand in my opinion is going down the tubes day by day.

Corruption is spreading in the world even in western nations and no power on earth can stop it.

Thailand is a place where corrupt nasty rich old men come to buy their teenage trophy wives.