Entries Tagged 'Expatriate Guide' ↓
May 9th, 2010 — Expatriate Guide
I have done four years of blogging at almost a daily rate sometimes more. It really started with the Tsunami and then the coup in Thailand. I was helping the CSI in Bangkok to make a register for the victims of the Tsunami and when we finished the Thai government said we could not show it because it will give a bad reputation to Thailand (showing dead people). However, after that I really started blogging, while I was living in Phuket I did not do much for over two years more than enjoying Thailand.
After that, I kept writing about my marriage and then the first coup I Thailand, seeing soldiers marching outside my house. I continued writing about my life in Thailand and all the difference aspects of it, after 10 years now I think I can say I am an expat for real. We all have different views on life in Thailand and we all have different ideas on how it is but I think we learn new things everyday and that what makes amazing Thailand for me.
About a year ago, I started to study Buddhism but more Buddhism as a hole then the Thai version of Buddhism. I also started to feel that my blog got to personal for my readers and I wanted to keep a channel for uncut and independent news and in the same time write about my personal Thailand. When the Red Shirts came to town, the news just went on hyper drive. I then decide that with a forum and blog in one I could mix news with my personal Thailand. The launch of VBulletin 4.0 came perfect in time for the launch of the new forum where my blog will soon be as well.
So my blog will not be closed down because I launch the forum (sorry all haters) it will just be in another format inside the blog. I will continue to misspell and tell my view of Thailand even if some people do not like it. I also have other people that will write in the forum but I will be around for sure. But in this way I can countine writing about things I love like animals, Buddhism, nature, health, charity’s, computers, travel and my new found love for driving a motorbike.
We already have some great forum in Thailand like Thaivisa.com for all your news and visa questions but I cannot stand all the comment or disinformation then Teakdoor.com is a great forum for people living in Thailand. There is also some other great bar girl’s forums that I do not have to mention here. Personalthailand.com will not try to compete with them but maybe complete them like a middle path in true Buddhist spirit.
If you miss anything in the forum or want to write your own blog, you are welcome to register and create a blog and start writing. Every topic is welcome as long, as they are Google friendly and do not break any Thai laws.
So sometime this week I will stop using Word Press and redirect old blog to the new forum and until then you can find and join the forum here
http://www.personalthailand.com/forum.php
The blogs here
http://www.personalthailand.com/blog.php
The articles here
http://www.personalthailand.com/content.php
Joining our forum has never been easier you can just use your Facebook account or register normally in less than 1 min.
See you on the other side J
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May 7th, 2010 — Crimes, Media
Thai News helping criminals
If you been long enough in Thailand you know that, the Thai media like to point fingers at criminals literality. They want the criminals to set up a stage and the victim should point at the criminal while they take photos. If the victim is dead, them some volunteer is always near to point. Sometimes strangers walk in and take a photo for the album at home with the dead victim. This is neither good for a crime scene or for the victim’s family this been covered on our blog before.
Lately I seen victim of a crime confronted by the camera in the nastiest way and their home address and passport or ID number bashed out to the public. How will this help the police and victim? The criminals know the location and ID of the victim. It is off course not correct to show suspects on TV either before they are convicted criminals.
Let us say that Mr. X who is married and have a wife in Germany goes to a bar in Pattaya and take a girl home, she drugs him and take his things. Now Mr. X goes down to the local police station in Pattaya where the news people also live (they have a desk there) and report the crime. In two hours, time his face, passport number and hotel room is blasted to Pattaya TV and YouTube. He is the victim but in Germany, his wife is already preparing the divorce paper. Not only did he date a hooker but she was a ladyboy as well but Mr.X did not know that. One of the housekeepers in the house said that Mr.X is well known for taking boys to the room every night, party, and take drugs (she thinks he give bad tip so she made something up). Nothing of this is relevant to the case off course or true but the news in Pattaya keeps on sending the more dirt the better.
So when someone wants to report a crime to the Police in Pattaya he have to face the facts that his passports his life and house probably will be invaded by people who has nothing to do with the case and should normally be called intruders. He has to live with the fact that lies will be told on TV and on YouTube and the story copied and discussed on hundred of websites around the world. A victim will think twice before he reports a crime to the Pattaya Police station and that will help the criminals in Thailand.
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May 5th, 2010 — Expatriate Guide
Thai economics 101 when demand falls raise prices
Thai air announced that because they lost so many seats this month because of the Red Shirts and the political turmoil they would raise prices on some seats with 47%.
Most people that are educated in economics would scratch their heads and wonder why someone would do that? Thai Air is not even longer the top airline it used to be and even if Singapore Air has, even higher prices they have been selected a better airline many times around lately. Most people would lower the prices to a level that would reflect the market now and call it a promotion leaving space for raises when the demand comes back. They could have a fun package with record low prices and know some of the completion out of the way but instead they choose to scare the last customers away by raising the prices.
However, the problem is not only Thai Air it is hotels, apartments, shops and many other things. If you cannot sell it raise, the price until someone buy something. In addition, most Thai people in general shop by the rule they do not believe in something that is too cheap and rather buy something expensive even if it is the same item.
For example, my friends send a gift to his Thai girlfriend in USA and he used the normal Thai post office. When the package arrived, the Thai girl was upset and did not even thank him for the new iPod. She was not upset about the gift she was upset about the way of sending it. He should have used FedEx or DHL because they cost more not because they are faster but because they cost more. My friend had no idea what to say he was rather stumbled by this pointless waste of money and from then on their relationship went sour.
You can also see it in the property markets that have no real connection to the real value of land. If you could see all the empty offices and apartment in Bangkok or Pattaya, you would be surprised. Many apartment blocks have just a few buyers and the owner rather leaves it empty then lowers the price. Speculators buy many apartments and house and then left empty, if they rent them out it is to stupid foreigners with too much money from a company account. The prices of the houses and apartment are not set for the real value it is set what the builders think someone can pay or what they need now.
A rich Thai contractor in Pattaya has a hobby to build housing complex and when his done he leave them almost empty to build a new one. He does not care about someone renting or buying them and he never checks the market for the right price. The property brookers and how much comisson they want to make set the price in Pattaya.
I encounter these problems many times before in Thailand when you have a good supplier for a few times and you keep coming back to him. When the times get tough, he raises the prices for his valued customers to take back the losses even if the product should be cheaper. My Thai friends say it is better to never keep a supplier but act like a butterfly and fly from supplier to supplier.
If this does not make any sense do not worry you will get used to it, TIT
Thank you to http://twitter.com/GregBewick for the headline idea.
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April 30th, 2010 — Expatriate Guide
Most foreigners outside Thailand are still strong believers that Thailand main income is the Thai girls in Pattaya and the normal tourist but as we stated before it is only a few percentage of the national income. Most of Thailand revenue is in Rice and Rubber from south and northeast and that is the place for the Red Shirts and Muslim insurgents.
Many foreigners are also of the idea that only Red Shirts paid to demonstrate and the Yellow Shirts was a free movement. The truth is that Thailand has a long record of paying people for vote, demonstrate and gather. Some people even have it as an occupation to rally a few hundred people to go and demonstrate in Bangkok or elsewhere.
From what I can see when doing my twitter, many foreigners are also for the King of Thailand and they think that the Red Shirts wants to overthrow the Monarchy in Thailand. I am sure there are some real Republicans and Communists in the movement in the Red Shirts but I can assure that most Thai people have the King of Thailand of Thailand in there hearts. If anybody of the Red Shirts or anybody else would be stupid enough to attack the Palace or the King of Thailand in person you will see a swift end to their lives.
What the Red Shirts wants is a fair election and part of the money that the Bangkok elite make from the labor that the people from the Northeast provide. If you check your history books, you can see most countries have this “evolution” and in some cases like France, we had a Revolution.What is all the NorthEast people just left Bangkok, who would serve your meal or wash your clothing? Most low ranking Police and Army are also from North East Thailand and that is another problem.
It also makes me sad when the people in Bangkok hate the Red Shirts instead of going down to talk to them they condemn them and wish they die so they can go shopping and eat in Central World. As a Buddhist Country, I Thailand need to understand each other and bring peaceful solutions this problem. A way to peace is not to kill Thaksin and all the Red Shirts it will just create a new generation of haters, history have learned us that many times.
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