Thaifan

Nyoen, It's a really great country outside of Bangkok and Pattaya (they're great to visit but not the best places to live). The people outside the Cities are what makes it so great - great looks, friendly, great personalities- maybe different for you but the cost-of-living is also great compared to Europe, The States and Australia. Continue learning - it's our pleasure to help you - and one day I hope you get to visit.

Thaimo I admire your honesty!! I just guessed that PI was the Phillipines but it is nice to have it confirmed because you were actually brave enough to admit ignorance. Good on you!!

Though I don't condone corruption and wish it wasn't such a big problem here, sometimes it does have advantages. It actually makes a lot of sense when you get pulled up for a minor traffic offense to just pay the policeman instead of all the hassle about giving details, getting summonsed, deciding whether to go to court or not, paying the fine worrying whether you will lose points and then your licence, etc, etc. However while this seems ok it is a pity that it doesn't stop there and it's no longer OK if you can pay a sufficiently large sum to get away with murder.

It's not often that we can learn from a third world Country but Bangladesh has recently (under the auspices of good Governance)launched a website which aims to bring the community and the police closer together. It is felt that people are not brave enough to confront police mis-behaviour face-to-face so it is hoped they raise their concerns online. Maybe we can consider a similar project which will hopefully enable the bad apples in the otherwise good Police Force to be sorted out!

Hear!! Hear!! I tried very hard after I came to Thailand to stay out of politics but anyone can see Thailand was much better off under his command. We wouldn't have the Skytrain or the new Airport if it wasn't for his forward thinking!! So what if he was corrupt - find me a politician who isn't. We were better off!!

I definitely didn't mean to make anyone think there was any of the repression found in many western countries (excepting maybe Australia). However the higher your 'social' status the more likely to find you are asked not to advertise your gayness. This also happens in families too the higher your 'class' the more you will be expected not to be too open

Tony Roma's is great but there is so much to choose from in Siam Paragon don't just stick to the places you are familiar with try something different - Thai, Korean, Japanese, - Seafood, Pizza, Steaks - and yes I agree there are so many great dessert places go somewhere else. There is something to be said for going to a different place for each course in fact!!

Koh Larn is certainly very beautiful. Very clean blue sea and lovely white beaches. Don't know about 20 Baht ferries but the 40Baht ones take you to the Beach. It's easy to find the ferries just go to the end of Walking Street past the Bayshore Hotel and you can't miss it. They run every 30 minutes at peak times

I am pleased to see something going well for Thailand!!Since the Airport fiasco Tourism has suffered so maybe instead of attracting Tourists to our beaches maybe getting them to come to our Hospitals will help get the economy back on track!!

Governance, Economics, US and Asian Affairs? All sounds a bit beyond this particular lady! She should go back to being a Mom but then she didn't do a very good job of that either did she?

I have heard stories of mothers giving birth to one black and one white baby but it has still been the same father which also sounds wierd however I think there is every likelihood of this case being two separate fathers, but that is being very judgemental having seen a picture of the Mum - we really shouldn't stereotype but we often do!!

Sorry about the double-post!! I guess I need to learn to be more patient when things don't happen immediately!! Sorry again!!

It's good to see Obama isn't another George Bush who pig-headedly continued along paths which were leading nowhere!! I don't like the idea of engaing with the Military Junta but trying to cut them off hasn't worked so I guess we have to try friendly persuasion even though the type of persuasion they use on dissenting countrymen is a long way from friendly!!!

It's good to see Obama isn't another George Bush who pig-headedly continued along paths which were leading nowhere!! I don't like the idea of engaing with the Military Junta but trying to cut them off hasn't worked so I guess we have to try friendly persuasion even though the type of persuasion they use on dissenting countrymen is a long way from friendly!!!

Exactly and isn't that also what the PAD want to be the system in Thailand!! Who is going to protect us from idiots!!

Once again Thailand leads the World!! This is much better news than the news which generally gets published about a third of Thais who have sex with men are HIV+. Thailand still needs to focus on educating the population about safe sex but at least todays news shows some light at the end of the tunnel.

Until Abhisit can show some strong decisive leadership and demonstrate to the World that he will not tolerate the sort of action carried out by the PAD which did more harm to the Thai Economy than the GFC, then he is living in cloud cukoo land if he expects the US or Europe to invest money in Thailand!!

Thailand too would have a much healthier economy if he had been allowed to stay in charge. I don't care whether he did engage in some corruption (isn't it a qualification to be a Thai politician)there is no doubt the Thai economy was in a much stronger position under his control and he has demonstrated that he personally weathered the GFC so no doubt he would have steered Thailand through it too. He also had the support of the majority of Thai's it is just a pity that a minority of the so called elite had the power to overthrow him , purely because it was in their interest not the interests of Thailand.

Luckily in the two years in which I have been living in Thailand I see very little crime or violence maybe I am being protected by my Thai partner but I found this story very shocking. Maybe if I lived in Bangkok or Pattaya then I would see more bad things but here in the countryside but still close enough to visit those places I feel much safer here in Thailand than I ever felt in Australia or UK.

I find these Salary quotes as very hard to believe. Maybe Bangkok is different but I am teaching in a University in Rural Thailand and only earning 25,000 Baht per month. Am I being ripped off or is that the difference between working in a Govt establishment and the private sector?

That is good news!! Thailand is in enough trouble we need the King to stay strong and hopefully persuade the Government to bring together the two sides dividing this wonderful country. I look forward to seeing the roadmap our Prime Minister promised the UN but will not hold my breath because he hasn't shown much sign of taking the middle road so far!!He is in the pocket of PAD!!

I think it is very sad that many people - myself included- have stopped wearing a yellow shirt on Mondays. This doesn't mean we no longer respect the King - indeed I have a lot of respect for him - but because we don't want to be associated with the PAD. Very sad though his illness is at least I can show my respect for the King now because I can wear a pink shirt to wish he gets well soon and pink shirts luckily have no 'political' connotations. The main article about the PAD Leader again shows unfair treatment. All the PAD should be in jail because of the severe damage they did Thailand by the Airport occupation. The Courts were right to find him guilty and are following the law which if the PAD had their way would be changed. Unfortunately he is still not in jail - oh what a shame. The previous posting is very accurate and the PAD would destroy Thailands democracy if they had their way and 'appointed' all their supporters to 'govern' Thailand. I am not a red shirt supporter either but somebody needs to protect us from the PAD. If the King was younger and fitter I know he would be pushing for a middle path following Buddhist philosophy to guide us through this dreadful political crisis. I did hope perhaps the Prime Minister would be the one to take this middle road and bring Thailand back together and reach a compromise that could satisfy red and yellow shirt supporters, but unfortunately he has demonstrated that he is too closely allied to the 'yellow shirts' by appointing PAD supporters to key Government positions. (Our Foreign Minister should also be in prison for taking part in the Airport fiasco)!!!

Thanks Michael for a lot of very useful information. You should submit the article to the Gay press in Australia, America and Europe so that people understand better before they even arrive. I am a teacher and still find it hard to deal with the amount of respect shown to me, un-necessary as far as i am concerned. It does however mean that I am not expected to be 'out' in work, which I also find strange in a Country so open generally.

At last!!! Thailand used to be famous for completing projects ahead of time. This project is nearly two years overdue. Whether or not Thaksin was corrupt or not at least Thailand was progressing under his command but since the coup Thailand has just stagnated. When is somebody going to come up with a solution to Thailand's political turmoil? Industry is suffering because Global organisations are wary of investing. Tourism is being lost to our neighbours because overseas travellers haven't forgotten the Airport closedown fiasco and the fact that we do not have a democratically elected Government.