mardhi

Not a chance - the Cambodians do the jobs the Thai's put their noses up at. I have given up with Thai workers for the most part. Security guards were always asleep so I have brought another 24 CCTV's and a new remote based gate system for the front of my place. Just about to install an electric fence on the top of the 3m high walls. I will get the money back in about 4 months from saved salaries (not replaced two guys sacked for stealing from a house). Done the same with gardeners - got rid of 2 who took 6 days to do the work one guy working alone is achieving in 2 days. Gardeners cost 26,000b month now its 6,000b via a contractor paid by the job, not the hour/day - he whistles through. The minimum wage has made all Thai's think no matter what, they have to get paid 9,000b month no matter how little they do. Reality is the lazy ones are being fired left, right and centre. Companies are saying on the basis of the minimum wage, you must do a minimum amount of work. add in the difficulty of finding anyone willing to work, then the Cambodian workforce was filling a big gap. WHy do you think in the article Immigration police are saying "No - there is no clampdown" its because almost all construction work is done by Cambodians, not because they are cheaper - but they are more productive. The construction company will be paying top dollar for those guys and they demand high productivity. All that would come out of this is the continued (its started already) moving of entire (unskilled) factories into Lao and Cambodia such as Jeans/t-shirts/nuts and bolts etc etc. They then just bring them back over the border tax free due to ASEAN agreements.

Luk Tan Som Monica Sara Polley Bua Bell Bee May

Tammy Viz Chompoo Wan Noey Huney

This is the latest lineup - 25 girls currently working through the coup and the curfew. Numnung Lin Nat Cream Kitty Na Nan Nok Am Nut

So, your mate told it was a no LB place (actually pretty well known already) and so you take her there to humiliate her (after all, you knew already). What a great guy you are. Sorry dude, this ain't the west and places can and do restrict entry/service - just live with it. By the way, most of us residents have been not going for at least 10 years since they brought in the rule.

Steady on there Sustra - you will have half of the residents of Soi Bukhaeu trying that trick just to save a few baht on the electric bill every month. Even more so now, as with the curfew, many have lost the free light from various 7/11's and Family marts which conveniently lit up their rooms when they kept the curtains open in the evening.

And for what its worth I say electric is most critical for me. As without it, my water pumps don't work and if need be, I can always go and take a bucket of water from the swimming pool !!! Saves on bathroom duck cleaner as well - pool water is full of chlorine.

Good questions but you forgot the most critical question. Why do all 20/30/40b street stalls insist on using the 'Uri Geller' line of stainless steel cutlery and does it force you to take your own with you?

Here is the link Re: Chalerm;- http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/727581-thai-govt-calls-emergency-meeting-to-respond-to-martial-law/ Its from Khaosod, so will have a pro Pheu Thai bias.

The thing about Chalerm was reported by a newspaper - BKK Post I think it was, but maybe another agency. The guns went missing a good few years ago - lots of them. A well planned and executed operation breaking into an armory and to this day, the army are still pissed about it. Looks like those which turned up in the back of the Pheu Thai guys car are possibly from the stolen supply. So presumably, someone knows where the rest of them are. I think this has a lot to do with the martial law coming in right now as M16's are not the sort of thing you buy on e-bay - that is reserved for kalashnikovs !!!!.

Presumably the Bang Na road blocks are to prevent the extreme fringe Red Shirt element from Samut Prakhan getting into the city centre. Lets just hope they don't have a road map and work out there are plenty of other ways into the city these days !!!! But by the sounds of things, overall its a least worst kind of strategy. stop all the agitating broadcasts, keep the factions apart and probably most of all, stop Chalerm from doing all kinds of mischief. Interesting that they raided his house as soon as the announcement was made. Wonder if the decision to move now had anything to do with the discovery of the (presumably the stolen army) M16's in the back of a politicians car. Lots of people seem to be getting very very nervous about that find.

And who can forget all the other angels in the bar. 25 girls now work in the new bigger, airconditioned Check in bar. A further 6-12 work at the alcocart. The inside bar is open from 6pm until 3am at the earliest. Alco cart is 11pm to 6am. Beer starts at 100b

Nut makes #5

Nan makes #4

Nok makes #3

Tammy is another

Vis is one of them

Couple of phone pics posted on Facebook by the bar. 5 new girls have started over the last week or so.

The impression I am getting is that not only were the stolen used on that flight, that they had left Thailand and been stamped out by an immigration officer. Otherwise, why would Immigration be giving this so much attention. So it was probably done either by someone actually using it and walking through (thus should have a photo of the person), or it got stamped and no photo. In which case, they will be trying to pick off a visa run outfit who may have slipped those dodgy passports in with another dozen genuine runners. Sounds like they are aware of some corruption somewhere and are trying to lock the doors to prevent it happening again. That may explain why they are looking at fingerprinting each arrival and departing passenger. The use of fingerprints more leans toward someone walked through but it was not the actual passport holder (who had reported it stolen, but could equally have sold it).

Jenny star Bar would be the one I would most like to see return, as it was in its heyday.

Perfect time to do a re-furb on the Insurers coin !!! Low season, bar closures coming up weekly for a month and still selling beer outside at usual prices one would assume (what is it now? 180b beer.)

Never been any serious discussion about knocking down that real estate to create a road between 2nd & Soi Buakhao that i am aware off. But then I don't put much store either into the "let's protect Central" storyline. Simple reality is that the land owners believed with Central coming, that their piece of land is now worth XXXX% more than anyone else thinks it is. Hence it has not been sold. Maybe they had visions of The Mall group (Emporium, Siam Paragon etc) coming in with some hi-ball offer to buy and re-develop it. If Central were that bothered(about one small LB bar), they would have just bought it (the land) and then closed it down. As they have not done so, its fair to assume, they were not that bothered either way.

Buddhist holiday

Superb pics there Snick - nobody would have a clue you'd had gawd knows how many cocktails the night before I love that 2nd group shot in post 18. Also worth noting some of the top eye candy are not in those photo's - yet they still look great. Bee & Noi are both missing just as an indicator.

Few more FB pics