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Yurune
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Nope never been to daudi.....
Have been to Pakistan...loved it.....
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:35 am on Aug. 30, 2003
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China Sailor
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b4b,
Actually you are wrong on that point, Thailand has always been Arythurian. One of the major points of pride for Thailand is that they have not been dominated by any other people in their history.
Again I nicely ask you to keep the Palestine/Israel issue somewhere other than this site, it is not needed here!!!
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 3:12 am on Aug. 30, 2003
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John NM
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China Sailor,
Right on with that. Thailand or the Kingdom of Siam has gained and lost territory but never been conquered or subjugated. I believe the last land lost was a result of WWII. Actually when you think of the national pride associated with that and the Bhuddist way of living, an interesting blend.
I agree the Israeli/Palistinian issue is best kept else where....and an issue that none here or anywhere can solve. This forum is for Thailand not for geo-political issues of the mideast that will never be settled in our lifetimes.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:27 am on Aug. 30, 2003
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haam sup
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"Thailand or the Kingdom of Siam has gained and lost territory but never been conquered or subjugated."
Largely a matter of the definition of "Kingdom of Siam", and the Burmese might quibble. ÝBut the main point is that European powers, while 'conquering' and making colonies of the surrounding SEA countries, were largely outwitted by those in power in Siam.
The Thais are proud of it, but there is a seldom-heard flip side: there is no deeply ingrained or well-developed system of law in Thailand. ÝOne thing most European colonizers brought with them is a systematic system of law. ÝThailand's lack of such a system is the root of the legal shenannigans we are seeing in the news today...
Still, it's a trade I would gladly accept, because the lack of European influence has left Thailand the charming and unique place it is.
haam sup
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 11:31 am on Aug. 30, 2003
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Arcadius
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I think 'outwitted' is too strong, although I know the Thais like to think so.
The Thais certainly played a fairly weak hand with great skill, opening their country up to Western trade and successfully playing the 'buffer zone' card. But the truth is that that neither Britain nor France wanted another major zone of conflict in SE Asia, and there was a large element of 'OK, if you don't, we won't'. Although both filched territory from Siam, they were constrained by mutual jealousy and the Thais knew how to work this situation. Actually, they had a lot of help from some Belgian guy (who's name I forget) who recognised that an independent Siam was in everyone's interest, was able to identify the farang powers' bottom line & could negotiate with them in terms they could understand.
It says a lot about the Thais that they understood they needed someone like this and weren't too proud to employ him. I think any reading of Thai history would have to conclude that their political and diplomatic savvy is of a very high order. For that reason, I trust them to handle Hermanolobo's 'change at the top' effectively, however much some of us may dread it.
I'm not sure that colonisation would have resulted in more respect for the rule of law in LOS. Look at Burma - one giant racket run solely for the benefit of a stupid and utterly selfish mafia calling itself an army. In fact, I would say anyone inclined to moan about Thai shortcomings should take a short flight from BKK to Rangoon. Here's a country with a very similar population and culture to LOS, that before the War had a higher standard of living and literacy rate, and look at it now! Rangoon is a third world slum, and the century-old colonial buildings are still by far the most impressive things in the city (apart from the Shwedagon of course). Burma has everything going for it that LOS does - in some cases more so - and is a sad monument to what decades of REALLY bad government can do.
OK, at the other extreme you have Singapore - another ex-British colony. No real problem with corruption there, and in terms of economic development etc, a very impressive success story. And yet... well let's just say that if I had to leave BKK and live in Singapore, I'd probably top myself. Thank God, the Thais could never turn LOS into another Singapore in a million years. Ý Ý Ý Ý Ý Ý
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 1:42 pm on Aug. 30, 2003
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haam sup
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Arcadius,
I guess it's a matter of perspective: as you point out, the Thais are convinced they played it well. ÝFrom my point of view, I don't see much alternative, given the cards they held. ÝThey paid a price, to be sure, but remained relatively unfettered. ÝI call this 'outwitting' both France and England, who DID have designs on Siam. ÝConvincing them that it would be best if the Kingdom remained independent was pretty shrewd, IMO.
As for Burma, you leave out a rather crucial period of Commie expansionism, which came long after the Colonial heydays. ÝOnce the Commies came around (which, IMHO, was a direct reaction to colonial excesses), all bets were off.
Perhaps 'respect' for the rule of law is the wrong word, but the concept of standards-based legal systems has a precedent in many SEA countries which is lacking in Thailand, regardless of their current adherence and /or form of government.
As for Singapore, we agree that it lacks the charm (to say the least!) of Thailand, but if I were to do significant business in SEA, choosing between the two would be a no-brainer.
haam sup
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:15 pm on Aug. 30, 2003
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Kaymanx
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I find the expression "Tea money", or "T money" quite remarkable. What is its etymology ? In India it's called "chai pani" - chai being the hindi word for tea. How come the similarity ?
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:37 am on Aug. 31, 2003
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John NM
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" Attaining good corporate governance is a goal that's been difficult to achieve in Thailand because of another concept and practise called "tea money."
This innocuous phrase corresponds to the English term graft and is widespread in many parts of the world including Thailand. The Oxford dictionary defines graft as, "the use of illegal or unfair means, esp, bribery to gain an advantage in business, politics."
According to the weekly "Bridging the Gap" column, which appears in the Business section of the Bangkok Post, the practice of tea money "is said to have originated with Chinese merchants seeking favours from Thai officials in centuries past."
The Thai epic film, "Suryiothai," which depicts Thailand in the 16th century contains a depiction of a tea money transaction and because the film is based on historical research, it indicates how long the practise has gone on here.
Documenting an illegal practise is always difficult but periodically a story does appear that indicates that the use of tea money is still widespread.
The Sino-Thai Construction Company announced in February of this year that it was withdrawing from competition for major infrastructure projects as they needed "strong political connections as well as paying tea money," the Bangkok Post reported.
Another example reported that trucking operators objected to a three percent withholding tax as "10 to 20 percent of their current expenses consisted of tea money paid during shipments."
One other area of concern is education where it's reported by the Bangkok Post that tea money payments are made to get students into better schools.
In an extensive report published in the Bangkok Post on May 9, 2001, it was reported that 1,400 students had passed the test for entry into a school but when the semester began 1,700 students showed up. Associate Professor Sompong Jitradub said he believed that the additional 300 students arrived courtesy of tea money, although it was never checked where the extra 300 students came from, according to the newspaper.
As Thailand evolves into a more advanced country in terms of its business methods, investors and ratings services will be continuing to look at Thailand's progress in corporate governance.
The country's educational system is also slated for overhaul and I am sure many of Thailand's parents will be interested in seeing how the tea money issue will be dealt with in that coming reform.
"
or.... http://www.charm.ru/coins/misc/teamoney.shtml
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:19 pm on Aug. 31, 2003
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PussyLover 69
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In Malaysia it is known as "duit kopi", or "coffee money"
Maybe in Malaysia they drink more coffee than tea ?
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 4:48 pm on Aug. 31, 2003
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kjayson7
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I thought we(Japan) took over Thailand...during WW2...
ugh...however...WW2 was just bull shit...we got bombed lolol...but we owned Asia for long time...sigh...if we won the war...def we probably f_cked every SE chiks haha jk jk jk
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:04 pm on Aug. 31, 2003
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