milesinnz

I am not sure what would be worse.. Bangkok Hilton or the front line in Ukraine ???...

you don't understand Cambodia at all.. "and see every day the big American Cars with Cambodian plates".. these are the corrupt.. you can see Rolls Royces and other exotic cars regularly crashed in Phnom Penh almost every night - the drivers often run away or someone comes to collect them - some causing injury or even death to ordinary Khmer - where do you think the money could come from ? Cambodia is the most corrupt country in SE Asia.. and figures very poorly in the world ranking as far as corruption is concerned - I think even falling in recent ranking... I know Thailand is corrupt, but the dynasty in Cambodia is more akin to North Korea than Thailand. you were comparing the poverty in NE Thailand with the poverty in Cambodia.. I forget your exact words.. by any measure the poverty in Cambodia is many degrees worse than Thailand.. the recent news,,, I think I am correct in saying that Cambodia has the poorest mental health in SE Asia... why do Khmer cross the border in such numbers to work in Thailand in the lowest paid jobs if there is any sort of equality at the bottom of the social ladder ?... why do people in Cambodia seek to go to Thai hospitals if they possibly can ? There have been a number of recent cases where Thai's have been lured to Cambodia to work in high paid jobs but as then imprisoned and forces to work scams - that is regularly in the news...

Some real data... Cambodia is rated as no 38 in the most poor countries in the World.. nothing like Thailand... you just shot any credibility you had to bits. I know NE Thailand very well... I can have what I can call a third home there (Udon)... the farm and my main family involvement in is Northern Cambodia - mainly Anlong Veng which was the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge. The mother of my daughter there is a senior Police Officer so I know well the social issues as we discuss and try to take action in those areas that we can. You are living in an arrogant delusional bubble and don't have a clue what you are talking about...

I agree you don't need to be completely off grid.. you can often get 80% of your requirements met with 50% of the cost.. I have a good route for equipment from China.. Alibaba I have been using for 8 years... but I don't think you appreciate the poverty there is in Northern Cambodia.... the lack of jobs is a huge issue and this leads to drugs and crime. I can get a turnkey package from China... but we have a lot of other priorities. Our concern is for the local economy and local people and this is where a lot of our effort is being aimed.... we will be using solar, but modestly and where it is most useful and needed...

I watched your video.. thanks.. very professional and I suspect an expensive setup. I don't see many Thais being able to achieve this. I am more of a minimalist. We will be taking some simple obvious steps to make the houses cooler... insulation and white walls is pretty simple start. There would be few people in Cambodia (which is in the bottom 40 most poor countries in the World) who could afford such a setup - and if they could they would likely be the corrupt who don't care about anything but themselves so they will be driving around in big 4 x 4 s or expensive exotic supercars. I continue to follow developments in solar panels and battery technology which I expect to continue to improve. I am leaning towards China supplied battery car equipment to repower small petrol cars in Cambodia. Also we are aiming for close to complete self-sufficiency on the farm - but we will still have diesel tractors. I think the bigger risk is an economic dislocation rather than running out of carbon fuels or even the effects of climate change. It will be interesting to see how fast things move and in what direction on all of the social and economic challenges we face.

I hope you are right. We are both speculating about the future. I have considered wind power for Cambodia, but there is very little wind for most of the year - so I am not even going to consider this. I have no idea what offshore wind farm potential there is for at least Thailand. Cambodia is considered a low wind area for sailors. The key I feel still lays at the feet of battery costs and storage potential and length of battery service. Do you currently see cities in Thailand that can operate at night on batteries ? And if the Thai government is really so pro electric vehicles, why don't they start by electrifying the railways ? There have been some interesting developments in Germany I believe with trucks getting their power from railway type pantagraphs on major routes and switching to battery for the end local roads - seems a pretty smart idea. I have just looked at some data for China's road energy usage up to 2030. The use of electricity is so small, it is hardly measurable on the graphs provided. Best described as insignificant showing a rise in diesel and petrol usage. This article was published in March 2022 (I have no idea what the projections are for Thailand - I also assume this does not include agriculture). https://www.tycorun.com/blogs/news/what-is-the-energy-consumption-of-transportation

I don't doubt it is going through the roof.. I will be installing solar on our farm in Cambodia... but at only 5% being renewable in Thailand.. and that will be the total renewable... I don't know what % will be solar... there is a long way to go... where does all the power come from to run the night time aircon, all the businesses and factories at night.. and Thailand does not even have an electrified rail system. So all the Kubota tractors are going to be replaced by electric tractors ?... how many electric tractors are there in Thailand ? Solar capacity has to go up by a factor of 10 just to get to 50%. I really have no knowledge of how factories and businesses would be powered at night - don't forget all the aircon. Battery ??? "Solar is far cheaper than an EV maybe you didn't know that".. what are you trying to say ???? Thailand is a country with economic problems and where personal debt is huge.. so Thais will borrow more ?... but I would say the sooner they can get battery buses in BKK and other major cities the better. My issue is with the numbers... so what happens at night ? Thailand runs on batteries ?

"Approximately 60 percent of electric power in Thailand is generated from natural gas. With domestic gas reserves projected to dry up in the next 10-20 years, liquefied natural gas (LNG) will play a critical role in ensuring long-term electricity security".. renewable is 5%.. and that might not all be solar.. large scale solar power storage has not been solved other than perhaps pumped water. I wonder how much your power investment represents ? you think that average Thai can afford your level of investment.. residential power is about 1/3 of the power consumption of Thailand... so how are the factories, trucks and businesses going to be kept going at night.. all by battery power.. you don't seem to have a grasp on the issues..

I wonder where all the power is going to come from. I remember reading an article some years ago, and I am sure it said a lot of electricity is generated from gas... but the gas that Thailand has is due to run out very soon. So I guess they will be importing natural gas ? to make electricity, to charge electric cars. Why not just put the LPG straight into the cars. And what about the trucks.. electric trucks ? .. they have not even electrified the rail system... I wonder if Thailand is heading for a power crisis in a few years time ?.. and with the weakness in the Thai economy where will the money come from to pay for the imported gas. I do not see the Mekong or solar power being sufficient for Thailand's needs...

indeed.. NZ has a lot of foreign imports... just because they are White does not infer they were originally from NZ.. NZ now takes all kinds of riffraff with only pathetic checks by NZ immigration - which is designed to make it hard for the honest decent people to get into NZ... getting a license for a pistol in NZ is not easy....

so, if a gun is drawn on you by Police in say the USA.... is it acceptable to disarm the Police ?.. you think this would lead to a good outcome in the USA ?... I have never heard of Thai Police shooting a foreigner unless there was some sort of "Police chase".. maybe there have been instances but I have never heard of them...

mmm.... you think disarming Police in a Western country is a good idea and acceptable - or only as a foreigner in a SE Asia country ? ... you think this would lead to a good outcome in say the USA ??

As a New Zealander, I can confirm that NZ is full of arrogant entitled p***** ... looking forward to leaving permanently... to SE Asia.... In my many thousands of KMs of motorcycling in Thailand, I was ALWAYS stopped at EVERY road check point, even as Thai's without helmets passed by without being stopped. Once I was stopped about 3 times in maybe 20 kms (I have no idea what there were so many check points). I complained to the senior Police Officer there. He was very friendly. Funny, the next two check points I went though I was not stopped the only time this has ever happened = not being stopped at a Police check point. There can have been no possible sane reason why these two nutters ended up in the situation they did other than their own arrogance, entitlement and stupidity. I think too many western people tend to demand the same standards in a SE Asian country as they expect in their own country, forgetting that they are guests in this country and need to abide by the laws and customs of that country. As they say, when in Rome xxx xx x

Please keep them in prison in Thailand.. we don't want this sort of sick trash back in New Zealand...

are they a branch of TAT ?

No problem, he can rent himself out in a UK prison for the next 7 years.... won't be a thousand pounds a night...

Don't know if it is still not been changed.. but at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the big map of the World, New Zealand is upside down. I mentioned it to someone in authority in 2016, but in 2018 it was still upside down... now imagine if some other country misrepresented Thailand... oh the screaming and the authorities would be balling their eyes out and making demands it was fixed together with toilet roll long apologies.. on another note, having just left BKK for Hong Kong.. there is no free Internet at BKK.. few power points.. Hong Kong, the Internet is free and lightening fast, and power sockets everywhere... maybe those running Suvarnabhumi Airport are still using paper and fountain pens ?

but but but... there is no sex industry.... Thailand is a playground for families to come and have a family holiday. Prostitution is illegal so it cannot happen....

"He added that the rankings may be based on the satisfaction assessment of some travellers regarding factors such as queue times at check-in counters".. so according to (broken) Thai logic, issues such as - "queue times" are not relevant.. sort of explains everything...

Meanwhile, Thai government priority is to crack down on naughty foreigners bringing disrepute to Thailand..

have you never heard of retired people or people with very ample means ????

is this a load of hypocritical BS ??.. if I married a Thai girl and she came to my country she could get residency in 2 years, and a path to full citizenship. She would have all the facilities of fellow people from my country. There would be NO 90 day reporting or this sort of nonsense.. do why not the same if I decided to stay with the girl in Thailand... 2 years to get residence and a path to citizenship ?.. lets throw out all the Thai's residing overseas and cancel their residency status and citizenship..

It's more of a problem leaving from certain countries... New Zealand for one.. they won't let you board the aircraft... - the need to show an air ticket out of Thailand...

the "return (flight) ticket" is a joke when many people will exit Thailand by a land border.. even a pre-booked bus ticket to say Cambodia does not count..

Even if it was not meningitis .. there were enough warning signs to suspect it.. and rapid deterioration can set in. The teacher was negligent and stupid not to get the child to a hospital.. but I suspect lack of basic training is to blame.. meningitis is something everyone should be aware of especially if you are responsible for a group of children