"It's a STOLEN trolley, you say?"

For me the highlighted (Amazing Thailand) aspect of the story about airport workers stealing luggage trolleys from Suvarnabombsite and selling them for scrap metal was this comment - "Samut Prakan governor Anuwat Methiwibulwut said that he would report the property thefts at the airport to the Provincial Administration Department to push for scrap shops in the area to stop trading in stolen items." Clearly the thought that two guys turning up in a truck and off-loading what could only be airport luggage trolleys would be other than a legitimate sale of surplus stock never crossed anyone's mind. The whole "This Is Thailand" story can be read at http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/09 ... 084450.php (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/09/26/national/national_30084450.php)

When I tell my visitors from abroad that there are stories like this, told with a straight face, in the Thai press every week, if not every day, they are incredulous. Amazing Thailand indeed

Just thank god airport runways aren`t made of metal!

Just thank god airport runways aren`t made of metal!

but the building is.......havent u noticed its gradually getting smaller?

[jimnbkk]

some of our more dishonest scrap dealers are accepting manhole covers, as if they were suddenly declared surplus by the city or county. Also, miles of copper piping and wiring are appearing at scrap dealers yards with, in come cases, nary a frown.

Point is: it's not just Thailand that's got problems. They need to haul the scrap dealers off to the monkey house just to get their attention!

some of our more dishonest scrap dealers are accepting manhole covers, as if they were suddenly declared surplus by the city or county. Also, miles of copper piping and wiring are appearing at scrap dealers yards with, in come cases, nary a frown.

Point is: it's not just Thailand that's got problems. They need to haul the scrap dealers off to the monkey house just to get their attention!

A worldwide phenomenon, indeed.

In the city of Calcutta, India more than 10,000 manhole covers were taken in two months. These were replaced with concrete covers, but these were also stolen, this time for the iron rods inside them.

According to China's Xinhua news agency, about "240,000 manhole and street-drain covers were stolen in Beijing in 2004."

In Prague, 20 manhole covers per day are stolen as a protest by homeless people facing eviction from sewer systems.

In Philadelphia, 2,500 covers have been stolen in the last year, costing the city at least $300,000. Widespread manhole-cover theft has also been reported in Long Beach, Cleveland, Memphis, Miami, and Milwaukee. Some cities are now switching to plastic covers or welding down the metal ones. Police are trying to crack down on junkyards, but as one North Philadelphia scrap metal collector reports, the demand curve is not in their favor: These guys here," Mr. Sergeant said, pointing at one scrap yard, "TheyтАЩd buy a police cruiser and melt it down if we brought it in. The prices for metal are just that good these days."

Sources: Wiki and silobreaker (for Chao Na with love)

[ceejay]

The thieves are more cultured in England:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds ... 537670.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/4537670.stm)

Sadly, it was never found and has long since, one assumes, been melted down.

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

They should be applauded for their business acumen and immediately given high goverment positions where they would fit in nicely.

It doesn't beat the current trend in the USA in the less salubrious areas as mortgagees are turfed out of their homes and the bank finds the house is striped bare within a week of word getting about, basically leaving them with just the value of the plot of land, adding further to their capitalist woes !

[Diec]

Well homo...I hope you never get highjacked for all the metal in your teeth!! LOL...this board would be lost without you.

Well homo...I hope you never get highjacked for all the metal in your teeth!! LOL...this board would be lost without you.I'll have to have a word with my denture-maker - he assured me it was all high-class plastic