That insensitive clod thinks it's okay to tease that poor waitress and even touch her private places.

LT sounds like a nice woman, as do the rest of her female friends. They also sound completely useless.

That idiot would never have got away with it if he had carried on that way in the US. The waitress would have set the police on him and slapped him with a lawsuit so fast he wouldn't have known what was happening.

Also, if this had happened in the States, LT and her nice friends would have lodged a complaint with their human-resources people about this clod's abusive language. He'd never have worked in their town again.

Such is not the case in Thailand. This country is full of compassionate people, but some of them just wait and hope a problem will go away. They should learn how to protect themselves from ugly, stupid people.

Don't Use My Name

Dear X,

Some foreigners seem to think that Thais have a "don't rock the boat" mentality.

It may be true, but in this case, if the waitress had called the police, she would have lost her job (if the police had shown up).

I also believe that LT and her colleagues were doing their best to maintain harmony in their workplace. Suing and lodging complaints would not have accomplished this aim, but the situation should improve if the group goes to a different restaurant.

Dear Melanee,

I make embroidery items to sell from my home. I work very hard to make them. Also, I only use expensive materials, such as imported linens and silks, so the work I sell must also be expensive. In addition, I am a dressmaker. I studied abroad. My customers tell me that my work is very beautiful.

Sometimes a customer commissions me to do special work. One customer placed a big order for lots of embroidered dresses. I think she's getting married.

A few days ago, this lady came to my house with her boyfriend for the first fitting. She was excited about the clothes and even brought her video camera. The two of them came by taxi, and when they left, I drove them to the main street (which is far away) so that they could get a taxi back to their home.

That evening, the lady called me and asked me to look for her camera. She was sure she'd left it in my car.

Melanee, I searched all over the car and found nothing. I even searched for it in my home, but didn't find it. I called her and told her they probably left it in the taxi.

I asked her to call Jor Sor 100 and other radio stations because all taxi drivers listen to them.

I feel so bad about it. How can I prove to her that the camera wasn't in my car? And if she dropped it when she got out of my car, she should have realised it because it's not a small camera, and they stood there waiting for a taxi at least five minutes. I'm quite sure that they left it in the taxi.

What should I do? I'm afraid that they think that I'm keeping it and they will refuse to pay for the dresses I've made.

Help me please.

TW

Dear TW,

The mind can play tricks on a person's memory. Your customer may have insisted that she left the camera in your car because she wasn't paying attention to all her possessions, and she herself can't imagine forgetting such a large and expensive item.

Do call her and make sure that she phoned the radio stations. You might even offer to contact them for her. Some people are too shy or inexperienced to make the calls themselves.

I do hope that she made that phone call, though. The longer she waits, the less likely it is that the taxi driver will still have the video camera.

Problems that Melanee can advise you on? Fax (02) 751 4446, or e-mail melaneepetra@hotmail.com.

By Melanee Petra