Single phase - No Earth

Hi,

Living in Thailand building construction and associated codes seem to be defined but poorly implemented at best. I have a situation where the house I am in has no earth to any of the outlets. The main cause for concern for me is earthing of WC items (Shower/Sink/Toilet) and washing machine and oven. I do get an occasional small shock from exposed metal items such as a laptop fingerprint reader and items that get plugged into USB such as digital cams...

Is it normal (or known) for Neutral to be linked to earth, and does this provide a robust earth path, or do I need to be looking to get a 2-meter copper bar sunken into the ground and run the earth all over the house?

Thanks guys

yes the neutral in an outlet is connected to earth ground sometimes, other times it is reconnected to an ac circuit to create an closed circuit. i don't know how things work in Thailand. but in any case, it is not a reliable way to provide a safe path for a short circuited devecie to go to ground. my best advice would be to leave that place and get back to a place that has proper grounding prongs, ie RUN AWAY!!!