brahmburgers

my mistake for posting it twice, I thought it had not been posted the initial times.

The reason I posted it was as a reflection on the current policy. If someone like a pre-famous & rich Ms Rowlings were to come to Thailand now, the current immigration rules would preclude her from staying longer than 90 days in a a 180 day period.(actually a 30 day visa is really a max of 29 days, not 30 days).

Now that she is rich and famous, Thai authorities would be falling over themselves to put out the red carpet, and probably offer her honorary citizenship. Thais are nothing if not subjective about bureacratic things, and quick to fawn over anyone who smells of money - to the disdain of less fortunates - as ms Rowlings was before her fame. She wrote most of her first book on a tourist visa in Portugal by the way.

I dont know Brit immigration rules, but I bet that infractions there (as in the U.S.) would get deported rather than thrown in jail - as happens in Thailand. Im a yank and there are millions of illegals all over and theyre generally tolerated by most people - indeed, most yanks understand that illegals make life spicier for all - of course all Americans except Indians started out as illegals - just like all Thais came from somewhere else - if you look back far enough. Indeed, a significant % of Thais are 1st or 2nd generation out of China.

Hypothetical news article, dateline, December 1994: British subject Ms J.K. Rowlings was detained at the border. She had two visa renewal stamps in her passport and was hoping to get a third, but Thai immigration authorities instead gave her a deportation notice. Ms Rowlings mentioned that she only wanted to find a pleasant secluded place in Thailand where she could sit and write a book – a fictional story of a boy who finds magic. Thai authorities didn’t care whether she was a writer or an astronaut, it was clear she was not rich enough to stay longer than ninety days in Land of Smiles.

Ms Rowlings admitted that she had received public assistance in Britain, but that she could support herself by doing some teaching in Thailand while writing her book. Immigration officials were not impressed and promptly gave her seven days in which to leave the country or else go to prison.

Thousands of pieces of luggage don't disappear, so they have to be stocked up somewhere - in trolleys, alongside conveyors, heaped in rooms, who knows? Nimble fingered thieves could gain access with less effort than lifting a forgotten cell phone off a coffee table. Beware, it could happen.

You will save money and potential future headache if you return to Thailand, however may times you wish, and fraternize with her and get to know her and her situation better. Plus, you can keep your eyes and ears open for other potential mates. It's too easy to get sucked in to a relationship that winds up feeling like a drain - emotionally and financially. Better to try and keep it light. If she proves to be taking advantage (as so many are intent to do) then you can find out before you get all entangled in her snare - and then you can ease out and the most you're out is a bruised heart and a thinner wallet. If she's good as gold, then take the plunge.

Good luck and keep in mind, there are lots of other options out there.

Hypothetical news article, dateline, December 1994: British subject Ms J.K. Rowlings was detained at the border. She had two visa renewal stamps in her passport and was hoping to get a third, but Thai immigration authorities instead gave her a deportation notice. Ms Rowlings mentioned that she only wanted to find a pleasant secluded place in Thailand where she could sit and write a book – a fictional story of a boy who finds magic. Thai authorities didn’t care whether she was a writer or an astronaut, it was clear she was not rich enough to stay longer than ninety days in Land of Smiles.

Ms Rowlings admitted that she had received public assistance in Britain, but that she could support herself by doing some teaching in Thailand while writing her book. Immigration officials were not impressed and promptly gave her seven days in which to leave the country or else go to prison.

Thai man confides to his friend:

Don't tell my mother I'm a captain in the Thai immigration Department,

She thinks I'm a barker at an upper floor cat house at PatPong.

Ernest Hemingway, who resided in Cuba and Spain with a bohemian lifestyle, wouldn't have been welcome in Thailand. The Buddha himself would have a hard time adhering Thai immigration authorities - with his Inidan/Nepali nationality, no bank accounts, no pension, no paying taxes. The point here is it takes all types. Those who are well off enough to jet thousands of miles to renew a visa, good for you, but don't let your ample funds and easy visas make you smug - and wind up looking down on the less well-heeled among you - as Thai authorities do as eveidenced by their ill-thought-out policies.

Ernest Hemingway stayed in Cuba and Spain for extended periods - With visa hassles he would have gone elsewhere. The Buddha himself surely wouldn't be allowed to stay in present-day Thailand. Current rules would have booted the Indian/Nepali out as a vagrant from the get-go. Seriously though, there are all types who want to stay in Thailand. To show preference for richer folks who can afford back and forth jet trips to their far-away countries is bad for the ozone, with all those jets ripping giant seams in it. Yea, I'm a low income tree-hugger who wants to live on my humble farmstead in northernmost Thailand. I support two Thai families and don't even buy newspapers to save baht. The immigration authorities are doing more harm to Thailand than good, and they won't realize it for years.

I have about 40 trees up in Chiang Rai. They're all started from seed and none have yielded yet. The oldest are six years old, and I've heard that they can begin bearing fruit as young as 7 years - though others say as long as 11 years. I'd prefer to graft on top quality scions, but I have heither the skills nor the scions available to do so. Even so, I start about 15 new trees per year, and am planning to use these new ones as rootstock - upon which to graft a desirable scion later on - if I ever find a source. Local plant nurseries don't have avocado seedlings of any type.

I live close to Burmese border at Mae Sai. The burmese like avos but the Thai's are clueless about them. They're available at the border for sept thru nov. for about 50 baht per kilo.

it's spelled avocado with an 'o'

Nobody wants mold and mildew growing in their home. Yet upon close inspection, especially during rainy season, the average home probably has lots of the stuff. Some might even be in plain sight, but not evident. Even though the Thai marketplace doesn’t have a Lysol-type product (anti mold/mildew aerosol spray), there are ways to deal with unwanted mold and the spores which come with it.

I have a habit of putting up shelves using wooden interior doors propped up flat upon cheap tables. It has since become evident that mold also like all that wood, though for different reasons that I do. Same for any unsealed exposed wood in the house. For future projects, I will make a point to seal the wood with clear sealer or paint – though that in itself won’t preclude mold and mildew from taking hold. I had thought of sealing with oil, but my worker made a good point, saying that insects will come around and find the wood more palatable – sort of like adding gravy to roast beef.

Anyhow, I recently sponged down as much of the wood I could reach – with pure bleach (‘hai-teu’ in Thai). Wearing rubber gloves helps. I’ve even come to like the smell of bleach around the house. Some day, when not feeling lazy, I’ll dissemble all the shelves and take them and every other piece of wood furniture outside to clean and reseal them.

‘Who Would Have Thunk’ Dept. I had some toothpicks sitting around for a while and, taking a close look I noticed faint turquoise splotches on them. Mold – not the kind of flora I want to add to my gums. Rather than toss them out and wasting twenty satang’s worth of toothpicks, I rinsed them in bleach. Toothbrushes can also handle a dunking in bleach or hydrogen peroxide (known in Thai as ‘hydroyen’). Indeed, a brisk rinse of the mouth with a peroxide solution is not a bad thing once in awhile.

A few words about flossing: I used to think just running dental floss between teeth was enough. Not so. I got a rude awakening, years ago, when I went to get a free teeth cleaning sponsored by a soon-to-be-graduating class of Dental Hygienists at a local college in the States. The unfortunate gal who got paired with me was almost led to tears. I had such a coral-like crust built up on my teeth that she had to literally work overtime to scrape it away. From that awkward three hours I learned that flossing is serious business. The floss string must be aggressively handled to do a decent job. Same for brushing; gums should be brushed vigorously in order to keep firm them up and keep too much bacteria getting down in alongside teeth – which is the cause of most dental problems. Flossing and brushing twice daily keeps teeth from getting too dull-looking, though they’ll never get as white as the average Asian’s ivories. I don’t know much it has to do with their diet, their genes or oral hygiene, but it’s plain to see that Thai peoples’ teeth are, on average, whiter than westerners.’

It's expected and no big deal - considering the large array of logistical concerns. However, there are still basic conveniences that need to be dealt with: namely: a greater number of seats, some of which should enable weary travelers to lay prone or so some stretching while looking at a tree or flower bush (instead of ads for Estee Lauder). More restrooms. Cheaper internet. Is there a small park-like area for a person who might like a few minutes of relatively fresh air and perhaps a spot of sunshine on their face?.

For thousands of years people have been living in these areas, and for just as long, heavy rains pour down every year. Yes the flooding is a major misfortune for many, but it's often it's avoidable. I look around my town of Chiang Rai and they're busy building in flood plains and on mud slopes. culverts are few, major drainage systems are often level rather than sloped if they're there at all. Municiple planning, foresight and infrastructure is certainly not things that Thais are well endowed with.

Ousted PM's wife leaves for London

The wife of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Pojaman, left Bangkok early Monday to join her husband in London as the nation's new military leaders launched graft probes against him, the chief of immigration said.

"She has left with two others, her housekeeper and a close friend, at 1:30 am on Thai Airways Flight 910" to London's Heathrow airport," Lieutenant General Suwat Thamrongsrisakul told AFP.

Pojaman is widely believed to have exerted great influence over her husband's activities. Much of the billionaire politician's wealth is held by her and their three children.

Thaksin was in New York for the UN General Assembly when the military seized power during the night of September 19. He then went to London, where he maintains a residence and where one of his daughters is studying.

His two other children are believed to be in Thailand.

The new ruling junta has moved quickly to open investigations into alleged corruption by Thaksin's government and have threatened to seize the assets of anyone found guilty of wrongdoing.

Source: The Nation - 25 September 2006

'a day late and a dollar short' should be the title of the upcoming investigations. Thaksin and his family have dodged repercussions of their insatiable greed thus far, and will continue to do so. If Reagan was the 'teflon president' Thaksin is the 'oil on grease PM.'

be well advised to carry 10,000 baht just in case the bean bag at the Thai re-entry asks. If you're dressed in suit and tie, you're less likely to get asked to show money. It must be baht cash - not bank book or credit card, or s&h green stamps. I think it's a 20,000 baht requirement if coming in on a 90 day renewal.

Maybe in 900 years or so SE Asia will mature to the point of having paperless borders like Europe. ....or maybe they'll maintain their balkanized mentality until the sun goes supernova.

let's hope the next instalment at the feeding trough is not quite as heartless as the Thaksin's TRT brood. Meanwhile, the former PM's wife is frantically reshuffling tens of billions out of their 60 accounts at Thai banks - because the prez of Bank of Thailand didn't have the cojones to freeze TRT bank accounts - as he should have. As the months and years roll by, and legal proceedings come to bear, where will the culprits and their money be? - outside Thailand and untouchable by the short arm of Thai law. If they're found innocent of cheating the Thai people, then OK, the authorities can un-freeze their accounts and offer an apology.

Sonthi is alright!

Thanks to Pravit from the Nation for publishing such an informative update on the airport - ...an airport which really wasn't needed as Don Muang could have been updated/enlarged as needed. The key sentence has to do with the airport authorities wanting passengers to mill around at shops rather than relaxing in seats. In numerous ways, Thai planners have shown lack of skills and foresight - not just with the airport but in municipal planning in general. ...should have brought in farang to design the machinations of the airport. Thai planners are dissadvantaged by their educational system which mandates rote learning and suppression of creative 'out of the box' thinking - plus their propensity for blindly following directives from top bosses - who are often just looking at what will fatten the bulge in their wallets.

Hi,

I understand that the border at Mae Sai is closed. I'm considering doing a visa run tomorrow to Chang Kong. Has anyone done this visa run recently? Any problems at the border? What are the working hours at the border? I'll probably drive..any suggestions as to a good route to take?

Thanks a lot,

Suzy

I spoke by phone with a buddy who did the Chiang Kong 'run' yesterday (Friday 9-23) and said it was do-able but that there were a few wrinkles. He said there was a table in front of the immigration office on the Thai side that looked like it was manned by officials - but he thinks they may have been private scammers who were just trying to get 80 to 200 baht per person before the farang got to the proper office. Advice: Before paying monies to different people, try talking to people returning - those who have just done the 'run'. They may have pearls of wisdom to impart - about who seems to be scamming, and who is for real. Don't expect much worthwhile assistance from officials. They're probably among the ones we hear about every day who are 'assigned to inactive posts.' If anyone hears about Mae Sai opening up, please let me/us know. thanks.

By not freezing his bank accounts immediatly after the coup took effect, the Bank of Thailand prez left the barn door open. No one should be surprised to find that he and his operatives siphoned billions of baht out of Thailand in those ensuing days. Of course, he had already spirited away most of his wealth even before the coup. He's always been a step or two ahead of the 'keystone cops' back home.

Bank of Thailand prez was derelict by not freezing Thaksin accounts as well as those of his his family and crony buddies. Therefore, you can bet the past two days they've been pulling money out of Thailand by the bucket load. Years from now, when it's clearly and legally evident that they've been stealing from Thailand, there won't be any frozen accounts from which to seek recourse.

As for the new leaders, I can't help but wax cynical: there just aren't leaders (potential or realized) in Thailand who won't revert to 'business as usual'. Translated: corruption and self-serving graft. It's too ingrained in Thai personality.

it seems as though none of Thaksin's once-stalwart supporters are saying peep to support him now. Notto surprising really, when you consider that all of his supporters had TRT and Thaksin money (usually channeled via his wife) lining their pocketbooks. His whole political / loyalty machine was well-oiled with money. Similarly, all promotions were based on loyalty rather than ability. Thaksin's house of cards came down in a slight breeze, with nary a chirp of protest from any of his former supporters.

If the beefeaters won't let him thru the gates, the yanks will take him. Florida has always had open arms for fleeing despots with blood on their hands.

Thai men are a bunch weak assed bastards who only know how to fight with help of their gang friends and if that doesn't work they just shoot you. One on one they are nothing. These men who commited this crime should all be executed. There is no excuse for what they did, a cold blooded murder.

in light of my comment about tolerance, I will be a 'bigger man than you' and not resort to petty name calling and insinuations.

Thailand has no tradition of the 'fair fight.' In farang land it can happen (sometimes) that you get in to a fight, one guy wins, the other loses, there are some bruises and bruised egos and that's pretty much the end of it. Can't happen with a Thai. If you get in to a fight with a Thai, you're essentially fighting every Thai until you're defeated or killed. In other words, maybe you whip the first guy, but then an onlooker will jump you from behind, you whip him too, and some taxi drivers will jump in against you - even if they don't have a clue of what the fight's about. Even if you whip ass all over the neighborhood, there's a chance some thug will come along the next night and take you out. It's like 'prison rules' mentality; 'my group, right or wrong' ....with no statute of limitations.

My wife however has quite strong views about this if a little simplistic/child like. She thinks if you speak bad about another person/their family, cannot control yourself when drunk then you can expect the worse to happen to you. You do not, as she says, know what is in that persons heart and you should always take care of ones self.

Sounds like good advice to me.

i'll go one step further,

it is a very brilliant and basic, but true bit of advice.

if the dude had read her words maybe he would be alive today.

actually im sure he would be alive today.

there is no excuse for cold-blooded cowardly murder. There is no amount of verbal offense that can excuse such a dastardly act. I learned long ago not to get overly offended by words. There are ways to deal with offense; shouting, swearing, threatening, ...ok, but shooting someone point-blank is despicable. Homo sapiens with their large brains do things that sea slugs would never do; namely murder their own kind in response to being offended. I hope the cowardly scuzzballs that did that act are locked up in solitary and left to rot.

Weeding a garden with a jack hammer, this bit of 'house cleaning' is typical Thai bureaucratic heavy-handed silliness. When they start hearing the wails of the millions of Thais who are tied in to the tourist industry, these rules will ease. This is a bureaucracy that's beholden to a man named Thaksin who no longer speaks in public because nearly everything he says has to be retracted the next day. That's their role model.

A loan in Thailand translates to a 'grant' or 'gift.'

Only loan what you're willing to give away.

A westerner being with a Thai woman involves him giving money.

No money, no girl, no girlfriend, no wife.

One of the top questions a farang needs to ask himself when he wants to shack up with a Thai lady is:

How much am I willing to spend to stay with her?

If that amount is not sufficient in her view, there's either no relationship, or it's a strained one at best.

Any notions of romance, are best left for novels and videos. Regardless of what she might say about romance and love, her prime concerns are money (for her) and security for her family.

Unfortunately, farang men are so easily duped, that they keep getting on the conveyer belt of hopes and dreams for their entrancing Thai gals and dumped down the other end with dashed hopes and thin wallets.