madmitch

Of course e-gates don't do passport stamps but there are countries with e-gates that still stamp your passports after clearing the gate. I got a stamp in Portugal after using an e-gate but didn't in Albania. Which way will Thailand go, especially bearing in mind the state of the Government's computer systems where there's no communication between the various departments. My money's on a stamp!

There's quite a lot of information missing such as how many will gates be installed and who will be eligible to use them. It wouldn't surprise me if, at least initially,you will still need to queue for a stamp in the passport. Thailand loves stamps. I was recently surprised to encounter these e-gates at Tirana Airport in Albania. Through immigration in seconds.

The whole article is a little unclear, and that's quite common fot The Thaiger articles.

I'm in the UK now but still use my Thai bank via mobile app for certain transactions and get the SMS alerts when I need to verify who I am, and I guess this is the main issue. My SIM and bank account are both in my name. I'll just wait and see what happens. I was about to top up the bank account but I'm not doing that until I know whether it's going to work or not. I doubt the SMS code will work from here so I'm not even going to bother.

That's one onliine news source and a Guardian article from December. I'll stick to my views. I won't requote your other post but I did state how most people feel when they have covid. I didn't mention hospitalisations or deaths. I was in hospital with flu pre-covid and I felt awful but my two covid bouts were pretty mild. I did know that you'd be the one replying to my posts as you seem to be one of few posters that still takes covid seriously....and there's nothing wrong with that, it's not a dig. We all have our own viewpoints.

But is there any hysteria in any of those countries? It hardly gets a mention in the UK and certailnly doesn't make mainstream news. Yes, people still get covid but for most people it's slightly worse than a typical cold but nowhere near as bad as flu.

I suppose it's better than simply being appointed by the ruling party!

So, what happened to the feasibility study for the light rail system carried out a few years ago? Same route was mooted and they even got as far as a public meeting if I remember rightly

Just a typo: else should read was. Pretty easy to work out but I should have proofread, and considering that I write and read contracts for a living I have given myself a slap on the wrist!

What a dreadful incident, not just the accident but the police lethargy and the second report on here which states the victim else driving the van. RIP Zoe. I didn't know you but I do know you did not deserve this.

The Phuket VFS office for Italy is open daily so, unlike some countries, there's no additional charge for using the Phuket office. I don't know how easy a process it is but my partner is applying tomorrow. However as her application is only for a five day break for when she's in the UK (for which she has a ten year visa) her case isn't going to be the same as most others.

They won't last long if this is the quality of their information.

This has been stated before but never enforced. The only way shops will check licences is if they are routinely fined every time a tourist without a licence is found. And why would the police do this? Their income would reduce substantially if only tourists with licences rented bikes. Much easier option to maintain the current system and turn a blind eye to those renting out bikes.

I'm in Thailand now for a short time, having been back in Britain for over two years, and I have realised how much I miss the place. However much I miss it though, I won't be returning full time, even if my pension, when I finally retire, will go a lot further in Thailand. Bureaucracy, the way farangs are treated differently and, yes discriminated against, the stifling heat I'm currently experiencing, language difficulties (my fault for not learning anything other than basic Thai), the changing demographic in Phuket, where I was based, pollution, the cost of health insurance. I could go on but other aspects have been covered in the initial post. Despite this, I still anticipate being a regualar visitor on a tourist visa with travel insurance. My partner is still in Thailand but our daughter is with me in England, where career prospects are so much better than in Thailand. She already earns more in a day as a part time waitress than many Thais earn in a week. And, apart from property, there's not that much differential in the cost of living.

A few revamps I hope they implement: go back to one like button rather than the four similar ones that have now, show the identity of posters reacting to posts, less strict moderation, though of course certain issues need an amount of moderation and get a server with speeds that don't remind me of dial-up days. I also hope they continue stories from all news sources as The Thaiger don't exactly employ the greatest wordsmiths!

A provincial Governor should be someone who knows the province, not someone brought in from outside, and the best way to ensure this if for a proper election. Also, if an appinted governor upsets the status quo, it's easy to get him(or in very rare cases her) moved to another province, something that couldn't happen with an elected governor. Unlikely to happen under the current regime as this will give too much power to the progressive parties in many provinces.

Be careful with dowries. My GF "lent" her nephew 100,000 baht and 10 baht of gold for what was supposed to be for show only. The in-laws returned the 100,000 baht but took a shine to the gold and it's not been seen since. This was four years ago and still causes friction in the family. My partner still wants it back, for obvious reason, but none of the other family members will take any responsibility. The price of face in this country!

Note to self: wait until next month to start hacking into Thai company's bank accounts.

Whilst appreciating the attempt at alliteration, the word rabid is hardly appropriate.

The only story here is that an MP has come out and said this publicy in a country where lawsuits are bandied around for defaming someone, whether it's true or not.

Can't argue with your first point but when the legal selling time is 11am, not quite so sure about the second, especially in tourist areas, where many Scandinavians are fond of a beer with breakfast!

No mention of visa agents, who might get even more business if it becomes harder to get an extension of stay.

Wow, global hub of festivals! Woodstock, Glastonbury, Isle of Wight all off to Thailand. Enough to make me return! The problem is they'll probably have a rule that 51% of the acts have to be Thai.

????????

Do they really think that a crackdown on foreign criminals would have an effect on tourism? Are they naive enough to think that the recent incidents make news anywhere outside Thailand?