Baaksida

Another questions, tongue in cheek: Why to declare income in US$?

Wouldn't the Baht be appropriate, or perhaps the Euro?

Others mind prefer the mighty PStlg.

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Good question! It might be a good idea (not only for promotional purposes) to hand out a cheap calculator to each visitor together with the arrival card... (You don't want to give wrong information to TAT and the Thai government, do you??)

Seems like a bit of a stretch to suggest he fell/was pushed off the back of a pickup.. I wonder why they didn't suggest first that he was killed somewhere else and dumped there- something that happens here with some regularity...

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As all Thai people know (from such quality publications as "Thai Rath", etc.), there are basically two reasons for foreigners' deaths in Thailand:

1. suicide (usually from a hotel's balcony in Pattaya). Happens every week.

2. Death due to a tsunami. (Happens about every 100 years.)

(Murder can be ruled out, as all Thai people love their 'walking ATMs' and would never hurt any of them...)

Mind my own business, and keep away from Thai folks as much as possible...

The re-entry permit does not affect reporting itself but if you use the permit to travel you do not have to report while outside Thailand and next report will be due 90 days after your return (TM.6 arrival card).  Believe you understand correctly.

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Thanks, that's what I meant. So it's reporting again 90 days after returning from my trip...

Does a Re-entry Permit (and travel to another country) affect the 90 day-rule? After all, the '90-day counting' starts again, doesn't it?

Does your Thai wife/girlfriend has got her own job in an office, her own business, or on the farm...? And if yes, do you support her financially, covering some of her regular monthly expenses? Or are your and your partner's respective expenses strictly limited to each partner's own incomes/savings??

Where in Bangkok can I get a circumscision? as an adult lad? Which hospital is 'safe'? Any experiences by members? What to bring and what to expect? Is it 'done' in one day?

If you want high interest, you maybe better leaving your money where it is, or looking elsewhere - i have my money in hk; ina multicurrency investment account.

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Just curious, can non-residentsopen savings accounts in Hong Kong?

Boys and girls, farang and Thai bar girls will then be separately guided to their respective homes and hotels by lower-ranking police officers, and told to go to bed right NOW, while the more beautiful girls will be taken by senior police officers to the police station and given the chance to give them all a freebee - or otherwise rot in the monkey house for the rest of their lives... - TAT

The beach party’s over

PHUKET: Vice-Governor Vinai Buapradit has ordered officials to take action tomorrow to prevent drunken youths and tourists “swarming” onto beaches when entertainment venues close at 1am.

“People have complained to the provincial office about the disturbance caused by tourists and youths drinking and dancing on the beaches after the bars have closed,” said the Vice-Governor. “People who live near the beaches say they can’t sleep because of the noise.”

He said the impromptu partying was a problem in Patong, Kata and Karon.

V/Gov Vinai said he had discussed the situation with Governor Udomsak Usawarangkura, who has ordered officials to inspect the beaches for revelers after they have checked entertainment venues to make sure they have closed on time.

“We chose December 10 as the day for all the beaches to be checked,” said V/Gov Vinai, adding that Saphan Hin in Phuket City would also be checked. He said the governor had ordered Phuket City Municipality to tackle the problem

there, as well as clean up the park.

“If officers catch young people behaving badly, taking drugs or having sex, they will record that they have been caught, then contact the young people’s parents, although we won’t take them to court for a first offence,” said V/Gov Vinai.

(Phuket Gazette, Dec. 9, 2004)

Can I just "do" the Non "B" visa every 3 month in consecutive visa runs, without having to ever extend my visa?

Plenty of expats on here, I was just  wondering where you chavs and sorts are surfing to get you updated news, both  Thai and international..

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My Thailand news: http://www.buffalo.com

It is highly unlikely that they would data match as you ask. Even more unlikely that they would inform any foreign government. Thailand operates primarily using the old-fashioned, somewhat inefficient paper trail.

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I agree with you. All international cooperation I know of is with Interpol, and regarding double-taxation.

Is it true, what I've heard, that from 2005 on a life buffalo will be added to the Elite Card privileges? (Just to have something valuable for ones money...)

Labor Ministry expects a quarter million Thais to lose jobs next year

Let's hope that Fearless Leader is one of them...

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Shin Corp. has been too long without such a leader!!

Labor Ministry expects a quarter million Thais to lose jobs next year

The Ministry of Labor has forecast that over a quarter million Thais may become unemployed next year, and has prepared measures to cope with the situation. Permanent Secretary for Labor Jaruphong Ruengsuwan said the ministry has begun a scheme to monitor employment and job creating with guidelines and alarm mechanisms for workers for the year 2005.

Jaruphong said that factors have indicated that about 220,000 Thai workers under the government’s social insurance program nationwide might be laid off, or lose their jobs in the year 2005. He said the ministry has identified seven industries which carry a risk for many businesses to close down, namely the food process and animal feeding industry, the textiles and garment industry, the tourism and catering industry, the automobile and parts industry, the electrical and electronic industry, the wood and furniture industry, and the metal and steel industry.

Jaruphong said the ministry has looked for measures to prevent the unemployment by offering helps to increase competitiveness of these industries, and to provide occupational training to workers to help them find other jobs. (TNA)

(Chiangmai Mail, November 27, 2004)

Thanks George. Any idea how much a 10 dayer is?

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No matter how long: all extensions are 1,900 baht.

Phuket Gazette, Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Plan now or face problems, Phuket warned

PHUKET CITY: The Deputy Secretary General of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), Santi Bangor, today warned that without proper planning Phuket may face growing environmental problems.

The island’s official population is 270,000, he said, but some 200,000 other people live here unregistered, and Phuket also gets some four million tourists a year.

This means, in effect, that Phuket has to manage its resources to cater for 10 times its official population.

“If we don’t limit the number of people using Phuket’s limited natural resources, there will assuredly be more environmental problems,” he warned.

K. Santi was speaking at a seminar at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, entitled, “Phuket’s New Face” and attended by some 500 people.

He added that people should focus on how to encourage tourists to spend more instead of trying to attract greater numbers of tourists.

An indication of how rapidly Phuket is growing was given by Thanusak Pungdetch, of the Phuket Real Estate Club. He said, “The figures from the club show that the [number of new developments] in Phuket this year was up 500% compared with last year.

“It’s growing very well everywhere around the island,” he said, revealing that 51 property projects worth an estimated 20 billion baht were started this year.

The Vice-President of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, Sirichai Silpa-archa, said that, given the island’s growth and the possible problems, the province should be given more autonomy.

By 2007, he said, Phuket would be facing considerable challenges and should have greater decision-making powers “because the central government will not have the capacity to administer it”.

The Permanent Secretary of the Information and Communications Technology Ministry, Kraisorn Pornsute, told the seminar that CAT and TOT intend to develop Phuket’s telephone infrastructure in the coming year so that 90% of the island has access to telephone service.

At present, he said, just 31% of Phuket’s homes and businesses have a telephone line installed, while 46% of the population – or almost 100,000 people – aged six or over use mobile phones. Just 12% of homes have a computer, he added.

Phuket Gazette, Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Australian student dies in four-story fall

PATONG: A 23-year-old Australian student died after falling four stories from his hotel room in the early hours of this morning.

Police believe that Christian Jorgen Halkjaer, from Perth, slipped and fell from the balcony of his room at the Patong Beach Lodge, Rat-U-Thit 200 Phi Rd, after a night out with friends.

Pol Lt Col Chaowalit Niemwadee, Deputy Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette that Mr Halkjaer had been on holiday with eight friends.

He said that he received a call from the hotel’s security guard at 4 am, and arrived at the scene with a doctor from Patong Hospital about 10 minutes later to find Mr Halkjaer on the ground, dead from a broken neck.

Col Chaowalit said police believe Mr Halkjaer’s death was accidental because the body was found lying face-up.

The Australian Embassy has been notified and is making arrangements for the body to be sent home.

THAMMASAT STUDY : Lavish campaigns 'cause corruption'

Published on Nov 30 , 2004 (The Nation)

Govt agencies ‘will not be clean as long as political parties outlay huge sums’

The fight against corruption will be an uphill battle as long as political parties spend large amounts to get elected, a Thammasat University academic said yesterday.

“Lavish campaign spending spawns the kind of political influence that condones corruption as a means for party financiers to recover their investment,” Assoc Professor Udom Ratamarit said.

“Under big-money politics, it is virtually impossible to achieve a clean bureaucracy because politicians are destined to exploit bureaucrats as money udders to fatten their pockets,” he said.

Udom was speaking at a seminar organised by the Economic and Social Advisory Council.

The council commissioned a Thammasat University study on graft violations in five key agencies and held the seminar to critique the results. The agencies studied were the Agriculture Extension Department, the Customs Department, the Royal Thai Police, the Highways Department and the Local Administration Department.

The five departments are known to be plagued by graft violations.

Key seminar participants included anti-graft buster Klanarong Chantik, political activist Veera Somkwamkid and Thailand Development Research Institute adviser Nipon Puapongsakorn.

Klanarong urged relevant authorities to publicise the Thammasat study to raise public awareness about corruption.

“If people are made aware of the consequences of corruption springing from policy abuses and conflicts of interest, they will each become a graft buster to smoke out rogue politicians and government officials,” he said.

Veera said many legal counsellors employed by the government have betrayed their profession and devised loopholes for graft.

“Some ministers have been appointed to their positions in spite of tainted records and a number of senior government officials have been able to clear their names after facing strong evidence of graft violations,” he said. Nipon suggested closer scrutiny of government procurement, law enforcement and tax collection agencies, which he said spawn corruption.

The Thammasat study calls for the establishment of a witness protection programme for informants in graft violation cases. It said customs and tax rules should be transparent and simplified to pre-empt demands for kick-backs.

Vice laws should be reviewed as they seem to spur police corruption instead of wiping it out. And bodies such as the Law Society of Thailand should also be involved to ensure clean bidding for mega projects, it said.

cause of some problems(large fines etc..)I lost many money,

just when I bought  a ticket 2 months ago to bkk for 20 december (staying 25 days in town).it seems I have only 2300€ left,cause of the holidays I have to pay many stuff.

thats 95euro a day in pattaya,I cant cancel this trip...

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Why not just shorten your holiday to 10 days or so party time, by changing the return flight with the airline once in Bangkok? That would give you more than twice the money to burn per day: 230 Euros exchanged for 52 baht each = 11,960 baht/day.

All, I appreciate all the answers, but you are getting way to "wrapped around the axle" with regards to the marriage-visa thing.

As I understand it, he was asking about the legality to work and/or possibility to get a work permit with a Non "O". Does he have to convert his Non "O" to a Non "B" at the Immigration office in order to work in Thailand, or can he work with a Non "O" as well? (Szenario: a foreigner gets married, supports his wife while living in Thailand, but eventually runs out of funds, so he finds and takes up employment as a specialist in his field...)

It's obvious that the Thai government has to cover up things in the South, how its military and police forces suppress the Muslim minority of Thailand.

False dreams being sold to the poor: Korat governor

Published on November 25, 2004

Nakhon Ratchasima Governor Pongpayom Wasaputi yesterday blasted the government for failing to curb vice and gambling, yet encouraging lavish spending.

Pongpayom was speaking at a meeting on social problems chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh in Chon Buri.

The three biggest problems facing people today are debts, land and shelter, according to Chavalit.

Pongpayom said the state had failed in helping people solve their debt problems, which is one of the main items on the government’s social agenda.

“The government injects money at the grass-roots level to spur spending but the people use the money on unnecessary items such as mobile phones, cars and drinks,’’ he said.

Thailand ranks fifth in the world in alcohol consumption, he said. “This is the root of poverty, but the government does not attack the problem correctly,’’ he said.

He said drinking leads to many social problems, including crime and accidents. “Alcoholic drinks can be bought even on streets from vendors because the Excise Department allows them to sell the drinks,’’ he said.

To solve land problems, Pongpayom suggested the government set up emergency funds and let district chiefs and governors buy the land of owners who had defaulted on their payments.

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation

(The Nation, Thursday 25 November 2004)

Policies push poor `further into debt'

Cash-injection not the answer, says governor

PREEYANAT PHANAYANGGOOR

Pattaya _ Policies which inject cash into local communities have only put poor people even further in debt, the governor of Nakhon Ratchasima said yesterday.

Pongpayom Watsaputi said he agreed with the government's attempt to solve debt problems, but many government policies themselves led to debt problems.

Cash-injection policies had resulted in unnecessary spending on luxury goods such as motorcycles, televisions and mobile phones.

These policies included the one-million baht village fund, the SML scheme and the proposed community bank.

Speaking at a four-day retreat for CEO governors, Mr Pongpayom said the government did not seem serious about tackling vice, particularly alcohol.

Alcohol was widely available, even from mobile food vendors and cheap karaoke stores with permission from the excise department. Widespread alcohol consumption led to social problems including accidents and HIV/Aids.

Mr Pongpayom suggested an emergency debt fund be set up for governors, or a centre to tackle poverty and buy the debts of poor people.

Many elderly people lost their assets after their children used their houses or assets as collateral when requesting loans.

Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said governors should solve the problem of land shortage and find living space for poor people. The government would finish surveying land across the country next year, which would give a clearer picture of land problems.

Deputy Prime Minister Pinit Charusombat proposed a special economic zone be created in the three southernmost provinces under the supervision of the prime minister to increase investment in the deep South. This would be a good way to develop Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala since it would allow flexible management.

Mr Pinit pointed to Shenzhen in China, which was transformed from a rural community into one of the fastest growing cities in China after a special economic zone was put in place, as a good example to follow.

(Bangkok Post, Thursday 25 November 2004)