renaissanc

I wouldn't worry about this. The government can't even get a quorum to pass the organic laws for the election.

I'm 54 and my wife is 46. It shouldn't apply to all ages.

if he comes back and they vote him in, or vice versa...they deserve what they get

Amen to that. But then, that's what they have been getting all along, and look at where Thailand is today, moving backwards, while the rest of the world moves forward.

Thaskin has made too many enemies to return. And if he did manage to return, I would not want to be here when he starts his cycle of revenge and payback.

Thaskin is just bad news. Period.

This is perhaps the essence of the problem. If Thaksin returned, he would cause so much upheaval by getting revenge, by attacking the "elites" and the "powers that be", and by passing laws to make sure that he could never be deposed. He would turn Thailand into a family fiefdom where all officials around Thailand with power were his "yes" people and nobody dared to say "No" to him, even more than last time. I doubt if he would be satisfied with the title of "Prime Minister" either. The elites would surely fight back, no doubt through a coup. Then we're back to Square 1.

Don't forget who his assistants would be ... Jatuporn, Natthawut, Arisaman, Chakrapop, Somporn, and the other wonderful Red Shirt leaders. Scary!

The PR problem has been going on for a long time. I've been living in Thailand for 26 years. I can't be bothered with the cost of applying for PR and all the administration involved. I renew my visa every year for 1,900 Baht on the basis of marriage or having a company, and my work permit renewal is simple. It's so much easier.

I'm fluent in speaking and reading Thai, but I can't spell as I never have to write Thai, so I suppose I'd fail the language test and therefore be rejected. (No doubt the fee is non-returnable, particularly the under-the-table fee.)

It's not nice when someone steals from you. Maybe Thaksin will mend his ways now he's learnt a valuable lesson in life.

I would love to think that Thaksin will learn a lesson, but I doubt it. Maybe he will change after intense suffering. In the meantime, I think he's getting his "what goes around comes around" karma, which I think will keep on coming. I'm sure he'll loose the upcoming elections as part of his karma.

My (Thai) wife says that he will make the Thais "rich with debts" within 6 months. I don't know how he would do it, but he will want to keep the farmers and rural people under his thumb and dependent on him. maybe loans will be easy to obtain, which will keep the farmers poor. Any ideas of how he would do it?

I don't think that Arisman will return until Thaksin is able to return. He knows that he must surely get the death sentence or life imprisonment, if he's lucky. I don't think that the next government will include Peua Thai, so he'll have to live abroad with a salary from Thaksin.

Someone so filled with hatred and anger as Arisman will surely become ill often and more and more unhappy, indeed miserable. His negative vibration will attract more and more into his life that he doesn't like or want. This will be his "wane gum". The same goes for Thaksin.

Probably because the airport was well over 2 years ago...before either of us were members.

Yeah, sure.

But in any case I was talking about the apologists for yellow reactionaries, repression, feudalism and military hegemony generally - not you personally.However if the cap fits...

Redshirt demonstrations are no doubt inconvenient but presumably (I'm guessing now) will wind down after the forthcoming elections assuming it's fairly conducted.

I suspect that if the PT/UDD win, then they will say that the elections were carried out fairly. But if they lose, then they will say that the elections were unfair and full of vote-buying (not by them, of course), and then we'll see more Red Shirt demonstrations. I'm confident, though, that the Democrats, if they win, will pass a law stopping the pointless rallies in the city centre.

My main concern about the airport is knowing how much time to allow before a flight. Check-in can take 30 - 45 minutes while Immigration at departure can take 1-2 hours.

When the report comes out, it will be 350 - 400 pages long. It will exonerate the Immigration officials of all blame; state that there are more than enough Immigration officials for the number of travellers; blame slow computers; blame slow Immigration canteen staff because their slowness results in them returning to work late; and blame the passengers for the delay issues because they don't fill in their forms before they get to the counters. It will then recommend that passengers pay 200 Baht to use the normal Fast Track service, 300 baht for the new VIP Fast Track Service, and 400 baht for the new Very Very VIP Fast Track Service, if they do not wish to wait.

You're being so unfair about the Consuls and the staff at the embassies! They are so busy attending cocktail parties and going shopping that they don't have the time to help their country's citizens. ... You just don't understand them...

My son, who was born in Thailand, and is now studying at ABAC, accidentally overstayed about 40 days or so and got fined the maximum amount. He has a Thai ID, but he's in the computer system as British, and we can't get him out of the system so he be a Thai in Thailand. But he still has to report for the compulsory Thai army service.

Now I would like to see western governments applying the same land ownership, visa, and citizenship rules for Thais that we have to put up with in Thailand. "Oh! Aren't they awful! Look how badly they are treating us poor Thai citizens!"

This is news???

A silly retort to a pesky reporter, perhaps.

why dont they just hire ' the news of the world ' they will track him down in 5 mins.... actually no need , even my nan knowes where he is

I laughed when I read this comment because it is so true! The journalists at The Sun, The Daily Mirror, and The News of the World are world-class at finding people. Just tell them that there is a seedy story about sex involved, and they'll find him within 24 hours. The Thai authorities couldn't find the cream on a cream cake.

Even if they did find Thaksin, I expect the Thai authorities would have to form a committee to decide what to do next. To form that committee, they will have to form a committee to decide who will be on the committee that will decide what to do next. This will take time because politicians will get involved as they will smell money. So, then the committee which is set up to form the committee that will decide what to do next, will have to make a budget for the committee that will decide what will be done next as well as for itself. They will have to meet many times to argue out how to share the money involved - how much to share with each other and with the superiors and politicians. This will result in changes to the membership of the committees as the politicians will lobby for their friends to be included on the committees, especially on the committee that will make the budget.

By the time the committee that will decide what should be done next has been finalized and actually meets (presumably once a month or once a quarter in line with government committee rules and regulations), Thaksin will have moved on to another country. Then the authorities will have to start looking for Thaksin again. In the meantime, the committees will have to be disbanded as their mandate will have come to an end. When he is found again, the process of forming the committees will then restart.

So you see, finding and catching Thaksin is not quite as simple as it seems.

So many of the people posting comments here are being so negative, so critical, and so unnecessarily horrible to Pattaya One. What is wrong with you all? What has made you so negative? Why can't you be encouraging and positive? I invite you to smell the flowers and see the beauty all around you. If negativity was your way of life in your home country, please consider leaving the past as the past. Every aggressive post you write has an unhealthy effect on you and your body's energy field, as well as on other people who read your posts.

I wish you all happiness.

Peter

Many years ago, I was approached by a rather rugged looking foreigner in MBK in BKK. I didn't see him coming until he tapped me on the shoulder. I got a sob story about having been robbed or lost his wallet and he wanted to know if I could lend him 500 baht. At that time, 500 baht was a good sum of money. He needed it to get to his hotel, contact someone, blah, blah, blah. He said he worked on an oil rig, blah, blah, blah. He was dirty and shabby and I was so taken aback that I promptly reached in my wallet and gave him 500 baht. I walked away and he came running up and asked for my address, which I reluctantly gave him (I figured he'd be on my doorstep in a couple of days).

Low and behold about 6 weeks later I get a nice letter thanking me for my kindness and 2 crisp 100 US $ bills.

I hope the OP gets things sorted out. Not a nice position to be in.

I used to be a backpacker travelling for long periods of time. Sometimes unfortunate events, such as being robbed, do happen, and one does into a right mess. The nasty posts above are very unfair. Please show some compassion. The last thing one wants to read when looking for help is that one is a scammer. How would you feel in such a situation? Please just offer advice without the nastiness.

I see that the Miss Thailand pageants are still under the thumb of whitening cream producers as dark-skinned laides never get to enter. No disrespect intended to the new Miss Thailand World crowned last night, but she may not get past the 2nd round of her international contests, like many of her predecessors. It's high time that the pageants allow and encourage dark-skinned ladies to enter. There are so many beautiful, dark-skinned Thai ladies.

But this won't happen while the sponsors include the whitening cream producers. Whitening creams don't turn your dark skin white, and the truth would come out if a dark-skinned Miss Thailand was still dark after a year. When the sponsors are changed, the Miss Thailands will stand a chance of winning the international pageants, I feel.

I suggest tackling one of the main causes of the matter, namely, the clothes worn by actresses and other "daras" on television, who wear such short skirts and dresses that they cannot sit down without putting items on their lap or their hands on their legs. Even some interviewers. Students copy them. The evening plays nearly always show the actresses in very short skirts and dresses. I watched a play last night, and you could see one actresses's black underwear a few times. I'm not complaining, but I suggest that the Complainers deal with one of the influential causes first before shutting down colleges.

I renewed my annual visa recently with a fixed account. It was a pain, but it was accepted. You have to have a print-out of the bank book on the day of the application for an extension. Have the bank manager stamp and sign every page of the print-out / photocopy of the bank account book.

If the bank book shows any deductions or additions, such as charges or interest, the cover letter from the bank that says there is 500,000 Baht in the account should explain those details. Don't forget the cover letter that says how much is in the account ... even though the book says how much is in the account! It's so silly! If you can, also take along the bank manager to certify his letter, the bank's computer server, and all the bank staff to act as witnesses. I had to go back to the bank manager and tell him that the guy at Immigration didn't believe his letter.

If you live in a housing estate, take a photo of yourselves in front of the estate, as well as on the bed, in the living room, and in front of the house with the house number. Colour photos.

If the house is not your own, get a letter in Thai from the owner saying that s/he allows you to live there.

Goodness knows what additional photos and documents will be asked for next year. But one day the 400,000 Baht amount will surely be increased, and they won't tell you in advance. Maybe also for more than 2 months in a row. Immigration seems to be trying to make it harder for married couples to stay together in Thailand. That's my opinion anyway.

Find a job paying at least 40K baht per month. The income for a marriage extension of stay has to be your own, not your wife's or MIL. You will need a non-immigrant "B" visa for the necessary work permit.

I'd like to add to this that for your marriage visa you will also need:

1. Photos of you and your wife on the sofa in your living room; on your bed in your bedroom; and in front of your house/home showing the number of the address. In colour. (Yes ... even on the bed, but they allow you to be sitting on it. So kind of them!) If you live in a housing estate, you'll need a photo of the front entrance signage.

2. If it is not your home, then get a letter in Thai from the owner saying that you are allowed to live there. Also, provide proof that the person signing that letter owns the property. Include her ID card too.

3. House registration document. If your children are on the document, then show their birth certificates too.

4. Wife's ID card.

5. If you're divorced, show your divorce certificate.

6. Photo of yourself. (All photos taken within the last 3 months.)

7. Declaration form for husband.

8. Declaration form for wife. (7 & 8 obtainable from Immigration)

9. Bank book in your name only showing 400,000 Baht or more in the bank for at least the last 2 months without it going below this amount even once. Update the book(s) on the day you go to Immigration. Fixed bank accounts cause confusion as they can't be updated on the day you go to immigration. (See 10 for this.)

10. A letter from the bank stating that the amount in the bank book(s) is true. It should state the amount 2 months ago and on the date when you get the letter. Have the bank stamp and sign every page. Include in the letter, if it is a fixed account, the fact that the bank book cannot be updated. If the bank does try to update the book and it shows a small deduction or interest added, have the letter explain each of these changes. If you don't, you'll be sent back to the bank manager to have him change his letter, which will cost you another 200 Baht per account.

11. 1,900 Baht.

Apply in person with your wife. Sign every photocopy. Provide 2 sets if you live outside Bangkok. You'll get a stamp in your passport stating come back in a month. Either you or your wife can collect the passport in person.

You don't need a lawyer for all of this, though seemingly quite a few foreigners pay 10,000 Baht to one of the many agents, who make sure you get fast service. One of the agents who works with the Immigration office in a province close to Bangkok (I won't mention which one) told me about the "charges" nowadays.

In 26 years of going to renew my marriage visa the service at Immigration offices around Thailand has been wonderful. I loved Suan Plu, even though one had to wait so long before it was one's turn. But where I have to go now, if you don't pay a fee somehow either in person or through an agent, be prepared for the officials to send you back home or wherever to get larger photos, more documents, more photos, etc. The officials can be very creative, if they want to be. I don't pay under-the-table money and so I have to go back and forth each year for this and that, together with receiving unkind, unfriendly, and at times humiliating service, which seems to get worse each year. This year the officials seemed to go out of their way to humiliate us in spite of our trying to be humble and subservient. Pity!