4evermaat

Hmm...
 
I was having a discussion a while back with my 20 year old niece, and she posited that Internet access ought to be considered a public utility such as water or electricity as it is no longer possible to function in the world without access. Initially, I argued with her, but now... I think she had a point.
 
Some questions to Members;
 
Is it possible to function in the modern world without access to the Internet?
Should Internet access be governed as a utility?
Should Internet access be a 'right' in the same manner as health care, electricity, water, etc?
 
 

24 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

That's not a van.

At first glance, it did look like a minivan.  But then I saw it could be a hatchback.

The top 10 scams type post have been done to death long before this one.  Not any new or refreshing insights.

Seems like #8 and 10 is trying to impose his puritanical views about sex rather than warn people of pitfalls.  

19 minutes ago, sambum said:

Because, as already stated, other Embassies have not been asked to verify the information!

 

For instance, (As far as I know) the American system involves the applicant signing the letter and swearing under oath that the details are correct - the British letter is not signed by the applicant, it is signed by a member of the Embassy staff to say that the applicant has given them proof of income of XXXXXX British pounds per year (which has to be the equivalent of 65,000 baht a month, or 800,000 baht a year)

Actually the affidavits are identical across all consulates: the notary verifies the identity of the signor, not the contents of the affidavit. 

Some of the Brit consulate staff may have informally requested additional docs for certain affidavits e.g. pension/bank statements for the income affidavit as a pre-requisite to the notary.  No notary has to sign any document they believe is fraudulent......but

No notary really desires to get involved in verifying contents; and legally they wouldn't want to.  You only verify things you witness personally, such as a signature on a piece of paper. 

But some Thai officials want full verification from the notary.... which is actually the job of the person's accepting the notarized docs (Thai immigration) .  They'd have to contact the bank, pension provider, etc (overseas) and get authentication directly.   Usually an affidavit + seeing some local Thai bankbook/statement with 40/65/400/800k for x months would be more than sufficient proof.  

So because some Thai officials kept bugging UK embassy about verification that was beyond their legal jurisdiction, they decided to stop notarizing the income affidavit letter altogether.  A stupid, knee-jerk decision IMO, as expats may need that for numerous reasons OTHER than for Thai immigration....but not my call. 

In other news, other embassies that still notarize income affidavits (such as US embassy) may be willing to do so for any national. That's up to each individual consular. 

Fortunately its not as bad as they say in most cases during the veggie season.  They should see how the (veg/non-veg) food is prepared all year round. Thais dont usually have a concept of subtlety; they pour on the chilli, salt, sugar, etc. 

The problem is not so much that the food contains salt/sugar/etc.  But often times they will add additional salt to the final dish. 

Some of the pre-saulted food is designed to be diluted or blended with other foods.  You dont need to add more salt on top of that. 

So how does this compare with the recent Hurricane Florence that hit North Carolina 6 weeks ago?

Seems like a race to see which hurricane causes the most damage.

People should be reminded that vegetarian festival is throughout Thailand, not just tourist areas.  Just find the nearby Thai-Chinese shrine/temple/school and they can direct you.  Or ask around where the "gin jay ahan free" is.

From Chumphon:

It's not required to have predominately white clothes to eat the vegan food, but of course you should try.  But there are some festivities that require pure-white outfit to enter; they will be sectioned off from the general area.

ThaiVisa exclusive 555

Can you elaborate more on the costs and procedures associated with setting up a basic business or charity in Myanmar?  And how much for the associated visa, how long it lasts, and how long the process takes?  [can PM any sensitive info]

Hopefully they will make it down to the Sadao border (Danok / Bukit Kayu Hitam).   From recent experience, I've seen cameras confiscated when people tried to take photos.   At least they are more sophisticated with the collection of tips, usually collected from the driver of the van/bus and privately exchanged off-site.

10 hours ago, webfact said:

..... . A talked-about innovation was the use of colourful Etan trucks – Northeastern-style four-wheeled farming vehicles – as shuttle buses to transport fans around the complex. They gained huge popularity, especially among foreign visitors..... 

Can anyone elaborate with a photo of these vehicles?? 

Quote

....Police have CCTV but did not want to share it. Jira appealed for people to go to the Chalong police if they have information....

So they have potentially conclusive evidence but do not want to share/use it. Doesn't anyone else find this a bit disturbing?

On 9/30/2018 at 6:43 PM, Stocky said:

Thanks for correcting me.

 

I guess they all run much the same dates, Hat Yai is 9th-17th October this year.

It might be on the 9th when they start with the food.  The 8th might be some firecracker opening. 

Normally there is a large sign outside the shrine with the dates.  I just saw an itinerary by a local fruit shake seller indicating the 8th was the start. 

Also, some places may start/finish a day or two earlier. 

32 minutes ago, Tailwagsdog said:

Hey bloggers, these accidents happen all over the world, stop turning everything that happens into a 'thai' thing. 

Its the casual-ness of how accidents/heavy equipment is handled is what makes Planet Thailand unique. 

Yes.  Every year for at least a week.  This year it It starts on the 8th of October and will run for 9-10 days.   There is free vegan food at the Chinese temples 2-3 times a day, and some paid vegan food nearby.

There are at least 3 places. 

In Pak Nam there is a large Chinese temple as you enter the town of Pak Nam. 

In Mueang Chumphon, there is a Chinese school/temple close to Choke-anan Bus station.  Probably one of the biggest one here.... Some good paid food and souvenir stuff there. 

The tastiest free food is likely in Saphli (thung wua laen beach).  There is a Chinese shrine down the street from the Saphli Market (after the bridge, before 7-eleven).

Before the post office, there is also a private person who gives away food also.

I'm sure there are other places also around Chumphon.....

If you can wear all white, that is good.  Otherwise try to at least have a predominately white shirt. 

The temples have certain ceremonies where you must have pure white outfit to enter (separate from the free food section ????) 

-------------

I imagine every province has something similar at their Chinese shrines. 

28 minutes ago, peibol77 said:

By the way, I have been in Thailand more than 20 times. And spend a lot of time here. I was just 2 months back in Spain and thought why not get me a treat for when I come back.

 

But don't let my stupid comments spoil your self-righteousness and superior knowledge of life. Enjoy it in all its glory.

If you have been to thailand so often, you could have communicated with people that you trust to make a contract for the bike on your behalf with a small deposit.  Then when you arrive you would pay the remaining funds.

Or if you trust your Thai/Foreigner friend that much, you could buy it in full in their name, and then they transfer it into your name later when you arrive.

Of course when you are scammed you can think of all the things that you could have done with that money.  But the best prevention is to consider ways to avoid or minimize getting caught in a scam in the first place.  Otherwise, history will repeat itself.

Get a internet connection in your name & address.
Get a letter from a Thai bank showing name & address.

If you want someone specifically to appear in the thread, you have to mention them by name like this:

@Sheryl 

or PM them.

6 hours ago, BestB said:

Again for the court room

The impulsive nature of Thais won't wait several months or even weeks to see it in the courthouse.  If they perceive that there is nothing actively being done about the injustice, they will be even more emboldened to take the justice into their own hands.

Plus, witnesses etc might all be gone by the court date.   Good luck issuing subpoenas for all of the relevant witnesses.

@impulse @Srikcir your analysis is correct about the unfair subsidies [eye-opening link].  But then again, the American consumer doesn't want to pay higher prices anymore.

In China, being clever is being seen as a good thing.  And if you can get over on someone [and get away with it], you should.  I cannot blame them for taking advantage of a sweet deal.  But how long can it last?

I suppose China could always negotiate trade deals with Brazil or Canada.

Edit:  I noticed over the past year a bias towards Chinese listings on eBay.  Now I know why.

16 hours ago, BestB said:

I do not get the point of reenactment. It should be saved for the court room not for all to see and bring up all sorts of feelings 

Provides some immediate answers for interested parties.  And serves as a visual dialog of what happened. 

To repel mosquitos:

lemongrass + Citronella essential oil mixed with either coconut or sunflower oil.

You Lemon Eucalyptus is also good to mix in.

1 hour ago, Ginkas said:

Also the UK, the USA and most other countries.

I worked at Heathrow for a while and saw Immigration turn many people away each day, even though they had valid visas - I've seen it happen to Thais as well as other nationalities.

A visa gives the right to travel to the country, it does not guarantee entry.

 

Could you elaborate on the most common reasons why these people were turned away?  

Were there any particular nationalities that stuck out the most?

18 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

Will be interesting to see if this refusal of tourist visa extensions based on previous history pops up in any other region...

I was just going to ask @UbonJoe et al if this will be more common.  Are local immigrations keeping track of extensions also and limiting those for Tourists/Visa Exempt entries?

I was told by an associate of mine who was already on two visa exempt entries + extensions on each after finishing her METV (with an extension on the last entry) that she might not be able to extend another visa exempt entry.

At first, she was supposed to do a border run in which a few hundred baht was supposed to be added to passport in exchange for a new visa exempt land entry.  But then the border run agency told her it was no longer possible (don't have all the details, but she panicked that her plans were nearly ruined).   So she flew out and then back in on a different G20 passport (dual national).  But those with only a single passport would not have had as much luck.

We'll probably see an increase in marriages over the next few years 555.

Edit: But for the OP, I think just trying a different immigration office can work as an extension for Tourist/Visa Exempt has very little qualifying requirements.