Unwisemonkey

The Visa rules are in need of reform. This article completely sidesteps issues regarding foreigners with Thai spouses, and treats those of us married to Thai's no better than a stoned backpacker. In my opinion the visa rules for Thai spouses are anti-family and destructive to the social fabric.

Why is that?

Not sure what country you are from but the UK has now implemented new rules for non - EU spouses.

Brit sponsor to earn 18,000 UK pounds minimum a year (I think) or its a 'no no'

That's the equivalent of approx. 70,000 baht a month.

You illustrate it perfectly. The burden of sponsorship i.e. support falls upon the citizen of the country. In other words the EU (and U.S.) are effectively saying, you want your spouse here? You (the citizen) better produce and not be a burden on the state. It's the other way around here. If you or I want to stay here with our spouses and family we must have money in the bank to get a marriage visa which will get you the 90 days reporting deal. On the extension form and application you can simply say you're here to support the Thai family and that's reason enough, and still you don't have access to credit, banking, drivers licenses, jobs etc.

If you don't qualify for that than your next option is the Non-O Visa with virtually unlimited extension every 90 days for a fee (read hands off my families money government) so long as your spouse agrees that it's okay for you to stay. If she decides she doesn't like you you're up up the creek without a paddle. Suddenly you'll find yourself on the Tourist Visa bus every 90 days.

Now maybe it's different in the EU, but in the U.S. it's very simple. You make enough money to support your spouse, they are welcomed into the country and given all the same rights and privileges as citizens (except voting). They can get a job ANYWHERE. They aren't relegated to low paying teacher positions. They can open bank accounts and have access to financial products to enable them to be prosperous completely on their own steam. In short you're given independence.

she sounds like a piece of work if the witness statements are true... I wonder if he was in sound mind to put up with it....

All too common of a problem in Thai society but the white knights protecting female virtue are abundant as they are in the west. People just laugh at men who have to deal with domestic violence and just blow it off as something that is wholly fixable when a man is in that situation. It's not necessarily about being of sound mind all the time as it is not having a way out. Abusers tend to be sociopaths as well or having some kind of personality disorder and will dominate a person's life, and unfortunately Thai society nurtures these behaviors as normal. In normal Thai's its genuine and loving and they respect their partners boundaries, but the sociopaths don't, and since the behavior is so in line with Thai society it's hard for anyone, let alone men or women to see the truly vulgar behavior for what it is unless they are an eyewitness. First hand accounts are not enough in this society, and sociopaths are normally smart enough to put their behavior in check when in public.

I don't see the cartoon showing any hatred of women.

I don't see the cartoon showing women as lowly.

Obviously Thai feminists are taking a cue from western radical feminists where facts and reality don't matter, critical thinking is a weakness, and definitions of words change at will. Taking things personally and completely out of context is due process, and serves to focus peoples attention on a completely different issue than the one at hand. Marxist radical feminism... coming to a soi near you soon.

It seems to me, and I'm not an expert just some dope who has a civil engineer in his family, that the roads all over Thailand are designed to keep traffic moving constantly, the logic being that it will prevent gridlock. Subscribing to this logic then you get what we see all over Thailand. Idiotic U-turn bridges, divided roads everywhere, and more collateral damage in the form of magnifying bad driving habits (available in all countries) and pollution. Maybe this was unavoidable but... it seems to me a traffic signal could have played a significant role in prevention of this accident, whoever was at fault.

I've seen land surveyors here, but not once have I seen them setting up recording instruments to study traffic density and road use statistics. All the residents expat's and Thai's alike deserve better.

Every bike has a rev limiter/rev counter

they are called governors, and tachometers respectively.

might I ask where you purchased rennet?

I did rinse the cheese in the cloth thoroughly but it still have a hint of a sour taste. I mixed it with some cream but it did not help. I will have some renet next week and will make a new trial. I might also try to find fresh milk direct from a farmer even if it can be hard around Jomtien. Any suggestions?

if you add renet you will be making fresh mozzerella. vinegar is not necessary enough heat will seperate the curds nut a sour taste for cottage cheese is desirable. Cottage cheese is essentially ricotta cheese basic recipe 4:1 ratio whole milk:buttermilk sweeten with sugar bring to a soft boil add your lemon juice when the curds begin to seperate. It will act as a catalyst for seperation. seperate and drain Voila. do not seperate from the whey add your enzym Rennetand the curds will coagulate into mozzarella. you will have to make them into balls by hand.

This is news because it involved a foreigner. Thais do this sort of thing amogst themselves quite often. No matter who is involved it is all bad for Thailands image. You have a drunk being served alcohol by a socially irresponsible bartender and owner that does not cut the drunks off. Vigilantes circumventing rule of law and administering justice... they could not have restrained him? No they wanted to effff him up. This sort of behavior is why vigilantism is prohibited. Police are trained to subdue. If Thailand wants to protect its image it will need to hold establishment owners to higher standards and punish vigilantes.

I'm getting tired of seeing stuff like this. Not just for Expats, and tourists, because I think Thai's deserve better too. I saw a Facebook post going around yesterday of a novice monk about 12 years old who was a victim of a hit and run. He was completely wasted. The question is not should we [expatriates] do something about this state of affairs. Of course we should. We have as vested an interest in the safety of our community as anyone else despite being encouraged directly or passively to remain quiet and not rock the boat as second class citizens.

The question is can we? What would it take? Would we need a foreigner with Thai citizenship to support politically? Or should we find a Thai politician that is a reformer and rejects the idiosyncrasies of Thai culture that are holding Thai culture back? Would we get in trouble for supporting political agenda's financially? Thai's need to learn to drive safely, this is not debatable at this point, licenses for cars, cement trucks, bus drivers all need endorsement stamps and specialized training, and I don't see anything wrong with donating ฿1000 for a political cause of community safety. Many of us, myself included have children living here. This is not a matter of culture and doing things Thai style, or "westernizing Thailand" it is just simply common sense.

Should boost the dollar for a while or at least help to stabilize it.

You do not see it because it is in Thai language and they say in very polite tones to each other pay up or I will cut off your member and rape your wife with it then shoot you both... krap.

You should have told him god does not exist and therefore he is an empty vessel.

Another bootlicking, @ss- kissing know-it-all, who forgets to check his "theory" against the reality.

Utter rubbish. Check his background. He, like John K. Galbraith (The New Industrial Estate) - mid last century - is spot on. His foresight and forecasts are accurate and his take on the US and European economic strategies are correct, in debt they cannot trade out of, printing money to meet debt and high unemployment, His take on Big Pharma also absolutely accurate. Whilst we all have fun here at TV bagging and ragging, and throwing off at the ridiculous situation of Thailand politics and reporting, some people do not need to be torn down, so let the truth be known.

I too believe the gentleman is not entirely correct. (I am assuming that he has not been quoted out of context.)

He is quoted as stating "emerging markets must be less dependent on exports, boost domestic consumption and find their own model of sustainable economic growth ". Really? Well, I like pie in the sky and unicorns too.

Unfortunately, Thailand needs to import a very expensive commodity, commonly referred to as energy. Oil & gas is only going to become more expensive over time. How does this chap propose that Thailand pay for a very expensive item unless it has the FX from exports? Thailand requires a great many expensive imports to sustain its manufacturing and agricultural sectors. Thailand has to pay for those imports.

He wants Thailand to boost domestic consumption? How does he propose to do that? More borrowing? Isn't Thailand's household debt growing too fast because there is too much consumption of both domestic and foreign products? If anything, Thailand needs to control the looming personal debt crisis. Thailand's program to boost domestic consumption has encouraged the sale of new cars (with a big boost from the floods that saw thousands of vehicles replaced.) Just how has this helped Thailand's economy in the long run with the greater demand for energy to power the vehicles and of course an increase in the household debt as consumers borrowed to purchase the made in Thailand vehicles?

Thailand is a small country so running into bigwigs by chance is something I think can happen fairly frequently. That said I don't mean to toot my own horn but one of my students I am tutoring in English is a Government Bigwig. Thailand has plans under way already to address energy issues as told to me by my student. In the next six months or so he will personally be traveling to several Asian and European countries to pick up the components (I don't know what they are) to what is going to be made into a super recycling machine that will be installed in Pathum Thani. What it basically amounts to if I understood correctly for every Kilo of plastic recycled (plastic is a byproduct of petrochemicals) it will yield 2 grams of oil.

It may not be a panacea but it's definitely part of the solution.

You have started something you will not be able to finish. The problem is that most men know what is going to happen, but don't believe that it will happen to them, until it is too late. My suggestion is if you don't have the passports, apply for new ones and exit the country, go home and only return once your kids are grown-up.

Which would result in a custody case.

Note that Thailand is a member to the treaty on child abduction. if th mother plays it smart, she gets custody and can go to the public prosecuter to try and invoce the treaty.

Mario, how would she play it smart? I'm not being ostentious I just know you are the Guru of these issues, and I can not speak too openly about the case right now but I'd like to have an idea about what to judge my current situation against.

Tell us again why you let her take the children at all?

Tell us again why you would listen to someone shouting down a phone?

Not divorced so rules are, who has can keep.

1. I was taking the advice of my legal counsel

2. I didn't.

You have started something you will not be able to finish. The problem is that most men know what is going to happen, but don't believe that it will happen to them, until it is too late. My suggestion is if you don't have the passports, apply for new ones and exit the country, go home and only return once your kids are grown-up.

Which would result in a custody case.

Note that Thailand is a member to the treaty on child abduction. if th mother plays it smart, she gets custody and can go to the public prosecuter to try and invoce the treaty.

But it is not codified into Thai law, hence the reason why Thailand is such a popular Child abduction destination because one the parent has to find the abducted child first, and then go through the Thai Family court.

I'm not really sure what britinthai is suggesting either since he is speaking so vague and cryptic. Best to be direct chap. Do you think she's gonna have me offed? Is that what you're saying?

I'm purposefully leaving out several details because there is an investigation already ongoing now. I don't know if this is the correct forum to post this in but since it has to do with my ex I'll tell it here.

Basically we got into an argument over the children. I wanted to take them for the weekend and she had refused to let me despite the fact I had conceded to her wishes to keep them for the last several weekends in a row. I've been promising my kids to do things for weeks now and I don't like looking like an A-hole on account of their mother being a nut so I told her again I would be taking the children for the weekend. Naturally she refused but I did not budge, and simply told her I was as capable as her to take them to their appointments (I don't know if they really exist or not) and there is no reason for her to act this way. She started screaming over the phone and making ultimatums and I told her she was out of control.

She hung up on me and predictably she drove over to where I work, where I also had my children at the time because I am ensuring they learn English with me after school. She had done this sort of thing before and I did not feel like letting her come in and confuse the children and stress out my S.O. and so I stood in the doorway outside the shop and refused to let her in. She gave me an ultimatum to give up the children and I refused thinking she was only calling the police; something she does and nothing I can't handle.

I was wrong. She called up some guy who brought his pal with him to the party and they came in to give me a thrashing. I got injured but the long and the short of it is that after the first hit I Hulked out and let these guys know with my fists they had messed with the wrong dude. I have legal representation now, I've informed my embassy, and the police are investigating and doing a fine job thus far and I am very sure my ex will receive a conviction along with her gang.

Regretfully my children saw the whole thing take place despite being in a room partitioned off. My only bittersweet satisfaction is that they saw their daddy kick butt instead of getting his butt kicked. I've been forced to return them into that witch's custody though despite us still being married and no custody order.

I wonder how this will affect the judges ruling on who gets custody when we do get divorced.

So just a word of advice to anyone who may find themselves in this situation with a Thai spouse (yes ladies you too) even with a mountain of evidence they don't hold people in jail and allow them to pay bail if they want freedom before their trial while the police continue an investigation. No... the leave them free to continue planning revenge and retaliation so you're basically going to have to walk around paranoid until the situation is resolved, which is what I am doing now. It's not fun. It's probably a mild form of PTSD and I think not only I deserve better but Thai people do to. It's no wonder when government set's legal policies like this people feel the BiB are corrupt and useless, I feel sorry for the police in some small way now and have a lot of respect for them because it's not the regular Joe beat cop or rookie who is setting the policies; it's the politicians. Truly Thai people deserve better, we all do.

Corruption is a mixed bag. It's like that Chinese story about never knowing what a blessing is. When I first arrived with my Thai wife she and her family were gung-ho on getting our kids added to the house registration and Thai citizenship. The amphur employee tried fleecing us a ridiculous amount of money so they gave up, even though the children are entitled to Thai citizenship through their mother. So when we split I thanked my lucky stars because now she can't get them a Thai passport, and play modus vinidictive all over the ASEAN union.

This doesn't mean I approve of it, but on the whole I've been able to avoid it, and haven't experienced any of the institutionalization corruption with that one exception.

I don't know the signs are annoying, but it seems that Thai's are a lot better at removing them after elections then American politicians. I'm always tempted to slip the vegetable sellers on the street a couple hundred baht so I can chuck veggies at the guys in their trucks blasting politico campaign drivel at 800 decibels That's more annoying to me then the signs.

Tesco's certainly have cruelled local businesses. Retail conglomerates always do but time to move on as retail technology is far superior to family stores who cannot compete with pricing. Simply a sign of the times. I hope for the sake of the local businesses they can rely on that law, but Tesco will flip some coin at a few councillors who will overturn it on a vote under the guise of job creation and all will be forgotten.

I disagree with the technology bit. Thai's in general don't play well with each other,not just foreigners. So gathering all the mom and pop stores together to form a collective bargaining unit so they can remain competitive in their prices and autonomous although it is a solution, won't happen.

Hey Hong Kong business people, just be aware, that the Thai's don't really want you here, and will exploit you. You won't be allowed to own land, you will have to employ only Thai's, and after you have the business successfully operating your business partner will dump you and begin competing against you. There will be investigations into the legality of your business, etc.

On another note, even if the Thai's spend 2 Trillion baht on infrastructure (less tea money of course), it they use the current construction techniques they will still have <deleted> infrastructure.

Nonsense! There will however be an increased number of successful business men from Hong Kong coming to Thailand and feeling so depressed by how much they have and Thai's don't they will take flying leaps from their hotel rooms. Success guilt is an awful condition.

If he had killed the Dog and been a Farang they would be calling for his deportation.

The ladies on the right at the end look like they were too much into each other to care about his wank.

Excellent publicity. Raising a few bucks to help his mum Good lad.

One hopes he enjoyed the ladies' favors afterwards.

A few mildly lewd suggestive bits like letting the pussy out the door and the banana sucking and milk spill, but on the whole cleverly done for an amateur production.

Where did he find these four bountifully endowed females to squirm and kiss each other I wonder?

No doubt a few of the ladies with big hair in the Kulcha Department will be making phone calls.