daiwill60

Ah yes but what if he sells his art / photographs online and someone from thailand buys it over the internet?????

How about this case: An artist (painter/photographer) or an author, who likes to spend time in Thailand, is content with a 30 day stamp in his/her passport on arrival, and tourist visa from neighbouring countries, ... sits in his private space to draw, paint or write, .. has no interest in having clients in Thailand, never shows his work in Thailand, because all the income is generated from business outside Thailand, > publisher in the UK > galleries in Europe etc Stays out of everyone's way, ships his work out via courier, in his luggage or in the case of digital files, via the WWW .. does not take a single Baht from anyone in Thailand, nor competes with any local "wanna be" artists, so jealousy is nothing to contend with ....

If that were you, would you even worry about a permit?

So, if theThai Gov't immigration Dep't is so intent on making sure everyone is working legally, with appropriate work permits in Thailand, then why is it that so many schools are allowed to advertise jobs for teachers and then keep them waiting anywhere between 3 months to a year before giving a farang teacher a work permit, and yet so often when the new academic year begins and jobs are being advertised, they keep on advertising that work permits will be obtained on behalf of the teachers? Surely they know they need teachers, so why are they never prepeared for the process when it occurs and jobs are offered, same old same old problem every year, then the schools wonder why there is s shortage of applicants for the posts. Again, Wake Up Thailand.

Hi Guys

Coming up to my first 90 day border run on Jun 17th, and feeling like a complete and utter newbie.

I came over on a Multiple entry B visa ??? ( don't ask how or why, it was just easier than a non O , under the circumstances ) , and I am now working as a teacher, up in Mahasarakham.

The school I work in have not yet sorted my work permit. Though I am told that if it were needed, a letter confirming my position from the school would suffice.

A few questions :

What do I need to take with me for my first 90 day border run, other than my Passport ?

Where is the best place to cross to Laos from Mahasarakham ? We have been told Savanakit, as it is very close and a more pleasant experience than Vientianne. Though I did read on here that as I am only doing a 90 day run, I could just hop on a boat across from Nakhon Phanom and return almost immediately.

What is involved in this process at both the Thai and Laos sides of the Border ? I am told I just need to take 2 photos to give over at the Laos side???

Thanks all for any forthcoming advice and enlightenment

Daiwill

Maybe the chaos won't be so bad with the declining numbers of visitors coming to scamming thailand. Maybe also the new Gov't ??? which wins the up and coming election will also have an effect on the number of visitors arriving, or rather the rioting that will follow the election of any new gov't will have an effect on the number of visitors coming to LOS. Oh well at least the reduced numbers will give the immigration people time to get it working smoothly in the meantime.

This reply just about sums up everything wrong with Thailand today in my reckoning.

This has been going on as long as I have lived in Thailand.

I have seen reports of gang fights between technical college students in Bangkok from the 70s when home made pen guns were already being turned out in the school metal workshops. Not sure if you were here then but the problem must date from the 60s or late 50s when technical colleges started to proliferate.

Thailand has a system of streaming whereby kids not deemed to be university material, i.e. mainly those from poor families, are bundled off to technical schools after finishing Mor 3. Take a bunch of underprivileged adolescents, mark them as failures and send them to the worst schools with the worst teachers. Give them access to materials and workshops to make their own home made guns and ping pong bombs. Combine that with a corrupt, incompetent police force that only cares about making money and guess what you get.

My brother-in-law's best friend was shot in the head and killed with a pen gun in broad daylight whilst walking on Sukhumvit Road a stone's throw from a police station. The murderer, a delinquent technical school student, who killed him because he thought he was a student at a rival school, turned out to be the son of a local police constable. Despite an immediate arrest and confession, the suspect was mysteriously released within days and back on the streets threatening other kids. Although they had both a confession and a large number of witnesses, the police decided not to press charges and threatened to murder the victim's father instead, if he didn't stop pestering them about justice for his only son.

A very wide source of information in this reply, thank you so much.

I am currently living in a shared family house with my wife in Mahasarakham , while waiting for our house to be built. I am investing money into the building of the house and accept i will never really own it or the land it stands on. I presume my name will be going on the deeds when it is completed or is that a stage that should already have been done?? ( the work started before i moved over in March).

However i am interested in knowing if i would need one of these YELLOW HOUSE BOOKS you mention, and where if so, do i get one?

321Rich: Many good replies to your questions, especially reply #10 and #15. You should take the time to read

http://www.bangkokba.../FAQ%20new.aspx Which explains all about Bangkok bank and how it is EASY to set up inexpensive automatic deposits from your US Social Security or Pensions and in a manner that will save you considerable money and hassle. You will need two bank accounts (simple) at any branch of Bangkok Bank, but the one account CAN NOT have an ATM linked to the account. I have been banking on line with Bangkok Bank for over 6 years, it is easy and simple and for the most part free.

I have taken my wife to 11 different hospitals in Thailand, both high end famous Private hospitals and Government hospitals of various levels of facilities, actual medical devices, and motivated Doctors. Isaan does have ambulances, but not up to the level of equipment, respect from other drivers or EMS staffing you would hope. Fire Departments get paid to put out fires in Thailand and your rental house insurance or home owners insurance will have that provision. The trick is to have the valid phone number of your local fire department, local hospital, local police station, local Chinese Temple Ambulance Society, in your phone and written in Thai and English at your home.

Korat has two excellent Private Hospitals worth checking out, they both have web sites. The Bangkok Korat hospital is part of the largest chain of Private hospitals in Thailand and the St. Mary's Korat Hospital seems to have some decent Doctors, reasonable prices and a well priced and well run pharmacy. Many private Hospitals, have "mini bar profit margins" on any drugs bought for inside the hospital or for outpatient use.

Korat has many ready built homes for sale or rent that are in quiet neighborhoods, at fair prices, but not far from acceptable hospitals. Open your banking account in the TOWN you will be living, or close to that town, as Banks here do not easily allow you to perform some in branch procedures at any branch OTHER than the branch you opened the account. Fees for "out of area" simple transactions are pesky, but in my experience were better with bangkok Bank than two other banks I previously held accounts. Bangkok Bank will rent you a safety deposit box at a Thai price (very reasonable yearly fee, fair refundable key deposit) unlike some banks that just blow you off or have a Expat price for the same box.

Comprehensive Health insurance bought through a licensed native English speaking BROKER along with rental house insurance with the written policies in ENGLISH and Thai are readily available at fair prices. First class automobile insurance and fair motorbike insurance are very affordable in Thailand, again with policies in both Thai and English. You should consider buying both the near worthless (but mandatory) compulsory auto or motor bike insurance WITH the same respective First Class insurance. You do not want two different insurance companies disagreeing on how to handle a claim.

Even in a rental house you can easily obtain a "Yellow House Book", especially in Isaan, which will save you TIME and MONEY in many dealings with banks, Thailand Immigration, Thai version of the DMV, Utilities, etc.. No need to pay the fine people at the US Embassy ever again for a document that shows where you live or no need to travel and deal with Thai Immigration Government employees on the similar, but less costly paper, when a FREE, "yellow house book" saves you that hassle and needless expense.

I could not in good faith recommend the Buriram Government or Private Hospital, based on my personal experiences in the private hospital and my wife's experiences at both hospitals. If you read other parts of this Forum several US based credit cards are mentioned that do NOT charge a 2% or 3% "foreign transaction fee" including Capital One. Easy to pay on line from your USA bank account for a USA credit card you use in Thailand and not pay any fees here to use that card, and not pay and "foreign transaction / conversion fees". Easy to dispute a charge made in Thailand via your Capital One card, as some merchants or service providers in Thailand are a bit behind the curve on "customer satisfaction or your money back".

Internet of a decent speed is certainly possible in all TOWNS or CITIES, NOT all villages, in Isaan, and a MAGIC JACK phone device you set up in America with your local area code, can easily be used in Thailand for two way low cost communication with friends and banks.

On the Bangkok Bank web site in English are many answers including:

Do you receive regular payments from a US government agency? Save on fees!

If you receive regular payments from a government agency in the USA you can save on remittance fees by transferring funds directly into your Bangkok Bank account via the US Automated Clearing House system and Bangkok Bank's New York branch.

The above mentioned system also works for private pensions, a real genuine way to save fees.

Expat Banking - Frequently Asked Questions

Quickly find answers to your most commonly asked questions – to get started, choose one of the below categories:

Opening an account

Account balance & statements

Making deposits & withdrawals

ATM cards

Receiving funds into Thailand from overseas

Transferring funds overseas

Internet banking (Bualuang iBanking)

Closing a bank account

This answer to your question on a previous post is GOSPEL "The US bank should transfer US funds rather than buying and transferring Baht." They will COVERT to Baht at your local branch. Depositing your personal check from America into your Thai bank account and waiting for that check drawn on a US checking account will be a poor way to transfer funds for many reasons.

When you are on the ground in Thailand, take the time to walk into a Bangkok branch of HSBC or CITI bank and you will be glad you opened 2 accounts in YOUR Isaan town with Bangkok Bank. An expat of modest means attempting to bank with the THAILAND HSBC or CITI branch would find it a poor financial decision. You will find more working Bangkok Bank ATM's in Thailand than any other bank brand.

well well another fatal accident.<BR>seems to me that thai road driving authorities are quite happy to let this happen.<BR>what will it take for some Gov't authority to tighten up all the road rules and regs over here?<BR>i have only recently had my first experience of driving over here and nearly got hit broad side at night by two kids on scooters coming down a daul carriageway as i did a U turn, they were on the wrong side of the road at night travelling in the opposite direction.<BR>there is obviously a great need for education and regulation on Thai highways. Which Gov't minister will have the guts to insist and introduce these measures is another thing. Maybe it will take the deaths of close members of their families, who knows??? <BR>Until these measures are introduced, then these headlines will remain the norm, sadly for all those that will be affected by the outcomes which will continue.

Are the people giving this reassurance the same to not recognise at first that the recent earhquake tremors felt recently also had epicentres within Thailand itself ??????

for some reason it seems, only animals can reliably predict quakes, so it is a bit of a waste of money to try and predict them. Don,t get me wrong here, there are obviusly ways and means of telling if fault lines are at risk of tectonic movement and when a slippage may be due, but reliably????????The magnitude of the quakes measured in Thailand are no more than the numerous small quakes that regularly occcur in the UK, and will inevtably happen where there are minor fault lines. All seems to me like a bit of panic amongst a largely lowly educated nation.If schools and colleges taught properly in Thailand and properly educated its people, then perhaps one day they might start getting more things right.

shouldn't the thai tourist authority and the legitimate operators be pressing for something to done about these problems.

after all they are trying to encourage more tourists to return to LOS aren't they?????????????

Hi Guys,

Me and the Thai missus are beginning to build a new house in Mahasarakham.

She obviously owns the land, as is always the case in Thailand , but where do i stand relating to the fact that i am sharing 50% of the building cost with her.

Is there any point in me getting my name put on the deeds of the house, being as i have paid for 50% of the building costs, or is this another typically thai situation where i have no rights.

I accept that i will never own the land the house stands on.

Ta very much for info

I personally had no problems with jetski operators in hua hin recently, would go back nay time again. in fact got a 300 bht reduction and an extra 10 mins on the ski at the end of the day at sundown , brilliant guys operating the skis here, Pattaya maybe has a lot to learn. If you want customers to come back, be fair to them!!!

Some thoughts for you to keep in mind.

In Thailand if you are drowning no one is going to throw you a life line.

My wife and children and close relatives certainly would

For the older guys, many young Thai women want to screw you. Not for your bodies but for your cash. Yes, they are lying when they call you a sexy guy or they are not concerned about age only that you are kind and generous.. As far as they`re concerned, kind and generous equals stupid.

I have experience of both types of Thai women, my wife is not in the habit of telling lies but then she does not call me a sexy guy.......I guess every body just knows this

Treat your money the same as your life blood, because without it you`re dead and ready to be thrown away with the trash.

My wife handles our money better than I would

If not sure of anything or have lack of experience, seek advice from those who have been here longer, know the ropes and listen to some of the old hands here on Thai visa.

There appear to be too many old hands that have been burned

Be wary at all times and don`t become a fool guy.

If you have not learnt this is the case everywhere in the world, perhaps you need to travel a bit further

Now, would I lie to you?

Don't have to lie to misrepresent

+1

Thais are generally very compassionate and charitable which is a lot more than I can say for my fellow compatriots.

+2

+3

+4

at last someone who can tell it the way it is and always will be

Quite. Here on Phuket you have a choice between 'The Mill' aka Bangkok Hospital, and The Slaughterhouse' (Thai named) the Wachira, who still charge farang several times more than Thai nationals.

By the way, there are several Thai insurance companies who do not discriminate between the locals and farang and are much cheaper.

It's only the stupid farang who will 'only deal with BUPA'.

ok so can you please tell us who these companies are then so we do not fall int the BUPA trap

yes about time too i reckon, after all the recent fatalities. Kids 3-4 at a time on scooters , surely the brakes aren't designed to stop that kind of weight efficiently.<br><br>Also saw a wonderful sight on the highway from Bkk to Mahasarakham the other day ( see attachments ).  how is this safe I wonder.<br><br>one does wonder how the thai authorities will police all the scooters etc that there are everywhere, given the number of police available to do the job.<br>