moon47

Anything that is banned goes underground, which creates demand, which empowers the local mafia / criminal element, which ups the risk of violence and crime, which makes it worse for everyone.

Common sense.

I agree. Stop fighting the masses and instead provide rules and regulations that protect the workers and customers.

Suppression has not ever been an effective tactic.

The war on drugs has failed miserably, do they really think the war on the oldest profession will have any better results... ??

I thought that I read somewhere that one of the Homepro's had a shop that you could use tools like table saw router etc...

I would like to find a couple of shops set up with all necessary tools that I can use.

Back in the states there were a couple of shops that would rent out the space and equipment for use to competent users.

I am looking for places that I can do any of the fallowing:

wood working (saws, planers, routers, electric sanders, etc...)

plastic and composite (fiberglass, carbon fiber, etc...)

industrial sewing (Sewing thick materials like denim and canvas with a walking foot machine...)

Metal work (Welding Tig, Mig, Arc and milling...)

I want to make prototypes that I can test and then show local manufacturers to get production quotes and work done.

I think the wood shop should be the easiest but I do not even know where to buy composite supplies in Bangkok yet.

He said that most governments had realized that waging war against drug abuses in the past 20 plus years was a failure as the problem has not eased but tends to escalate – hence the change of perception towards the drugs.

It only took the ever so smart government officials 20+ years to figure that one out.

And they still do not know what to do about it. =[

So a serious mental and physical health problem like Methamphetamine should be legal... ??

However, other than the sub standard and unregulated products that Suradit69 pointed out in the FDA study (Don't vape popcorn, duh...!!), something that poses no major health risk are illegal especially when compared to the standard cigarettes that are proven killers.

And this whole decision was based on one misconception that one e-cig was like 15 normal cigs. Even though you would have to puff on that e-cig all day to get to 15 normal cigs was not considered.

The ignorance is baffling... =0

And the argument about tobacco companies does not sit with me. E-cig products with nicotine in them must get it from somewhere and that is most likely extracted from tobacco unless there is another way I am not aware of... ??

Teaching in this country and seeing the education system up close and personal does account for the mentality, ignorance, an incompetence seen in officially held positions.

It seems that more than half of this country sleeps its way through life and just does whatever it feels like at the moment without any real analysis or forethought in regards to actual planning and research.

Throwing "Face" out the window and learning a little humility, learning to save dignity, would go a long way here... !!

He claimed that, in medical science, methamphitamines are less hazardous to health than cigarettes and liquor but the society at large accept cigarettes and liquor as normal.

What... ??

I do not condone alcohol or cigarettes but I have not ever seen an alcoholic or chronic smoker get skin sores loose excessive amounts of weight let alone other forms of poor health caused directly from the abuse of the substance in such a short period of time.

It takes years to get lung or liver problems while a meth binge of only a few weeks will show drastic reduction in health.

Not to mention the "crazy" behavior, they do not call it "ya baa" for nothing you know... !!

I still can not get used to the incredibly stupid comments and actions of supposed "educated" people in this country and others... =[

I do not understand why they just didn't work with the Grab app like they do with the current taxi service. Why not let someone experienced in operating such a program do what they do best. All that was needed was to remove the illegal drivers and replace them with the orange vest drivers. Again this is how the Grab Taxi service works, it just makes the current taxi service more accountable and user friendly for a small fee.

This is just like when Apple decided to kick Google Maps out the door and replace it with their own (untested and unexperienced) maps service. There were huge problems and still to this day I use Google maps and the apple map app sits tucked away and unused.

Similarly I expect this new govt. app to fall short where Grab has more experience and the people will decide what gets used and what does not. Then again this government has notoriously deaf ears when it comes to the voice of its people in general terms... I.E. internet gateway... !!

Best you go to Savannakhet to get your visa where there is good deal of certainty you will get it. That is lacking for the consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.

I am not aware of any visa run service that goes to Savannakhet.

Looks like there are good chances from this post although it was a single entry and a little dated...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/749854-thai-embassy-ho-chi-minh-non-o-visa-experience/

Any one else have experience with HO Chi Minh...??

Again if I have to do it all myself at least I could enjoy myself as opposed to going to Laos... =\

I need to get a new Non O Multiple Entry based an marriage as mine is about to run out and I do not currently have the means to do the extension of stay.

I Have read that I can go myself to Savannakhet but I would rather just pay a service to go through all the red tape for me just as I do when it is time to get a 90 day stamp. It is too much nicer to just had over the paper work and get in the van then have to plan out a trip, place to stay, make sure I get there on time, worry about if the officer will want to give me a hassle for any reason, etc...

Most of the visa run services I have found one just advertise for tourism visas. Any one know of a good one that is prepared to do a Non O M.E. based on Marriage.

Again I know I can do it myself but it is so much better fork over a few extra Baht and let someone else do the monkey business and know that everything will be taken care of without hassle.

If I have to do it myself I would rater take a flight to Ho Chi Minh City and do some sight seeing rarther than go to Laos. Any one have any experience with getting a multi entry Non O in Vietnam?

Thanks,

R

Im just glad that he is spending the Thai peoples time and money on such important issues such as these. Corruption and true politics must take a backstage when such important issues such as these surface.

...

I feel a little sad for the kid. At no point did he say that he himself looked in the mirror and wanted these changes.

It was always the result of what others said and how they perceived him.

If it makes him happy all the best, I just wonder if that is true deep down... ??

Anyways, my 2 cents, they may not even buy a candy bar all said and done.

R

I will be leaving my current school at the end of the week and looking for new work ASAP.

I would like to go and cancel my work permit myself as I do not have any confidence in the schools ability to get things done correctly or in a timely manner.

From what I understand I need to go to the labor department with a letter from the employer stating the last day of the contract with a stamp from the school so that I can cancel the permit.

I have a Multi entry Non-O so there is no repercussion with that and I want to be sure my current WP is canceled before I accept a new job that will get a new work permit for me.

Thanks,

R

Let it burn... !!

The type of product that is normally used for medical purposes is rarely bricked up and transported by shady people...

Most likely the profit from the sale would have gone to even shadier ends as well so good ridden to bad apples IMO... =\

Currencies move directionally for reasons other then those that can be covered by opinion. The Swiss Franc against the Euro was capped by the Swiss National Bank the ERU/CHF was not allowed to go below a certain level as the bank would take measures to keep the rate steadily above that level. Once the bank decided it no longer wanted to keep that cap the CHF spiked to highs not seen for years. There was no arguing the cause and effect of the before and after scenarios.

While a drastic example I just want to point out that macro economic situations have a very strong correlation with a countries exchange rate against other countries.

I could go into further detail but it is not really necessary, the point is that government bodies do and will affect their own exchange rate for various reasons and that often guides the overall trend among other factors.

It seems difficult to find good resources about the Thai government stance on their own currency and other aspects that may affect the exchange rate and I was hoping for more resources to do my own research.

That said the information is appreciated, thank you both.

R

Two fold question (one speculative and other policy related):

1. Where can I best find news and information related to the USD/THB exchange rate as it has gone off from a two week high of about 36.30 to about 35.60 as of Friday Jan 30th 2016. What is the cause of the recent decline if any and could it continue? The dollar actually had a fairly good rally on Friday because of the Japanese negative interest rate but the USD/THB still fell on Friday.

For small USD inflows the decline does not amount to too much but we are going to be buying some land soon and need to transfer a large amount in and that could mean a difference of almost 10,000THB per $10,000 USD's. Not a huge amount but nothing to just overlook. I have a fairly good handle on what other central banks and global news will affect other currency exchanges but it is difficult at best to find good sources to research the macro economics surrounding the USD/THB cross.

2. I just read the post about "Onshore/offshore Exchange Rates And Money Transfers" in this forum but am confused by a few things and have some questions.

What amount of inflow will be subject to offshore prices?

Would $1000 USD be subject to offshore prices in a wire transfer?

What is the Onshore/Ofshore difference?

Looking at xe.com I see they state that the offshore price as of today Saturday 30th of January 2016 is 35.6845

Bangkok bank states the rate for purchasing 50-100 dollar bills is 35.35

Is the bangkok bank rate onshore? If so the offshore rate is better from what i see by a small amount. Confused about that as I will get the xe.com rate If I use my bank that does not charge a fee for international ATM withdraw, I have checked. Minus the 200THB ATM fee that is less than 1% on a $1000 USD ATM withdrawal.

To summarize:

I would also like to analyze the probability of the UDS/THB exchange rate dropping further or recovering and doing so is not effective without good macro economic understanding.

Also as mentioned before I just want to get the best exchange for my USD after fees etc when it is time to transfer money over to a Thai bank to purchase land.

I need to understand al my options before i can do that effectively as well.

Thanks for any help,

R

This is an over reaction to a very common show of affection in Thailand especially in the rural parts of the country.

I know it sounds weird from a foreign perspective, but older people always raise a hand to younger ones. The older one does not really intend to carry through with the threat though. It is allot like when grandma said do you want me to go get the switch (stick) and give you a one two. Grandma never intends to get out the stick at all but uses the threat to get the attention of the wrong doing little ones.

I often do it to my little nephews in law. There is no real violence EVER intended or expected by either party.

My (Thai) nephews know it is only in jest and just means "hay watch it little one, mind your manners".

I know it looks bad coming from an outsiders point of view but he really was only playing with the elephant and was absolutely no ill intent. Just look at the smile on his face he did not mean anything and was just playing. He actually looks a little confused as you keep asking him why he did it... =]

Of course this is just my point of view take it as you wish. From a 10+ year expat with family in the country.

R

Thanks again Joe... =]

Perhaps I should just go to the MFA myself... =[

Do you mean that I just need the translation service to stamp/certify the translation.

Or does the MFA only stamp/certify the translation of the certificate and not the authenticity of it.

If the latter I already told the translation service that but she said that they will not do it because it is not stamped from the embassy.

Perhaps she just does not know how to go about this. I should have used the office you suggested... =[

Just fantastic... =[

I just gave my marriage certificate and a paper (Previously stamped by MFA, see above) from the embassy that said that my certificate was original and correct under the US law.

I had to write my own statement and they just stamped that written statement from me as the US Embassy does not actually verify the actual certificate itself.

The MFA said they would not stamp the marriage certificate because the embassy did not stamp the marriage certificate...

Now what... ?!?!?!?!?!

I did everything I am supposed to do what the @#$% is the problem here. This is so frustrating... I have already plunked over 4000 baht and time off work to be back where I started in the first place...

Please help if you can... !!!!

Thank you,

R

Thanks Joe... =[

Not what I wanted to hear but better than wasting the trip to the Amphoe office... =\

Last question...

I went to the translation office but they only translated and had the MFA stamp the document from the American Embassy saying that the marriage certificate is valid and true... They seemed sure that I only needed the one document translated... =[

Reading back the other post said I need to get both translated and stamped from the MFA before going to the Amphoe to get the KR22...

Is that correct, did the translation office screw this up, do i need to go back to them to get the actual marriage certificate translated and stamped by the MFA... ??

This is turning into a nightmare... =[ I have already done the Embassy document twice because I had my birthday incorrect on the first one... !!

If I have to go back to the Translation service one more time I will rip what is left of my hair out... =0

Due to the screwed up RTP investigation and all the miss information I for one am not sure if they are innocent or guilty. But if they are guilty and are given a Pardon just to quiet the crowds it would be another travesty of justice.

The law in most countries constitutes guilty as "beyond a reasonable doubt".

The fact that there are so many that doubt the guilt of these two demands they be let go guilty or not.

If they truly are guilty and were let go "Justice" will have prevailed, if there is any reason to doubt the conviction.

In an ideal world, guilty would always be punished and innocent treated as such, unfortunately our is not an ideal world an we muse uphold the fact that if there are any doubts whatsoever (within reason Ie: "Reasonable doubt") then the party should go free.

We can not ever be 100% certain about things in life, even things that we see with our own eyes could be factually different from how we personally perceive them.

There is just too much doubt surrounding this case plain and simple.

The simple fact is that if Muslims are indeed the perfect picture of all great, good, honest poeple, I find it curious why NOT ONE Muslim stands in public to decry these terriosts. If I was a Muslim it would be in my interests to do everything I could to educate people otherwise.

Instead youu hear nothing from them. So one can conclude that it is indeed their religion beliefs that are dangerous to any that are not Muslim. Sure some are more forward than others (hence ISIS, Al Queda, etc). But the bottom line is Muslims core beliefs ARE dangerous to anyone who is not a Muslim. They are more akin to Nazi's.

It is curious probably because you are not listening. What Ali and others have done, mentioned all throughout this post, is exactly what you say that no one does.

I remember hearing all sorts of Muslim groups speaking about this very matter in the 1990's well up to this date, probably before but I was to young to take note of it.

The message has always been the same that what the terrorists call religion is nothing but a way to prevent a sacred and holy way of life.

Much love to any oppressed by the actions of the mad and insane.

=[...

My wife and I accomplished all 4 stages in a single day's trip to Bangkok several years ago. After doing 1 (at the UK Embassy in my case), we went round to an agent who arranged 2 - 4 for us. In connection with 4, we ended up tying the knot at Sathorn (one of the Bangkok "khets" referred to be ubonjoe?), rather than at our local amphur back in Rayong changwat. So you don't need to get married at your local amphur/"khet" so long, presumably, as you are willing to fork out extra for employing the services of an agent.

Ya looking to register the foreign marriage like Joe stated but I will look at the prices for services and see if it is worth it.

I will definitely do 2 & 3 together so I will only use a shop that will do both...

Thanks for the link Joe. Only Thai as mentioned but I will have my wife find the closest office on the site...

Thanks everyone... =]

I have read through many posts but a few things seem unclear.

ubonjoe wrote:

At the embassy you will do a declaration that the marriage certificate is authentic. Then you have it and the marriage certificate translated to Thai and have the translation certified at the MFA. The translation service can do the certification for you for a small additional fee.

Then as said you go the local Amphoe and register your marriage. They will update your wife's house book and do a new ID card with her married name on it if she wants it that way.

From post: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/719364-married-abroad-want-to-legalize-marriage-in-thailand-where-to-go/

It seems that i must go to three or four different offices to get this done (Sounds like a three day event at best)

1. Go to the embassy (US Embassy in my case) to get the declaration. (120-122 Wireless Rd. 10330)

2. Get the certificate and declaration translated into thai. (Plenty of these around the embassy)

3. Go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to have the translation certified. (Sri Ayudhya Road, Bangkok 10400)(Or the translation office if they offer it)

4. Go to the "local" Amphoe to register and get the Kor Ror 22. (??)

Number 4 is where I am confused the most, as to what it "local"... ??

My wife is from Phu Toei, Wichionburi, Phetechabun, Thailand.

Does that mean we need to go to the office in her town, most likely the Wichionburi office?

Can this be done here in Bangkok? If so where is that office if my apartment is near On Nut?

Do we need to take the original house book with us and must she go in person along with me... ??

Thanks,

R

She did give me a P.N.D. 1 with my salary and tax info...

Based on this post (couple of years old) that is what I need...

Plus a couple other forms...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/642693-getting-ready-for-the-1-year-extension-based-on-marriage/