Misterwhisper

Unless you get yourself embroiled in a riot within those 30 days. But here's an idea: Just land, go through immigration, grab a taxi and ask your driver to take you straight to the next riot. There always is at least one going on somewhere. Once you're done, file your claims. Could be a nice little earner. Fly to Singapore or Malaysia for a few thousand baht, stay a couple of nights, return to Thailand, and collect up to half a mill. Rinse and repeat every 30 days.

I'd even donate a whole crate of these darts. Finally a sensible investment.

No. You actually have to have 1.1 million euros that you can comfortably risk investing in a shady local company or an even shadier "Infrastructure Fund", hoping for the best that it's still there after those 3 years. But ON TOP of that you also will have to shell out the costs for purchasing the actual land, building the house on it, plus assorted associated expenses (land transfer fee / utility connection fees, which can be considerable if your house is out in the boonies / land tax / "super-duper elite visa" fees / lawyer fees / a number of "donations" stuffed in brown envelopes in order to speed the entire process along / etc.). So all things considered I think you are looking at around 2.5 million euros if you want to have a half-decent house. But as a bonus for your generous commitment you also will receive a coupon for a free plate of pad thai. Or so I heard.

They'll be subjected to being "offended on" -- in their 70-people prison cell.

Plus the cost for the land. Plus the cost for the house. Plus the cost for the land transfer. Plus the cost for the swimming pool. Plus the cost for garden scaping and building a driveway. Plus the cost of building a wall around the property. Plus the cost for connecting to the public water and sewage system. Plus the cost for the "super-duper elite visa" that will probably be a necessity. Perhaps even more importantly: What happens after those 4 years have elapsed? If you really have that much money to burn, I think you're better off buying 3 villas in Costa Rica, Mexico, some of the Caribbean islands, or even Portugal, for the same amount -- MINUS all those plus-plus-plusses. Oh, and that sort of property investment usually automatically comes WITH a long-term visa or even residency without having to jump through bureaucratic hoops.

Yes, yes, Mr. Anutin, it's common knowledge that all Thai families (particularly the very, very rich ones) are very loosely knit entities whose members keep their assets strictly separate, guarding them jealously from one another. They never-never-never collaborate in any business dealings nor ever-ever-ever help each other out. But wait... I vaguely remember that "other" politician who at one time had transferred all his shares in a certain telecom company to his children, apparently) so THEY could attempt selling off those shares. If they had succeeded, the sales profit would of course never (!) have benefitted the original share owner because (see above). And then there was the case where majority shares in a business (and I believe it again was that '"ther" politician) apparently were held by the maid, which basically made her the richest maid in the world. And giving away those shares was of course a completely altruistic gesture by the original share owner... But we believe you, Mr. Anutin. Since you haven't seen your brother "in a long time" and haven't been involved with your brother's company "for more than 20 years now", it certainly is pure coincidence that your brother's company has a stake in the hemp business.

Just go rub some tree barks, see what numbers reveal themselves and then allocate those seats accordingly. It's not rocket science, really. Every country bumpkin knows how to do it (though admittedly for another purpose).

A long list of nationalities already get 30 days on the visa waiver program. Visitors from these countries typically visit Thailand for 2 to 3 weeks, i.e. less than 30 days. Many others, including China and India, get a 15-day visa-on-arrival. The average Chinese tourist stays for 5 - 6 days, the average Indian for about 1 week, i.e. less than 15 days. So who exactly is that "fee exemption" supposed to benefit? The very small proportion of visitors who are able to take enough time off work and have the disposable funds available for a long-term stay? Well, maybe it's all those millionaires Thailand wants to attract... you know, those people who couldn't care less if their visa cost them $50 or even $100.

Hmmm.... I was always under the impression that only a judge could grant bail, but not individual police stations. One learns something new every day. From an earlier report: "Relatives of the tourist policeman turned up with 200,000 baht money to bail him out but this was denied." Looks like the earlier offered bail amount of 200,000 wasn't enough for Bang Yai police, so it had to be "re-negotiated" to a cool million per suspect. As always, money talks. I wonder how much of these 2 million will actually go into state coffers.

"Two Wongs" would perhaps be more appropriate in this particular case.

Well... is there anything those Muslims are NOT against? Here is how "freedom" works, folks: You have a CHOICE. You can CHOOSE not to drink, not to do drugs, not to marry a same-sex partner, not to eat pork. Just as much as you DO CHOOSE to marry 4 wives and up or peddle off your under-age daughters to marry old geezers. And just because something is against YOUR religious beliefs, does NOT make it categorically bad or "damage youth and society." If only you read any other books than that d**n [you know what], you might just be able to grasp the abstracts concepts of "liberalism" and "freedom" a little better. Just saying.

Aw, that is soooo heart-warming ???? So... for how long exactly has this magnificent friendship been standing? After all, up until the early 1950s Chinese immigrants were regarded by the nationalist Thai governments as little more than second-class human beings -- and treated as such. Then the Korean War tagged along, which saw considerable Thai contingents fight the People's Army to the teeth in the rugged, cold northern parts of the country. And subsequently, from the Vietnam War up until the mid-1980s Thailand fought its very own communist insurgency, repeatedly accusing China of aiding and supporting the rebels. Oh yes, what a long-standing friendship through thick and thin indeed.

Here's a little clip from one of their recent concerts... which had critics and fans alike howl with delight. As Long As I'm With You (The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse Disney+) (2).mp4

I am not familiar with US residency laws, but take you by your word. But in my case it's a Schengen Zone country, and I figure the same system therefore would apply across the EU. Of course, you are making a very good point regarding that ridiculous differentiating whether the "foreign devil" is female or male. If anyone should be able to easily and cheaply obtain permanent residency in Thailand, it surely should be the MALE foreigners -- because just like their Thai counterparts it is typically THEM who have to look after a family and thus need to earn a living. On another note, just imagine how the Thai government would react if we treated Thai citizens with the same yardstick for obtaining permanent residency that Thailand applies on us. The Thai government would whine and complain and huff and puff how unfair it all is, no doubt. And how racist. And how xenophobic. And how anti-Thai. Lastly, that LTR visa in my opinion is little more than yet another scam to squeeze as much money out of us "rich" foreigners as quickly as possible. There is absolutely no foresight, no appreciation, no goodwill towards long-term, sustained contributions to the local economy. It's always and only "quick, quick, quick, pay up, pay up, pay up" and truly leaves foreign pensioners as well as foreigners looking after their Thai families in limbo. The insecurity whether your next year's extension will sail through or not can be really nerve-racking. And yes, the vast, vast, vast, vast majority among us are NOT foreign criminals trying to hide out in Thailand. But we are decent, law-compliant people who just want to live. I wish that also finally would sink in with the local powers-that-be. There currently are well over 100,000 Thai citizens legally living and working in my home country, almost ALL of them having been granted permanent residency or even citizenship. By comparison, there are considerably fewer than 10,000 of my fellow countrymen currently living in Thailand, of whom only a tiny fraction hold permanent residency. Even fewer among them have been coaxed into signing up for that "other" quick-money scam called "Elite Visa".

Hear, hear, well said -- and down to the point. Meanwhile, my home country automatically grants Thai citizens who are married to a national of my country permanent residency after just 15 months, including permission to work. Cost? ZERO. And Thai citizens who have legally lived and worked there for at least 3 years are accorded the same privilege regardless of their marital status. Cost? Again ZERO. No "minimum investment amounts" required either. Perhaps we recognize that they support our economy with their tax payments, social security contributions and day-to-day spending.