BobbyL

I am not sure it'll cause mayhem at all. In central Bangkok I know of at least 5 - 10 places that stay open past 2am. If this law is passed, it won't be like every bar will suddenly stay open and hordes of people will be roaming Sukhumvit or Silom at 3am. 

On one of my last big sessions out with some mates earlier on in the year we were in Penny Blacks until 7am and it showed no signs of closing when we left. These places are widely available as they pay off the cops. 

Phiphat somehow thinks he has stumbled upon some new initiative, however this idea won't suddenly stimulate the tourism economy. Just because a few people can legally stay in a bar having a few more beers past 2am will make very little difference to most of the people either living or on holiday here. 

As for the rich Indians and much loved Chinese tourists, most of those don't go out frequenting bars anywhere near that time. 

3 hours ago, Crusader said:

It is very hard to find anything positive to say on this whole topic.  In my short 26 years in Bangkok, nothing has improved regards the standard of driving - and apart from the mid-month and end-of-month cash collections from the boys in brown, they seem to turn a blind eye as well to most violations.

 

Pretty much exactly the same that everyone who has lived here 10 + years has said to me. 

Each year a new initiative = Each year nothing changes 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

How about just having the cars pre-registered when people pick them up the showroom like the rest of the civilized world does? 

Precisely this. I cannot understand the need for a red plate. We had ours for about 3 - 4 months until Mazda finally organised the white one for us. My wife didn't seem bothered about it at all. 

If you're talking about just the spending when you're out then on an average week day hardly anything.

Today I spent 140b whilst at work and usually spend under 1000b during the weekdays. 

Coffee = 40b

Travel = 100b

Lunch = free

I wouldn't be too optimistic after being together for only four months. The travel history and being able to demonstrate returning home are the big ones, however if she doesn't have a full time job and has only travelled to countries around South East Asia that doesn't really prove anything. 

19 minutes ago, DLock said:

Thai tourism has peaked. Trying to keep growth alive with dumb@ass ideas is stupid. 

 

Let is slow. Build a 5 year and 10 year plan that fixes all the negative issues and builds on the positives.

 

I am in Singapore at the moment and what an amazing city of clean, orderly streets, great restaurants, vibrant street life and night venues, clean safe taxi's and no crime. The government really executed the casino strategy so well (with International help).

 

Captain Knee jerk isn't going to solve tourism with this ridiculous plan. He is just wasting money hoping for a miracle that will not come.

All very good points. 

2 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Golly, try contacting the UK embassy and asking them.

It certainly seems like taking a Thai lady wife or not to any western country nowadays, is very difficult.

Good luck.

I don't like to directly point out faults in other posts, but both your points are incorrect. 

That seems very long. 

I would love to hear their discussions when they think up these 'crackdowns'. 

On 8/27/2019 at 7:17 PM, ChipButty said:

Was the game that bad?

Haha, well we lost to Aston Villa so I guess so. 

When you have approx 20,000 people dying a year in any context, it has to be classed as a war zone. 20,000 people dying in a way that could be far more governed and controlled is just scandalous.

When I was home at Easter I went to watch my football team and there was an attendance of 32,000 there for the game. I remember looking around the stadium and thinking that in around 18 - 24 months this is how many people die on a road in Thailand.

It is shear negligence by the whole country. 

Interesting topic. I am 31 so have a lot of friends (all British) through work, football and golf plus two mates that I knew from home before I moved here.

I often wonder what it might be like living here in my 60s and onward. Will some of the people I see regularly now still be living here, and will I have to meet new friends as I get older. 

It is definitely different living abroad when it comes to meeting legitimate friends. I would say three of my current friends here now I would class as 'proper' friends. If they all moved on to new places it would be a strange feeling.  

Is there any country, apart from perhaps North Korea, that possess such strict movements laws for foreigners that legally live and work in a country?

My friend and I were discussing this in the pub on the weekend. The government has my address linked to my visa, my work permit, my driving licence, my TM6 entry, my bank accounts, my car registration, and now a TM30. 

There can't be anywhere else where they have so many places to find out my whereabouts, yet still require more.

I am convinced this whole farce is an order from the TOP to siphon yet more money to the elite. 

1. When you woke up this morning, did the girl sleeping next to you look familiar?

Yes. 

2. Do you know the given name of her Mother 

Yes. 

3. Check the drawers in your kitchen – does one have a plastic pot containing a million red elastic bands, a thousand 7-11 drinking straws and several unused packs of spicy sauce?

A few packs of things but not much at all. 

4. Check your fridge – does it contain the remains of the last 5 meals you have eaten out, all neatly packed in foam trays and plastic bags?

No. 

5. Check your TV – has the on-screen menu mysteriously changed to Thai?

No, she's fluent in English so only ever watches English stuff on TV / Netflix. I literally cannot remember the last time she watched something in Thai. 

6. Check outside your front door . Is there a delivery from Lazada or Shopee?

No, but she did order clothes from somewhere recently. 

7. When you try to use your washing machine, are you intercepted by a woman with long dark hair who insists on doing your laundry as you don't do it properly?

I am the one who usually does the laundry ????. 

8. When did you last use your kitchen?

This morning for some sausage sandwiches. 

Unless you're going to the airport I couldn't think of anything worse than driving out there. 

Well played. Had that been a man I reckon we would have seen the real face saving attitude from the bikers. 

I saw recently Richard Barrow posted that info again on his Facebook page about receiving 1000b if you report bikes on the pavement. I decided to count the last few days how many I have seen walking to and from Phetchaburi MRT each day. From Tuesday - today the number is 28 ????. 

My wife and her friend have both got 10 years. It seems like once you pass their checks they generally always give out 10 year ones. 

22 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

You need a TEFL/TESOL qualification surely? 

To do what?

I have absolutely no idea how this idea will increase tourists. Their recent releases show no ideas at all.

I have to say in all my time of travelling to other countries, I have never once checked to see what time bars close in that particular place. Off the top of my head I know about a dozen places in Bangkok which are always open after 2am, so it's not like this rule is even properly enforced.

I also love how they still have a 'Tourism and Sports Minister'. They are two very different roles of expertise. 

On 8/16/2019 at 5:39 AM, stament said:

Is the iPGCE recognised at all in TH? Is there any real advantage to having it because if you don't have the QTS then you aren't a qualified UK teacher so it seems to me that you won't get any more money in TH but it might differentiate you slightly from someone with a degree and a TEFL? Thoughts on this?

Generally the top internationals schools wouldn't employ you without a PGCE, QTS and experience in the UK. However, as guru said, there are exceptions. A colleague told me that Wellington were desperate for an EYFS teacher to start this month and hired someone with only a PGCEi. 

Mid - level international schools or the better bilingual schools would be the more likely places. My friend works at a reasonable international school in Bangkok with just a PGCEi. He is on around 80k but no international teacher benefits.

IMO, if you're thinking of making a real career teaching here then the benefits are a huge enticement to perhaps go home for a few years and get a PGCE and QTS.

Bite the bullet, I did. 

6 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Prayut and cronies? ????????????

I wouldn't be surprised ????

They aren't yet CIS accredited as they only recently opened. The whole process takes a number of years as I have been through it at my school. They will most likely get fully accredited as it seems they have a good setup and definitely do proper recruiting. 

However, I don't think you can call a school that is two years old and doesn't yet offer any from of A - Level / IB curriculum in Secondary as successful. Until they actually have students graduating with scores that are comparative worldwide and go to top universities then it is all talk. 

Also, interesting to note on their website they're offering quite substantial discounts to new students. There are quite a few of these new schools (two in very close proximity) that are finding it hard to recruit and are offering big discounts to get students in. 

A bit like condos, I fear soon there will be too many schools and nowhere near enough students. Thankfully where I work is a well established place that has been around well over a decade. We have a decent student size from 3 - 18, but are noticing numbers slowly decreasing. 

It has been mentioned time and time again over recent years. They need an experienced management team to get them out of this issue.

A management team which will mostly likely be built on foreign expertise (look at all the examples of this in recent history at other airlines). Yet, as we all know, there is probably more chance of pigs flying than them allowing that. Just imagine the face loss.

Instead they most likely plod along with their management team, who are mostly from the 80s and 90s, and get bail out and bail out from the government.