samuibruno

not sure where anybodies going on this post

why not just ask whats the best /fastest way to KPG [from donsak] and be done with it

usually you get better answers when you ask the right questions

both seatran and Raja go to samui

Money is all that matters

this is a global thinking scenario , not just thailand

the whole world need to think sustainable , for the world to survive long term

really great if they actually do something about this scam

the immigration visa number is pretty much all thats [needed] required [and copy of passport ]

what happens if the people that take your passport get robbed/burgled ?

ive seen passports thrown into the draw of the desk /counter along with all the other passports

hopefully they will start the crackdown on samui soon as well

where foreigners[and thais ] [running vehicle rental businesses] do the same thing

i never use any rental business that uses this practice for my guests

and ive not had any problems hiring cars or bikes

stopping this practice is at least a step [a small one maybe ]

in the right direction

can confirm the guy in nathon [above sells just the beans ]

friends bought some to refill their bean bags

if you take the beanbag they will also refill for you

many people seem to forget that they are in a buddhist country

buddhists believe in reincarnation

therefore they are not afraid of dying

hence doing stupid [deadly] things are normal in this country

buddists [true] dont point and blame either

thats a western thing to do [blame somebody ]

thailand = road carnage

such is thailand

i run a small hotel/bnb on samui and its always been the law here [for 12 years ] to register all guests

with immigration

nothing new here to complain about

my understanding is it is for tourists only [not legitimate long termers]

if you have been here for years on a tourist visa , your already breaking the law

if some some of my guests break the law / break a part of the property/ damage the rental car etc and dont pay up

we simply call immigration and those offenders are not leaving the country

its simple protection on property/hotel owners part as well

also in case of death by accident [or not as the case may be ]its a simple check to find a missing tourist

this policy is also enforced in many other countries of the world

ive been to the full moon parties and totally disagree

Pattaya is more trashy on a daily basis

the beaches are cleaned up within days [if not the next day]

there are now toilets available [never used to be ]

there are security zones for the drunks/inebriated ones

things have improved immensely

hi all

Antica locanda restaurant in bangrak has a large aquarium in the place

perhaps ask the owner where it came from

been there many times and its not leaking

Supot electric also has a new aquarium in thier shop , might be worth inquiring about

Now we got some numbers.

High season: 700-800 drivers in Patong, each getting B4000. That's B2.8M to B3.2M each day.

In one month totaling as 100 million baht.

Low season this drops B25M per month.

wow these guys earn loads

4000 baht per day x 6 days a week =24,000 per week

times that by say 6 months = 624,000 for a half year

falangs legal wage@ 50,000 per month x 6 months =300,000 for half year

these guys are minted

are they all paying their taxes is my next question ?

hi all

my understanding of the yellow book was that ,as a foreigner is allowed their name on it so you dont need to visit the immigration all the time for their endorsement of your registered address

supposedly free but on samui around 10,000 baht is asked /demanded/requested

with the immigration charging 500 baht each time , they surely dont want you to have one

On 10 January 2008, Thailand announced further restrictions that came into force on 10 February 2008, in that smoking would be banned (indoors and outdoors) in establishments open to the public, including restaurants, bars, and open-air markets. Members of the public face a 2,000 baht fine for not complying, and establishments face a 20,000 baht fine for not enforcing the ban (including not displaying mandated ‘no smoking’ signs). In addition to fines, those who fail to comply may be arrested. Most legal bars comply with these regulations, but in establishments that operate illegally or semi-legally they are mostly disregarded.

maybe the BIB will realize there's a lot of tea money to be made by enforcing this law and they could also claim to being more environmentally friendly at the same time

hi all

i renewed my work permit earlier this year and had the same problem [accountant asked by labour department for 4 employees]

as i dont employ 4 employees is asked the accountant to return to the labour department and ask them if they were requesting our company to break the law by registering false workers?

she did that and was told ok just 2 employees then

which i still dont have , so i asked the accountant to please ask again the question if this was actually a written law in thailand

and if so could the labour department give us a copy ?

still no joy , need 2 employees, so finally i asked the accountant to cancel the work permit [as im retirement age ]

she came back and listed our 1 [actual] employee [and only part time at that ]

will wait for next years debacle,and worry about it then

yes agree with above post

lots of people working with no work permits

get them all out so us legal ones can do better business

hopefully they will turn up on samui as well and nab all the timeshare touts , hairdressers,realestate agents that work here illegally [thats just naming a few as well]

condolences to the families and friends left behind

ive been driving /riding here for many years and half the idiots on the road are foreigners

ive found the same as well in phuket

Samui is much much cheaper

we eat for 50 thai baht a meal ,most days ,beer averagely 60- 80 baht

cheaper at the supermarket

would never live again in the UK simply because its bloody cold and miserable

bring on 30 degrees anyday and ice in the beer

had dengue myself and did a lot of research

mossies which transfer dengue usually live /prefer to live inside ones house and as posted above usually feed [suck blood] during the daylight hours

only female mossies suck blood and for the sole purpose to gain enough energy to lay eggs

the biggest problem with dengue is people don't isolate themselves once they know they have it , as there is no cure many dont bother doing anything and they are meanwhile still able to transfer the virus by socializing with other people

mossies are not born with the virus , they have to bite someone with it ,then bite another person to make the transfer

check this very informative website and educate yourself a bit more

www.denguevirusnet.com

cheers

Look - water is dangerous. We cannot breath in it.

Australia has some of the most stringent laws about pool safety that I have ever seen and yet in 2011, in Queensland swimming pools alone -

"28 Australian children under the age of five have drowned." (http://www.abc.net.a...ed/3765840.html) I could not be bothered to search any further.

That's just kids in one state.

Laws/warnings/signs will not really help. People will still do what people do - because 'it looked ok'.

Death by drowning is unpleasant and in lots of cases preventable. It is sad when it happens and most of us feel helpless/frustrated/angry etc. However, we cannot tell people what to do.

A lot of vistors to Samui cannot read English or Thai. (Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese etc). In my experience - their understanding of spoken English or Thai is very limited - with the majority having no English/Thai skills.

How on earth can we protect these people? Behave like surrogate parents and say "be careful if you go near the water"? No way. Whilst I am frustrated that needless lives are lost - I cannot see a solution in the environment that we operate in.

But thats just it isn't it! Avoiding all loss of life can never be prevented. But, just a few extra flags, a few lifeguards and a bit more collective responsibility and it will be a whole lot better.

I can't see the issue. No ones to blame for lives being lost because as rightly said, the seas very dangerous but there is blame if all that could be done as prevention isn't done.

just a few extra flags ,then some life guards, then a fence around everyone's pools ,then 9 cm gaps required in the ballautrades and minimum heights on your balcony , then we may as well go to Australia

if you step off the footpath and get hit ,then we will need life guards there as well ,not sure what coloured flags to use there tho

maybe red white and blue

hi all

very sad situation

one of the many reasons we moved to thailand is that you have to be responsible for yourselves in this country

instead of having to blame somebody/others for your own mistakes

there should be this, there should be that ,they have to do this, the government needs to do this ???

part of the problem with western society is that one can never blame yourself you have to point the blame onto something/someone else

i just renewed my thai licence and had to do the perithural [spell check not working ] vision test

try passing that test with a full face helmet on???

i think samui should be a helmet FREE city and then the BIB could concentrate on catching the smokers who ruin our dining experience

that way the authorities could rightly claim to be environmentally friendly as well and promote samui as more eco friendly

the BIB would also be able to make a huge amount more tea money as the fine for smoking in unauthorized place is 2000 baht and 20,000 for the establishment

and they wouldn't have to stand in the hot sun either to make their quota

they could do well by starting at the arrivals area at the airport

hi all

ive had an update

the friend i spoke about who got their licence last year has contacted their solicitor and asked the question

whom has been given the reply something along the lines of

the 10,000 baht that they paid to the TAT was for the licence to operate the business with out a website

if you operate a website which generates an income via the internet you will need to pay an additional 100,000 thai baht

the article is posted on TripAdvisor site under tour guides[link below]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g293915-c125475/Thailand:Finding.A.Tour.Guide.html

again im just trying to find more info about this

thanks for your replies

hi all

thanks for replys

yes i have my own villas for rent

we have our own website as well as advertising on tripadvisor ,sawadee etc

have a friend who last year applied for TAT licence for their tour operation and was only charged 10,000 baht deposit/bond and 2000 thai baht annually for upkeep of registration

which to get TAT liscense if needed wasn't too bad

however 100,000 baht is a large chunk of cash

and it doesn't really explain exactly if personal websites/parties would b required to register

thats why i asked if anybody else had any info/insights into this

cheers