inkorat

TPP would definately benefit Thailand, but does not benefit some of the large families in the government with protected products and monopolies. They will drag their feet.

In the old days I used to ride the boat across the river at Nong Khai, buy something at the duty free and return on the next boat. I legally departed and returned to Thai territory with no entry or exit stamps from Laos. Entry and exit stamps are at the discretion of the Lao government and have nothing to do with Thailand.

Some countries used to stamp your entry cards instead of your passport and some did not bother to stamp your passport on departure. Since 911 things have changed, but I am sure Thai immigration only cares about what you do while you are in Thailand. They are not paid to police other countries.

The voters who put this government in place are mostly farmers and 99% of them do not pay any tax, but they have the votes and get the benefits. The 2 million tax payers on the other side, who are paying the bills for the other 58 million people, must be ready to jump off a bridge. No tax without representation, this does not apply in Thailand.

If you remember far enough back, Disney and the government were in negotiations for a park near Kao Yai. The deal fell apart because there were to many people on the Thai side fighting to get a slice of the pie.

It was rumored that a lot of land was being aquired in Pattaya for casinos', race tracks, football and intertainment centers when the Thai Rak Thai government was in office before, it may be time to continue with the plan.

If the police had a eye witness that saw what happened, they were told to confess and the length of their sentance will be cut in half.

If they are good boys and work in the prison, they will most likely get one day cut off from their sentance for each day they work.

There is also a chance they will get put on the prisoner early release program.

If there is any justice in this world, they will rot in jail ..

My deepest sympathy for them and their family and friends.

I doubt the crime rate has increased or that it is focused at foreigners. If you have lived here long enough, you know this happens often and is a very common occurance to Thai's and non-Thai's. With the Internet it is now much harder to sweep things under the carpet and we now here about it more often.

The police are only required to notify the embassy in the event of a death, not the newspaper and that has been the proceedure.

Almost every school, city and village has multiple gangs and turf wars and parental guidance is almost non-existant in the rural society. Many newcomers do not understand that almost any criticism, even if it is constructive criticism, may be taken as an offense. Beatings, stabbings, shooting and robbery are common and the police are reluctant to get involved, unless someone with power or money puts pressure on them.

Once the youth leave the village and move into a community where they are not known, be careful.

We took the hospital birth notification to the Ampurs' office and they issued the official Thai birth certificate. I think there was some time limit mentioned by the hospital to apply at the Ampur or it may become more complicated.

In Thailand make sure you list your child's nationality as Thai.

The official Thai birth certificate allows the child's name to the parent(s) house paper (Tabien Ban) and apply for the Thai passport and ID card.

I would do the translation of the Thai birth certificate into english at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Chaeng Wattana road, so that it is recognized as a legal translation by the American embassy, with the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs stamp on it.

Registering the birth abroad at the embassy and getting a social security number (Tax ID) is easier to do when the child is first born. The childs' social security number is required to list them as a dependant for tax purposes in the USA and to live and work easily in the USA in the future.

In Thailand my daughter is a Thai and we never mention dual citizenship to Thai officials. I think we all know the laws and constitution in Thailand can change in a heartbeat and for me separate identities that cannot be easily linked, makes good sense.

I hope all of them recovery quickly with any long term effects.

Having written procedures and a management team that is willing and to implement the procedure, prevents many mishaps. Upper management in Thailand is OK, but middle management is another story, with the Phi / Nong relationship and fear of offending the other party.

Doing it the Right Way is no excuse for not doing it the Thai Way !

An additional Note:

Under the Treaty of Amity you can not own land or operate some types of businesses, but the the list is not very long. Best to read it.

So people more clearly understand their options.

1. The law only restricts 100% ownership for certain categories of business here in Thailand (which happens to be most of them). Almost any business that is primarially for export can be owned 100% by a foreigner with no Thai partners (BOI approval helps). Some business categories are restricted and/or require a minimum registered capital, some do not. To get a work permit, you would need a minimum registered capital of 2 - 3 million Baht, or if you have a Thai wife and its a family business, they may agree to a lower amount.

2. You will need a minimum of 1 Director in a limited company and he/she could be a foreigner, but if it is a foreigner, he or she will need a work permit. There is no requirement for a Thai Director, but with the language and culture problems, many people have them. I have done it both ways in many countries in Asia and Thailand. Another Note: If you resign as a Director of a Thai company, you could still be liable for lidigation for two additional years.

3. The Treaty of Amity with the U.S.A. is still in effect and you do not need to be a big company. There was talk of ending this several years ago, which requires one of the parties to give the other party a 1 year notification, but to my knowledge, no one has given a notification yet. You can get more information on setting up a company with the treaty on the U.S. Embassy web site.

Just go to Bangkok and pay the fine when you are leaving. This is such a common occurance in Bangkok, you may even need to que to pay your money.

In 40+ years I have never seen a case where someone goes to immigration and gets detained, if they are owning up to their legal obligation and pay the fine immediately on the spot and act in a polite responsible manner.

I personally know of two people who over stayed 10+ years and were treated in same manner as a person with a 3 day over stay. There is absolutely nothing in it for immigrations to detain a person who walks into their office any wants to correct the problem, if they are immediately getting on a plane and leaving the country.

Before anyboday takes cheap shots, I have been on the same NON-O Visa for the past 15 years, but in the old days, nobody really bothered extending their visas. Most of us just overstayed and paid the fines, since it was only a 100 Baht/day at that time and capped at 18K.

Anyways, Good Luck...

now i understand more of the problem. Wuite logical that they want that opened more. It drains through BKK straight in the sea. Its madness blocking North to South connections and expecting the locals to endure more hardship.

It might GO through Bangkok straight to the sea, but how much will it flood on the way ... especially as it goes past Suvarnabhumi and not far from the Lam Lukka industrial estate.

With Bangkok making up around 40% of the GDP of Thailand, it's understandable they're trying to protect it. The damage is already done in the surrounding areas, does it really have to get even worse? It's terrible for the locals who are now up to their waste in water, but forcing more of Bangkok to flood will not lessen their damage, and will cripple the Thai economy even further.

Besides that, it's pretty insane that the government is allowing local people to affect their plans so much. Normally if people would forcibly try to do major damage to a major city like Bangkok they'd be branded terrorists.... Someone needs to take charge and look at the bigger picture, then enforce the plan for the greater good of the country. If the local police can't handle it, have the army protect the sluice gates and dams....

40% of that GDP is not from central bkk. Most of the industry is located in the suburbs like pathum thani, nonthaburi and thonburi.

I agree, published records clearly show that exports provided 66% of GDP in 2010, this is the flooded Industrial zones and farm land. Tourisum as a percentage of total GDP is only 6%. I think I would be protecting the industry that creates jobs and pays the tax needed for the recovery mode.

How about getting a Thai insurance company to sell scam insurance via the hotels. If there is a problem they put up the bond and sort evrything out with the police.

Let them try getting money out of a Thai Insurance company... Good Luck !