PlastikbinLina

With all due respect, your girlfriend whatever her real age is, acts like a 5 year old kid who didn't get the toy that she wanted. At the restaurant she refuses to eat, then the protest continues by not talking to you.

So the best answer for how to fix this: when dealing with a child, act accordingly. Let her give you the silent treatment. After just a little while, she is going to start talking to you again anyway and will forget this whole thing. But if I were you I would let her know when the treatment is over: I love you but I want a woman on my side not a kid. So unless you want to make me feel like you are my daughter, stop acting like this.

I agree, but give her the toy she really wants/needs and the silent treatment at the same time, apart from the vinegar stroke that is.

"Surapong (and Thaksin's cousin) Just make sure that you arrest anyone who supplies toilets to these protestors!!!"

OMG we're knee deep in it already and you want more?

This was to be expected! Any idea whether "grandfather" rule will be applied here as well, i.e. couples already on an extension of stay will be able to extend under previous rule of only one income/1x800K?

Sadly No. This new rule was introduced today at Phuket Immigration. Whether or not the retiree and dependant spouse has been here for many years or not, the spouse of the retiree must have a separate bank account, and the dependant spouse must be over 50. This new rule is going to affect many many couples. some who are well entrenched with properties now sitting at home in bliss unaware that the next time they apply for an extension they will hit a brick wall. I really feel for them.

What is the source of your information regarding this new rule being implemented as of today?

Me. I work in Phuket Immigration and this was told to me at 9am. However just a short time ago the new ruke has been suspended for the time being. Let's hope for good. I'll keep you posted

This was to be expected! Any idea whether "grandfather" rule will be applied here as well, i.e. couples already on an extension of stay will be able to extend under previous rule of only one income/1x800K?

Sadly No. This new rule was introduced today at Phuket Immigration. Whether or not the retiree and dependant spouse has been here for many years or not, the spouse of the retiree must have a separate bank account, and the dependant spouse must be over 50. This new rule is going to affect many many couples. some who are well entrenched with properties now sitting at home in bliss unaware that the next time they apply for an extension they will hit a brick wall. I really feel for them.

One of the recent changes here in Phuket is any person providing a letter from an Embassy or consul must also provide evidence of the source of the funds.e.g. pension fund annual income statement etc. The supporting documentary evidence has to show regular income. There are people, for example, who get regular income from their work as consultants outside of Thailand and can retire here provided they show evidence of regular income. Did the officer ask you where the money came from in your UK Bank account?

Suthep is a great leader with great vision.

No less than great leaders like Ghadhi, Churchill, MLK Jr, Khomeini, Mandala, Castro, Mao & Kim Ll-Sung (but not his son / grandson).

I do just love your sense of humour.

Yes it's like a dark persons left foot, it's not fair and it's not right. However you didn't say whether you work for a Thai company or a foreign one. But even if you did get the 140,000 without having to stop work voluntarily, as it seems, would you have enough money to retire here which requires. 800,000 Bht /annum money in the bank or 65,000 Bht/month income? Alternatively a marriage visa along with 400,000 money in the bank or 40,000 monthly income if married to a Thai lady would do it for you. Finally may I ask are you eligable for an aged pension in your own country? Retiring nowadays in any country is problamatic especially as living costs have risen way above the meagre fortnightly government pensions in most western countries.

'Mark' has got a dam_n cheek. Yingluck isnt responsible for these anti democratic demonstrations - his own deputy, that thug Suthep Thaugsuban is responsible.

Very sorry but, if the PTP hadn't tried to subvert almost everything legal in this country to suit their own ends, and only their ends, this situation would not be happening.

She's supposed to be in charge of the PTP, so it is her ultimate responsibility, unless she wants to kick it upstairs to her brother.

In Western democracies elected governments (normally) sit for a prescribed term . If people don't like their government's style they get tossed out at the next election. This is what happened recently in Australia. The voters waited patiently for the next election and tossed out the labor Party. Why shouldn't that happen here?

Just a fast learner of Thai accident behavior

All Asians suffer from the Asian Curse..'loss of face'

Just another manifestation of the power of the market, as they call it.

In normal parlance just another way to wring every possible baht out of your pocket by those flying bastards.

If you look at it with one eye open, you will see that they sell the same seat twice.

That is called overbooking.

Or just plain stealing.

And nobody seems to be able to do something about this bloody business.

Agreed. As I recently discovered when I bought 2 tickets on line to Australia from Phuket to Perth and found that our seats were chosen randomly. For the flight between Thailand and Malaysia we sat together. From Malaysia to Australia our seats were placed far apart from each other. One towards the front the other at the back. I asked if they could sit us together and of course yes we can they replied but as you and your wife have been allocted seats next to someone else you'll have to buy two new seats, this despite the plane being half empty. I had no choice but to concede. I'd paid for the flights already. Another one they try to get your money for is food. They announced on the flight that only on board food they sell is allowed, no outside food can be consumed on the flight. They're a budget airline and look for any sneaky way they can drag a dollar out of their passengers. I took food on board and ate it anyway.

Keep it to yourself.

Bottle it up.

there are some things that should not be shared, and personal problems are first on the list.

Stiff upper lip, remember who you are.

SC

EdIt: Perhaps the mods could delete this thread as inappropriate.

Wonderful response there SC, wonderful. By the way have you read Karl marx's Communist Manifesto? I'm sure you would enjoy it.

So no statement to claim that the charges themselves are bogus or that his orders were legal?

I wonder if this guy is as smart as we are led to believe. Framed or not, where is the order that he gave to shoot unarmed civilians?

Do you think it might possibly have be a confidential written or oral order? Whatever it was it was apparently carried out without restraint despite the military and police presence. Tragic circumstance for Thailand and the people whatever it was to say the least.

Here's something of real interest and pertinent to this forum discussion. It's quite worrying to say the least.

Sorry for this rather verbose tale but I think it's worth telling.

This unfortunate experience is not the first time or the last time it will happen and it happens even with the most highly qualified SCUBA divers . It's happened to me twice over the years, in 1980 and in 1982 in Papua New Guinea. However the worst case of boat gone missing in my memory was in the Celebes Islands Indonesia at Bira a small village on the south coast, south of Ujung Padang. I planned to dive off a small Island at Bira but the Indonesian dive shop there had hired out the fishing boat with Indonesian crew to six Japanese divers. The Island is a good place for drift diving when the tide is right. Accompanying them was the dive shop Indonesian diver. The Japanese divers main interest was to see sharks and there are many to see, usually about 120' or so. They all dived including the Indonesian. Their mistake as was mine, was not leaving someone on the boat to instruct the boat crew to watch out for the divers return. It seems all six got caught in a strong drift tide and came up at the other end of the island to where they entered the water. They couldn't attract the attention of the boat crew and it was getting very late in the afternoon.

They drifted grouped together in a tight circle for 3 days and two nights when the Indonesian diver Azim Bin Yakub decided to try and swim to an island some distance away. He's not sure how far it was but he made it. I spoke to him later. He said the Japs didn't want to try. If ever you've been in a similar situation distance is very hard to judge with only your head just above water and especially if its choppy and land is just a blip on the horizon. It's not al all funny I can tell you. It happened on the 11 December 1998 almost 15 years ago next month.

The following Divers were never seen again. . Mr Kacomiya Assistant Diving Instructor, Mr Matsumoto, Diving Instructor Mr. Ishijima Advance Monitor Diver, Ms Okubo Advance Monitor DIver, Mrs Yamamoto Diving Instructor, Mrs Masoko Kato Diver, Ms Kato Maho Diver.

Very surprising... So many advanced and professional divers, yet none considered ditching weights and tanks, filling BCDs, flipping onto their backs and leisurely finning to the closest land? Doesn't take that long to fin a few miles. They could always return to pick up gear later. Many California shore divers often spend an hour or two finning out to their dive sites.

It is difficult to know what they were thinking. Perhaps they hoped the fishing boat would come looking for them after being away for so long. But they didn't until the next day. No doubt they wore boyancy vests but swimming against a tide in any sea running strong with a tide and at night is difficult. I cannot imagine anyone doing a liesurely swim to some distant island in the dark. Aprehension and fear takes over confidence. I never wore a BC because of that problem of resitance to where I wanted to go to and I was able to keep my gear. I did my initaila training with an Army amphibious unit in 1959 and still do not wear a compensator. The one exception, because we had orders to, was during an exercise when the entire unit was caught in a strong rip and taken out to sea in Bass Strait. We faced very rough seas with waves in excess of 10 metres. Three of my fellow soldiers died and one body was never recovered. Many were picked up by passing cargo and passenger ships and ended up 500 miles away.

Sorry for this rather verbose tale but I think it's worth telling.

This unfortunate experience is not the first time or the last time it will happen and it happens even with the most highly qualified SCUBA divers . It's happened to me twice over the years, in 1980 and in 1982 in Papua New Guinea. However the worst case of boat gone missing in my memory was in the Celebes Islands Indonesia at Bira a small village on the south coast, south of Ujung Padang. I planned to dive off a small Island at Bira but the Indonesian dive shop there had hired out the fishing boat with Indonesian crew to six Japanese divers. The Island is a good place for drift diving when the tide is right. Accompanying them was the dive shop Indonesian diver. The Japanese divers main interest was to see sharks and there are many to see, usually about 120' or so. They all dived including the Indonesian. Their mistake as was mine, was not leaving someone on the boat to instruct the boat crew to watch out for the divers return. It seems all six got caught in a strong drift tide and came up at the other end of the island to where they entered the water. They couldn't attract the attention of the boat crew and it was getting very late in the afternoon.

They drifted grouped together in a tight circle for 3 days and two nights when the Indonesian diver Azim Bin Yakub decided to try and swim to an island some distance away. He's not sure how far it was but he made it. I spoke to him later. He said the Japs didn't want to try. If ever you've been in a similar situation distance is very hard to judge with only your head just above water and especially if its choppy and land is just a blip on the horizon. It's not al all funny I can tell you. It happened on the 11 December 1998 almost 15 years ago next month.

The following Divers were never seen again. . Mr Kacomiya Assistant Diving Instructor, Mr Matsumoto, Diving Instructor Mr. Ishijima Advance Monitor Diver, Ms Okubo Advance Monitor DIver, Mrs Yamamoto Diving Instructor, Mrs Masoko Kato Diver, Ms Kato Maho Diver.

he definitly looks Australian

Quite possibly correct especially with the number 96 on his shirt.

"I was taking the workers from Patong toward Kamala, as usual, but when I arrived at the down slope of the hill, it was too steep and I couldn't brake," the 51-year-old driver, Mhad Kawiset, said.

What gear were you in? (And I don't mean what were you wearing.)

Nobody in Thailand (Thai people i.e.)to my knowledge attends a learner driver program or has any formal driving lessons at all. They just get in and.... you know the rest, sink or swim or should that be drive and crash?

This is a difficult and confusing issue for many prospective Retirement Visa aspirants. What can be a confusing issue for many foreign Thai Visa Retirement (extension) applicants as proof is when they are asked to show supporting evidence of the source of their funds which they must submit as proof of income

Their financial application must be acconpanied with the application needed to get a Retirement Visa or some other LT visa. Some applicants for example show bank superannuation deposits, or government pension deposits or rental income etc. but they are still required to show a letter from the contributing agency of the sourcing their income or deposits.

There is a bike retail store just around the corner from the Post Office in Phuket Town. First turn left(on the PO corner) and about 50-100 metres on the right. They sell cougar bikes and some accessories. If they don't have what you want maybe they can advise you where.

You are still calling it VOA (visa on arrival) but it is not a visa but a visa exempt entry. VOA is an entirely different thing (a paid visa obtained on entry for 15 days by a handful of countries with limited Thai Consulate service). This is true in Phuket or anywhere else in Thailand - it is not a visa on arrival. And even the 7 day extension is not correct as it will not be approved - it is only a time to depart on an unapproved extension of stay request (although indeed it does allow 7 more days).

I take your point but you're splitting hairs here and I don't understand why. Believe me an entry stamp is considered by all in the RTPI as the acronym VOA or Visa on Arrival and even if you believe VOA is the not correct that's what the RTPI call it. It is not known or described as a VEE by any RTPI officers I know. Yes the 7 day extension is usually allowed but can be refused depending on the circumstances and the officer processing the application. Getting back to the point I made to the fellow who wants to retire here, he can enter on a VOA or as you call it a VEE and apply for a Non O 3 months visa. I was simply trying to hel;p the fellow through what he sees as a complex issue. It is not. It is very easy to get a Retirement visa providinfg he follows the steps I outlined in my reply.

Here are the new rules recently introduced. If you enter Thailand on a VOA 30 day entry stamp go to the nearest Immigartion office apply for a Non O visa (2000Baht), which you can do if your intention is to apply for a Retirement visa (1900Baht), show evidence of annual income or money in a local bank, and if the latter is not possible an amount of money in a foreign bank you intend to transfer to Thailand.

You will not get a retirement visa until you are within the last month of the 3 month Non O visa given here or outside Thailand. Until recently you could apply immediately for a Retirement Visa but not now. The 3 month visa allows you to prepare your bank account or get confirmation of income from your embassy and supporting documents (the source of your funds)

If you have had problems with opening a bank account prior to getting your Non O visa go back to any bank with your passport. You shouldn't have any problems though. Problems are most common with bank officials not understanding the rules of opening an account. You do not need a work permit to open an account.

Remember If you enter Thailand with an O visa you will not get a retirement visa until the last month of the visa.

Best of luck

There is no 30 day VOA it is a visa exempt entry. VOA's are only for 15 days and cost 1000 baht.

You must have the money in a Thai bank immigration will not accept money in a bank outside the country. Without proof of 65K income or 800K baht in a Thai bank or a combination of the two you will not be able to apply for a non immigrant visa entry at immigration.

You do not get a retirement visa from immigration when you do a conversion you get a 90 day non immigrant visa entry.

After the conversion is done you can apply for an extension of stay (not a visa) based upon retirement during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry given.

I am aware that if any one arrives by air they get 30 days VOA with a possible 7 day extension. Coming by road or boat you get 15 days VOA with a possible 7 day extension. What I wrote in my reply is as we tell it to all applicants in our Phuket Immigration Office where I work as a RTPI liaison officer. The info we give applicants or inquirers is given to us by Police Lt.Colonel Lek and Captain Katare his immediate subordinate.

With respect, you may not know that there have been several changes to the Immigration requirements lately so to reiterate be assured what I wrote is what we now tell all foreigners applying or inquiring about retirement here in Phuket.

Here are the new rules recently introduced. If you enter Thailand on a VOA 30 day entry stamp go to the nearest Immigartion office apply for a Non O visa (2000Baht), which you can do if your intention is to apply for a Retirement visa (1900Baht), show evidence of annual income or money in a local bank, and if the latter is not possible an amount of money in a foreign bank you intend to transfer to Thailand.

You will not get a retirement visa until you are within the last month of the 3 month Non O visa given here or outside Thailand. Until recently you could apply immediately for a Retirement Visa but not now. The 3 month visa allows you to prepare your bank account or get confirmation of income from your embassy and supporting documents (the source of your funds)

If you have had problems with opening a bank account prior to getting your Non O visa go back to any bank with your passport. You shouldn't have any problems though. Problems are most common with bank officials not understanding the rules of opening an account. You do not need a work permit to open an account.

Remember If you enter Thailand with an O visa you will not get a retirement visa until the last month of the visa.

Best of luck

Foreigners are seen by Thais as "walking wallets".

A few months back I went to the zoo in Sriracha with 9 Thais (my wife and her family).

If memory serves me correctly, the Thai admission fee was 50 baht.

My admission fee was 500 baht.

Needless to say I did not enter the zoo.

Thais are "chancers". They win some they loose some.

Ditto, I never enter any paying site if my Thai family are charged the normal fee and I get asked for a higher fee unless of course a Thai friend is paying for me and then I don't know if my friend has been made to pay a higher rate for me. I'm too shy to ask.

I first encountered these rip off charges back in 1989 when wanting to enter a private zoo on top of some building in Bankok. I felt emboldened sitting outside while my Thai wife and kids went in, watching a clearly embarrassed cashier trying to look normal.

The officer's dogmatic refusal is surprising. Clearly he is wrong. You can have money in the bank (400,000) or 40,000 monthly income or a combination of both. The man's supervisor is typically a Thai victim of not wanting to lose face or wanting her subordinate to lose face even if she knows he is wrong.

My suggestion is if it is at all possible to visit another immigration office and either ask for advice from a senior officer or possibly get your visa extension. The latter may be problamatic for you due to your home address being in another immigration office jurisdiction but you may get sympathy and helpful advice.

Finally if your income is 80,000 baht per month you could apply for a retirement visa within the last month of your current visa. You can do that because you have a current Non O Marriage Visa If that is refused apply for a non--immigrant visa (2000) which will give you 3 months and in the last month of the 3 months of that visa apply for a retirement visa.

It looks as though no-one can offer you any information on Ramil's Visa Service including me but I am curious to know what sort of visa service you're looking for?