55Jay

That was my first thought looking at OP.  

Never considered the TM28 requirement to be unreasonable, but the 24 hour leash was unrealsitic and over-controlling.  Most folks are busy unpacking boxes and getting utilities organized after a house move.  Those with jobs are still going to work in and among all that.  But sure, you need to notify relevant government agencies that you've moved..... same in my country. 

I think doing away with this might be tossing a bone to the dogs, while the TM30 remains the elephant in the room.  Or, one of a few things they've worked out and this was just the first........ we'll see. 

14 hours ago, djayz said:

The main purpose is leather and, to a lesser extent, meat. At 2 different locations over the past 6 months, I've seen grilled croc being offered. I've also seen it, deep frozen, at Makro (Ithink it was Makro... memory isn't as good as it used to be). 

 

I think you're right, frozen, alongside the venison. 

Visa Forex looked good enough for me this month so I put this, and Transferwise, on the shelf and did a 30k pull at Krungsi ATM, then dropped it in the BKK Bank ADM next door.  Trip down memory lane from the good old Aeon days.    

4 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I thought it was the immigration chief who (re)activated this 1979 law. Now the same person is saying it's outdated and needs to change?

This goat rope began more than 2 years ago - hot topic on TVF at the time.  Then it sort of drifted away as the "crack downs" often do, then boomeranged with emphasis on the TM30 this time around.

Just now, Saltire said:

We got married at a Bangkok amphoe a few weeks ago, having been together for 3 years. My wife liked the idea of legalizing our partnership and so did I, but she was not in the least interested in a village wedding. A waste of money, too much hassle and she was adamant it would surely end up with freeloading drunks fighting by the end of the night as the uninvited locals would guzzle as many free beers as they could. Also both being married before we don't feel the need for a big party.

 

Incidentally while we were at the amphoe doing the signing, the public office for marriages was dealing with just us and no Thai in sight, which I found weird, especially as the desk next to us 'divorced' 3 Thai couples whhile they dealt with us.

Oh yeah, the dreaded village balloon chasers.

11 minutes ago, Gee Ku said:

Throw TM30 out the window, not modify it to bring it up to date! National security involved? Has it prevented the bombings of shrines and buildings since 1979? No! It is a useless piece of legislation.

It's actually a very useful program for a police state, or a prison, where inmates are categorized, surveilled and their movements within the controlled facility are tracked by guards.  It's not "quite" that, but rebellious inmates who defy the warden, face explusion from the weird little hermit kingdom.

8 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

Not if you want it done right. We've seen the cheap end of the spectrum and it aint pretty.

Also, we're getting married in a hotel so that aint cheap.

 

Still a lot cheaper than getting married in the UK and the bonus is that we are already in our honeymoon destination ????

That's true, we just used the local camera guy, wasn't great but good enough.  Hope it all goes well, good luck to you guys. 

3 minutes ago, Chelseafan said:

Hell yes. I'm on course for £14k all in including sinsot, rings, venue. Two of the biggest costs of the day are the videographer and flowers.

Bro!  Throttle back!  That's like 5,000 Baht for the Fo-tog guy.  Seriously.  Stop!

I mean dang. Really.  Fer fukes' sakes.

57 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

With my first Thai wife, I wish I had H.G. Well's Time Machine to go back in time and tell myself to just leave it at the Buddhist wedding !

Well, to be fair, I suppose there are dumbasses that do that sort of thing, get involved with women they don't really know.  And then <deleted> and moan when it all goes wrong. As if could have gone any other way. 

51 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

With my first Thai wife, I wish I had H.G. Well's Time Machine to go back in time and tell myself to just leave it at the Buddhist wedding !

I just spit my beer onto the keyboard.  Thanks. ????

Emm, well, IMO, you maintain a bit of leverage without the legal docs in that, as you said, you can simply walk away without any legal entanglements following you around.

I waited a year after my village wedding before dragging my mate and his wife down the Amphur to make it legal. That was 12 years ago.  15 together.  Ups and downs, mostly on my part, not hers, and if I'm being honest, overall, pretty damn good actually.   My chick is rock solid, wouldn't trade her out for a sexy, younger model - which would be great, for a night, but my wife is pretty f***king awesome as a wife. 

Make sure you feel the same about yours before going to the Amphur.   

I'm just average joe, but was trying to cut the middle man out by introducing a local farang backed business in my area to a BKK distributor for a drink product.  No joy. 

They had a local distributor already in my city, which I didn't know, and the BKK source gave us the contact details.  OK, fair enough, and I did go and see them, which cut my personal retail price down 35 Baht/unit and for quantity above 12, -40 Baht/unit.  Which is great.  No complaints.

But I did muse about the distributor rejecting inquires for new sources on a totally opposite side of the city, which their existing small time distro doesn't even deliver to; but I suppose they would with some kind of additional fee (fair enough).  But, that was the end of that and seemed a bit short-sighted and unimaginative on the part of the BKK distributor (Thai) and the local distributor (Thai).

10 hours ago, helvellyn said:

Regarding mom and pop stores.  There's an independent grocery store in a village near me that doesn't have any plastic bags.  You either have to take your own bag, buy one of their linen bags or just carry your shopping out in your arms.  It isn't some high end store, just a local store for local people.  Everyone seems fine with it and it's always busy.

 

The other part of the problem is rubbish collection.  Most people outside cities and town centres don't have rubbish collection.  They either have to burn their rubbish or fly-tip it.  This has created a littering culture because why take home a food wrapper when you know you have to go to the effort of burning it and creating toxic fumes when you can just drop it in the street.

I lived out in a small country-side town for the first 4 years here.  Rubbish collection daily.  Some people around us still burned their trash.  Charcoal making I didn't mind so much.   

Moved into the city suburbs, collection only once a week.  Those black rubber bin on the soi get pretty funky after a couple days baking in the sun. 

Had to laugh when we first moved in, I did my usual sweep up of garden leaves and stuff, in a pile on the soi and lit it on fire like I always dun did.  Neighbors had a fit and the wife asked me not to do "that" anymore.   Fair enough, my country a** quit doing that, but it was a wake up call we wuz living in the city now, moo baan close quarters.

Kinda miss country livin' in some ways. 

What is the strategy already "in-place" to encourage Mom and Pop shops and markets to comply?  Maybe it's fleshed out in the Thai article linked in OP.  

I hope it's not one of those ridiculous ones like, 10 years in prison or a 100 Baht fine.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Strategies are in place to encourage "mom and pop" stores and fresh food markets to begin to follow suit in the meantime with the aim that Thailand will be plastic bag free by January 1st 2021. 

On 9/7/2019 at 6:55 PM, Number 6 said:

Monopoly money. It's the same as yours genius. One is paper the other plastic.

 

Money is dirty but for the life of me I'm never sick. Maybe once in five years a cold. Perhaps it builds my immune system.

 

I make a pull once a month but I stand in line behind people with card problems seemingly forever. It's so hapless I won't go to the BTS MRT queue to top up if even one person is in the line.

 

A few days ago some loser charged his food court card in fortune town.

Well yeah, that was the point.  Could have been mine at some point.  Not likely, but possible.  

Never said anything about being sick.  Just that money is dirty.  It is.  Remember to wash your hands.  Handling money is just one source of nasty s**t, pink eye, etc.

Heh heh, that's pretty cool, love it!  Bangkok is great, more places to use the card than where I live.  Hit the 3 month spend requirement on my new credit card, got 50,000 miles bonus.  Keep on racking up the double miles for everything - pack of gum to a new laptop.   It'll pay for our air tickets next holiday.

10 hours ago, Number 6 said:

And you, wife's habits are tracked, noted, logged and sold.

 

Countless times I've left my goods in the queue and walked out waiting while person in front of me fussing about with card drama. People charging a coffee, top up 300b of transit cards absolutely ridiculous. Many are living on their credit cards I'm certain.

 

I am no fan of debt either.

 

I'll stick with cash thanks

If in a country that's a bit more advanced with effecient staff, cards really don't much longer than cash.  And so it's old farts and tin-foil hatters avoiding the NSA's satellites and black helicopters, digging around for cash and coins, holding up the queue.  And then you're "that guy" who comes up short, and have to run to a bacteria encrusted ATM and use YOUR CARD to get more bacteria encrusted Monopoly money..... rather than simply using that card at the pay point 10 minutes before.    

And then universal Thai transaction procedure, engrained in their DNA, handing back various bills, receipt on top, and then some random coins on top of all that - all at the same time!  And so you fiddle fart around with that mess for a few extra seconds while she's trying to hand you a plastic straw for your liter of milk, and a plastic bag for a pack of chewing gum.  ????

Thai military attache at Embassy/Military sundowner social, with puu puus: 

"Hey blo, me soleja, same you, blo!  Me wan you fren falang! You wan dwink blood sa-nake? Cobla, make you ding ding sa-trong, loy percent, ching ching, krap!  Hey Blo, deeze, how you say.... "hot dog" on toot pick no goot.  Better more Thailand, arroy mak mak.  Ann why they not give me ite for beer?  Cheap Charlie, not same Thailand, krap!"

22 hours ago, tifino said:

latest attempt in keeping track of all those bad aliens...

That's actually an amusing idea. 

Go to Immigration in an Alien suit. 

A "Legal" one.  "Good Guy" Alien but, end of the day, still just a miserable, downtrodden Alien.

The upside is, Thai chicks seem to have a fetish for it.

3 hours ago, legend49 said:

Thais security again dont understand how to use them. I saw them last week at Swampy make an alien take off his flip flops as the scanner maybe cant see through rubber? He couldnt believe it; got so irate he threw the flip flops in the rubbish bin there.

I know, right?!  Racist airport security, always hassling the Aliens!

Tell him to wear his protest Converse next time, that'll really show 'em. 

Do your alien mate a solid, hook him up with a pair of socks, bro, the floors are funky.