Estrada

It's a known fact that Thai nationals with dual citizenship / passports should always enter Thailand and depart Thailand on a Thai passport to avoid the hassle you have stated above.

It takes about 3 to 5 days to obtain a Thai passport in Thailand so I fail to see why he doesn't currently have one.

What advice are you actually seeking ?

As he is my step-son and his parents who are still both required to appear before the Thai passport issuing authorities but not live close to each other it is not as easy as you would like to believe.

Not true. My step daughter got her Thai passport with only her Mother appearing. The steps taken were 1. get her on her mother's Thai house paper 2. get a Thai I.D. card 3. Then get a Thai passport. No problem. In summary the authorities are aware that many Thai women are left to look after their children on their own by their husbands/boyfriends. Thai children require I.D.s from the age of 7, without that no passport can be issued.

Could you imagine if he becomes President?

Can you imagine if Trump, Rubio or Cruz become President? These people call themselves the leaders of the free world. As such God help us if they get into power.

I can't help notice without exception, every mass shooting is committed by someone who is mentally ill. It seems it would be more productive to focus on mental health rather than all the hysterical anti-gun comments.

Sure!

That would be one point!

The other would be GUN CONTROL, so the mentally ill can not buy guns from every Tom, Dick and Harry without any kind of background check!

The problem is that most of these people are not mentally ill, they just feel like shooting people.

U.S. Population - 323.314,342

Thailand Population - 68,082,473 (roughly 1/5 of the U.S.)

U.S. Gun related deaths per 100,000 = 3.5

Thailand Gun related deaths per 100,000 = 7.48

(2013 statistics)

So, a country with roughly one-fifth of the population of the U.S. has over twice as many gun related deaths.

You tell me which country has a "gun problem".

But, hey, it's always good to bash the U.S., even if you don't know what the hell you are talking about.

The US has a terrible gun problem and worse still, a mass shooting problem. In the UK, with a similar population to Thailand, where gun ownership is strictly controlled, the number of gun related deaths is 0.1 per 100,000.

So many people die annually from gunfire in the US that the death toll between 1968 and 2011 eclipses all wars ever fought by the country. According to research by Politifact, there were about 1.4 million firearm deaths in that period, compared with 1.2 million US deaths in every conflict from the War of Independence to Iraq.

If they can not fix it tonight it will be a mess tomorrow.

Maybe its been set up becoz the government would like to get there hands on BTS. just like they have on MRT.

I have not see BMCL in this kind of trouble, its always BTS. Just a gues oke.

I don't know nothing.

Just feel sorry for all those people in line there. Good business for the taxi's thou...

Now the police need all they got to supervise the taxi bikes, car and buses not to over price their ride cause of BTS failure.

Oh.. they already did overprice it, just get a call from a friend, the ride on the bike what costs normal 80,-thb. was now 200,-thb.

so he made a cool selfie with driver and licence plate number for declaration ha ha. just a other day in Bangkok.

Sorry, the BMCL managed to crash an empty train into a peak hour train at 60km/h injuring 140 passengers in 2005 which caused a shut down of the MRT Blue line.

Well, for what it's worth, this is a pretty uncommon occurrence; the BTS is generally very reliable transportation. If you can remember back pre Dec 1999, a trip from Klongtoey to Childom (home and work) could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Stuff breaks and it seems like the folks at BTS are on top of it,

That’s right; people here don't remember the terrible chaos pre Dec 1999. Yes, it was far worse than today (I once spent 8 hrs driving from Silom to Don Muang) and how lucky they are to have had the Skytrain built in the first place. There was terrible opposition from those who did not want the great unwashed looking into their posh schools, or even worse stopping and letting their little darlings mingle with the hoi pollie.

Nor do they remember the small numbers of passengers for quite a few years that never made the BTS a viable commercial proposition. Successive Governments did not want to put money into railways and only You Know Who made the Underground possible.

The BTS may not be anywhere near as good as it could have been, but it has not done to badly for 16 years and more lines being added will help the overall situation in Bangkok.

However, the ticketing situation has been a travesty. BTS started off with gates and TVM's using magnetic tickets that were exactly as used in Singapore in the 80’s but has failed to keep up with the times and although it has smart cards now, it has not made any real effort to do what needs to be done to provide real through ticketing to the underground. This situation will persist with the Green/Purple Lines, etc. until the Government actually makes it worthwhile for the BTS to change. It’s a concession and needs to make money like any commercial enterprise.

The Government should have sorted this out long ago and the new proposed Central Clearing House will not help with the single ticket situation. Given the 20 Million visitors a year to KT it is ridiculous not to put a very small amount of money into through ticketing.

As for reliability, both the BTS and the Underground have been very reliable on a train kilometerage basis (both the Siemens and the Chinese stock) and the staff (99.999% Thai) have been very professional and have done a fantastic job.

Certainly they need to get more 4 car trains, but unless the government show willing it takes time.

Look at the fantastic job that has been done in Seoul or Shanghai with numerous lines built at Government expense and what a difference they have made to the economies. We are cursed with a Government that wants to spend money on tanks and submarines and the like when they don’t have a real justification any more. Now they want to spend on an extensive HS train network that is not required yet, just to look good and get their mitts on Chinese money. Let’s have some reasonable speed trains that don’t fall off the crumbling lines every day, let’s have dual tracks, not expensive HS trains that will not be able to run at full capacity for another 50 years.

If you want to know about breakdowns, try standing in the snow waiting for a BR train that will not come until tomorrow, or next week if the wrong snow is on the line; or for the TFL drivers to come off strike. Breakdowns are an everyday occurrence on every railway network, even in Japan.

Fortunately for Bangkokians extended breakdowns have been very rare on the BTS and accidents very, very few.

Count your blessings whilst sweating in the queues.

The though ticketing system will be in place by August. The delay is due to the Government and their related transport agencies. BTS has submitted a proposal to purchase more 4 car trains last week. This was originally envisaged for 2017 but passenger numbers are now above 733,000 on weekdays, so that purchase has been brought forward.

German engineering.

Thai maintenance.

and Chinese Trains.

You can count the number of problems that have occurred since 1999 on one hand. Of those, most have been related to the wireless control system provided by a Canadian Company, the last one was related to the installation of platform gates.

The next justice will be appointed by the new Republican POTUS and confirmed by the Republican majority Senate.

Get used to it.

Cheers.

But you're Never Sure aren't you.

Children under the age of 15 do not get charged the fine for an overstay but they do get overstay stamps. There have been no changes. Children under the age of 18 are also exempt from being banned for overstaying under the new rules.

Your children could be on extensions as your dependents.

But the parents can get fined B2,000 for not reporting their stay in Thailand every 90 days. Happened to us a few times when my wife forgot to make the report for our eldest daughter who was born in the UK. She now has a Thai passport so no problem now.

They prefer to see a Time Deposit Bank book as this has only one entry. The problem with active saving accounts is that there can be multiple deposits and withdrawals, also they can be updated with consolidation so that a dip below B800,000 cannot be seen. A dip below B800,000 even for one day, 2 months before your application will result in the decline of your extension of stay. I took out a time deposit with Bangkok Bank last time for 7 months to overlap the extension and then cashed it in on maturity. Some Thai banks. including Bangkok Bank. do not want to deal with US citizens due to the paperwork forced on them by the United States, I.R.S. money laundering etc.

I came in the first time in 2010, on a 30 day permit to stay and immediately opened a B800,000 time deposit account at Bangkok Bank. I then obtained a Non-Immigrant 'O' Visa based on "Retirement" at Thai Immigration Div 1, Chaengwattana, which was immediately stamped "Used" and then I was given a 3 month permit to stay and told to come back in 60 days to check that the B800,000 was still untouched in the account. I was then given a further extension making a total of 12 months.

I spoke to the public prosecutor yesterday and he told me that these charge will be dismissed and the case will not go ahead "For Sure".

64 seems quite young to die.

Just two years away from his state pension.

It is, although he was actually under one year away.

Men born 1954 and after is affected by the change in qualifying age.

And if his birthday is today, 9th Feb, then he is just a few hours away from his state pension.

First met him on a sky dive in Kota Kinabalu Borneo in 2001. Sorry to hear he has died. R.I.P.

Glad to hear this. Col Ghadafi in Libya used to lock Berbers up for speaking their local language instead of Arabic.

Playing cards for fun and not for money or reward is not gambling. The police racked their brains to come up with a charge so that they did not lose face and came up with the possession of more than 120 cards per individual is against the 1935 Law. However, I doubt whether the public prosecutor will accept this case as no individual held more than 120 cards.

Corruption remains the same with going rates of 30% to 40% still being quoted. The only reason it is down is because there are so many infrastructure project contracts still to be signed. Keep an eye on the proposed Thai Airways deal for new A350s.

Bangkok Bank has plan not generally advertised although I found it on the website. It's a 3 year 3% p.a. Ministry of Finance Bond administered by BBL and you get a special savings account book. It's available to Thai Citizens and permanent residents. Maximum deposit is 2,000,000 Baht. I got it at the 2nd Road office.

The 3 year period runs from when it first became available which was Oct. 31 I believe. The Bond will be available until 2/29/2016.

Not yet acceptable by immigration for renewing a retirement permit to stay. Only Savings or Time Deposit accounts.

Ancient City Samutprakarn and then on to Bang Poo Seaside recreational centre. On the way back call in for Sea Food next to the sea at Sai Lom Sea Food Restaurant Bang Saen II. Turn left immediately after the Caltex Petrol Station.

There is also the crocodile farm nearby but it is perhaps to touristy for your taste. If you do not have a car you can get there by BTS to Bearing Station and then catch a bus or taxi.

I have had a Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Mercedes Benz M Series, Porche, and BMW in the UK. Sports cars and others with low wheel bases are impractical in Thailand due to road conditions and floods. Even cars are impractical in Bangkok, I prefer to use the BTS and leave my high wheel base Honda CRV at home for trips outside of Bangkok.

I live in Bangkok and Surin. Quite honestly from what you are asking and your need to be close to a good hospital and medical care, I would have suggested Chang Mai, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Phuket, 20 years ago. However, I suggest you retire to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo). I lived there for two years. The air is clean and the sea is crystal clear. The locals speak English and you could join any of the 6 Rotary Clubs. Try taking a two week holiday there and I think you will like it.

Blue-Green algae due to excessive phosphates in the water caused mainly by detergents from sewerage and people washing clothes/boats, coupled with an abundance of UV sunlight'

The International Driving Permit(IDP) does not allow you to drive a vehicle, it is a translation in multiple languages of your valid driving licence. You show the IDP together with your valid driving licence to the police on demand. You are allowed to drive as long as you have a valid driving licence from your own country. For insurance reasons you need to get a Thai driving licence after 3 months in Thailand.

When they race past me I think "There goes another accident on its way to happen". Too many times have I seen them farther ahead in the ditch, wrapped around another car or tree. My wife says it is bad for Farangs to complain about local people's driving. I told her that the way they drive they will have an accident. She says it is just their particular driving technique. When I point out that the car that recently passed us is in the ditch, she says "No problem, next time they will try a different technique", so don't complain. So now when we watch the Thai road accident news in the morning we call it the "End of Technique News".

Now that Daily Show and Colbert Report are gone, Fox News is the last remaining comedy channel.

I am watching the Daily Show and Colbert Report, you can see them on their YouTube channels.

Yes! Make a sweet deal with a company like Good Year and build a huge Car Tire Manufacturing Plant in Thailand. You never see Tire prices going down like you do with Rubber Prices. Have high Rubber Import Duty Tax to make Thai Rubber more competitive and at a minimum price of say 60 baht / kilogram. With the many auto and truck manufacturing plants here, there would be no need to import Tires anymore either. Win Win for everyone. You just have to think outside the box. .

My friend runs Goodyear Thailand and he and the other Tyre manufactuers here, tried to explain to the PM that the price of rubber is fixed by the Singapore Commodity Exchange so it is completely out of the control of the Thai Government. They also explained that if they were forced to buy rubber at higher than market prices that they would shut down their tyre factories here in Thailand.