Estrada

I have a house in Bahn Tungmon 1, which is where the famous Monk, Lung Phor Hong has two temples (Wat Petchaburi) you can get to it from Prasart Town taking the road alongside the Police Station. It is signposted to the temple. After 1km you will find a low cost, modern, stand alone hotel rooms on the left hand side of this road which back on to a large reservoir. Further on there is another on the right hand side, which is a resort and restaurant. Both resorts are under B1,000. There is also Ryan's Resort on the Sisaket Road east of Prasart, they have bicycle rental, hair dresser, swimming pool, also under B1,000.

If you are coming from Surin I suggest Hua Sanaeng reservoir if you like the country side. I recommend Phanom Sawai Forest Park south west of Surin.

On the way out of Prasart riding towards the border at Chom Chong, as you cross the traffic lights at the Tesco Superstore, you will see some shop houses on the right. Here, there are also cheap, but modern low cost rooms to rent, and also Staffords Expat restaurant and bar. Staffords import and deliver all over Thailand hard to get UK food stuffs, often much cheaper than Villa Supermarket. They also make all sorts of Stafford meat pies. It's an opportunity to flap the gums with the local expats.

Thai Khamen, which I speak, is around 20% the same as the Cambodian Khmer language. But common words are quite similar.

I must point out that it could be dangerous to travel by bicycle alone, a couple of friends have been attacked riding alone in this area, and later died in hospital. However, it was suspected that the motives in both cases was that their Thai wives wanted to get rid of them. I have never had a problem in the 33 years I have been here.

The most popular night market is the famous Talat Rot Fai which was relocated to behind Seacon Square, Srinakarin Road. They moved all the original buildings also. It has cheap clothes, shops, restaurants, food stalls, pubs, antiques and classic cars (mainly American). It is open from 17.00hrs from Thursdays to Sunday. There is a shuttle bus from Onuch rd (BTS Onnuch) to Seacon Square

Incidently, i have an account with Maybank Kim Eng and find they provide useful research/pointers with a decent website for english speakers and an even better ios app. A lot of research is Thai only if you can read it but fair amount in english as well.

A useful little free website/blog that gives small updates on Thai companies in the news daily is thaicapitalist.com - would be interested in hearing of any others that can be recommended as not being able to read Thai does put me at a disadvantage here.

What are the fees with Maybank Kim Eng and how do they compare with others?

0.1578% + 7% VAT - not sure about others but i don't do enough to make it worth shopping around - recall there was a thread about this a few months back.

So a trade worth 100,000 THB would be 157.8 THB + 11.046= 168.846 THB? That's a great deal for smaller investors (100K per trade or less). No way in hell you gotta pay 7% on the 100,000 though, is there? That would really be a deal killer for me.

If you sell or buy B100,000 in stocks it will cost you B169. The 7% is on the broker's fee not on the profit. Secondly, there is only a 15% withholding tax on dividends which you can claim back from the inland revenue here. Thirdly and more importantly, there is no capital gains tax. I have had an account with Maybank Kim Eng for 20 years. They may be of interest to you as they also have an office in New York. I invest in high dividend stocks with preferably 5 to 10% dividend and a 20% of more upside to brokers consensus on valuation. These include BTS (Div 6.8%), Advanc (Div 5.4%) Intuch (Div 6.8%) MFEC (Div 7.4%) PTTGC (Div 5.2%) AP (Div 5,2%). If you do not want to pay the withholding tax on dividends, you should sell just before the share price peaks and goes ex-div, as 90% of the time the share price drops by the amount of the proposed dividend, giving you a chance to make more than the dividend on increase in share price. You can find the Analysts Consensus here: http://www.settrade.com I have recently traded PTTGC(Div 5.2%) twice, buying at B53/55 and selling at B61. Also IFEC (Div 32.%), buying at B9.90 and selling at B11.00. There are a number of stocks with high dividends but very low trading volumes which should be avoided as it is easy to get you money stuck until the share price recovers.

Immigration Chaengwattana already makes foreigners sign a declaration that they accept that they be banned from 1 to 10years for overstaying 90days+. I signed one two weeks ago.

According to independent research carried out in the USA, there is a higher incidence of certain diseases where people live within 1km of the well head and reducing substantially up to 2km from the well head. The recommended minimum distance for residents is 2km+ from the well head.

Again numbers are just being tossed around. The royalty values must be for the entire concession period and a lot higher gas production, if not this gas is about 1,000 times more expensive that normal natural gas.

The royalty figures are for the concession period and the price is the same as normal natural gas.

I didn't know what you meant by retirement visa. People call extensions of stay, multiple entry non-o visas and OA visas retirement visas.

You have to make a report of staying longer than 90 days in the country if you are able to stay that long.

Immigration at an airport do not look for 90 day reports much less fine people for not doing them.

If you leave after staying longer than 90 days you would be fined for not doing the reports when you do your first report or when you have any business to do with an an immigration.office.

I do not plan on traveling outside of the country.

Arrived here 25 July 2015 and applied for and received a 15 month retirement visa.

Will probably have to go back after the 15 months and reapply for another 15 month retirement visa.

Is this when they will get me?

No one gets 15 months at a time, and there is no such thing as a 'Retirement Visa' it is strictly a 12 month extension on your initial Non Immigrant O Visa granted on the grounds of 'Retirement'.

The '15 months' you can see is because you have incorrectly added your initial 90 day extension of stay to the 12 month 'Retirement' extension they ultimately granted you. They are separate concessions entirely.

90 day report as already mentioned, is now online, so it's a ten minute job from home, but do always report at least a week in advance to allow for glitches, obscure govt holidays, etc. You will get a confirmation on your screen when your report is accepted (file an electronic copy of that) and an email when your report is confirmed 'legit', you need to print this out and carry it in your passport at all times.

Also, what do you mean by 'get you'? If you are always on time, and your entry is legal, no one will 'get you'. if you arrived on 25 July, you would likely have been granted your 12 months in mid/late September, so you will have your first 90 day report due around Xmas, make sure you know the date, and don't miss it or it's gonna be an expensive and cheerless festive season.

Finally, you do not have to leave Thailand to get your retirement extension renewed. You DO still have go through the whole money in the bank thing again or get your Stat dec. from the Embassy. Produce photograph, application forms, bank letter, etc etc etc. Every year.

Actually I have seen them vary in length, from 12 months, to 13 and sometimes 14 months. I am not sure why that is, but I have seen such Extensions with my own eyes.

Jimmpy:

Just to clarify for you, as it is important, what many of the posts above are saying is that you must get the terminology correct, else it all gets dangerously confusing.

• You do not have a 'Retirement Visa', there is no such thing
• You have a '12 month Extension of Stay' based upon the fact that you are .Retired. (I say 12 months but understand your dates may give you longer)
• I urge you to do the 90 Day reporting, it is very important. If you do online or by post, observe the time limitations for submission xx Days prior etc.

My Non-O VISA is stamped NON "O" Retirement (words in Thai) and was issued as a visa by Chaengwattana Immigration Div 1. I then went to another desk where it was stamped "Used" and I was given a 3 month permission to stay.

Algae are used to produce biodegradable plastic bags for the supermarket. Will these now be banned?

So it's denial to the bitter end ?

Almost every other country in the world would be throwing terrorism related charges around but LoS doesn't want to lose face by admitting such things could happen here unless it suits the agenda of the day.

Happens in the US also as they do not charge persons who enter schools and movie theatres, armed to the teeth and kill students and patrons with semi-automatic assault rifles as terrorists either. This, despite the fact that it is an act of terrorism.

What your son said was correct. The Government first announced that all SIM cards must be registered about 1 1/2 years ago, and there was a 6 month deadline. I went to True with my passport and told them I had come to register and they did not know what to do so they rang their head office and then took copies of my passport and name and address. However the deadline was extended and again they urged people to register by February this year. Not wanting to get cut off and having had poor experiences of Thai staff doing their jobs properly, I went to True again and when the manager checked she said that the SIM card had not been registered at the time I had taken the SIM to be registered They had only taken my passport details and address. Once again I went through the registration process and she showed me how to check that the SIM is registered by entering a code on the phone. Had I trusted True to have actually registered my phone on the original date then I too would have been cut off.

If you complain to True you should get a new SIM with the original number (if still available) and the monetary balance on the phone plus compensation. I got my B500+ and B500 free calls as compensation. Thai phone companies are no longer able to keep your unused balances.

The main problem you face is that Thai university degrees are not held in the highest esteem internationally, for reasons which have been extensively detailed here and elsewhere.

They are not regarded at all outside of Thailand

What a load of BS. You certainly don't have a single clue as to what you are talking about and therefore your opinion is worthless. Love of how this forum loves to sh#t on everything about Thailand. /s

As a long term frustrated employer, I can tell you that what he says is only slightly exaggerated. There are, however, a few good Thai Universities that have acceptable standards. The problem here has been that many universities sell degrees to students. As an employer having interviewed 100s of Thai Graduates in various disciplines, I found that only 1 in 128 was able to answer simple questions about their subject. These questions being easily answerable by 11 year olds in the UK. As I have discussed this problem with the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education over the past 30 years, I do know what I am talking about. Education standards must be greatly improved in Thailand and there must be no more selling of degrees, nor issuing degrees merely for attendance. For these reasons, overseas employers certainly do not hold Thai University Degrees with esteem, with only a few exceptions.

Judging by your standard of English grammar, I assume that you do not have the necessary qualifications to get accepted by a University to study for a Bachelor Degree. You need to first obtain the necessary standard of education in 5 subjects including English. Sasin is one of the few respected internationally accredited Universities. Good quality education is more expensive here than Europe. Some Universities offer degree courses in conjunction with overseas Universities so that the BA/MBAs etc are issued by an Internationally recognized university. Stamford University offer Bilingual Courses for the first year whilst your English and Thai language improves. They also offer on-line courses, which means you can be anywhere in the world to take part. There is a new Stamford University Campus at Asoke, as well as Hua-Mark, Bangkok and Hua HIn. Fees around B150,000/year.

Sasin will cost you around B1Million/year.

Extremely clever ploy to get visitors to go down stairs to the market and buy the proper clothing and shoes. I wonder if they are on commission.

I've never witnessed self loathing. Boredom perhaps, drunken stupor, jealousy. Never self loathing. I think you're projecting your moral ethos onto the girls.

Its nearly a "no brainer" when you put the pieces together. # stated feelings of inferiority due to non white skin color #fits of rage # disassociation # actual statements like "i am worthless" ## sex with otherwise repulsive males they'd never do for mutual attraction if not for the need for money # pushing away good people # medicated self loathing can = drunkenness # jealousy can also be a symptom # low self esteem is already present in a high % and also associated with self loathing

You feel better about yourself with your pious attitude, I can tell. You're not a nice person, atyclb.

What business is it of yours. Your grandstanding doesn't serve you well and, notwithstanding, there's far more to Thailand than Pattaya.

You're a troll with your continual demonisation of Thai ladies. You're reprehensible and predictable.

I think Atycib is actually talking about himself.

Late 30s ??????????

You shopping in the wrong stores!

PS

Most bar girls started their p4p careers at 14 or 15 years old.

If you think they started in their late 30s, you're a bit gullible.

Nonsense. I have never seen or heard of a 15 yo bar girl. But I have met many >35 yo (who speak no English, and can barely read/write Thai) who started when their marriage/business went kaput.

Not nonsense. Poor Thai families used to sell their children at age 11 upwards to the Thai brothel owners. There used to be 14 to 15year old girls working in farang bars, but only in recent times has there been more strict control of the minimum age. There are still cases of Thai brothels being raided where 14 to 15year old girls are found to be working there.

TOT shut down the internet for 4 hours on Saturday, perhaps to fix the problem. Bit Torrents works OK without VPN, but speed is down during peak hours.

He's already in big business. His retirement as Police Chief is just in time for his Company "Samart" to sign some more waste to energy power plant deals with the Government.

Rubbish.... It was in Tiffy cold tablets until recently which contained Acetaminophen 325 mg; Chlorpheniramine Maleate 2 mg; Phenylpropanolamine Hydrochloride 18.75 mg. This was still the formula until recently when they changed the Phenylpropanolamine to Phenylephrine. So the move was not undertaken in 2001 but only recently. The previous active ingredient of Tiffy, Phenylpropanoamine, can be used to manufacture Methamphetamines.

You can buy at AIS or True Traveler SIMs in Arrivals Hall between arrival gates 6 & 7 or at any branch of 7-11 supermarkets and in the own stores in most shopping malls. They start at B199 and include Internet from 500MB to 3GB depending on how much you pay for the card. You can top them up at any branch of 7-11, their stores. I have a Traveler SIM on one of my phones because I can telephone the UK, Australia and many countries in the World for only B1/minute.

20 years ago I was working on a 1 year contract with work permit. I got a Citibank Visa and also a Citibank Master Card. 15 years ago I started working overseas and retired in 2011. At no time has Citibank made any sign of withdrawing my cards and my credit limit is B270,000. If I want an increased limit they say that I have to provide collateral. My own bank, Bangkok Bank, recently offered me a credit card no question asked, probably because they know I can be trusted, have a long track record of payment on time and I spend a lot of money on which they can earn commission. What the Banks are doing is to judge how good or bad a risk you are. If you are declined, it is because they believe you could be a bad risk.

You need to keep trying different banks and earn their trust so that you can get an increased credit limit.

Well it took 25 years for them Don Mueng BTS to...well not finish...but at least...start going again.

I bet the farm in ten years this still won't be done.

BTS is the skytrain whose physical construction started around 1993 and was completed (first phase Onnut to Saphan Taksin via National Stadium) and operational in 1997 which was very very impressive. Same for other major infrastructure projects such as MRT subway train, Chonburi motorway, etc all completed in good time and quality construction. The only delayed and abandoned project was the Hopewell project which got bogged down in litigation.

Actually it will have taken around 40 Years since JICA originally proposed the Skytrain to Don Muang Airport for the line to finally open to Don Muang. These lines were in fact part of the 1979 Mass Transit Master Plan which was published 36 years ago! There has been much delay on the BTS project, especially the parts of the line which extend beyond the limit of the Democrat Party run BMA. For instance, the Silom line was stopped at Taksin bridge although it should have gone to Wongwian Yai. I have been involved as an advisor since 1982. The sky train project started by Prem in 1984 as the Lavalin Skytrain, should have gone to Morchit, then later to Don Muang. This was cancelled by the opposition political party. 20 years or so ago there was a much publicised Parliamentary fight between the various political parties during Chuan's time(1992-1995), where they were fighting over the nine proposed Mass Transit Rail Lines. In the end he said that anyone who can get the finance can make a bid for any of the nine lines. Only Tanayong was able to find the funding. Tanayong, which later became BTS Group, took over the routes of the Lavalin Skytrain which included the Rama IV line from Phrakanong to Morchit.

You did not change from a non-b to a non-o.at immigration.

You apparently left the country and got a 30 day visa exempt entry that you then converted to a 90 day non-o visa entry. You then called it a 60 day extension because you got 60 days more than your 30 day entry.

You need to find out why your extension was denied. You can apply again during the last 30 days of the 60 day extension.

I do not see where he left the country and came back in on a 30 day visa exempt. As he said.. He went to CW and they evidently issued him with a Non-O Thai Wife permission to stay for 90 days and then extended it by 60 days when he went back expecting a 1 year extension. The stamp in the passport is issued by CW and is the same as I got when I converted from visa exempt 30 day permission to stay to a Non-O based on Retirement. Mine actually has written on it Non-RE.

Converted Non-B to Non-O based on marriage and got 60 days. Went for the 1 year extension today with all the proper paper work and got a 60 day stamp and was told to come back in 60 days.

They obviously weren't sure what to do.

The conversion gave you 90 days, not 60.

As UbonJoe said you can not get two 60 day extensions.

Did they give any reason why they only gave 60 days, can you ask your wife.

They might have told her something in Thai.

They know what they are doing. They gave you 90 days and told you to come back after 60days. In my case they told me it was so they could check that the required minimum funds were still in the bank after a further 2 months. In another case it was so that they could visit the applicants home and check that he actually lived there with his wife.

Ok, thanks guys. Looks like I'll have to keep my cheap reading glasses just for the computer which I spend most of my working day on. So far only find progressive comfortable looking down at something like a watch or phone but not much practical use. I've switched to my old glasses to type this.

Yes the price was 32,000THB! The frame was about 6,000THB and the lenses 26,000THB. They told me I was getting a 50% price deduction as well as list price was over 60,000THB! They had some more expensive than that. Not surprised the shops are mostly empty when I go by.

I think I'll take them back next week if no improvement and tell them they are useless.

You were ripped off big time. I paid B12,000 to Better Vision for progressive lenses in a Titanium frame about 16 years ago after getting fed up with B3,000 glasses that had frames that went green and had to be changed every 6 months. Earlier this year Better vision did not have the style of frame I like, so I went to Thai Optic in Seacon Square. The first set of glasses (cost B18,000) arrived with the focal points not matching between the left and right hand lenses. They then sent them back for fixing. When they returned I found the left hand eye focal point was 5mm higher then the right, so I told them to change them. In the end they preferred to refund my money through Citibank so I went back to Better Vision and they ordered the old style Titanium frames for me and the new glasses arrived perfectly made. My lenses are progressive which also darken in strong sunlight. I cannot understand why yours could possibly cost B32,000. My new ones from Better Vision were only B14,000 all inclusive.