virtualtraveller

A great way to earn money; set up a checkpoint on the beach and demand to see passports of tourists, fine them 2,000 baht. It's not beyond the imagination of some crooked officials. Jeez man, why didn't immigration think of this before.

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A recall an interview awhile back in Chiang Mai City Life with Immigration head and he said that the piles of papers coming in from hotels every day about guests, along with 90 day reporting where the two big time wasters using their resources and slowing them down, his staff hated deal with it all apparently.

Far as I can tell this is not new news, it's a reminder of the announcement a month ago that visa runs hopping over land borders and re-entering with visa on arrival would be stopped and that the measure would extend to airport arrivals from August. I believe the period between visa on arrivals is 6 months or 90 days, so if you leave the country and return within that period expecting a visa on arrival you'll be denied.

A Thanpuying owner no less, that's as close as you can get blue blood without being an ML or MR. They're going after the amart also.

Thanks, any more heard anything about a clamp down, seems unlikely they will suddenly impose such a wide sweeping restriction on these many language schools teaching Thai, some are fly by night, some are for real.

Sounding naive here but if you're entitled to an ed visa with given paperwork then you should be able to get it at any embassy or consulate, but there again if they were totally consistent with applications there would be no need to thaivisa.com would they - maybe it's all a great conspiracy to keep our beloved TV in business - 555

I've anecdotally heard from two people in two days that their embassies/consulates have warned them to only consider Thai courses from universities because ed visa applications from anyone else are likely to be denied or problematic.

Already, one friend who tried for ed visa in both Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur was turned away even though others from the same language school in Chiang Mai got theirs in Vientiane. Apparently the school was not on their 'list', and refused even though the school was able to fax a letter through showing their licence. School's been licensed for several years.

Anyone else got any news on this. Clamp downs have been warned for ages, but lots of the schools are doing things by the book.

Basically, after you get to extension 2, 3, 4 the immigration will start asking questions and testing your Thai ability, not because they want to be strict but because they are looking for a opportunity for gratuity.

I'm in this business, 1) do a proper in-class TEFL, 2) It doesn't have to be CELTA unless you want to make a long career at the British Council 3) Thailand is likely cheaper for the full 4 week TEFL 4) do it locally if you intend to come an teach here, some will find you a job 5) don't let anyone talk you into teaching without bothering to get trained. 6) Chiang Mai is probably your best bet for a nice place to take the TEFL 7) make sure the outfit has a credible internationally recognised accreditation, not a local one.

Being clever just isn't really part of the national psyche I'm afraid, being entrepreneurial and smiling among other things is, that's the way people of Thailand are. It's weak point they need to come to terms with a work on and no amount of money will fix it until the mindset changes and to do that you need a face-saving exit for the dinosaurs that set the example at the top.

It's in the military and amart's best interests to educate the next generation so they don't fall for Thaksin's nonsense and I think they ought to have figured that out by now. The approach to learning in this country is a farce and its driven by superficial expectations among the parents, simple as that.

As always there's a big mafia agenda behind any taxi problem. Mafia operate by monopolising the market so that rich tourists are forced to pay 3 or 5 times what they should which the mafia pockets. The taxi drivers, for their part, get to sit around all day doing very little, then earn 400 baht for 30 minutes work.

Efficiency and organisation are the enemy of these mafia, they thrive on numbers, the more members they have 'sitting around' the more power to boycott etc. So, their model is to have two taxis parked outside every hotel all day waiting, rather than a few taxis on call, always busy.

Hotels breaking this monopoly by using private services or their own cars is unacceptable to the mafia. I feel sorry for Phuket hotels, this must be a real headache to them.

Dubai get's very tough on foreigners who are lecherous in their conservative muslim culture, if you accidentally wandered into the ladies toilet they would arrest you. The alcohol without licence is trumped up charges. Emirates are a decent airline, among the best with in-flight services and nice attendants, they have every right to turn him over to the law. All the same, a slap on the bottom and kiss on the hand is pretty harmless.

One thing about Emirates that really disappoints me is that they partner with BA and Qantas on their service to New Zealand, I had a very bad experience with my mother being denied passage by a Qantas staff member on petty visa issues, I complained to Emirates, they never responded. I won't use them again for this route.

Hate to say it, but the experts commenting some months ago said that basically, if he's been in a coma this long he's almost certainly going to be a vegetable. Might be a miracle but there are few precedent cases of people recovering from weeks or months in a coma.

A similar gang were caught in Chiang Mai a few years back, they were renting my wife's other house. They did a runner when the police accidentally showed up to investigate a noisy party next door. Rented two others down the street.

Another strategy would be to stop the rampant expansion of 7-Elevens, they aim to eventually open 25,000 in Thailand are getting close to that. Outside every single one you will find a car double parked even though a free parking space, kerbside, exists 10m down the road. TIT.

Someone in this country falling on their sword, very impressive - wish our politicians would do this.

It's probably an improvement in this particular democracy.

It will make them acceptable to all for the time being but I can tell what will happen. The red shirt network will be used to tell everyone that the only reason PTP couldn't pay was that they were being blocked by the establishment, see, the money was there all along! Come next election, when the handouts have been moderated, they will suffer memory loss and vote again for the Dubai chequebook promises.

Big Question. Can a tourist come here for a month and sign up to travel insurance locally to cover local hospital bills. This would be a solution for those in travel industry advising tourists not to cancel because they now have invalid travel insurance under coup situations?

Removal of Tarit makes the whole coup worthwhile, good riddance.

Very well put. Much that coups are 'dirty' I challenge anyone to condemn this coup without mentioning that it seized power from an 'elected govt' that had handed power over to an unelected fugitive criminal for 3 years. No difference then between Thaksin in charge or a general. Same difference, not the person the people 'selected'.

Of course, China isn't exactly going to ask for 'swift democratic elections' and if the US condemns Thailand too much they risk losing influence to China. Cold war mentality perpetuates this.

It's so breathtakingly arrogant and selfish one wonders if this isn't actually just a malicious rumour. It's like; 'free me unconditionally and I'll pretend to wash my hands' - and we all know how far we can trust that one.

These bits of information seem to come out with such perfect timing. She copped a 6 million fine without appeal. What percentage of the Thai population have a net asset worth of 6 million?