AhFarangJa

The saddest, heartbreaking part of this thread is the picture of a tiny body on a big stretcher. R.I.P. little one, you deserved better.

You forgot to add if you are rich you stay in house arrest while an appeal is heard then upheld, no jail time.

That is why I NEVER go on a green light until I check for the numpties running a red light as this car driver did.

A little off topic, apologies, but I was thinking the same thing. I thought recycling was supposed to cut down on pollution, yet they ship tons of waste around the world.

Thanks Nick, I am assuming the people at the visa company know someone, or someone in VFS. This being Thailand !!!! May I take this opportunity to wish you and Family a Merry Christmas, and all the best for the New Year.

Just spoken to the girls at Keyvisa, Pattaya, and they will translate my Son's Tabian Bahn, Drivers Licence, and Thai I.D. (probably will not need all, but I am going to send a copy of each). They are a great service, and I would have no hesitation in recommending them.

I have used them twice now, and just sending off the forms to renew my Son's British passport. Still same price except I think EMS is now 200 Baht. Good job I read this page as I did not know a proof of address was needed?

Right hand, left hand. Alcohol tax went up in November, especially on Thai spirits, such as 285, hong thong, etc. It is due to go up again next week, just before new year. Obviously there is a difference of opinion somewhere in the revenue department. Why not reduce the ridiculous Farang tax on wine also. That would increase sales, leading to more revenue...........sorry, forgot where I was for a second......No tourists in hotels, raise room rates....

Well, I guess that parent/child trust is now Finnished........getting my coat now.....

Thanks Ping, I rarely use my card except in emergency. I transfer using Wise through a friends account. My bank in Jersey once asked me why I kept sending money to this one person, upon which I politely told them to sod off, non of your business.....

That is my thoughts too. I was in ICU in Hua Hin after an op. for three or four days, Private hospital, cost 24,000 a day, plus 3,000 a day for the Doctor, and 5,000 for meds. Even all that is only 800 Euro a day.

Ignorant, uneducated peasants is what the Government wants. They get that in spades, just field fodder so they can continue to bleed the Country dry. It is, however, not restricted to Thailand. Look at the U.K. students cannot do simple mental arithmetic. History is dumbed down, and the Government is winning with the youth all glued to social media, and other trivial rubbish through their phones, brainwashed by biased news reporting. Same outcome, just a different method.

I have not used my English Visa card for years, that is why I was not sure, but the last time I did, despite having a 5,000 pound a day limit the ATM would only let me take 20K Baht. I am sure I remember correctly that when they brought in the 200 plus Baht charge they limited the amount, that way they gained more. However, not unlike any bank anywhere in the World, all rip off merchants..!!

A friend from the village has just returned to the U.K. for work, and he told me that when he flew in he was told they were going to implement the tourist arrival tax for the hospital insurance. He apparently was told it was to be 300 Baht, paid in cash on arrival, starting January. Maybe this is false information, but if not it does not send a good message out.

Yes, and increase the withdrawal limit each time, I believe it is still stuck at 20K Baht. maximum.

They will fall at the starting post just reading number 3. Law enforcement.....A laughable joke. Enhance awareness......Thai's know everything.......Even my Wife one day after getting a licence told me It was ok to go through a red light if no-one is crossing or in front of you. Instill a sense of responsibility in society.......Never here with the Me, Me, Me, attitude. Continuous implementation.......Maybe something like the seat belts on buses after the last horrific accident.....implemented for about a week.....How many people were wearing belts in the latest accident, and how many belts were actually working. As SpiderMike points out, there is no will to do anything as the masses do not matter. As always, a knee jerk reaction to look as if they care, to look to be doing something. It will take a least a generation to rid these roads of the idiots on them, and even then I think that is optimistic. In the meantime, again, to quote SpiderMike, take care, drive with four pairs of eyes, and most important rule ( which is the first thing I was taught when learning to drive).....Treat every one else on the road as if they were an idiot.

The exchange rate does not help. This Country is expensive to holiday in now compared to several years ago. I am not an economist so can someone please explain how the loss of millions upon millions of foreign money coming into the Country from international tourists, ( Once a large part of GDP), can be made up by locals who are only circulating money already here?

Had a good friend in Brunei in the early 80's who died of Weils disease. Left a Wife & 2 young daughters. Horrible way to go, will never forget it. I am with you, whatever works, use it.

Please tell me if I am wrong, but is that not the job of the police? (Or maybe the enterprising B.I.B. have already thought of that and will set up road blocks at the end of the sois at 4A.M. Nice little earner thank you.)

Which probably never received their Christmas bonus last month.....

Maybe a bit off topic, apologies, but I have always found Al-Jazeera news to be a lot more credible than all the other corrupt lying false news people such as BBC, Fox, Sky, etc.

I am of the opinion that it is irrelevant as people here ignore any and all road signage anyway.

No seat belt either. The Missus told me today the driver was new, and this was his first run.

Here we go again, getting ready for the next WHO, WEF control scenario.

Same old knee jerk reaction by incompetent, lazy officials who only think of kickbacks. If they did their job in the first place, then maybe this, and many more hundreds of accidents would not happen.