snorkster

I think we all should refrain from inflammatory statements about what is going on in Northern Ireland and try to just objectively evaluate the history and current situation and try to work towards peace, as the communities in the North have been trying to do.

Is anyone else experiencing a lot of oddness with international connectivity today? I see one threat specifically about CAT 3g.

I have TRUE and TOT dsl lines, and also a wireless DTAC device, all three are having very similar issues. Intermittently not being able to connect anywhere, sometimes being able to connect only to specific websites such as google.com (perhaps served locally here in thailand despite .com?), DNS lookup failures, etc.

Happening on all my computers across all 3 internet lines.

Are there just gremlins in my stuff today or is there some systematic problem with thai international internet connectivity today?

TRUE is currently reporting all systems fine, but my TRUE line can not connect to the sites I need to for work, mysteriously, but lets me connect to other sites like this one.

O_o?

Just as paid overstay stamp is not viewed as negative this is also not so viewed - and in this case it is a formal paid method to allow such short term stays so do not believe it will be viewed as a negative in future either. I won't qualify for the Olympics either. It may sound negative; but it is just a fact.

Ok cool thanks for the advice. It was much easier for me than going to a border.

They used the right stamp - it is a disapproved extension of stay (there is no 7 day extension allowed by regulations) but allows you 7 days to depart so in effect it the same thing. See my post #14.

I see, got it. Is this a negative thing to have in the passport, or doesnt matter?

Wow that place is a madhouse. I can see how a border run could start being competitive with waiting there all day, lol.... took me almost 4 hours.

Anyway mission accomplished, but funny thing is, the stamp they put in my passport says "Application for extension of stay is not approved. Applicant must leave country by <new date>". They gave me the 7 days as I requested. Looks like they either used the wrong stamp, or that was just the most convenient stamp around, as most non-imm O applicants are asking for longer extensions. Maybe they didnt have an appropriate stamp for just a 7 day extension?

Is there any negative implication of having this stamp in the PP, ie, it looks like I was denied extension of stay before? They actually approved my request, I filed a TM7 form asking for a 7 day extension and that's what they gave me..... Would it look odd in the future if I do in fact apply for a year long extension or something like that, and they see the stamp saying "Application for extension denied"?

Oh, good, glad I didnt show up there pointlessly.... any advice about what day or time of day to go to chaengwattana road to minimize wait times? Thanks....

Any advice about day / time of day to go, to get in and out fast? I'm looking at goign to the immigration office in Sathorn. I'm guessing early in the morning is best? Or is that just my impression that I dislike getting up early so I'm thinking everyone else will think the same?

thanks

Question, is there a time frame within which it's best to submit this TM7 form? Ie, if I go a month ahead of time will they tell me to just get out in time, lol....? Should I wait until a week before visa runs out? Thanks for any adivce.

Yeah Id rather not overstay, and I think its not good in general, who knows in the future I might want some kind of upgraded immigration status, not sure what the future holds, probably not good to have that on your "record" or marked in your passport.

Id definitely be interested in finding out if there is a reputable service that can wait on line for me. I found a post somewhere where someone said they hired a service to do it, cost 200 baht.... that would be a well spent 200 baht, as long as you actually get your passport back.

If you insist on not overstaying, i think a visa/border run would be the quickest and most hassle-free way to get another 14 or 15 days.

"2nd best time to plant a tree is today." Sent from TV android app.

How could travelling to a border, crossing, then crossing back be less trouble than going to an office to do some paperwork??

Im in bangkok, there's no border close enough to make that faster than going to an office here....

Yeah Id rather not overstay, and I think its not good in general, who knows in the future I might want some kind of upgraded immigration status, not sure what the future holds, probably not good to have that on your "record" or marked in your passport.

Id definitely be interested in finding out if there is a reputable service that can wait on line for me. I found a post somewhere where someone said they hired a service to do it, cost 200 baht.... that would be a well spent 200 baht, as long as you actually get your passport back.

Also I notice some people are saying there are services whereby people will take your passport & application, and ticket copy, and go to the office and get the extension for you.....

That sounds great, I dont fancy spending several hours waiting around in a busy thai office. Is there a reputable such service I could use? I dont want to pay someone to steal my passport, lol...

Also just to confirm, oversaying by 3 days isn't advised, right?......

Just a couple of questions about the 7-day extension, is the TM.7 "Application for extension of temporary stay in the kingdom" the form that I want to fill out? And just to clarify, having been here 90 days on a non-imm O, I can get this 7 day extension? Am I still supposed to do the "staying over 90 days" registration thing if I leave on day 93 with this visa extension?

Thanks for any help.... much appreciated

Cool that's great to know. Thanks. I'll call and check it out. I looked into the longer extensions based on children before and it seemed too much paperwork. An extra few days would be great for 1,900 baht, a lot cheaper than a visa run, lol...

Howdy,

I have a non-imm O visa. Need just three more days! Planning to go back home three days after the day I'm supposed to leave. Dont want to overstay. Have a simple question about whether I can get permission to stay another few days.

The non-imm O visa is issued due to thai child, I am aware that I can permission to stay longer by going to some office and doing some paperwork, but I've seen the description of what's required for that, too much paperwork, I'd rather not do it.

My question is, is there a simple way to just get an extra three days? Some kind of kinder, gentler process for just extending the 90-day stay by another 3 days?

Thanks for any advice.

Islamic Morality Police? Malaysia has them?

They're less active in KL.

etc....

Hey scoots you should post an abstract/summary along with a post that long, otherwise your point wont get across. Maybe a table of contents, too.

Hmmm.... how do they answer nature's call while keeping their lips locked?

lufthansa first class has 180 degree beds

This terrorist deserves a Darwin award....

Bangkok, Thailaad - An Iranian man carrying grenades blew off his own legs and wounded four civilians in a trio of blasts that shook a busy Bangkok neighborhood on Tuesday, Thai authorities said.

...

Tuesday’s violence began in the afternoon when a stash of explosives apparently detonated by accident in Moradi’s house, blowing off part of the roof. Police said two foreigners quickly left the residence, followed by a wounded Moradi.

“He tried to wave down a taxi, but he was covered in blood, and the driver refused to take him,” Pansiri said. He then threw an explosive at the taxi and began running.

Police who had been called to the area then tried to apprehend Moradi, who hurled a grenade to defend himself. “But somehow it bounced back” and blew off his legs, Pansiri said.

A web search indicates that some milk brands in thailand are fluorinated, to prevent cavities in children. (Since ground water is not potable and bottled water doesnt have it).

I cant see what particular brands are fluorinated. I sent an email to foremost through the contact link on their webpage but havent heard back.

Does anyone know in particular which brands to buy if one wants to get fluorinated milk?

Thanks

To the OP, the best thing for you to do would be to test yourself privately and find out if it's positive or not. I dont know if home kits are available or not. Unless you smoked like a chimney back home, a few weeks off the stuff should make your test negative. If you're not sure, why not try to buy a test (I dont know if they have these over the counter in thailand or not, in the US you can buy them over the counter) and test yourself and see what happens. If you have to go to a hospital to get tested, just go to any hospital and get tested. If it's positive, lose the results and go to a different hospital, and get tested again a week or two later, until you have a clear test report.

I've seen that in the housewares section of central on rama 3.

Does anyone have an idea of how most children come to need adoption in Thailand? Are the parents usually deceased, or the baby abandoned, or are they often taken away due to a bad home environment? Some thai friends have remarked that if we adopt a child, there may be parents out there who decide they want the child back. In China, many girls have historically been abandoned as the parents wanted a boy.

Ohio dad, thanks so much for sharing your experience. Wonderful to hear about your family of three adopted children.

I do think adoption is a more ethical choice, overall, and on that basis theoretically would like to do it. However if it proves to be too daunting (and we're already almost 40, so a wait of several years will just make us older, which is less good for the child), maybe we'll wind up having another child the natural way. Anyway thanks for the advice, I will check out the website you mention, Goinghomesoon.

My wife called DSDW. She explained our situation, the person on the phone said we could apply (19 forms) and specify our preferences for age, gender, and special needs or not, and that they estimate it would take about 1 year to match us with a child. My wife indicated that she was thai and I was american. She didnt specifically discuss the implications of nationality, but they asked what our nationalities were, so I guess it is faster if one person is Thai, since a wait time of 3 years has been estimated in this thread for pure expat couples. Interesting question was raised above about the legal implications of a purely Thai adoption, Mario2008 mentioned that a purely thai adoption might not be recognized in the US. I will consult an attorney about that. As long as there dont appear to be issues getting the adoption recognized in the US, then I think we will go in to DSDW and fill out the application. Thanks for any advice and I'll post any info I get after investigating.

Also if anyone has actually done this and has any experience or advice to share, I'd be interested in hearing it.