shrimpythailand

15 yrs for a 1/4 gram? or even 5 milligm depending on which story.... whoa...it is insane..would have been better to make her do some tv ads against drugs or community service...at least her nickname isn't "YayYo"

yep sounds right - a partner in my company is 75 and he gets his WP every year...the retirement visa thing I think is correct by above posters...maybe get the first year is fine - then change retirement visa to just a marriage visa for year 2... away you go

rival gang of teenagers with a russkie hand drenade?

had a buddy leave his phone in a cab a couple of years ago and he came into the place we were and realized he didn't have it.... cabbie had driven off - we called his number and the cabbie answered it and came back and dropped it off - we were amazed but lots of good stories to go along with the bad ones ...

555 he sure did a good job of building up his house ... with no gutter... I can see the water will our right over to your side.... tell him he needs to put a gutter and drainpipe in - either that - or you need a nice 5+ ft high cement wall reno.... but a gutter would br cheap and easy... but he did a nice job of having all his rain water run over to your side 5 5 5 beautiful....

9 at the table and the 2 cambo's at the end - was looking for a 70 yr old - so this is a 7/11swoop ? or is it a remake of Ocean's Eleven? 5 5 5 - but seriously - I just wonder how many falungs all over thailand are here with expired visa's - even all over bkk...and the army seems to be firm on getting this stuff done - and kicking the police in the butt as well...am sure glad I am legal here...yikes...

yah the comment about "i gave her something that she will have for the rest of her life" aint too cool... what do you have to say about dat Shoeless Joe Jackson? .... this is the standard tale of being taken to the cleaners here... and you mentioned dropping 2 million baht as well whoa...it all gets down to what you want here in Thailand and how smart you actually are.... one uk friend of mine - never checked his bank account - let the wife do all the payments and shopping etc... was here for 20+ years with a good job - spoke fluent thai and was a pretty good guy... but the wife got into selling drugs and downhill it went from there... him never even looking at his bank statement and they were married...and I know I ain't perfect.... but 14 yrs in... good basic job not teaching and a nice little place out here in Rangsit with low mortgage payment.. my UK friend got 2.5 mil when his mum passed away and the wife ran thru that in about 2-3 years- money going to boyfriends - plus anything else ...you just gotta watch everything... from the gig to the bank account...anyway - nuff said - you have to make it work for yourself here - yes a thai wife is good - is she is good - and I actually happen to be part of an ok marriage... not perfect by a long shot... but I help the family out if I can - and have had the good stories with the family also..dang.. too much to even write about...but ended up with a cool 5 yr grandson and don't mind being "grandpa" to a sharp little guy that doesn't care if I have white skin as I treat him like my own son...but there is more than enuff BS running around thailand to snare more than enuff empty headed falungs like shoeless... you can only blame yourself for most of the problems - not all but a good percentage - if you want to throw money away - this is a good place to do it and more than enuff females are around to pick up the money if that is what you want to do....

well you can start a company here - maybe not drive a taxi for a living tho... you can own a condo outright - i have been paying 10,000 bt a month mortgage for 10 years now - house is in the wife;s best's friend's name with her name on the title as well so the friend can't sell it without her ok... yah a little spooky but no sweat...i met a UK guy in Hua Hin years ago who said it good "every time I come here i try to see how I can stay longer" - in my case it was with a thai company doing hydraulic cylinder repair and chroming and I am a cylinder seals/gasket/etc expert guy - started off on low pay but now am pretty close to the old salary in Canada... but it took a while yes...I made it happen - had the experience and the knowhow and where to buy stuff... now the cylinder shop has 50+ employee's and the seal co. has 18 people...but yah - hard if you a plumber back home to get a plumbing job here - but you never know.... have to get a work permit or start your own company - you would even do good considering the quality of some of the plumbing and electrical work - as long as it isn't on the list of jobs falungs can't do - but not if you own the company and train the guys in the proper way on doing stuff.... anyway - nuff said - I agree with no thainess for 4 - things may get worse before they get better with visas/WP's etc over the next 15 months ... who knows ...

licensed or not - falling asleep trying to drive all night and not knowing when to stop and sleep is a big problem

looks like Spoonman said it better than me already

no CS and not many orphanages here? - even every Wat can double as child care if the parents die or go to prison and no family to look after - from what I have read about US/UK child "protection" services, foster homes, etc - I wouldn't want any kid sent there...of course walking street with a noodle vender isn't the greatest - but if the vendor is going to look after the kid - she better not let mr motorcike rental guy take the kid anywhere next time...and maybe the cops can find out what happened? or maybe not....

had a thai friend that didn't pay electric for like one year... she was running the illegal wire hook up - finally the electric company found out and it was Bt 8000.00 to get the meter re hooked up - so 5000 from an unpaid bill is not bad... this was out in Rangsit... same also with water if previous owner didn't pay - maybe 2-3000 baht fine but you also have to pay for the new water meter...2-3000 bt ? or maybe less

water meters were/are a big deal for thieves taking and reselling - the company where i work and 8-10 shop houses in the row all had the water meters stolen one night a couple of years ago

and the water dept out here in Rangsit - last month was the first month in years i missed paying at 7/11 - went over a day after the due date on the bill and had to pay an extra Bt 320. for the reconnect charge ... the shysters... will make sure I don't miss it again.... 5 5 5

red plates until you get the white plates - you have to write down every trip... also I was told not to drive on the red plates after 8 pm 5 5 5 I got pulled over once and had the book with a few trips written in on it and was no problem - no fine....also - with the don't drive over 100 km/h on the first 5000 kms on a new vehicle while letting the engine wear in - you can tell who is going to be blowing black smoke on his piston rings when the pick up truck or vehicle with red plates passes you at 160-180 kms ar ar ar

I dunno - have got FB on in Rangsit near future park since 6 pm when I got home - no problemo

Yingluck comes to grief over the transfer of one political opponent at the tricky time after the 2011 election ... the general transfers three without anybody batting an eyelid. Half the TRT politicians were facing charges because they wanted to shift to a fully elected Senate; the General dissolves the Senate overnight. Funny old world!

Yingy's big problem is explaining the 8 billion +/- usd thrown away over the rice scam - the transfer of one guy is really not an issue... putting 22 billion usd on the thai budget at ZERO cost and then paying rice farmers 40-50% over market value is a problem... nothing against vote buying policies but when it basically bankrupts the country is a bit of a problem...then Thaksin controlling his sister and the thai gov. from dubai - that had to stop as well... let's see if the Gen does a bandaid fix or maybe he will do a whole ram amputation... it is just starting...like thailand cares if the usa cuts some 4 or 10 million in military aid.. jeez Kerry/OB.. come on dudes - more at stake here... plus the us wants thailand for it's asian pivot against china.... christ...maybe after teh coup here the good old G man can go to the states and do a nice peaceful coup over there and get rid of the war mongers in the us gov... gawd...sweep and clean here then go and sweep and clean out the us crap next .... 5 5 5 seems like no us Gens have the balls to call a needed coup in the corrupt usa... elections ... ha... just another 4-5 years of new corrupt politicians in every country

Well it least he is beginning to look at paying the farmers. This is a priority that should give him some kudos. The General needs to be seen neutral in this approach. By abolishing the senate and the constitution he can act in a way that can't have much come back on him.

And just where exactly will the Army get the cash to pay the farmers? If the elected government couldn't scrape the cash together, what makes you think that the Army will be able to?

there is way to this than meets the eye.../// the powers that Really be here are making things work .. I thought in the coup of 2006 they army needed the big guys ok

do they need it now?

hmmm

the senate was all appointed hi-so and I think with permanent status... until they die ... we will see i still trust Prayuth he is taking out all the roots..

We all KNOW embassy staff have a deluded, secluded and opportunistic view of the countries they live in. They get swopped every four years and don t give a damn. Shame on them! Shame for judging a coup that is supported by 75% of the people! Shame on judging when the system in place absolutely FAILED! Get out of your special moo baans for embassy staff. Get off your asses, out of your shiny air conditioned premises and see what was happening on the streets! Stop interferring with a natural process. Politics failed. The country in tatters. On the verge of a civil war. Weapons were on the way. You guys are so blind in your ivory towers. Get a life! We live here. This is our home. We live this country. We re not journey men. We re here to stay. And the strife and troubles have torn this beautiful place apart. The coup will HEAL. It will take some time, but it WILL!

Shame on you lot!

Great strategies, peace restored, laws will be changed, warring factions stopped, farmers paid, people who care and are knowledgable will be in charge, economists and the likes. Good job. Carry on!

What streets are you referring to?

I was out plenty times in

Korat..no problems or disruption there

Saraburi.. no problems or disruption there

Pak Thong Chai..no problems or disruption there

Khonkaen...no problems or disruption there

Pattaya... you guessed it. no problems either.

I could go on and on and on naming towns and cities where the street life was normal, and life was the same as it was two years ago, stop being such a drama queen, and realise that not everyone sees the coup as the be all and end all, and you wont be so jingoistic if the first thing on the Army's agenda was to boot out all the farang and take all their business's and homes off them would you? I know that you will say that that would never happen, how do you know then that a civil war was "on the verge" as you put it, you don't, so you don't have a clue what the Junta are thinking, they're all nice and sweet and smile now, that can turn in a heart beat.

The Iraqi's greeted their "liberators" with the same adulation, that soon turned to rat shit, due to the Military not knowing how to run a country without the co-operation of the Ba'athists who had just been banned, things can still go from flash to bang in Thailand without notice, all it takes is an action from the Military that doesn't sit well with the General population.

I've been there for the past 10 years, and seen the power hungry and greedy Authorities become more and more corrupt as time passed, the brown envelopes rule in this part of the world, corruption in Thailand will NEVER be eradicated.. EVER!!

The country is already in the grips of a civil war in the South, and has been for 10 years.

good points FH !!!

From the OP:

The military believes underground movements would soon surface to oppose the coup.

The military dictators and the ammart are deeper into it than they had ever been for a hundred years yet they're still digging.

Good on US Ambassador Kristie Kenney and German Ambassador Rolf Schulze among others for not attending the meeting because, as they said, they want nothing to do with the Thai military as dictators ruling over Thailand. That's an excellent posture by Prez Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Waiting also for the sanctions coming that were referenced in the OP, by the United States and the European Union. I see the State Department has now issued a travel warning against travel to Thailand, which throws the marker down to begin the international processes to isolate the military dictatorship. Military mutiny coup d'état is already passe' in civilized society but this one is beyond the pale.

has only just begun to begin for the militarists, the military dictators, the ammart. There's a severe shitstorm headed their way.

Security Message for U.S. Citizens: Security Situation in Thailand

Thailand Travel Alert

Last Updated: May 23, 2014

The U.S. Department of State recommends that U.S. citizens reconsider any non-essential travel to Thailand, particularly Bangkok, due to ongoing political and social unrest and restrictions on internal movements, including an indefinite nighttime curfew throughout Thailand. The Department of State has advised official U.S. government travelers to defer all non-essential travel to Thailand until further notice. This Travel Alert supersedes the Travel Alert issued on May 16, 2014.

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service.html

How many elected Governments has the CIA managed to overthrow in the past,

So not attending by the American ambassador is a bit hypocritical in my view,

Regards Worgeordie

let's just look at the Ukraine for example....5 billion spent on NGO's to buy the neo nazi's they put in charge - and the 8 week appointed PM already signing the 17 billion euro bailout before the election - which happens to be sunday...the usa likes one or doesn't like the other depending on which side of the fence they want to sit on over each country...the rice scam corruption is in the billions of dollars...anyway - we will see - but someone had to be the referee on this deal...neither side was moving so it has to done - let's hope there is no fighting but hard to believe it won't get ugly here in the days and weeks to come

This is so stupid. Other than the Japanese factories here (which have a rightful gripe if they currently run their facilities 24/7), all the other countries are so misinformed. The US is just pissed off because ex-Carlyle crony Uncle Thaksin, may soon lose his grip.

Of course everyone knows this coup is just a show anyway. A way to pacify the general Thai public since the two sides couldn't come to an agreement anyway.

http://altthainews.blogspot.sg/2014/05/thailands-operation-valkyrie.html?spref=fb&m=1

Tony C is dong a good job on his www.altthainews.blogspot.com

but yes the "internal" factor is still a hole lotta red shirts that may get fired up and start looking for any reason to start something - it ain't over yet

Bye Bye. Don't let the door hit you.

Wow!! You are so original. However did you think that one up???

Yeah you'll probably fit in better with the Teak Door crowd.

Don't worry - you'll find me there as well (since many years)....

This useful thread has indeed been derailed by 'ostriches'. If you think that you will be all fine and good on your marriage, retirement or business extension, then you may be in for a big shock. These are troubled times in Thailand and it is foolish (IMHO), to sit smug and happy that you have a suitable visa extension to stay (for a year). Rules can change at the drop of a hat (as we have recently seen), and immigration officers can have a bad headache and deny you entry......

In my case, since I travel in and out of Thailand once or twice a year (working in Myanmar and Laos), the visa exemption suited me fine for my visits. No-one at immigration ever suggested that I was stretching or breaking the rules.

Note as other posters have mentioned - immigration officers have on countless occasions suggested to people 'do a visa-run'. They have not said 'don't do a visa-run because that is illegal'. Suddenly, everything has changed overnight and a sudden change could also take place for retirement visas, marriage visas etc.

So..... be smug ==> be stupid (IMHO)

Simon

good point Simon - yes these are NOT good times in thailand - was wondering why the rice farmers disappeared off the news now for 6 weeks and still haven't got any money.... now more probs with the apoointed PM thing ... it will get a lot worse before an election comes around sometime...plus with no PM then it also means no money under the table for all the gov "schemes" that the gov has done that takes money out of taxp[ayers pockets and puts it in back pockets... rice plan, new car buyer 100,000 bt... a friend said he just got his 100 thou check tho last week and it cleared.... whoa...

Look Clownhead it's against the rules of the forum to spread rumors. I have lived through many Military Coups. Bloodless and otherwise. Everything goes back to normal after a while. If you're really afraid go somewhere else. Stop scaremongering. Eventually the dumb peasants will realize they have been lied to and they aren't going to get their rice money. Maybe then they will stop believing the Taksin Regime.

As far as you are concerned it's obvious you inherited your wealth and haven't got a clue how to handle it. You can't even arrange an appropriate visa for yourself. Which is totally comical. This has to be a Troll post no one could be this stupid.

well said ATF.... I think you just hit the nail right on da haid.... 5 5 5 - if OP has all that money to brag about 500 k usd etc.... it would not be hard to figure out how to legally stay here outside of a tourist visa.... Jeez.... unbelieveable actually... 2 million baht is all you need with 4 thai employees to start a biz... figure out something you like to do and start a biz....not hard if you have that kind of moolah to brag about ...anyway - nuff said

FD and S - and others....I take it that the retirement visa is for over 50 yr olds? only 800,000 bt and 3 months in the bank prior to annual due date.... or the Elite deal - 500,000 bt for 5 years... a friend of mine was in on the ground floor of the Elite card - he even went to Japan on a planeload of thai's pushing it on Japan when it first came out..- including Taksin... he staid with it for a few months after but he was in on it when it first started.... I think the commission money for thai's getting people from other countries signed up was thrown around pretty quick and disappeared in back pockets - but they have rolled it out again...you can easily do a marriage visa...400,000 - just pick the right thai woman....also if you have ANY connections in the business world - with money - you could easily get a work permit from a hi-so thai owner that you could actually spend more time on the golf course chatting up other hi-so thai customers than in the office if you find right someone who you could work for "part time" or anything - make your own job...( like one of the Lambo or Ferrari dealers just as a thought) have an office yes - and maybe have to show up and schmooz a falung customer or hi-so thai's.... - but jeez - not hard to do if you want to stay here AND have money....I like my hydraulics/industrial parts lo-so job and I have to work...ain't big pay - but 14 years now and with work permit and should be no problems in future as well ... unless it all goes south here yes...only really costs the company 10,000 bt per year for the work permit.... and I am training 18 thai's now in the biz....with export work and other countries buying from us....

also - happening all over da world.... not just here people.... usa big time...hide your pin number ...whoa... just looking on you tube and it is big biz....300 thou usd in PA usa... and when on holiday and drunked up here in LOS.... who thinks about it....aarrgghh

I don't understand how these guys get pinged. They must be thick because the BIB's investigating abilities are close to as useless as tits on a kipper.

Do they stand in suspicious group at a single ATM for 30 minutes and get observed using multiple "no name brand" cards while stuffing notes into a 7/11 bag?

Their MO should be one machine, one card, for one transaction (say 20,000B), then go to another machine 1.5klm away. Change your clothes/crash helmet every three machines, and use ATM's from different (all) banks. You could do this all day in Patts and get half a mill, then repeat daily without ever using the same machine twice in a week.

The guys that did my scam got 800k baht out in one day.I have it all on the cd the cops kindly lent me to make a few copies.

wow - dude - hope you got the bank to cancel that !!! yikes....

looks like the laptop nearby has been replaced by sms straight to a cell phone.... - big block or small block card entry boxes - but they all need the camera...