willyumiii

I have just read that in the UK, 2010, 28 children under 15 drowned.A vast difference to Thai numbers. Here it should be a government priority to make swimming lessons and facilities available to all children. The worrying thing is that if swimming pools were built, would the maintenance be carried out and would the water quality be kept up to scratch? At least though, the children would be able to learn to swim.It just needs someone like the late Lee Kwan Yoo to implement it??

And what percentage of the population actually swims in the cold, damp, foggy UK?

How often is the weather warm enough to even want to swim in the UK?

Thailand is warm and or hot enough for people to want to swim tear round.

This is not the UK.

How could you possibly compare the two countries???

How about mandatory swimming lessons in school for all kids!

Great idea, but have you noticed that almost no schools have swimming pools?

I have tried to convince the local school that building a pool and teaching swimming for physical education would be a good Idea.

I even pointed out that revenue could be generated by charging people to use the pool after school hours and on weekends.

They just looked at me like I was crazy.

I cant remember the title, but last year I read a book written by an Englishman who visited Siam in the late 1800s.

He stated that at that time when Bangkok was basically a floating city on the river, that almost everyone in Siam was a great swimmer!

What happened?.

I personally teach about six children how to swim every year since I have lived here.

Once you teach them to float on their backs, the rest comes easy.

Maybe a younger builder who would notice the flaws before installing them is in order?

Remember, in Thailand, and with a certain type of women,

You never lose yur girlfriend.

You just lose your turn!

Move on if she is that type!

In the past, Thai people voted for whoever paid them the most for their vote.

They had no interest or knowledge of the issues or qualifications.

Was it ever really a democracy?

Interesting.

I am not a physicist, and I do not understand why debris from a rocket or satellite could possibly fall for such a long period of time.

You could call March 9 - April 8 a month.

How high was the stuff falling from and why not come down all at one time?

" Wife changed when she got back to the village"

I'll bet she had to change a lot for you when she went to your country as well!

Maybe it should be your turn to change for her now?

"She flew into a rage and said I did never want to be here and I don’t like the family and the rest."

It sounds like the wife is right,

Some westerners do not have the respect or understand of Thai culture and family structure needed to survive in rural Thailand.

It sounds like you are one of them.

If you know anything, you know your wife's family is more important to her than anything..not you, her family!

You were given a chance to be part of that family and have rejected them.

Either make an honest effort yo adjust ( sounds like you have not tried at all ) or move on..alone.

​It would be very wrong and bad for your child to be separated from his mother.

Like me, you are an old man.

How well do you think you can raise a young child and how many more years do you think you will be around to raise him?

I am in what could be a similar situation.

My Thai wife lived with me in the US for 6 years before we and our 3 year old child relocated to her village in rural Thailand.

It has been very difficult for me, but because I love my wife and child and have learned to love her family and their culture I have made countless concessionsin order to make it work.

If you truly love your family, you can make it work also.

If you only truly love yourself..take your self and your wonderful Honda somewhere else.

Footnote: It seems you are more concerned about your prize Honda than your family..why did you get married and father a child?

Good luck with that bike of yours!

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As stated the 1 year ban never went into effect. Those changes are still waiting to be approved and implemented.

As advised by the most knowledgeable person on Thai Visa about visas Mr. Ubonjoe it's best to fly out, less chance of getting caught on overstay.

You can fly to Cambodia and return the same day if you want.

I'm not trying to scare you but if you are caught by immigration prior to leaving Thailand

you will be detained in immigration detention until you can pay the 20,000B and have a plane ticket out of Thailand. If i were you i would leave ASAP, also prior to your return I would get a tourist visa and have 10,000B cash on hand when returning. If possible get a Non-B visa if you already did all the paper work for opening a company.

Good luck!!

Correction !

If caught by immigration, military or the police the OP will enjoy the consequences of his actions !

Not necessarily, It all depends if the police ask to see your passport. In the last 20+ years I have never been asked by the police for my passport and only once by the military which I didn't have my passport with me and showed them my work permit. It all comes down to luck..or no luck.

It does happen.

Once while taking a taxi from Bangkok to Korat, the cab broke down.

The police arrived shortly.

The first thing they asked was to see my passport.

It may not happen often, but it does happen.

What's all the fuss about?

This was a "Motor Show" or Auto Show, wasn't it?

These girls are just displaying the great quality bodywork and painting that is being done in Thailand!

I know many Philippine people who live and work in Thailand.

When I ask them why they come to Thailand to work for a relatively low wage, they laugh and reply,

" In the Philippines we work for about 30 baht per day..Thailand pays much better than that!"

Try Dohome, just south of Tesco Lotus on 224.

.

I think you are expecting a lot with only 1500USD per month coming in.

I would forget the "Sea View Condo" and look into a small house in Northern, rural Thailand.

Good luck!

Needs:

Visa: tourist I guess

Will buy a new motorbike cash

Need the best available internet

Entertainment: not into drinking with friends that much more occasionally, usually stay home work/socialize on the internet

Sport: daily fitness (only cross trainer) and walking

Food: sidewalk food and self cooking

Drinking: no beer (must sound weird for many guys here) no daily liquor

Girls: Occasionally a bar girlie let's say once a month

But I love a 2hrs massage about 2x per week, no happy ending

Other expenses: gasoline, insurance, moto tax, electric, water, ?

Also want to add some to savings account and for the rest have a modest life

This article might have some meaning if the alternative was explained.

"It's ugly" really doesn't tell us much!

One of the things I love about Thailand is that there are only .2% Christians in the country. ( please note the decimal point )

That is still .2% too many.

Thailand is one of a few places on the planet that Christians have not taken over and ruined.

There has been more pain, suffering persecution and death committed in the name of their god than any other cause in history.

Kudos to Thailand if they do deport these evil people.

Ahhh...he has started learning from Lee Kuan Yew...

Between being loved and being feared, I have always believed Machiavelli was right. If nobody is afraid of me, Im meaningless.

You take a poll of any people. What is it they want? The right to write an editorial as you like? They want homes, medicine, jobs, schools.

What the people really want is to be paid for their votes again!

That's democracy in Thailand!

I spent my first 8 years here on various visa types all involving exiting the country every 90 days, which I did, without overstaying, and at considerable cost. But now I question why I didn't just use the system. I could possibly have got away with 8 years for 20,000 Baht. That's a bargain at 2,500 per year. A huge financial saving and no punishment. Win win.

In all my years here I've never once been asked to produce my passport, including at the countless road check points that I've been stopped at, so the risk of getting caught on an overstay seems very small. And although Thai immigration is applying the law the penalties aren't a deterrent so overstaying will continue until something changes.

There maybe genuine reasons for short overstays, but in my opinion all, but a few, are staying through choice because the system doesn't penalise them not to. The OP has indicated his concern about a 1 year ban, and I bet his decision to overstay would have been different if this ban was being enforced. Sure some people wouldn't surrender and just carry on living here until caught, but I believe bans or higher fines are the only way to reduce the number of overstayers.

It also seems that Thailand doesn't consider overstaying a problem otherwise she'd have brought in effective deterrents years ago. The fact that they do, and haven't, is a kick in the teeth for those of us that stay legal and respect the rules to be allowed to stay here.

Overstayers annoy me, but what really annoys me is that immigration let them get away with it. I have always asked me to jump through hoops, play by the rules, and shell out thousands of baht to stay here, which I've done. But when immigration get hold of long overstayers they apply a paltry fine and let them repeat as required.

A genuine justifiable reason for a 10 month overstay. Nah! Is 20k a big enough fine? Nope. Should he be banned for a year? Yep. Should an alien that voluntarily broke the law for 10 months be allowed to own a business when it's illegal for a husband to help his wife set up a market stall? OMG no. Am I bitter and twisted about the situation? Yep. Am I justified? Hell Yes!!

"In all my years here I've never once been asked to produce my passport,"

So, you have been here over eight years and never stayed in a hotel?

I find that difficult to believe.

I have never registered in a hotel in Thailand without being asked for my passport.

Your post is suspect.

What many of you seem to be missing, forgetting or haven't learned yet, is that different countries and cultures have different standards of morals and ethics.

If you have not or will not accept Thai morals or ethics,

you need to change,

or change your location.

Thailand will not and should not change just to please you.

I don't think that that is true, all human beings have a genetically built in basic sense of morality,it is that which helped us survive the ice age and beyond,there are of course social nuances which are different but we all have the same feeling for right and wrong. What is different about Thai morals or ethics that is different from our own ? name me one.

Only one? here are five big ones.

Family:

Thais believe it is their responsibility to take care of their parents and the elderly.

In the west, they are usually locked away in a "rest home" where they are not a bother.

Marriage:

If your wife has lost interest and you can afford it, in Thailand it is acceptable to take on second wife or a "mia noi".

In the west your options are abstinence or divorce.

Prostitution:

Although not actually legal, prostitution is accepted in Thailand and nice girls are available for those who have the need.

In the west the girls are sleazy criminals probably strung out on drugs.

Courtesy:

In Thailand it is considered a very bad thing to lose your temper, get upset or insult someone.

In the west these are all ways of life that people thrive on.

Corruption:

In Thailand it is accepted, expected, and dealt with openly.

In the west it is rampant but denied and covered up.

There are many more, but why waste time telling you what you should already know.

I love most of the differences in Thailand from where I come from.

Maybe you disagree with Thai morals on these issues, but this is Thailand.

You need to respect the morals and culture or find a place that better matches your needs.

Many local Thai girls wear pants and shorts with American flag prints on them.

Talk one out of her pants and wave them around at the race!

Or just wave the entire girl around, they are pretty small girls!

What many of you seem to be missing, forgetting or haven't learned yet, is that different countries and cultures have different standards of morals and ethics.

If you have not or will not accept Thai morals or ethics,

you need to change,

or change your location.

Thailand will not and should not change just to please you.