XGM

5 hours ago, dvg said:

Thanks for that XGM.We cannot come before 8 o"clock this year.Last year,we were there at 7.30, was send back to bank for update bankbook,I did it the day before together with the bankstatement as for 10 years. They needed it now from the same day.When we came back,was send home again for photo nr 3 in the bedroom,always 2 was OK.

If you mean that a visit to the bank is required first - you don't need the bank to be open in order to update the bank book. Just have someone transfer any amount to your account on that day, or withdraw any minor amount using an ATM, then use the book update machine. That's what I did.

2 hours ago, dvg said:

Hi, did you make your Non-O extension allready and where there any changes with last year?Thanks

Yes, we went last Tuesday. We made the mistake of arriving just before 8am. You have your temperature taken when entering the parking lot, sign your name in a book, and get an initial number. This number has nothing to do with your actual queue number to be processed, it's just your place in line to enter the main building. Until then, you are directed to a makeshift tent in the parking lot. There were a few dozens foreigners waiting there when we arrived. The initial documents checks were done in and around that tent, by foreign volunteers (An Indian and a western looking person, no idea why they are there). No tables so our documents were placed on a nearby parking car and checked that way (we were lucky - no wind or rain..). Then once the document are ok and signed, and if there aren't too many people inside the building you are allowed to enter and approach the main desk, where your documents are checked once again, this time by the Thai staff. It took us over 40 minutes just to get into the building. As we later found out, very few people arrived later on and the place was virtually empty when we left, around 12:00. So I recommend not to try to be there when the place opens, just arrive at around 10:00 or later and have a much more relaxed experience.

As for the process inside, they changed the whole layout - when your number is called you don't go and sit in front of the immigration officer's desk anymore, you hand in your documents through a window. Any additional signatures, payment etc are all done through that window. No special requests were made regarding the documents. The officer also handled my 90 days report stamp with no fine due to the amnesty. I didn't have to queue again for that.

1 hour ago, Andy from Kent said:

So much for the anonymity that bitcoin adherents tout.   ????

Bitcoin doesn't need your selfie or ID. The issues start when you decide to place a 3rd party between the sides (an exchange, a bank, localbitcoins, paxful, some of the online wallets etc). That 3rd party must conform to KYC and AML regulatory restrictions if it wants to stay in business.

Buy and sell from individuals? no IDs or selfies are required. No registration, not even an email address.

In essence, this is a trade off between anonyimity and security + efficiency.

On 6/3/2020 at 11:21 AM, puchooay said:

Using the word "America" instead of "United States of America" is not that bad either. I have to say, when asking an expat "Where are you from?" I have never had the answer "United States of America". Usually the answer would be "The U.S" or "America".

 

I don't really see an issue here.

 

No issue when you are knowledgeable enough to make the distinction between the country's actual name and the more casual "America". This really can't be taken for granted here, and a Geography textbook can't just omit the formal country's name. At any case, the OP's main point was about the superficial nature of the content rather than naming countries.

On 6/3/2020 at 6:12 AM, ThLT said:

When will the first term of the new school year start (the one that usually starts in August)?

Every International school starts in a different date. Up to them, as long as it's not earlier than July 1st.

The Jan - Apr (or Dec - May..?) air pollution levels are the single really irritating problem here. Other issues are small or common to many other areas of Thailand.

On 5/24/2020 at 1:41 AM, prakhonchai nick said:

Would be a huge mistake. Kids crowd together. If we cannot go to the beach, or a bar or a cinema, then it is crazy to put kids (international or not) in harms way!

Will it be crazy then to let millions of Thai kids to go back to schools at July 1st then? what's the difference? is near-zero new cases a day, for many weeks, not a good enough criteria?

Some schools are opening at June 1st.

I wonder about the following though:

On 5/24/2020 at 6:12 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

1. Access to the school gate School vans and private vehicles will not be allowed access to the school gate. Students must be dropped-off the Soi in front of *****, must line-up maintaining 1 meter away from each other and wait for their turn for the temperature scanning and hand-sanitizing. Students showing a temperature of over 37.5 degrees Celsius will not be permitted to enter the school premises and parents will be phoned to collect the child(ren). For facility, we suggest that parents wait until the child is permitted to enter the school premises before leaving. Depending on the volume of student, scanning and hand-sanitizing may take only a couple minutes.

2. Wearing of face masks “No Face Masks, No Entry Policy”. Wearing of face masks is a must to be allowed entrance to the school premises. Face masks must be worn inside the school premises at all times.

3. Travel and health declaration We will be asking every family to complete and submit the Travel and Health Declaration Form together with a copy of each household member’s passport’s pages containing the information page and latest arrival date in Thailand. The form and submission procedure will be emailed to families in time.

4. Self-quarantine requirement Should the student or a member of the household transited through or travelled from other countries and has returned to Thailand after the 20th of April, the student must stay home for the 14 days self-quarantine.

5. School van health and safety The Teacher Assistant shall perform temperature scan and hand sanitation first before allowing any student to get in the van. Student resisting from temperature scanning and hand sanitizing protocol and showing a temperature of over 37.5 degrees Celsius will not be allowed to join the van. Upon arrival to school, the students will follow the procedure set-out under the Access to the school gate.

- Lining 1 meter from each other? will they always keep such a distance throughout the school day? in classrooms? at breaks time?

- Face masks will be worn at all times? obviously not at lunch time..? what about PE? and swimming lessons...?

- Temperature checks before getting in the vans? at this point we already know around 40% of cases do not display high fever and can infect others.

It's clear the school tries to do its best. But the underlying premise for opening the schools is that the disease is currently very rare at the population in Thailand (which is probably true) - if it isn't the case, those restrictions will not suffice.

Which restrictions, if any, can we expect on a trip from CM airport to Don Muang, then driving to say Hua Hin and coming back in the same way? We rent a house here in CM.

Did anyone go there recently? I will need to do my Non-Imm-O Extension (based on Marriage) in the next weeks.

2 hours ago, jingjai9 said:

In these trying times, the bottom line will often take precedence over  ideals and current standards.

The bottom line was always the main consideration. The better schools don't hire native English speakers due to ideals but because that's what parents want to have. Strictly business - it is one of the clear expectations of the customers.

As for the reasons, accent or pronunciation are just a few. Non native English speaker will generally have a limited vocabulary in comparison to a well educated native English teacher. There will be a difference in richness of language, using idioms for example will not come naturally for them. Even their understanding of right and wrong grammar will not be instinctive but programmed.

Specifically with Philippine teachers (and other Asians, as mentioned above), their overall approach to teaching will be different. For example, less encouragement of independent thinking vs. more memorizing and indoctrination, less freedom in class to ask questions.

22 hours ago, blowin said:

I have not had contact with the above school. But have a look at Wisdom Phangan we are planing on sending our 11 year old there next year. He is already doing virtual schooling with them while his school is on lock down here in Europe.

Thanks. Don't they have a website (apart from their FB page?).

They are not "required" but some do. We got a 15% refund on this period. Not much but better than nothing.

1 hour ago, Perkkele said:

 

I know I should confront the school

No. You have two options:

1. Change school.

2. Just don't look at what the kid learns (better not to know..). It's a rabbit hole with no ending to it.

57 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

Not that bad

 

But of course US public schools are great

A private school has a much higher budget and flexibility that allow it to really be great. A public school is limited in many ways. The correct comparison should be private schools here and there, not private Intl' school in Thailand where parents pay $10,000 - $30,000 a year to a US public school.

47 minutes ago, 1arry1iu said:

but will never pay the outrageously overpriced THB 500,000+ for something that is barely international and remotely education.

You could go to Prem if that's your budget, or to CMIS for 70% of that.

What do you expect from a Thai school? they'll all be awful. And most International Schools here are just one notch better than "awful".

Does anyone have first hand experience with this school? Will appreciate any reply.

2 hours ago, chingmai331 said:

The poor man in north Thailand breathing shi**y air does not concern them. And never will.

There is no need to do anything. Negative media coverage only starts to be a nuisance around February. By March, government releases some "very concerned" statements. By April, they will take some symbolic acts and "commit" to fix the problem.. By May, the rains arrive and everyone forgets it. Until the next year.

I have Aetna's Platinum 5M policy. They recently sent emails saying they cover covid-19 testing (physician-ordered). But what about treatment if it becomes necessary? Does know if it's covered? I've read through the exclusions and found no mention of epidemics and such.

Not asking for visa purposes, just wants to know we're covered.

Only 320 here in Sansai. Come on, it was over 400 last year. But yes, not in early March.

The term "epicenter" is confusing and irrelevant to the discussion here. Yes, it most probably started in Wuhan's infamous wet market. One could claim that very limited area to be "the epicenter". It has no practical implications for handling the situation today.

The real issue isn't what is the size or location of any such "epicenter" but where does significant seeding of new cases is taking place, and more specifically, where is the number of cases too big for the local medical infrastructure to identify and treat in a timely fashion.

All such places need to be isolated. However when the number of cases and spread is so large, we can safely assume there are many cases that weren't confirmed yet. No intentional hiding or elaborate conspiracy theories are necessary to reach this conclusion. Simply - lack of resources. Further, we can't only ban flights with people who visited some specific cities during the last month, such analysis / investigation of individual travel record isn't feasible. In my opinion, a temporary ban of flights from all of China is therefore justified.

27 minutes ago, EricTh said:

That's just like stopping all flights from all of Europe just because London is the epicenter of a virus.

Where is the epicenter today? Wuhan only? all the cities with over 100 (known..) cases?

Looking at the map, you'll see those are spread over an area a "bit" larger than London's.

There are currently 248 confirmed cases outside China, with 2 deaths.

Do those figures support the theory of a huge coverup of mortality rate being done in China? I think not. We'd expect more deaths in other countries had that been the case.

My impression is that the 3% mortality rate is the situation when hospitals are flooded with patients, resulting in many receiving subpar treatment (obviously the situation in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province). Otherwise, lower.

1 hour ago, Mapguy said:

Would appreciate posters remarking on the Corona virus IN CHIANG MAI as this thread was intended.

Summary of CM related events as of now:

One confirmed case, the patient is hospitalized in Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital (Suansok). Chinese national from Jingzhou. Travelled via Wuhan to Kunming on Jan 14 and flew to C.M. on Jan 15. Showed symptoms on Jan 18th, went to hospital 2 days later, confirmed as a coronavirus case by Jan 31.

That's it AFAIK.