Simon1287

As someone who has, obviously been aware of the situation since the beginning, as we all are, but never looked at it very carefully it would be interesting to hear from the chaps that actually do know far more about what’s going on out there. My view (the view of someone who knows nothing more than what casual readings on the internet have shown him): Ukraine is never, ever and ever going to get the Russians out of what the Russians now consider to be theirs. I see that as a fact which obv Trump does too so whatever happens next has to have that fact taken into account. Anything that does not take that into account may as well not even start. Any other way of thinking is condemning untold more 1000’s upon 1000’s to misery and death for nothing more than the profits of the munitions and medical supplies manufacturers and the multi nationals just waiting in the wings for the huge contracts that will be available for the eventual rebuilding. If there is a way to end it now with any certainty so millions of people can get back to something less horrific then it has to be considered. Putin will never give up what he's taken so far. He would sooner die. To do so would be to admit defeat and that the whole god awful thing was a total waste of everything. He will simply continue fighting until all he has left to use are weapons that must never be used. The Ukrainians have been astounding in their bravery and tenacity but it’s everyone else that is paying to continue the war so everyone else has just as much right to decide what happens next as they do. Probably more so. As with everything else in life, you pay, you choose. No need to jump down my throat over this I am just saying what casual observations lead me to think and I am very curious see what people who have taken far more interest in this subject than I have say is the actual situation so I can be enlightened. I wait with true and genuine interest. Simon

Turn up at an airport and pay the fine you are deemed to have “surrendered yourself to the authorities” and as long as the overstay isn’t silly you pay the fine and away you go home. (I am not up to speed on the exact lengths of times that cause problems these days as I am not stupid enough to overstay) On the other hand, get checked by the authorities anywhere else in Thailand on overstay and you had better be prepared for a world of crap. I cringe when I see people advising people to “not worry about a few days overstay just pay at the airport”. The many farangs I have met over the years who have been whisked off to the IDC in Bangkok for quite minor overstays would most likely cringe too. One was on just 48 hours overstay when he was in an accident in Pattaya in a taxi and the police checked his passport. IDC was his next hotel. Simon

One day, many years ago when I had my then Thai wife with me on a visit back to the UK I was reversing my car out of somewhere with her in the passenger seat. “Can you watch your side and make sure I don’t hit anything” says I. Not a word in reply so I stopped. “Did you hear me?” Says I. “Yes, I hear you” says she so I carried on turning and reversing. BANG! “I thought you said you heard me!” says I. “I did” says she “but I not understand what you say”. The longer you are around them the more you realise they are not just a different coloured version of us their thought processes and views of the world are totally at odds to those of us westerners (and I mean absolutely no disrespect there whatever. Different does not mean any better or worse, just different, which is what makes them fun and interesting) Things stopped surprising me in Thailand 30 years ago. Simon

Yet, I think I may have read somewhere that UK pensioners living in Spain etc still get it, due to some Brexit clause or other?

Big time..

Just watched the video. Puts stuff in a different light doesn't it. You may as well punch a Thai as push them. The result will be much the same usually.

The 5 years ago was when that particular bouncer made that statement. It's always been like that and still is. The bouncers aren't in it just for the money. Last attack I saw was a few months ago. If anything, they are getting more frequent as the perpetrators know they can pretty much get away with it. Though, frankly, more than a small proportion of it is deserved.

Nothings changed. Bar owner by any chance?

Probably 5 years ago. I have witnessed (not only in Pattaya I am including Bangkok) around 7 or 8 pretty much unnecessary attacks by "bouncers" on farangs who's real "crime" was to be a bit drunk (not even behaving particularly badly) or had good reason to dispute a padded bar bill, to know perfectly well that great enjoyment was taken by the "bouncers". I have also witnessed a few attacks that have been thoroughly deserved and would have happily bought the bouncers a drink if they weren't so worked up I would have been flattened too. I have been around Pattaya (and Thailand generally) a lot since about 1994. Long before there were even bars in Soi 7 (a dark quiet soi it was to walk down then) The boy friend of my then girl friend had the very first bar in soi 7 I seem to remember (1995??) so witnessing that number of attacks is still really quite a small number over all those years. I stand by what I said though and if anyone who actually knows the situation there first hand says he disagrees then he is probably a bar owner in soi 6 or somewhere who employs thugs, sorry, bouncers.

Good point. Silly me :)

Remember that most bouncers in Pattaya, in the words of one I spoke to years ago, do that job as they “like to fighting with farang”. That has always been my opinion anyway after witnessing many such incidents over the years. Even the slightest negative contact with one (and his 4 friends that appear out of nowhere) can put more than a little dampener on an evening out. Keep smiling at all times and they will tolerate you. :)

I think it very likely indeed the police either own the bike rental shops a lot of the lads rent from or are getting a % from the bike rental shops for not closing them down for allowing them to be rented without licences, insurance etc etc.

I lived not far from there for many years and regularly walked through that area day and night. Was, by far, the most likely part of Pattaya to get knocked down by a motor cycle at night (Soi Bhoakow totally pales in comparison) Many times a middle eastern lad has crashed his bike very near me. One barely missed me while crashing into a row of refuse bins one night. A lot of them I am sure have never ridden a motor cycle before getting to Pattaya. As to why the police do not clear them out, they could, in 5 minutes, by stopping Thai's renting the motor cycles to them or locking a few of the offenders up as an example. As any local knows though, why would they. They are a "cash cow". 10,000's (100,000's?) Baht are paid out everyday in "fines". A lucrative business. Some of the offenders are children of high ranking people in the middle east also, in Pattaya to "sow their wild oats" so that plays a part too. Only time anything looks like happening (and doesn’t) is when the headlines become a bit too big.

Never once been asked to show my passport in that way in decades of being in Thailand, except on busses and I think and once on a train down near Sungai Kolok. The most recent being on a bus mid last year when entering Phuket at 6 am or so. (After about 600 or 700 flights in my lifetime I fly only when necessary now as I am bored sick of planes and all the faff that goes with them these days) A large mean looking policeman went almost silently through the bus checking all ID's. I remember thinking as he checked my passport what a total nightmare awaited anyone on that bus that did not have the correct visa. Even a day overstay can begin the nightmare in such circumstances I believe. The return leg, being Phuket to Pattaya, via bus change at Morchit at 5 am was about 15 hours but I still like travelling, other than planes, even at my age. Only other times I can remember (though as I did spend many years just travelling around 72 or the 77 provinces I daresay it was more) have been up in Chiang Rai a couple of times on busses. The police officer questioned the lady I was with each time about what the farang was doing there as he checked the passport. The time at Sungai Kolok was probably over 15 years ago and the passport may even have been checked twice I can't quite remember. I fell into a deep sleep at Hat Yai and woke up in my seat sometime after to see two soldiers beside me and 3 opposite, all holding M-16’s (some with grenade launchers underneath) and another 25 of their colleagues in the carriage with us. It did seem a bit surreal for a few seconds after waking I must say as the carriage was quite quiet when I went to sleep. They all got off at Sungai Kolok for a while and went back on the same train.

Yes, short term visits i.e 90 days are no problem at quite reasonable costs but even so the price you mentioned seems very reasonable indeed at age 77. Is this a company you have been with for many years? Would you let us know who it is? I was on an annual policy with a UK company that allowed me to stay in Thailand the full year and could renew while in Thailand but that had to end at age 66 and the final years cost was still only about £500 for £5 or £10 million GBP in medical cover, repatriation etc. Less than £10 a week. It's when you get over that 90 days that the costs start getting silly for people almost 70 and when you do actually get to about 70 the 90 days is about all you are likely to get I think at the lower costs. I haven't really taken the trouble to look into it all carefully so there are almost certainly better options than I have found so far but, like yourself, I am now going to split my time between UK and Thailand so 90 days is fine for me, knowing I can go back to UK or back to Thailand any morning I wake up and decide to go.