JoeLing

It's not being Racist to state the truth.

People like him DO have a bad track record of this type of crime and many others.

Yes, he has a British Passport which is a pity as it reflects badly on my country.

However, he can never be English!

Why not?

Why do people instantly blame "Jihadists" or Muslims on just about anything?
Well, suppose our Western governments and media did quite a good job on
breathing a new generation of Islamophobics.

Couldn't it just as well be some South American Drug barons new investment?
They did try to buy a Russian Submarine form the Russian Mafia and nearly
managed it as well, - if it wouldn't have been discovered by the American
authorities.

It's well known South American drug lords already have all kinds of commercial
airliners to transport drugs from South America to Africa, then over land to Europe.
The long search for the crashed Airfrance plane showed how little surveillance
there is over the Center and Southern Atlantic. Most West African Nations are
pretty corrupt and flying over one of those countries "undetected" wouldn't be
much of a problem I guess.

So I suppose, my guess is as good as any other one.

That 10b 'fee' had been going on for years, then it stopped for a while (this may have been around the time of the previous coup). It was requested by the van driver, but can't say in whose pocket it finally ended up.

Malaysia has a thing about trying to impress the round-eye tourists, I think most of the clerks and officials would be too embarrassed to take a baksheesh from one.

The 10BTH or 1 RM the driver took was to fill our the RM Card

at the last stop just before you crossed the border. So they say

Decades ago, when i crossed to Malaysia with a couple of Thai friends, they gave
a couple of baht to the custom officer behind the window. They told me it's custom
and it's to say thank you to the spirits* for [surviving] your stay in Thailand.

Since then, I always give 10 baht, ocasionally even a dollar - after I got my exit stamp.
It's just tip, a micro-tip. Nothing to do with corruption.

Have a tip - have a coffee - have a nice day - - - get's you a long way

No different if I leave 10 baht under the pillow after a good nights sleep in a hotel or at
a friends place. It's for the "ghosts*" to thank for a good nights sleep.

* Ghosts and spirits come in all kind of forms. Uniforms, waiters, nurses, cleaners, etc

Would it be more expeditious to "lose" the Thai passport then apply for an emergency travel document from the British Embassy?

Will that defo work ?

No chance!

1. You would need to go to the police to report [Thai] passport stolen or lost.

2. With those papers you go to the British Embassy and they will shake their heads and say:

a:) "Sorry, we don't deal with Thai Passports" or

b:) "Sorry, as long as you have a valid UK passport, you can't have emergency documents."

3. Now just assume you told the police all passports were stolen or lost and the UK embassy would give your

entire family emergency documents. (your old passport number would be on it as well)

4. With those documents you'll have to go to immigration. They will try to find the TM [arrival] card you filled out

on arrival and very quickly see, your son and your wife entered on a Thai passport.

5. So after a week running from office to office, you will have the same problem as before, you can not exit on

a different nationality as you entered a country.

Having dual nationality is great if you want to explore the world and does have it's advantages but be aware,

there are some general rules. You can't enter then leave the country on different passports. Although it's not

illegal to have 2 or more passports, some officials don't know, so it's always advisable not to show or mention

your dual nationality as travelling on multiple ID's could look suspicious.

Some countries do not recognise dual nationality. So, although it's perfectly ok to have dual nationality in the UK,

it might not be OK in the country of your second nationality. Saudi Arabia has been known to have confiscated

foreign passports from it's citizens at the airport.

Not quite sure how Thailand handles dual nationality for it's subjects.

I use HostelBookers since many years for bookings at our bungalows. They used to be very efficient
but since they merged with HostelWorld which is now managed from China, I'm not too happy any
more as they started charging 15% (up from 10%) and are not as reliable as they used to be. Since
the merger, they forgot several times to send me customers booking details and the customers didn't
get their confirmation mail. Still, one reason I use HostelBookers is that they charge commission direct
to the customers and I have absolute no financial connection to them.

Back in time, I used to use Websawadee.com but they ask for yearly payment for the advertising, then
charge us commission (not entirely sure any more but think it was around 20%) for bookings.

For last year (2013), 76% of our customers did book accommodation at our place because the excellent
reviews we have on TripAdvisor, most of them did book via HostelBookers. 16% of our customers come
through recommendation of previous customers and around 8% are returning customers.

Agoda and Booking.com are just too expensive for my small guesthouse/bungalows.

Good luck and loads of success

Until 2005, treatment involved using pressure immobilisation bandages.

This treatment is no longer recommended. Bandages to achieve tissue

compression provokes nematocyst discharge.

Until 2014, the application of vinegar was a recommended. This practice is

no longer recommended either after it was demonstrated that while vinegar

deactivates unfired nematocysts, it causes already-fired nematocysts to

release the remaining venom.

The NHS in the UK suggests [although not scientific proven] to apply

shaving cream to the affected area as it will help prevent the spread of

toxins. Use a razor blade, credit card or shell to remove any small

poisonous sacs that are stuck to the skin.

After carefully removing any remaining tentacles from the skin, thoroughly

wash the affected area with seawater (not fresh water). Afterwards, soak

the area in hot water to help ease the pain.

Researchers from James Cook University and Cairns hospital came to the same

conclusion, however, their website currently still says to use vinegar on

box jellyfish and Irukandji sting.

Some studies showed, that a zinc-based compound, sometimes taken to treat

the common cold, prevented death in mice injected with box-jellyfish venom.

The compound - zinc gluconate, a nutritional supplement - seems to work by

preventing certain ions that keep the heart beating from leaking out of

blood vessels.

Cold water shouldn't be used as first aid treatment as it shocks and triggers

nematocyst discharge. The use of other substances, such as urine, alcohol or

baking soda, should also be avoided.

Prevention is the best practice, just like with Malaria or Dengue.

Wear protective clothes and if in doubt, don't go in to the sea.

I personally still use vinegar or lemon juice against jelly stings or sea

urchins and have them always available in my first aid kit.

You do all the research and find out the current recommendations from the experts in this field.

Then amazingly you discount them entirely and still carry on with your own personal and no longer recommended remedies?

Unbelievable.

(And, although it is not mentioned here, peeing on the victim is also not recommended. It is a myth unfortunately still perpetuated by "professionals" aka scuba instructors and divemasters, who should know better.)

Read this and chuck out your vinegar.

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/vinegar-on-jellyfish-sting-can-be-deadly-researchers-20140408-zqs8b.html

"Vinegar may kill rather than cure victims of box jellyfish stings, Queensland researchers have found.

The remedy, used for decades to treat stings, causes up to 60 per cent more venom from the lethal jellyfish to be discharged into the victim"

Amazing isn't it? The same university that finds out that vinegar COULD POSSIBLY

cause more harm and MAY kill rather then cure (well at least in laboratory conditions)

do still recommend to use vinegar.

So, as long Universities and Health Authorities still recommend to use vinegar when stung

by box jelly fish, as long research doesn't say vinegar WILL cause more harm and DOES kill,

I will use vinegar or shaving foam as first aid treatment.

Absolute nothing amazing on that, unless you're easily amazed

YOUR QUOTE: (And, although it is not mentioned here, peeing on the victim is also not recommended....... )

Isn't "urine" and "pee" the same where you come from?

Until 2005, treatment involved using pressure immobilisation bandages.

This treatment is no longer recommended. Bandages to achieve tissue

compression provokes nematocyst discharge.

Until 2014, the application of vinegar was a recommended. This practice is

no longer recommended either after it was demonstrated that while vinegar

deactivates unfired nematocysts, it causes already-fired nematocysts to

release the remaining venom.

The NHS in the UK suggests [although not scientific proven] to apply

shaving cream to the affected area as it will help prevent the spread of

toxins. Use a razor blade, credit card or shell to remove any small

poisonous sacs that are stuck to the skin.

After carefully removing any remaining tentacles from the skin, thoroughly

wash the affected area with seawater (not fresh water). Afterwards, soak

the area in hot water to help ease the pain.

Researchers from James Cook University and Cairns hospital came to the same

conclusion, however, their website currently still says to use vinegar on

box jellyfish and Irukandji sting.

Some studies showed, that a zinc-based compound, sometimes taken to treat

the common cold, prevented death in mice injected with box-jellyfish venom.

The compound - zinc gluconate, a nutritional supplement - seems to work by

preventing certain ions that keep the heart beating from leaking out of

blood vessels.

Cold water shouldn't be used as first aid treatment as it shocks and triggers

nematocyst discharge. The use of other substances, such as urin, alcohol or

baking soda, should also be avoided.

Prevention is the best practice, just like with Malaria or Dengue.

Wear protective clothes and if in doubt, don't go in to the sea.

I personally still use vinegar or lemon juice against jelly stings or sea

urchins and have them always available in my first aid kit.

I swapped my wife once ......

Thailand doesn't really need foreign English teachers as most Thais
do not see a need, nor have the inclination to speak English and those
people who do want to learn English, TEFL teachers might just not be
qualified enough?

On the other hand, more and more students chose Mandarin as their
second language [tripled in the last 5 years] and there is a severe
shortage of Chinese teachers [1200 for 800'000 students]. Now I'm
pretty sure, most native Chinese teachers here in Thailand have no
visa problems.

Still don't quite understand, why would any woman
become a surrogate mother for a complete stranger,
if not for money?   

Just wonder, does anyone need a surrogate father?
Cheap, cheap, only want some 7/11 stamps for it  
 

Did foreigners retire to LOS from their home countries 30 years ago, does anyone know? Not that any of them would be likely to be still around now!

Sure they did!
Only back then, people retiring in Thailand where in their twenties, early thirties,
happy to mingle with the locals and if necessary, sleep naked in the jungle. 
Today, they retire again. Same people but now they are in their 50' and 60' with 
a bit more money and need for luxuries. With a condominium and comfy bed  
Only the age of their girlfriends or wife's stayed the same. 

 

 

Biggest hassle was the Tax clearance you needed before departure, if you had stayed more than 180 days in one year you had to pay 7% tax on the money you spent in Thailand during your stay! So we all said that we did not spend any money or had rich Thai girlfriends etc. It worked for many year until they changed the boss at the tax office, the new boss was an old fat Thai-Chinese lady and first time I saw her she said: You pay tax 4000 Baht.  Crazy system. We did a Penang trip every 90 days with Thai from Phuket, it was just enough time between landing in Penang and return departure for 2 Tiger beer at the airport bar, compared to the Kloster and Singha Beer that was the only beer available than it was a nice change.

Are you sure this was 30 years ago (or it just seems that way)?  The 7% VAT was only started in 1992.

 

No, it wasn't the VAT. It was a special tax that only farangs had to pay. Actually I never had to pay it because when I retired from the Army and came back I had a Non-Immigrant 'O' and extended that for support of Thai wife. I didn't have to leave the country until 1996, after she died. If I recall correctly they revoked the tax just in time. Let's see, was that the Chavalit government? Anyway, my biggest regret is that I didn't get Thai citizenship then, when it was still affordable. Now I'm not even eligible to apply, because I've never worked in Thailand.

 

From what I remember, that tax was assessed according to the nationality one had,
not how much one earned or spend in Thailand. Well, at least late 70' and early 80'

I just have a couple here from the UK. That what one would call a "normal" tourist.
They were here on holiday beginning of May for 3 weeks, then went back home.
Now they are here for an other three weeks. All pre-booked including return flights.
They just been told at Suvarnabhumi [21/07/2014] that they can NOT enter a third
time on "visa exempt" this year.

Everywhere I have ever traveled in this world, I've had the feeling that I was 30 years too late. First visited Thailand in 1977, and had that feeling then.

More like 750 years too late.
Bet Marco Polo had no immigration, visa, work permit or overstay problems 

Stayed from 1978 until 1987. Used to go to Penang, getting Non O visa without any problems year after year. Yeah, that silly 180 days rule about tax. Although, I only have been send back twice to Surat Thani to get that tax form but a change of shirt and 500 THB in the passport, did the job too. Sadao border used to be closed from 18:00 until I believe 08:00 in the morning.

Georgetown used to be a pretty nice town, Batu Feringi an empty beach with just one hotel being build. I used to love Georgetown, especially the food market but that is well before the Compta Center was build and the market destroyed.

Yeah, I do remember the "No Hippy" sign at the Thai border. Customs even asked very politely "Are you a hippy?" :-) Suppose at that time, Samui only just got developed and only a hand full of bungalow places on Koh Phangan, so customs didn't have to deal with hordes of unruly travelers and used to be much, much friendlier although, they mostly still are.

Now, I wonder, does any of those long timers still remember the sign over the pier in Samui, "Welcome to the Island of sex, drugs and Rock'nRoll"? Good old times when the Lamai Inn was the only Bar/Disco on the island. Does anyone still remember that girl in Samui, her nickname was "Frog". Wonder how many farangs she married over the years ;-)

Yeah, good old times when Thailand was still "the Land of Smiles".

Some times it's not a question of the law, not a question of right or wrong but

more on how long does one intend to stay alive here in the and of smiles.

So should we carry receipts for the iPad and Galaxy 5 bought in Thailand?

NO WAY

Then customs will see you bought that expensive gadget in Thailand

and you will pay import tax when you enter Europe or America

Take away his football and give him a doggy-bone.
Fetch Suarez, fetch .....

You should not have a problem getting a tourist visa. You could get a 2 entry in Vientiane.

The 3 pages would be enough. One page for Lao visa and 1 page for the Thai visa.

Similar scenario as the poster. Non B visa for several years in a row.

Then I got twice a tourist visa in Vientiane as I just changed domicile.

Then, my next 1 year Non B got refused in Savannaket as (suposently)

I had those two tourist visas in a row in my passport but they gave me

a 3 months Non B in with a note written by hand on the visa saying:

"Please extend your stay in Thailand with authorities concerned"

I must say, until then I always used to do all the paperwork by myself,

travelling with my bags full of all kind of documents.

So, after that, I used my accountant. She gave me just a few papers

(OK, cost a bit of money but not the world) and send me to Kota Bahru.

Was absolute no problem getting my new Non O and Work permit.

Me too, only just have a couple of pages left in my passport but when

I cross the border, I keep asking, very, very polite and humble, if they

could stamp on a page where there is space for an other two stamps.

Wish you best of luck

"Suchart Chantaranakarach said the downgrade will affect only those selling products under the “Made in Thailand” label."

It just continues in a downward spiral, does it not?

Unbelievable statement!

What's next on the unscrupulous agenda? A change of brands and labels, with no mention of source?

Thainess is losing its Thainess, in all matter of ways. Or, maybe, it has totally lost it, and Thainess does not exist anymore unless the word corruption is explicitly involved.

Made in Thailand?