Kerryd

What did they say she was worth when she became PM ? Something like 22 billion (baht) or more ? And was the "CEO" of over 20 different companies as well.

Things that make you go hmmmmm.

One has to remember that many of these monks may not be "life-long" monks but are only in the temples for 6-12 weeks "to earn merit".

I've gone to a number of "ordination" ceremonies where people did the whole "becoming a monk" routine with the head shaving and parade to the temple and lots of donations and gifts. It's quite the party (and can be fairly expensive as well).

And then three months (the normal length of time one is expected to stay in the temple) later, they take off their robes and go back to doing (whatever) they did in their normal lives.

(It used to be tradition that all male members of a family did a 3 month stint as a monk at some point in their lives, either when they are young or after they have retired normally.)

And some "monks" seem to treat the position as a job, not a "higher calling" and see it as an easy way to get free food, lodging and spending money. Way easier than digging ditches or collecting garbage all day. (Better food and accommodations and "gifts" as well for some of them.)

It's probably more surprising that there aren't more problems being reported on a regular basis.

An "online account" with a foreign bank will NOT be accepted by Immigration.

THINK about it.
Immigration wants a Letter from the Bank verifying the account and balance AND they want photocopies of your updated bank book, including the page with your name and account number and the page(s) showing the current balance.

I seriously doubt they'll accept a print out of a "screen capture" from your phone as proof of your supposed balance.

They expect the money to be in a THAI bank so that if you need it (to live on or to pay hospital bills and such) you can access it literally immediately.

Which is also why they do NOT accept "But, but, I've got more than 800k in my 401k or Social Security or (insert overseas investment plan here)" as proof of funds.

People have been trying for years to scam Immigration by pretending they have the money to meet the requirements - but don't want to put it in a Thai bank because "waaaa - the bank clerk will steal it all" or "waaaa - I can make .25% more interest per year from my home bank".

Sheesh, some years ago, some Immigration offices wouldn't even accept it if your money was in a Fixed Term savings account because they wanted to see transactions on your account to prove you were using the money to live on.

(That was a dumb requirement and now places like Jomtien have no problem with the money being in a Fixed Term account as you can still access it almost immediately if the need arises.)

But they will NOT accept things like "Gain 123" investments (from Bangkok Bank) as proof of funds even if you have more than the required amount because you can't access those funds immediately if the need arose.

So if you aren't going to put the money in a Thai bank then you'll have to go the "agent" route and hope for the best.

They should be looking for CCTV images of when he got on the plane in Cambodia (after he spent some time with his good buddy Hun Sen) and when he got off the plane and when he arrived at the prison.

Because if I recall, there was no problem with him then. And after he arrived in Thailand he was initially taken to the prison and barely an hour later complained he was having a problem trying to take a nap and that's why they took him to the hospital. He wasn't even at the prison long enough to be processed in, let alone had time to try and "take a nap".

The whole thing was staged from the minute he arrived.

And remember the kerfluffle when someone got photos of him in a swimming pool with his nephews ? While he was supposedly near death in the hospital ?

So the prison/hospital officials quickly put Thaksin in a neck brace and on a guerny and had a photo of him being moved (somewhere) in the hospital to show how sick he was.

And now the daughter is in hot water after calling "her uncle" (Hun Sen) about the border dispute.

And now you can bet they are going to have a lot of trouble trying to get Yingluck back to the country without her having to do a lot of prison time.

Good thing they were able to appoint a friend of Thaksin's to be the acting PM or they'd really be in trouble !

I have a Big C card - apparently it gives me a 5% discount on my purchases.

The One Card collects points. It used to be at Tops the cashier would note how many points I had and ask if I wanted to exchange some and get a discount on my bill (it was a couple hundred baht discount) but I haven't done that in ages. It can also be used in other stores as well (HomePro and such).

I have a Fascino card as well and it gives a 5% discount on any purchases. 

You can register for Villa Market online and then I guess you show them the number (or Q code or whatever) on your phone and get a discount there as well.

I tried to get a 7-11 membership but - as mentioned elsewhere - they want a Thai ID card number. 

I collect the stamps when 7-11 hands them out. I have a bunch of stuff from the special promotions they've run in the past, like a complete, large set of "Doremon" tupperware containers, a "Doremon" wastebasket with hinged lid. A "Winnie the Pooh" waste basket with hinged lid and a couple other items somewhere I've forgotten about.

The big stores used to have some awesome promotions where you'd get stickers for everything you bought (except alcohol) and then could trade them for special items like Vivo double-walled glass tumblers, special kitchen knife sets, cookware sets and so on. Usually high quality items that they don't sell in the store.

That's how I got my fancy pots with glass lids, a large, deep frying pan (with glass lid), the double-walled glasses and a fancy "vegetable" knife.

When the Tops store opened in The Chilled mall on Soi Khao Noi they had a lot of promotions. Buy your groceries then take your receipt to the customer service counter and get stuff like plastic laundry baskets or novelty insulated mugs and stuff.

One promotion was crazy - for every pack of Fisherman's friends you bought - you got a free small (6oz ?) glass tumbler. I used to buy 6 packs of Fisherman's friends at a time because the glasses came packed 6 to a box.

I think I've got 4 1/2 boxes of those glasses before that promotion ended. Got them stashed on a storage shelf. Give them out to people who move into a new house or apartment.

The discounts and promotions aren't a huge savings at the time - but over time they can add up. I probably spend 10-12,000 a month on groceries alone so a 5% discount would equal 5-600 baht per month in savings. Over the course of a year that's about 6-7,200 baht in savings. Multiplied by the number of years I've been doing it.

The promotions and 7-11 stickers are just a bit of fun. I'm buying stuff anyways so I toss the stickers into the little promotion card thingy and then one day paste them onto the card and see if I have enough to get something useful like a beach mat - or another waste basket.

I didn't pay attention to the last one and had half a card worth of stickers. Bummer, a couple more trips for snacks and I could have gotten set of cheap plastic "Doremon" bowls with lids.
Oh well, maybe next time.
 

Lol - there was a Facebook post just a few hours ago that said it was CHINA that put an end to the Casino bill by TELLING Thailand they did not approve it and it was "suggested" (in the article) that the recent very large drop in tourist arrivals from China was their way of saying "do things our way - or else".

I suggested (on that article) that it seems that China is now dictating Thai law.

The article mentions how much Cambodia makes from it's casinos and that they know if Thailand starts running their own, the Cambodians will lose huge amounts of revenue.

Funny how China has NO problems with casinos in Cambodia though, isn't it ?
 

My dad told me a joke when I was but a wee lad of (15 or 16 I guess at the time).

Man is at a fancy party and sees a drop dead gorgeous woman in a slinky black dress standing by herself.
Man slides up to her and quietly asks if she'd sleep with him that night for $100,000.
The woman instantly agrees as she grabs his hand and starts toward the door.

The man holds up and says "Wait". She lets go of his hand and looks at him.
He leans towards her and quietly asks if she'd sleep with him that night for $100.

The woman is outraged ! She steps back and slaps the man and shouts "What kind of woman do you think I am ?"
The man replies - "We've already established that. Now we are just negotiating the price."

Wonder how that would go over on Beach Road if you asked a woman (?) to spend the night with you for 1,000 baht - and then tried to get her to go with you for just 100 baht.

Might get a bit more than a slap !

I've bought tickets occasionally for over 20 years now. 
Won 2,000 once way back when and 2 years ago won 4,000 (2 x 2,000 baht tickets). 

Used to be a hoot when I was living in South Pattaya. Within minutes of the draw the neighbourhood would be full of people running around selling copies of the "winning numbers sheet" for 5 baht. It had all the winning numbers (there are more than just the 2, 3 and 6 digit numbers that can win prizes).

These days you can just check online or download the number sheet yourself (https://www.glo.or.th/mission/reward-payment/check-reward)

NEVER had a problem collecting the money.

But whoever wrote that article mustn't really know much about the lottery. 

The LISTED price for the tickets is 80 baht - which gives the seller what, 10 baht (per ticket sold) as a commission ?

But just try and find a vendor that will sell you a ticket for 80 baht. Most charge 100. In some "popular" areas, it's 120. Or more.
Technically it's illegal for them to charge more than the printed price (80 baht) per ticket, regardless if you are buying single tickets or packages of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 tickets.

About what, 5 years ago now, there was a "crack down" that lasted about 3 days where vendors were forced to sell tickets at the printed (80 baht) price. But like everything, within a couple days they were right back to charging whatever they think they can get away with.

And the "two ticket" options are usually even more expensive. If a vendor is charging 100 baht for one ticket, they may charge 220 for 2 tickets - because YOU might win more money so THEY want more for selling you those tickets.

And it's the same for the 3, 5 and 10 ticket "packages" where you can end up paying the equivalent of 150 baht per ticket (or more) - NOT because those numbers are "luckier" - but because you MIGHT win more money so the thinking is - you should also pay more for the tickets.

And they charge more for all their tickets, not just the "lucky" ones - which are never "lucky" anyways.

There are THREE banks were you can collect smaller prizes (Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, Krung Thai Bank and Government Savings Bank). There are also "lottery shops" like the one on soi Nern Plerb Wan (left side if you cross the railway tracks heading towards Sukhumvit, just a few meters from that intersection).

You can cash in smaller prizes there (they charge a fee of course). That's where I collected my last winnings.



It is recommended that IF you win a large prize, immediately take photos of the tickets (maybe holding them against a computer screen showing the winning numbers) and sign the back of the tickets.
Some people have gone to their local police station to "register" the tickets (in case someone tries to steal them I guess). 

If I won the "big" prize, I'd probably talk to my lawyer first to makes sure all my ducks are in a row before I try collecting the prize.

And remember - This is THAILAND ! Where you do NOT want to be worth more dead than you are alive !

So get your money, get it safely into your bank. Transfer whatever amounts you want (don't leave it all in one account that your girlfriend and her boyfriend and her husband all have access to). Put some "mad money" into your regular account.

And THEN decide who you want to tell and how many bars you want to ring the bell in.

But keep in mind rule #2 - almost ever foreigner in the country - including your "trusted friends from your home country" - would MUCH rather see YOUR money in THEIR pockets.
Spending YOUR money is oh so much more fun than spending what little they have left over from their meager pensions and alimony payments.

Make sure they all know that you sent most of the money back home to (pay off debts, put it into the grandkids college fund, pay down a mortgage, pay for mom's retirement home costs, etc, etc).

Do NOT brag that you've got 6 or 12 or (oh lordy lordy) 30 mil in (your savings account that you've given your ATM card and PIN number to half the service staff of every bar you've ever been in because you were too lazy to go to the ATM yourself).

Sure, you'll be REAL popular - until they figure out how to get all that money into THEIR hands. One way or another.

You'll find you suddenly have a lot of new friends and just by coincidence, they all have sick relatives that need new kidneys or they need a temporary loan because the bank didn't process their huge transfer before the weekend or (insert a thousand sob stories here).

I often wonder how many people actually do win the big prizes. Once or twice a year I see a story of some farmer in Isaan or somewhere else winning 6 or 12 mil but that's it.

And if a foreigner ever won ! Wow - headline news !
Probably followed immediately by demands to change the laws to exclude foreigners from winning of course. (They won't mind you buying tickets but won't want to pay out on any that win.)

It would be very interesting to see the reaction if a foreigner won a 30 mil prize one day.
 

I still lol.
When the current PM took office I opined that she'd be lucky to last a year.

But the media was suggesting she'd serve her full (4 year) term.

A headline from a leading Thai media site - 27 Oct 2024:
Most Thais think govt will survive until term ends: poll

"Most Thai people are of the opinion that the government of Prime Minister Paetongtarn “Ung Ing” Shinawatra will be able to last until the end of its mandate in four years' time, but some believe it will collapse before the year’s end, according to a survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
 

The survey sought to sample public opinion on the prospect of the government’s survival until the end of its four-year term in 2027. The answers were as follows:
 

• 41.68% believed the government would survive political challenges ahead and be able to complete its term in 2027

• 19.08% thought it would last about two years (2026)

• 16.87% thought it would last about a year (2025)

• 11.99 believed it would last nearly until the end of its term

• 9.77% thought it would collapse before the New Year

• 0.61% had no answer or were not interested 

And the main reasons people thought the gov't might collapse sooner than later ?

34.43% failing to improve the country’s economy as promised and below the public's expectations

32.52% activists filing petitions against Thaksin Shinawatra and the Pheu Thai Party

29.47% crises due to Ms Paetongtarn’s mismanagement of national affairs  

28.85% activists filing petitions against the premier and the Pheu Thai Party

19.77% corruption as a result of imprudent administration

17.25 conflicts among coalition parties

16.64% nothing would prevent the government from completing its four-year term

10.92% political turmoil caused by protest rallies

9.62% proposed amendments to constitutional provisions governing the ethics of holders of political positions

9.08% scrutiny by the opposition parties

8.24% proposing an amnesty bill on sensitive issues

8.09% the Tak Bai massacre case

6.95% a coup d'etat

And now you've got the Thaksin medical/prison scandal.
The Thaksin "lese majeste" accusations and upcoming trial(s).
The border clash with Cambodia.
Prawit suggesting she should resign.
Hints that Anutin may table a Vote of Non-Confidence against the PM.
Another party suggesting the Constitutional Court should disband the Pheu Thai Party.
 

Or - as they say in Thailand - just another day like any other !
 

I've had a 2 year "temp" license, two five year renewals and am on my third 5 year license and I've ALWAYS had to do the tests.

Even "way back when" when I had a valid foreign license and IDP, when I went to get a Thai license I had to do the tests. I was told that the the "old" practise of giving people with (valid) foreign licenses a Thai one stopped after the coup in 2006 as the military had clamped down on things.

In any event, did the paperwork, passed the tests, got my license.

Went back two years later, did the paperwork, passed the tests, got my 5 year license.
Went back 5 years later - repeat. And again.

I wonder if this will effect the "online renewal" program they just started recently ?

There is a LOT of gambling that goes on in Thailand and most foreigners are clueless about it.

So many times I've gone somewhere with a Thai girl or with other friends and suddenly someone pulls out a PVC mat with numbered squares and some dice or cards and suddenly everyone is throwing money on different squares and hooting and hollering. 
It can go on for hours, depending on how lucky some are or how lucky the "house" is.

And games people start playing for 5 and 10 baht often jump to 20 and 100 baht very quickly and suddenly instead of losing 200 baht people have lost their wages for the whole month.

I usually walk away and find a quiet place to chill until they're finished. Some people can get a little "agitated" if their luck isn't with them, or they think someone else is a little "too lucky".

And we know the famous Thai smiles and friendliness is a very thin facade over a lot of bottled up rage.

Which probably has a lot to do with why gambling is illegal in the first place. And a hint of what could happen if that changes in the future.

About 2 months ago I had to go to the bank (Bangkok Bank) because I'd forgotten my card in an ATM and needed to cancel it in a hurry.

Get to the bank, get my number, only 1 number ahead of me !

Then I sat for 40 minutes as an "agent" opened accounts for 9 or 10 foreigners in a row.

Luckily she had most of the paperwork ready to go so it only took a few minutes for each one.

Had me scratching my head though because I thought they were cracking down on foreigners opening accounts.

And a Multi Re-entry permit costs 3,800 at Immigration.

My understanding was you could only get a single re-entry permit at the airport or a border crossing and that costs 1,000 each time.

And it's quite common for people to brag on this and other forums about how they scam Immigration.

And then one day Immigration changes the rules to get rid of that very loophole and everyone whines.

Because they assume Immigration is too stupid to ever have any English speaking staff check those very same forums for that very reason.

And that is how we went from needing 800k in the bank on the day you applied to having to have it in the bank for 3 months, then needing it in there for 2 months before and 3 months after.

And now having to keep 400k in the bank all year and 800k for 5 months.

Because people kept bragging about how they were scamming Immigration to get around the rules.

So Immigration keeps changing those rules to try and stop those scammers.

1 hour ago, smedly said:

surprised he didn't arrive in a wheelchair lol

With a neck brace on.

I'm almost surprised the Medical Council of Thailand upheld its decision to suspend or discipline several doctors after the Health Minister opposed it. A previous article said that they'd need a (large) majority of the members of that Council to vote against the Minister in order to over-rule him and maintain their decision.

Got to think they know enough about what really went on to know the truth will come out eventually no matter what they do. 

But the courts have to say "enough is enough" and start the trial NOW instead of continuously putting it off. Show the people that you are serious instead of making it look like you are giving the criminals more time to "influence" their way out of it.

It will be very interesting to see what happens if it looks like things are going against Thaksin. He's tried to leave the country a couple times since he was "freed" and been denied each time.

Got to think if it looks like he might end up going back to prison (lol) he will somehow wake up back in Dubai all of a sudden. Wouldn't bode well for his sister's return either.
 

Just now, DrJack54 said:

Don't follow your advice for using money in bank method. 

Immigration at very least will want photocopies of all pages of bank book to two months prior to last extension. 

Some offices will even require a 12 month bank statement. 

This especially if you use a dedicated bank account and possibly have a month with zero activity. 

The bank letter and bank statement are valid for 7 days. 

 

Note some offices may want a TM30 even if you have a lease. 

 

For income method make sure the transfers are shown to be international. 

Credit Advice may be required. 

 

As I said - every Immigration Office has it's own requirements that may not be the same as any other office.

At Jomtien, I have never had to show more than the bank book balance from the time of the previous Extension application, nor been asked to provide a 12 month statement, for using the 800k in an account method. All they want to see is that my balance didn't drop below the 800k/400k minimums during the previous year.

And that is a Fixed Term account that generally has 2 transactions per year. One when my annual interest payment is deposited and one when I update the balance.

It used to be - in some places - in the "old days" - that they wanted the money to be in a Savings Account and they wanted to see transactions on the account to prove you were actually using that money to fund your stay in Thailand.

But at Jomtien they have no problem with people keeping that money in a much safer Fixed Term account that has almost no transactions on it at all. Makes their job much easier in fact as they don't have to wade through pages and pages and pages of photocopies to see if your balance ever dropped below the minimum 800k - in the first 3 months since your last Extension - or below 400k over the next 7 months, or below 800k again for the last 2 months before your current application.

And yes, some offices may want additional information which is why I said it is important for the person doing the Extension application to find out for themselves what the office they are dealing with wants.

I've only had to submit a TM.30 once and that was when they (Jomtien) changed the way they were doing 90 Day reports. They demanded people "verify their address" first (I'm guessing to give work to the new "Address Notification" desk they'd set up next to the "90 Day Report" desk in the new annex they built a couple years ago).

Once they verified your address, they stapled a "Receipt of Notification" in your passport, which you then need to photocopy and add to the stack of paperwork they now expect people to do every time they do a 90 day report. 
But that "Receipt" isn't good enough (at Jomtien at least) to prove your residence when you are doing an Extension. Which is a head scratcher in itself.

And who knows. Maybe when I go to do my Application next year, there will be different requirements - for things that other offices don't expect. 
But I always go in 2 weeks early just so I'm prepared in case there are changes.

You can (in some/most places) submit your annual Extension Application up to a month in advance of your due date.
Regardless of when you submit it, they won't change your due date though. 

For example. Say your "due date" is 30 June 2025. You decide to go into Immigration on 17 June and your get your passport back on 18 June. Your new "due date" will be 30 June 2026.
You don't gain, or lose, any days by waiting longer or going earlier.

Going earlier gives you the ability to change your schedule (in the event of holidays or bad weather or riots or border closures) and react to any changes.

But we know what happens if you go a day late, don't we ? 

MOST Immigration offices have similar requirements. Some have more, some will let you slide with less - sometimes.

You should always plan ahead, give yourself extra time (i.e. don't wait until the afternoon of the last day before your Extension expires), do your paperwork BEFORE you go and THINK about when you are going (as in, try not to go on a Monday, or a Friday, especially if it's a holiday weekend). Check the weather as well. I find if it looks like rain, or is raining lightly, a lot of people will stay home, meaning shorter lines at the Immigration office.

I have a file folder I keep my Extension paperwork in and have a list of the paperwork needed as well as extra passport photos and photocopies.

Generally, you always need:
Your passport.
TM.7 Extension of Temporary Stay form. https://www.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/4.คำขออนุญาตเพื่ออยู่ในราชอาณาจักรเป็นการชั่วคราวต่อไป-ตม.7.pdf
(Bookmark that or download the form and save it to your computer.)

Photocopies of:

• the Facepage of your passport,
• if you've transferred stamps from an old passport to a new one - a photocopy of that page,
• the page showing the last Entry (into Thailand) stamp,
• the page showing your last Extension of Stay stamp.
• photocopy of (both sides) of your last TM.6 (Arrival Card) - if you have one. (Not sure what they'll want now that the TM.6 is done online. But if you have a TM.6 from your last entry to Thailand then you'd better photocopy it and include that with the rest of your paperwork.)

Photocopy of (both sides) of your THAI driver's license if you have one.
Or a copy of your lease/rental agreement.
POSSIBLY a copy of the (blue) House book and owner's ID card (not required at every place).

(Previously I used photocopies of recent utility bills that showed my name and address. Once I got a Thai driver's license, they accepted a photocopy of that instead.)

Bank Letter.
If you are using the "800k in an account" method then you will need a photocopy of the first page of your bankbook (that shows your name and account number) as well as a photocopy of the UPDATED page showing the current balance.
In some places that has to have been updated within the last 3 days.
Some places may expect it to be updated on the day you make your application. (Yes, you can go to a bank branch that has a passbook update machine before you go to Immigration even if the bank itself isn't open yet, assuming you got the bank letter beforehand.)

(Note: if your updated balance is on a fresh page, photocopy the page before that as well. They want to confirm your balance didn't go below the minimum over the last year. Take your bank book with you just in case.)

IF you are using the "monthly transfer of 65k" then you will need the Bank Letter and photocopies of the bank book page(s) for the last year to show every transfer for the last year. EVERY transfer. (Don't bother trying to argue the point with Immigration. Either you can show 12 months of transfers above the minimum or you can't.)

(And don't bother trying to argue on here that you are a special snowflake that shouldn't have to show 12 transfers because of that time Jupiter aligned with Mars and that caused a change in the exchange rates one month and your transfer was less than the minimum required. No one cares.)

Additionally you will need a passport sized recent photograph and the 1,900 baht fee of course.

In Jomtien for example, they expect EVERY photocopy to be signed - but you can sign them ahead of time.

And on the TM.7 form they want your phone number written below your signature (on both sides of the form).

And in Jomtien they have 2 additional forms they expect you to sign. 
One is an Acknowledgement of the Terms and Conditions of the Extension of Temporary Stay and notes why it could be cancelled.
The other is an Acknowledgement of the penalties for overstaying your Temporary Stay.

I don't know if that is a requirement everywhere though as those aren't "official" forms.

That is why it pays to go a few days/week early, in case the office you deal with has different requirements.

And once you know what the office you deal with wants - make a list. It's NOT that hard to do. 

Sheesh, aside from the bank letter, TM.7 and updated bank book, I've got pretty much all my paperwork for next year already done. (That was more to get it done while the cartridges in the printer were still fresh though.)

And if you end up with a photocopy of something they don't want it's not a big deal. They'll either ignore it or hand it back to you.

It takes me 15-20 minutes a year to get all my paperwork printed/signed, another 15-20 minutes at the bank (sometimes) and I'm ready to go.

I show up at Immigration early, often being #1 or 2 for the Extension Desk.

And in most cases, I'm done and out the door in 4-5 minutes. 

Like I said, it's not that hard - if you think about it and prepare ahead of time.

But hey, what do I know right ? I've just done my 13th straight Extension of Stay with no problems. 

Pro-tip - SHOWER and put on CLEAN clothes before you go. Be POLITE. Do NOT try to argue with the Immigration Officer(s).

I've seen - and stood in front of - people that REEKED of body odour and looked like they'd woken up on a bar floor, grabbed their passport and went to Immigration. And people who get to the desk, hand the IO their passport and then expect the IO to fill out the paperwork and make the photocopies for them. Or they didn't update their bank book and try to con the IO into just letting it pass "this time".

That's one of the reasons I like to show up early. Less chance of having to put up with people like that - and less chance the IO's will already be in a bad mood from already having to deal with people like that. 

But again - each Immigration office can have slightly different requirements and it's up to YOU to find out what the office YOU are dealing with expects.






 

I imagine the locals themselves will not be overly impressed with the invasion of their privacy.

And how many (months/weeks/days or just hours) before someone notices the drones are paying far too much attention to bikini-clad ladies on the beach than they are to "looking for overstaying foreigners".
(Won't even bother with the need for hi-def, real-time digital imaging and bio-metric scanning linked to a database of known overstayers, with roving police patrols ready to swoop in to catch the offenders before they wander off the beach.)

Seriously. Are they really thinking they're going to catch thousands of "over-stayers" hanging around at the beach ?!??!?

Someone might want to take a very close look at the contract for those drones and who is pushing them for acceptance.

(I would suspect that they'd use them for a couple weeks, catch no one, have to bury a couple of "naughty" clips, have a bunch of drones crash and injure people, or get smashed out of the air by irate tourists and locals and the rest get shelved because no one knows how to maintain them. And then the story will just quietly fade away. Like the GT200 fake bomb scanners.)

2 June, the day after the crack down started, I took 2 different moto taxis. Neither one had a spare helmet for a passenger at all.

I was carrying a spare skid lid as I was going to the shop to get my bike and I wore it because I KNEW if the cops stopped the moto-taxi guy, I'd be the one getting the fine even though HE didn't have a spare helmet at all.

(Turns out the bike wasn't ready so I took a different moto-taxi home and same thing - he  didn't have a spare helmet for a passenger at all.)

Once a few of them get fined and word gets around, they'll all be carrying a spare helmet - or they won't doing any business at all.

"Expats" aren't "confused".

The ENTIRE article centered around ONE "expat" who had a "playful argument" with his wife about scooters with side-cars/carts.

Which shouldn't be an argument anyways. If you are supposed to have a motorcycle license to drive it, then you are supposed to wear a helmet while driving it - or riding on it.
Someone in the side-car/cart is NO different than a passenger on the actual scooter.

That area is right at the junction of the borders of Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

Kind of a "poor man's Golden Triangle".

And there doesn't really appear to be anything there at all, unlike at Ta Muen where there are large Khmer temple complexes and at Phra Vihear (or "Khao Phra Viharn" in Thai), which has been the site of a couple clashes between the Thais and Cambodians - thanks to a mapping error by the French when they surveyed the border between Thailand and their colonies in SE Asia (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) back in the early 1900s.

When you visit some of those sites you'll find both sides have military detachments stationed in the area and in some cases they've "dug in" (trenches, bunkers, machine-gun emplacements). 

I visited Ta Muen and Phra Viharn a couple years ago. At each spot as I wandered around a soldier was assigned to follow me "just in case".

At Ta Muen, there's a small open area at the south side of the main temple and a dirt track leads through the trees into Cambodia where they have a military detachment barely 50 meters away.
(That's why the Thais had a soldier follow me around, in case I tried to go down that track - or in case someone on the Cambodian side took a pot shot at me I guess.)

At Phra Viharn, I was charged 400 baht to enter (40 for Thais of course) and told I could visit the temple. Yeah right. There was a triple coil concertina (razor wire) barricade that ran across the edge of the open area a hundred meters from the base of the steps leading up to the temple.

And as I walked past the military camp, again a soldier was tasked to follow me around to make sure I didn't do anything stupid - or in case some numpty on the other side did.

That was a long ride just to take a photo of some steps going up a hill a hundred meters away.

(But the Buddha carvings in the side of a cliff a few hundred meters away were kind of nice. Gives you a nice view of the flat plains of Cambodia and you can understand how they marked the border. It pretty much follows the edge of the "high ground", with the land at the top being "Thai" and the flat lands at the base being "Cambodia".

Except when they got to Phra Viharn for some reason they drew the border across the small "dip" between the high ground and the hill the temple sits on. 
By rights, the border should have gone round that hill and it should have been Thai territory.

But whether the French surveyor was lazy and just drew the border straight across at that point or if he deliberately cut that hill off for some reason, we'll never know.

And the problem is - Thailand never argued that point until decades later and because of that, the International Court sided with Cambodia. (At least twice now.)

That seems to have emboldened the Cambodians into trying to claim more of the ancient Khmer temples that were built along the high ground.

And even if both sides agreed to have a neutral "3rd party" group of professional cartographers and surveyors remap the border properly, neither side would accept the results unless they favoured their side anyways so it would be pointless.
But would give one side or the other the legal claim on any ancient sites on their side of the revised border.

(Note there are some in Cambodia who seem to think that a large portion of Sa Kaeo province should be considered a part of Cambodia as well, stemming back to when there were large refugee camps full of Cambodians living there after fleeing the Khmer Rouge civil war.)

And of course, much of that area was Khmer, then Cambodian (French Indo-China), then Thai, then back to Cambodia. Chanthaburi and Trat were occupied by France up to 1907 when the Franco-Siamese treaty saw Thailand give up 3 provinces in Cambodia (including (Battambang, Siem Reap and Serei Saophoan) in exchange for France returning Chanthaburi and Trat to Siam.
Thailand briefly regained control over some of that territory in the early stages of WW2 when Thai forces easily defeated the Cambodian/French troops (less the major defeat of the Thai navy at the battle of Ko Chang). The Japanese mediated a settlement where Thailand regained only about 40% of the territory it had lost to France in the late 1800s/early 1900s.

But as a part of the post-war agreements, Thailand was forced to return those territories back to Laos and Cambodia in exchange for not being considered a belligerent in the war and ally of Japan. Britain apparently disagreed with the decision and France blocked Thailand from joining the newly formed United Nations until those territories were returned.

And here we are over 75 years later and they are still ready to go to war over it. At least some of them are. On both sides.
 

The Prachin Buri Museum posted this on their Facebook page yesterday:

Quote

"อัตราค่าเข้าชม พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ ปราจีนบุรี
คนไทย ๓๐ บาท
Foreigner 200 Baht.

(Admission fee Prachinburi National Museum
Thai 30 baht
Foreigner 200 baht.)
--------------------------------------------

Important Announcement for Our International Visitors

We would like to inform you that, following a Cabinet resolution, a new regulation concerning admission fees for registered historical sites and national museums in Thailand has been officially announced in the Royal Thai Government Gazette.

Effective from May 28, 2025, the updated admission fees will apply to 72 historical sites and national museums across the country.

The new admission fee for foreign visitors to Prachin Buri National Museum is 200 Baht.

Here is the Royal Gazette announcement (in .pdf - and Thai language):

https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/71714.pdf

So much for the discussions about getting rid of the dual pricing scam.