salween

You know,

I wish you guys would give it a rest. OPening a new International airport is not an easy thing. The Thai government is trying to do a good job of it. Just give them a chance and stop your constant complaining.

Well, one could argue that we should really be saying let’s not give “Thaksin” too hard a time. He set the opening date, as many speculate, to occur in advance of election and to meet his statements of a year ago that it would open within a year of him landing there last September.

Yes, many civil engineering success in Thailand, and the new airport will add to that list. The issue is more the timing, and is the airport reasonably ready for the transmission now. It’s not just a few TV folks who have expressed concern, but airline officials, the International Air Transport Association, etc. that things might be moving a bit too quickly. Evan the people on the safety side for the Department of Civil Aviation said they were taken aback when the starting date was announced, and had to rush their internal certification process.

So, I think it’s a legitimate question to ask. It’s not about giving Thais a hard time. It’s not as if people don’t think they can do it, but are some Thai people pushing things a little too quickly for political reasons, thus creating more problems than there otherwise might be. Let’s hope not.

I certainly wish all the employees and passengers working and flying those first few days the best of luck for smooth operations at Suvarnabhumi.

Happy Flying

One year ago in Penang all I needed was:

1) Marriage certificate (mine was translated and certified by MoFA as we were married in the US)

2) My Passport

3) Passport Photo

4) Copy of wife’s ID card

But who knows what's required now?

kvec posted on another thread that he's been in touch with the NJ Books agent in Penang, maybe he can tell you what NJ Books told him?

Best of luck.

Because there is no such a law yet, before it turns into a fact, it is only a rumour.

Laws and Ministerial Regulations are published in the Government Gazette. From that moment, they are official.

The new policy regarding visa-exempt entries reported by newspapers based on an interview or press conference with the commissioner of the Immigration Police Bureau is neither a law nor a Ministerial Regulation and therefore will not be published in the Government Gazette. It is only an internal guideline, instruction or directive within the Immigration Department.

The only “official” thing we can expect to see are more newspaper reports following more interviews or press conferences with Immigration officials, and probably a notice put up at immigration checkpoints.

From the Phuket Gazette:

Pol Col Bunphot Kongkrachan, Acting Superintendent of Phuket Immigration Office,...said that all Immigration chiefs nationwide have been ordered to attend a meeting at Immigration headquarters on September 15, during which the new stricter regulations will be explained in detail.

“I will make a more detailed statement about the new situation within a week of returning from the meeting,” he said.

Therefore, we can expect to read more about it in the papers starting 16 September. Until then, it is a free-for-all for wild speculations. Enjoy the entertainment!

---------------

Maestro

To that end was looking to read that original Bangkok Post piece but the link seems to be dead now. Has the Post taken it off-line? Is the full text posted somewhere?

Thanks

Thats the frustrating thing it's been certified by both British Embassy and MoFA, they both missed the fact that when it was translated they put a couple of years on our age it's perfect except for that one slip up. My wife got it done last year when we moved back for her I.D. spotted the mistake and they changed it but as you 'd expect from a woman she never kept an extra copy.

Well, if it's already passed certification, maybe you will be ok. Certainly see the risk, but possibly they will just take a glance at it and move on with the rest of the paperwork they need to do to process the visa. All the information they need may be taken from your passport and wife's id anyway and they may not need to really scrutinize the document. But I would probably try to get it sorted in advance. However, using the system I used, the same problem could have occured. We never looked at the translation prior to them making the rounds at MoFA. We just dropped off the original for translation then picked up the certified copy the next day. All turned out fine, but had there been a mistake, the same thing could have happened--and trust probably has as your case illustrates.

Best of luck.

Just a quick one do you know if these places are open sundays

....

Sorry, no idea about Sunday. Don’t even know if they are open on Saturdays? I do remember that most seemed to closed by 6:00. If you want to make a run to Penang on Wednesday, I would not cut it so close anyway. You never know what could go wrong, or if for some reason they can’t do it as quickly now. I’d hop on BTS tomorrow morning, pick a service and get it sorted right away. Also, as many threads have noted, seems like the multi-entry option is drying up in Penang, especially for first timers. You may have better luck in KL. If it were me, and I needed more than the 90 days, I give KL a try.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the input I live in Nang Rong 5 hours from Bangkok so no BTS. I e-mailed NJ Books to see if I could still get a multi entry and they said yes. One more question may sound stupid but would I need to produce both UK and Thai marraige certificates, thing is I've got the Thai version already only thing is they added two years onto our age, wish it was on disk so I could change it.

Thanks for the help much appreciated.

I don't know if the translation is acceptable unless it's been certified. If the dates are wrong, trust that it won’t get certified—but maybe they don’t look that close? Others here certainly know far more than I about the nuances of this stuff. I’ve read a few times that just the original English can be ok in some instances, but not sure if that applies to getting the visa unless you can also show you’ve registered the marriage at the district office. We bypassed the district office and just did the MoFA certification/registration and all’s been fine.

Trust many will be glad to hear Penang is still a go for the multi-entry. Hope it’s still that way when you get there!

Sorry I can’t be of any more help.

Best of luck.

Just a quick one do you know if these places are open sundays

....

Sorry, no idea about Sunday. Don’t even know if they are open on Saturdays? I do remember that most seemed to closed by 6:00. If you want to make a run to Penang on Wednesday, I would not cut it so close anyway. You never know what could go wrong, or if for some reason they can’t do it as quickly now. I’d hop on BTS tomorrow morning, pick a service and get it sorted right away. Also, as many threads have noted, seems like the multi-entry option is drying up in Penang, especially for first timers. You may have better luck in KL. If it were me, and I needed more than the 90 days, I give KL a try.

Best of luck.

Did this myself last year for my O visa. Used one of the services on Wireless Rd. I think the total fee for translation and them taking care of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs certification was about Bt 1500. Only took one day. Everything then went fine in Penang getting the visa.

Best of luck!

Thank you both. Yes, switched to IE and pulled-up the the Immigration Dept. list fine, a bit different from the Sunbelt Asia list, nothing about photos. Good idea about the propety docs, they are in her name.

All the best, Salween

***************From Thai Immigration*********

1. Immigration Form 7

2. Copy of passport

3. A 4 cm. X 6 cm. Photograph

4. A 1,900 baht application fee

5. Marriage Certificate

6. Birth Certificate (if any)

7. Financial evidence showing financial status of the husband

1. Bank account pass-book, personal bank statement of the account owner.

2. Evidence indicating income along with related documents. If receiving pension, a document of pension payment certified by the embassy or consulate of the country that pays pension is needed.

3. In case of working in Thailand, Work permit and evidence of tax payment are required.

8. Documents indicating Thai nationality or permanent residence of the wife such as identification card (ID), census registration address / residence identification, or passport (in case that the wife is a permanent resident)

9. A record of interviewing the applicant and his wife.

10. Applicant must accompany his wife to the Immigration Bureau office to certify of all the documents. The couple will be able to confirm that they are still husband and wife.

11. Evidence certified by the applicant's embassy or consulate showing the applicant's marital status.

12. The officials reserve the rights to examine or ask for additional documents from the applicant if necessary.

Trying to sort out the documentation details for the one-year O extension based on marriage. A week ago Sunbelt Asia posted a list (below) with the heading "List of Documents for Marriage Visa (Thai Wife)". I trust this was probably the list for the extension. Tried the Immigration website to verify, but the link for "supporting wife" extension under the "required documents" link did not work--actually none of links there seemed to work. Just want to confirm that this is the correct list, and get a few other clarifications

1) Is any time during the last 30 days of the existing O visa ok for filing the extension--including the last day of the visa--not that I would want cut it that close?

2) What specifically is item 8 "Family certificate of I.D. Card and Household of Thai Wife." I've not seen that specific document referenced on TV before, is that just another term for House Registration.

3) Must the wife's house registration be the same as the house in which we are currently living. Currently it is not?

4) The "Clarification of Marital Status before Marriage" documents are to be obtained by me from my embassy, and for her at the district office? We already have our marriage certificate translated and certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, do we still need this "Clarification before Marriage"?

Thanks.

********From Sunbelt Asia*************

List of Documents for Extension of stay Based on support of a Thai national

1. Copy of Household Registration of Thai Wife.

2. Copy of Identification Card of Thai Wife.

3. Copy of Marriage Certificate

Remark : Please Bring all Originals and copies

List of Documents for Marriage Visa (Thai Wife)

1. Application form TM 7 with 2x2 inch square photo’s attached.

2. Application fee Baht 1,900.

3. A valid passport.

4. Copy of Marriage Certificate.

5. Clarification of Marital Status before Marriage.

6. Letter from Thai Bank stating that your account has no less than Baht 400,000 balance or letter of guarantee of pension income from your Embassy. Making an annual sum of no less than Baht 400,000 Baht.

7. An up-to-date Bank book.

Letter from the bank stating when the funds arrived and a letter from the bank stating the current bank balance. Both letters must no be more than 72 hours old when applying for the extension.

8. Family certificate of I.D. Card and Household of Thai Wife.

9. Copy of birth certificates of children. (if any)

10. Photo of place of residence. ( must show house’s number)

11. Map of place of residence and telephone.

12. If under the age of 50 and working, a letter of guarantee from your employer.

13. Pictures of your wives clothes and your clothes in the same closet, picture of you and your wife on a living room sofa and a picture of the outside of the house with the house number in the picture. (Not required if you have children together and have the birth certificate)

Some may find they don't need #13 and other times they will find they need the pictures.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

Andrew,

Well, got the custom dialog box up and running in a revised script. Sorts, finds, etc. all functioning fine. Looks terrible, but works! I too saw some oblique references to editing dialog box parameters associated with the Developer version, but don't have that. My Apple Scripting is limited as well, but plan to see what I can do about this approach to a workaround as I trust it may not be too difficult. I will let you know if I have any luck. Coud you please alert me if you hear anything about 8.5?

Thanks again, Salween

Andrew,

Thanks much; will give the custom dialog option a try.

I'd about given up, especially as I just heard back from another forum yesterday that Filemaker has stated that Thai text is plainly not supported. Of course one unfortunate part is that the custom dialogue only allows a fixed sized font and input screen, or at least it used to if I remember correctly. I was hoping to get the Thai font nice and big so it was easy to see. Maybe an Apple Script could accopmplish the same thing? But this is far better than nothing. Have you tried 8.5?

All the best, SALWEEN

With no response here yet, I've made a similar post on the Internet/Computer Forum.

Has anyone had luck with Filemaker Pro 8 on a Mac with Thai script? I did search various forums, and was not successful in finding any reference to this. I've also posted this question to the Thai Language Fourm, but no luck there yet either.

When entering data from the keyboard Filemaker does not seem to accept subscript or superscript characters. Basic consonants are fine, but add something to them and “beep”. Interestingly, in naming files or defining fields, etc. there are no problems; the program accepts all characters from the keyboard. Only when actually entering data into a field, the most important action, it fails? Pasting data into fields works, as does importing data from another file, but not entering direclty from the (entire) keyboard itslef.

I’ve only found one place in the various preference settings which references (unicode) language settings, and that is for indexing and sorting. But this should have no effect on data entry? I’ve since learned, however, that Filemaker can only index a subset of unicode languages and Thai’s not yet one of them. It will still sort, just not how we’d see things in a dictionary. But this, Filemaker states, is not supposed to impinge on the program’s ability to work with any unicode language that is supported by the operating system. Any experience out there?

Thanks.

Was not sure if I should post this here or on the computer board, but figured would try here first.

Has anyone had luck with Filemaker 8 on a Mac with Thai script? I did search various forums, and was not successful in finding any reference to this.

When entering data Filemaker does not seem to accept subscript or superscript characters. Basic consonants are fine, but add something to them and “beep”. Interestingly, in naming files or defining fields, etc. there are no problems; the program accepts all characters. Only when actually entering data, the most important action, it fails?

I’ve only found one place in the various preference settings which references (unicode) language settings, and that is for indexing and sorting. But this should have no effect on data entry? I’ve since learned, however, that Filemaker can only index a subset of unicode languages and Thai’s not yet one of them. It will still sort, just not how we’d see things in a dictionary. But this, Filemaker states, is not supposed to impinge on the program’s ability to work with any unicode language that supported by an operating system. Any experience out there?

Thanks.

lompburi3, tayto: thanks much for the O info; looks like I may be heading that way for what I turst will be my last such stamp, then a little R&R along the Mekong. Will find an ATM along the way.

Is there a different cash display amount for one on a multi-entry OA?

I’ve sure have wanted to believe this, but the amount of situational definitions of democracy, role of the monarchy, etc. I’ve seen many people adopt to fit their view of what’s going on has diminished my hopes for much change—not to mention Sondhi’s motives? However, the soul searching part I whole heartedly agree with, and may too often discount when watching the details unfold. A lot’s being learned for sure, and in the end will help down the road. That part I do enjoy very much—gooder and gooder!

Well, addressing this could be one positive aspect to Singapore taking over the phone system.

It just keeps getting gooder and gooder!

"betterer and betterer"?

Well, on the other hand we have, "worser and worser".

I think the most pertinent part of the story was:

“The actors seem intent on pushing ahead even if they don’t know if they’ll win, but the biggest risk is to the country itself. And after it’s all over, we won’t be any better off than we are now.”

Regardless of what happens with the parties, the election commission, etc., will the chairs on the deck be any different--cept for some new shades of greed?

It’s what happens in the fields and and factories around them that will signal real change. And while Sondhi is trying to push the “Peoples” moniker, there's not much there there. So I wonder who’s going to be on the street to be bloodied? Did not Sondhi cancel his rally, not because of the king, but what the appearance of a small crowd my do to his power. That book demotion stunt has been available to him for awhile, but now he decided to pull the trigger. Has it gained him much? Certainly the social atmosphere by the continued prevalence of yellow shirts should help, but how committed is his “base” really?

The plot improves for sure, but the end result...

It is often said that by Darwin's theory our local friends will soon be the cleaverest people on earth. The idiots are killing themselves at such a rate on the roads, by natural selection they will rule the world in a few short generations.

Yes, the road toll in Thailand is very frightening and out of control but I find your outdated racist social-Darwinism a much greater threat to mutual understanding.

Wow, while I too found the post a wee bit off-putting, I saw the tongue-in-cheek aspect. Generally referring to local drivers as dangerous does not a racist make. Indeed, there are many excellent local drivers too, but on the whole traffic safety is not a high priority here. Some aspect of Darwin's theory can certainly be applied--combine car with bad driver and some selection does occur?

Certainly agree with SPR&Q, It would be a long process if Thailand really did launch a true traffic safety campaign. But whether it’s Thailand or anywhere else in the world these days, does not seem like long-term planning is of much interest. We knew supply limitations on oil would be a problem a long time ago, not to mention the environmental considerations, has much really been done—is much more really being contemplated? But maybe higher oil prices will mean fewer cars and less accidents?

As for AirAsia services, they are better in the morning starting fresh, have you notice them how they works in the late evening?

Oh, forgot! Yes, as can be the case with LCA's in many places I trust. Things often start fine, but by the time the plane reaches its fourth or fifth destination for the day, the delays seem to have mounted. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever had an evening flight with them (3 so far) that was not at least an hour late. But I tend to expect this. And it's not just Air Asia, I've also had many domestic late night delays from Thai. They do get there, eventually.

Hello Salween,

Do allow awareness of blind peoples & disable on wheel chairs selling lottery tickets. They did this to support themselves & their families if any, instead of begging on the streets. Have you try to workout their cost of lottery tickets displayed on their trays? They are given special allocation of tickets every fortnightly & mind you, they are better off then most average working Thais.

As for AirAsia services, they are better in the morning starting fresh, have you notice them how they works in the late evening?

Not to worry. I'm fully aware, which is why I made the point. Indeed you may be correct for some of them, and better than nothing for sure, but that’s just a small part. It's not just about better off than…, but attitudes, dignity and equality. There is very little consideration given to the disabled here as being a functioning part of society. Sure if you’re blind maybe you can be a masseuse, or a bicycle mechanic--oh yes, and the lottery—but you sure can’t walk the streets by yourself, and you can't expect to become an engineer. You're not treated as having the ability to do much else---when someone does, it’s headline news here. This is because society does not expect much else, thus does not offer much else. People here accept that things like lottery jobs are enough for them. The case of Aids patients is even worse. Sure a little money is better than none when you’re poor, but a little opportunity, respect for abilities and the ability to walk around on a basic foot path (or get on a plane?) would be much better than resigning oneself to pushing legalized gambling on the corner. Let's hope there's more awareness to come.

Yep, Bt10 per day does not sound good. Also, the 1.64 million people sounds high—8,000 people per day. I don’t think it’s getting that? Sounds like TAT inflated numbers to me. The thing will become just another reminder of the beloved Thaksin who helped to make it happen. Maybe if they put him in a cage they could get more visitors.

[b.

.

I've seen advertising for this inaugural flight. Who would want to be in this once in a lifetime experience?

It seems they’ve got quite a few takers, with some 30 flights nearly full already. Most Thais don’t have the same attitude about safety, and fewer still anything about international certification. This is a major national event, so here they come. But what I’ve heard, is the place is still a mess, the marble floors have cracked and in need of repair—oh, and the seats at the gates are those nice metal type you find in bus stations. Don’t think Singapore has anything to worry about?

One the one hand I find this kind of surprising, as I’ve flown Air Asia a few times and have seen the crew and ground staff attentive to the elderly. On the other, can’t say much for disability awareness in country where many blind people just hope they might get a job selling lottery tickets.