Trujillo

I think the problems that are being encountered at immigration can for the most part be blamed on the people who have abused the changes /options that have been implemented by the CM office over the past 2 or 3 years, which proved successful and popular.

Oh, boy, here we go again...it's our fault things are not good at CM immigration....

What makes you people automatically think it's a scam? I know Taiwan better than most and have met many people who have worked or are still working there. With overtime in a factory you can make over 40,000 baht a month. I know one woman who has been going back year after year when her contract is up. They live in dorms and are not free to just go anywhere they please, but they are happy with the conditions and, as I have said, often go back for more.

Beats working for bosses in Thailand that make them work 14 hours a day with no time off for 9,000 baht a month.

Don't be such internet sheep -- "OH! I read an online article about all this horrible Taiwan stuff!" Sure, there are some bad apples, but they are the ones that get the press.

As of Sept. 2013, there were 62,271 Thai workers (13.20 percent of the total foreign workforce) in Taiwan. That's a lot of scamming, right?

Due the due diligence and find out what is really going on before tar and feathering the whole foreign labor market.

By the way, someone mentioned a survey before. These forum software platforms have a feature for users to open a poll as the header of a thread. This feature must be disabled for us folks. I for one would like to see it activated; I can think of a number of interesting polls.

Visa agents should be an OPTION for those who want to use them, not as a last resort to simply fulfill your obligation as an expat...

If G4T (what does that even stand for?) had to dodge and weave, one has to wink and nod as to why....

edit -- The online system seems good, but I tried it many times, at the stroke of the clock for various days and the slots were always full, always. It was such that I thought the system must have been broken. Of course some were lucky to get a slot (ebay practice?), but in the main, it's like trying to win the $100 gift certificate from the truck detailers on KSTAR radio by being the 12th caller.

Since you have to renew at the point where you first got your visa, it should be feasible to organize a date or narrow time frame for people to renew at the time they get their visa. I mean how many people need to renew their retirement visa on, say, December 1st?

"Your renewal is up on Dec. 1st 2016, so you need to make an appointment now. Let's see, we have many slots open from Nov. 23 to the 30th. Which day would you like?" Of course you will have cancelations and those who wish to move the time, but in fact, we are talking about retired people. What? You have a bridge game that day? Come on. Immigration could make that work, I know I could.

After several years of using colloidal silver for myself and my whole family (including my 4 year old daughter) I have become a true believer. I think she is the only child in kindergarten that has not been sick for the last 2 years.

No way to be sure that she and your family would have been exactly as healthy without it.

Perhaps look up "Placebo effect."

Personally, I believe in Eugenics, which has its roots in ancient Greece, so it must be true.

Thank Christ I moved to Niman so I don't have to drive every day.

So Niman area takes care of all your needs in Chiang Mai?

I've lived here four years and have been there only about two or three times. No wonder my life is a total, unmitigated train wreck!

because of inquiries from numerous government offices that saw the letter.

Is this your opinion, hearsay, or do you have proof of this?

It would be interesting to know if any of their journos had made discreet enquiries.

Ha! That's rich. Sorry, but you put way too much stock in newspapers. It's not like the movies.

As a journalist in Asia for many years, and newspapers for most of that time, I can tell you that NO vetting goes on with letters to the editor. In fact, there is supposed to be a policy whereby you can sign your letter anything you want but you must also include your real name and contact number where you can be reached to verify that it is actually you writing the letter. NO ONE ever does this; there's just no time for that. And letters aren't important enough to spend valuable resources tracking down if the letter is a hoax or not.

Believe me, no copy editor has the time or interest to follow up on a letter (They are barely read anyway before going in). They are filler on the op-ed page, must like briefs are on the international section.

My guess is also that the head of immigration (all of immigration) in Bangkok does not read the English newspapers (although he might on occasion), and instead reads the Thai papers. Even if this one letter was brought to his attention (for some reason) I am sure he'd just grunt ("uhh...") and that would be the end of that.

I know everyone thinks this letter was some sort of toe in the door, but it's already forgotten if even noticed.

Incest!

A game the whole family can play!

At the Department of Land Transport (motor vehicle department) in Chiang Mai there is a sign, in Thai, posted at the service windows that says something to the effect that in order to give good service, you can still conduct your business even during lunchtime (which you can; I've done it).

Personally, I think even if the most senior foreign government officials contact CM immigration with the complaints people have voiced, immigration will simply say, "Sorry, we don't have the personnel or the budget to do anything differently." End of discussion (and, "Thanks for bringing up what we already know...").

To me G4T a good and worthwhile service all round, would use them again, and would like them to hang around.

So immigration wins; so does their fixer. Hurray for immigration!

Since the agency with an office next to immigration does not have to wait in line to attempt to get a number, it must mean that they are associated with immigration, and one can infer that there should be an exchange of money involved. Therefore, as I stated long ago, there is NO incentive for the folks at immigration to make it easy for people to complete their obligatory paperwork to live in Thailand. In fact, it behooves immigration NOT to make it reasonable for the foreigner to extend his visa by himself.

There is nothing corrupt about this arrangement; it's just business. This business model might embody questionable ethics, but it does not break any laws.

Like a broken record (remember records?), I will say again: Get the media involved. Forget having an alien try to film the scene, and even suggesting it is probably going to get some gullible foreigner deported. Instead, alert local media, English or Thai, TV or print. There is a story here and if someone could coach a reporter how to actually cover a story properly, it would be aired. Whether or not it would make an iota of difference is uncertain.

It's private property we MUST be on in order to get a number to be served. There is no reason we can't bring snacks and beverages to tide us over for the FOUR HOURS before the office opens. Believe you me, we DON'T want to be there at that time. But we have no choice.

I have the idea of camping out when I have to do my extension in January.

But remember, if we do this regularly, and the noodle carts start showing up every morning, immigration will see this as a success. "See? Although they have to come so early, they are properly taken care of until we open. A win-win for all!"

I have a latex topper on my bed .....

Latex? That's like, er...waterproof, right? Like if you got some kind of liquid on the bed, it would not soak in, right? Like if you spill your lemonade or something....

naboo, on 08 Nov 2015 - 14:45, said:

2 staff work on the 90 day counter.

Let's say they work 9-12 and 1-4 doing the 90 day reports, they have an hour for lunch, nobody should be forced to work before 9am, that is inhumane, and they maybe need 30mins to get everything finished off at end of day.

So 6hrs work each, 12hrs total, 720 minutes total, 240 reports a day. So why do they only hand out 180 tickets?

Thai immigration in CM is not solely set up for expat retirees.

Of course not, but why make it so difficult for the sector of foreigners who spend significant money here and are more aged?

Why not make the backpackers wait in line at 4:30am to do their tourist visa extension? They're young mostly and should take to that like a duck to water.

Lizard2010 -- I don't think immigration built the large building you speak of. It appears that they are renting, but most likely only part of the building -- as you say, it is enormous; big enough for everything and everyone that immigration could possibly service, including the Burmese workers.

Like you, when I first went in there, to get a housing report, I was amazed at the size of the place and how most of it was empty. I don't know what the rent is for Promenada (I'd guess they would pretty much let immigration stay in their little cubbyhole for next to nothing because of the customer draw it creates), but one has to wonder what the situation is with the big building.

Residency Certificates can be obtained by any nationality at the huge building across from Promenada, where all the Burmese folks are processed. It is processed and returned the following day (no exceptions).

That's the very reason why high-rise residential buildings / condominiums were invented: so that the <99% could live downtown.

So only one percent live in houses? Or from zero to 99 percent could live downtown?

Nicely done. The assume your way of living is better than others' way of living - class act that.

Thanks. I am a class act.

But you assume that you think that I think that my way of living is better than your way of living, which is true only if you prefer condo life to living in a house, which is what I was assuming.

Yes, some condos you can "cook" if by that you mean heat something with a hotplate. There are some condos with more than that, but none that I saw in Hillside (the units on the floors are from a cookie cutout of about 3 styles. I think there were a couple on the upper corners that had more space and some expanded cooking facilities). At Hillside (and I assume many other condos -- "Next" being one I have also toured) do not have room for (as I do in a house) a microwave and an oven and a bread machine and a decent coffee machine and a prep area and a cutting board area and a 2-ring stove and refrigerator and the sink and the drying rack and the 4 storage areas and cabinets and two windows looking out over the star fruit and mango trees and the giant lipstick palm amid the green Malaysia grass lawn.

But I understand, as I posted before, that some people don't want that sort of arrangement.

Spiders? Security? Well, you got me there. No spiders have ever been found above the first floor in a condo in CM, even the local ones. And no condo or apartment has ever been burgled (er...except mine, but that wasn't in CM -- it was in another Thai city -- so that doesn't really count). By the way, believe it or not, you can actually hire someone to clean your house too. Pay them extra and they might even polish your brass doorknobs.

Live as you like, it's a free country (haha....). If you want to live in a small box above the ground, great! And yes, I do think given the cost and the comparisons, living in a house here is the way to go, but maybe that's because I grew up and was raised in houses, with yards and trees and grass under my feet and room to spare. If you grew up in flats and apartments all your life you would most likely have a different perspective.

Haha....I have more Chinese experience than you'd imagine.

My point is, (and I brought up the gobbing masses because they are spreading like a tourist cancer), that modern tourists (in general, not all) are looking for higher standards, nicer places. Your average Chinese tourist might not even go to their local dive back in Nanyang and they surely don't want to spend all that money to come to Chiang Mai, Thailand and get the same hayseed setting they can get back home.

" Little dive bars full of over the hill chicks are alwyas going to be popular with a certain market."

Agreed, but it's not the current trend if you want to not only stay in business, but prosper.

"My issue with all of them is that the music in this city is uniformly awful."

Agreed, but it must appeal to a certain market....

As tourism evolves, people are more and more drawn to establishments that are clean, well-thought out and have more sophisticated and clever designs. Lighting, atmosphere and comfort all play a key role.

Given that beverages available are primarily the same anywhere you go, the establishment itself and the service and staff are crucial.

Perhaps the reason behind the decline in (hooker) bars, pubs and various spins on this theme is not so much any government regulations or spotty harassment by police, but the fact that these establishments on Loy Khroh are generally grotty and by most people's standards, sleazy. Of course, some are better than others, but also many (most?) are "microbars" with little space or interest in being anything other than a stopping point for alcohol and (rental) women.

Backpackers, Chinese tourists and the like walking down Loy Khroh at night look at the bars along the way and are either frightened (this looks like a clip-joint or something untoward goes on here), repulsed (God, what a dump!), or dissuaded from stopping (a couple of expats nursing beers with middle-aged bargirls, uh, not my scene).

Hillside Condos Number 7, 8 and 9 in the Chiang Mai Business Park can be had for about 7,000 baht for the smallest, cheapest unit. Expect to pay 8,500 to 9,000 baht for slightly better and slightly larger ones.

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I have lived in both condos and houses in Thailand and unless I was under the gun for some reason, I would never live in a condo again, ever. For 8,000 to 15,000 baht (max) you can rent a house with a yard and a carport, a nice working kitchen (the Hillside condos I mentioned do not have cooking other than a hotplate and a sink), space for a den or study and storage. There is room for gardening and you can have pets (and room for them to run around).

I understand that if you want no responsibility for upkeep of a yard, don't care about plants or flowers or growing your own herbs, don't like to cook and want to take all your meals outside (except what you can fashion from the fridge, such as sandwiches), do not want a pet (Hillside forbids pets), do not want extra space (including for example a washing machine and a place to hang-dry clothes), and do not like the feeling of openness (as opposed to the condo feel of being in a stalag, walking past rows of doors to other cells of others -- put your hand on the wall and know there is another person just feet away, perhaps listening to you too), then living in a house is not for you.

I'm waiting for when the general prime minister closes the country at midnight....

He should be charged with sexual assault/battery of whatever the local law permits.

Are you serious? What litiginous knee-jerk society are you from?

People who are saying what a moron and all....who cares? He grabbed his balls, did not expose anything, and flipped the guy/woman off? So?

Sexual assault? Battery?

Jesus! Lighten up. The guy got cut off and made his play. Hey, "No harm, no foul."