Briandajew

FYI, it's been said here by the experts that your visa extension based on marriage ENDS when the divorce is final.

Not sure about the timing here, but perhaps same day (?) wonder if you could then apply for a new extension based on relationship to your son. Probably wouldn't work.

But, you can, for baht 1,900, get a 7-day block after the divorce to see about other options. As a last resort, head up to Laos, get a new Non-O visa based on your son, and start over.

Mac

Thanks Mac, I didn't think about that, interesting.

Once divorced you can easily change the reason for your extension. You will need divorce decree giving you custody of your son.

Thanks!

Would the courts take into account that my son wants to stay with me or is it always normally in favour of the mother?

2.18 In the case of a family

member of a Thai(applicable only to parents, spouse, child, adopted child or child

of his/her spouse):

Permission will be

granted for a period of

not more than 1 year at a time.

(1) The alien has obtained a temporary visa (NON-IM)

(2) Proof of family relationship

(5) In the case of a parent, one of parents must have an average annual income of not less than 40,000 baht per month or a money deposit of not less than 400,000 baht for expenses within a year.

Thanks for that! I always thought it had to be down to marriage.

Do you know if the extension can be changed from marriage to supporting a child without too much hassle?

Any advice on this would be appreciated!

I am currently on a 12 month extension Non Imm O visa, 12 month renewals as I qualify for an extension as being married to a Thai.

However, things have deteriorated and I am expecting to go ahead with a divorce during my current stay.

I have a 12 year old son, who is Thai and I want to be able to support him and he wants to be with me, we intend to spend some time in China as I work there, but my home will be with him in Thailand.

Once the divorce comes through, does anyone know what my options would be to remain in Thailand with the yearly extension? What rules, finances would I need to meet to continue to live there with my son but no longer married to a Thai.

I am not old enough just to go straight for a retirement visa, that is 2 years away, anyone know what the immigration would want? I have been here 11 years in my current situation.

Thanks

You can just imagine it if it goes ahead, there will be quoitio stalls all over the place, motorbikes coming down the wrong way, broken down pick ups in the pits, mini vans going anywhere they like, kids walking up trying to sell those flower chains and rice cakes to the drivers on the starting grid - The Whacky Races springs to mind.

But they missed the fake ladies out front of the Royal Garden Plaza.

Were they branded?

They were not branded, however they were second hand and slightly soiled.

When are these brilliant people going to get a clue that boats and swimmers should not be in the same area? How many more tourists have to die before swimming areas are set up on all beaches or boats banned from beaches? I guess quite a few more as this just keeps happening without any change.

They could prevent this sort of thing cheaply and easily, I have been to a few lakes around Thailand there they simply attach ropes and nets to empty plastic bottles and make a floating rope barrier, it doesn't cost a lot, and if the boats want to cross it they have to come to almost a stop when they try to cross it or it gets in their props. (I suppose however the jet types could still get over them, so they could probably put huge steel spikes mounted in the seabed at horrible angles that would penetrate the boat and impale the drivers like Vlad The Impaler, it would probably rake in the tourists to watch the spectacle.

Uk is just as bad, any fool can buy and operate a boat without a license. Never understand why you need a license for a scooter but you can tool about in a 40 foot power cruiser with no regulation.

Hopefully we will come into line with the rest of Europe, only just out of the news here in the UK was the runaway boat disaster 3 weeks ago the killed a top TV executive and his 8 year old daughter, and left his wife and son with "life changing" leg injuries after they were all thrown in the water and the boat continued circling and running over them many times because the driver failed to use a kill cord.

That was his choice, he chose not to use a kill cord - bad decision - but we certainly don't want even more laws to curb personal freedom. Personally, I don't want to ever see Thailand become like Europe, I don't want a "Nanny State" I don't want laws controlling every action trying to control anything you want to say, people are responsible for their own actions, we do not need to be treated like 5 year olds, that is one of the reasons I like Thailand. It will be a very very black day if ever this country has the same idiotic laws that prevail in Europe that prevent your freedom to do what you want (within reason). A Brussels version of Thailand? No thanks! I can well do without that garbage!

{reply to post #6}

Maybe the paying customers want to be dunked in the water, but do you think the cretins who operate these boat ever methodically check each life preserver at least once a day for damaged buckles, straps and any other damage and check each passenger has put them on correctly before they get on the inflatable?

Whilst a minor point when you considered someone died here, but back in 2004, up in Chiang Mai there is a lake outside of the city that offers pedal boat rental, they also provide a life jacket, however, if you returned the life jacket WET, they used to charge you extra! You weren't even allowed to rent a boat with a life jacket if you were still wet from swimming - Some of these things are just pure madness!

Typical thai driving was the reason for this disaster, not the road conditions. Any normal driver adjust his speed to accomodate the conditions. I have lived in USA and UK for longer than I have lived in Thailand, but I do not know of one friend or even acquaintance that has been killed in those countries. Here I have lost count ! Darwin,s theory in action, but it is tragic when an expat driving sensibly gets mowed down by these non-thinking maniacs.

Totally agree, driven by an <deleted>! and everyone else pays the price!

What a sad end to the festivities...

But these kind of accidents with many deaths always happen when people are transported back of pickups.

R:I:P:

Kind of have to disagree on that one, people are transported in pick ups every day - No problem, it just seems as usual there was an areshole driving the pick up!

Caning for serious crimes is ok but I think it's too harsh for overstaying. I mean you're putting overstayers in the same league as rapists and drug smugglers. How many TV posters would a few cuts on the backside if they did that here too?

Yes, indeed, I saw an instance where the guy is wearing a protective shroud and only his bare buttocks are showing - Wow when that cane hits, it literally splits his backside open, imagine going to immigration here and put in the "A" frame. I originally thought that it was intended as "humiliation" until I saw the damage it does. It is pretty barbaric, and a bit OTT for an overstay. Thailand will probably respond by shooting Brunei citizens that overstay here.

...defrauding Italian banks and finance companies of more than 8.6 million dollars ...

Clearly the man was misguided. Defrauding banks (and their customers) is best left to the bank executives and government regulators, not petty amateurs.

Ha Ha! You summed that up perfectly - The only thing you missed out was that when those bastards do it, they get bailed out by the taxpayers, while he goes to jail!

SuperRich is better than most, in fact never seen another place give a significantly better rate so far, especially if you're negotiating for a large transaction they're the best.

I will give them a call tomorrow - The Chiang Mai branch, it does however seem that they do not sell currencies at all of their branches, nor do they offer the same rates outside of Bangkok - i.e. Chinese Yuan was advertised in BKK at 4.79, and 4.65 outside! Quite a mark up, but significantly better than anything you would get from the SCB!

The buy rates were even worse, 4.89 at Super Rich, 5.44 at SCB - I need to get about 50-60K Baht changed.

Thanks for the suggestions, I think I will take a chance with Super Rich.

Years ago, a friend took me to some small town outside of Chiang Rai to change the RMB I had left after working in China, we got almost 35% more in a Chinese shop up there than you could get in a bank here.

I would think hitting an ATM once you are there would give you the best exchange rate???? Have some USD or Euro as backup just in case.

I have no ATM cards, all I keep is an old UK Visa card for emergencies. Thailand scares me with the amount of ATM scams.

People say that getting ripped off here is acceptable because foreigners have enough money to come here

I say, so be it but u must accept it when americans do the same whether at a nat park or buying a car

People say that as legal falang foreigners we have no right to complain about anything just keep our mouths shut

I say, ok then you must accept the same attitude from americans (regarding a specific race just like "falang" i.e. hispanics)

-

First of all Hispanics are a "race" only in your mind, from a scientific POV there is no such classification - even the idea of "white" vs "black" isn't possible to define or identify objectively - IOW it's a culturally taught superstition.

Second, Americans that are native to Hispanic countries - it's an issue of languages and culture - are just as much Americans as the anglos and blacks. In fact in much of the south and all of the west, the Hispanic settlers colononized those territories hundreds of years before the anglos took them over - all by force against the original occupants of course.

Most of the "local discounts" at tourist attractions worldwide - in the US just as in Thailand - are based on geography of residence rather than nationality, no more "racist" and just as acceptable as here, never heard of any American, Hispanic or otherwise complain about discrimination in that context. For example, Hispanic residents of Orlando get the huge Disney local discount no matter their race or nationality.

So I agree that the situation is the same, but I think we disagree as to what the situation actually is in the first place.

The local vs tourist pricing here has nothing to do with race, much less any racist "attitudes".

What absolute utter drivel! If you believe RACE only exists in someones mind, you really need to go and get some better education.

http://erectuswalksamongst.us/

I went there with a friend (farang) who's an expat. I had a tourist visa and paid farang price. He had a retirement visa, flashed proof of residency and paid resident (Thai) price.

Has anyone else tried this with success or failure?

I took my son (he is dual Thai / UK and we live here) to the Night Safari, I was actually prepared to pay full whack just to take him out for the day, but give them credit, they asked my son in Thai if I was his father and if we lived in Thailand, they never asked me anything, they then charged us about 50 Baht each, the girl on the admissions asked the questions, I must say I was quite surprised.

Yes, I hate this dual pricing thing, especially if you live here and are living on a small income. Sometimes it just isn't worth the effort to try and save a few Baht, I keep hearing (mainly UK teachers in Thailand) moaning about having to shell out 100 Baht a month extra for something or other and how it "Mounts up over the years"...I mean 100 Baht, is that really going to kill you?

Try SupeRich http://www.superrich1965.com/

Thanks for that one, and the rates look quite reasonable, I am in Chiang Mai, but it might be possible to get an earlier flight and nip out of the airport.

There's a Superrich in Chiang Mai on Loi Kroh Road.

Thanks a lot!

Try SupeRich http://www.superrich1965.com/

Thanks for that one, and the rates look quite reasonable, I am in Chiang Mai, but it might be possible to get an earlier flight and nip out of the airport.

You do know that there is a Super Rich in Chiang Mai?

Thank you, no I didn't know, do you know where it is?

Try SupeRich http://www.superrich1965.com/

Thanks for that one, and the rates look quite reasonable, I am in Chiang Mai, but it might be possible to get an earlier flight and nip out of the airport.

Baht are such an unimportant currency that anywhere outside Thailand will require a lot more margin to make it worth their while stocking/taking it.

Do all your bath exchanges in either direction inside Thailand.

Thanks!

Do you know if you can buy RMB from one of the major banks, like the SCB?

Wonder if anyone knows a decent place to exchange Thai Baht to Chinese RMB?

I need to go to China next week and wondered if anyone has any ideas as to where the best rate of exchange would be for Thai Baht. I would have thought from past experience going to Europe that it might actually be better to try to buy Yuan here from a bank or an exchange bureau. When I tried changing Baht in the UK last trip, they gave terrible rates, nothing like what is shown online.

I need to change between 50K and 80K, depending on the rates, the exchange online reckons 50K Baht should equate to around 10K Yuan, anyone had any experience of exchanging Baht inside China and if you can get a decent rate?

Thanks

I don't see any bottles of Lao Kao, any karaoke machines, DVD players, satellite TV or Burmese whores, are you sure this is a monks home? It doesn't look like the ones in my village - in fact the monks from the temple in the last village I lived were almost lynched by the locals for their behavior. They were caught in their rooms with Burmese girls having sex, drunk and using Ya Ba, they were routed out of the temple at about 3am - They literally ran for their lives.

It seems that the locals entrust their future spiritual redemption to the monks, and should the monks make SHI" for them, then it seems like it is fair game.

I had the same when I first came here.

Yes, I do think it is ignorant to call you "FARANG" especially after 5 years. They are either rude or ignorant. I made the point after about 6 months - Just do not respond to Farang, tell your wife to tell them your name and if they are too ignorant to use it, then don't respond.

They will talk about you as if you are not in the room using the term Farang, this used to drive me nuts!

It sort of came to a head one day after listening to fat old mother in law talking about me using the word Farang all the time, she eventually got the message when I lost my temper and told that she could go and get fuc.ed!, I then proceeded to teach them that it was actually good manners to say "thank you" after getting a free ride in my car and that it wasn't a merit making exercise for me by taking them - Eventually they do learn, it takes a bit of time, but if you let them walk over you they will - The easiest way is to charge them financially everytime they disrespect you - either with petrol money or if you feed them, it is like training a pet, eventually it knows its place.

Never heard Teeluk in 10 years, I have heard Teerak, but mostly I think they take the piss when they use the English equivalent "Darling" usually emphasizing the LING at the end! "Oh, dar LING!" (Ling being Monkey)