Khun Robert

I went on a reef clean up today. More than 100 Thais and from the 14 Dive centers in Ao Nang owned by foreigners there was zero participation as usual.

My friend, a tourist on holiday for 3 weeks, and me where the only farangs who participated in this clean up session.

If you do not want to immigrate in a country, complain whole day about the lack of experience, how lazy the Thais are etc etc can you expect the Thais will treat you will all the respect and regards because you bring in

a pension or take their jobs illegally?

If you go on holiday and want to speak your language, eat the same food your mother cooked, have the same standards as your house hold what the f... you call a holiday?

Before you immigrate in another country you can find lots and lots of information about the country, the rules, the scams etc etc.

If you stupid enough to think you are better than the Thais and want to live here and/ or work illegal well for me the Thais are much more educated than you.

In the last 2 weeks I've met 2 persons loosing the land and houses they build all in name of a Thai girl friend. Both men are warned several times by many people

to not put all in girls name. But they did not want to listing. Now complaints and bashing the Thais.

Inform yourself before you move to another country, get known with their rules and regulations. If they suit you life by it.

Stop complaining and bashing if you just followed your d... who had a good time during your holiday and give you the feeling you can live and/or work in another country.

You understand that you were working illigally. The dive shops have a wp for teaching diving not for cleaning a reef. Before posting nonsense understand the rules.

Which dive shop in Krabi has a work permits for Dive Instructor?

I don't work illgally, I now the rules.

Sorry my friend I do not post nonsense on this forum.

Check your information before you start telling nonsense.

If you work as a Dive Instructor with a work permit in Thailand, helping out the Government with a clean up, it is totally LEGAL.

They are extremely happy if you help them out, you will even get an certificate of joining the event with the compliment of the government.

Today I get the papers from the Chief of Krabi Administration Office in English and personally signed with a big thank you for participation.

He not even care if you have work permit or not, his office is not into checking this papers. He organize the clean up days for the environment.

He wants to promote Krabi and the coral reefs around the more than 150 Islands of Krabi.

If you not believe, send me a personal message and I invite you to join for free next event.

You would be surprised how friendly, joyful the Thais can be, and most of all for you bashing forum readers

IT IS FOR FREE,

If you go on holiday and want to speak your language, eat the same food your mother cooked, have the same standards as your house hold what the f... you call a holiday?

Under this logic, then no one would travel to countries other than those which speak their home language. Why shouldn't a Russian, Brazilian, Saudi, Italian, etc. not want to come on a holiday to the beaches of Phuket if they don't speak Thai or one of the languages that can be readily found in the Thai tourist industry?

Like it or not, if an area relies on tourism, and if they want to keep their customers happy, then they need people who speak their language. If Russians are coming, then there needs to be Russian-speaking guides to assist them. If Thais dont speak Russian, in this case, then they need to bring in Russian speakers to service those tourists.

I look to the tourist places in Europe and the USA where you can get guides who speak most of the languages that incoming tourists speak as an example.

These imported guides should apply for their work permit, of course, and be legal and above ground.

Ask one English or Great Britten to speak a second language and you would be surprised. The answer would be: NONE.

Please tell me one tourist site In Europe or USA where the speak Dutch except the Netherlands and northern Belgium?

You are talking about the safety requirements in your home country. PLEASE REMEMBER YOU ARE IN THAILAND.

I feel sorry for the loss of her son, but if you want to go on holiday or live in Thailand you have to know the rules and regulations of Thailand.

3 weeks ago I picked up 2 British after a road accident with their rented motor bike.

I asked the driver if he had an English Driving License to drive a motorbike, his answer:

"No, I even never sit on a moped at home".

Tourists, the think they are in heaven and forget every rule and regulation, even the simple ones they have at home.

But hey, lets blame the Thais for the stupidity of the Tourists.

The statement is correct.

You can apply for a work permit when you still abroad. With the WP 3 form, application for work permit, you can apply for a 3 months B visa. In most European countries they will give you a 1 year Non B visa.

Before the 3 months visa expires you can apply for a extension at the local Immigration office.

One of the documents needed is the payments of social security and tax of Thai staff members needed to obtain a visa.

If you work for a company without Thai staff you will not get an extension.

So a trip to KL or Penang solved that problem.

Now KL is just following the rules in Thailand. No Thai staff no visa, easy as that.

Play by the rules and live by the rules. Loopholes are closing.

Wayned en lopbori3 just wrote down the prices of getting the work permit and the visa.

But is your employer asking for paying all the costs to get these?

For a visa extension of a farang with work permit, the company needs Thai staff. These staff need to pay social security and tax. You need to pay social security and tax.

And you must have a minimum income. Social security and income tax are depending on your and Thai staff salaries.

If you're employer wants you to pay it all, you have to do some calculations.

quote from the OP: It's doubtful he'll ever be well enough to survive the rigors of transport to Bangkok and IDC.

After you fixed his overstay he will be well enough to fly back to his home country?

And what change he has in his home country?

Does he have a house, enough income to stay, enough money for medical treatment etc?

It looks like this person lost out on many things, his family and friends do not want to help at all.

He has no money, lots of debt and a health issue.

Not the best combination where ever you are in the world.

40 % of this hospital visits is made by expats living in the country. A higher fee on air fare and hotels does not effect the expats living in Thailand.

But if these fees are implemented does that mean as an expat living in the Kingdom we get free medical care?

Or will the next rule be: A proof of medical insurance when you apply for a visa?

In Ao Nang Krabi they get trained by the Royal Thai Navy Frogs and Scandinavian Search And Rescue. Every year I go out with volunteers to do Rescue Diving Training. The local Thais are very interested in these courses and the DO develop a high standard of life saving. During the trainings the CPR is over viewed by nurses from the Hospital. What I still do not understand that the A.E.D. is still not available for rescue service.

This device can help a lot of patients.

Thanks to SLSA for the training and I'm sure the beaches will be safer. And yes If the tourist ignore every red flag and sign for NO Swimming you can be the best trained person but if the swimmer ignore all signs and gets into trouble it will be a very good job for a rescuer to save their asses.

A new letter from the ING, they RAISED the prices for sending money overseas. Be aware and take the advice of Dancealot.

If you transfer money change to: BEN receiver pays the costs.

Thanks Dancealot,

I found that out by checking websites and getting information from call center.

Kasikorn Bank ask a fee when receiver pays from 0.25 % with a minimum of 200 Thb and a maximum of 500 Thb.

ABP charge 5.25 Euro a month for transfer to foreign country.

So I think the cheapest way is direct to a Thai account.

Thanks for the replies.

I get every month a small military pension from ABP (Dutch pension paying company) on my Dutch bank account.

I normally, during the last 9 years took the money out by ATM.

December 2012 I used the internet banking to my Thai bank account due to not working ATM card: costs 5 euro transaction costs and 25 euro corresponding costs. I think an expensive way of sending money.

In January 2013 the bank offered Emergency Cash with Western Union. This is totally free of costs.

Getting the pension directly paid on a Thai Bank account is an option, but I can not get to the details of the costs of this transfers.

Due to my small pension I do not have or can apply for a credit card.

So that is for me no alternative.

Changing bank is an alternative but can you open a Dutch Bank account while living in Thailand without the travel to the Netherlands?

Thanks very much for this info, the next time I see this expat I will put a print of this under his face.

Maybe when he can read he will shut up, otherwise the news will be expats fighting in restaurant about visa rules.

LOL

I have a Dutch bank account with the ING bank. After months of mailing and calling their final verdict is out.

Their new ATM card is refused by Thai ATM machines, their reaction is:

1. You take out to much money, take care the exchange rate.

2. You're card is blocked due to suspicion of money laundry and/or financing terrorism

3. You're card is not valid.

Yes, every time a different excuse. last one is:

we blocked all ING ATM cards for Thailand due to to much fraud in Thailand.

Okay, how do I get my money then: You have to show a copy of passport and a letter of pension company.

So I did, the answer is: You're account will be blocked within 2 weeks unless you report yourself at one of our branches in the Netherlands.

I all ready have 2 times written excuse of the ING Bank but the account will be blocked unless I report myself in person,

I know more Dutch people are using this forum and living in Thailand, the new IBAM ATM Cards can not be used in Thai ATM's. So more of you will face this problem soon.

As far as I know all banks will change to this new ATM card before 01-05-2013.

Have you the same problems and is their a way to get you're money transferred to a Thai bank account?

Internet banking with ING Bank costs 30 Euro a transfer and that is for me way to much. It is almost 10 % of my small military pension.

Thanks

Robert.

Thanks Lopburi, but this means officially by law if the travel around and stay 1 day with a friend f.e. in Krabi they should report, the next day to Phuket for 1 day and should report again there.

Just officially. I understand that this sounds crazy to report yourself daily if travelling around.

But as I also understand if you stay a longer time with family or friends in their or their second house, the family or friends should do the reports.

I just had a hard discussion on this with an expat. He have friends living in his second house and claims that there is absolute no report of what so ever after the first report of stay.

I had the discussion with his friends two day's ago, and I told them not to worry, you report an address within 24 hours and you reported that you would travel around. So as far as I know you don't have to report every day if you change address.

I had a question of a customer:

I have a 90 days non-o visa for Thailand. I write down on the entry card that I stay with my son, I reported to the immigration officer at the airport that I stay there and than travel around Thailand.

I will visit some friends and do some travelling around Thailand during these 90 days. My visa expires on the day I fly back to my home country.

Do I need to report my address every time I change location, I'm planning to stay a few weeks here and than a few weeks there, sometimes in house with family or friends, sometimes in hotels.

Please can you help me out, as far as I know there must be a report of stay within 24 hours after arrival, which he did with his entry card and after that I only know the 90 days reports.

Thanks

Robert.

Dear Kingstonkid,

If a friend is visiting me I'm a good host to and I hope that we all do. But that is not what I wrote about.

I go around with friends, they pay the net costs of the tour there is no profit making for me, because they are friends.

And I can not and will not believe that if you have 4 walk in customers in a shop that they all good friends where you take care for.

I see daily GM's going out on guided tours with full paying customers and that is as far as I know not the job of a general manager.

It should not be the Criteria but the check up afterwards. Which company is strictly doing their core purpose?

A sign of laundry service brings a friend of me 4.000 Thb a month as extra income. I see here restaurants with the wall covered with brochure and prices for day tours. Every hotel offers pick up service from airport, done by their own staff. Tour desk in hotel, laundry service, massage service. A tailor shop who sells scuba diving courses, cultural day tours and has laundry service. I see Ceo's and GM's of foreign companies driving their customers around and take them on guided tours. His girlfriend cooking at home to provide the lunches.

Talking with locals in my area gives me the information that that is the problem. They do not care that you have work permit as CEO, GM or what ever job is written down in your work permit, but stick to this job and do not play as taxi driver, cook, guide etc etc. And hire the Thai staff into your company what is needed to get the permits and visa. The amount of tourism is going up according TAT, well we see a different kind of tourists. They spend less money and this means the locals making less and getting irritated by all this side jobs done by foreigners.

But for me, it should be better controlled, also by TAT and government and not only for foreign business.

Regulations on amount of shops, not every second shop a restaurant or souvenir shop with inside tour desks, laundry service etc etc etc.

With this overkill of same same shops nobody will eventually make money except the land lord.

The depth of the quake is not the issue.

An earthquake in horizontal direction does not form waves, but in vertical direction for sure it does.

If there is a earthquake in that area higher than 7 on the Richter scale their is a warning to all officials, police and rescue to be standby and prepare in case of.

I totally agree with Stevennl, it is better to alert only officials and keep a good eye on what is happening. As soon waves are formed and all rescue, police etc are on alert there is time enough to sound the alarms.

If they sound the alarm for every little quake within weeks nobody will respond to the emergency signal anymore and the problems when it is for real will only be bigger.

I was in Khoa Lak at 2004 and live in Ao Nang since than. We had a fair share of warnings the last years and luckily it stayed with warnings.

I applied in 2008 for a Non_B visum in Penang based on application of work-permit. They gave me a 90 days Non-B visa and told me that I can get first time 9 months and after that 1 year extension with a local Immigration Office. Every year I visit the Krabi Immigration Office with the paper works and I got a 1 month extension and the papers will be send to Had Yai southern head office Immigration for approval. Within this month a second visit for an 11 months extension. But your paper work needs to be correct. I see expats claiming they have company and work permit but not have the requirements of Thai staff. They go every 90 days for a border run and apply every year for a year visa at KL or Penang. In my opinion KL and Penang are just following the rules. If your paperwork is not correct a visa will be denied not only inside Thailand but also outside.