Kudel

I love the natural olive complexion that Thai women have. These so called whitening creams are a scam.

Olives are green....I have not yet seen green Thai women.

Never heard of conspicuous consumption? Never thought that people might be driven by the projection of status much like everywhere else on the planet with access to a consumer society and an advertising/marketing network?

Yes guys, these are are pretty true. BUT have you ever heard about these nationwide poor people's economical compulsion?

The round:

They can't get normal (good money) salary at home nationwide (mostly Isaan).

They come to Bkk to work, but their salary here is not enough also for take care of children in Bkk, cause both of them have to work. Mostly they are employed in factories in 2 or 3 shifts.

The one and only solution if their parents take care of their kids and they send monthly 2-3000 B which is enough for basic expenses.

So this won't be changed during the next 10 years.

Their goes more Australian jobs, I dont blame companies for moving off shore , The government needs to remember they have a population that needs work to survive .Australia is fast becoming the hub of unemployment.

Exactly right! thanks to Abbot and his cronies the companies and upper management will all go offshore with no loss in wages and exploit labour markets in foreign countries. Meanwhile more and more Australian families are losing their income and ability to put food on the table. Australians can't afford to work for 10 dollars a day it is one of the most expensive countries in the world to live. What the Australian government should have done is do what most countries do and support local industries and put massive taxes and import duties on imported goods. All too late now and there are some hard times ahead for many Australians I fear.

Hey mac d what about that fake scottisch barister who set up ian tracy,very strange you post links to said fake lawyers blogspots .Is that you posting under different profiles brian.

Isn't he behind bars at the moment? Allowed the internet behind bars?

Didn't this guys mother get fleeced of 300k usd trying to get him out of jail?

The convicted pedophile's lawyer is now a fugitive for that in the new development:

Thai court orders arrest of fake Scottish lawyer

A SCOT is wanted by police in Thailand after failing to appear in court to answer charges of fraudulently posing as a lawyer. Brian Goldie, 47, from Falkirk, who practises under the name Brian Goudie, is accused of ­conning an American woman out of £180,000.

He was due to appear at the Provincial Court in Pattaya, ­yesterday to submit himself for trial and pay bail. When he did not appear the court issued an order for his ­arrest. Mr Goldie had agreed to represent Mrs Millers son, Gregory, who had obtained a job teaching at an international school near Pattaya. Miller, 46, was arrested and charged with paying for sex with under-aged boys.

- More -

http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/thai-court-orders-arrest-of-fake-scottish-lawyer-1-3282896

This is not possible.

A foreigner CANNOT be a lawyer in Thai Court.

If Miller had a lawyer he had to be THAI!

Hey mac d what about that fake scottisch barister who set up ian tracy,very strange you post links to said fake lawyers blogspots .Is that you posting under different profiles brian.

Maybe the TAT has forgotten that the world cup starts in Brazil next week and many people have booked tickets to go watch the footy in Brazil and also lots of cheap hookers over there.

All of the richest Thai family's have most of their dosh stashed away in tax havens and then you have the the pensioner foreigners triyng to meet the 800.000 requirement to get that yearly extension to stay in said country nuff said.

As do a lot of expats and retirees here who have money offshore. So what is your point?

800,000 should be pocket change for people of retirement age.

All of the richest Thai family's have most of their dosh stashed away in tax havens and then you have the the pensioner foreigners triyng to meet the 800.000 requirement to get that yearly extension to stay in said country nuff said.

What about the topic on hand? The investigation related to the rice scam which has lost the country 500 billion already with more to follow?

i dont believe most of the drivel written in the Thai press and specially on this crappy website should have been shut down a long time ago.

Why bother hanging in this site then?

You sound like a right Merchant.

Cause i love reading al the crap reply's on topics such as this by the barstool Thailand experts who havent even got a bloody right to vote in said country bunch of laughs you silly little people are.

This is a forum which means it's a place to have a discussion about various subjects and a right to vote in Thailand isn't required. If we all had a vote we could express our views that way.

Your problem may be that you are only reading the posts that are written in English that is of a similar level to your own. I don't know if English is your first language but I suspect it is and it might improve if you took the time to read posts of a higher level. You might get a better response with a more reasoned approach.

As to your point about army generals I don't know the details but if they've been involved in anything they shouldn't then it's only right that they are held to account. The same can be said for anyone else who has done something they shouldn't. This is an ideal opportunity for General Prayuth to show he is unbiased.

That doesn't mean that the rice scheme and those involved shouldn't be investigated.

And most of the responses that i have read the last few months concerning all the troubles in Thailand on this forum are certainly not of a higher level but are of bottom feeder level.

I think most army generals in western country's would love to have the same kind of money some of these Top Thai army brass boys have in their bank accounts google's youre friend pall.

What about all those super rich army generals envolved in illigal arms trafficking ,wasnt there a big leader arested in Bangkok of the sri lanka tamil tigers a few years ago the guy even had Thai nationality and was a notorious gun runner and good friends apparantly with top noch Thai generals

What about the topic on hand? The investigation related to the rice scam which has lost the country 500 billion already with more to follow?

i dont believe most of the drivel written in the Thai press and specially on this crappy website should have been shut down a long time ago.

Why bother hanging in this site then?

You sound like a right Merchant.

Has to do with their religion and beliefs an elephant is considerd a holy animal and is one of the national symbols of Thailand.

Just as a matter of interest , how many degree holders in Thailand could actually go out side Thailand's boarders and compete at the same level as say a degree holder from Melbourne uni, the picture I see is that there skills are lower and particularly the English, Thailand is now getting to the stage what Malaysia realized along time ago, that to be an academic you must know English very well, so they lecture in English, otherwise you find a whole country of unemployed degree holders, nobody, as we all know, gives a toss about speaking Thai outside of Thailand.

I recently recommended a Thai engineer (Graduate of KMU) for a job in Europe, she starts at the end of this month on a salary in excess of Euros90K per annum with a bunch of ++ too.

I know a couple of dozen Thai engineers, graduates of Thai universities, earning similar rates around the world and a Thai graduate of NIDA who is working in Rome earning well over that rate.

You might not meet them down your local beer bar, they are far too busy building their careers overseas and earning great money.

Would home solar power be a feasible solution in Thailand now that the costs of solar technology have dropped? Generating electricity ourselves seems more attractive than 100% relying and depending on any of the electricity authorities here.

in reality it should be the hub of solar power with the amount of sunshine it gets imagine free aircon..i would leave it on 24/7..

@rogeuwo,

There's a certain scottish conman who's ripped of loads of foreigners in Thailand by posing as a so called barister he is by no means a barister but is or was a member of the British bar association apperently any body can become a member.

I seem to remember an article in one of the big English language newspapers that the dsi wanted to investigate these foreign operated law firms in Thailand because al was not koosjer.And i suppose as usual nothing ever came of it.TIT.

Foreigners are not allowed to practice law in thailand,even if you use one those big law firms you will still be using their thai lawyers.and this is clearly not the place to look for a lawyer apparently the biggest shysters are allowed to advertise here.

I've been led to believe Thai's have a lot of power in Thailand.I was told to get A 30 year lease.That way maybe you can never sell it

If she don't want to ,but then you can live there.

you can make a 30 years contract lease renewable 2 more times....so 90 years in total.

a lawyer knows how to do it.

you also can sell your contract later to another farang person, so it is like if you sell the house and you money is back.

the renter is the one who can only use the house untill the end of the contract.

There is no such thing as a 90 year lease in Thai law ,30 years is the maximimum one can put a lease on a property i wonder what lawyer told you this one that was recommended to you by one of those foreign property brokers i suppose.

So, car seats, in order to beome cheaper, will now become like plastic bowls with a few fixture clips (similar to an inverted Thai standard bike helmet?)...

I have my new child seat...... now, let me see.... where are those Isofix points in the back of my Isuzu 4x4 again?

Most kid seats in the west can be fixed with the seatbelts in the back seat mine are and whats the point in having kid seats when driving a car that would not even pass any decent crash test in the west.

"...and whats the point in having kid seats...?

Surely you can't be that daft, the intention is for them to save children's lives. What cars are you referring to that wouldn't "pass any decent crash test'?

So, car seats, in order to beome cheaper, will now become like plastic bowls with a few fixture clips (similar to an inverted Thai standard bike helmet?)...

I have my new child seat...... now, let me see.... where are those Isofix points in the back of my Isuzu 4x4 again?

Most kid seats in the west can be fixed with the seatbelts in the back seat mine are and whats the point in having kid seats when driving a car that would not even pass any decent crash test in the west.

I drive Honda and Ford. They pass the FMVSS and Euro-Ncap tests with ease.. even in Thailand. I think you missed my point.

So, car seats, in order to beome cheaper, will now become like plastic bowls with a few fixture clips (similar to an inverted Thai standard bike helmet?)...

I have my new child seat...... now, let me see.... where are those Isofix points in the back of my Isuzu 4x4 again?

I have met expats in Thailand telling they me lived there for many years who still don't know their earhole from their @rsehole concerning al things Thailand.

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what are the Uk authorities going to beleive more. An EU state marriage certificate or a Thai one? Mmmmm

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

They should accept both, granted that both are with the proper documentation: proper marriage certificate and properly stamped. BTW: For a Schengen family (spouse) visa a Thai marriage certificate, stamped (legalized) by the Thai ministry of Foreign Affairs plus an (English) translation (by an official translater, again stamped by the Thai MoFA) should be enough for a fast, easy and free spouse visa (excersising freedom of movement).

@donutz.

I have not read what type of schengen visa the op's girlfriend has got i could have missed it.There are many travel restrictions for Thais also to the european union because many people where mis using this type of visas to get married and get settlement.

Many country's like my own have closed this loophole.

Most thai woman i have known that have applied for a visitors visa type C where all granted the single entry type + one transit to Belgium witch means they where not allowed to go outside said country's borders for the duration of their stay.If she has this type of visa she will not be allowed to just hop over to Denmark to get married.

A Type C single entry visa (single or multi entry) entitles you entry to the entire Schengen area. Unless it explicitly states otherwise on the visa. I never heard of the Belgians or any other embassy only or mostly handing out visa with territorial restrictions.

The Belgians authorities do seem rather incompetent or unwilling though with various aspects of EU law (visa, settlement rights etc.). The Belgian embassy directing people to VFS, Belgian municipalities demanding the residence (F card) back from people who are doing the "EU route" when people move back (to the Netherlands for instance) even though officially people moving back to their orginal EU country can keep the residence card etc.

The closed and open " loopholes" are or were rather silly though: the EU route is still very much possible as this can only be stopped if the EU treaties are changed (seems unlikely, the EU nations and EU Home Affairs discussed this in 2012). The EU route isn't a loophole anyway, it used to be more strict then the national laws on settlement etc. but these became more and more strict, now they are (in various nations) more strict then the EU treaties (rights). I call it discrimination of your own national citizens. Other loopholes: well in my opinion it makes no sense at all to restrict settlement with marriage as one required parameter (any sincere relationship shuold do, if need be " durable" and ofcourse people should be able to provide for themselves) or that marriage would give you settlement rights. That is just as silly as decades ago with an international marriage the wife would automaticaly lose her citizenship and obtain her husbands nationality (and jin him in his country). Without special benefits or demands for marriage & settlement there wouldn't be a loophole in the first place...

Luckily not all EU nations require marriage for settlement or give extra settlement benefits to married couples. I'm glad the Dutch don't.

I can't see how you gain any advantage over marrying in Thailand.

There are still all the hoops to jump through before your wife is allowed to live with you in the UK.

Not all of us are rich, international jetsetters and so can't afford to fly our families and friends to Thailand for a wedding.

So many have a Thai ceremonial wedding, which is not a legal wedding anywhere, for the Thai family and the legal wedding in the UK.

Those who know the UK immigration rules will be aware that if coming to the UK as a visitor anyway then marrying in the UK as a visitor, or even in another EU state, is cheaper than a fiancé visa and then FLR within 6 months.

Of course, I have no idea of the OP's actual reasons; and they are not really any concern of ours.

Indeed.

@Jay Sata: They may try to wear you out or brush you away, it might be faster to give in to unlawful demands but if it is always the right thing to do so? Perhaps complaining during an process (visa application) might not be worth it for an individual (reasons: delays, aggravated staff etc.) but complaining afterwards with evidence- is also an option. At least you may bring about changes for those who make an application after you, later applications by you or trying to get the too much paid fees etc. back. Or simply because you wish to stick to the principle that people have to respect and execute regulations as set by law, agreements, treaties etc.

The Spanish embassy certainly cant interpreted the Visa Code as it sees fit.

@CiaronO: Youre welcome. Then you literally have more then you need for an application so their should be no valid reason to decline a Family Visa application (visa fee waiver, minimum of documents, fast service).

You may wish to keep that e-mail from the embassy which is in clear violation of Article 17 of de Schengen Visa Code and send a formal objection/complaint to the embassy. Or possible better/also forward these BS replies from the Spanish embassy to other authorities such as Solvit (see earlier link I supplied) , the Spanish ministry of Foreign Affairs (may be unaware of actions by local embassies who act as if they are their own little Kingdom) or informing the European Commission Home Affairs department. Of course that is up to you but in the long run it cant harm you, it may (should) bring about changes in embassy attitudes to properly execute the Visa Code so that future applications from you and others are done properly.

Too bad various embassies dont inform or even misinform applicants about their rights. In Thailand at the very least the embassies of the Austrians, Belgians, Danes, Dutch and Spanish seem to do this (incorrectly directing people to VFS Global). I just recently wrote to the EC Home Affairs in the hope that they will be made aware and do something about this, no reply yet. Injustice and embassy/government staff acting like they are can dictate made up rules and bully civilians is simply wrong and needs to be stopped, the only way to do so is by contacting other (higher) authorities/figures up the chain of command (or going to court ).

Edit: If you do use VFS' " services" you may wish to keep all evidence of these violations and try to get your money back (contact Solvit) afterwards.

@Theoldgit: Indeed, if enough people remind embassies and other authorities of violations of the Visa Code (Article 17 and others) this can be stopped. I myself was directed to VFS by my embassy a few years ago, only much later, too late, did I discover that I didnt need to go there in the first place. Only cost 275 baht but the experience with VFS staff was rather bad (rude, short tempered, no help at all etc.). Visa Service agencies are not the problem, people may have valid reasons to use them but it should be voluntary and their shouldnt be a dominant (monopoly) such as VFS seems to have! This should be brought to and end ASAP in my opinion.