keestha

We may see bar closure times enforced

Because of martial law? The government is still in place, the army only took over responsibility for security matters, they won't bother with petty stuff like that.

Don't panic. I do not expect you will get any serious and credible replies warning about any impact on your daily life. You wil be able for 100% to carry on as usual.

OP, you forgot for example the type of visa you can get when entering monkhood.

Go via Ranong, not via Surat Thani. More scenic, although you miss driving through the Khao Sok NP area, where you pass through when going via Surat Thani.

The fault line.

Oh well, seem to be unable to post any picture bigger than a thumbnail. Phuket is left/under.

Steelepulse, I enjoy your recent "alternatives to Phuket" threads. Power of a big public web forum, there are always a lot of people coming forward who are quite knowledgeable about the place.

You might also check out Costa Rica. What I last heard, easy to get permanent residency, including the right to own land, work or even start a business.

Cannot relocate myself, but it surely makes for interesting reading. Keep them coming!

Quite a bit of rain in Phangnga lately, but nature still shows signs of the lengthy drought. Went to two waterfalls last week, bur refrained from taking pics for my website, didn't look impressive yet. The hills upstream have to be saturated with water for the waterfalls to become full power.

Sigh....she is young, female and fairly good looking

May I suggest that it's time for you to arrange a trip to an optometrist?

True she wouldn't even make the Miss Bang Tao candidates pre selection, but in my eyes compares favorably at least to the dragon tattoo girl in the other thread.

Sigh....she is young, female and fairly good looking, could have found a regular job in no time. Signs in Thai all over the island plastered on businesses looking for staff.

"she is young, female and fairly good looking, could have found a regular job in no time" - we all know what sort of job is a "regular job" here.

Obviously, she prefered stealing to prostitution.

Not at all NKM. Are you aware how difficult it is to find staff here? Talk to any business owner that you know. I was thinking of positions like gas station attendant, sales girl in a shoe shop or whatever, waiting in a restaurant, hotel housekeeper, and so on.

Sigh....she is young, female and fairly good looking, could have found a regular job in no time. Signs in Thai all over the island plastered on businesses looking for staff.

Those who are not so confident in the water should put on a life vest. At snorkeling trips I noticed all Asians but almost no Westerners use life vests. You feel like a bit of a pussy when you are the only Westerner putting on a life vest. But I do, ever since being swept away by a current in Malaysia, only noticing it when looking over my shoulder and seeing the beach far away.

True the article doesn't mention him using a life vest or not, but I suspect he didn't.

Very slightly but I can recall watching the buffaloes wandering along Kamala beach at sunset....happy days before Paradise was Lost and Phuket was still a tropical island

What do you mean, did it turn into an arctic island overnight? Or were you here before the bridge was built?

If you must be so pedantic, perhaps I should have said an unspoilt tropical island

That is, as opposed to the concrete jungle it has now become

I do hope that offends your sensibilities less, Khun keestha

Last thing I want to be is pedantic! Don't tell me you have lost your sense of humor in the Land Of Smiles. Reading TV sometimes I get the feeling many actually did. But we are meandering off topic, I propose we just leave it at this.

Look at the age of the people goi g on visa runs. Many are over 50, why ? No funds to get a retirement visa so are also working without WP.

Why? They might have an income from abroad of say just 40k (65k is the requirement for a retirement visa) and no bank account to speak of. Still no need to work if you live frugally.

Most farang guys you see drinking beer at tables in front of mom and pop stores are no spring chickens.

Very slightly but I can recall watching the buffaloes wandering along Kamala beach at sunset....happy days before Paradise was Lost and Phuket was still a tropical island

What do you mean, did it turn into an arctic island overnight? Or were you here before the bridge was built?

Another thing.......Comparision: If my knowledge base is still up to date, both in Brazil and in India, you can stay max 9 months on a tourist visa. After that, you cannot hop over to Uruguay/Nepal to get a new tourist visa, you really have to stay out for a long time. For the sake of people like NKM, I hope Thai authorities will remain lenient. Or maybe introduce a new visa category.

True in places like Phuket, Khao Lak, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Koh Samui and Krabi there are loads of mostly elderly westerners who spend every winter there, some of them stay almost 6 months. Quite a few of them rent a house the whole year round, or they have a Thai wife who owns the house. Also if some of these people don't qualify for a non imm O (retirement/marriage), they shouldn't have problems getting at least a double entry tourist visa in their home country. They are spending less than half of the year in Thailand, so IMO they are tourists and not residents.

Whilst typing this, I remember the case of an elderly Norwegian who often spends like 7 months in Thailand. At the Thai embassy in Oslo they made a problem about issuing him a tourist visa again: "You are spending more than half of the year in Thailand, so you need a different type of visa".

I hope genuine tourists will not be inconvenienced. It is a very normal situation young backpackers come in on a 30 days airport visa free entry stamp, and decide to extend their holiday later on. They should not be hassled about confirmed hotel bookings, travel plans and so on. Flipping briefly through their passports should make clear immediately they are Germany, France or wherever based, and certainly not residing in Thailand permanently. I am eagerly awaiting field reports from Ranong.

Urban legend.

That's what I used to think, same like people telling eating durian raises male potency. But one night eating quite a bit of durian and drinking about 4 beers made me change my mind. I had to cut short my bar crawl because I got the runs, and the whole next day I was feverish. Could have been coincidence, but never felt like putting that to the test.

going to interesting how they handle the Malays who bounce over the border for bar girl weekends on 30 day stamps...or is that same same BUT different

Not such a pleasant example, but flipping briefly through their passports, the Thai officer will see they are genuine tourists, even if they have been going for Had Yai weekends twice a month for years at an end. Likewise I expect young European tourists who came in at the airport on a 30 day stamp but decide to extend their holiday and do a border run, will not have any problems. A brief look at their visa history will tell the officer they are Germany, France or wherever based, and certainly don't reside in Thailand permanently.

It is quite understandable Thai authorities want to keep track of foreigners residing in the Kingdom permanently.

A transfer by minibus from Khao Lak to Penang costs 950 Baht. The minibus goes straight to Chulia street in Penang, which is packed with cheap guesthouses, easy to find something yourself on arrival. Any travel agency should be able to book this transfer for you. Most guesthouses at Chulia Street/Penang, like for instance the Swiss Guesthouse, will be able to book a seat on the minibus back to Khao Lak.

Statement in the opening post is not clear at all.

As far as the situation after August 12 is concerned, first it says:

“However, from August 13, our officers will refuse any foreigners attempting to re-enter Thailand if they have just completed a visa-exemption stay,” Col Ekkorn said. Right, so a tourist who came in by air on a visa exemption stamp cannot even make one border visa run.

And then: The notice posted last Thursday explained that any foreigner who completed even one “visa run” in order to re-enter the country on visa-exemption status was to have his passport stamped “O-I”, indicting they had already been “out and in” from/to Thailand. Any foreigner attempting to re-enter Thailand after August 12 with a passport stamped “O-I” is to be refused re-entry, the notice warned. Oh, so they can make one visa run

And finally: “Nationals of the United States of America and 41 other countries are eligible to travel to Thailand, for tourism purpose, with the exemption of visa and are permitted to stay in the Kingdom for a period not exceeding 30 days. Therefore, you do not need a visa .Furthermore, foreigners who enter the Kingdom under this Tourist Visa Exemption Scheme may re-enter and stay in Thailand for a cumulative duration of stay not exceeding 90 days within any 6-month period from the date of first entry.” Which means they could make two visa runs.

Quite a few threads now, also on local sub forums, about the visa run situation. These threads tend to become unreadable, growing too long, and bits of real information being hidden among avalanches of speculations and opinions.

I propose this thread being open only for:

1) Statements issued by Thai authorities.

2) Field reports written by people who have done, or tried to do, a visa run by land or air without having a visa with entries left on it.

Thank you.

Fairly recently posted in the Plants, Pets and Vets forum on behalf of somebody who wanted to fly a cat from Germany to Thailand, got quite a few replies.

This lady obviously was not a tourist, staying in Thailand for so long.

What interests me the most: If genuine tourists, who entered the country on a 30 days visa free entry stamp, but decide to extend their holiday once in country, will still be able to do 15/30 days land border visa free entry runs once or twice. I arranged countless tourist visa runs to Ranong. Any reports of genuine tourists doing such a Ranong run now, or trying to do it, would be most welcome.