flossie35

Taiwan calls itself "Republic of China". You can't have 2 Republics of China. Wallets work both ways - Taiwan has an overseas aid programme. Not all Taiwanese were happy to be taken over by the defeated Kuomintang - there's a film about it. This is more complicated than it looks.

12 hours ago, CharlieH said:

This is not correct the article clearly states the care homes etc are included

 

" including a fast-rising toll in care homes"

 

Read the article again. The 20,000+ is hospitals only.

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I think this is a daft story. Until he has experienced the Thai health system and how it dealt with him during the pandemic when he was sick, then it's just propagnda nonsense

Disagree. I am very happy not to be in UK at the moment, where the pandemic has been and is being grossly mismanaged by a bunch of incompetents. Glad to be in Mae Hong Son declared covid-free today.

On 9/18/2019 at 12:43 PM, Tanoshi said:

How exactly does this transfer take place.

What code are you using for the transfer.

OJAS has kindly explained the problem and provided a solution.

On 9/18/2019 at 1:05 PM, OJAS said:

@flossie35 Another point that might be worth making is that you actually get more bang for your bucks with the £20/0.25% post-transfer method, despite the higher overall charge. This is because the exchange rate used by Bangkok Bank's London branch for pre-transfer conversions under the £15 method is way inferior to the corresponding TT rate applied at the Bangkok end.

A useful tip - thank you.

Renewed my retirement visa at Chiang Mai this morning.

My pension comes via Bangkok Bank London Branch, which means that receipts are recorded just as transfers, not as transfers from overseas. So my branch had to make ‘phone calls to verify the origin of the transfers, which they were then able to certify. However the immigration officer wa not satisfied with this, and wanted to see an old embassy pension confirmation letter as well. Fortunately I had kept a copy of the 2016 letter which I was able to produce – problem solved.

Other Bangkok Bank customers might like to be aware of the problem, and to not destroy their old embassy letters. Failing that the SMS advising that “London Branch has…” might serve as ecidence.

Apart from this all very easy. Arrived 0645; office open; no separate queues for different visas but we were seated in some sort of order of arrival; queue for queue tickets opened about 0730; was given number 3 much to my surprise as there were quite a lot of elderly persons ahead of me  - but there must have been more than one counter for retirements.  Process then very quick apart from minor hitch mentioned above.

All very friendly contrary to what some others are reporting.

23 hours ago, stephenterry said:

I did my 90 day report on Tues 13th Sept. I've found (the last two times) that afternoon visits are quicker - but I could have been lucky. Took the missus  for a lunchtime meal at an empty Mixx at 12.30 Along the passage the Italian Ragu restaurant was choc a bloc with (presumably) Immigration customers. A rustic crowd. Mixx offers first-class cuisine at modest prices, so I was a bit surprised it didn't have any other customers. 

 

After lunch at  around 2.15 I went downstairs to Immigration, filled in the new form, including my CM address which was duplicated on the TM form, and sat waiting in a small queue of around 15-20 before me (can't remember the exact number). Two lady officers were processing - one entering computer details, the other doing the paperwork - and it took just over 40 minutes to get to my number.  The first officer took my new form, scribbled her signature on the top, and filed it in a work basket full of them behind her desk. Didn't even read it. 

 

(The busiest section seemed to be the tourist visa crowd of around 40 people waiting. No idea whether there was a retirement queue, sorry.) 

 

Done and dusted in less than five minutes. Piece of cake. Finished up shopping in Rimping and back home before the school traffic.

I agree - late morning or afternoon should be fine for 90 days and re-entry. Visa extension is the only one requiring pre-dawn arrival, as the procedure takes much longer, though less than the 30 minutes shown on the notice if you've got all the documentation right. Two or three of those in front of me had to go off to get more photo copies during their interviews.

On 9/21/2016 at 9:11 AM, maewang99 said:

it's quirky. but 5 am is a fairly late queuing time to show up for the CM Promenada..... last year I did this about the same as you but was there about 3 am.  made it out quicker though.  with my passport.  it seems to be getting spotty.  sometimes you have to be very early....  sometimes not.  and it's not just a before and after holiday rush versus no rush thing.  just quirky. 

It probably varies from day to day. Maybe I was just lucky. I could probably have made the queue that day at 6am.

On 9/21/2016 at 9:05 AM, CMBob said:

Just out of curiosity, you indicated you were finished by 10:15AM.  By finished do you mean that you got your passport back with the completed extension?  I ask as I understood that only the head dude could sign those and he didn't do that until either he came to Promenada around lunchtime or they hauled the passports to him at the old Immigration Office near the airport.

 No, I meant that my interview was completed. I did then have to wait a while to get my passport back, but only half an hour or so.

On 9/21/2016 at 9:02 AM, NancyL said:

Were the lights on and the toilet open when you arrived at Promenada or did you have to stumble around in the dark and "hold-it" until the cleaning/grounds crew arrived at dawn?

The lights were off. I didn't check the toilet until later but the notice outside gave an opening time of 6.30.

Both photos had a white background with a slight bluish tinge. Presumably this satisfied all requirements. Anyway there were no objections.

I went to renew my retirement visa today. Arrived about 5am; number 6 in queue, later promoted to number 5 who wanted to change places. One officer doing retirement visas; very efficient; I was finished by 1015.

I went equipped with the new Foreign National Information Form (FNIF) duly completed, which I left at the retirement visa desk. I went on to do my 90 day report which was also due, and was surprised to learn that another FNIF was required - apparently every application needs one. The girl at the front desk helped me to fill it in, and at least I wasn't required to attach another photograph (though I had taken a spare just in case). The mosquitos were not so bad this time though I had remembered to take some lotion. Everything done by about 1130.

I arrived yesterday just before 7am, when doors opened. Long queue for retirement visas with I think a lot of the first-comers left over from the day before .Longer queue due I think to teachers/students who are dealt with by the same two counter staff as retirees and who now have to get proper visas because of crackdown whereas before they mostly didn't bother. Things may revert to normal when teacher backlog dealt with. Or management may need to allocate more staff to these groups.

No bother getting new retirement visa when my turn came, after lunch. There was then a further wait because of a new procedure - we all had to have our photographs taken for the office computer. No problem though: I'd have had to wait anyway as there was a ferocious thunderstorm raging and I'd come by motorbike.

There are 171 languages in the Philippines. People need a lingua franca. It used to be Spanish, now it's English. Thailand already has its own lingua franca. It's called Thai. India, and several African countries, also use a lingua franca for similar reasons to the Philippines; it may be English but could be French or Portuguese, for example, or a pidgin.

If you overstay you are liable under immigration law to a fine of 500 baht per day. A friend of mine who overstayed in 2011 because of the floods found himself liable to a huge fine. There was talk of a possible amnesty but I don't know if it materialised. Anyway, to save a lot of hassle and possible fines it makes sense to apply early if you are at risk of an overstay due to floods.The warning from the Immigration Dept is a kind and helpful thought.

There is a frequent minibus service to Pai and Mae Hong Son from platform 11 Arcade Bus Station. The vehicles are in good condition and I'm not aware of there having been any accidents. The nearby ticket office can sell you a ticket 3 days in advance. You can choose your seat so best book early before the best ones are taken (recommended #2 in front row with driver, or #3A next to the door, with extra leg room). The fare to Mae Hong Son is 250 baht, so Pai should be about half that. You can certainly hire a motorbike in Pai and probably a car too, to get around. If you like caves there's a big one (or rather 3 adjoining ones) at Bang Mapha up the road a bit towards Mae Hong Son - Tam Lod. Lots of bats and a short boat trip at the end.