Saradoc1972

Koh Kong, the border town on the Cambodian side down the coast after Trat. Nothing much there, three bars and 5 hotels and excellent western food at Fat Sam's. Some 20 expats there you get to meet within 2-3 days, half of them German, do some charity teaching at the local village school, chill out. Maybe a dirt bike tour up the river.

8 minutes ago, Anahech said:

If you ask for motorcycle + car licence you have to do it twice. 

 

Officially booked under "TIT".

This is Thailand.

German system ("dual education", not to be confused with "dual system", that's for garbage separation) means 3 days of actually working full-time under supervision, 2 days of classes at vocational school, which would count as a college in Anglo-Saxon countries. Difficulty varies with what you are doing, anything from being an office-girl or shop assistant over being a banker to being an electrician or running factory equipment. So does being let off the leash to do actual work on your own. Has been abused, when boys get apprenticed at garages just in time for tire-changing season, to then get laid off, but that is usually for the type that would not have got a real job anyway.

I gave some English course a year ago on a charitable basis at Starbucks more than a year ago, half the class had some technical qualification and apparently had ended up as servers or baristas. Probably the coffe machines and ovens need lots of maintenance ;-=

Any way, from what I've read Germany has signed some agreement with the Thai government that they will help them set up the German system of apprenticeship and dual education for technical jobs. http://www.bangkok.diplo.de/Vertretung/bangkok/de/__pr/161012-Absichtserklaerung-Duale-Ausbildung-Thailand.html?archive=4103744

Cheers, you're the best.
Sounds like Christmas in Sihanoukville. And why not.

I got myself a single-entry Non-O for retirement (under 50). Any chance I can get an extension on that, otherwise I'd have to exit on all the good days of the year, on Christmas Eve. Heathen infidels!

You should not need to take the theory test if you transfer an existing licence to Thai, just the eye and reaction test. However, there was some info on a similar thread that they no longer accept English licenses unless the copy is notarized by your embassy or consulate, including the IDP which is always in English. Perhaps some misunderstanding at the counter, maybe they tried telling you with the papers you provided you had to do the full test?

I had my German licence transfered this September, no test. But that was Chonburi, i.e. Pattaya. If in doubt, do that test. Some Russian guy has put up a website mimicking the actual test, here: http://thaidriving.info/

If you go through it two or three times you can pass that test, even if they have changed 2 or three questions. It's a doodle.

And actually: the test is always 305 Baht, regardless of whether you do the full test or a transfer, and the licence is always the same. So instead of having your old licence notarized for 1500 Baht or something, how about you just show them how we reverse-park a car in Europe?

2 hours ago, aussienam said:

Thanks Saradoc and others for posting. 

Unfortunately I don't qualify for a disability pension back in Australia because my investment incomes exceed the threshold (some may say that's a good thing!). 

Saying that I am classified as Total Permanent Disability which I have all paperwork plus honourable discharge.

I can produce proof of incomes and bank statements no dramas. 

Cannot see how I am doing anything illegal either 'living' here. That is an interpretation of words when immigration would most likely state I am 'visiting' here over the duration of my visa. I could state the same as it is true until I can be allowed to stay longer. 

It may be worth my while writing to the embassies for the possibility of non-o visa seeing I have circumstances that may qualify for special consideration? 

I certainly don't know about Australian social law, but not being entitled to a disability pension and not getting any money out of one because other income is counted against it would seem two entirely separate different things. Just how I have been trained to look at things as a lawyer.

Why don't you wager, say, 100 OZ$ on a certified translation of the piece of paper saying you are permanently unable to work, possibly also stating you are entitled to a pension in theory, and some 50 $ for a statement from your embassy or consulate certifying your income and see how far that gets you in, says, Savannakhet with getting a "Non-O"? Lady at my local visa-agency Naklua Soi 33 told me proof of owning a flat in Thailand might even help to get a ME, but not sure if that info is up to date. Bring proof of owning condo if you try at Savannakhet, can never hurt to have your paperwork together.

I doubt you will get an answer from the embassies, they charge the visa fees for having a look at your case. And if they require you to turn up in person with your passport to have that look, I don't believe writing them a letter will result in an answer. Plus it would force them to actually lay down their criteria in writing and I have come to think the key-word here will be discretion of the individual civil servant.

???? Do those links auto-insert if you name some establishment? Spooky.

Savannakhet is quite small, nothing much there. You can more or less walk and see it all. The Avalon rents out motorcycles 300 Baht, Rooms should be 700 Baht up, although there are two upmarket options like the Dao Savan, but I'd just pass on that swimming pool. Nice view from pool over Mekong into Thailand, but it's not really worth it, and forget the restaurant (or bring KIP, they don't even give change). Nice Restaurant is the Cafe Chez Boune, mid of town, have some French cuisine there. Bit more expensive, but well in range, definite recommendation. Massage parlour right next to it One specialist store for wines, believe it or not.

1 hour ago, LivinLOS said:

 

 

Its 500k for 5 years of visa.. You think 99% of expats live here on 40k a month ?? 

 

No wonder the immigration constantly push against these kind of cases. 

1 hour ago, JackThompson said:

 

99% can not shell out for the Elite because it would be financially-unwise choice.  If priced for the market, such a visa-scheme could generate a lot more net-income in fees, not to mention the added spend into the economy from all those using it.

 

I would venture that the vast majority of retirees here do not spend more than 40K Baht/mo.  I have a nice condo with a beautiful view in one of the more expensive places to live in Thailand and often spend less.  If I only had 30K/mo to spend, I could move to a smaller-town, and still live quite decently. 

 

Those surviving on 20K/mo or less are probably "fan-room" folks (or amazingly thrifty), but even they are contributing foreign-capital, so no harm done that I can see.  Ask the vendors and landlords they patronize them whether they want them booted out.

All assumptions correct. I live on definitely more than 40k a months, I could set aside some 400-500 EUR a month, Elite thingy is 12.000 EUR. Save for taking out a loan against my life insurance I could not find that sort of money without making too many sacrifices. It would be "unwise", as saving some money gives you security if something goes very wrong, like you need a new set of teeth. So without touching what I have saved for emergencies I would need to save up 2 years, if nothing happens, by which time I would be 47 and only need 3 years on that special visa thingy because at 50 I can go for a Non-OA. And I might have to put some fund in the bank, just to be on the safe side, they might nudge the 800k barrier upward.

See how that doesn't reasonably work out for most people, even if you have a nice enough income to live on? A downright desirable income for a not-so-much-a-third-world-country-any-more country like Thailand to get out of a foreigner just like that?

That being said, if I were to just make a visa trip to Savannakhet every 3 month, everything as cheap as possible, straight from yellow bus over border to embassy same morning, crash at hotel, pick up visa and back to Mukdahan, yellow bus and crash in Patty, assuming I don't get a heart attack from that or my spine needs to get operated upon, that would be.... 50 motorbike+900 yellow bus+60 bus+1100 visa lao+200 tuktuk+2000 visa thai+800 hotel+200+60+900+50 motorbike... that's 6.400 Baht including the visa, discounting meals and any everyday expenses.

6400x4x5= 128k Baht. Definitely less than the 500k, but more or less infeasible and too boring for my liking. If you take the opportunity to mix your visa runs with some pleasurable sightseeing activities, i.e. do a bit of tourism after all, that might come out the same money, just you got something for it.

Forget this Elite thingy unless you don't need to care about money. In which case please PM me for my account and IBAN numbers.

1 hour ago, performance said:

Savannakhet what are the transport options from Pattaya ?

Yellow Bus from Patty to Mukdahan 4 or 5 times a day, overnight VIP busses 21:00 and 21:30, take some 12 hours with one stop in the middle of nowhere. That's the same company that had that crash that left one dead 4 weeks ago. www.iloveyellowbus.co.th or something, leaves from the back of the bus station on Northern Road near Sukhumvit. Maybe buy ticket a day or two early, seems to be popular. less than 900 Baht one way, bottle of water and some Thai diabetes cakes included.

Rooms in Muang Muk are 450 Baht up, do visit The Good Mook Cafe. They also rent out scooters if you want to have a look round. Two days are plenty, nothing there, never found those waterfalls.

Busses over Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every 60-90 minutes, 60 Baht. Some paperwork at the border, visa are 30 dollar if memory serves. Do bring dollar, it's a wild mix between dollar, Baht and KIP (10.000 Kip are 1 GBP, 1,10 Eur, 1,20 USD). Getting a big stack of Kip from some ATM is advisable, prices are in Kip and exchange rates are unfavourable. You will need to stay for one night in Savannakhet min (try Avalon, it's close to the consulate, reasonably close to bridge, has a late bar) because the consulate accepts your visa application in the morning and processes it until the afternoon next day. Queue of locals moves quickly enough, maybe 15 min, some guy has set up shop over  the road and copies things for you for 10 Baht or something, a bit more if you want him to fill that sheet in for you.

Way back works the same, calculate 90 mins for border-crossing. Same 5 busses back to Patty and Rayong every day, do make an appointment with your physiotherapist or put in a stop in between. Or maybe take the bus to Udon Thani and take the train back to Bangkok.

16 minutes ago, claffey said:

I do fail to understand why some Westerners feel that it is OK to reside in a country for many years on 'tourist visas'. If people want to live with no security in their lives and risk being deported from their 'home' that's up to them. I personally couldn't do it. I'd always be looking over my shoulder. The fact that you need to apply in different consulates highlights the suspicions that immigration have towards such people...

Might be because tourism, chiefly by a possible definition as in "stays in my country, has the means to do so from income from another country" is a boon for every national economy. Especially if you can limit the "reflow" I believe it is called by economists, i.e. money going back to that persons home country for things he buys your country has to import from there  (British/German beer, razors), like Thailand has done with high tariffs up to 40% at customs.

People taking their money out of another national economy and somehow bringing that money into yours is a good thing. It is how our western countries got rich-rich, i.e. by making everyone else who wanted a car or other feats of engineering cough up some surplus money to bring into our national economies. Thailand has found the means to do something similar in tourism. They just try and keep the negative side-effects in check, but otherwise seem to feel OK with people bringing their money.

Lack of security, I would especially be thinking of health insurance here, or having the means of setting up camp again in a western home country, is another topic. One I would hope for everyone to have thought about before venturing out from his home country, but deportation is a very manageable risk in Thailand, even on a chain of tourist visas.

5 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

 

Anyone renting a house long term isnt really a tourist ?? 

Lots of Germans owning or full-time renting Fincas on Mallorca or houses round the Ballaton. We can make up definitions of tourism all day here on the forum, just the Thai government seemingly aren't joining the fray and have refrained from drawing up any definition in their laws. Just working to make a living in Thailand seems ruled out, not so much by a definition of who is a tourist (under 30-y-o can .e.g tour Australia on special tourist visa and lend a hand on farms and the like) but by who can get a permit for doing so.

12 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

Its people constantly looking for loopholes that causes all these clampdowns that hurt the legit stayers. 

 

If your not married and under 50 not working here legally.. Buy a Elite visa, do a real course of study, or go. 

 

Planning your life around the continued ability to fly around the region begging for tourist entries to the place you live seems bizarre to me. 

2 minutes ago, sanemax said:

 

    I am here legitimately though .

There are no laws stating that you cannot get consecutive visas, either retirement visas or tourist visas

That is not using "loopholes", that is reading and using the law. If Thailand wanted to restrict staying in Thailand on visa labelled for purposes of tourism, they could do that e.g. by formulating time-caps per year or something, at one point that seems to even have been the case. They have not chosen to do so, so that's the way the Thais want it. What they do not want is people living here doing under-the-table work and taking jobs from the Thais or circumventing the requirements for working here, i.e. hiring some 4 Thais per westerner's job.

That does not rule out the law allows a retiree to live here if self-supporting and under 50, it just means they have a special set of rules when to extend special courtesies to someone meeting that set of additional requirements, like no border-runs, no 90-days checking on the guy at a border. That's all, does not make living here by other arrangements a "loophole" or semi-illegal.

15 minutes ago, claffey said:

And what would you think of people in your own country who lie about their intentions in order to gain entry to your country? You'd want them deported probably. A tourist visa is for a short term visit. It's not intended for people who want to reside there. Lying to immigration is against the law in every country, including Thailand.

That is circular thinking because it all depends on what tourism is, which boils down to the good old "how long is a piece of string?". If a year long vacation in one spot still counts as tourism (to the Thai officials, mind you) with owned property to boot, calling it tourism is not lying. "Residing" is just the opposite of tourism, so quoting that as an excluding factor is circular and a bit unhelpful.

In the end what the Thai officials make of it counts, so please refrain from coming up with your personal definitions of tourism (like longer out than in over a year, fixed abode someplace else). They can see a person's history of entering and staying in in Thailand when faced with an application stating tourism. If it's fine by them, that's it, otherwise from what I've heard they will issue a warning along the lines of "last tourist visa for you here"  or something. Apart from getting a METV which the OP can only do in Australia, a Non-O is cheaper at 2000 Baht than the SETV plus 1900 Baht extension fee for those extra 30 days anyway.

I am in almost exactly the same situation, mid-forties, retired on a disability pension, have been in Patty for over 2 years now. Used to do that on two multi-entry Non-O visa (*not* Non-OA, I am under 50) issued in Essen, but I skipped the trip back to Germany this years and they ceased issuing those as of mid-August. The "O" in that Non-Imm visa stands for "other", and that covers a stay for the purpose of retirement, the "OA" is just "Other, acknowledged".

Anyway, next visa I got myself this late September was a single entry Non-O in Savannakhet, Laos, no probs. Filled in their form and entered under "purpose of visit" the naked truth: "retirement (age 44)" and presented them with the official paper I was on a state pension (bit more complicated than that, but it's definitely not private either) getting a monthly annuity roughly summing up to the Non-OA requirement of 800k Baht per year. I actually had a letter from the German General Honorary Consulate to Pattaya stating I easily beat that requirement with some rental income, but I actually doubt that requirement is valid at all for the Non-O, they just need to be satisfied you can support yourself in Thailand. So maybe half that money should do as per the family O visa.

Oh, and I had the original letter being awarded that pension for life and the next letter where it got raised according to some rental statistics translated to Thai by a certified translator, I suppose that helped. Over Christmas I'll be going to Phnom Penh and see if they are as forthcoming. General feeling seems to be Savannakhet or Penang are easier to deal with.

How nice. Somehow got to Japan, of all countries, to claim asylum. Definitely the next country with a common border to Nigeria, but those ladies are quite brazen when calling out the "A" word.

Didn't matter, couldn't chuck her out because she had either blown it badly in her home country, or the latter is simply a rogue state. Then starts political campaigning and protesting.

Same in Germany; sit-ins and marches because it's so unfair the Syrians get asylum when the Afghans think it's just as dangerous in their hellhole of a Muslim country, German speaking Roma from down-south will bolster the choir calling borders illegal and to stop deportation. Austria is planning to forbid foreigners to protest in Austria, partly because of the Turks and Kurds.

Well, Japan has some 4.7k people about... that still sounds so cute. Little tip: if you don't start the asylum thingy, nobody will be coming; have a look at Hungary.

From, not for. They are never going to run out of human material the way they are breeding, and they don't respond to sanctions, reciprocation, or anything, seeing material hardship as just another call to be even better Muslims so to get on Allah's good side again.

Sounds like a prohibitive effort. But talking of sanding the whole thing: parquet can be sanded several times, depending on the quality and thickness of the top layer, and usually will be sanded for the first time after 10 years, depending on signs of use, when the wood has settled. So, depending on the exact situation, maybe don't bother too much, buff the spots and leave it.

I had a hardwood floor in Germany and my carpenter told me the only way was to slightly sand the scratches and see what oiling them with the same stuff used for caring to the flooring anyway would do. Obviously assuming the wood is oiled, not waxed. Otherwise you could get putty from the hardware store and mix it to the best to your ability to fill in those scratches matching grain and colour, plane the spots with very fine sanding paper (on a plane piece of cork or rubber, never use your fingers!), oil or wax over it, and hope for the best.

On the other hand, glossy finish sound like either waxed or lacquered. Maybe just polish with a soft cloth and the appropriate stuff for maintaining that sort of parquet. Scratches are judged by looking straight onto them, not at a swallow angle against the light, that way there would not be a parquet in the world that would look perfect!

Besides, keep in mind your rent includes slow deterioration of the property and the fixtures, and the odd scratch in the parquet could constitute "wear and tear" if it's not too bad and somehow commensurate with the duration of your tenancy.

12 minutes ago, stevenl said:

"Integration means accepting Dutch values on gay rights , freedom of speech, womans rights. And so on.

The vast majority of muslims in Netherlands do not do this."

 

And you base this on what information?

The mayor of Amsterdam has called on Dutch Muslims to emigrate to some country were they could be themselves, if Islam was so important to them, he further claimed street criminality in the Netherlands was firmly in the hands of Moroccans. The town of Emden had to establish curfews specifically for Moroccans (yes, apparently that is possible in enlightened societies), because the little charmers kept on marauding through the streets mugging, assaulting, and torching cars by the dozens. In Amsterdam there are Sharia patrols and Sharia4Holland activists. They fill up the prison system like they do everywhere else, the percentage on welfare is disproportionate.

I suppose the bad Dutch didn't give their muzzie-immigrants enough love.

And no, they are not integrated, I start hating that word. They don't integrate, they don't want to. Any concentration of Muslims turns the place into the very hellhole those came from.

Quote

 

Accused of discrimination and inciting racism for the remarks, televised live in 2014, he will now face trial at the end of the month.

[...]

The far-right politician’s next trial comes as his Freedom Party is neck and neck with Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s ruling conservative VVD Party in opinion polls. The next general election in the Netherlands is due in March.

 

Has anyone noted how long it takes for proceedings to get going for divisive politicians and their alleged speech crimes? Always as long as possible, with the climax in due time for the next elections, or so it seems.

Or can anyone tell me what's two-years hold-up when a speech was televised? Need to ask witnesses to make sure he said what he said?

Same in Germany. Lutz Bachmann, the controversial Dresden Pegida front-man, got indicted for hate-speech having called migrants en-route to Europe scum and whatnot during a public protest in 09/14. Took them until 04/16 to have a trial before an Amtsgericht, the lowest local court, where things normally get resolved within 4 months. 19 months over which the press commenting on Pegida could always bring to mind he was being prosecuted. Press is now full with how he is due for "a new trial" in November. It's called an appeal, but I suppose you can make it sound like new

Björn Höcke, MP in Thuringia and chief whip of the AFD faction, got indicted for alleged fraud in 05/15. Indictment got thrown out for being based on purely fictitious allegations, parliament removed his immunity nonetheless one months later, right before the AFD's national party convention. Two more AFD MPs in Thuringia had their immunity removed at the time, one for alleged insult. Big coincidence. BTW they are publicly debating how to keep him from ever taking back his job as a teacher, and if maybe he could be disciplined as a civil servant for the perfectly legal political  views he stated for the AFD.

Dr. Frauke Petry, AFD chairwoman, has been indicted for alleged perjury supposedly committed 11/2015 as late as 05/16, haven't heard nothing of it as yet. Difficult case, but I would have supposed a whole squad of state's attorneys could.... ?

Dubravko Mandic, atty and chair of the AFD's ombuds... whatever, had his practice and flat raided *one year* after he posted a picture of the 1946 Nuremberg trial on Facebook that had been retouched with the face of Merkel, Gauck and several Green Party figureheads. A full raid for libel, yes? Go and try reporting s.o. for insult to German police, like as a normal citizen. Takes two weeks for them to write back they're not interested, prosecute privately, if you can. "Evaluation" of this case will definitely take until the next general elections September 2017. I am betting the farm on it.

So the PC crowd is using the legal system as a weapon against newcomers, Germany and Netherlands alike. I hope it backfires and am looking forward to seeing these mainstream parties' figureheads' faces when these new parties take power and civil servants, police and judges loyal to the country roll up their sleeves.

57 minutes ago, Jools said:

If you need the concept of "free speech" to be explained to you, then you are part of the problem. The idea of "hate speech" when talking about Muslims is always one-sided. Muslims are free to spew their insanity in any direction, while those who oppose them must walk on pins and needles to avoid charges of "Islamophobia". Wilders is being persecuted...case closed, end of discussion.

Free Speech is a basic democratic right specifically for negative criticism, for the deviating, unpleasant, maybw socially unacceptable minority opinion that may rub the majority of society the wrong way.

Because only that sort of opinion *needs* free speech. If you just parrot what the majority think is socially acceptable you don't *need* Free Speech. You can walk the streets of North Korea all day lauding the beloved leader at the top of your voice and feel as free as you could feel in the US calling Obama an (insert expletives as needed, if that's how you feel about him). But that is not Free Speech.

„Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.“

54% is good form by German standards.