nrasmussen

2 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

My NZ mate says you will fail if you do not learn the alphabet first.

Yes, first learn the alphabet and then the tone rules. Otherwise, getting the pronunciation correct will be difficult.

8 hours ago, John Drake said:

It's the looming interpretation of this line from the main topic on this subject yesterday that is causing the unease. I do hope there is some quick elaboration on exactly what this means: 

 

Quote

- Adjusting the criteria and conditions for the Long Stay visa for elderly people who wish to spend their retirement in Thailand, starting in September 2024.

Could be that it just means removal of something like the requirement for police record and doctor's certificate currently needed when applying for an O-A.

4 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

Some reports I have seen say that it was so sudden the cabin crew were not able to sit first. And every one quoted stressed how very sudden and without warning this event was. There was even someone in the lavatory as well as people enroute to it.

 

The suddenness and lack of prior warning (and hence, people in the lavatories, people in the aisles, people not seat-belted in) would explain the large number of injuries and their seriousness (6 of the hospitalized are listed as critical last I heard).

 

Apparently there are rare types of turbulence that would not show in advance on the plane's weather screen?? Anyway will take time to find out the details of what caused this and why not forseen in time to make a seat belt announcement etc.

 

The incident does certainly well illustrate why seat belt / remain setaed notifications should be taken seriously.

 

 

This is all true. No argument from me. My comment was in response to a general observation and not specifically to this incident.

22 minutes ago, impulse said:

If the seatbelt sign is on for 13 hours, you never know when it's safe to hit the head and avoid soiling the seat.

Yes, I find that annoying too. Of course, whenever you hear "Cabin crew take your seats!" you know when you should definitely not go to the lavatory.

23 hours ago, johng said:

It will be easier once they insert the microchip in your hand and or use facial recognition...no need to carry anything around  just instant deductions from the bank account....ahh utopia ?

To each their own; however, I'm quite happy using my watch.

20 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Do not most bona-fide stores/shops have this here? 

Yes, they do indeed. And the best thing about those (i.e., contactless payment terminals) is that there's even no need for fumbling with a card. I just hold my watch to the terminal and payment is done. I don't think it can be any easier than that.

2 hours ago, Highlandman said:

 

Why wouldn't vendors accept cash? This is Thailand! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!

 

I can understand vendors not taking credit cards but cash is legal tender and must be accepted!

My guess is that it's because there are too few customers insisting on paying with cash for the vendors to bother with the hassle and expenses of handling cash.

22 minutes ago, paddypower said:

Many Thanks . I've located that website. One of the biggest hurdles is that most of the Danish Government agencies assume you can register for (and communicate by) their digital post system. We cannot do that, because, crazy as it may seem,  they rejected my wife's passport photo, because it was taken 7 years ago. Her photo taken today using the NetID app is rejected as not being the same person. I have also contacts Pensions International by phone. I just wish there was a specific Q & A section, that I could translate into English, in order to find out what the various factors are? By the way, my wife did qualify for a Danish pension, for the many years when she lived in Canada (despite not reactivating her Danish citizenship, once the rules allowed dual citizenship.

Here is the application form. Once filled out it can be sent by regular e-mail as stated on page 5. I'd also assume that if you have any questions you can send them to the same e-mail address.

Ansoegning_folkepension_i_udlandetpdf.pdf

4 minutes ago, WalsallRobbo said:

Surely there must be tourists at that cycle track as well who couldn't pay?

Apparently too few for the vendors to bother.

4 hours ago, paddypower said:

there is a secondary reason why I'm looking to contact a Danish pensioner. It is to find out are Danish citizens entitled to the govt pensions, or not. I cant get an answer from any Danish websites. I do know that you do not qualify for  the pensions, if you you do not have Danish citizenship. are there any Danes out there, please?

 

The answer is that it depends on several factors. You can read about the rules here (official government website in Danish): https://www.borger.dk/pension-og-efterloen/International-pension/Dansk-pension-i-udlandet/International-pension-soege 

6 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

As said my visit last week was 7 hours including 2 hours of travel, here in Bangkok.  Queue number 315 at 1124 (more than 200 still in queue ahead of me) and departed at 1625.

Yeah, that's certainly unacceptable. I guess I should count myself lucky that I live where I only have to waste one hour total.

6 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Don't get your point.

It certainly would not be an hour if you lived in Bangkok or elsewhere had very long drive to immigration office 

My point was that I wasted an hour doing what normally can be done at leisure in a few minutes. I apologise that that wasn't clear.

For the first time since online reporting was introduced I got my submission rejected. I thought it might be a mistake and tried again a few days later with the same result.

So, as instructed, I went to the immigration office (Songkhla Immigration, Hat Yai) in person, where naturally I asked why I couldn't do the reporting online and the answer I got was that the system wasn't working.

Photocopies required where of: passport picture page, extension of permission to stay, and entry stamp.

Total time spent (driving home-immigration-home included): about one hour.

4 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Yes, but returning to profit just this year, with a lot of one off item listed, means that by ordering large now, if profits take a hit, they can again look for a handout again as the company hope to be clear of the bankruptcy order this year.

I don't know anything about that. What I do know, however, is that with the huge order backlogs that both Airbus and Boeing have, when ordering new planes, expected deliveries are many years in the future; hence the need for (very) long time planning.

17 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Short term measures to look good with little long term planning.

 

Ordering 45 Boeing 787s to be delivered over ten years starting from 2027 seems like long term planning to me: https://www.thaiairways.com/sites/en/news/news_announcement/news_detail/tg-boeing-joint.page#:~:text=Singapore%2C 20 February%2C 2024 -,up to 80 Dreamliners%2C at

On 2/10/2024 at 11:16 AM, pjmorton said:

I have not flown Thai Airways in a long time, but I flew Thai Smile frequently between Bangkok and Khonkaen. I found them very competent - I never had any problems more serious than the occasional 30 minute delay. I tried to make a reservation yesterday with Thai and had a couple issues which I was unable to resolve on the website and I tried to call them - absolutely nobody home. The local ticket office in Pattaya has been closed so I can't even walk in. That brought me here and after reading these posts I don't know what to do. Does anybody have experience with VietJet?

Flying short domestic flights (usually between Bangkok and Hat Yai), I don't really care much which airline; most important is price/schedule.

I did have a preference, though, for Thai Smile, because everything was included without having to pay extra fees - and they even had a senior's discount 😉 - so I'm sad to see them go.

Most recently I used Thai Vietjet Air and Thai Lion Air - both without any issues.

The "server" is most likely a mainframe located in the bank's data center. These are so reliable that unscheduled downtime is typically just a few minutes per year, so my guess is that in this case it was the branch's data communication link to the data center that was down.

On 7/23/2023 at 11:32 AM, BritTim said:

If you apply for a change of visa status from a visa exempt entry or tourist visa to a Non O based on retirement, you can expect a house visit.

For a one-year extension of your permission to stay based on retirement, house visits are not normal.

Immigration officials can visit you at any time and for any reason, but such random visits are rare.

For my very first extension of permission to stay based on retirement I got a house visit.

A few years later, for the first extension after moving to another house on the same street, I also got a house visit.

So apparently they just want to check that I really live where I claim I do.

On 6/4/2023 at 5:27 PM, treetops said:

That's fine if they're on a printed card, but the ones on the till display won't be functioning without power.

That's kind of moot, isn't it, since the till wouldn't work at all, so no way to register the sale, even if paying with cash.

On 6/2/2023 at 8:28 AM, GreasyFingers said:

1. But the cash  point of sale registers don't.

 

2. From under the mattress.

1. No electricity needed to scan a QR code.

2. LOL

On 6/1/2023 at 8:51 PM, KhaoYai said:

Shops seem to behind the trend - when I put my card into a machine to pay a retailer, they always ask me to sign the chit - even though it says quite clearly on the transaction note 'No Signature Required'.

I don't know if it's because the cashier cannot read English, but whenever this happens to me I just point to the English text and say "อ่านว่าไม่ต้องเซ็น".

18 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

Except where there is no electricity.

Just need cellphone coverage, which usually works even during blackouts.

By the way, how would you obtain cash if there's no electricity?