Old Croc

I've come across scores of them on remote tracks. I didn't even mention feral horses, goats or pigs. Australia, home to the world's largest camel herd - BBC News

Believe it or not there are deer in many other countries. Yanks probably have no idea how dangerous Australian roads can be with kangaroos, emus, cattle, sheep, camels, buffalo and more, likely to jump in front of vehicles at any time in vast unfenced areas of that country.

I had thought the poster was seeking views from members of their Thai backyards, not how many deer can be hunted in the usa, or videos of a favorite band! My backyard:

This may be more about shoddy/incomplete reporting rather than a new immigration policy about detaining overstayers on the way out. Apparently, there was an arrest warrant issued for the illegal tour guide. It wouldn't be normal policy to allow a person named in a warrant to just leave without facing charges. As stated by another poster, the person who overstayed by several months possibly didn't have the funds to pay the fine. Contrary to many here, I believe most people who overstay are not misunderstood Samaritans propping up the economy, but simply lack the funds to pay for extensions, a new entry or a fine.

I've camped on remote beaches in Australia for weeks at a time abluting in the ocean. I've virtually never paid for accommodation when travelling or camping in bush areas. Even with today's "nanny" restrictions, the country is large enough and the beaches vast and remote enough for you to still do it without hinderance. Phuket is not Australia; I believe it was recently voted most crowded tourist destination in the world. Trying to live on or near tourist beaches there will greatly risk your chances of assault, robbery, harassment, or arrest. There are groups of "mafia" who believe they own certain beaches and have used firearms against interlopers. I can think of several murders there over the years of people sleeping on a beach. Many years ago, a young woman sleeping in a tent on a northern beach was raped and murdered by fishermen from a boat anchored offshore. A man had his head bashed in with a lump of wood on one of the main beaches. There would be no such thing as stealth camping on a beach on Phuket Island.

A short time ago my wife nearly stepped on this snake very close to the house. It was just under 3' long, but from the markings I think it may be a baby king cobra. It's last meal of a large frog probably slowed it down and ensured it's demise. Can anyone Identify it?

I've been in a wheelchair for ten years after my health crashed at 65yo about 3 years after moving to Thailand. It wasn't entirely unexpected; my health had been declining for years. A decision to emigrate came after my much younger Australian gf decamped after deciding she didn't want to end up as a carer when she still had much life to live. Can't blame her. Selling up and moving to Thailand, I found a culture, a lifestyle and a lady that suited me much more than did the structured expectations of the west. I will never return there; all my family are either deceased or scattered and would never interrupt their lives (nor be asked) to care for an old fart. Suddenly being unable to walk, nor drive myself was initially a massive shock, but you adapt to change. With the wheelchair, I found I could get around the house and gardens faster and with a lot less pain. However, Thailand and particularly Phuket where I lived, are not wheelchair friendly. Socially I have definitely found restrictions. I now rate restaurants bars, etc. based on accessibility, not cuisine or service. I don't go out as much. My lady had to learn how to drive a car, a skill I fear she will never quite come to terms with. Obviously, my social life is more constrained, but you have to learn to live with change. I eventually bought a rural property up country not far from her village, and built a house with large rooms, wide doors, accessible bathrooms and toilet, and a verandah all around. I use a 3-wheel electric scooter to get around the fields and pond and even do some gardening including cutting lawns from it using a grass trimmer. The subject of the thread seems to have all that's needed to live much the same life he has now - money, accessible residence, nearby facilities, etc. Although, a caretaker, in whatever form, would be essential. Far be it for me to suggest he slow down some of his hedonistic lifestyle.

I'm calling bs on this one. Canada is not some banana (!) republic in Africa. A passport renewal in reasonable time for genuine citizens would be just a formality. It's obvious to me that the OP (or his friend) have issues.

My thoughts, prefaced by saying I haven't read through all previous posts, so apologize if repeating others. The OP did his due diligence, spent a long time with the woman before committing and spent money reserves to buy his forever home set up to his liking. He covered his back from eviction with a usufruct but found he had thrown in with a wife who wasn't prepared to retire to the quiet life with an aged husband and limited ongoing finances. Not every Isaan woman wants to retire early back in the village life. Despite good relations with villagers, he will always be the outsider and never one of them. When push comes to shove, they will side with their own clan member. At 75 with everything tied up in the home and little ongoing money, advice to walk away and start a new life elsewhere is for him probably not an easy option. He didn't commit to a spring chicken half his age; he had no reason to suspect she would turn toxic after the house was built. She may have been playing the long game to get a retirement house back home for when she was ready to retire and possibly didn't understand the implications of a usufruct. He made the mistake of trusting and investing too much of himself and his remaining assets, with a (Thai) woman. One thing life, and about 4 wives, has taught me: you should always maintain a back-up plan.

Cyanide?

Keep in mind the extension terminates upon divorce. It won't continue to be valid until October if divorced earlier.

Yes, but border bouncing without having such funds is considered a legal alternative here.

It's well known that expat bike riders here are highly trained, professional, skilled and have never had an accident in 50 years riding back home. Also, they never ride home drunk after a night out.

This guy states he's in a Government hospital.

Presumably the surgery is for spinal stenosis?

The smaller offices don't have the authorization to approve marriage extensions. They require a second set of documents to send to their designated regional office. This is why they only give a month "Under Consideration" extension initially. It also explains why, as in my case, junior and inexperienced, officers can go overboard with their petty requirements to try to impress their seniors.

Just did my latest marriage extension at a small office in the north. Despite my meticulous efforts to get everything correct, they found a number of (non) issues to make the visit as difficult as possible. Despite the appointment guidelines stating it can be done in 30 minutes, it took 3 hours for the second year in a row. They rejected my TM7 because it was on 2 pages instead of their (new) insistence that it has to be double sided. The female officer also had a problem with the date on the top of the form which was a few days before my visit. I explained this was when I completed and signed the form and it had never been a problem for the previous dozen years, and anyway, could be easily amended. She didn't agree on those points! Do other offices ask for it to be on one page or accept 2? I was astounded to find they had photocopied my 90-day notification slip for my next report, included it as part of the application, stamped it and insisted I sign. They were not swayed by my insistence that it was issued by their office as a reminder, not produced by me, was not an official form and had nothing to do with the extension. Has this happened to anyone else? They sent us back to the bank because they claimed it had to stamp and sign copies of every updated page in the bankbook, not just the ones with transactions for the last few months. The bank said no, we never do, and rang immigration to clarify. It was not mentioned again later. The photos of us in front of the house number were rejected because he claimed they were taken from an angle, and he couldn't read the number. If this was correct, I wouldn't have presented them. The wife had to go out to a copy shop and print several more old photos from her phone. I had carefully signed every page of the 2 applications and left sufficient room for their stamp to go on top, They stamped the pages everywhere but on top of my signature and presented me with a huge pile of paper to sign again, Difficult with arthritic fingers. I lost it about here while pointing out the absurdity of it. The female officer threatened to reject the extension if I didn't do what I was told. I eventually acquiesced, but doubt the 100 or so scribbles were close to my actual signature. Then followed a long period where the main officer tapped away at his PC while asking inconsequential questions about my long dead parents and sibling and my former working life. He continued to produce copies of various forms that I had to sign. When he produced copies of my TM7 I asked why they weren't double sided like he insisted mine had to be, He blamed the computer. There were other annoyances also, but this is too long already. I'm sure some here will enjoy hearing of my travails. Door to door it was a ten-hour day. I'm glad it only happens once a year.

Apart from in the thread title?

Not everyone understands irony.

When someone uses the wrong two, twice.

Australian stage and screen icon Barry Humphries has died aged 89 - ABC News

I can count at least 7 from Brisbane, similar for Darwin. (Boeing 777 cruising at 500 knots)

Upon reading the first post I came to the conclusion it was most likely murder-suicide. It doesn't take much cognitive thought to make that assumption. Posters on this opinion forum rarely wait for the trial/autopsy/police report to express their conclusions. Others who want to oppose these opinions because the authorities haven't personally presented them with irrefutable proof are just trolling in my opinion. The word "cadet" in the headline was sufficient for me to dismiss the translation/Thai reporting error that gifted the 19yo the killer the same name and rank as his father. I have to wonder if the pedants who concentrate on this minor misprint in lieu of the actual crime have ever actually spent time in Thailand.

Visitors on tourist visas are generally not allowed to work in most countries. It appears this individual was in breach of that basic law. Difficulties in getting work or residency visas in Thailand is another matter. All countries have immigration policies framed to promote, or protect, their own citizen's livelihoods while also enhancing the economy by allowing selected categories of migrants to add skills and invigorate the community in various ways. With the latter, in the opinions of many, Thailand's law makers fail to get the proper mix because of outdated or xenophobic viewpoints and personal or political bias.

Why? A foreigner working illegally is an offence in most countries. Should also be charged with stupidity for working as a guide or driver in the heavily scrutinized airport precinct..