Hugh Jarse

Complains about extortions of billions of Baht in the last years of tourist and expats and no one cared. Congratulation But now they want to clean up. But anyway these people entered with false passports... I dont think that it was really Immigration blame if someone entered with good forged passport. Happens daily around the globe....

That's not what happened. Uighur militants entered Thailand without any passport, by paying a bribe of about 18,000 baht for each entry. While in Thailand, they were able to obtain fake Turkish passports which had been provided by ISIL. It is estimated that 50,000 Uihgurs have passed through Thailand in this manner. Thailand was both a safe haven for terrorists, and a hub for ISIL's trafficking of its militants.

And the source of this information please?

Yes, suspended, dead, kicking up the daisies.

Whatever happened to the Red Bull heir who wiped out the police officer in Thonglor last year, dragging him under his Ferrari before fleeing to his home ?

Some were there at 4am yesterday and still there at 4pm when I left! People in their seventies and in wheelchairs should be shown more respect than to be left out all day like cattle!

Indeed, this is an example of administrative ineptitude/callous indifference of the first order. An e-mail to General Prayudt' PA is in order here. Anyone have it?

Sterling will keep getting stronger. Personally think Thailand's economy is in dire problems, the junta don't seem to be in control.

will hit a 6 year 'high' for £ against baht v soon. At some point 'something' will happen and we will see well over 60

If you think Thai econony has problems read this weeks Economist magazine about the far worse situation in Indonesia and Malaysia.

No way i'm paying 60 quid for a letter to prove income from those shites, I'd rather keep a bit more in the bank here for an extension and you get a better interest rate anyway. The only reason I would ever go to the Embassy would be for a travel document if I lost my passport, I expect they screw you for that as well.

I agree it is an outrageously high charge for such a simple bit of administration: downloading a template letter with your name on it after a clerk has checked the source of the income. I always complain and get the usual response "... fees are set by parliament"! The entry clearance fees are daylight robbery too. No wonder UK government has lost any respect from its nationals here and in other parts of the world.

Nothing has "happened to it;" it has been off my "list" since my first visit in 2006. You can actually have a good time on LK, if you try hard enough.

The OP was talking about the deterriorating quality of the breakfasts, hes not talking about 'good time' on Loi Kroh.

Agree though that there is some scope for improving the breakfasts at the MD.

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As you stagger out of the pub at night, barely able to stand, you may not look like a mug, but you do look like a confused drunkard, which amounts to the same thing - an easy mark for these folks. You, my friend, seem to have a drinking problem. You also have a serious anger management problem, going by your comment that you want to punch out someone who's done nothing against you. Or perhaps you're just one of those drunks who thinks he's Steven Seagall as soon as he's got 4 or 5 pints inside him. Learn to turn the other cheek, or you're a heart attack waiting to happen.

...and when driving/riding on the roads and pavements, Always give way!

Word of warning if you choose to live in Thailand your UK pension will not be increased year by year as thailand and the UK do not have an agreement in place so unless the rules change what you get in your first year will be what you get every year after unless you choose to move back to Europe or a Country that has a pension linked agreement with the UK. In April 2016 everyone of pension age in the UK will get a weekly income estimated to be around the £150 per week my birthday falls short by a month so I will end up with just £116 per week Life's a Bitch !!!!

Yes, the freezing of UK pensions for Brits., living here is unjust (put mildly!) and there is a campaign going on that is screaming for change and fairness. PM me for info.

I've noticed it too, treacherous.

Out of interest, where are those planning an escape going to, and how long do you plan to be away?

We've done Hua Hin (within driving distance, 10 hours later you're there), Samui (direct flights even if they're really expensive), Phuket (flights), Ko Chang.

Important criteria: Needs to be on the ocean. All inland places are just as polluted as up here.

We usually come back at or around Songkran, April 15th. The last 2 years that's when the first rains fell, and air improves quickly after that. Not immediately, but in a week or two.

and Air Asia have flights to Surat Thai and thence to Samui or the beaches adjacent.

First time this year Doi Suthep disappears/is not visible. And I live not that far away at canal road.

Time to leave and go southbound....

If you are able to do so. I hear that New Zealand is a good place to be now.

I doubt we will get to know the reason why this plane crashed inexperience ,poor maintenanceor whatever. RIP Noppanon.

Heard all that before.

They are very good opening centres and compiling reports of their future intentions.

As about doing any real work or policing, it's out of the equation.

Just another set up to justify some extra salaries and also sounds good for the ears of the USA or EU condemning Thailand for their human trafficking problem.

So lets hear your ideas about trying to resolve this menacing problem!

"The strategy commits us to providing a more professional, modern and streamlined service for British Nationals who require access to notarial and documentary services."

Absolute BS, as comment no. 19 says - such double-speak it would be harder to find - anywhere!

Making us send our pension statements, copy passport pages + having to go a Thai Post Office to buy a sodding money order for > 2,400 baht to pay for the damned letter, by very expensive EMS to BKK; and then having to wait 10 working days, at least (!), before we get the damned letter back to take to Immigration to renew our extension of stay!

Yeh! That's a really modern and streamlined service - my ass!!

I've always found the staff at the consulate here in CM very courteous and efficient, with the letter being ready the next day - nice and easy, but now what are they going to do? As others have said, unfortunately it would seem to herald the end of the consulate here.

There are thousands of Brits retired in the north of Thailand, not just in CM.

Are they going to increase the staff in BKK to cope with the flood of extra work they're going to have to take on board? I doubt it very much.

This is a pure cost-cutting exercise.

This is appalling - with all the additional pensioners coming here to retire to escape the crummy UK, thus relieving the UK govt of millions of pounds in support costs, such as the NHS and numerous Social Security benefits we could claim, they should be making the CM consulate a FULL consulate, like it used to be and like the US consulate is today.

Who are these bean counters in Whitehall? Unqualified, sycophantic morons it would appear. Certainly not anybody with the rudiments of economics or accounting.

Agree, I too have always found Consular staff, helpful and convenient to get paperwork done and I will be sorry to see it go.I understand that the rent on the BC and Consul's tiny office is peanuts. The UK economy ,with its £90 billion debt-and growing- is now a basket case so unlikely the FCO will improve services to UK expats. Trade and aid is their top priority not service to its nationals. The UK's embassy in Bangkok is the pits in terms of service. They will hive off this work to their favoured private companies as it is more cost effective and that is the bottom line for a government desperate to get out of the quagmire of debt that it is now facing and likely to increase.

Probably government intervention along the lines of what has been happening in Phuket recently.

About time.

If there is one thing that really irritates me about Thailand it is the cartels and monopolies. They are everywhere.

So where do you get a deck chair or sunbed to lounge on ? What a killjoy!

I transfered money from my SCB account to my HSBC, UK account in 2013, they charged me 2,000 baht.

To do a similar transfer from a UK bank to SCB account in Thailand costs about £17. so 2000 Bht baht seems very high.

Plenty holiday, almost zero live. I don't understand why anybody would tie up a lot of capital in Thailand.

Money laundering perhaps or family commitments, or escaping the ruinous USA ,UK ,Euro tax regimes. Finer weather conditions, usually friendly local peoples, good and lucrative business opportunities, to say nothing of the fantastic variety of food, disco dollies and numerous other delights if you would only take your blinkers off. By the way what do you mean by: 'almost zero live' HAve a great 2015.

Might as well close it permanently, the limited use it is now.

Disagree, whenever I have been there staff have been competent ,friendly and provided useful help for : Notary services, inc. verification of UK income etc., help with lost passports, stranded without money as well as providing useful information about crisis situations. Clearly you have never needed assistance ,but this litttle office is worth keeping open.

Why would some guy give 300,000 dollars to a hooker? Blows my mind.

Exactly, there is more to this than meets the eye.

"However, a friend just told me she went last week at 3.30am and there already was 6 persons standing there ..."

rubbish. she's pulling your leg!

An Immigration Dept official at yesterday's meeting advised us that he was sleeping in his car one night, and the first farang arrived at 2am. The reason was that the farang's 90 day report was left to the last day.

Not reported on City News was the incredible increase in farangs moving to Chiang Mai in the past 12 months. Staffing numbers at Chiang Mai remain the same. Chiang Rai has about a quarter of the expat population that Chiang Mai has, and their Immigration Dept has slightly more staff.

Seems to me that a few top Immigration Officials in BKK should do a stint here and see what it's like.

However, it was good public relations that Immigration reached out to us and explained things in a little more detail.

Is this all that materialised from the meeting? Hope someone from CEC will enlighten us on the salient points of the meeting yesterday.

CEC ??

Chiang Mai Expats. Club

"However, a friend just told me she went last week at 3.30am and there already was 6 persons standing there ..."

rubbish. she's pulling your leg!

An Immigration Dept official at yesterday's meeting advised us that he was sleeping in his car one night, and the first farang arrived at 2am. The reason was that the farang's 90 day report was left to the last day.

Not reported on City News was the incredible increase in farangs moving to Chiang Mai in the past 12 months. Staffing numbers at Chiang Mai remain the same. Chiang Rai has about a quarter of the expat population that Chiang Mai has, and their Immigration Dept has slightly more staff.

Seems to me that a few top Immigration Officials in BKK should do a stint here and see what it's like.

However, it was good public relations that Immigration reached out to us and explained things in a little more detail.

Is this all that materialised from the meeting? Hope someone from CEC will enlighten us on the salient points of the meeting yesterday.

My wife told me that girls from the South tend to marry short fat dark men with flat noses and turbans and baggy pants and girls from the North tend to marry lighter skinned tall handsome men with style and panache.

Shoe is now on the other foot. Does it fit.

Codswallop!

A post with information for Public holidays in 2013 has been removed.

23 October (Thursday) Chulalongkorn Day

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/691406-public-holidays-2014/

Well spotted, must have had a few too many Babychams when it was posted.