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thanchart
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Posts posted by thanchart
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Now if say 30 schoolkids all want to use their tablets at the same time the system will overload and crash.
To make the system work properly the fible optic backbone network in Thailand ahs to be massively upgraded and the international gateways expanded by at least 100 times.
you are absolutely right. If the idea is to use Direct connection for each kid, the plan is doomed from Day One. Worse, much of the content will be multimedia heavy.
Have to impletement the prroject in an unorthodox manner - not usng a conventional way of Internet access we are so used to.
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Don't expect a poor village girl from issan to understand or even care how you feel. They are in it for one thing and it ain't your good looks.
I wonder why so many people seem to have such a bad impression of Thai ladies, esp those from Isaan. I have known Thai ladies from the North, Isaan and way down to the South and many of them are really good and decent women. Their happy husbands/boyfriends can attest to that. *after many years". I even know of one case where a poor young girl married an oldish guy many year her senior and could not speak much English at that time. Hwn I asked her why she did it, her answer was clear and straight from her heart.
"He has done so much to help my poor family. I care for him and learn to love him as my husband".
now, >20 yrs later, she still is with him, really loves him and cares deeply for him. Her siblings have grown up and are independent and her parents are long gone. Him? He has never been happier!
Guess it all depends on how one meets the Thai girl and the background she has. What was she doing at the time u met her? has she been exposed to bad influence already?I am sure this applies to girls everywhere, including the country I am in now. There are decent girls and there are bad girls. Even amongst those with a not so nice past, there are still gems. Why one selects a particular one to be with/marry is the key. Let the head on the shoulders make the decision.
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Did you ever think that by taking over the cooking you were sending the message that her cooking was not good enough? I have learnt that my wife is more comfortable if she is taking care of me, looks better in the grand scheme of things in Thailand. Fortunately she is an excellent cook and provides either great variety, or meals she knows I enjoy.
U are right. I have an American friend who came to work/live in BKK after marrying a Thai lady whom he met a dating website. She was a good friend of mine. Was the one who gave him the thumbs up when she asked me if she should consider him. He often told me that he had to be careful not to "take over" what the wife thinks is her role and duty - taking care of him and kids, even if he meant well and did it out of love. He said she would feel insulted and cry cos she felt that he must be not satisfied with her. Knowing her, I believe hm - she would trek 4 miles downhill (carrying her baby) on muddy tracks to meet him when he visits so that he would not have to walk in the rain/mud. He is a lucky man.
So he gradually learn to sit back and enjoy her pampering him.
They have since moved back to the USA.
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Up in my local village we do have electricity except on ocaission during thunder storms.
The local village school got its first (and only) telephone line this year.
Free tablets and wifi up here anyone?
I live about 800 metres from the school and I am still waiting for a phone connection after 8 years.
sounds like a scenario that I had catered for in my previous project, only slightly better cos there is electricity "on tap", compared to a scenario I had, where the school is only a covered shed with no electricity. My proposal for that project will work just fine for this school, except coursework updates cannot be done instantly since there is no internet access (unless a dial-up modem can be used). Well a few days or weeks delay in courseware updates wouldn't hurt this school surely - they have got eLearning!
"Free tablets and wifi up here anyone?"
Yes this would be just perfect. It will work
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I hope those who are in charge of this prioject have clearly defined the objectives of the tablet approach. Is it to give students a powerful gadget to access any information or is it to improve the way lessons are taught and increase the enthusiasm for learning by using the approach of eLearning? Of course the issue of outdated textbooks will become less of a problem with the eLearning approach.
I do hope they learned from the predecessors who were in charge of the 1 million PC project under Thaksin over 6 years ago; that was another project designed to push out as much hardware as possible at cheap prices and ultimately failed because infrastructure was an after thought (i.e. in most rural areas they couldn't get internet service; most schools didn't have a computer literate staff so the PCs ended up in closet somewhere, etc.)
This points to a lack of understamding of how systems work. PCs must not be used as an end to itself. The system (and I don't mean hardware alone) has to be designed such that it is easy to managed and update - even remotely so that school administrators do only basic tasks. I had used a modified idea of cloud computing to achieve this. PCs are not the olny options. To me they are too expensive for a nationwide project like this.
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In the project I was involved in, it is assumed that the students will have no direct access to the Internet!
The campaign posters clearly stated "One Tablet PC per Child" and "Free WiFi". Most people would logically assume that the Tablet PCs would access the internet via the freely provided WiFi. If they don't provide the free WiFi, it would be yet another broken promise.
I hope by free WiFi, they are indicating that the tablets come with WiFi connectivity (cost of a built-in WiFi module is not longer prohibitive, esp if on-board). If so that is great and is what I had also professed in my project. WiFI connectivity allows all sorts of things thta make usage of tablet very convenient and there are many practical applicators in a program like this.
But if they are thinking of direct connection to the Internet using WiFi, I hate to think of the bottlenecks the users are going to experience. eLearnng is multimedia heavy and Low bandwidth is not going to cut it. If one ever tried using the free WiFi in Silicon Valley USA courtesy of Google, you will know what I mean. The SLOOOW... downloading sucks. One experience was enough for me to avoid hotels w/o broadband WiFI for guest, however cheap the room ratesmay be (needed for work). Unless there is a humongous budget for providing broadband WiFI access which I think few developing countries will have.
I still think that eLearning courseware in classrooms should already be stored in the tablets and updates can be done periodically by the school administrators
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it is possible to hit below $120 - `$150 [maybe even < $100 now, depending on Qty]
That's still a lot more than the 35 USD Indian one. Would you have to cut a lot of corners to get it down to under 50 USD?
Sorry, Correcton, The $120 - `$150 was intended for 10" tablets. 7" tablets would be a lot cheaper. The original target for 7" was in region of $70 until the committee saw the 10" working prototype and fell in love with it and they decided to drop the 7" version. If Budget is available, the 10" is much better
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You seem extremely knowledagable on this subject and any government, most especially Thailand's would be fortunate to have you advising them. One of the things you don't seem to understand however, given the very valid and thoughtful points you raise, is this. No one in government here has considered any of those points you raise. It was merely a campaign pledge that even their own people say should not have been taken seriously. It was solely made to garner votes. It was a lie. That's really sad isn't it?
Thanks for yr kind comments. What I've said is from what I had experienced and my ideas had been shared with that country's local team working on their project. I know they have been taken into account as the implementation plan is being rolled out.
I certainly hope I can have the chance to contribute to similar effort in LOS. This would be a good way to contribute & give back to this country I am intending to call home - for a long time to come, I hope
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Of course what needs to be done to all youngsters is to tell them what to do and, if they dont do it, hit them until they do.
The only problem with that line of action is that one day they'll be big enough to hit you back - and if they do som nam na.
I am in a different country now and was acutely aware of such possible problems when I inherited my 2 step children at 6 and 3 (young enough to mold). I did not "spare the rod and spoil the child", but the kids see me as a loving daddy and whenever I had to spank them, I also made sure they are assured of my love with plenty of hugging and assurance, and Most Important - explain to them why they were spanked. It was never done out of anger or loss of self-control. If I a angry I will not touch them, but let mama do it. They know that I only discipline them because I love them and if I don't do it when the situation calls for it, it simply means I don't care about who they are going to grow up to be.
Now, almost 6 years later, the 2 kids are very close to me and the eldest is "daddy's girl". In fact we had not planned for a additional chlld until these 2 pestered us for a new baby. Now, seeing how they love their little Tiger and that he loves then in return is pleasure/satisfaction I have no words for, And interestingly I am also close to the parents of their late father is not common in the land I am in, and they trust me with their grand kids and can see I treat the new baby no differently from the older 2
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My wife and I are moving to the city before our two year old boy starts school (International School), in an attempt to remove him from what we perceive as "The Village Attitude".
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This problem seems prevalent in many developing countries, In Philippines, we call it "Squatter Mentality". Those with this are often too lazy to work, expecting handouts (called "help" in their vocabulary) from relatives who worked hard for their money. Many of the fathers are too lazy to work and support their families and yet expect their wives to work to get money, submit to them and make many babies and drink themselves silly with the little money their wives make - feeding their drinking habits is more impt than education and even food for the many kids they make.
It's a pain to be related to them or even to know them, cos if u refused to give handouts yet again, u are a bad guy. However, having said that, there is the minority who are different and work hard to try to get thir family out of that circle, despite their low education & lack of opportunities, These are the ones I actually respect and try to find opportunities for them
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wasn't there talk of the tablets being assembled in Thailand....another good intiative to create employment.......
In my opinion, assembing locally is good, but not enough to achieve maximum cost effectiveness. It should designed locally as well. Only then can a custom-tailored tablet right for educational purpose and not as a generic all-purpose tablet.
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there are countries where many schools in the provinces have no electricity
Also, many homes don't have (or have intermittent) electricity.
Many households may not have internet access in their area, or may not be able to afford it even if it's available.
The Internet must NOT be used as the primary/direct source to access educational courseware. If that is the intended approach, it will not work in poor areas/countries. Much of the materials to be used in the class should be already stored locally in the tablet. Else there will be a bottleneck faced by the students if the whole school is accessing the internet at the same time.There are many ways to skin the cat, and that goes for downloading the courseware into the tablets - OFFLINE is a cost-effective way.
For locations with limited or no electricity, even recharging the tablets have to be considered. If the kids cannot recharge the batteries at home, the school has to do it. Should the kids be allowed bring the tablets home in thr 1st place?
I hope those who are in charge of this prioject have clearly defined the objectives of the tablet approach. Is it to give students a powerful gadget to access any information or is it to improve the way lessons are taught and increase the enthusiasm for learning by using the approach of eLearning? Of course the issue of outdated textbooks will become less of a problem with the eLearning approach.
In the project I was involved in, it is assumed that the students will have no direct access to the Internet! For the more fortunate few who have access, good for them. But for the majority, eLearning goes on, with or without the Internet. In fact the internet is used by the program administrators only for updating courseware
While the below article is asking many right questions, it is looking at things from an orthordox perpectve as to how the internet is used - in normal applications
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It's quite deceptive and unethical marketing to show and demonstrate the functionality of a 10K THB product when you're only going to give an inferior product that's worth less than half that.
Yingluck Shinawatra, the sister of toppled former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra and the prime ministerial candidate for the country's biggest opposition Puea Thai party, holds up a Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet computer as she speaks to supporters in Bangkok June 18, 2011. Thais will go to the polls on July 3 for a general election. Yingluck was speaking about using tablets for use in schools as part of her plans if she is elected. REUTERS/Chaiwat SubprasomSource:Yingluck Shinawatra holds up a tablet computer as she speaks to supporters in Bangkok
I agree with u whole-heartedly but this is such a common practise in Politics isn't it? Even in commercial marketing, this happens. One often see demos using top end equipment and the demonstrator tells u the cheaper version on offer is only "Slightly Slower"/
In the project I was involved in, the Video on TV did show the demo using an actual prototype of the final intended version of tablet, with almost the same specs. Maybe because this project was not initiated by politicians but the technocrats. Maybe that is why it was realistic in what they were trying to achieve.
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I see a market for one of the big names in this industry to provide a cut down version of these tablets shipped without cameras etc to reduct price, although I can't see Thai authorities purchase leading edge tablets - etch a sketch sounds more like it lol
I agree. The Govt must realize that if this is to be for education - sort of a replaement for text books, only better, It should not be an all purpose device, filled to the hilt with gadgets. Cameras should not be needed, neither are GPS, etc. A microphone is needed, as well as built-in speakers - tuned for speech and not Fifi music.
Another major cost factor I forgot to mention is battery life. Depends on whether there is electricity in the school classroom. U might not believe this - but there are countries where many schools in the provinces have no electricity
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it is possible to hit below $120 - `$150 [maybe even < $100 now, depending on Qty]
That's still a lot more than the 35 USD Indian one. Would you have to cut a lot of corners to get it down to under 50 USD?
It really depends on the quality one expects, There is a cost to basic components, The processor and the LCD are big cost contributors and if one pays peanuts, one may get monkeys. For a tablet to be used daily in schools, it should be deigned to last at least 2 years. Cheap components often do not last.
Now that I am moving to Thailand, it would be nice if I have the chance to share what I already know and experienced with the right people.
Once you get here you will find that a lot of things just don't work very smoothly, particularly anything to do with the government and police. They wouldn't want your input either.
I'd let the company I will be working for decide if they wanna get involved, IF yes, I would have a lot I can share. Also from where I am coming from (not my native countrty), I think Thailand cannot be worse off, given the economic advancement that has taken place. I was in both countries for business trips around the same period way back in 1992 and Thailand was quite a bit behind - now it's the reverse.
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Woravat has an idea to provide the tablets with basic specifications, but if any schools want higher or advanced specifications, they can apply for funds to get them.
Curious to learn what these "basic and advanced specs" might be
basic model
I had been involved in a similar project in another developing country (economically behind Thailand) and the project is in quite an advanced stage where Educational courseware is developed by government Technology institutions, together with a leading University and the Education Ministry. From a hardware cost perspective, if a Thai Electronics company is willing to take it up, it is possible to hit below $120 - `$150 [maybe even < $100 now, depending on Qty] (ex-factory to the govt who does the distribution) for a 7" tablet running Android. Of course the performance cannot be compared to iPad or even the Samsung Galaxy but it works OK for educational courseware purposes.
Studies/pilot projects have been done and results were very encouraging with the pilot grade school kids showing as much as 30% improvements in academic tests. In my opinion, it works as kids learn through play and educational games are natural to them.
Woravat is right to say the the concern would be the older teachers. But they must not forget that relevant courseware is very important or else it is just another gadget that will go out of date soon. Correct course-ware will not over tax the HW and it can last for quite a while,
However I think letting schools decide how they want to use the tabler will not work well, There has to be a well defined structured program to roll out the implementation, with courseware as an integral, if not main part of the projec.
Now that I am moving to Thailand, it would be nice if I have the chance to share what I already know and experienced with the right people.
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If my wife and baby were to come back to Philippines for Christmas (say 20 Dec - 1st week Jan), does it mean they will need multiple entry Visas? as least double entry?
If the above happens. then we will try to bring her 55 yr old mum with her and will have to figure out the best way for her visa extensions The consular official had confirmed she will not be eligible for dependents Visa,
Is Christmas a public holiday in Thailand? I remember it wasn't in the past, but I may be wrong.
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Yes, your report about your meeting with the consular official in Manila makes sense. Just a couple of clarifications, mostly about terminology, to forestall possible misunderstandings.
Your non-B visa will not allow you to work. However, it will allow you to pick up the work permit at the Department of Employment, once it is ready, and then you will be legally allowed to work.
The dependent visa for your wife the official talked about will be a non-O visa (non-immigrant visa category O), granted to your wife because she is your dependent and because you get the non-B visa with all the paperwork you have to submit for it. The fee for the non-O visa will be the same as for your non-B visa.
The next step, after your arrival in Thailand and once you get your work permit, will be for you and your wife each to apply for a one-year extension of stay with form TM.7. The form asks for the reason for the application and your reason will be "employment" as per paragraph 2.1 of Thai Police Order 777/2521, your wife's reason will be "wife of holder of an employment extension" under paragraph 2.20 of the same Police Order.
Those terminologies were used by that Consular Official who is obviously a Thai by his looks and esp accent. Maybe he had translated it into terms more familiar to Filipinos even though I am not one. However my new company should know the procedure as there are other foreigners in the company, including a couple of Filipino engineers. In the letter of invite, they will be stating "The Company will be responsible to apply work permit for him soon after getting Non B visa, as well as the necessary visas for his wife and son"
Yes the officual also mentioned that I will need to apply for the exension of stay but what is interesting was that he said the duration will be according to the duration of the employment contract and not yearly extension. Did he maje a mistake?.
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There is no such thing as a social visit pass for Thailand. Do you mean visa exempt entry perhaps? You will have to obtain your own visas - company can help with supporting paperwork only. Your passports from a visa exempt country are enough to enter country but to get on aircraft you will have to meet requirements for onward travel - letter is not going to change that.
Was at the Royal Thai Embassy in Manila today, The officer who attended to me is obviously a Thai, but for but some reason, he chose to stick with English. He advised that the best thing to do or me is to get a letter of Invitation/reference and other necessary papers from my new company requesting for a 90 days Non- B Visa for myself as the main applicant and corresponding Dependent's Visa for my wife and baby. That will allow me to start work legally when I arrive in Thailand. Going on a visa exempt pass will mean I cannot work legally. The company can then apply for a work permit for me and the necessary visas for my family once I get there and start work. He also advised me to get the company to include my wife and baby in the letter of invite so their dependents visas can be processed as a package with mine. I have to submit my marriage cert and baby's birth certificate in addition to the company's documents. As per the listing pasted on the counter for visa costs as pointed out to me, a Non- B Visa (90 days) is 2900 pesos. There is no price listed for the dependents Visa. Does that mean it is free since they are pegged to mine? Anyone knows?
The embassy confirmed when I asked, that with the above visas. there is no need for return/ongoing air tickets to board the plane.
Nice thing was when I got home. I got a call followed by an email from the company that they sending me documents for me to get my visas. What a nice confidence
. Also was given a copy of the invite letter for me to edit/add the request for my family's dependents visa. The invite letter also states that the Company is under BOI privilege. Does any one know what that means? I thought it has to do with some quota for foreign staff and this company is not restricted or has bit exceeded the limit. The letter also states the Company will be responsible to apply work permit for me soon after getting Non B visa.
Do all seem well from the above?
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Would anyone know if Return Air tickets are necessary to get my family into Thailand or I can simply buy 1 way tickets for my wife, baby and myself? I was wondering if it would be wise to get there on a social visit pass and then let the company hiring me apply for the necessary visas on our behalf.
What I with me is a letter of employment signed by 3 top management personnels, including the CEO of the listed company. Would that be enough to enter thru Thai immigration w/o problems?
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Your wife and child can follow you as dependents and might be able to get a non-O for themselves, when you recieve a non-B visa. They will get extensions of stay once you have an extension of stay based on your work. The mother in law is a bigger problem.
The country where you will be applying for a visa will be a factor too. The embassy in Manilla isn't very user friendly.
thanks for the warning. Hope my fluent Thai will help at the embassy.
Youi will br lucky if they even can speak Thai. Most Embassy's hire locals to do the paperwork as well as work the windows
aH then I will have to resort to Taalog - besides, my Filipina wife will be with me
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Your wife and child can follow you as dependents and might be able to get a non-O for themselves, when you recieve a non-B visa. They will get extensions of stay once you have an extension of stay based on your work. The mother in law is a bigger problem.
The country where you will be applying for a visa will be a factor too. The embassy in Manilla isn't very user friendly.
thanks for the warning. Hope my fluent Thai will help at the embassy.
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Have been away from this forum for almost 6 years but now I'm back
! I just accepted a job offer from a Thai company based in Pathaumnthani and will be moving to BKK next month with my Filipino wife, 19-month old baby and my mother-in-law.
I am looking for accommodation to rent on a long term lease and it should preferably be near to the office (located in Tivanon Road, Bangkadi, Pathumthani 12000, Thailand). I recently saw a nice townhouse for rent in Thanarin Village, Saimai-Hathairat Road, Pathumthani. Would anyone know how far away from the office is this Thanarin Village?
My new employer should be arranging for my work visa, but what type of visas should my family get? I planned to enroll my wife in a culinary course some time later, as she has interest in restaurant business and is a great cook (Filipino food). My mum-in-klaw will help to take re of the baby (very active and is bigger-sized than most 2 year old babies)
I am from Singapore but I speak Thai well and used to be able to read and type in Thai but have been out of practice since I had lived in Philippines for several years. Should be able to pick up again in a few months. So I really don;t need to live in an English speaking area. as I will be teaching Thai to my family as well.
Regards,
Thanchart
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Do you mean the lady titled "Sondhi's bimbo"?
She is cute.
Never listen though what she says.
Yes she is
And sweet and gentle too, as one would expect from a typical well-groomed thai lady. She speaks good English cos US educated (or how to be a journalist on english lang TV?). We have met for a meal and we speak in English and Thai.
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And sweet and gentle too, as one would expect from a typical well-groomed thai lady. She speaks good English cos US educated (or how to be a journalist on english lang TV?). We have met for a meal and we speak in English and Thai.
Visa Application @ Royal Thai Embassy Manila
in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Posted · Edited by thanchart
Almost done with the below Visa Applications. Only thing left is the Collection (3 working days). Visas applied for:
Applicant #1:
Nationality: Singapore (Philippines PR)
Visa: Non-Immigration O - B Visa
Cost: See Later
Applicant #2: (Wife)
Nationality: Philippines
Visa: Non-Immigration O - Dependents Visa
Cost: 2900 pesos
Applicant #3 (Baby)
Nationality: Philippines
Visa: Non-Immigration O - Dependents Visa
Cost: 2900 pesos
Below are my experiences and thoughts after going through the process at this Embassy
Trip #1 - 3 Oct
Was here to make some inquiries (extra trip - not needed). Guy who attended to me is a Thai who refused to speak Thai with me so I switch back to English. Briefly explained to me the process but have no written documentation to give me, and seem to expect me to remember or take notes (very Filipino style - save on Paper)
What he did not tell me was that application is only accepted in the morning even though I was there after lunch that day.
Trip #2 - 11 Oct
My docs arrived from Thailand and reached Philippines on Friday 7 Oct but I did not receive them till Monday 10 Oct cos Philippines Post did not have deliveries on Saturday (unlike the other forwarders).
Arrived at Embassy after lunch only to be told that applications accepted only in the mornin (9.30 to 12) and Collection in the afternoon (3-5). No one had mentioned that and was told it was written on a piece of paper (not at all prominent) om the Notice board outside. How many people would go read this small pice of paper? I did not. Had to come back again.
At least the Filipina lady who attended to my wife and I offered to check through our documents to make sure all is well. OK we will be back the next day.
Disappointment at/with BDO Bank
NICE PART about the above was that the Customer Service Manager and her staff was really professional and went out f their way to do the unorthodox, Must be the 1st time they had to do this. I went back to the bank today to tell the Bank Mgr I will bew riting a letter of commendation for the CSM and also to lodge my absolute dissatisfaction with whichever Call Center the Bank was using, Their attitude (those who talked to me at least) SUCKED BIG TIME. Cannot tell the difference between a realo emergency and normal complains and hid behind the policy manual.
Morale of the story here.
In the Philippines,
Trip #3 - 12 Oct
Arrived in the morning to file the applications.
Surprise #1
was told my application for Non O - B would be FREE (is tht the sme for otehr embassies?
My wife and son paid 2900 pesos each, The embassy had send me a list of requirements and it was 2800 pesos in that doc. Seems it went up 1st Oct and they have yet to update the docs they are sending out?
Surprise #2
After checking the copy of the NSO (National Statistics Office) Marriage certificate and my baby's NSO Birth Certificate, they retained the photocopies and returned the originals
. This is how it should be but in Philippines the other govt departments WILL retain the originals and not accept copies 
. These certs cost 140 pesos a piece and jack up yr application cost of anything you are applying for. Worse one has to spend horus making the trip and queuing up for these certs, taking many hours - even almost the whole day. To have them delivered to you by Post would be 330p and 3 working days. If u need a doc urgently and have no more NSO original copies, good luck
My conclusion is that this is a money collecting scheme by the Govt - one department collecting money for printing the cetts and other depts collect the certs so that u need to pay for more certs when u apply for something else again. I can hardly imagine the waste of resources/time the country is throwing away on a daily basis
Trip #4 (to be updated) - 14 Oct
to go back again between 3-5pm to collect passports wth visas
Observation:
There was an American asking about requirements for Non-Immigration O - B Visa. He was told he needs Police Clearance (an NBI clearance cert - think its 430+ pesos if personal appreance). He has been in Phil for 2 years. Why do I not need this clearance? Does being from Singapore make a difference? Or a PR?
Attached are requirements info and application form
visa applct form001.pdf
Visa Regulations and Requirements.pdf