graham66

54 minutes ago, mokwit said:

Where were you able to download it from?

https://apkcombo.com/section38/th.go.immigration.section38/

The TM.30 app appears to be working and I just completed mine as arrived yesterday.  One thing puzzled me, however, and that concerns choosing a 'visa type'.  There is nothing as simple as "NON-O", which is what I have (with retirement extn).  There is a NON-O(LA), however when searching for that on Google it appears to be something for immigrant labour, but I might be wrong.

Eventually I just opted for "NON-IMMIGRANT-90" and it seemed to work, however I'm not convinced that's correct.

Any advice?  Thanks for taking time. 

I see that it has got 1 lifeboat, though.  Par for the course given events of a few months ago. 

Good luck to all 196 crew scrabbling to get in that (plus no doubt countless others if it is ever used as a landing craft).

I am sure that this stuff provides solace to some who have failing health, however the certain truth is that it is quickly becoming abused.  Up in Buriram almost every dwelling has a few plants growing outside.  The kids arrive at school stoned (to quote a teacher friend of my wife).  I mean, hardly surprising is it, given the meaningless of life for so many in this Land.

March 2023:  Anyone noticed that Samui Immigration have slipped in an additional comment on the 'Document Required' form?  In item 6 which requests a copy of a bank book and statement, added is now the condition "must be done on the same day of application at the immigration" . 

So, if taken at face value (and why not since they have taken the trouble to specifically add it, I checked the same form form last year which did not say that) one now has to join a queue at the bank and then later the same day join a queue at Immigration.

We have enjoyed / endured the Great Firewall for many years here in China. What it's all about goes without saying, and from an objective viewpoint it is very 'successful' insofar as information is regulated, and people foolish enough to spread 'rumours' etc. are swiftly tracked down and brought to book.

However, it is not without considerable cost, not the least of which is a reported 55,000 people employed operating the system - their main job being to keep the internet moving despite the sieving of information. Computers scan the data, but people have to evaluate all the items thrown up (on which note, "hello Mr. Chan or whoever, yes, it's me again, but I'm harmless and just trying to help our new Thai friends"). Will Thailand have a (proportionately) large number of tech-savvy people available? If so, it's a good job-creation scheme, at least. If not, the internet will seize up!

One should realise that when the Chinese go on holiday, they don't really want to leave China behind. So, just as many Brits in the 70's and 80's packed tins of baked beans when going to Spain for a fortnight in the sun, and once there sought out the nearest 'chippy' and 'Lord Nelson' pub, now Chinese going to Thailand are happy enough to find minimal pollution (outside of Bangkok), but have no desire to eat som-tum or spend time sitting in bars that largely cater to laowais (the Chinese equivalent of 'farangs').

Some Chinese friends who recently visited Phuket said that they enjoyed the weather, but that all the souvenirs were made in China and 3x the price they could buy the same thing for at home. Their major gripe was the lack of any good Chinese restaurants - so expect to see those springing up soon in place of the farang-centric bars, etc. that were largely empty anyway, last time I visited.

"It's life, Somchai, but not as we know it"

Having purchased a new apartment in Bangkok and fitted it out with utilities I am now thinking of renting it out. I contacted 2 rental agents who both asked for "One month's rent" as their fee - before we even discussed what the rent might be. Does anyone have experience as to whether this is a widespread practice, or should I shop around - and if the latter does anyone have a good experience of a rental agent and can recommend them?

<He said the government was acting as a referee or an organiser of the process, and was not a player.>

This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.

(Plato, c.370BC)

Funnily enough, this quotation is often used in relation to Mao. ... and I suppose before him for Stalin, Hitler, Napoleon ... each, I'm sure claimed that they were pressed into the service of the people to save / protect them. There must be an example of a similar situation that didn't go awry, ... but I can't readily think of one.

In better understanding this article, it may be helpful to know something of the rhetoric used here in The Middle Kingdom concerning crime and punishment. Basically, punishment is rather elastic but you can assess the attitude of the authorities and the level of punishment about to be meted out according to one of three levels of qualification:

1) Punished according to the law - whatever the going tariff is according to the statutes, with some regard to the circumstances of the crime

2) Punished severely - no leniency in sentencing, little chance of parole

3) Punished harshly - throw the book and add some, then some more for good measure and make it all very public; usually reserved for crimes that give rise to public anger and those that directly and violently challenge the State

These cults (and who they choose to brand with that title is anyone's guess), are in for a hammering.

A dog ran out in front of me 10+ years ago, and it was a big one ... I managed to scrub off speed but it froze and I hit it mid-rift - I went over the bars and landed on my head - helmet was totaled - I am still here.  Here in Thailand there are many obstacles that can unpredictably appear - take no chances, please.

Hi, I think I know the answer to this question, but as it is going to be my first 90-day report I'd like to be 100% sure, so bear with a 'newbie' -

The date stamped on the ticket in my passport says I need to report by 06 August - that was 90 days after I received the visa extension. However, last month I went to Singapore for several days and re-entered (using the multiple re-entry stamp) on 29 June.

So, do I still need to report on 06 August, or can I wait until 90 days from 29 June?

90 days from 29th June. From 14 days before due date to 7 days after.

OK, thanks very much; that's what I came to think today although the 'information' given at Immigration when I obtained the original extension didn't cover that 'get-out' from reporting. So, as I am almost always never staying here for 90 days (mainly living in China) I probably won't have to attend Immigration until the 1-year renewal of the visa exemption, right?

Hi, I think I know the answer to this question, but as it is going to be my first 90-day report I'd like to be 100% sure, so bear with a 'newbie' -

The date stamped on the ticket in my passport says I need to report by 06 August - that was 90 days after I received the visa extension. However, last month I went to Singapore for several days and re-entered (using the multiple re-entry stamp) on 29 June.

So, do I still need to report on 06 August, or can I wait until 90 days from 29 June?

This off today's UK Gov.UK:

Before travelling to Thailand check with your insurance provider that they will continue to cover for claims arising from the current situation. Some travel insurance policies exclude cover following a military coup or the imposition of martial law, and your insurance may be invalid.

Any hard-working family with limited resources to spend on a foreign holiday this year (I exclude *ankers whose bonuses have rebounded nicely) will surely place LOS in the same bracket as Egypt, Libya & Iraq as sun-drenched places to 'give a miss' for the foreseeable future. Here in Shanghai, where until recently Thailand was a 4* place to decamp to away from the repression & pollution, people will laugh in your face if you speak of a 'holiday in Thailand'. The 'in-place' is once again Singapore - only just a bit more expensive than home and not a tank to be seen on the streets!

Two PDRC leaders give interview which I find very interesting to say the least. I sure hope the election goes well.

http://www.vice.com/vice-news/driving-ferraris-with-thai-royalists

Quote: "It takes a lot of guts for you not to get a red Ferrari". No seat belts either, so it is a toss up whether they get their faces splattered when driving at 200 kph on Sukhumvit, or when they are first against the wall.

Show them this video:

Easy as it is to get stuck in the rut of polarised thinking, whether local or farang, it is sobering to see how 'The World' views recent goings on:

Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.co...0MDAwODEwNDgyWj

The Economist: http://www.economist...des-it-may-well

Moved to 'Thailand News'

As with many Asians, there is a pronunciation problem in Thailand with the letters 'L' and 'R' often being mixed up. This, however, is the first time I have seen it transformed to the written word. Sorry if this is old hat, but I just saw this picture.

Just for discussions sake,could you just go to no mans land and come back.Stamped out of Thailand but not into another country,then stamped back into Thailand.Just wondering.

No!

Entry + Exit stamps from the other country are required before Thai immigration will permit entry.

Not so fast ... the UK does not stamp my passport on arrival nor departure, and whilst it's hardly possible to get there & back within 48 hours there might be other countries with the same attitude. For the purposes of this exercise I suppose the UK could rightly be described as 'no man's land' nowadays

The discussion was about land borders and "no man land" NOT what happens at airports!

Well, as I started the discussion and made specific reference to flying to / from Singapore, I think it's open to interpretation and I am happy to see land, air and sea borders discussed. If you want to limit this to land borders maybe you could start your own discussion.