SS1

Meth is a nasty drug that no one should be using, but this is good news and going in the right direction. Hope they will move towards a harm-reduction approach with other drugs as well, instead of focusing on just punishing drug users under draconian laws. It's amazing what they are doing now in some European countries, like having mobile drug testing labs at festivals where they test drugs for purity and advise users how to minimize risks with them.

It's unbelievable that some whiners can still find something to moan about when the government is doing something positive for once. Bars and nightclubs should be allowed to open as late as they wish, as long as they're not bothering residents. If you don't like partying till late, then don't. Why ruin the fun for those who do? It's exactly the same for the brainless cannabis argument. If you don't like it, don't use it. Don't ruin the fun for others. What should be heavily controlled instead, is any establishments making noise in residential areas. Let the bar owners build some proper soundproof underground nightclubs so people can have fun without disturbing others' sleep. I personally don't drink and usually go to bed at 10 pm. If I had some noisy bars around blasting music till midnight, I'd be very pissed off. Changing the hours from 2 am to 4 am makes zero difference except for those who enjoy a good night out. Also helps a tiny bit in reducing corruption as it's not like most places were adhering to the rules in the first place.

I'm looking to find reasonably-priced decaf coffee beans in Thailand. I have been drinking coffee every day since I was a kid and would like to give quitting caffeine a try for the first time in over 15 years. This would be mainly for health reasons, as I'm very curious to know what difference it makes long term for sleep quality, productivity and average energy levels throughout the day. Old habits and routines are always hard to get rid of, and I'd still very much like to enjoy the taste my freshly ground coffee every morning if giving it a try. Decaf beans would make it very easy to slowly taper off caffeine as well, as I could mix them 1/2, 1/4 and so on, until removing the regular ones completely. Are there any places that sell reasonably-priced decaf coffee beans in Thailand, that have a good flavour as well? I'm currently paying 650 baht per kilo for some very good local beans.

Seems most people are unaware of the amendments to the work permit law that were made in 2018. If you are doing work without a wage, it's no longer considered work! You do not need a work permit for unpaid volounteering, internships etc. as you did in the past. However, there are two things to consider: I wouldn't be surprised if the local officials are also unaware of this law change so enforcement may vary as usual. Secondly, working for free for the wife's business could possibly be considered work for financial gain due to the fact that you are married (income and expenses shared?), but no idea about the latter. "Since March 2018, there have been the new amendments to the work permit law, the Administration of Foreign Workers Emergency Decree, B.E. 2560 (2017) (the “Emergency Decree”). But many in foreign communities have not been well aware of or clearly understood this new development even two years have passed. ... Second, in order to be deemed “work” under the new definition, a foreigner must do it as an occupation to earn a wage. This is the good news for many foreigners. If any foreigner does any work not as an occupation for no wage (i.e. working as volunteer for the benefit of general public), the foreigner’s activity shall not be deemed the “work” under the Emergency Decree No. 2." Source: https://www.naritlaw.com/Resources/Thailands New Work Permit Law_NARITLAW.pdf (+ I attended a seminar with the director of the foreign division of the labour dept. where this was confirmed).

Thanks for the replies so far - not everyone attends this forum daily here. I described the situation as clearly as I could. If any key details are missing, let me know. I guess contacting the labour office is our best bet. I was just looking to see if anyone had experiences with something similar before. I know the labour law changed in 2018, but none of those changes seem to address this issue specifically.

A foreign national recently resigned from a private Thai company to work for an NGO and obtained a Non-Immigrant "F" Visa to work for the said organization. However, he would still like to continue working part-time for this private Thai company for some IT-consulting work on an hourly basis. What would be the legality of such arrangement? From a quick research, this visa is for "working with the government, diplomatic mission or an international organisation in Thailand (immediate family included)." As far as I know, it's not possible to obtain an additional work permit on this type of visa.

I didn't realize, opened the link from the email news digest. But my recommendation in general is checking the key shops of shopping malls.

I've always wondered why do restaurants and bars let these people into their establishments. Some kind of buddhist compassion thing possibly?

Megabagna shopping mall, somewhere near an escalator.

The locksmiths at malls can usually copy them. I got some made as the condo office had a maximum amount they give per tenant and I needed more. I had no luck with the Lazada device. The locksmith said the card was a special one (more difficult to copy) and it cost 300 baht even there.

Good advertisement for the TAT. So now they don't only rape your wallet with the farang rip of fees, but they'll also rape you. Hope she is OK.

Exactly.. the story doesn't tell the whole story. Sometimes you've gotta be the one handing punishments here to these ****head drivers since the police won't do anything.

The main problem is if the insurance company doesn't clearly define the hazardous activities that are not covered and use vague wording in their policy. This essentially gives them the power to reject much any claim if they deem your sports activity / transport hazardous. With Luma Health I use for global IDP insurance, they actually gave a very clear definition including a list of the sports and circumstances that are not covered.

I have the opposite experience in Bangkok and think motorbike taxis are the absolute worst of the worst. They ride however they want like they own their intersections and cut through red lights from every possible angle. The delivery riders are bad too, but at least they usually stop and apologize if I'm blaring my twin PIAA horns while about to hit them.

Maybe they should stop selling weed between 14:00-17:00 and the problem would be solved.

There are hundreds of second hand part sellers in Bangkok alone specializing in BMW parts. I recommend searching for a FB group " *your car model* Thailand" and posting there. I personally bought a whole M sport steering wheel from Chiang Khong Bagna (the junk yard). Example of such shop here: https://www.facebook.com/San6161

I believe that statement is incorrect. There is nothing illegal about using AirBnB as a platform itself. It's just illegal for individual room owners to rent for less than 30 days at a time without a hotel license. An actual hotel using AirBnB to rent rooms would be legal, as well as private condo owners renting for more than 30 days at a time.