GoNavy

Couldn't they have included some outdoor space behind that barb wire?  Looked like a nice patio.  

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21 hours ago, Chris.B said:

Why didn't he marry his girlfriend/partner in June when he had the chance? He could have been back now. 

REALLY!!!  Don't you have the wisdom of looking into the future!  Here I am living with my 'partner' and want to go on vacation.....But oh, we should get married in the event we are not allowed to return.  There is no one on this planet would have thought this pandemic would have stopped world travel as it has.

What are you saying, get married in June?  Last year?  This year which is the beginning he was in the UK in March.  Either way, your response is a deflection.  It is the fairness or equality of honoring valid visas etc.  But this is Thailand and being supper protective.

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I've been looking at Mexico.  I've always wanted to go and after spending 15 years in Thailand, maybe now is the perfect time to try somewhere else. 

 

Maybe they will treat us better too...

I lived in Acapulco during winters for about 10 years changing to Thailand in 2006.  Good thing as the drug cartels moved in and violence increased significantly.  Larger cities, Mexico City, Taxco, Cancun, Cozumel, Cabo San Lucas & Puerto Vallarta English is spoken.   

Phuket to “gain feedback” from local residents about the ‘Phuket Model’ for allowing long-stay tourists to visit Phuket for holidays.

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Am I daft or what? Or them? Aside from other issues,,,,are they actually saying long stay 'tourists'  aka retired, married, living here are more apt to get and spread Covid than the native Thai?

This all so very convoluted. First, if one is too sick to fly how are they going to haul themselves to immigration every 30 day?  Why such emphasis on checking in so frequently.  Similar to a helicopter parent.

Then, secondly it is the Thai government itself who have put such restriction on entering and leaving there are none to damn few flights out.  Then the expats who are here have family, marriages various obligations that once out may not be able to reenter.  my understanding that now flights are closed until December to next year.  Talk about a Catch 22.

But for the grace of God go I.........

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Busted pelvis,right side, shattered wrist, internal bleeding, broken fingers on both hands, dislocated right shoulder, exploded left testical, broken left foot. 1 million thb and my expat club insurance paid 220k.. oh I know why; i live here, married and have a thai family to look after..and i wore a crash helmet.. so be it.  :0) 

I understand the belief of the sun & wind blowing on your face and the feel of your hair [if you have any] flowing due to no helmet.  I having worked in O.R's in my career you would have a change of heart.  I myself when in Pattaya riding a 125 bike took a curve too fast slipped on a curve, took a dive over the handlebars and went like a rocket headfirst into the pavement.  I distinctly remember the second waiting for the hit.  I remember the feel of the top of my head slam against the top of my helmet.  I stood, feeling dazed seeing blood running down my knee not feeling pain.  I was so grateful.  Wearing a decent helmet is the best method to spend your.  Like insurance, you may hate the cost but if you need it you are damn happy to have it.

He writes above he 'wore a helmet.'  If so lucky he is.  Even seatbelts don't guarantee survival but does improve the odds.

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Non-Thais in need of medical treatment in Thailand, except for treatment of Covid-19, including people accompanying them (not exceeding three persons). These tourists are only allowed to arrive by air.

1. Evidence showing financial ability to bear medical expenses or equivalent documents

2. Health insurance or other forms of insurance

3. Letter from referring hospital in the country of origin stating reasons for medical treatment in Thailand

4. Letter from the receiving hospital in Thailand accepting the applicant for treatment and confirmation of quarantine arrangements 

 

Most medical are voluntary cosmetic IMO.  So how would one get #3 from above?  Search for one refusing just for a letter.  Most IMO would do you if wanting it.  

Also,  did I miss those with a "retirement" [non-immigrant] visa.  Are they allowed realizing quarantine is still mandatory.

I just checked the immigration link in the article.  I did get the main page but clicking the shortcut for the TM30  https://extranet.immigration.go.th/fn24online/ I get a dead end.  Same problem, different day.

This my 13th year here.  I lived in the city of Pattaya for 10 years and enjoyed its fruits for a spell.  Made some farang & Thai friends.  Later tired of the beach with  vendors then farang friends moved or changed.  I did not want to have a liquid breakfast and accepted that I had been there done that.  Traveled to Cambodia and northern Viet Nam.  My roots are rural so met a nice Thai and moved to Isan and live in a small village building my own castle Thai style..  

I fly back to the states once a year for a couple of months and then ready to return.  Flying is not fun but go business class and that helps.  I make it an adventure and enjoy the folks along the way,  Have been told  aging is NOT for pussies and I learn about that every day.  Life is what we make of it and if we don't like it, change something.  Attitude?

It seems that in many cultures dealing with ones 'plumbing' needs is such a sensitive and embarrassing moment.  As if people with stature don't do such basic things.  Also it has to do with ones sex and OMG that is such a personal thing don't ya know.  

Yet we all know that each of us have to perform these events out of 'nature's call.'  IMO it is worse of human nature to act as if it doesn't exist........aka  smelly, dirty public toilets then seeing someone relieving themselves in a sanitary as fresh as can be spot.  Even in the military cleaning the latrines is considered worse than KP duty.  When I was in Paris in 1973 I walked into the men's room in the train station in Paris and there was a line-up of 2 tables with ladies receiving money in direct linear vision of all the guys at the urinal.  I was surprised and just leaned in further while urinating and smiled.  I haven't seen the stand-up urinal on a street as a previous poster supplied but have seen these fancy total service units on sidewalks that are automated with self wash down after each use.  Certainly much better than the public running from store to store or searching for a public one............or go in a bush or against a wall.  That is civilization at its best IMO.  

When I got my OA visa and needed a criminal report I went to the city. I had not lived in the city, just worked in it. They gave me a clear report in that there was noting I had done there. So, if you are concerned, just go to a town you hadn't lived and get a report. The embassy just wants a report.

Your obviously not from the UK.

I would bet Thailand is interested only in felonies including sex crimes. Disorderly conduct etc would take away a great number of their tourists.

When I got my OA visa and needed a criminal report I went to the city. I had not lived in the city, just worked in it. They gave me a clear report in that there was noting I had done there. So, if you are concerned, just go to a town you hadn't lived and get a report. The embassy just wants a report.

The town where i grew up in Sweden is a tourist town (in the summer) with lots of beaches. There is a law in Sweden that gives everyone right to go anywhere in nature, even if it is private property. The beaches are always full in summer and in the evening the beaches are clean and pristine after everyone has gone, no littering not because someone enforces no littering laws but because it's just the natural thing to do, keep clean around yourself and the environment.

I often visit a military beach here in Thailand, it is very well managed with natural shade by trees. White clean sand and clear water you can see the bottom even at 2 -3 meters depth. There are chairs for rental (30 baht, you get 10 baht back when returning the chair), mats for rental, you can bring your own umbrella if you want, there are several restaurants and food stalls near the beach, you can buy beer and drink on the beach. They have sea canoes for rental, there are no jet-skies, no boats. A very pleasant beach. Managed by the military. How difficult can it be to manage other beaches for example in Phuket in the same way???? It is not rocket science after all....

Plant some palm trees for shade, set up some food stalls by the beach where people can go and choose by themselves what and when to eat, set up a beach chair and rental stall, fence the whole beach with only one entrance and voila no beach vendors harassing the visitors....

Have a clean up crew that cleans the beach every evening. they can probably even charge a small entrance fee for keeping the beach clean.

​Absolutely a good idea. I am baffled as to why this whole business came to pass. I have been to Phukett a few years back and did not see a problem. My usual hangout when I go is Dongtan Beach in Jomtien. I do not see a problem with the umbrellas and chairs. There are beach volleyball areas further down and open areas. Strollers walk along the waterline. Sometimes the chairs are a bit close but that is an easy fix. The areas were rented out to Thai's who made a living. They made arrangements with restaurants across the road to provide lunches and the venders have drinks. I am there at sunset and each section gather the umbrellas and chairs/lounge chairs, stack them and rake the sand. I don't see liter around.

Elderly and out of shape folks don't want to lay flat on the sand, mat or not. Many are white and want to spend time enjoying the sand/beach/ambiance without fear of burning. Even the young want to relax off the sand. There are laws, obey them crowd are those who stirred the pot on this issue and have caused alot of stink and unhappiness. Whatever corruption that was going on I seriously doubt was due to chairs and umbrellas. The Thai's can make contract for families etc. to have a certain area and make a living. Anyone can sit there. IMO there is not a problem made where there was very little before. Want a natural place to sit on the beach.......go to the jungle. You can probably run naked.

Hopefully with government intervention through offices such as this, it will bring more attention onto the issue. i suggest that one of the reasons gay people have been ostersized outside of religion is that no one brings it up as an issue. Even with religion....aka Roman Catholic Church, nations are giving legality to same sex marriages. Europe and Scandanavia seemed to start the movement. Now it is in South America, Mexico and even the puritancial United States. Perhaps with England putting empahsis it will creep into Africa and do we hope, but the middle east. We can hope.

IMO, many of the great 'gay themed' television series end up too short. Noah's Arc ended with the movie 'Jumping the Broom.' Queer As Folk had a good run that could have run longer IMO, but did get criticism even from the gay community. "Tale of the Cities" was an excellant and well written series by Armistead Maupin. The Front Runner is a wonderful book about a young runner and his coach in a love affair. That was in the works to be made into a movie with Paul Neuman starring but it fizzled due to lack of support.

Wouldn't it be great if some multi-wealthy gay person would invest in a production company to make and produce more of stories such as those?

Indeed a tragic event for Matthew and those who loved Nazim. These type of stories continue within our community. Nazim, the gentle soul he was just was not armed with the strength to fight the inner turmoil brought about in the rejection from his family at that time. For many of us, coming out is a roller coaster ride of which in time comes to a plateau. Even today in the United States with the immigration of folks from these cultures perform 'honor killings' to protect their family name or reputaton from their belief of disgrace. Changing that is one of our largest hoops to jump.

This mimics the story of Shane and Tom in America. Tom falls to his death by accident and his family rejects and forbids Shane to even be present at his funeral, denying their gay son. Shane in his grief tells their story openly and ended up making a movie of their relationship and his rejection called "Bridegroom." As Matthew stated in the interview, the best thing is to 'talk about it." http://bridegroommovie.com/

You can do the 90 day report by registered mail if you still have 2 weeks before the deadline.

Or you can try the online report that should be working by now : http://extranet.immigration.go.th/pibics/online/tm47/TM47Action.do

Good luck

What's with that link? It doesn't work in chrome or firefox browsers. It says it only works in explorer. Go to that and it says it can't find the page. Anyone having those issues?

http://www.unflags.com/thailand.html

http://www.united-states-flag.com/lowcoimusfl.html

This article comes up in google.com Just sayin.

I rest my case.

Oh, please..........you haven't rested anything. Now, go rest your mind. Geez!

If you have to ask - then you do not want to know.

You write like a woman. 'If you don't know how I feel then I won't tell you!' IF you want a serious discussion.......then make your point with clarity. If you re-read my reply.............I wasn't asking.....I said I knew.........what is your point that Scandinavia had country wide legal child pornography. That Scandinavians are inherently pedophiles?