JohnnyJazz

The big talk at my shooting range this morning was the suicide of the Korean guy in Phuket. Everybody was looking at the video and asking the same question : why foreigners come to Thailand to commit suicide. It seems that every year at about the same time (March) a foreigner kill himself at a shooting range in Thailand. Don't be surprised to be turn down when you try to join your local shooting range, foreigners have the reputation to be dangerous lunatics who shouldn't be allowed to come close to a gun.

Paris is great place if money is no problem for you, a lots of things to do, a lot of places to go. Night life is very international, a lot of tourists and expat so finding people who speak English won't be a problem.

There are nonetheless a major issues, the weather is really bad, grey and cold, most of the year.

^ Sorry I don't know  about any course in Bangkok. I just know the Thai friend I go shooting with at our local army range is going to compete there, that's how I know about the event. One day there was nobody at the range he set up some obstacles for me to run around, it was quite fun. He jokingly asked me if I wanted to compete too. The problem is in Thailand it's quite an expensive hobby. Anyway I will ask him next time I see him and let you know.

On 2/21/2017 at 8:53 PM, Arkady said:

Re airguns I discovered this thread in Thai by accident about importing them for yourself.  http://www.gunsandgames.com/smf/index.php?topic=82681.0  It seems that in 1992 personal imports of guns and ammunition were banned for the first time and buyers were obliged to get gun shops to place orders for them which would count against the gun shops' quotas, as mentioned above.  However, exceptions were made for guns classified as sporting guns and air guns with air guns subject to the most relaxed import restrictions. However, it is still necessary to obtain a Por 3 approval for that model and approval from the Customs Dept before an import licence can be issued.  I have no idea if these licences are currently being issued to individuals or what additional costs would be involved apart from 30% (I think) import duty and 7% VAT added to the landed cost.  But some people have clearly done this in recent years.  As with all gun permits, I would guess the chance of doing this would be greatest for Bangkok residents.  I can't imagine a district officer in boonies doing anything other than flatly denying this is possble.  If anyone is interested, and have a Bangkok tabien baan, they should call or visit the Ministry of Interior's Department of Provincial Administration Firearms Licensing Centre at the Wang Chaiya office opposite the Turf Club.  They are very helpful.

What do you mean by "sporting gun" ?  Like for IPSC  ?

http://www.ipscthailand.com/forum/index.php?topic=2031.0

The different courses are at the bottom of the page. I tried a couple of them, a lot of fun :-)

My main concern is will they go after the torrent sites ? They only hurt marginally the local economy but I'm afraid there could be an international pressure to block them.

^ Thanks

^ Where are the channel 7 studios ? I've nothing to do tomorrow morning, the wife won't be here so I may as well go have a look.

On 2/7/2017 at 8:48 PM, maxcorrigan said:

Thanks, i am going through the "pink i/d process" at the moment after having obtained a yellow book which has taken about 6 wks, pick up friday 10th Feb.,this is in Sattahip, then all out for the pinky!

Six weeks ? And I was complaining that I had to wait for two hours because they insisted to take a lunch break !!!

^

The id card or passport is to confirm your identity, who you are.

The yellow book is a proof of residence, to confirm where you live. In Thailand the land transport department usually ask for a  certificate of residence as most foreigners don't have this yellow book. In other countries the administration generally asks for a recent utility invoice at your name.

These are two different matters
 

15 minutes ago, joepattaya1961 said:

Slightly off topic, but serving food in the correct order is a common issue in Thai restaurants.

Orders are being prepared and first cooked is first served. 

Pretty usual that dessert comes first and soup last and yes....a deep fried seabrass will arrive after you're about to 'check bill'. 

 

And this can happen in upscale Thai resaurants as well.....once I ordered springrolls as an appetizer (I found them in the appetizer section of the menu).....guess what?

It's an issue for foreigners not for Thais.

I remember watching an interview of  british restaurant owner who met instant fame with chinese tourists when his pub was listed on a famous Chinese tourist guide. He said the major change he had to adapt with was to serve all the dishes (entree/main/desert) at the same time because that's what his new found customers expected.

I just want to mention a small incident at the transport department. I tried to use the pink id card to apply for a driving license. The first officer refused it and insist to see my passport that I didn't take that day because I thought the id card would be enough. I thought the officer was just a trouble maker but I didn't have choice than go back home and come back the next day with my passport.

The officer I met the next day actually confirm that what the first officer said was right. The pink id card is issued to people who don't qualify for the Thai id card, including stateless minorities, so it is a bit of a mess. Therefore to make things clear and easy when dealing with the administration you always need to show your passport with current visa.

On the other hand they were happy to accept my yellow book instead of the usually required residence certificate.

1 hour ago, lopas said:

This guy worked on street in 2012 with his wife.....How  does he do to work on the street and now serve clients in a restaurant.

 

See video

 

 

Maybe they made enough money to buy a restaurant where  he can now be seen serving customers

It would make sense, wouldn't it ?

On 1/4/2017 at 11:08 PM, ocddave said:

 

My Yellow Book was approved today, so I should be picking it up next week along with applying for my Pink Card at the same office, I think they said they can only process it after I receive the yellow book. This is at the Pak Kret office, will let you know how that goes, but they've been pretty helpful and jovial, at least with my wife along.

Did everything the same day at Laksi office, they printed the yellow book right away after it was approved. Same for the id card.

I'm not sure it has been mentioned before but it's mandatory to have  a Thai speaking person with you as all the documents are in Thai and should be filled in Thai. Even your name and parent names are to be translated in Thai.  A funny thing is my foreigner id card is all in Thai while my Thai wife id card is bilingual, her name and other details are spelled in both thai and english. Weird !

Last thing, for the yellow book we were asked to bring along a witness to confirm that I live at the address mentioned in the book.

1 hour ago, Arkady said:

I am not sure if the Thai Skeet and Trap Association at Hua Mark is government but they do accept foreign members at a higher price.

I haven't practice for more than 30 years, since I was working at my uncle farm. That's something I really want to do again but then I'll need to sort out my priorities because my bucket list is getting really crowded ;-).

Do you still have the address of the supplier ?

I found this old thread that is now closed and that's exactly what i'm looking for

I guess this is your room ?

We're looking for a good quality rubber gym mat 3 x 5 m but a roll, tiles are too expensive and don't last very long.

An address in Bangkok area would be very much appreciated.

7 hours ago, Arkady said:

I visited the Air Force 25m handgun range at Don Muang today for the first time. Small but quite nice with the emphasis on rules and safety.  It is the only Thai range I have seen with steel partitions separating shooting stations and they specifically ask if you want/need instruction.  Lead nosed Bullet Master ammo is for sale at reasonable prices.  I noticed that they accept foreigners for B200 a day, vs B100 for Thais.  Annual membership is B500 a year but I think this may only be for Thais, as I didn't see any rate for foreigners or anything in English about membership but at least they officially welcome foreigners on a day basis.  Guns are available for rental for B300.  I was taking Mrs Arkady to apply for a basic shooting course there.  She can already shoot quite well but could use some instruction and I particularly want her to formally learn gun safety.  Of course, I will have to attend the course with her or she would not agree to go and I am sure I will learn from it too.  It costs B1,800 for a full day course including a year's membership, free rental of a 9mm pistol, 30 rounds, lunch and a diploma you can use for applying for a Por 3 for anything bigger than 9mm or .38. Most ranges just take money to issue these certificates without requiring attendance at the course but the Air Force is scrupulous in refusing to do this.

I practice at a nearby army range that offers similar condition. As a regular I pay the ThB 100 fees, bullets at the price mentioned earlier (ThB 750 / box of 50). When I asked about yearly membership, they start asking for id card then work permit. But they clearly look reluctant about admitting a foreigner so they advised me to ask a Thai friend or my wife to apply then come with him/her, which is clearly not very convenient. I'm now in the process of applying for a Thai id card, then I will try again.

Cool outfit but unfortunately I don't think you can do that in Thailand, at least never seen in my local shooting range

4 hours ago, Arkady said:

 

 Thais buy these high end handguns to compete in IPSC or bullseye type competitions which are popular here.

If you train regularly that the best thing to do otherwise it becomes quickly boring.

3 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

The device is called a tachograph and has been a legal requirement for all public transit and commercial vehicles in Europe and probably the US since the 1980s.

 

Now, these things are not cheap, who is going to pay?

 

Who is going to enforce?

 

Are the penalties going to be sensible?

 

I am not holding my breath

 

Since that time oldtimer we have invented the GPS ;-) .  And as most recent cars have one, I don't think to download and install the relevant software will be too expensive

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

 

Agreed, but as has been noted in other threads when do you actually see a traffic car patrolling looking for moving traffic offences? They are much more interested in the easy targets of expired tax, no helmets, obvious overloading which they can net at checkpoints.

 

Then I've to conclude that all TV members are respectful drivers who never exceed the speed limit. I've personally received a couple of official letters with a nice picture of my car and its license plate together with the record of the speed I was driving at at the moment the shot was taken. Printed below was  an invitation to pay a THB 800.00 fine at the nearest police station. The last time it was on the way to Ranong, unfortunately I spotted too late the cop with his speed gun who was hiding on the side of the road.

I was looking for a club in Bangkok and was advised this one. Unfortunately it seems it just closed down.

I copy here the description because it summarizes quite well what I'm looking for. http://muaythaicampsthailand.com/fighting-spirit-gym/

Fighting Spirit is a gym targeted for foreigners (with Thai trainers of course) that offers a laid back, affordable and conveniently located training option. In my experience, all of the trainers here are excellent pad holders so you’re pretty much guaranteed to have a good session each time you go.

At just 4000-6000 baht per month for training (depending if you want to train once or twice per day), Fighting Spirit offers an excellent value. Adding to that, they also have a fully equipped weight training area on site as well, which is accessible for an additional fee.

As mentioned above, the training at Fighting Spirit is laid back. You can arrive anytime between the operating hours and from there, you will skip and do some bag work to warm up. Once you’ve done that, a trainer will call you over and you’ll get a full 5 rounds on the pads (4 minute rounds with a 1 minute rest period).

Once you’re done on the pads, it’s free much up to you from there. If you want to do some clinching or sparring, you can just ask some of the other guys training if they’d be up for it.

I do not intend to become a professional fighter but like to do things the right way. I've bad experiences with trainers in regular gyms so I'm looking for  "real" muay thai club.

Thanks in advance