ChaangNoi

I would like to take my Thai/American son to a family event in Europe. I have legal parental rights of my son given to me by a court in Thailand. My son also has valid Thai and American passports.

My son was born in Thailand and took the last name of his mother. However when I got the legal right as a parent (Mother and I were never married) we changed the name of my son to my last name.

Now I thought it would be a good idea to have the passports updated to reflect the new name. Did this for the Thai one, no problem. His Thai ID card even has his new name on it. However the American passport is not so easy. They are demanding that the mother show up in person to have the name changed. The mother is not willing to travel to have this done. The US State Department said that since the passport is still good just use the one with the incorrect name. I was shocked at this but they know more about the rules than I do.

I have already bought the airline tickets and used his current legal name that is in his Thai passport.

I'm worried about two things. If I do not get him a visa in his Thai passport will the airline let him on the plane with his incorrect name in the American passport?

Also when he leaves Europe he will leave with my Thai wife who has my last name. I will be staying longer in Europe and he will return for school. Will he get passed immigration in Europe and back on a plane to Thailand without me?

Should I do nothing, should I try to get him a visa in his Thai passport, should I just not let him go see his family leaving him alone in Thailand for 2 weeks?

Pretty upset with the US state department on this but I can't force them to correct the port.

Any help would be great.

There is a place just north of Doi Chaang about 2 block called something like "Curry Hut". They have some Indian food on Wednesdays, not bad at all.

I also highly recommend 71 C. I wish their beer selection was a bit larger but their pork ribs are great. I'm always happy for BBQ, even bad BBQ is still good.

I have heard some of the rents can be pretty high. 15,000 a month. I also heard that where Elephant bar was they are asking 25,000 a month but it is sitting empty. I do not know what they sell for but assuming a ROI in 10 years you could take a guess. 18 Million or so?

Excuse me but 18 Million would mean an ROI of 1000 years, not?

Yes it would. But this is Thailand and that is normal. At least there is a ROI. Most people lose money.

You really would have to sell an awful lot of Chang to even get near to getting that money back.

Yeah, I can not understand it as tourist numbers are way down. It has to be speculation or someone knows something that the rest of us do not.

Yeah, it is crazy anymore. Not sure why. My guess of 18 Million does not seem that far off if the asking price was 30 Million.

Chaangnoi, was that just a wild guess, or do u have relevant experience, training, and education?

It was was based on the price of rent the Thais are able to charge in the area. It is shockingly high.

Go Yankees!!!!

12-1 and 6-0 Go Royals!

I have heard some of the rents can be pretty high. 15,000 a month. I also heard that where Elephant bar was they are asking 25,000 a month but it is sitting empty. I do not know what they sell for but assuming a ROI in 10 years you could take a guess. 18 Million or so?

18 million is way too much. Only worth 2 to 3 million.

I would think so as well but try to find one in that area selling for anything close to that price.

What day of the week and what time did you visit?

it is slow season and it is hot. I personally have not gone out later than 7pm since Songrkan. Will be out and about tonight though.

What is the fine for riding a bicycle on a highway? Or is it something one just does at their own risk?

If I'm on the highway and a bicycle cuts me off getting fined 7500 Baht is going to piss me off. Pay the police and then fix my legal car... What a joke. I hope Thailand start to deport people who use highways for illegal actions. It harms everyone.

I don't know what happened on the crash/accident and I don't want to speculate. However giving a false name to a doctor or a "body snatcher" is something I might do. Who knows what they are going to bill you for.

Running away and getting a lawyer is something I might do as well. I've seen videos of Thai mob violence where someone who caused an accident was killed brutally in public and it was video taped by many. No one even tried to help. I don't want to go into too many details of the video but I very much understand why so many Thia's run when something like this happens. Staying in a locked truck until police arrive is not the safe way to do it evidently.

Somewhat related I was in a very small finder bender where it was clearly my fault. I was pulling over and was going to pay or have my insurance cover it. 5,000 Baht or less type scratch but the Thai driver just speed off, I found that odd. I would have paid for the damage. Wife said some people just don't want any trouble.

How many run aways have drugs or booze in their system, show up when clean sure as hell cuts their sentence down only if they are poor of course, hi So head for Singapore , Dubai also I hear.

It sounds like the solution to this is to have the police get to the accident before a mob can form. We both know that will not happen so the smart thing is to run away, then again I'm not suicidal.

What is the response time for an accident? I know in some areas it is nothing, they do not come. Also in other areas I have seen cops just drive by!

Know the local way of doing things to avoid death. Also don't ride bicycles on highways...

It is a bit far away from CR city so keep that in mind if you relocate. It is a bit far on a bike in the rainy season.

Why don't we set up a TV mercenary group to bring accountability to Thailand?

More mob violence is clearly the solution to solving mob violence.

While he was trying to pass another car in front of him he hit them, I thought the witness said the cyclist were all on the left hand side of the road, so did he over take the car in front of him on the inside, then hit the cyclists, you just have to love the excuses they come out with, and the reasons why they run

Witnesses are so reliable. In the other bike accident the witnesses said a guy was driving the car but the video clearly disputes this.

Also left is dependent on where the witness is standing. Left for the witness might be right for the driver.

Anyway police with video evidence or internet mob... hmm...

CNoi,

Running from an accident scene, giving false info to a medical doctor, etc you are in serious need of ethics and morality 101.....

CB

Yeah I would have agreed with you until I saw someone get violently killed by a Thai mob. The girl passenger in the car got very messed up as well (carried by men out of sight after being hit in the head many times) and she did nothing at all. Mob violence is brutal.

Even self defense here is questionable. That guy in Phuket who ran away from a fight only to get cornered and defend himself with a knife is on trial for a murder. I hope he does not get sent to jail for the next 20 years and expect he will be found not guilty but who wants to deal with that? Anyway there is no way to fight a mob...

I would absolutely run to the police and if I had time bring my lawyer. Life is too important to me and my family. Clearly the police think the same or they would have charge him for more than reckless driving.

so what should be our conclusion ?

lawless 3rd world country like in Afrika !!

No idea, just think one should be aware of what happens around them before they judge a person. Many people think that because he ran he is guilty. A few of us think he was smart because he ran and was smart enough to bring his lawyer with him to the police.

Thai people are almost always smiling and very calm, but when it gets too much... damn... Know where you are and act accordingly.

CNoi,

Running from an accident scene, giving false info to a medical doctor, etc you are in serious need of ethics and morality 101.....

CB

Yeah I would have agreed with you until I saw someone get violently killed by a Thai mob. The girl passenger in the car got very messed up as well (carried by men out of sight after being hit in the head many times) and she did nothing at all. Mob violence is brutal.

Even self defense here is questionable. That guy in Phuket who ran away from a fight only to get cornered and defend himself with a knife is on trial for a murder. I hope he does not get sent to jail for the next 20 years and expect he will be found not guilty but who wants to deal with that? Anyway there is no way to fight a mob...

I would absolutely run to the police and if I had time bring my lawyer. Life is too important to me and my family. Clearly the police think the same or they would have charge him for more than reckless driving.

I'm sorry but, is the report saying he was only identified because of the actions of a FB user?

That is what the report says. However I'm not sure if he was identified before or after he turned himself in. It is very hard to get hard facts about this and there is a lot of speculation going on. At one time people on FB were claiming the car was stolen. Seems that was wrong.

Edit: I trust the Thai police and a lawyer to do the right thing more than I trust a mob on FB. If this really was just an accident it is just sad all around for everyone. I don't know where this happened and if it is a safe area for bikes but really seeing people ride bikes on highways and mountain roads is just asking for trouble. Sooner or later....

I have no idea why you think that riding a bicycle on mountain roads is asking for trouble. What kind of trouble? Landslides? Falling trees? Avalanche?

People seem to forget that riding a motorbike in this country is far more dangerous than riding a push bike. Speed and a more exposed position on the road expose motorcyclists to the possibility of all kinds of violent impact. Give me a push bike any day.

There are no cycle accident statistics available for Thailand. However, a cyclist who commutes every day through London traffic can expect one non life threatening accident [cuts and bruises] every 10 years. [ From last weeks Guardian]

Just because a motorcycle is more dangerous than a bicycle does not mean that a bicycle is not dangerous. In the mountains cars and trucks pass blindly on corners. Even being in a decent SUV on a Montanan road in Thailand is risky.

In my mind no one should be on roads that were designed for semi trucks on a bicycle unless they are doing so for transport. Most of these people who get killed are on the bikes because of sport or exercise. Honestly if one is on the highway on a bike and not going to school, work or the market I think they should be fined heavily.

I'm sure my views are going to upset a lot of people but really I do not care.

I'm sorry but, is the report saying he was only identified because of the actions of a FB user?

That is what the report says. However I'm not sure if he was identified before or after he turned himself in. It is very hard to get hard facts about this and there is a lot of speculation going on. At one time people on FB were claiming the car was stolen. Seems that was wrong.

Edit: I trust the Thai police and a lawyer to do the right thing more than I trust a mob on FB. If this really was just an accident it is just sad all around for everyone. I don't know where this happened and if it is a safe area for bikes but really seeing people ride bikes on highways and mountain roads is just asking for trouble. Sooner or later....

You trust the thai police?? LOL

I trust them to do the right thing more so than an internet mob. I would never claim to "trust police".

But on the other hand notice that not one bike in picture has headlight or reflector on them. But they got cell phone and tablets though.

The black shirts and shorts I'm sure are easy to spot.

I'm sorry but, is the report saying he was only identified because of the actions of a FB user?

That is what the report says. However I'm not sure if he was identified before or after he turned himself in. It is very hard to get hard facts about this and there is a lot of speculation going on. At one time people on FB were claiming the car was stolen. Seems that was wrong.

Edit: I trust the Thai police and a lawyer to do the right thing more than I trust a mob on FB. If this really was just an accident it is just sad all around for everyone. I don't know where this happened and if it is a safe area for bikes but really seeing people ride bikes on highways and mountain roads is just asking for trouble. Sooner or later....

If you are able to have them charged with fraud or trickery in a criminal court first that will put a huge amount of pressure on them to pay up or go to jail. However this will not work in many cases. If you can get a lawyer to take the case, just having the court documents being sent to the guy might help. They might find it better to pay the debt and be done with it rather than pay a lawyer and roll the dice.

I don't know what happened on the crash/accident and I don't want to speculate. However giving a false name to a doctor or a "body snatcher" is something I might do. Who knows what they are going to bill you for.

Running away and getting a lawyer is something I might do as well. I've seen videos of Thai mob violence where someone who caused an accident was killed brutally in public and it was video taped by many. No one even tried to help. I don't want to go into too many details of the video but I very much understand why so many Thia's run when something like this happens. Staying in a locked truck until police arrive is not the safe way to do it evidently.

Somewhat related I was in a very small finder bender where it was clearly my fault. I was pulling over and was going to pay or have my insurance cover it. 5,000 Baht or less type scratch but the Thai driver just speed off, I found that odd. I would have paid for the damage. Wife said some people just don't want any trouble.

We are more likely to have an earth quake than a flood. I live no where near the gulf and our elevation is about 1000 feet. To get a flood in this area, as it was built up we would really need Noah type stuff going on. Doubt that will happen. Only thing I'm going to have to worry about is the heavy raining that we get some times.

I now know enough to be able to look into it, I'll see if there is any one who can do it and see what they say after looking at the site.

Also we want to add onto a two story house. We could go up to three on the new part, but it would look really silly with the rest of the house being two. I think it is going to be down or not at all.

Thx

or pay a decent wage and get a Thai person?

Thanks for the very helpful suggestion.