plachon

Interesting that there's still confusion over what exactly a non-imm "o" does and doesn't allow to the holder, one inside LOS......

Just a few words to address the other part of Muay Thai's email. I'm surprised that there hasn't been a flood of outraged emails about the visa cost hikes (so far). No doubt they'll come when unaware people actually go to the embassies and find the cost has hiked up 4 !!!!!! fold. As far as I'm concerned, living on a low income where every baht counts, it's a gouge by the govt. that will hurt my pocket and make me think more seriously about how long i intend to stay here. I could understand a 50 % jump or a doubling at most, but putting the Non - imms up 4 times is taking the piss. It's not as if the country can afford to lose a lot of foreigners living here, but i'm sure that'll happen, as both tourists and longer residents are sensitive to the costs of visas (and the hassle that's required to get them). Last time I was at Vientiane, it took 1.5 hours to queue just to submit my visa, which will really be FUN, when I'm paying 2,000 Baht for the privelege. Personally, I think the Foreign Ministry is out of touch with the realities and thinks that foreigners don't care that much about the costs of visas, so why not just scam the rich dumb farang?

I'm sure others will have something to say about this

:cool:  

The other side of the coin.

My Thai wife could not believe that rabbit is eaten in the UK, to her they are pets and pets alone.

She's obviously not from Isaan, or she'd be slavering at the thought of a bunny in the pot like my Mrs, every time we go back to UK.

Does any one remember a news article from a few years back reporting how some Thai construction workers (no doubt from Isaan) were caught red handed Bar-B-Qing a dog alive with a blow torch. They had a touch of culture shock when the cops arrested them and learnt it was not the done thing in  Singapore. And then there's the mysterious disappearance of most of israel's wildlife, since they started hiring Isaan workers by the plane load. They even apparently cleared out a zoo's animals the urge for meat was so strong.........

Hi, I am interested to find out what is possible, in terms of availability, application and costs. Anybody into wind, solar and other alternative energay sources?

Cheers, Mar

Hi. I saw a relatively cheap??? (approx. 140,000 baht) complete solar system being used at a govt. alternative energy centre here in Mahasarakham, that would be enough to power a few lights, a stereo, TV and fridge. The main expense are the solar panels themselves and the control panel. It's a big investment, unless you cost it in from the start of building a house and take a long term view of mains electricity saved (too cheap at present) and environmental benefits gained. Other possiblilities for earth-aware folk apart from solar water heaters are wind or wave pumping of water from home wells. Wind generally is a non-starter in Thailand, apart from perhaps the Southern coasts, but solar should take off in a few years (and could have taken off years ago if it wasn't for the dinosaurs in EGAT), as the costs of the technology decrease with adoption. But only reagrd it as a booster to mains electricity and not a panacea, unless you can go without A/C and a range of other power-hungry machines.

You cannot legally work if you hold an O Non-Immigrant visa

If this is the case, I wonder why the immigration never informed me of this barrier to entry and it is not on their list of requirements. So does this mean that the 20,000 B / month they require has to be earned outside of Thailand, which further raises the question that if I do work in Thailand and want to do it legally, then I shouldn't bother with telling them I have a Thai wife and daughter, but just go for a non-immigrant B visa from ther start, and be shot of an "O" visa?

As usual in Thailand, the rules and regulations are a formidable barrier to those of us wanting to just settle down and live a quiet, peaceful life upcountry. Just getting a letter from the bank is enough hassle in itself.

 ???

Re. Non-immigrant "O" visas, I would like to know the situation with regard to getting one (i.e. a one year multiple entry visa), where one has a Thai wife, but cannot satisfy the requirement of proof of income of 20,000 + baht / month. I have been given one month to come up with such a document by Immigration at Nong Khai, but as I'm not in regular full-time employment at present, think it'll be unlikely I'll be able to get it by the end of the month. Does this mean I can just go on leaving the country and renewing the 3 month visa, until such time as I have regular employment, or is there a limit as to the number of times one can do this?

Cheers for any advice