MikeN

If using the income only method for an O-A visa, or retirement extension, the rule says "at least 65000 baht/month".

In my case that would be a mix of pension and investment income. The pension income would be fixed, around 50,000 baht/month, but the investment income varies from month to month and some months the total would be under 65000, some months it would be around 150,000 baht but averaging about 90,000/month. Do immigration average out a yearly income, or are they ever pedantic and insist on 65,000 baht every month ?

I've made a point of transferring at least 65,000 baht into my passbook every month just in case, but I'm curious .

And following on from this, if I get a statutory declaration from the Australian embassy about my income should I state a monthly income of "at least 65000 baht" or a yearly figure ? I believe the embassy does n't check, but if immigration want to they are welcome to add up all my dividend and interest income statements, or trawl through my bank statements !

I wonder where all these sellers are going to work now ?

What about the Deaf sellers along Sukhumvit ?

I think there was a middle ground with sellers on one side of the sidewalk only

But doing health checks is a good thing ,

can they check the big rats too and see how healthy they are eating the scraps thrown into the gutter ?

There have been lines marking off their allowed area for years, but for almost as many years they have encroached over that line, and set up stalls on the other side of the footpath as well. So I reckon they have only themselves to blame !

The Savannakhet consulate does n't seem to have an English language page, but the Vientianne embassy website lists the requirements for a non-O visa as :

For the purpose of long-stay retirement (an eligible person must be over 50 years of age), documents required are;
1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Official letter from the concerned Embassy/Consulate certifying the monthly income of at least 65,000 Baht
or Official letter from the Bank in Thailand certifying a valid account of at least 800,000 Baht, and is being held
not less than 3 months
3. Recent Police clearance or equivalent reference of no criminal conviction
4. Medical certificate

But are n't 1,3,4 only for O-A from your home country ? Surely you do not need them for an ordinary non-O which you will later use for a retirement extension ? You only need #2, right ?

Let's face it, we all know that many folks on 'Education Visa' use this loop hole as an excuse to stay on long term in Thailand, and many rarely if ever attend any classes.

And why would any so-called 'tourist' need to go down to KL for a tourist visa after the 2 + 1 month extension (maybe multiple) is finished.

I know there are many cases where folks are more of less staying in Thailand with there own personal funding, but I also know that there many (many) working here in Thailand. What are the authorities supposed to do to weed out those illegally working ?

Maybe by offering the 5 year visa @ 500,000 baht to prove that applicants do indeed have the private funding.

And if they charged you ฿100,000 per year for your visa I bet you would be screaming ....Some people might not be so high and mighty when it applies to them

I pay tax here too. What relevance is my nationality?

Because it is quite likely that in your home country you charge foreigners/non residents more as well.

Well in my country that would be illegal ! I've been to a couple of places where locals (ie local district residents) get a reduced price to encourage return visits, but all tourists of whatever nationality pay the same price.

Just carry on Thailand - fleece all those foreigners that made you and when you all sit at the table ordering the food you thought some foreigner would pay don't be surprised when that foreigner doesn't turn up. Then enjoy your old rice for that is all that is left - and well deserved

Do you think even 1 tourist will choose not to visit Thailand because a visit to a national park costs £10?

No, but they may change their mind about how many parks they visit ...ie the 3 national parks around Kanchanaburi have put their farang prices up by 50% for adults and 100% for kids so after paying around 1000 baht to visit Erawan National Park a family might think twice about going to another one. I've got no qualms about paying 500 baht next time I go to the Similans, but no way is Erawan worth 300 baht.

Khao Phra Wihan National Park in Si Saket will also increase for foreigners from THB100 to THB200 for children and from THB200 to THB400 for adults

400 baht ? you gotta be kidding ! To get into the car park for Preah Vihar so you can cross over into Cambodia (if/when it is ever open) ?

I've overheard new students at my school in BKK being told 1 day a week for 4 hours, or 2 days a week for 2 hours per day.

So it's still a minimum of 4 lessons per week.

I successfully got my retirement extension yesterday using an Ed end date the same as my retirement extension date.

Had you used up the full year of your ED visa with ED extensions ? Because I asked the visa guru at my school who said that as I would have been here for a full year I cannot change to a retirement extension, and will have to go out and get a new non-O visa.

Not a big deal, but would n't it be nice if all the rules were the same at each office, so we mere farangs knew what to do ?

I'm glad to hear they haven't forgotten this tragic incident.

I haven't, and I hope one day, for the sakes of the relatives of the dead people and the sakes of the international interest of the incident that they find the plane and the reason it went down.

While I certainly don't think it should be forgotten, looking for the plane is like looking for a needle in a thousand haystacks when you do not even know where the haystacks are ! If Malaysia and MAS want to pay for the search then fair enough, but there comes a time when the Australian taxpayers have to draw the line and say enough is enough.

Last month there was a thread http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/759377-ed-visa-to-retirement-at-jomtien-no/ about being unable to change their ED visa at Pattaya immigration and having to leave the country, but I have n't seen anything about this at Chaeng Wattana.

Has anybody in BKK finished their ED visa and then got a retirement extension ? Is this just a pattaya interpretation of the new 'only 1 year ED visa' rule ?

Or will I have to leave and get a new non "O" visa next month, instead of just changing my reason for stay as I was under the impression I could ?

I got my thai license 2 weeks ago at the Phra khanong office, they were not interested in my Australian license, just the international drivers permit. And I used a statutory declaration made at the Australian embassy rather than the certificate of residence. Your passport, with departure card, data, visa and current extension stamp pages photocopied and signed, and a medical certificate. If getting car and motorcycle license, remember they are separate and you will need 2 lots of papers.

Most spotlights, Hella included, are designed to be mounted on top of their bracket or hung from it, upside down or otherwise makes no difference.

But if they have a patterned lens (to direct the light into a narrow or wide beam ) then you should take out the lens and invert it if mounting upside down.

To clarify my earlier posts, when I asked mamasans and ladies in nearby bars, about the Bar 4 closure, they said 'Someone died.' When I asked if it was related to the man falling from Nana Hotel, they replied, 'Yes.' Further questions brought up the concepts that he was drinking with a lady and her BF didn't like it. A fight broke out. It moved to the hotel, somehow, and continued there.

No one mentioned anything to me about an unpaid bill; bar, lady or otherwise. No one mentioned anything untoward about Bar 4 that doesn't happen at other bars on Nana. In fact it's my perception that this bar is far cleaner than others on the soi.

2 soi 4 bar managers I know have said the same thing, one of which should certainly know about what happened on Nana premises. It's alleged, but certainly not proven, that the BF is connected to Bar 4.

Apparently the guy fell from a fire escape, not a room balcony, so it is possible he just slipped and fell over the railing rather than be thrown over/jumped over.

Yuur ED visa cannot be used inside Thailand if you want a retirement visa.

A friend of mine was in the same situation and had to leave the kingdom with a valid ED visa on a flight and return without a re-entry stamp so the old visa would be cancelled . Since he's from a EU country he gets 30 days at arrival. Then he got plenty of time to apply for the retirement visa and show all his valid documents at immigration.

Which seems to be the same thing I have done, and is what I am telling INV to do. But for some reason he would rather take notice of people who haven't been in that position.

So, bertty, you are saying that you came back into the country on a visa exemption, and then you have converted that into a Non-immigrant visa ? which you will extend later on the grounds of retirement ?

I do apologise MikeN. It was not my intention to infer you were in anyway some sort of subversive. My diabetes is roaring at the mo and this causes what's left of my brain to emit wild and self righteous wording.

That said I personally feel uncomfortable with this Cosplay stuff. It seems like the sexualization of young people.

No offence taken !

I can understand some people being uncomfortable about some of the cosplay costumes, some of the shoppers walking past were giving the "schoolgirls" rather strange and disapproving looks (heaven knows what they would think about something like this at the Sydney Gay Mardi Gras ! )

but it is not all girls in short skirts, there are plenty of superheroes ready to save the world, or girls in very nice and probably expensive gowns such as in the first photo above.

To say nothing of a big thai guy with severe acne dressed in a fluffy blue bunny outfit !!

Well there were lots of nonces there then ....

No offence, but I'd suggest it is you with a problem if you tell your 20+ daughter what she can or cannot wear, because that's how old these girls are, they are not under age !

Yes, some of it is certainly a bit strange ! I don't know what any of it is about, but when you have pretty girls willing to pose for complete strangers I don't complain. The sexy schoolgirl/sailor/whatever outfits are a bonus !

I'm looking at getting a Thai drivers license while my international permit is still valid, the local office is at phra khanong. Has anybody dealt with them lately ? I imagine they are fairly farang friendly considering the number of expats who live around this area ?

And has anybody got a certificate of residence from the Australian Embassy ? Cost ?. I don't mind paying a reasonable fee for sameday service, it's either that or trek out to CW again, and wait

Anybody here photograph any of the cosplay events in Bangkok ?

I've seen a couple of farang photographers who seem to be at most of the events I've been to.

here are 3 from the "Japan Festa" at CentralWorld last weekend :

Hello Sailor !

Flowers for me ? Oh shucks....

I imagine you have your reasons but I can't think of anything that they would enjoy there or, almost anywhere in Thailand. Actually I can' t think of anything even an adult would do there for such an extended period. Remember that Christmas as you probably know it, is not celebrated in Thailand, new alcohol drinking hours are in forced, no gathering of 5 or more people, no smoking almost everywhere, no gambling everywhere. and very limited Thaiglish !

Are you okay since you've been released ?

well I would n't think his children are worried about the drinking hours, and with kids he probably will not be out partying all night ?

I would hope the kids are not smoking at their age either ! (or gambling !!)

Families can celebrate xmas together anywhere, and there are plenty of fairy lights and trees put up anyway ...never been to Ratchaprasong at Xmas/new Year ?

And most people actually in Thailand know that the "no gathering of 5 or more people" is only for political gatherings.

So do you have any valid reasons why the OP should not go ?

Personally I think it would be a nice spot for a quiet family holiday

why not put the tariff on the back and front in Thai and English so everyone knows exactly what the fare should be

because they are decided by the mafia who "owns" that stand. yes, there is a rate that should be applied but it is ultimately up to the operator or vested guys. after all, they have to pay for their vest and those things are not cheap. some places they are more than 10,000 a month and the guy has to pay for a year, so a loan is generated and interest is paid (usually to the same mafia owner).

it is quite common throughout most of the world that prices are not standardized, but are negotiated. in fact one could say the dynamic market is more free market capitalistic than you find in the bastions of free market capitalism such as the USA and other such countries. i find it ironic.

Are n't these vests going to be given out free, to get rid of the "mafia "

Instead of purchasing orange vests at exorbitant rates from the so-called motorcycle mafia, operators would instead receive free vests from officials so long as they’ve registered with authorities.

I don't undetstand why all people talk about the re-entry permit? He is getting a multiple visa in his home country. He don't need any re-entry permit, unless his visa has expired

Because some people do not read the post, perhaps they are in too much of a hurry to get their post count up and start thumping the keyboard ?

FABULOUS!!

A Beautiful production and an excellent choice for the sound track. Would love to see something similar done on Chiang Mai.

Congratulations to all involved and to "pinkpanther99" for uploading it.

You are in luck, he already has one from CM.

http://youtu.be/AaXmjSLQaEE

Has anyone been this week for their 90 day extension and can report if they are testing and what questions were asked? I passed the test they gave me at MOS but it was more difficult than I expected. I'd like to be prepared. Many thanks...

Did my extension and report yesterday.. No tests and it all took about 1hr plus travel. I arrived there around 9:20am.

Did my extension last Friday ....no tests but it took hours ! got there at 9.30, they closed up for lunch 2 short of my queue number

If anybody is thinking of buying any new Nikon gear, from D4S to compact, lens, binoculars or coffee mug, then you might be interested in the "Nikon Days" sale at Paragon Mall in BKK from now to 24th august. They seem to have just about everything in their range on display, so even if not buying you can play with and drool over the new D4s or 810, or perhaps the 800mm tele lens. (they also had the usual pretties there today but you cannot play with them, only drool practise your portrait technique).They also had some spectacular drone videos on the big screens ....zooming down the corridors of an old temple ruin !