thaiphoon

... and I can fully understand the Labour department refusing you a work permit when you presented them with a retirement visa, as you cannot work (or obtain a work permit) with this visa. It is not a case of the rules changing; it is a case of you not following the rules. Now you hold a Non-B visa this particular aspect is overcome. As mentioned in my post above, suggest you talk to Sunbelt about how best to resolve. Do you still have your previous work permit? I imagine one way or other the Labour department is going to want this back. You may also be fined 1,000 baht for failing to return your work permit. Chok dii.

You are getting a hard time because your work permit should previously have been returned to the Labour department in the province where your employer was located within 7 days of the date of your resignation. This is clearly stated under "Warning" on the last page of your work permit. I would suggest you talk to Khun Ex at Sunbelt (forum sponsor). He is very knowledgable and speaks perfect english. He has always been very helpful to me in the past and has resolved my work permit problems before.

Bangkok Air fly Suvanabhumi to Chiang Mai too

I've just booked (yesterday) Thai Airways flight Bangkok to London Heathrow return for THB 23,635 including tax. Is a superdeal price booked through their website, but if you can be flexible on dates then it may work for you.

QUOTE (vitalia @ 2008-12-24 13:28:35)

What is your problem here ? If you run a company here, you should not need to leave and renew your work permit & visa outside of Thailand. You can either do it at immigration in Bangkok or at the BOI one stop service centre.

I have been here for 11 years on a work permit & visa, running a company and at no point have I had to leave the country to renew my visa & work permit.

Of course, if you don't have a work permit & are working here illegally, then it would be an issue.

This only works if your Thai registered company employs 4 Thai employees. Otherwise you cannot renew your Non B visa in Thailand because as part of the process Immigration will check out the number of staff your company employs with the Labour Department. It has nothing to do with paying taxes or being legal. I have been here for 4 years now and have no choice because of the rules but to renew Non B visa OUTSIDE Thailand. Welcome to Thailand ...

Seems to be working fine in Phrom Phrong.

birago23 Posted Today, 2007-09-16 19:20:09

http://news.bbc.co.uk/

Video of the crash site just in...

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From BBC News website

(Bangkok Post) - A One-To-Go Airlines passenger jet with 128 people aboard crashed and broke in two while landing at Phuket Airport in foul weather late Sunday afternoon. Rescue workers said the death toll could be high.

The plane of the budget airline skidded off the runway after landing and crashed into trees, bursting into fire, said Channel 7 TV.

Initial reports estimated that at least 60 passengers died in the fiery accident. But there was hope there were survivors.

"The fire was throughout the aeroplane," said Phuket Deputy Governor Worraphot Ratsrimaa. "We expect that at least 90 per cent of the passengers died."

"The plane was landing and slid off the runway. We are rescuing people and carrying injured people to hospitals," said Pol Lt Sokchai Limcharoen, a police officer in the area in an early report.

Chaisak Angsuwan, director general of the Air Transport Authority of Thailand said the aircraft broke in two as it attempted to land at Phuket airport in bad weather.

Chaisak told TITV that there was heavy rain when flight OG269 of parent Orient Thai Airways traveling from Bangkok's Don Muang airport to Phuket attempted to make a landing. Planes in both Orient Thai and One-Two-Go livery use the OG flight identifier.

"The visibility was poor as the pilot attempted to land. He decided to make a go-around but the plane lost balance and crashed,". he said. "The plane then fell onto the runway and broke into two. It is expected that there will be deaths.

"The airplane asked to land but due to the weather in Phuket -strong wind and heavy rain -maybe the pilot did not see the runway clearly," said Chaisak.

Witnesses said the airline was using its usual MD-82 twin-engine passenger jet aircraft, a model of the McDonnell-Douglas DC9. One-Two-Go owned seven such planes, which it used for frequent flights around Thailand, including six each day from Bangkok to Phuket and return.

Airport officials and rescue workers are still working to help the victims from the plane which caught fire after it crashlanded and skidded off the runway.

Authorities said there were 123 passengers and five crew members on board when the plane crashed at about 3:35pm Sunday afternoon.

Weather in Phuket has been bad for several days, with thunderstorms and high wind gusts at times.

------------------------------------------------------------

Live pictures on Thai TV Channel 9 at the moment

'Deaths' in jet crash fireball

From CNN Website: Updated 4 minutes ago ...

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- A One-To-Go Airlines jet crashed and was engulfed in flames as it attempted to land in heavy rain at the Phuket airport in southern Thailand on Sunday, authorities said.

Maj. Gen. Deecha Butnamphet, police chief in Phuket, said on local television station TITV that "we believe that there are many people who are dead. We are taking the dead and injured out from the scene.

"The airplane is completely destroyed and inflamed," he said.

It wasn't immediately known how many people were on board, though TITV said without citing sources that 123 mostly foreign tourists were the passengers, which was traveling from Bangkok to Phuket, a popular resort area for tourists.

TITV reported 60 dead, but Chaisak Angsuwan, director general of the Air Transport Authority of Thailand, could not confirm that.

Angsuwan told The Associated Press by telephone he believes "there are people dead, but the number is still unclear."

Earlier, Angsuwan had told TITV that there was heavy rain when One-To-Go airlines flight OG269 from Bangkok to Phuket attempted to make a landing. One-To-Go, a budget airline, is owned Orient Thai Airways.

"The visibility was poor as the pilot attempted to land. He decided to make a go-around but the plane lost balance and crashed. It was torn into two parts," he said

Thanks lopburi3. I have all the company papers and will follow your suggestion.

I am British and have lived and worked in Thailand for 2 years. I am employed by my Thai company which is 51% owned by my thai partner and 49% by myself. I hold a valid work permit, which is renewed every 90 days. I need to renew my Non-B visa which expires in November. I cannot do this in Thailand because my thai company does not employ 4 thais. Rather than having the hassle of going back to the UK for renewal of my visa (which is where the first Non-B visa was issued and subsequently renewed last year), I wonder if there are any "friendly" thai consulates in the region that would issue a Non-B visa with multiple entries due to my work requiring frequent travel outside Thailand. I have looked at other thaivisa postings but the message a couple of years back was "avoid the region". Has this changed? If so, any advice on where to go to would be appreciated.

Thaiphoon.

I noticed it in the supermarket on the ground floor of Central Department store in Chidlom under the 'Marmite' label a few weeks ago

Don't know about everyone else, butthe following sponsorship ad is showing top of the list:

Phuket Air Flights

Get cheap flightson Puket Air flights at ebookers

Maybe these are the last few seats??