richard_smith237

Very agreeable comments: Also, If I’m not mistaken, in 2011 one of the reasons the capital flooded was a ‘perfect storm’ combination. - High level - High deluge / run-off from the North East - High levels of precipitation over the capital Bangkok’s flood protection system was also damaged, however there was nowhere for the existing water to ‘run off too’ as water-levels outside of the capital to the north and seaward were higher than those in the capital. In this instance, flooding itself was perhaps unavoidable unavoidable without some sort of colossal underground reservoir, similar to the SMART tunnel in KL. I suspect that the volume of rain that falls within a few hours is going to flood pretty much any city which is relatively flat. Given the flooding I’ve already witnessed this week on the roads (sometimes knee deep) its quite surprising that the water level has already receded within the hour.

Woo....... Johnny thinks he’s playa !!! ????

No... I don’t see the deep underlying racism at all... I just see the ’trigger in the headline begging for attention and clicks’... This is simple fragile man syndrome and the fact that his ex-left him.... His desperate behaviour would have very likely been exactly the same had there been no mention of a forienger.

erm... the weather over the past month suggests they sorely mistimed that one !!! Nevertheless..... this is good to see but needs to be carried out in all khlongs and waterways a couple of times per year, along with the cleaning of the drainage in the cities and maintenance on the capitals flood defences.

Pretty much every time I fly (alone or with Family) my passport is checked for my Visa... I have a lot of different visas from different nations and three from Thailand in my passport so the airline check-in staff have to search for the valid visa which usually involves me pointing it out. I am nearly always flying back to Thailand on the return leg of a ticket with Qatar / Emirates / Etihad / Finn / Thai.... (never a budge airline). Immigration have never asked for proof of onward travel (because its not required when I have a visa), neither have they asked for proof of funds. -------- That said - it seems very rare, but it has happened that a foreigner is asked to show proof of funds at upon arrival. Usually if Immigration suspects the person of working here etc and wants to get rid of them on a technicality. Proof of onward ticket is also checked in very rare circumstances outlined above. The proof of onward ticket or Visa is commonly checked by the airline on check-in.

Electrician ??? Are there such beings here ???... Isn’t it usually just someone’s mate of a mate who happens to have a screw-driver and some electrical tape ?? Of course, I’ve no idea IF the electrician who fitted Mountain B was qualified, however... IF someone is not a fully qualified / certified electrician, is it not the owners fault for employing someone unqualified on a property which is going to be used by the pubic ???

Unless a Thai car driver hit a faring on a motorbike The guy who told you the ‘farang is always at fault’ probably wasn’t really ex-special forces... ... its probably best to get out of the bars and get some real life experience here !

There is a difference between accepted, wanted and liked. We are accepted because we have ATM cards, wanted after visiting an ATM and liked until it runs out. Well, obviously my comments wouldn’t cover every foreigner in Thailand. Its clear some of you are incapable of developing mutually respectful relationships here which is quite understandable given some of the comments. Its also quite clear many have, but those who haven't refuse to recognise this and project the same ATM rhetoric you did above. The same characters post things such as ’the faring is always at fault’ etc... You are of course correct in this instance (thread topic), however ‘always at fault’ is not correct. .... to those you have associate with. Don’t project your poor judgement in friends on others !!

I’ll take a wild stab in the dark on this one too and suggest administering first aid and attempting extracting the lady from the elevator...

I’ll take a wild stab in the dark on this one and suggest a failure of the ‘safety feature’ you mention !

Would you be so forgiving if it was one of your family he had killed ? they can drink their self to oblivion , just don't get behind the wheel of a vehicle , Sympathise..... as in he understands the predicament an alcoholic may find them-self in, their inability to control them-self etc... This is not the same as forgiveness. I also agree, just don’t get behind the wheel, but I’ve seen it happen.. Just the one, then another... then before they know it the alcoholic is doing things they’d never consider while sober - its horrible to witness. This is no excuse and does not in any form justify the actions, but, the actions can be understood, sympathised with when we recognise alcoholism is a disease not a choice.

I’ve seen this, kind of.... an elevator was being serviced, a couple of staff around but they weren’t really paying attention and didn’t look as if they were going to stop me entering as I approached the elevator. I got about 3 meters away, Initially it was shock as my brain disbelieved my eyes... ’theres something wrong with the floor in this elevator and why is it so dark ?'.... Now, whenever I’m with someone I notice how they rarely look down when entering an elevator. Its something I’ve taught my son... Stop, look down and where you are going first. ----- So... to answer the questions, how did she not see.... I think that part is fairly easy (surprisingly enough). The other part of this... the security / safety part of the outer elevator door simply failed.

Go to a money exchanger.... If they accept it...... If it's too late already and the money exchange will not accept it you have to wait until you are in the UK where a bank will accept it.

Theoretically, you could apply for the Tourist e-visa while in Thailand, fly out and re-enter on the e-TR-Visa the same or the next day... I’m not sure how that would look to an immigration officer. Technically its fine, it just depends IF they are bothered about it or not, which then depends on the mood of the immigration officer etc... and then that depends how you have your other ducks in a row and can answer a range of questions like, why are you here? are you working (no)?, where are you staying? when do you go back? etc etc

With so many back to back Covid extensions and Visa Exempt stamps any entry is risky unless you are on something like a Non-Imm Visa, an Ed Visa or Thai Elite Visa etc... There is also the Tourist Visa which you can apply for online (e-visa)... Thus, theoretically you could fly and spend a few days in a neighbouring country while applying for this TR visa and re-enter with that for 60 days. https://www.thaievisa.go.th Again, the issue is the immigration on arrival who, even though you have an e-Visa could still reject you on a technicality if they think you are working here etc... but the TR-e-visa is perhaps a better prospect than attempting to re-enter visa exempt. You need to be prepared to show proof of 20,000 baht funds (cash / or currency equivalent). You need to be prepared to show proof of onward air-ticket (fully paid, not just a booking) within the visa time frame. Another option is to try an agent which many do to avoid a long transatlantic flight.

It depends what the purpose of ‘border run’ is... IF you are simply attempting to re-set a visa exempt entry... i.e you came here fro 30 days want to depart and return for another visa days the ‘visa run’ (border run) could be made via an organised visa run company to the nearest boarder, crossing into no-mans land, the bordering country, then returning the same day *i.e. in and out seconds later. The same could be done on a plane: i.e. fly to Singapore, go through immigration, check back in for your flight (if you’ve not done so online) and pass through immigration and take your flight back to Thailand (which could be the same plane with the same crew if it times out well). OR... your ‘border run’ is to obtain a new tourist visa or Non-Imm visa etc at a neighbouring country, in which case you’ll need to wait for processing. The risk of course with re-setting a ‘visa exempt entry’ is having back to back visa-exempt-entries in your passport which immigration may question.

Its a reminder to us all.... Life can change in a second for the sake of a second of inattention... But.. this seems more than an accident and more than a second of inattention.... after reversing into the two men and a lamppost he sped off colliding with two more cars and two motorcycles.... I’m not suggesting he deliberately killed anyone, but something make him accelerate hard in reverse, then try to escape... Perhaps an initial mistake in hitting the wrong pedal in the wrong gear because he was drunk, then attempted to escape, again because he was drink. ..... Pure speculation of course... but, the speculation is not a stretch given the report. He could have had a medical condition and panicked of course... but... given the report... So... in this case... ‘anyone could be in an accident’.... I agree, it can happen and we all suffer a lapse in concentration while driving here or there, it happens we’re human..... but, for most of us our lapse in concentration while driving is not a result of drinking (again, booze is not yet proven in the case of this incident).

I know many many normal foreigners living in Thailand and we often have interesting discussions and debate many topics including Thai Politics amongst ourselves and with our Thai friends when at dinner at either or own homes or their homes as a guest. Of course, no one needs to make these discussions or opinions public - but I sometimes want to thank those braver than myself who are prepared to.

Did no one tell you that you are a guest in their country and have no right to an opinion ? Or tell you, if you don’t like it go home ??? Y’know... just like the geniuses do on this forum ???

Not true. Immigrants can get citizenship and they are still immigrants. Not quite (the not true part). I agree with ‘immigrants can get citizenship and they are still immigrants’... but thats not what I wrote or what you disagreed with... [Any non-citizen’ living in another country on a permanent basis is an immigrant]

IF you’re on a motorcycle and see a car about to pull out, its any driver you shouldn’t trust !!... As soon as you read the headline you suspect the driver was an Aussie, thats just laughable.. But, to ‘not trust any farang driver’ highlights a certain misguided ‘gone native’ prejudice which is utterly ridiculous.... the nation is full of poor drivers and many many more considerate and careful drivers... unfortunately the poorer drivers exist in greater numbers than should be acceptable. ---------- I recall working for an International company here: I’d been in Thailand fr 15 years, driving for that time. Once the country manager found out I was driving here he wanted to insist that foreigners do not drive here... But, I'd had a Thai Driving Licence for years, I’d been driving my Adult life in Thailand. They were insistent that I use a ’Thai Driver’ - I argued how could someone who is uneducated, with less driver training and with half of my in country driving experience possibly be a safer option... I get it for people who been brought in from overseas and in other countries considered ‘high risk’ we cannot drive and I don’t want to... but in Thailand, I much prefer to drive myself or my Wife drive... why? because I know our standards.

Careful.... it gets slippery up on that virtue signaling soap box !!!

The arrogance and ignorance indeed.... the arrogance of the comments alone.... And, no... foreign (Western trained) drivers do not contribute 'so much' to the dangers on the roads here... not as you seem to be implying; that foreigners driving in Thailand present some disproportionately elevated risk compared to Thai’s driving in Thailand. I can’t prove this which is where your accusation of arrogance and ignorance will come into this, but neither can you prove otherwise. If stats were available and we took 100,000 foreign (Western trained) drivers and 100,000 Thai drivers who covered a similar mileage I believe there would a higher accident rate amongst the Thai drivers... you will want to call that arrogance and ignorance, I would call it 25 years experience of driving here with an awful lot of Thai friends.... it always astonishes me the frequency of accidents people have here... It really astonishes me how many of them are drunk-driving related. Anecdotally, I just see a lot more silly and reckless driving and riding on the roads here than I do in the UK (I drive for about 6 weeks a year in the UK - not a lot, but its certainly enough to spot the difference). You won’t like that, you will want to throw accusations of racism, you will want to debate the specifics of road safety, road layout etc.. but without sufficient education of its drivers and effective enforcement of the road laws here there proportionately more accidents here involving Thai drivers than foreign (western). ------ That said: I do also believe there is an element of ’they’re wrong, this is the right way to drive’ employed by some foreign (western trained) drivers which can lead to accidents... but to suggest that contributes to the dangers on the roads here is a major projection. Most foreign drivers here simply adapt and drive as ‘most’ Thai’s do... and most Thai’s drive well. It is a minority who are reckless and cause mayhem and that small minority are in greater numbers here in Thailand than in the West because more can get away with it. ------- This of course is all somewhat off topic: The video shows the white SUV pulling out from the beach-car park opposite the shooting range. The SUV driver clearly not seeing the girls approaching on the motorcycle with tragic consequences. I wonder if helmets would have made any difference, I suspect not given the apparent speed of the impact, the girls riding along a long straight of road, maybe going 60kmh etc and hitting stationary object. The SUV driver clearly at at fault, no doubt about that whatsoever. No mitigating circumstances - just a terrible mistake, an absence of concentration. No criminal behaviour either, not drunk etc, no speeding etc... a terrible terrible accident.

What do the police do about the reports ???..... The reality is here that the police do nothing... Someone can be reported for their antisocial behaviour and the police do nothing about it. They will received complains of people throwing parties, driving drunk, domestic abuse etc... they will do nothing because they do not want to get involved, they will argue that ‘no crime’ has been committed... Only when something happens will the police get involved. There is no such thing as the police being proactive here, sadly, for the most part they will only react when forced to do so (usually by money, a social media push or when pushed or influenced by someone of sufficient power). Thus: the only way this foreigner was going to be dealt with before hurting someone is IF someone locally had sufficient swing to get the police to do something about him and even then there is little they could do until he does something wrong... They’ll likely stop him and check his visa status, if on overstay get him out... if within visa status charge him if he was DUI and then do nothing else.

You are a non-immigrant whose permission to stay here finishes in less than a year. ???? Correct... If he’s living in Thailand he's actually an immigrant quite possibly on a on a non-immigrant visa with a limited permission of stay. Or, he could have permanent residence, but he’d still be an immigrant. Any non-citizen living in another country on a permanent basis (i.e. the place they call home) is an immigrant - its very simple, there are also subclassifications of immigrant, there are also other names for immigrants such as ‘aliens’... Thunglom earlier argued the meaning of ‘permanent’ implying that no one is permanently living somewhere because they’ll die, this just highlights the banality of his debate.