Going on five weeks since I registered with the online system, (CW) and still "waiting for approval."

What a cluster F.

On 5/26/2019 at 1:52 PM, jackdd said:

Afaik a picture alone is not defamation, but if you write anything negative this would be defamation.

But you always have the problem that this is Thailand. If your neighbour happens to have a police officer friend (or contributes to the police fund), the police may just charge you with defamation even if you just posted a picture, and then it can happen that you spend a while in jail while waiting for your court hearing even if the case is dismissed in the end. That this would happen is of course quite unlikely, but is posting a picture worth the risk?

There's the rub.

The general rule is "in any dispute between a Thai and a foreigner, the Thai is always *right.*"

On 6/19/2019 at 8:41 AM, rwill said:

Bayer quantum works good.  Just place a big drop on the ant trails.  It takes a couple days to get rid of them.  Just like borax the idea is to get the workers to take the bait back to the nest where the queen eats it too and kills off the nest.  

 

Thanks for the tip!

I used this stuff to nuke the massive colony of tiny black bastards who were invading my kitchen.

Those mofos are toast!

Quote

Thai road carnage: deaths top 7,000 this year

You'll need a negative integer to represent the number of <deleted> given by Thais.

I can't recommend these guys highly enough:

https://www.sdcinternationalshipping.com/

They moved me from Los Angeles to Bangkok - door to door.

Every phase of the move was handled with the utmost professionalism.

Great rates, great communication and very friendly staff.

9 hours ago, Berkshire said:

From your own article.  That's the point.  These old explanations that you guys keep dragging up largely doesn't apply today.  You should go out and actually talk to Thais who are still alive, instead of basing all of your opinions on outdated "traditional beliefs." 

What "point?"

"Not as prevalent" doesn't mean "no longer exists."

And it certainly doesn't support your claim that the use of skin whitening products by Thais is no more than an expression of an aesthetic preference equivalent to a Caucasian's preference for a sun tan.

If you honestly believe those "outdated" traditional beliefs no longer hold sway over people here, then this just further confirms your ignorance re: Thai culture.

6 hours ago, Berkshire said:

Now you're just being ridiculous.  Social status in Thailand is largely determined by wealth and family connections.  Everyone knows this...possibly even the "Western expat who hasn't recently fallen off the turnip truck."  But you know-it-all farangs want to say it's all about skin color.  That's just idiotic.  Yes, some Thais think lighter skin is more attractive than a darker one.  Just like some farangs think having a tan is more attractive.  But to suggest that Thais walk around comparing skin color to see who has a higher social status...that's freakin asinine.  So is every farang who believes that. 

Your reading comprehension leaves much to be desired.

I didn't say skin color "determined" social status - I said skin color was seen as an outward indication of social status.

By now, it's obvious you're the guy who just fell off the turnip truck...

Quote

Generally speaking, Thai people view lighter skinned women as more attractive than those with darker skin. This is partly due to class and snobbery. One of the reasons is that traditionally in Thailand women with dark skin would be those who worked outside in the rice fields or on farms. In other words they would have been poorer people from the lower classes of Thai society. Class and money remain important to many Thai people and these traditional beliefs and prejudices still hold sway today, although probably not to the extent that they once did. Nevertheless, anybody viewing Thai television commercials can't help but notice the frequent adverts for various skin-whitening products.

 

https://www.thaizer.com/culture-shock/thai-attitudes-to-skin-colour/

11 hours ago, Berkshire said:

No sir, it is you who are so prejudiced in your own western mindset that you would like to think of the Thais as being equally bigoted.  When I lived in the USA many years ago, skin tone (or racial group) did play a role in how one was treated, the sort of job they could get, education, pay, how treated by the police, getting a loan, renting an apartment, purchasing a home, or even hailing a taxi.  Not so in Thailand.  Nowadays, skin color is largely about feminine beauty.  You can't dispute the fact that there are plenty of light-skinned Thais in the north who are dirt poor, while at the same time there are dark-skinned folks who are wealthy.  You guys can keep trying to turn it into something else, but all you're doing is revealing your own bias.       

Not so fast...

The discussion had nothing to do with racial discrimination in America.

You tried to equate the Western (Caucasian) custom of tanning (i.e., voluntary/intentional darkening of one's skin tone) with the use of skin whitening products by Thais.

You suggested the motives were the same in both instances, i.e., that the use of skin whitening products by Thais reflected nothing more than an aesthetic preference.

Any Western expat who hasn't recently fallen off the turnip truck understands Thais are obsessed with social status, class and pecking order. If your skin is dark, then it's assumed you're a laborer and, hence, a member of the lower class.

No such assumptions or judgments are made re: the well-tanned farang: he might be a laborer, or he might be a millionaire who spends his days laying out on the deck of his yacht working on his tan (i.e., exercises an aesthetic preference.)

Perhaps it's you who's projecting his own cultural bias here insofar as you don't seem to understand Thailand is not - and has never been - an egalitarian society comparable to the Western democracies (especially the culturally heterogeneous ones.)

On 6/21/2019 at 8:47 AM, Berkshire said:

Nonsense.  You're stuck in the Middle Ages.  Not one Thai out there buying a skin whitening product is thinking of a freakin caste system.  Get real.  What is obvious is that Thais and farangs who want to change their skin color do so to improve their physical appearance.  That's it and that's all.  And it's why it's exactly the same. 

Not sure if serious.

Clearly, you understand very little about Thai culture and the role skin tone plays in signalling social status.

21 hours ago, ukrules said:

I didn't realise the US was making legislation for the whole world.

 

If they do this then shouldn't we all get a vote?

Especially ironic in this instance...

Trump in Super Bowl selfie with founder of spa in prostitution case ... that the founder and one-time owner of a spa implicated in a human-trafficking ring ... that resulted in 25 arrests and shut down 10 day spas in South Florida.

Everything to Know About the Spa Founder Selling Access to Trump

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/03/what-we-know-about-the-spa-owner-cindy-yang-selling-access-to-trump.html

The Generalissimo shaking his little tin cup again.

Where would Thailand be without foreign investment?

If only he could connect the dots when immigration laws come into play.

My only complaint is people who start threads on TVF to complain about people who complain.

I've had an account for about a year, but I've never tried to place an order until today.

After logging in successfully and after adding items to my cart, I made it as far as the "select payment method" page. I selected the credit card option, and when I clicked "continue" I was taken to a page that said "Please wait a moment. Do not close your browser or refresh the page."

And that was the end of the line. The system just hangs on that page and nothing else happens.

Tried same procedure with both Firefox and Chrome. Same result.

Just another day in "IT Idiocracy," apparently. ????

On 6/17/2019 at 10:31 AM, Berkshire said:

Exactly.  Every time farangs in Thailand bring up this topic, it just oozes with hypocrisy.  Thais trying to lighten their skin is EXACTLY the same as a farangs trying to get a tan.  They're both trying to change their skin color to look better...according to them.  The problem is farangs tend to bring their skin color/racism baggage with them when discussing this topic and none of that applies in Thailand.  It's mostly about people trying to feel better about themselves.  As you say, it's their skin, their life. 

 

 

False equivalence.

Tans in the West aren't linked to a caste system, i.e., aren't seen as an indicator of one's socioeconomic status.

59 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

I use Thai ATM's cause my bank is in Thailand.  I got 50 baht on the dollar.  How much does your Master card give you?

50 baht on the dollar? LoL!

On 6/19/2019 at 8:46 PM, CGW said:

Personally I would rather prepay, quicker and easier than having to sort out cash and pay COD.

+1.

That way, I can use my credit card, enjoy the Master Card rate and avoid getting gouged by Thai ATMs.

On 6/18/2019 at 9:22 AM, champers said:

Looks like intimidation and bullying to me. 5 officers onto 1 OAP. How proud they look.

Yep.

They're definitely compensating for something.

The TE liaison did my 90 day report for me at CW at the end of last month. I had no TM30 receipt (I've never been asked for a TM30 and I have never submitted one in all the years I've lived in Thailand) and the TE rep was still able to do the the 90 day report on my behalf sans TM30.

What happens next time I need to do the 90 day report is anyone's guess, I suppose.

I'm not sure if this was just a "one-time deal" or whether I can expect the same result every time.

Registered with the online TM30 reporting site on 5/23 - still waiting for approval.

As a side note, it's ironic that a background check by TI is required for the TE visa - yet, apparently, the successful completion of this check still isn't enough to assure the powers that be that I'm a "good guy."

On 6/13/2019 at 9:57 AM, webfact said:

Thaivisa notes that no one mentioned illegal street racing that has been a huge problem in Thailand for decades.

Hmmm...why is that, I wonder?

Oh yeah...

Quote

It will bring in 340 million baht that will benefit Thailand and the local film industry, reported Naew Na. 

Quote

Why Was Thailand Never Colonised?

The TM30 requirements were too off-putting.

16 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Falangs like light skinned Thai women better.  Check out the rental prices.  

I've lived here long enough that I believe I've "gone native" with regard to that particular preference.

Like many expats, my initial encounters with Thai females took place as a tourist - primarily in those "entertainment" venues which cater to falangs. Hence, my "sample group" was more or less restricted to Isaan girls.

Fast forward five years, and I've developed a preference for the lighter-skinned specimens.

Not the girl with the fake headlights and the cut-rate plastic surgery who looks like she sleeps in a wheelbarrow full of whitening cream with only a straw to breathe through, mind you, but the Thai-Chinese looking girl. In other words, the same type of girl well-heeled Thai men generally prefer.

Can't say with any absolute certainty how or why this happened to me.

Perhaps there's some sort of partial acculturation falangs undergo over time without even realizing it?

As mentioned, the applicant's nationality is a factor in the wait time.

The staffing and workload at TI on any given day/week/month is also a big factor.

13 hours ago, Artisi said:

A reasonable comment in some ways however it's not that simple in many cases, it's more about education and understanding and affordability in a great number of cases, bear in mind Thailand in some areas is lucky to rate as 3rd world with many surviving day to day with only a few Baht to their name. 

What's the cure to the problem - I don't know - maybe the government supplies free helmets for kids in lieu of submarine purchases (the graft is probably enough to buy the helmets). 

 

To your last statement/s - I can only assume your home country doesn't have or need a police force as everyone obeys the laws without question. 

Yep.

Policing "Somchai and Samorn Six Pack" isn't as lucrative a business as, say, popping foreigners for missed TM30s and 90 day reports. That's all the good doctor and other interested parties looking to explain the lack of enforcement need to know.

On 6/13/2019 at 10:26 AM, Gecko123 said:

Greedy control freaks. Very very little to do with effective law enforcement, and everything to do with revenue. The only power you have here is spending power. Stop spending money until they start treating you like a human being.

Never gonna happen.

In Thailand, a foreigner is always a persona non grata.

On 6/9/2019 at 1:44 PM, ianezy0 said:

Check Forbes top 10 countries to retire in 2019.

Thailand is number 9.

link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2019/01/04/the-top-10-places-in-the-world-to-retire-2-new-lists/#2b79437756bc

 

 

LOL! ????

Get a load of this:

Quote

No. 9 Thailand, Prescher noted, “is amazingly affordable,” “a beautiful country” and stable, quiet and exotic.” International Living says a modern studio apartment there can rent for as little as $400 a month. Growing numbers of expats are retiring to Thailand, according to International Living. “A lot of those are Australians,” said Prescher, which means English is “not an unfamiliar language.”