Enzian

"Since 2016"? What does that mean? What calendar period are we talking about? From Jan. 1 '17 to the present? or all of 2016 to the present? or what?

Not clear what the crime is. Bigamy I suppose, but beyond that?

Sounds like he's discovered French wine; a lot of it.

I hate to say this, but I agree with those who say that those below a certain line in the system of hierarchy are effectively disposable. I don't disapprove of prostitution, but I disapprove of a national attitude toward the unnecessary of quality education and the uneven distribution of opportunity that leaves many with very few options. A woman should not be left so desperate as I see many. A few simple social policies, like a system forcing men, even on threat of jail, to contribute to the upbringing of the children they procreate, would make a big difference.

Amazing how people will do this and think they'll get away with it. The most notable example in recent years was Shepard Fairey's attempt to obscure the evidence that he had lifted the image at the basis of his famous Hope poster from the AP. A lot of people think that the two year suspended sentence and the $25,000 fine were not nearly enough. 

Another story a while back pointed out that Thailand is the 4th most expensive place in the world to buy wine. A 6 Euro bottle of Prosecco in Italy can cost 800 baht here.

Must relatively lower income Thai citizens pay a federal income tax on their earnings? Or: as a practical matter, do owners of small shops, cafes, and the like actually pay annual income taxes to the central government, or do they consider themselves exempt and not file? I've read that Thais must pay 5% on income over 150,000 baht a year, but do any of them that make just somewhat over that amount ever really do it?

Speaking of Quality, I bought some Gillette Fusion 5-element razor modules at Villa, and I swear they were not as good as the same brand I buy from Costco in the states.

Europe needs to take a clue from Australia, which as I understand it has succeeded in just not letting in the ones in its neighborhood. I spend a lot of time in Italy and what this situation is doing to a beautiful country is not pretty.

1. Have then clean up the environment and all the litter--and fix the sidewalks while they are at it so I don't fall in a hole.  2. Have them all take teacher's training even if they are imbeciles; some day it will pay off.

Thai girls are raised to be dumb; they get preggers in their teens, then without skills have to make a living and send money home to mom who's raising the kid. True education for all would be a start.

I've gone thru the Thai side arriving a year ago with my Thai gf in front of me but without telling them directly we were together. IO stamped me thru but gave me a very hard time about arriving without a visa and expecting yet another exemption on arrival. That's when I resolved to finally get my retirement visa which I now have.

When I left on Feb. 2 the stamp out line to the gates was so bad that people were cutting in and fights almost starting. As per this thread, it must be getting worse, so we must give ourselves plenty of time.

I suspect you are all correct that the arrival line for Thais is now automated and effectively closed to foreigners.

For the second time around I'm getting a visa to Italy for my Thai girlfriend. (I'm American, love Italy.) Italy is not easy in this regard and is getting tougher. Schengen countries are supposed to be all the same in their visa requirements, but that is not the case in practice. There are other European countries I would like to take her to though, and she could start in one country, like Spain, and easily go to France, for example.

I'm looking for anecdotal stories about European countries for which it is relatively easy for a Thai visa application to succeed. Anyone? Thanks in advance.

Anyone in her position should have assumed that, this being Thailand, underlings would move the rice into warehouses and then take random lots of it out the back door at night and hope nobody noticed for months. Part of her job would be to avoid that, and it appears she paid no attention. There were other variations too of course. But she's playing like there are no facts, just politics. It may be too late for that approach.

It seems some guys here are saying they have had trouble getting visas for their Thai wives to visit the states with them. I thought if she's your wife (you being American) then she automatically gets to enter the states. Huh?

What I wanna know is, is he the one who puts out the Thai whiskey named "Obama"? (My son can't wait to get a bottle.) And will he, or someone, now put out one named "Trump"?

Historically the northern Europeans and particularly the Germans have been most involved in this. In Germany the sex spas are called by FKK, which in English refers to the Free Body Culture movement. All legal.

I'm curious about a lesser aspect of your story, if I may. It sounds like your girlfriend (not wife) comes and goes to the US with you. How is that possible without a lot of trouble getting US visas for her? Or have you simply succeeded in getting her qualified for such US ins-and-outs through the usual application process? It looks daunting to me.

McWalden and Bailey law firm at One Pacific Place in Sukhumvit is quite interested in doing all sorts of visa work at reasonable rates. They might be another place to phone interview for what you need. Ask for Jean.

My Thai gf got a nose job while I was back in the states in March. I told her more than once that being Californian I like the natural, there was nothing wrong with her only slight bridge, it wasn't worth the risk, that it would not matter to me, etc. To no avail. She got a referral and since her friend was a former customer, she got what she said was a 15-20K job for 9K. It was actually rather modest; a lot of people she knows seemed not to pick up on it later. But the problem was the sensitivity would not go away. It's supposed to last only a week or so, but for two months if I touched her nose accidentally it was like an electric shock. But then it settled. But her reason for doing it was she wanted to be beautiful for me! BS. Female vanity knows no bounds, but we're still together.

Once I stopped taking a different girl from soi Cowboy every night and got into a pretty steady relationship with one (39 year younger) Thai woman, I looked around and said, "Hey, I never noticed but Sukhumvit is dirty, rat-infested, with homicidal drivers, and the whole country is unbearably hot with a tropical climate that is out to kill me." Now I just want to leave and take the lady to a better clime, without giving her the farm. And she's all for it, the climate is killing her too.

So what I'm saying is, without the sex industry, half the guys coming here would wake up and stay away.

The Los Angeles consulate clearly states that 30 day exemptions are not to be used for more than 90 days stay in any random 180 day period. I know from my own experience that that is not actually enforced, but it might not be a good idea to push your luck and call attention to yourself. I now feel that if one is more than a casual tourist, it is ultimately better to respect the kingdom and get an appropriate visa, but there is no doubt that the way they have set it up, the system can be gamed.

The best is about her dismissing his threat to kill her if his drugged mind decided he could no longer trust her. Makes me wish I could see into her mind in her last moments.

But don't assume the Brit husband was an angel. If he was traveling on business a lot then I doubt he would put up with sexual frustration himself for any length of time, though I could be wrong.

You might check out the Best Comfort on the connecting street between soi 19 and soi 15. Near the Kingston but MUCH cheaper--but like the man said, walking can be dangerous.

When I came back from a week in Bali on Jan 20 it was to be my 4th visa exempt entry in under 6 months, and my Thai gf was right there with me, and the officer gave me a pretty hard time. Back in CA in Feb I finally read the LA consulate guidelines carefully, and it says more than once, don't come in exempt for more than 90 days in any 180 day stretch. The officer finally let me in, and in doing so, in hindsight, he let me break the rule. So now I've got my application in for an METV, should come next week.

The advantage of not using visas is obvious, but the disadvantage is I've had to time my travels right down to the day, and if I'm a little sick and would rather not fly, it's a pain in the ass. The METV makes that aspect much easier. After this METV I plan to get a retirement visa, since I meet the requirements.