Lekong

Thanks for your help.

I have one more question. The VISA officer at the school I will be working at has just given me what she says I will need to get the Non B VISA (passport photocopies, degree certificate, school registration details etc), but it doesnt have a "Letter of approval from government agencies such as the Office of the Private Education Commission, the Office of the Basic Education Commission"

I have a feeling that without this there is no chance of me getting said VISA, but she seems to think only Vientiane are strict on this. She tells me I will be fine. Does anybody with experience know how strict they are with this document?

Thanks again

If the school are paying your travel, accommodation and visa costs I would follow the advice given by the schools "visa Officer".

If you are self funding I would insist on having everything the school lists as being required !

This is not good I think. Bad advice. It is always good to do the right thing. Though the school visa officer is not following what the OP is tell them, he will get back to them with at least some good advice from here and they can change and do the right documents for him. Going out multiple times just because the money is not coming from the OP is wrong. It is important to be considerate. The letter from the education office for private school is a necessity. The OP needs that letter. What if he follows your advice and goes but return without a visa because the documents are not correct and the school asks him to pay for the expenses in going the second time? I have a story to share here. While teaching in China, there was one guy from one African country who had some problems with his school about paying the flight for his holiday to his country. After some tense argument, the school accepted to pay. He then said since the school first argued what was in the contract, he would punish them. He told them he could only fly Air France which the cost was almost twice that of Ethiopian or Kenyan Airlines. The school bought the Air France ticket for him. He went to his country without any problem. In returning to China from his country passing through France, he needed a transit visa which the French consulate or embassy in his country refused to grant him. He had no choice than to pay his flight back through Ethiopian Airlines. Had he not said oh, I am not the one paying so let me exploit them, he would have used the normal Ethiopian or Kenyan Airlines and he would not have found himself in the mess of paying his return flight by himself. When you feel that he can go as many times as he can simply because he is not the one paying is totally out of place as some unforeseen circumstances could push him to spending more as a result of that.

Mercer would not know if their arse was on fire , what a load of rubbish, how this even gets printed as a bonafide report , when not one South American country is on that list , Where the <deleted> is Mexico, ? So as a paper report i would suggest to Mercer that they install the printed copies in their hong nam!

Yup, what do they know... who cares about the fact that it's based on statistics of assault, robbery, rape, etc. Statistics don't matter, let's base it on our personal bias and our personal experience. You sir, are a dunce.

Having worked and lived and paid taxes in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Zambia, South Africa, PNG , Irian jaya, USA, France , Italy, Holland, Germany, Indonesia Sumatra, Burkina Faso, India, Cyprus, Lao, Cambodia , China ,Australia, New Zealand, England, Japan, and Thailand , As you call me a "dunce" , From where i am coming from to reply to the heading of where it is safe to live in the world for an expat, I just have a small understanding of where it is safe! Only from my "personal experience."

How can one believes you when you stated that there was no one south American country in the list and someone reminded you of about 5 south American countries in that report? Your personal experience will count only to you.

Mercer would not know if their arse was on fire , what a load of rubbish, how this even gets printed as a bonafide report , when not one South American country is on that list , Where the <deleted> is Mexico, ? So as a paper report i would suggest to Mercer that they install the printed copies in their hong nam!

Couldn't agree more. A friend from Brazil was visiting a while ago. He was comparing Thailand with his home country and was amazed how he could feel safe anywhere in Bangkok, even in the most impoverished of the city.

An other friend from Texas too told me once how he feel safe here, he even added : here you don't get shot at for a pair of shoes (??).

To finish, I've been an expat in Asia for more than 20 years. I've personally known two person who were killed in two separate criminal incidents in the Philippine and an other couple of people who were killed in traffic accident in China. Regarding Thailand it seems the principal cause of death here is old age ...

Actually, for foreigners, suicide and murder are the principle cause of death.

Really?? Perhaps you would care to provide some proof to substantiate that seemingly ludicrous statement?

Really????? Are you new to TV????? I have read multiple accounts of murders and suicides cases involving foreigners here on TV No proofs needed, just keep reading TV.

Mercer would not know if their arse was on fire , what a load of rubbish, how this even gets printed as a bonafide report , when not one South American country is on that list , Where the <deleted> is Mexico, ? So as a paper report i would suggest to Mercer that they install the printed copies in their hong nam!

Couldn't agree more. A friend from Brazil was visiting a while ago. He was comparing Thailand with his home country and was amazed how he could feel safe anywhere in Bangkok, even in the most impoverished of the city.

An other friend from Texas too told me once how he feel safe here, he even added : here you don't get shot at for a pair of shoes (??).

To finish, I've been an expat in Asia for more than 20 years. I've personally known two person who were killed in two separate criminal incidents in the Philippine and an other couple of people who were killed in traffic accident in China. Regarding Thailand it seems the principal cause of death here is old age ...

I was agreeing with you from the start but when you say the principal cause of death here is old age, it seems as if you are talking as a person who has never been here. The rate of foreigners who die here from accidents and suicides is alarmingly high.

To be hones after more than 12 years I would like to go somewhere else.

Main reasons:

- Affordable and decent education for our 2 kids, we pay now about 100,000 Baht per year each at a private bi-lingual school, it's not good and getting worse

- I'm getting annoyed by the caste society and the spastic social behavior that it brings with it in so many aspects of daily life

- Increasing disrespect for foreigners

- Enormous increase of crime

- Political and economical developments

You nailed it. Seriously. Disrespect of foreigners is in fact making me sick by the days. I am here because I don't have another choice and my gf is very kind and takes good care of me. Some people may like this place because they have never gone to another or other countries. One teaches students who don't have the least zeal to learn. One works with people who change like chameleons. Today your colleague smiles with you, the next day it is a different thing. It is very disheartening staying here for me.

20K baht for a 200 day 'visa'. Better deal than the 60 day visa I got in laos which cost me 15K all in

20k for overstay penalty and not for a visa please.

I am on extension of stay based on work and I visit my gf in a different province every weekend. Does she need to notify the immigration of my stay in her home from Friday to Sunday every week? Thanks for your answers.

" I visit my gf in a different province every weekend"

How many houses does the g/f own ? Does she move between houses/provinces on a weekly basis ?

You seem to misunderstand me. I visit my gf in a different from my own province. In other words, we don't live in the same province. So I visit her in the province where she resides every week, different from my own province. She doesn't move from one province to another every week. It is me who move to her province every week.

I am on extension of stay based on work and I visit my gf in a different province every weekend. Does she need to notify the immigration of my stay in her home from Friday to Sunday every week? Thanks for your answers.

I have a 'Retirement Visa' I live in Thailand, I am 1 day late reporting at Immigration,what happens, I get arrested and deported ?

What do you mean reporting ?....a 90 day report ?...No that's not an overstay anyway....if you are talking about your visa expiring...go back and read the rules...what do you think will happen in terms of what is written ?

Apologies, misunderstood the rules, overstay means overstaying when your visa expires ?

Yes, yes yes and yes. I wonder why you don't know this.

All I can think now is thank god I sold my condo in Thailand and repatriated my funds last year before the military Junta heavy handed purge starts on all foreigners and we have now moved back to UK with the Mrs for the time being until we decide which Asian country to use and settle in as a base for spending time in Asia, the next it will be no repatriation of funds allowed out of Thailand and you will have to leave your money in Thailand forever.

...heavy handed purge starts on all foreigners.. All foreigners? Shameless lies. Are you insinuating that all foreigners in Thailand have overstayed their visas???? They want to crackdown on foreigners who have overstayed their visas and not ALL foreigners. I need to remind you this. What is bad in cracking down on people who don't want to obey the law? I know you hate Thailand, but hate it for a right reason and not a wrong reason please.

So on the run he goes to one of the most popular tourist destinations in Cambodia to hide out....smart move. There's many places he could of laid low pretty much undected.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Human blood is so so strong that one will hardly commit murder and go free. Many people commented yesterday that his days on the run were counted and they were perfectly right. Even if he went to the low profile places as you think, he would have still been caught.

Why do the Thai police have to rat out an informant - especially one who has no knowledge of any crime? Why do they even have to say what she told them or that she gave them pictures of him? Why do they have to show a picture of her in the news?

All they needed was the info she gave them because it has no further use to the system. Now she could be a target of him or cronies for what purpose?

I think their reasoning is pretty obvious.

It shows they are making progress in identifying and tracking the suspect.

It also makes the TV elite scramble about for new ways to complain about how poorly they do their jobs.

Will you be ready to be exposed as a witness in a murder case? What if the murderer knows that you gave vital information about them and turn against you? An enlighten person before giving such information will always ask for anonymity. I think you know this very well.

We live in a guest house. 3 foreigners, one male (me) and two females. Our rooms are 1, 2 and 3 on a role. Two police officers came with a paper with my name on it. I was not home. They sat waiting not knowing when I will come back. The two foreign ladies didn't bother to call me to tell me that the police were there for me. The officers didn't check the two foreign ladies but wanted only me. There I came and they were so delighted to see me. A police officer who is my friend had told them a lot about me and they talked it over with me. Asked for my passport and took photos of the expiration date and took photos with me too and left happily. My question is why didn't they check the two foreign ladies? They didn't ask them any questions as they told me but wanted only me and checked me. Three foreigners but checked only one. Why?. This is in Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south, late last year.

cheers, can he get a visa on arrival in laos or does he need to get one in advance? He is a complete and utter door knob he's so worried about this that he hardly even leaves his room in fear of being caught before March 20th. Ill keep you guys posted as to how he gets on and ive told him he better get the beers in for me and all you guys that have given great advice. Great to see there are still some wonderful human beings left on this planet.

He will get a Lao visa on arrival. Cost will be $30 to $42 US or 1500 baht dependent upon his nationality,

He is British from the OP. On how he has been living here for long without work and how he maintained himself, he could say his parents are so rich and have been sending money to him or are dead and left a lot of money for him and he had his personal money too that he saved before coming here.

It's a little over 300 dollars. Hardly worth the effort or risk to anyone who can afford a vacation.

For a Chinese " tourists " $300 is a lot of money, and beside, a scam is a scam,

some people enjoy running a scam just for the hell of it....

Those Chinese who can afford a vacation here are very rich and $300 will mean very little or nothing to them. Do you think Chinese who go abroad on vacations are that mean? I have lived with them for 6 years and I think you have missed the point entirely.

My wife just asked me to get something this Christmas that will make her look sexy.

So I'm just off out to buy some whiskey..............

You have a wonderful sense of humour/humor. Merry Christmas and a very very happy and prosperous new year in advanced to all. May the new year bring you love, joy, peace, harmony, prosperity, happiness, good health and above all else long life.

I guess his door locks didn't work ! Why flee the vehicle

Not rocket science. Of course he will break the glasses and meet you in if you don't flee.

From the original article:

"They found drug taking paraphernalia inside the room and Crystal Meth residue was seen by Police."

If the lady boys and Leeds guy were high on crystal meth ... bad things, such as this, can happen. Lets say this Leeds guy high on meth was on a motor bike and killed an innocent pedestrian, I wonder how many RIP comments would be posted. Just another perspective.

I can see your line of reasoning. Stop imagining and talk about what has happened. The Leeds' guy fortunately has not killed anyone on a motorbike as you imagined. But four ladyboys may have killed him. This is what I think you should imagine. The four ladyboys could be selling drugs. This will not mean Naami went there to buy or take them. Even if the autopsy shows that there are drugs in his system, we could still imagine that the four devil incarnates drugged him to extort his money. That mere fact that four of them are giving four versions of what happened is a clear indication of what I am saying.

As it has been said above, pay at the airport and leave. Then before leaving as you are planning to come back and work, let your company prepare all the necessary documents to get a non B visa for you before you go. If you come back here with a tourist visa, you will certainly go back to Africa for a Non B visa. Could someone here provide him with the link to get the required list of documents for a Non B please? That will help him a lot as he will show it to his company to prepare those documents for him before he goes home. I got it this myself.

Category “B” for undertaking work in Thailand

1. Original passport valid for not less than 6 months from the date of arrival in Thailand and blank pages.
2. Completed and signed application form.
3. Two (2) recent (2 x 2 inches) photographs (taken within the last 6 (six) months).
4. Certificate of Criminal Clearance issued by the police and certified by the Notary Public or the Court and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Embassy of these countries.
5. The original bank statement (for the last 6 months) and the letter of reference issued by the authorized bank officer/manager. The two documents must be certified by the Notary Public or the Court and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Embassy of these countries. A copy of each document needs to be submitted.
6. Letter of invitation from the company in Thailand stating the nature of business and the purpose and length of employment.
7. Employment Contract indicating the rationale for hiring the applicant as well as his/her salary, position and qualifications. The document must be signed by authorized managing director and affixed the seal of the company.
8. A copy of educational records of the applicant and letters from the prior employers identifying job description and length of service time.
9. Letter of Approval from the Ministry of Labour (To obtain this letter, the prospective employer in Thailand is required to submit Form WP 3 at the Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour Tel. 02 245 2745, 02 245 3209 or at a provincial Employment Office in the respective province. For more information, please visit website: www.doe.go.th/workpermit/index.html).
10. International Health Certificate on Yellow Fever Vaccination.
11. Confirmed air ticket paid in full.
12. Visa fee in amount of 13,000 Naira (single entry).
Note: For Football trial or football Players in Thailand
Applicants who wish to enter Thailand for football player trial or as a football full time players should make a request to the Sport Authority of Thailand through their respective sport agents or representatives authorized by their national football associations. The Sport Authority of Thailand will then forward a request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand for consideration. After receiving approval from the Ministry of Thailand, the Embassy may issue an entry visa to the applicants on condition that they meet all requirement specified above. They may be asked to provide additional evidence of their status as footballer players, i.e. a letter issued by their football clubs in their respective countries.

Let your company go through this list and do the documents that you need from here before going home. Good luck.

If you work for strong company why not apply for a 12 month extension of stay based on working ?

You would then only have to make 90 day reports to immigration instead of leaving the country every 90 days.

An extension of stay is also cheaper @1900 Bht than a multi entry visa .

I never said I leave the country every 90 days, I do get a 12 month extension on a non-b visa, but that's not the point

But you will avoid the headache at the airport and embassy as you said because you will never go out of the country for an extension of stay visa.

Well, if he is there he isn't anymore. Thanks to this News Press release.

Could you just read well before commenting please. He was there months ago. Not there now but months ago.

OP, don't ever keep someone's wife in your home for a couple of days. That man is threatening you because you kept his wife in your home without his concern. If you had to keep her in your home, the right thing that you would have done was to contact the man and find out what the problem was that his wife left to your home. You didn't do this and kept her in your home for a couple of days, dragging yourself into her problem with her husband. Tomorrow the man will accuse you of giving his wife bad doctrine to leave him. If not, why were you keeping her in your home when she is not your wife? You didn't only keep the wife but you kept his son too. So you took his family hostage. What if something happened to them while in your house? Her sister is you girlfriend but that does not allow you to house her when she has problems with her husband. Your life is in eminent danger. You heard the story from her and took it for the gospel truth which according to me is wrong. The man is this, the man is that, let her do the right thing by contacting the Police, her parents, her in laws, social welfare, etc to look for a solution. If a divorce then good and fine. Not coming to stay in your home and hiding. She doesn't want the man, let her use the right channel to divorce him. Between a man and a woman, keep your mouth shut and keep your distance. Tomorrow that woman will go back to that man and will be the first person to tell him that you were encouraging her not to go back to him again. Now that your life is in danger, will you go into hiding too? You look for this problem yourself by keeping someone's wife in your home without contacting the man to find out what was wrong. Now contact the Police to protect yourself.

Dogs howling and barking all night sterns from the natural and the supernatural. This is something that no one has thought of. Dogs are believed to have four eyes and they see things that we can't see with our two eyes. Has anyone noticed dogs howling when Monks are passing around? Why do they howl at Monks? Why do they howl at some moments at night? When dogs see some supernatural spirits of course they howl at them. Most of those spirits move at night. Whether a dog is trained to be as gentle as what, it will always howl or bark when it sees these spirits.

My 6 year old pitbul, would not move her fat ass from the sofa to howl at anything day time, let alone night time.

Not sure where you got all these imaginative information from, If anything the myth is cats are the ones with super vision, most certainly not dogs.

They howl at monks because monks carry food

I am not talking of natural vision here. I talked of the supernatural. Dogs howl and bark at ghosts. We as humans don't see ghosts you know.

Again, its not the dogs, the myth is its the cats.

Dogs do sense bad energy and bad people.

Many dogs can not even see at night, they trip over things.

Who do you refer to as bad people here? How do dogs know that some people are bad if they don't have some supernatural vision to see them? Again you are mixing up things. Natural vision is completely different from supernatural vision which lies beyond the reach of an ordinary being. Do you know that most animals have supernatural senses? Animals see some danger before we human beings come to see it. Like before an earthquake or a tsunami, some animals will run to higher grounds, etc. I keep talking of supernatural vision, that which lies above the ordinary eye that me and you have. If dogs bark at Monks because they carry food according to you, how many ordinary people carry food around that dogs see them and don't howl or bark? I think so so many.

Dogs howling and barking all night sterns from the natural and the supernatural. This is something that no one has thought of. Dogs are believed to have four eyes and they see things that we can't see with our two eyes. Has anyone noticed dogs howling when Monks are passing around? Why do they howl at Monks? Why do they howl at some moments at night? When dogs see some supernatural spirits of course they howl at them. Most of those spirits move at night. Whether a dog is trained to be as gentle as what, it will always howl or bark when it sees these spirits.

My 6 year old pitbul, would not move her fat ass from the sofa to howl at anything day time, let alone night time.

Not sure where you got all these imaginative information from, If anything the myth is cats are the ones with super vision, most certainly not dogs.

They howl at monks because monks carry food

I am not talking of natural vision here. I talked of the supernatural. Dogs howl and bark at ghosts. We as humans don't see ghosts you know.

Dogs howling and barking all night sterns from the natural and the supernatural. This is something that no one has thought of. Dogs are believed to have four eyes and they see things that we can't see with our two eyes. Has anyone noticed dogs howling when Monks are passing around? Why do they howl at Monks? Why do they howl at some moments at night? When dogs see some supernatural spirits of course they howl at them. Most of those spirits move at night. Whether a dog is trained to be as gentle as what, it will always howl or bark when it sees these spirits.