khunjeff

Immigration has no idea how many people visited Phuket, and shouldn't be speaking on the matter. All they know is how many passengers landed on the island on international flights or via marine vessels from abroad, which is a completely different statistic.

I have no strong opinion about the tax itself, but am confused about the fact that the Cabinet has revoked a law, and the Council of State will draft a new one. Do the elected representatives in the Parliament have no role in deciding what the law will be?

They make these forecasts so vague and non-specific as to be nearly useless. A very general outlook on weather trends is useful for an almanac, but for daily use people are looking for a forecast specific to their locality.

Translation: "There are currently no powerful families enriching themselves from the recreational marijuana business. We reserve the right to revise our medical opinion once any such families have been identified."

When I came through last week the queue was indeed 15 minutes, but fewer than half of the immigration booths were staffed, so the line was gradually getting longer as more planes landed. Bags were available within about ten minutes of completing immigration formalities. I see they've now changed the claim about passport processing time from "45 seconds" a few weeks ago to "1 minute" today. And since they previously said that there are 119 total immigration counters, it's mathematically impossible "to process 3,000 passengers in just 20 minutes" - at one minute per pax, the limit for 20 minutes would be 2380 passengers, in a best case scenario.

From what I've read elsewhere, no, they can't. The MRTA expropriated that land to build the subway, and apparently under law it can only be used for purposes related to transit, not as a driveway for a condo project. That seems to be the main (or only) issue here, as the driveway otherwise meets the minimum width requirements (incorrectly mentioned as "length" in the article). Why this didn't come up years earlier, I don't know.

The key words are "could" and "considering".

Haha, he's so funny - the only "control" appears to be the limited supply of green neon marijuana leaves needed to decorate the weed shop storefronts. "In the summer, senior police officers voiced concerns about this including the threat of car drivers under the influence of marijuana wreaking havoc on Thai roads." More comedy. Where's the concern about non-users wreaking havoc on roads? Or mayhem and death on the highways are fine, as long as they're not connected with weed?

The OP is asking about the validity of a visa for entry into Australia, not the validity of a passport for entry to Thailand.

I realize that Thailand doesn't operate under common law, but it's still hard for me to understand what standing these people have to sue, and on what basis they could prevail. It's pretty clear that the MOPH had the legal authority to de-list marijuana, and disagreeing with their decision doesn't seem like grounds for overturning that decision. It's also strange that recent reporting gives the impression that MOPH, ONCB, and possibly the National Assembly and the cabinet all have the authority to list or de-list substances from the narcotics list, which would seem to be a recipe for chaos.

Of course it depends which company you use - the more expensive ones generally have better food - but even on the cheaper cruises the food isn't terrible. Picture the buffet food at a three-star Thai hotel and that will be about right. I'm personally not a fan of the pounding music on most of the boats, but the companies clearly know their customer base - most of the tourists, especially Russians, love it.

I've never been asked for a lease when doing a retirement extension at CW. I've never been asked for a TM-30 either, but it would be a good idea to get one from your lodging and bring it along, just in case it's requested.

One of the most idiotic aspects of this whole "debate" must be the constant fear-mongering that weed is secretly being slipped into food and drink - as if any vendor would add an expensive ingredient without touting the fact and charging extra...

When online alcohol sales were banned during the pandemic, sellers seemed to agree that they could no longer have the usual cart and checkout system on their websites, but posting a product list and then accepting orders by email or Line message was fine.

I honestly do wonder whether there are any known agricultural diseases or pests in Korea and Japan that pose a threat to Thai crops, or whether this is just theater - I don't know the answer to that question.

"It is available at Pharmax, Icare, Vitamin Club and Super Drug stores." If this is truly as effective at preventing infection as they claim, why isn't it available everywhere - or even distributed for free by the government? ????

If you're talking about a neighborhood pub with local clientele, you're undoubtedly right. I'm not sure the calculation is the same for nightclubs catering to jet-lagged foreign tourists, who are possibly more interested in enjoying nightlife in an "exotic" country than simply consuming as much alcohol as possible. In reference to the concerns about drunk driving in the article, it's also certainly true that tourists are far, far less likely to be driving to bars than locals.

Good advice, but it's actually called Mobile Passport, and the version from Airside (a private company) was discontinued ten months ago. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) now has its own version, which functions in the same way. Global Entry is even better - with the new facial recognition kiosks, it literally takes less than 30 seconds to get through immigration - but costs $100 for five years, and takes a long time for approval. https://thepointsguy.com/news/mobile-passport-app-is-now-called-cbp-mpc/ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.dhs.cbp.pspd.mpc

Board of Investment - they manage the LTR program.

That's true, and in actuality they seem to be realizing that, sort of. From the beginning they kept talking only about "pension income over 80k", but the BoI person who was interviewed in Chris Parker's YouTube video stated that any kind of income is ok, except wages and tips (i.e., employment income). On the application website, there is a space for retirement income, and then another for "fixed income", which - from the examples provided - really seems to mean something more like "passive income". There have clearly been some misunderstandings regarding foreign retirees, such as the idea that all of them rely on pensions for the bulk of their income, and that they all have individual short term health insurance policies (the reality being that many, especially from the US and from international organizations, have long term group insurance through their former employers). Unlike many Thai bureaucracies, though, the BoI does seem to be learning and adjusting as they go. Let's hope that continues.

I assume they mean "all stakeholders except the foreigners at whom the proposal was aimed"... As many have learned to their detriment, "they" aren't buying property "through" their wives, they are using their money to pay for their wife's property - that distinction seems irrelevant as long as the relationship is going well, but suddenly becomes very important if it goes bad.

Just look in the back of the pickup. Empty? You're good to go ????

Well, you need to register even to see something as simple as arrival and departure information. It now provides wait times for check-in, security, and immigration, but look at these and ask yourself whether the times look realistic based on the numbers waiting...214 people through immigration in nine minutes? Not impossible, but a lot faster than I've typically seen.

- Problem: not enough applicants for the LTR program Solution: remove one of the benefits - Problem: Chinese illegally buying industrial property under false identifies Solution: ban foreigners from legally buying small residential plots - Problem: Thai teenagers drinking alcohol Solution: stop sixty-year-old foreigners from buying drinks in the afternoon The Thai Government continues to address societal issues with focused, almost laser-like precision ????

I personally have never been asked for either a TM-30 or a 90 day report slip when applying for my retirement extensions in Bangkok, but it's probably best to get a TM-30 from your hotel just in case. A lease definitely shouldn't be needed - that's only required for the Non-O application, not for subsequent extensions.