khunjeff

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The Thai AirAsia CEO also stated that Thai carriers would not revert to price wars

How can he speak for how other airlines might price their flights? I'm sure they haven't colluded, since that would of course be illegal 🙄

On 3/7/2024 at 6:49 PM, uncletiger said:

One big difference between FDIC and NCUSIF is that NCUSIF insures savings accounts only where as FDIC will also insure checking accounts. 

"All deposits at federally insured credit unions are protected by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, with deposits insured up to at least $250,000 per individual depositor."

https://ncua.gov/newsroom/press-release/2020/deposits-are-safe-federally-insured-credit-unions

4 hours ago, Snig27 said:

Add to that ancient cumbersome security machinery and processing procedures. Most airports don't ask you to remove shoes and belts anymore, and many don't want computers taken out. Instead of fiddling about buying useless submarines maybe the money would be better spent on security at the airport.

They replaced all of the baggage scanning equipment last year.

2 hours ago, superal said:

I don't recall other airports having departure immigration , do you ?

The vast majority of countries in the world have exit immigration - the US and the UK are rare exceptions.

22 hours ago, khunbillmex said:

the bank was no longer accepting new accts from     AMERICANS, **  Have you heard  of this from other Vets here in Thailand. The bank officer was unsure if this was an all Thai banks policy

Obviously the manager of an individual branch can make up whatever absurd rules he or she likes, but no, this is not an "all Thai banks" policy and is not even the rule of any Thai bank.

21 hours ago, Crossy said:

The problem is FATCA and the associated paperwork, many banks just can't be bothered.

What they don't understand is that they're stuck with the paperwork whether they like it or not. The Bank of Thailand signed an agreement with the US Treasury Department a number of years ago obliging all Thai banks to comply with FATCA, so no bank - and certainly no branch - can opt out of that, no matter what the manager wants; they must make every new customer fill out the US paperwork to determine whether they meet the definition of a "US person".

They also misunderstand what's involved in having "US persons" as customers - the reporting is all done electronically at the HQ level, with essentially no work required by the branch.

53 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I heard the 1% charge was only for those who choose to pay in Thai baht not local currency. 

That seems to be the case:

"When travelling abroad and using credit cards for purchases at international stores, individuals will be presented with the option of paying in the local currency of the country or baht. If the user chooses to pay in baht, an additional 1% fee will be charged."

Of course, choosing to pay in baht overseas via DCC is already a terrible idea, since it will be quite a bit more expensive than opting for local currency.

And no, this is not a way for Thai banks to cover currency conversion costs. If you choose DCC overseas, the bank in that country will do the conversion. If you choose local currency, conversion will be done by Visa or Mastercard. In neither case will the Thai bank do any conversion or bear any exchange rate risk - the transaction will be submitted to them in baht.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/thailand/economy/40036058

36 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

That's what I was thinking as well. I'm sure I get charged (I think 20 Baht) every time I withdraw money from an ATM outside Bangkok.

That's true if you take out cash using your debit card. You will not pay a fee if you use the cardless withdrawal option on the ATM.

The head of AOT keeps giving the same speech again and again in response to every crisis: we're bringing on 200, 400, 800 extra staff to guide people through the procedures!! Guess what? Passengers know where to go, that's why they're in the queues - the problem is the number and speed of security and immigration stations, not people getting lost on the way there.

And the bizarre repetition of how great the electronic check-in kiosks are...which the airlines didn't ask for, which WE are paying for through an increase in the airport fee, and which will NOT

6 hours ago, webfact said:

allow[] passengers to independently check-in and load their baggage, reducing the dependence on airport staff

...since every airline still needs to examine travel documents, weigh bags, etc. This is really getting tiresome.

Does the airport currently have any scheduled flights at all?

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The collective resolve to combat this issue underscores the authorities’ commitment to prioritising the safety and well-being of tourists visiting the island.

And yet these crackdowns never seem to target overcharging and law breaking by registered taxis, which affect the well-being of tourists far more than these illegal private cars that are so vexatious to the authorities.

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The court took considerable time to read through the judgment, which exceeded 100 pages, due to the number of defendants and the complexity of the case.

What is complex about a prison brawl? 🤔

4 hours ago, webfact said:

AIRPORTS of Thailand (AOT) has rushed to add more staff to prevent malfunction at Suvarnabhumi Airport as ordered Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin with 200 additional officials joining the team manning the immigration counters from tomorrow

As usual, this is either poor reporting or just nonsense. How can AOT - an airport management company - bring on immigration officers, who belong to the police? Are we talking about actual officers at the counters, or just more officious teenage queue managers in red vests?

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Mr. Keerati Kijmanawat, AOT’s president, told Srettha that more officials were enrolled because there was a 30 percent shortage in this key role.

Immigration has told us repeatedly, every time there's a negative news story about long queues, that all 119 counters are staffed, and that the problem is those pesky flights that just keep landing. So where is the "30% shortage"? Or is AOT finally admitting that the previous claims were nonsense? Or are they only talking about "queue managers"?

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Moreover AOT is also hiring an additional 200 workers to manage queues

So are these the same 200 new staff mentioned above (in which case they won't be manning the counters, just waving their arms and shouting), or 200 support staff in addition to 200 more officers? Pro tip: if there aren't enough actual officers to process everyone in a timely fashion, no extra number of facilitators will speed up the process.

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Their objective was to jointly investigate any illicit usage of private cars for passenger transportation

Yes, the problem isn't massive overcharging, refusal to abide by regulations, grossly inflated fares, or mafia thuggery, it's...private cars. Glad they have their priorities straight.

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

 

The move was prompted by public complaints through the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) about clandestine shops selling cheap electronic cigarettes and e-liquids.

Nothing clandestine about it - they're sold openly everywhere...

34 minutes ago, BangkokHank said:

My responses in bold above.

We do indeed have the same friend.

It's definitely possible that they've relaxed the rule on VND export, or they just don't care. It's pretty clear that their main interest is in folks taking out lots of foreign currency.

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The government has indicated that the process of amending the marriage equality law has already been 70% completed

The bill was drafted years ago. Exactly what "process" is still incomplete? Submit the bill, debate it, hold hearings or whatever they do, and vote on it. Don't keep talking about how much you want to pass it without actually doing anything.

Wait, won't he have to be picked up by an ambulance and taken directly to a private hospital? We've been told that the poor fellow is practically at death's door...

15 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

But some countries do have restrictions on the amount of cash you can take out of the country without making a declaration, maybe this is what they were checking for.

 

Regardless of this - is it a customs/excise officers job to do this or a simple security guard at a scanner?

It's odd because their job is to check for weapons and other items not allowed to be taken 'airside'.

Vietnam requires a declaration when taking over 5k USD or 15 million VND (about $600) either in or out of the country.

And the person who questioned the OP wasn't a security guard, it was a customs officer. In Vietnam, customs officers sit next to the security screeners (you can see the different uniform) and look for cash and contraband. As you say, the screeners themselves are only looking for items that pose a danger to aviation.

(Anyone who ever flew to VN years ago may recall that customs used to have its own x-ray machines just before immigration - they have since streamlined the system by having customs share a checkpoint with security.)

19 hours ago, BangkokHank said:

Yes, you can carry any amount into Thailand. But if it is above a certain amount, it has to be declared. I have a friend who once entered Thailand with $100,000 cash that he didn't declare, and the Thais confiscated it all.

I wonder whether we have the same friend, because the exact same thing (with the same amount of money) happened to a friend of mine. To this day I have no idea why they happened to talk to him when he came through the green lane, something that virtually never happens.

On 2/5/2024 at 7:41 PM, SHA 2 BKK said:

Yes for arrivals  just go to the “Fast Track” section which is after the main immigration area.  Next to where the Chinese used to get their Visa On Arrival.  
 

There is a sign from memory that is in blue and white that says Fast Track.  Show your LTR Visa to the guard in front and you are in.   No need for any voucher.   
 

There is the odd guard who still doesn’t know what and LTR Visa is but you can point to it on the blue and white letter board.   Thailand Elite also use this point. 

The Fast Track area you're looking for is at "Immigration 2", but it's not clearly labeled as such - as mentioned, just follow the "Visa on Arrival" signs, and you'll find Fast Track just to the right. The sign below is next to the entrance, but you can't see it until you're right there. I've never had any issues getting in, because the entrance is screened by an immigration officer, not a guard.

For departures, though, LTR is not listed on the sign (only the cryptic "BOI" and "Long Stay"), and the entrances (on the far left and get right of the check-in hall) are guarded by young contractors who know nothing about the rules. They've never tried to deny me entry, but I have had to press the issue once or twice.

On 2/9/2024 at 11:28 AM, brianthainess said:

Thanks for the link, but now you should check where Thailand sources its cotton from.

Thailand produces less than 1% of the cotton it uses. 

I'm sure that's true, but the question was about whether Thailand produces fabric, not whether it grows cotton!

3 hours ago, webfact said:

 [Prime Minister Srettha] has further requested...the construction of a ring road through Wing 41 to alleviate traffic congestion in downtown Chiang Mai.

"Regarding the Wing 41 plan, motorists could be required to register with the RTAF and possibly undergo background checks if they are allowed to enter the base. Vehicles entering this security zone could also be inspected."

Yes, that certainly sounds like a sensible and efficient way to operate a public highway intended to improve traffic flow 🙄