khunjeff

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

"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 🙄

"In the first 11 months of 2021, Thailand exported 64.8 billion baht of garments and 188.6 billion baht of textiles, Thai Garment Manufacturers Association president Yuttana Silpsarnvitch revealed." https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/business/40010776

Every time a photo of an endless airport queue appears on social media, they make a statement that all immigration counters were staffed and so it wasn't their fault. If all the counters are already manned, how can they increase staffing above 100%? 🤔

Thai authorities keep saying that they have registered copyright for elephant pants, but with no explanation of exactly who claims the rights and over exactly which intellectual property - the concept of "loose trousers with fabric designs involving elephants" is not one that could be registered in any country that I'm aware of, and a government can't claim rights for something that it didn't create by itself or through its employees. They also state that this supposed registration was just done within the last week or so, which certainly calls into question how imports prior to that registration could have been "illegal".

Gosh, ya think? It's not a bug, it's a feature...

In what sense are these "illegal" imports, when I believe Thailand and China have a free trade agreement? And in what sense are they "knock-offs", when there is no original, "legal" design to copy? And just how was a claim to copyright filed, when there is almost certainly no known "author" of the original print, and there are hundreds of variant fabric designs?

There are dozens or hundreds of different "patterns" used for elephant pants, did they "copyright" all of them? And who was the original "author" who is claiming this alleged copyright? The word copyright has a specific legal meaning, and a country can't just wave it around as a way of blocking legal imports that they don't like.

I don't think the concept of "pants" can be patented - I'm fairly certain that the revolutionary idea of "clothes covering the legs" existed prior to the advent of elephant pants. Copyright? No, there's nothing written that can be given protection. Trademark? "Pictures of elephants on rayon fabric" doesn't represent any identifiable business or enterprise that I know of. If someone is stealing an exact fabric pattern, then sure, maybe you can send them a cease and desist letter (though good luck with that). But protecting the notion of loose trousers with designs involving pachyderms? Nah.

Yes, you can absolutely apply for a new US passport in Thailand. You will need to submit form DS-11 (instead of the form DS-82 that's used for renewals), pay an extra $35, and make an appointment to appear in person at the embassy (their authority to accept mail-in applications only applies to routine renewals). Just go to the embassy website and follow the instructions for "first time application" or "first adult passport". Those terms obviously don't apply in your case, but the process is the same.

The original (long gone) Siam Hotel was the one on Phetchaburi Road next to the Mona Lisa massage parlor, where ladies of the evening would congregate in the coffee shop late at night. The Sukosol family owned the Siam City Hotel on Sri Ayutthaya Road, which is now called (appropriately) The Sukosol Hotel. The family also opened the luxury hotel "The Siam" in 2012, but I don't think that's the one you're thinking of.

Well, the company ceased to exist as of January 1st of this year, so I'm afraid you'll have to find a new favorite! "Thai Airways lost its state enterprise status on 22 May 2020 when the Finance Ministry sold off a 3.17% stake in Thai to the Vayupak 1 Fund, thus reducing its former majority shareholding to 47.86%." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Airways_International

Agree 100%. I honestly can't imagine what value an agent would provide, other than scanning and uploading the documents that YOU will still have to dig up and compile. It's a pretty straightforward process, and you don't have to pay anything until/unless you're approved.

These are only 300 count, but they're 100% cotton and inexpensive. https://shp.ee/you00qb

1) Respected media outlet does a report indicating police corruption 2) Police decide that police did nothing wrong 3) Police conclude that the problem is the pesky media outlet Done!

No, the new Khamsavath station is about 10km north of the current Thanaleng station, but still about 15km south of the Vientiane HSR station. This new project is meant to: (1) bring passengers to a newer, bigger station that is closer to the city of Vientiane, and (2) allow through passengers from Bangkok to travel all the way to Vientiane without having to switch to a shuttle train at the border. The extension of the HSR line to Thailand will be a completely separate project.

This is a totally separate station and separate set of tracks - there's no connection between this and the Lao-China HSR.

No, they really do mean beginning to end. They have repeated the claim of "45 seconds to process each passenger" on many occasions over the past year or two, each time a photo of an enormous queue finds its way onto social media. For departures, that claim may not be too far off. For arrivals, it's true for many/most passengers (I used to time each one while waiting to get to the head of the line), but more than a few pax take considerably longer.

"...why doesn’t Immigration just scrap the requirement? "...There are several reasons why this requirement may still be in place: "Firstly, it helps the government keep track of the number of foreign nationals in the country and their whereabouts. This is especially important in managing overstays and ensuring that visitors comply with the terms of their visas. "Secondly, it’s part of the national security policy and by keeping updated records of foreign residents, authorities say they can more effectively monitor and prevent illegal activities." Of course, it doesn't actually accomplish any of those purposes, but sure, whatever 🙄

Rutnin Eye Hospital on Asoke in Bangkok is the top ophthalmological facility in Thailand - they have dozens of doctors specializing in every aspect of vision and eye care

Correct. This is yet another in a long series of pointless press releases by CAAT that stir up lots of controversy, but seem to have been created only to remind people that the agency exists. No. The CAAT announcement never mentioned overstay, and the "new" policy has nothing to do with immigration or visas. The overstay angle appears to have been dreamed up by Nikkei and the outlets that have quoted their article. It obviously wouldn't make sense for the bored contract screeners at the airport - who somehow take several minutes to confirm that the name on the boarding pass matches that on the ID - to also be flipping through passports pretending to understand what the stamps mean. Airlines have been urging passengers to include middle names on flight bookings for over 20 years now, and have been serious about it for at least ten years. And yes, they can and do deny boarding if there's a middle name on the ID but not on the reservation. You've been lucky if it hasn't happened to you yet, but people in that situation are regularly forced to pay a name change fee or even buy a completely new ticket at a result of the mismatch. And to answer the posters who complained that Air Asia doesn't have a middle name field in its reservation system, well, lots of airlines don't - you're supposed to just enter all of your first and middle names in the "given name(s)" field. Some airlines will keep the spaces between names, others will delete the spaces and push the names together, and still others will tell you to enter the names with no spaces. Unfortunately, many carriers don't explain all this very well on their websites.

The announcement (which didn't make a lot of sense in any case) was only about domestic flights, so it has nothing to do with the TM-6 or other immigration procedures. It's been a requirement for over five years now, and signs above the Immigration counters clearly state that passengers should present their passport, boarding pass, and e-visa printout (if applicable). If you ignored the signs and the officer didn't bother to follow up, that doesn't change the fact that it really is an official requirement, and that people without a BP in their hands really do slow down the immigration queues.

Yes, what exactly does this decision mean, in practical terms?

The OP is trying to send Thai-made vitamins out of Thailand, not bring foreign vitamins into Thailand.

In other words, the headline is totally misleading and this is nothing but the speculation of one person who hasn't spoken with Thaksin. Got it.