Fore Man

I am pretty sure that JUSMAGTHAI (and no other site in Thailand) can issue a new card...they have access to DEERS to validate your eligibility as well as card blanks, the proper digital camera and laminating machine. You can contact the RAO, Maj John Dyste (Ret) via the email address shown below and ask him additional details such as which days of the week and operating hours that the JUSMAG performs ID Card services:

[email protected]

OK, OK; good points all. I retract my comment but assure you that it wasn't posted at all to cause hard feelings...we all have lost loved ones and soulmates in this life and I certainly have sympathy for those left behind and in grief. I was, and am truly curious about the forum rules on seemingly personal posts that have no real benefit for the vast majority of TV members who did not know of your special relationship.

Concur in the expression of sorrow over a friend's passing...but please, what does this have to with Thailand? I have seen other posters have theor posts removed or closed because the topic had nothing to do with Thailand. Just curious about the rules.

I am following this thread and am also interested in doing online taxes. Not interested in having a professional do it for me. Can either TurboTax or Tax Cut be used and submitted from Thailand? I have read some users say you can fill out the return but not generate an e-file to the IRS as it must be done within the USA.

I have to side with the PM on this one...Mr. Thaksin wants to be served justice...all of his hot air and posturing cries out for it...but the only venue for this is in the Kingdom...he cannot be tried in absentia and be fully assured of his rights, can he? I doubt there is any hidden venom in this invitation to come home. If Thaksin does return to be tried and the court system makes a mockery of it, then so be it. At least all will know. If the man receives a sentence that is not suspended, and he must do his time, then so be it. He has whatever is coming to him and the Thai people need closure on this whole sordid mess.

Nimmanhaemin is a bad area known for reckless driving, since it is always so busy and motorcycle riders tend to act impervious to all other forms of movement. We have narrowly missed collisions with riders many times and each time it was clearly their speed and weaving that was the cause. As much as I like Harley's, here in the LOS their owners tend to act as if they are driving a 5-ton dump truck instead of a 2-wheeler....arrogantly and expecting anything else to give way. I agree that a good lawyer is needed. Without corroborating witness statements that point to any involvement by your father the case seems shaky and you are being squeezed unfairly. What about other pedestrians that may have been in the immediate area...were there any and were they questioned by the BiB? You can't simply disappear as you mention that you have an office in CM and apparently are a long term resident. Next time, tell your dad to do an about face and head off briskly in another direction. This is an incredible story and adds another dimension of how a hapless farang can be gouged in Thailand when the fault was clearly due to excessive speed and reckless driving by a local.

We have the same dilemma this year...and have narrowed it down to a new diesel Fortuner or a new petrol CRV. We gave up the idea long ago of buying any Euro-car due to the cost differential. Scratch any Thai driving a European vehicle and you will find someone striving to flaunt his or her wealth and gain respect on the highway; it is never about driving a well-engineered vehicle that might save his family's lives or provide better features...

You just about said it all in your post...well done

I too would certainly consider the Volvo SUV in in the USA because it is a fine vehicle, would be easy to service, and is maybe 25% more expensive than a Toyota equivalent. I would not pay a 300% premium to a Toyota to buy it in Thailand.

Even the 4-5 year old used models some have linked to above are 1.4-1.5M baht or 15-20% more than a BRAND NEW Fortuner or CRV.

Yes, agreed. And at that price exceeding a brand new Toyota or Honda, you would still be taking over someone else's problems. A used car is like a time bomb...ticking away and when you least expect it... The only positive thing I can offer is that hopefully a previous owner of an XC-90 would obviously come from a higher economic stratum and might have attended to all service requirements, but that's not a gimme.

All the foregoing advice has been spot on...particularly the poignant reminder that you can take a girl out of the bar but not vice versa.

I married a lady 11 years ago and took her to the USA to live for 5 years, then returned to LOS to retire here. My wife was a hotel sales manager when I met her, and proved to be a woman of great moral integrity. But she is as someone remarked, among the 5% of Thai women who will not resort to trickery to keep a wealthy farang dancing on their hooks. The point I wish to make is this: that even when you marry or begin a relationship with even a good Thai woman, you marry far more than the lady herself. You marry all the emotional baggage she brings along with her. Her family, her friends, her debts, her habits and so forth. They all pre-existed you and the girl has these loyalties that she must fulfill.

So when you relate to a Thai lady, my advice is that you make sure you do this open-eyed and understand the extent of that additional baggage. This introspection will show you if you truly love the lass or are marrying her for for any other reasons. Thai women believe in the "heart with four rooms' metaphor--they have 'rooms' set aside to love themselves, their husbands, their mothers and fathers, and their children. And they manage to meet all of these obligations. But deep in the psyche of any Thai woman she will make sure to take care of her original family and does this at the expense of herself and of her husband if it comes to that. It is a deeper, more profound relationship than we Farang husbands generally fathom. They also believe in the 'gilded cage' metaphor--and have to build a golden cage around themselves to properly satisfy their many obligations in life. The Farang husband is included, but is not the center of her attentions in this regard. Finally, if you have ever studied Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory, you can best undertand how most Thai (and Oriental) women think and how they are motivated. Unlike Western women, their Asian sisters never reach the 'Self-Actualization" level--the top-most in Maslow's pyramid. They are always scrambling to fulfill more fundamental needs--shelter, food, water, clothing and such...and once they have met these goals for themselves, then take on a mission to assist their family and friends attain the same levels of comfort. This is what you deal with in building a relationship with a Thai woman, and the process is arcane and complex. They truly love you along the way, but at the same time use you as well, as it is your endless source of funds which enable their growth and upward movement in the Maslow structure.

As others have suggested, find a better candidate to share your dreams and emotions with...believe me they are out there! There are bar girls who could become an ideal mate, but in most cases they have inculcated a set of values that will not endure in marriage.

Good luck!

I have to disagree with post #48 citing poor Toyota service. We live in Chiang Mai and have experienced the exact opposite...terrific service. Yes, I speak a little Thai but my wife handles the transaction anyway with the service representative. Like everything else done between farang and Thai in this kingdom, the manner in which a farang discusses any matter with a Thai is not to be taken lightly. Some of us, even unwittingly and in a friendly manner, tend to talk down to a Thai and act like pompous foreigners (I call it the 'big brother' syndrome)...leading to poor outcomes. But this is a subject for a different forum topic.

We have the same dilemma this year...and have narrowed it down to a new diesel Fortuner or a new petrol CRV. We gave up the idea long ago of buying any Euro-car due to the cost differential. Scratch any Thai driving a European vehicle and you will find someone striving to flaunt his or her wealth and gain respect on the highway; it is never about driving a well-engineered vehicle that might save his family's lives or provide better features.

Another factor that plays heavily in our own buying decision is the prevalence of repair shops around the country...take that XC-90 to the outback of Thailand and guess how many Volvo-trained and equipped service centers you'll find! They are few and very far between. But a Fortuner or Honda can get fixed anywhere and for a whole lot less money.

Finally, there is the ease factor--how far do you live from a Volvo versus Toyota (etc) dealer? In a big metro area like Bangkok this could amount to a major expeditiion to get the car serviced. Even in Chiang Mai, the Volvo dealer is an additional 10-km drive for us from the nearest Toyota and Honda dealers. When they service the vehicle, how long is the typical wait? Will they drive you in a courtesy car back to your home and return to pick you up when the job is completed? I don't know about the local Volvo dealer, but our loyal Toyota man is glad to do this for us. It gives us a good reason to buy another Toyota, although I am attracted to the tauter and nimbler CRV.

Above all, unless you are filthy rich, I totally agree with another earlier poster who recommended that the OP limit his financial exposure in Thailand. Oh...and don't dare get in a wreck with that XC-90...the injured party will attempt to sue you for all they can, assuming that you have endlessly deep pockets. My wife totaled our original Camry in 2004 when it was a brand new car. Our first class insurance paid for 80 percent of the purchase price of an identical 2004 model, causing us to instantly lose 20% of the trashed car's worth. That amounted to a THB 30,000 loss after it was all said and done. We could have waited 6 months to get the damaged car fixed and saved that THB 30K, but it would have been eaten up in rental charges. Think hard about potential insurance consequences for any vehicle you settle upon. Had we bought an expensive European car, that 20% loss would have added up to some pretty big numbers.

Personally, I admire the XC-90 and if I had retired in the USA I would have probably bought one...where they are reasonably priced. But we are in Thailand and that makes a huge difference.

One more solution: move your MP3 files to the laptop and stream from wherever your heart takes you--patio, bathroom, den...using a series of Apple Airport Express routers (the new 802.11n versions allow multiple locations, each connected to a stereo, or a set of powered speakers, or the host laptop speakers). I have set up my whole house to do this and can walkabout with ease, listening to the same music wherever I am. The laptop has to be within range of the Apple Airport Express that has been set up as a base station; all the other routers are range extension devices. Apple also has something called a Time Machine, which is an AE on steroids with some other goodies, and allows a remote HDD to be connected to it as well. Have fun!

In my humbling experience, I've found that Thai women actually expect their man to cheat of them....no matter how long or strong their relationship After all, this is the land of the mia noi--if you are rich enough to afford a GF in this country, then many Thai men willingly flaunt their wealth and status...the little lady at home doesn't like it one bit, but that's the culture they were born into and they silently suffer for it.

I was in BKK several years ago with my soon-to-be wife. She went shopping with her GF and I remained in the hotel room, ill with a terrible series of migraines that later turned out to be caused by partially collapsed cervical vertebra. When they returned, there was knocking at the door, as my fiance didn't take the only passkey issued to us. I was sleeping and took time to open the door and let them in. Just before doing so, I heard my fiance's GF remark in Thai..."he probably has a woman in the room with him, maybe we go somewhere else". When I opened the door, there stood the two ladies a bit dumbfounded and I hope a bit ashamed for automatically thinking the worst of me. Two weeks after I returned to the States, I underwent a spinal fusion operation and the headaches subsided. Over the years, I have often heard my wife tell me "go ahead...have a mia noi...it's up to you!"...usually followed by a comment that after that I will lose everything we own together in Thailand after she kicks me out. It is always said nowadays in jest, but there is always an underlying expectation that a husband will eventually cheat. Her invitation to me is nothing more than a test. Flunk it and you go back to rock bottom. What the Thai wife fears for and absolutely does not want is anybody to know about it and cause her to lose face. In our case, we have remained true to each other in 11 yers of marriage and several years of courtship prior to that. Before I met my wife, I was a galavanting playboy, living it up high on expense accounts and enjoying everything that the LOS had to offer. But I honestly haven't ever looked twice at another woman since I met my wife in 1994...she is quite a beauty of course...and it took me another 5 years or so to appreciate that her true beauty was inside and unseen. Are you on this same road of growth as a couple...or just marking time?

So where does this leave the OP? I believe that when a man commits to a woman to have a monogamous relationship...in or out of wedlock...that is precisely what you bargained for and you must live up to your end of the bargain. Sure, go out on boys nights and look at the cute menu laid out before you...look, appreciate, but don't taste! If you succumb to another woman's charms, you will have begun unraveling everything you have worked to create with your lady and the process once started is irreversable. Your will have violated that precious thing we call trust and nothing is more difficult to win it back. Men sometimes think they are capable of living some kind of dual lifestyle--shutting a door behind them in their main life and opening another one in their chosen fantasy land. You are only corrupting yourself and believe me, a woman has a sixth sense for BS and can smell a cheat a mile away. Endeth the epistle

Don't do it!

I would check with carpet retailers for their leads. A large seller is located on the south side of the airport expressway between the Ping River and the Airport Plaza; it is next door to a furniture company.

I have an acquaintance who owns a nice European restaurant in Pattaya. He assured me that the (undefined as to what nationality) mafioso and their hitmen are quite active there and he must hire his own bodyguards and protection to stay safe. In this tragic case, it could very well have been a hitman taking out a recalcitrant business owner. Unfortunately it is an increasingly common occurrence.

There is another twist to this that affects not only business owners, but farangs living out their retirement as well. I learned of farangs married to Thai women who are shot and killed during an apparent break-in, but the Thai wife was mysteriously away shopping or visiting somebody when it happened. Greed and life insurance proceeds are awfully tempting to many Thai spouses, particularly those who sprang from the lower economic strata, or who were urged on by malevolent family members or perhaps even by local boyfriends intent on taking over all those prized assets.

The guys who probably stand the best chance of longevity under such potential circumstances may be those with zero life insurance and minimal banked assets, but with a steady source of pension income that will vanish if he perishes.

Leo and all labels of Singha give me headaches after I drink even one can/bottle . San Miguel, Heineken and Tiger don't do this. I like Chang too and have also experienced some unusual tastes in it. Didn't think about chlorine but you may be right.

I once read somewhere that all beers contain a chemical known as nitrosamine...and that this is not only carcinogenic in humans but can cause headaches in some folks. Some beers are higher in nitrosamines than others. Also, beer that has sat too long after bottling, particularly in hot storage areas, can begin to form aldehydes as well...which can certainly cause headaches! We had a big problem with this during the Vietnam War and a brew from the USA called Carling Black Label was one of the worst culprits. The PX was giving it away if you came and picked it up in bulk. After sampling this stuff, we began leaving it around the AO hoping the enemy might stumble upon it and drink themselves silly

"my friend" says bumrungrad well known for hiring unqualified doctors and is more about profit than most hospitals

but many others around and price varies

I wouldn't go by rumours from 'friends' - although in my experience, it is true that Bumrungrad doctors do overprescribe (rather than mis-prescribe) medicines to profit the hospital - this does not apply to the health checkup system where no prescriptions are involved (although any follow-on treatments may be). I doubt that they would employ unqualified doctors - that's <deleted>. They have some kind of international accreditation system and are well-known for medical tourism which is very lucrative - they would not jeapodize that for the sake of a few cheaper doctors. The experience and qualifications of all the doctors are clearly displayed on their web site for patients to choose from.

I concur; Bamrungrad is a professionally-staffed hospital if not a profit-driven one. MRIs here in Chiang Mai run between THB 8000 to as high as THB 20,000. I had a complete physical last year at the Special Medical Unit at CMU's hospital (Maharaj) that ran only THB 4,000. The year before I had the same done at Chiang Mai Ram I for THB 17,000 but that included a colonoscopy that ran THB 11,000. I also agree with a previous poster who cautioned to make sure you get an accurate assessment of normal versus abnormal or borderline normal. If any tests come up out of limits, get a retest within 30 days to validate it.

I was lured by their billboard ads in Oz offering cheap seats...and decided to give them a try. Never again...when I went to buy the ticket, they added a lot of 'fine print' add-on costs that nearly doubled the price I was expecting to pay.

Yes, well done redscouse. We could all learn something from your experience...namely keep your cool and act friendly despite the underlying concerns you must have had that fairness would result.

Rather than hand you a flippant or crude reply, I'd like to take your post a bit more seriously. Over the years of my experience in this part of the world, I have found a curious streak in some SE Asian women that causes them to reject the notion that they can actually improve their lot and pursue their dreams...of marrying a foreigner, starting a business, whatever that goal might be. I have been happily married to my Thai wife for 11 years, but indeed I had to help her overcome this same inner conflict of what is real and what could be. Like many mixed couples between two races and cultures, we had to fight a lot of naysayers and overcome many impediments in order to remain together...including my own government who rejected her visitor visa application three consecutive times (the fourth was approved :-)) It could be described as an inferiority complex, but many women allow themselves to go only so far towards reaching their dreams and then shut them down for fear that they are only deluding themselves and being taken as fools by their friends and family. Because women are far more social and sensitive animals then we are, most have shared these intimate aspirations and do not keep them bottled up inside as we tend to do. These same friends and family may attempt to convince the lady to give it up and 'get real'. It happens all the time, believe me and they are torn in between. In your present case, it may be simply due to insufficient interpersonal contact and reassurance. This works both ways of course, as you need reassurance from her as well that your feelings toward her will be reciprocated. In developing a relationship over on this side of the globe--perhaps as anywhere else--you need to maintain frequent, close contact and help your love interest overcome her innate feelings of worry and doubt. I am not a practicing pyschologist, but was trained as one with two postgraduate degrees....I would say that my thoughts have more to do with simply being on this planet longer and living with people all those years. Good luck if you decide to try to resurrect this relationship.

The large consumer electronics store opposite the Toyota dealer on Chotana Road has them; we bought a set with our new TV and they work great.

I recently bought a new notebook PC, and followed the instructions for transferring my Microsoft Outlook Contacts from my old notebook to the new one. The Contact list does appear in the new PC.

However, I cannot use the Contacts in the new PC. When I try to select a contact from the list, I get an error message telling me that I do not have "authority" to use this information.

How can I clear access to use the Contacts from the list?

Try going into your Contacts menu and manipulating the "Permissions" tab. See following example:

<deleted for brevity>.

Would imagine that your friends job at immigration would have been a lot easier if there were less foreigners disturbing his daily work. The same way a policemans job would be a lot easier if there were less criminals.

But, i know what you mean. I have been at immigration offices where a smartly dressed foreign pensioner has become upset and began banging his fists on the desk. Very embrassing to see. It is the general farang rudeness (western concept of rudeness and Thai concept of rudeness very different) and lack of ability to be able to speak the Thai language that most upsets these officials.

Yes, very sad but true. And you are right about the immigration staff's dissatisfaction that most expats cannot speak adequate Thai...my police friend told me the same thing. This ability really goes a long way here, but is undone quickly by the kind of volatile behavior you witnessed.

I heartily agree that most foreigners in Thailand are their own worst enemies.

I hasten to add, lest the flaming get out of hand, that a goodly amount of the wrong kind of foreigners here don't necessary come from Europe or North America. We have all seen plenty of certain northeast Asians who must have arrived into this world from the rock bottom of the gene pool...with a strong streak of racism mixed with national arrogance...and then they come to Thailand to rub everyone's nose in it. Sorry, but I needed to make that clarification.

One of my occasional golf partners is a retired Immigration Police major general. He, like many Thai men, particularly considering his past duties, is quite critical of foreigners but much more so for the rude, arrogant and churlish types that seem to be drawn to Thailand...and naturally must periodically come in to request immigration services. It is these lower strata of visitors and long-stay expatriates that they would like to see go elsewhere. He cited countless stories of sloppily-dressed, crass and testy farangs who visited Immigration offices where he devoted his career. We all know the type and they are among us. If foreigners would clean up their act, we would have a far easier time here but the bad apples spoil it for the rest of us who harbor friendly intentions and attitudes. This unfavorable consideration of certain foreigners transcends any political dogma or social group in Thailand, be they PAD followers, Democrats, UDD, elites/intelligentsia, poor Isaan farmers and so on. We naturally exhibit the same negative feelings back in our home countries towards selected immigrants and tourists who seem to go out of the way to call the wrong kind of attention on themselves.

My wife had similar problems and made the huge mistake of going to a so-called board-certified dermatologist in Pattaya. He gave her laser treatment and then prescribed a cream to be applied twice a day. Within days the area he treated turned dark brown, most likely the result of overproduction of melanin in her fair northern Thai complexion, whereas beforehand all she really had were some faint beauty spots. He of course declined to accept any responsibility for her sudden change and we quickly left him behind...considering him a quack. I do not want to reveal his name on TV for fear of libel, but if you PM me I will arrange a phone conversation and give you the particulars.

Her cheeks remained this same ugly dark brown color for nearly six months and gradually faded away--or was replaced by new skin. She licked her wounds and we moved away to Chiang Mai and her complexion normalized over time. I tell you this because not all Thai skin is the same and what may help one person may well cause disfigurement in others. Looking like a human raccoon, My wife had to wear a headcarf around town for about two months and of course this truly is an anguishing experience for any woman but so much more so in the LOS because of the abnormal media and cultural attention given to attaining a perfect complexion. In the West one can easily bring such a charlatan to court and sue for damages, but in Thailand litigation of this sort would have been viewed as as frivolous. It could easily have been us paying him damages for maligning his name and practice.

Make absolutely sure you locate a doctor who has treated thousands of patients with the same symptoms and skin type as your wife presents. Caveat Emptor is very much the right phrase for this kind of medical care in Thailand. There are certainly qualified and experienced practicioners in Bangkok to be found.

Since that unfortunate time in Pattaya, we have discovered a very renowned and successful dermatologist in Chiang Mai; he is also medical professor and many Thai dermos consult his services on special cases. He has helped me clear up a late-breaking bout of psoriasis when nobody else could and I am aware that he does a lot of acne-related treatments. I'll be glad to provide his contact data if you request it.

I also noted a recent post that may interest you: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Skin-Issues-t231492.html

Good luck!

They caught another falang shoplifter today in Patong.

phuketgazette

This is worth reading...compared to stealing two cheap tee shirts, this couple should be going down for a very long count. This chap obviously lost his brains somewhere between Australia and Thailand. Amazing. But I have to concur with <hanno> that all this pales in comparison to the Santika malfeasance. It will truly be illuminating to learn what sentences will be handed down to those greed-filled owners who did nothing to eliminate the safety deficiencies of that ill-fated establishment.