Presnock

Haven't hung around any of the bars here in over 20 years...but even in the days that I did, I never experienced anything negative with my speaking of Thai. I used to be fairly fluent 50 years ago after studying the language but then studied too many other languages before I retired here and all fluency was lost. I can carry on a conversation but if I think it is worth doing I usually apologize first for making any speaking errors. That always gets a laugh which shows that a conversation might be worthwhile. But that is just a personal experience, and I do not doubt that you feel slighted by that restaurant owner. SUch is life in TIT - while all is far from perfect, just where is any perfect area found nowadays? Good luck! Stay safe!

Strange for sure. I speak Thai always whenever I go anywhere. The response has always been more than pleasant. Sometimes, a cool reception changes immediately when I do speak Thai. My experiences only of course so that is why I find your experience in that business strange.

just wait, probably will require a "shower shot" of you and the wife together as they are going told to better scrutinize those dirty foreigners.

well I did the transfer of stamps last month at CM and didn't have any bank books with me. I was told to go to the tm30 office which opens 15 minutes before the main office and then they told me to go to the walk-in 90 day as it was due on that day but that I had to do it in my old P/P first. Didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes total at the tent screening area prior to going to window 2 inside which is marked for transfer of stamps...also no charges.

agents providing "fake" bank accounts because an extension seeker doesn't have 800K or 400K to keep in his account is illegal - if the government decided to actually force the banks to show who that account belonged to and it wasn't the extension seeker then he would be charge for falsiying govt records in order to obtain an extension and his extension would most likely be cancelled. Just one is here by going through all the monetary and legal paperwork by using that agent for the money is illegal. I don't know if any of the IO's know or care as long as they know that agent and accept the paperwork they provide as completely honest so it basically in my mind anyway it is illegal by the rules WE as foreigners are expected to follow just as we would expect Thais going to our country to follow the rules. You obviously feel that if one can pull the wool over the local official's eyes then it is fair and legal...I was brought up obviously different from you.

What YOU fail to understand is honesty, by using an agent to put up fake monetary accounts for an individual to obtain an extension is still ILLEGAL by any standard. The "competent" IO is only responding to the paperwork provided by the agent. It is still not going by the legal definition of the requirement about monetary accounts.

Wrong! If one does not have the monetary means to meet the criteria and hires an agent who "ghosts" that monetary means then that is illegal! Just because an agent has some kind of agreement with the IO and the IO allows the extension, does not mean that the ex-pat is still here LEGALLY. As an "advanced" member, you should be aware of that illegality too that some folks use to get their extension. Just like those old embassy letters attesting to pension amounts...too many didn't care that they were breaking the US law about lying to an officer of the government. I do believe in honesty especially if it could prevent my remaining here.

If one does not meet all the necessary criteria for getting an extension and uses an agent who ghosts the necessary criteria to enable on to extend, then that is not legally following the immigration rules.

Well I "bought" for my Thai family. I know that I cannot legally own it and knew that from the beginning but that doesn't bother me at all. My Thai family will be living many years longer than me so there is no problem in my mind.

just like all those "clean" agents and the immigration laws....am sure some people might be getting a tad scared if things continue to escalate.

Last year, as always I planned on a date 30 days in advance of my yearly stay at CM and checked the appointment page...I did this almost 2 months in advance and the only appointment date open was the day before my year stay was due! So, I booked that but also at 30 days went to CM immigration and did the year stay with no problem and only spent less than 75 minutes at immigration totat so I guess if one has an appointment, they indicate a period to process that in less than half an hour. As compared to what it used to be with some people queuing up at midnight to get a queue ticket for that day and sometimes even coming at Zero dark thirty, one could not get in to be processed that same day. So, basically I have no complaints with even a couple of hours wait if necessary but I haven't had to spend more than 75 minutes or so the past couple of years doing my yearly extension. I just get tired of the 90-day dependability of the online process and hope that goes away, and the undependable landlord TM30 reporting. Other than that don't really have any complaints about immigration. Not perfect but then my other choice would be to go back to the US - no choice as far as I am concerned...still happier here for sure.

Yeah swallow that Chinese propaganda! If it is such a great Chinese program, how come the Chinese version of their program is totally controlled by the CCP. As a reminder, how come the CCP don't allow the free world media access for Chinese nationals? FB and Google and twitter are all banned in China by the CCP as they are afraid that their citizens might see how their own government lies to them.

Except this forum member is not running for president of the United States!

Well maybe the Indians, as China is experiencing the very same thing! Much of the developed world seems to be in a decreased birth rate nowadays, just like Japan had to ask retirees to return to work as they are against immigration and lost too many folks who retired when the birthrate is negative. Same with S. Korea according news reports.

BTW, I failed to write it but just in case one wonders these figures are for THAILAND, not the world or any other region/country!

Well just the other day he announced that he was a "prophet", the worships autocrats no matter how evil they might be, he met with Orban, the Hungarian autocrat and buddy of Putin who says that Trump told him that as soon as he wins in November, he will cut the Ukraine aid completely and end the war there immediately, and according to today's news, he says that cuts to benefits for social security and medicare are possible once he is elected. He already according to most polls, has most female voters against him and hi stand on abortion and in many of the recent primaries, those voters who did not vote for him, still say that they will not vote for him in November. He didn't win all those primaries by taking 90% of the votes so it certainly seems to me that if the Democratic Party had any intelligence, that they would convince Biden/Harris to sit this one out and put in a pair that shoud easily trump Trump! My opinion anyway - there is no way I could vote for either one of them! Many of my friend are telling me the same thing. Also, in the 2016 election, most of us voted against Hillary, not for Trump - we thought we could survive one term with him but we all agree now that America most likely would not survive another Trump term, especially with all his promises of retribution instead of trying to unite the country. My opinion anyway. If he does win in November, I feel sorry for many of the other western countries too.

Seems society has or is changing not only in the US but elsewhere too! Politicians at all levels need to begin taking responsibility for providing adequate security for all the citizens. Unfortunately, in my opinion, politicians at almost all levels - the higher the worse, once elected are only concerned with re-election and seek monetary means in all areas rather than earning it. I have read of politicians at very high levels unable to floor let alone pass bills concerning anti-corruption by politicians! Time for voters to be aware of the candidates' positions. These are my opinions only and the stories I read about these activities have been written for many years now and thus, I can't cite particular stories. Some can be found by googling this activity.

Yeah we regularly see about the costs...wonder how many if any have been jailed for the violence and for the takeover of that section of Seattle by the protesters! Seems to be a trend now in the one party's controlled cities to ignore thefts of $850 USD when charging the thieves and many times no bail is necessary and that "criminal" continues their nefarious activities. What a world in which we now find ourselves - which generation is responsible and is there any willing to fix it? or does the majority like what they see now? Just wondering BTW I am an American but old now!

Well, I began needing reading glasses at 47 years of age. Near vision (for distances) no problem at all. Did ghe tests in the US and got the glasses. Then one day I was reading about Lutien, a chemical(supplement) that is found supposedly in the retina. As we age, we are told that the eyes begin to lose some power - macular degeneration and supposedly we all suffer from that. At 65 I read about lutien supplements - I began to take the same and had better results than were mentioned. After about 4 months, I no longer needed to wear my reading glasses. Today at 77 years of age I can still read books, newspapers (even Thai script) and have not lost any of my distance vision without wearing glasses of any type. On some of the small bottles, I can even sometimes read without the glasses some fairly small print. I still daily take my lutien+ supplement. I am not telling everyone that this is the sole reason that I have been lucky enough to lose the glasses but I am not going to stop taking the supplement. If one decides to try it, read up on the supplement first, see the time line for seeing effects and ages of the individual. Also ensure that one is not getting a "fake" supplement as I also have read a lot about fake vitamins, supplements, medicines abound nowadays.

yessir almost half the American voters according to most polls still believe him to be innocent of all the charges whether convicted of some already or not. He could become the autocrat that killed democracy as we know it. Such a waste! One would think that the Democratic Party would find someone better than Biden/Harris to ensure a Democratic victory in November. After all, Donnie boy only won before because so many dems voted against Hillary...I would imagine that many Republican voters will vote against Trump anyway and most women probably too so anyone Democrat running could probably win in a landslide. Of course Trump's army is already listening to him say the only way he could lose is through fraud! what a joke of a candidate for such a high position.

Recently on "Shark Tank", an entrepreneur was selling that very issue on his running shoes. Don't now if they really are great but would in my opinion always beat barefeet running on sidewalks or roads.

Yeah, on YouTube currently running is about the DONGSA power plant in Laos - check it out as it has reportedly polluted fields, mountains, waters, people in Northern Thailand. From this program, they indicate that there are no restrictions in the construction of this kind of power plant using the dirtiest coal available. Mercury is the pollutant. Can't argue with the facts from this program. Scary and definitely changes my opinion about the mountains in the north.

Yeah, just reading on this forum lately, last year there were reportedly 30 million patients treated for air pollution related illnesses and so far in the first two months of 2024, 650K patients have been treated. I have a 2.5micron meter and check many times daily and in BKK so far this year almost every day is at least in the yellow alert level. But, I notice many people exercising outdoors without any masks and never see farangs anymore with masks on.

Yessir, I recall about 3-4 years ago we had the TM28 which we could do...provided the same data to the immigration but then they dropped that in favor of making the ex-pat responsible for TM30 if a Thai landlord won't do it. Immigration can't control their own people but can easily control the ex-pats. Hope that changes in the future.

Singapore is clean, orderly and easy to go and come back. I like the PI but many do not...Malaysia is reported to be nice too. I have been to Jakarta, myanmar, VN, Japan, Taiwan, Korea.. though Myanmar is at war. VN is quick but I am not familiar with their visas. Too many choices...Good luck!