jingjai9

How high up do you have to be before mosquitoes are not a problem?

I think this is good. Many people love Thaksin so reducing the sentence makes sense. On the other hand, it is quite unlikely he did nothing wrong so some incarceration time is in order. Due to his advanced age, the full term would be too long.

thank you all so much for the posts - very informative.

I want to learn about Prachuap Khiri Khan Capitol City. I do not hear much about it. I have visited some travel sites as well as Wikipedia, but have not really been able to answer all of my questions such as: Is there an expat Community? Are home or condo rentals expensive? What is the lifestyle like for residents? I read one comment where it is said the Prachuap Khiri Khan capitol city is small and you have to entertain yourself if you stay there for any period of time. Any information about this area would be appreciated from anyone who has visited there for a long period of time or lives there permanently. I know about Hua Hin. I am interested in the the Capitol city area. What are the pros and cons of the Capitol City. I know there is no shortage of monkeys. Thank you I have gained much useful information from the ASEANOW forums.

Is there any set standard for the length of yellow lights at intersections? I live in Udon and I have observed for many years that when the light changes from green to red, the length of time the yellow light is displayed varies. At some intersections the yellow light appears for perhaps a second or two, while at other intersections the yellow light is displayed a bit longer. One intersection is very informative. When the light goes from green to red, the yellow light is displayed for a count of 3-2-1 and then red appears. The variation of yellow lights at intersections must have some influence on the rate of accidents or people running red lights. Finally, the short duration yellow lights can be experienced at intersections with high volumes of traffic. Does this inconsistency exist in other areas as well?

I have seen more than 2 or 3 western women get insulted when a farang man has a wife more than 15 years his junior. When you reside in Thailand over a period of time you see that the May -December marriages are not unusual, but unfortunately in many cases the cultural of age difference is not transferrable westward. Some men display a cocky demeanor sporting a younger wife as a trophy and this is no doubt a turn-off to the folks back home. Many in the west do not stop and think that if a man in his 60s or late 50s retires in Thailand, finding a woman 15 to 20 years younger is desirable. As one ages in the west finding a suitable partner is difficult for those who are not wealthy. You can move to Thailand, live comfortably on a limited income and find a good partner. I have seen many older western men happy with a Thai wife over age 35 but very few with wives between 20 and 28. Also, if your family lives in the west and you tell them you have a younger wife and post a picture, that may spark a negative reaction. I think it might be different if your children actually meet the younger spouse. One thing I have learned from my students who have a foreign parent is that the young Thai/western children who are born from Dad's second or third marriage in Thailand are often ignored by the older western children from the previous marriage when they meet.

The last paragraph of the abbreviated story: The scale of Thailand’s drug epidemic and perhaps an insight into the public’s concerns over the free availability of marijuana in the kingdom can be seen from two violent incidents in the past two days involving a 14-year-old in Nong Bua Lamphu and a 36-year-old perpetrator in Krabi. Reporting the news or editorializing? Can you tell??????

Over the years I have read many news stories here on ASEANNOW/Thai visa where the police conduct raids on entertainment establishments and discover underage workers. Is it my imagination or do most of the arrests for underage workers take place in Karaoke clubs? Do Karaoke clubs cater to a particular type of clientele? Just asking.

I recently applied for a marriage visa. When I applied I learned that I would not receive my visa immediately and instead got a one month stamp. This was due to the fact that the immigration police still needed to visa my house. That was OK. Within one week two immigration police officers came to my house and secured the necessary information, affidavit from neighbor, photos etc. and got all the information. So far so good. Today a friend of mine who is going through the same process went to the Immigration office after the police visit and told me immigration gave them only a three month visa and the reason for this is not known. Evidently they did not ask or they did not want to share what happened. Does anyone in ASEANOW land know why immigration would only stamp a marriage visa for three-months? I never heard of this and now I am wondering if I will get the same thing when I report to immigration again when my one month stamp expires at the beginning of July. Anything I can learn here would be much appreciated. Thank you

I had hernia surgery at the Military Hospital in Udon Thani in August of 2016. It went very well and I did not have a private room. I got the mesh. I work here in Thailand so the bill was 11,500 baht. They required me to pay a 15,000 dollar deposit when I was admitted and the difference was returned to me at the time of my discharge. I was there two nights. The staff were sweethearts. They treated me very well.

The way the current law is written it appears as if it was written by a lobbyist.

I would love to see statistics and a categorization of medical problems cannabis has caused the general public, i.e. empirical data with details from medical and psychiatric professionals on specific cases and the number of cases nationwide. So far I have heard about the pros and cons of legalizing weed, but there is a dearth of supporting evidence. I guess that is because in the age of social media it is more important to have an opinion than knowledge of a given subject matter.

Thai authorities seem to be paying the price for ignoring the rise of the Chinese mafia over the last two decades. Part of this is no doubt due to corruption, but another part is simply ignoring a problem that will one day blow up in their faces. This is similar to The US presidential administrations in the 70s simply ignoring or underestimating the increasing power, influence and wealth of the drug cartels in South America. It seems as though the Chinese criminals in Thailand have amassed so much wealth over the decades they can open their wallets and ask government officials to name their price. It would seem to me if Thai children who have gained wealth from the proceeds of ill begotten funds, should be forced to give it up regardless of their parents' nationalities. It is not clean money, is it?

Is this tactic of multiple checkpoints intended to stop danger on the highways or simply another way to enrich the police. Will there be any records kept of who receives citations and fines? Does anyone follow the money? Will offenders be booked, held and arraigned or will people simply pay a fine by the roadside and continue along on their merry way still intoxicated? Will there be violation points put on licenses? Sounds to me like this is just more of the same up to the point where these DUI campaigns simply insult the intelligence of the general public. People need to be reassured that moral, sound law enforcement is in motion and until that happens, Thailand will continue to spin in a treadmill of corruption. I pray that Thailand can be saved from itself. This is a wonderful country with lovely people in general. Unfortunately, it has allowed itself to slowly sink into a swamp of corruption - over the years, gradually but steadily. Does this analogy work: corruption is to Thailand as guns are to America

How can using an agent be illegal if they have shops out in the open and advertise as well? How can a customer of these agents be liable? If the agencies are illegal, why aren't they shut down? Seems to me the governor of the province or the highest law enforcement agencies should be the ones liable. They appear to be the ones who enable this industry. Are there any "legal" services agents can do? Does the government raid visa agencies the same as they would a massage parlor or bar?

I just got back from Hua Hin. We stayed for one month in LaCasita. On the day I was leaving I saw a sign where they were renting condos for 12,000 a month. The place is clean, with a pool and it is about a 10 minute walk to the beach (toting children along). The condo is small but I saw many families staying there. You can find it on Airbnb. I would be happy to answer any further questions you may have. It is NOT on the beach, but it is close.

I think the parents should worry more about violence in the school than a sculpture by one of the greatest artists of the ages. When I look at this piece of art and reflect on the controversy, the Beatles song, " I am the Walrus" comes to mind where at the end they repeatedly say "Everybody's got one, Everybody's got one.."

If Thailand wants to keep children out of danger, they should start with the children selling flowers in the bars. Recently I saw a five year old girl come into a bar. She had a burn on her arm which she claimed was done by her mother for not selling enough flowers. She also touched one of the women working in the bar inappropriately. Have any of you seen drunken patrons of a bar fondle these children? Don't think it happens? What provokes me is these children (boys and girls) do not hide. They are walking from bar to bar in plain sight. They could easily be seen by any law enforcement personnel and removed from the area. Keeping children out of bar areas would illustrate to the world that Thai authorities are sincere about protecting children. News stories about underage sex workers or employees are widely published. They provide good publicity for the police. Whereas, exploitation of child labor does not seem to receive equal publicity. These flower children who sell at bars and pubs cover both areas of exploitation - labor and sexual abuse. Double the reason to put this business out of commission. I suspect a lot of the energy behind this crusade against underage sex workers by the Thai police is to be sure Thailand receives a good report from the American sponsored agency that monitors Trafficking of People (TIP). The agency rates each country according to its efforts to stop domestic trafficking. They release an annual report and rate each country. When the new government came to power in 2014, I believe Thailand received level three. They have since risen to a level 2. I understand The US will recommend sanctions against countries who they feel are not making adequate effort to combat human trafficking, not to mention publishing the name of suspect countries around the world.

AI could one day replace teachers, but it should not replace teachers. AI could be a valuable assistant to teachers. We have to realize at some point that as cost saving and convenient as AI and IT are, they do take away the human element in interpersonal relationships.

What happened to Udon Thani immigration. They were right in the middle of this before?

I agree with Bay Area's post. I taught in Vietnam and the classroom culture is more conducive to learning. Thais seem to have a short attention span in general and the schools I have worked at in Thailand have a "don't get too serious attitude" which undermines the discipline for learning and maintaining a learning environment. On the other side, I found Vietnamese people to be friendly but very keen to overcharge foreigners for any and all good and services. I saw many Vietnamese vendors quite reluctant to take "no" for answer. I find Thai vendors less aggressive. I think the Vietnamese have more of a brash demeanor compared to Thai people on a day to day basis. As I traveled in Vietnam and encountered government officials crossing the borders, I came to the conclusion that Thai people are more gentle and know how to tolerate foreigners traveling in their country. Perhaps in the 2020s it has changed. Finally, anyone who has spent time in Vietnam knows the country experiences a lot of theft, bicycles, home burglaries, etc.

keith cresswell Thank you for informative post. You answered my questions. I appreciate it.

Kalasin Joe, no this is not a home country marriage. We plan to marry in Thailand.

I plan to marry a Thai citizen. I will go to my embassy and have a marriage/divorce affidavit notarized along with obtaining a certified copy of my passport. I then will go to the Thai Ministry to have my documents authenticated. Does my wife-to- be have to come with me to the Thai ministry of Foreign Affairs? I know I will need to have my paperwork translated to Thai. - - Has anyone on the forum been to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently? -- Do you need an appointment? My info. from the US embassy says an appointment is not needed (to the best of their knowledge). -- Does anyone know the average fee for translations in the Bangkok area? -- How much does the Thai ministry charge to validate the documents (My embassy says "a nominal fee")? -- How far is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the US embassy on Wireless Road in Bangkok? Anyone have any other details about this process that would be helpful? Thanks. I consistently get useful information from this forum and of course a few laughs as well.

Can you travel WITHIN Thailand and take weed along with you on the plane? What is the policy of the Thai government? I am talking about a small amount, maybe half an ounce rolled into joints.