Singerman

"I have 0 plans for once I land in Phuket till I leave in March other than finding somewhere nice and quiet to work from."

​No visa allows quiet working !

If you wish to work a "B' visa, work permit and employment by a Thai company is required,

Some interesting viewpoints !

I have just bought (last Sat) a new laptop computer which would have cost much more had I purchased in the UK or Australia.........................

Longest I have waited in Phitlok is about 40 minutes. The last 10 years, usually in and out in less than 30 minutes. Nice people, seems efficient, as long as everything is in order, straight forward hassle free.

Glad its hassle free as its a 2.5hr drive to get there.

Thats "my" experience of Phitlok, others may vary.

I suggest that many of the issues that CM appear to have may be related to the high concentration of Expats in that region.

My personal opinion is that there are also other reasons. I did use the Phitsanulok office 5 years ago (right after they moved from a nice central location way out to Makro pulling the same BS plan they have done here) but it is a dream for visa extension in and out in 30 minutes. They also have a decent intercity bus system that makes life easier. When I have to go next September I am planning on 12 hours at least in Chiang Mai and the possibility that I must return the next day to get my passport. There is such a time lag from the time your processed till you get your passport back and with no vehicle your looking at 1000 bahts for taxis there and back there and back and another 400 bahts if you have to return the next day. The reason we are being treated in this manner beggars belief when I hear express service stories from other parts of the country. Yes the number of expats has exploded in the last 5 years but the service has imploded along with it only making a bad situation worse. Sorry its a real sore spot with me and being a logical person I fail to see any logic in their actions.

As a "logical" person what solution(s) do you offer ?

EXPERIMENT:

i walked into a room of thai teachers with no shirt, shoes, and ripped dirty jeans.

they yell, 'farang, get out you loser!!'

i then pull out 1000 baht from pocket. they are quiet

then i pull out 100,000 more baht...

they get me coffee

then i show them 10,000,000 bank statement

they get me clothes

easy...

Really ?

A farang "teacher" with a 10M bank balance ?

Take the nonsense elsewhere !

Getting married just to obtain a visa is a bad idea for several reasons.

Short term your options are to sign up for a language school and get a non 'ED' visa or go outside Thailand for a new tourist visa every three months. Maybe your father would give you 500k baht for a 5 year Thailand elite visa. With that you can stay for 5/6 years.

Long term, once you are married, for the right reasons, you visa problems end.

Working in Thailand is difficult for a foreigner even if married. You need a work permit and for that you need to be employed by a Thai company. Setting up companies/partnerships is expensive and often not practical for a small business.

My situation: I am married to a Thai national, residing in US. Does this mean it will be easier for me to move to Thailand when we retire? We will able to verify funds in bank and/or yearly income stream.

You have the option of either applying for an extension of stay based on retirement or marriage.

In either case the process is easy and renewable on a yearly basis.

You would need a single entry non "O" visa based on marriage or being 50+ years of age prior to applying for an extension of stay.

Get off the beer, if you have to drink, drink one or two good whiskeys.

Good whiskeys are expensive and are not a cure for "boredom" !

I have never been addresses as "Farang" within my hearing range !

How does one achieve this honour ?

The Thai people I have met are always anxious to know my name................................

If I understand this correctly an AED is not useful in case of miocardial infarct?

Anyway, I think every anamai and school should have one.

AEDs are most successfully used in Sudden Cardiac Arrest situations....like you see during football fields, marathons, public events...etc. While you can defib MI patients, the ONLY real help for MIs is a trip to a cath lab.

Not entirely correct. MI patients typically die once the heart goes into one of the forms of fibrillation. Prior to that point, tachycardia can be exhibited 15- 60 minutes prior. EMTs will defib to restore a regular heartbeat. It isn't a solution because the patient still needs to get to the catheter lab and have revascularization within the treatment window.

The big issue is and has always been the delay in obtaining critical care. Thailand has a dismal critical response time. Poor resources, traffic congestion and a lack of facilities take their toll. Have a serious heart attack outside a big city and you will most likely die.

Developed countries learned long ago that a quick response, a stoop and scoop with stabilization done while in transit, that cuts critical minutes off the patient delivery is the most decisive factor in survival rates. I don't know how qualified EMTs keep their sanity in Thailand. It's a frustrating activity.

Is there any evidence of AED's improving outcomes in the case of out of hospital CA scenarios ?

Yes. However it has only been thoroughly studied in western countries, particularly the USA. There are 40+ research papers on the subject. They are most useful there is a critical mass of people. However, it requires public sensitization. People have to know what to do. There is only a window of 3-5 minutes to act before death becomes inevitable. AEDs in Thailand will be useless unless people are educated and trained to recognize heart crises.

You claim there is "evidence" but provide not a single link to what you claim are published research papers ..............................

It would seem the OP has achieved his objective !

70+ responses to read thus relieving the "boredom"

Im really not trolling if that's what you're implying.

Your choice of word! If the cap fits you are welcome to wear it !

I "implied" nothing other than to suggest the "boredom" would be relived by 70+ responses you have available to read !

It would seem the OP has achieved his objective !

70+ responses to read thus relieving the "boredom"

I just got back from there. I got the 1 year multiple entry visa. They DID ask to see the original marriage certificate for a minute for a quick glance. Also the processing times was 2 days not 1.

The visa is issued the next day isn't it?

You pickup your passport the next afternoon after the day you apply.

I was there first time - without any problem -and i was shoked becuase they gave me visa with passport same day

i came morning about 8-9 am - and get the passpor (same day) about 4 pm, so i was shoked and every one there too

but i dont know it was one time only or now it is there all the time like this

Which Embassy/Consulate are you talking about?

There is ,currently, nowhere in SE Asia that offers a same day visa service.

Refusing someone in possession of a valid visa entry to the country is not something undertaken lightly or by junior ranking Immigration Officers.

A Senior officer will have taken the decision and for reasons detailed in the appropriate legislation.

If you do seek the help of the Thai Visa service be sure to provide them with a good quality scan/photocopy of the stamp which was placed in the passport at the time admission was refused.

Clearly the OP needs to book a (hopefully) expensive fight back to his own country when he next wants an "eye exam"(sic)

Once in the home country he can book an appointment at a very specific time with a very expensive Private Specialist.

If that Specialist keeps him waiting then maybe there will be something to complain about.

Information about where you intend to marry in Thailand is information which is not required to obtain an affidavit.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/465662/Publication._Marriage_Guidance_-_Oct_2015.pdf

If I understand this correctly an AED is not useful in case of miocardial infarct?

Anyway, I think every anamai and school should have one.

AEDs are most successfully used in Sudden Cardiac Arrest situations....like you see during football fields, marathons, public events...etc. While you can defib MI patients, the ONLY real help for MIs is a trip to a cath lab.

Is there any evidence of AED's improving outcomes in the case of out of hospital CA scenarios ?

Buy a "machine" and measure your own B/P.

These "machines" are essentials simple devices which rarely go wrong.

Not expensive !

http://www.lazada.co.th/shop-health-monitors/

I wonder what you asked Mr. Google ?

http://www.coastal.com/contact-lenses

Try another search for other suppliers

America has for many years had a problem with both the prescription and the abuse of narcotic medication.

The issues are well known and have been the subject of on-going debate within the medical profession .

The use of narcotic medication is justified when used appropriately within the context of the practice of acute medicine.

However, the 'health care system" in the States, where care is sold for cash, has led not only to "doctor shopping " but inappropriate prescribing.

Chronic pain can be managed and often relief can be offered without resorting to narcotics. Such pain management is an area of Specialism and narcotic prescription issued by doctors practicing family medicine should only very rarely be required.

The States and its population must decide what they want, An ever increasing number deaths attributable to prescription medication or sensible, evidenced based control.

"They knew me at the office from visiting yearly to collect the annul paper document to obtain the retirement extension"

May I ask what this paper, collected annually, presumably from an Amphur, actually is and why it is need for an extension based on retirement ?

Be aware that many(most?) electrical appliances, purchased in the US, will be incompatible with Thailand's electricity supply.

As a British passport holder you do not qualify for a VOA. If you arrive without a visa a "visa exempt entry" will be given

Their is a honorary consulate in Istanbul where you should be able to apply for a visa. Not sure you will be able to get the METV or just a single entry tourist visa.
Thai Consulate  
Address: Kore Şehitleri Cad./mithat Ünlü Sok. No:16, Şişli/Istanbul - Europe, Turkey

Phone:+90 212 292 8651

Tourist visa requirements are here on the Embassy website: http://thaiembassyturkey.com/en/consular-service/consular-service-4/tourist-visa-general-nationalities

Thank you, what does a single entry give me that i do not get with a visa on arrival?

A single entry tourist visa gives an initial 60 day stay which may be extended for a further 30 days at an immigration office for a fee of 1900 Bht

I am very tempted to take the Elite Visa route when I retire to Thailand - simply to avoid hassle. What concerns me is that it may be revoked by some future administration. I believe this happened with a previous incarnation of the EV and some folks lost out (money was not refunded). Is that true?

What you "heard" was rumour !

A valid Thai Elite Visa has never been revoked.

A one year ED visa is unobtainable from anywhere in the Region.