mstevens

20 minutes ago, KhunPumpui said:

An arrest warrant should then be registered in the immigration register or how would anyone else know that I'm in the country?

My concern in this situation is that if the girl has made a complaint (and it appears that she has) and the complaint appears legitimate then the police are duty-bound to investigate it.  In that case, they will seek to contact you and question you about it.  Assuming they have tried that and discovered you're outside of the country, there is not much they can do.  However, if the evidence is overwhelming and it is a serious issue, they could present the evidence to a judge and an arrest warrant could, in theory, be issued.  That is not likely, but it is possible.  It would all come down to the evidence and the seriousness of the complaint.

Arrest warrants aren't always lodged with Immigration.  They should be, but in practice they aren't.  An arrest warrant could be issued by a court somewhere in the country but never be lodged with Immigration so someone with an arrest warrant in their name could come and go from Thailand for years and nothing come of it.

If you wish to get ahead of this, I would consider contacting a lawyer, explain the situation to them and have them contact the Technology Crime Suppression Division.  The lawyer would be able to find out where things (if anything) are at.....and then you'd be in a better position to know what to do next.

I looked in to opening a foreign currency (USD) account at a bank here in New Zealand some years ago.  What surprised me was that the bank informed me that If I wished to withdraw the funds in cash it could only be done in NZD.  The balance would be listed as USD and I could send USD to another account, be it here in New Zealand or overseas, as USD.  But if withdrawing cash from the account it would be in NZD.  When I questioned this, it was explained to me that foreign currency accounts were mainly held by businesses hedging against currency movements (the New Zealand dollar does bounce around a lot).

I have no idea about foreign currency accounts in Thailand, but I would suggest you check this out first as the account may not offer you the facility you're looking for.  Also, the interest rates were virtually nothing and the fees were relatively high.  Again I am talking about a foreign currency account in NZ but it would not surprise me if this was the case elsewhere too.

Issues with the tax department, perhaps? Accused of or mixed up in some sort of financial crime?  Those are two things that immediately spring to mind when someone's bank account is frozen.

Go in and ask the manager of the bank branch where the account is held - Thais are often remarkably candid in situations like this and will tell you what they know.

15 minutes ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

I never understand this argument.  It doesn't matter if you are charged 1 baht more or 1000 baht more.  You are being charged a different price based on who you are - in this case your nationality.  It's the same sort of dangerous thinking that put black people at the back of the buses in the US.  Everybody is equal, it doesn't matter where you are from or what you look like.  If you started using this sort of backward pricing strategy in your capital city, on a mass transit network where it has most exposure to Thai people, then that's when it starts to trickle down the foodchain, and why you are charged 10 baht more than a Thai for your noodle soup.

The question that was asked was "Would you still use the BTS if......" and not a question about one's views on double pricing.  I answered the question that was asked and explained the reason why I WOULD continue to use the BTS.  The whole double pricing issue has been discussed ad nauseum and most people have the same view as you, me included....but if we're talking a small difference in price of 10% on a service that only costs a few baht, I honestly don't think it warrants getting so upset about.  Life really is too short to sweat the small - or in this case, tiny - stuff!

10% more for foreigners?  So Thais would pay, for example, 30 baht for a fare and I would have to pay 33 baht?  I see no reason to raise my blood pressure over a few baht!  Now if it was 10 x more (as in the case of national parks) then it would be a different story!

Employers in Thailand can let you go for any reason or even no reason - but they have to pay severance pay as required by law.

The Labour Department office at Din Daeng is very helpful to people in your situation.  Drop by and have a chat with them.  Do NOT sign any documents or anything the school may try and coerce or trick you in to signing.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

Unfortunately your friend has let this go for quite a long time because these situations don't end up in court overnight.  It takes some time for the situation to get to court and for a judgment to be made.

I know this might not help your friend, but the thing to do in a situation like this is to go back to the finance company when you start getting the letters warning that you are behind on payments and to explain that you are unable to meet the current payments and request that the payment schedule be amended so that the loan is paid back over a longer period of time.  Inevitably this will mean the total cost of the loan will increase, but it makes it more manageable.  So where perhaps someone was previously paying, say, 50% of their monthly income in repayments, the new term might see that drop to 25% of their income and be much more manageable.

I can but wish your friend the best in getting it resolved.

5 hours ago, cat handler said:

The way i see it you have a couple of obvious options.

 

1. Take her for a holiday to somewhere like Vietnam or the Philippines, then one night while she’s a sleep take her passport, sneak out the hotel, go to the airport and fly home.

2. Wait until your lease expires, find another place to rent then one night sneak out and move all your stuff while she’s sleeping. 

You would seriously abandon a Thai lady in a foreign country, flee from her and leave her there alone?  Utterly appalling that someone would think of doing that.

A couple of tricks that work for me when I have either nasty cough or cold is to take Manuka honey and Apple Cider Vinegar.

A teaspoon of Manuka Honey - should be UMF 10 or higher, taken straight, three times a day - can really help, especially if you start taking it just as you feel a tickle in the throat coming on.  A few times I have felt something coming on and have taken Manuka honey and it has never developed in to a full blown cough or cold.

A tablespoon of Apple cider vinegar (needs to be a good one with "the mother") in water taken three times daily can ward off coughs or colds quickly.

These remedies have worked for me.  Unfortunately Manuka honey is not so easy to find in Thailand and when you do it can be pricey.  Apple Cider Vinegar can be found in international supermarkets.

2 hours ago, attrayant said:

 

I'm curious as to where your memories of the average foreign English teacher in Thailand came from.  Did you do a survey?

I am talking first-hand experience.  I taught for a period, first in a language institute where over a period of time I met about 50 foreign teachers working for the same chain, and later in a government high school where there were a dozen of us.  I knew plenty of teachers but don't have any contact with any of them since I left Thailand.  In the old days when I first taught up there, there were some real oddballs (we're talking 1999 / 2000).

6 hours ago, ozmeldo said:

To the OPs first point, most teachers have never held real jobs and this is part of the issue in general with foreign teachers. They lack not only teaching skills, but have a poor command of English. Futher, no basic workplace skills and socialization. Lack of responsibility and zero work ethic. That's why they are here. They are unemployable back home. This is not a rant. I've met, worked with fifty teachers, at best 6-8 were worth a damn. Half I wouldn't pay 20k.

Is it really still like that these days?  I remember a long time ago that the average foreigner teaching English in Thailand was not always the most impressively dressed nor the most well-spoken person you're likely to meet, but I thought things had changed somewhat since then.  I was under the impression that for some years now you needed a lot more than white skin and the ability to tie a necktie to teach in Thailand.  I could, of course, be out of touch......but I really did think things had improved.

21 hours ago, hydraides said:

1)How did teachers on here find the transition from a normal job in the UK to teaching English in thailand (How hard was the beginning)

Compared to Australia, teaching in Thailand was a breeze.  Much less demanding and generally a relaxing work environment.  I found the Thai staff to be very pleasant and generally inquisitive about the foreign contingent.

21 hours ago, hydraides said:

2) How hard is it now you've done it for a while?

I no longer do it as I left Thailand.  After a while it becomes fairly easy, or at least that is how I found it.

21 hours ago, hydraides said:

 

3) How do you find the working hours and the outside of class workload (Are you inundated with marking etc and have to take home?) .....(The 7.30 am start turns me off because I like to gym in the morning) 

I like to get up early (and get to return home early) so the hours were ideal for me.  But factor in that this is from someone who is generally up by 6:00 AM.

21 hours ago, hydraides said:

4) Do you find yourself thinking about tomorrows classes a lot during the evening?

I did a little in the early days but sooner got over that.  At the end of the day, it's just not healthy to take your work home with you, irrespective of what job you're doing.

12 hours ago, Nong Khai Man said:

They CANNOT Hold your Passport, It belongs to The U,K Government....

This is the official line, but in practice this is not always how things work and getting your passport back might not be as easy as saying it's HM property and smugly threatening to call the embassy.  There have been various reports over the years of people (ex-girlfriend / police / motorbike shop) holding someone's passport and real challenges for the passport holder getting it returned.

9 hours ago, tweedledee2 said:

Can you supply readers with the bank issuers name of the Visa credit card that has free medical coverage included with their free travel insurance?  

Here is a copy of the terms and conditions of the travel insurance with medical coverage that comes with my visa card.  https://www.bnz.co.nz/assets/credit-cards/pdfs/bnz-platinum-travel-insurance-policy.pdf

38 minutes ago, Bonobojt said:

Hey I think your getting confused with erectile dysfunction and Premature Ejaculation, they are different things, PE is when a guy cums too quickly during sex,  ED is a problem getting a hard penis

Sorry, that was a typo on my part.  My bad.  I meant premature ejaculation.

So with that in mind, my original post should have read: premature ejaculation is often mental and not physical, hence the most effective way to deal with it may not be through use of gels or any medicines but through counselling / hypnosis or similar therapy.  I can point you to someone in Bangkok who can assist if you wish to pursue that...drop me a private message if interested.

ED is often mental and not physical, hence the most effective way to deal with it may not be through use of gels or any medicines but through counselling / hypnosis or similar therapy.  I can point you to someone in Bangkok who can assist if you wish to pursue that...drop me a private message if interested.

I am yet to retire but if I was retired and my currency crashed I thought I would have one day a week (or two, if things got really bad) where I did almost nothing and had a very cheap day, where I did things such as read a book, watch some TV or go for a long walk....things that are free.  If you limit yourself to what you do on one day of the week to free activities and either don't eat out or eat on the street / in food courts, the other 6 days you might be able to live as if your currency was still however many percentage points stronger.  It seems to me that having a quiet / cheap day and living the other 6 days as you had would be better than reducing your standard of living / the things you do every day of the week.

12 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

Its hard enough to find Australian products on supermarket shelves, things like Tim Tam biscuits and allowrie butter are not even made in Australia, which would explain why they are not cheaper because of FTA.

You can get Tim Tams made in Australia in some Bangkok supermarkets for around 100 baht a pack (over $4AUD) or you can get the locally made version which doesn't taste as good but are cheap, about a third of the price.

12 hours ago, Thaidream said:

However, compared to living in the Us, Canada or Europe- Thailand is less expensive overall- especially housing .

Housing, public transport and street food are the only things I think of as being genuinely cheap in Bangkok.  If housing was to shoot up in price then the entire equation would change.....with a bit of luck that won't happen any time soon.