jimster

On 7/19/2017 at 7:59 PM, nasanews said:

Under the treaty, Thailand restricts American investment from the following fields of business:

6-Owning land.

I heard from a friend that it is under certain space so, if you own your company according to the treaty it means you can buy land.

I hope I am not wrong on this one.

The treaty if anything benefits large US and Thai multinationals. As usual, your average Joe mistakenly thinks these sorts of high level agreements will offer ordinary folk some special benefits. This is nonsense. Unless you are the likes of CP, General Electric, Boeing etc. forget it. No special privileges for ordinary US/Thai citizens whatsoever.

28 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

anyone realize how close we could be to hearing this refrain about all of the expats ? i would be willing to group with people in a quasi-gated community in vientiene; pretty obvious thailand does not really want us here and it is not going to get better

Vientiane is nice - doesn't really have any gated communities as such, only houses surrounded by high walls and gates. But yeah, not sure that Laos won't follow Thailand's lead sometime in the future in terms of getting rid of undesirable foreigners, in fact, to some extent they've already begun by regulating illegal Vietnamese garbage collectors and labourers. I hardly think that Thais regard all expats and foreigners as scum and all Lao love expats. Take off your rose colored glasses, plenty of Lao are fed up with the antics of western (and non-western) expats the only reason you seem to think otherwise is because you're in Thailand and haven't lived in Laos.

2 hours ago, bubba said:

You're right, Jimster –I never checked with the clerks at Suvarnabhumi or any other airport to learn whether they had a laminated board with duty free information. Rather than to go clueless and relay on information that may or may not be accurate, I have always preferred to take responsibility for educating myself regarding duty free policies. 

 

And by the way, regarding "it's too expensive", Duty Free alcohol at Suvarnabhumi is indeed much less expensive that at shops and supermarkets in the city.

Highly doubt that. Does King Power Duty Free sell Australian wine for 169 Baht like Tesco Lotus does? Nope. And for Aussies heading home, it's way cheaper to purchase liquor duty free on arrival than at Suvarnabhumi.

On 3/8/2017 at 9:09 AM, bubba said:

 

Great idea. Delay an entire aircraft full of passengers because of your bottle of booze and disagreement with carry on security policies.

Anyway, do we really expect the young minimum wage clerks at the shops to be definitive experts on carry on policies with every airline and destination?



Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

Minimum wage? You're dreaming. No Thai in their right mind would work for King Power for 300 Baht a day and btw working any job inside an airport is considered "prestigious" by many Thais, even if it's just being a sales clerk. I don't know what they're paying but it's certainly at least 500-600 a day, probably more. Even day labourers are demanding in excess of 300 a day nowadays.

Also, yes I have been to many airports where the duty free shop has a laminated board with all the policies of different countries listed on there - I recall Singapore, Zurich, Sydney and others as having this information and this is dating back 10 years or more. If King Power doesn't have this information, then they are idiots - but probably they do just that you haven't checked (and I haven't either because I would never buy anything duty free at a Thai airport - it's too expensive and with all the crowds at security I never have time to idle at duty free anyway, I have to run to catch my plane).

On 3/9/2017 at 4:21 PM, Prbkk said:

I don't doubt they restrict it on arrival as it's an issue of Thai law. The real point is King Power continuing to sell these goods to departing passengers, particularly to Australia, KNOWING FULL WELL that they will be confiscated a couple of hundred metres further on ( and then, as if by magic, the goods appear on eBay).

Dont know what booze you are buying but departures is more expensive than retail; in fact there is nothing that can't be had cheaper downtown. Arrivals might be different...I've no idea, never look.

King Power is a rip off and these days it's cheaper to buy these goods duty free upon arrival in Australia (they actually force you to walk through the duty free shop upon arrival in SYD and other Aussie airports are similar) than at the airport in Bangkok. Why do people still fall for this BKK duty free scam. It isn't 1999 anymore when it actually was cheaper to purchase electronics and all sorts of things at much lower cost in Singapore, Bangkok and other places than in Australia. Now it's either the exact opposite or prices are largely similar.

On 2/3/2016 at 9:59 PM, Don Mega said:

Bangkok Air flies to Melbourne now ?

Nope, but Vietnam airlines now flies directly from Hanoi to Australia. Might be a better option than what the OP did because he probably switched to THAI Airways in BKK in order to fly to MEL overall a much greater hassle (and completely unnecessary) than flying directly to MEL from Vietnam. Previously, the most direct option from Hanoi was to catch a connecting Vietnam Airlines flight to Ho Chi Minh, from where you would fly to MEL. Also, even though THAI is quite a good airline, any way of avoiding BKK Suvarnabhumi would be highly encouraged, Suvarnabhumi is a terrible airport and with more and more direct flights from regional countries, the old "hub" airport model of using BKK is starting to fade. This isn't 1980 anymore - Thailand isn't the center of Asia like it used to be back then when Myanmar/Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam were closed off to nearly everyone.

On 7/13/2017 at 2:09 AM, lkv said:

Cheapest is to book an Air Asia and claim the airport tax. I did that once and got back from Air Asia about 700 baht out of 1500, but that was on a flight i had to lose because I delayed my departure for different reasons, and to change the date Air Asia would charge more than buying a fresh Lion Air ticket (which i ended up doing).

 

The loss I think was 800 baht. With prior planning, this loss can be reduced to 500 baht or so I reckon.

 

That is the cheapest above the board solution (for cancellation). All regional business class tickets had cancellation fees in the region of 2,000 - 3,000 baht last time I checked. Things may have changed though I am not sure.

 

Rerouting I'm not sure they do, changing dates for free on fully flexible tickets (economy or business) you'd have to check the fare rules of whatever it is you're booking.

Nope. Cheapest is to book a Thai Airways ticket, making sure the planned date of entry is at least 7 days after you book (if sooner than this you will need to make payment immediately) and check the "pay later" option. You won't be asked to make any payment and the system will automatically cancel the booking within 72 hours if payment is not received by then. This is a good option if you plan to leave by land but need a flight ticket to get the visa.

Thai Airways is one of the few airlines that allows this. Many others charge US$25 or Euro or similar to "hold" your booking.

On 7/10/2017 at 10:20 PM, BritTim said:

1. Yes, border passes are available. I believe the price is unchanged.
2. You simply arrive at Myanmar immigration on their side of the bridge, and enter the office for foreigners. You tell them that you want a border pass.
3. My recollection is that the border is open from 5:30 am until 8:30 pm. Someone correct me if I am wrong.
4. It used to be the case that you must return the same day. However, if I interpret this article correctly, you can now stay up to 7 days: http://karennews.org/2016/10/myawaddy-mae-sot-temporary-border-crossing-permit-extended-from-one-to-seven-days.html/
5. You should not be checked for either an onward ticket or cash. However, it is probably prudent to have the cash in case immigration decides to play games.
6. Not that I can think of.

All correct but 4. is only for Thai and Burmese nationals. As the article states and adding a little extra info - Burmese can visit Mae Sot, Mae Ramad and Phob Phra for up to 7 days. Cars can only travel within Mae Sot but only during the day. Cars from Myanmar can't stay in Thailand overnight. For Thais - can only stay within the greater Myawady area for up to 7 days (not sure why they can't visit Hpa-an like at say Phu Nam Ron where border pass holders can travel to Dawei and at Dan Singkorn where Thais can travel as far as Myeik but Burmese only to Prachuab) Thai cars can't travel further than the trade zone 12km from the border and again, don't have permission to stay in Myawady overnight even if not planning on leaving the city. Therefore, Thai and Burmese visitors wishing to stay overnight in each other's respective border city need to travel by public transport. Strange rule, but it's always been this way - the Burmese came up with it decades ago and Thailand simply reciprocates, as it wouldn't be fair to be discriminated against by the Burmese while allowing them access. Makes sense if you ask me but is also typical of diplomacy - reciprocity is often demanded on such issues.

With a Myanmar visa, can go anywhere you want in Myanmar (might be worth checking out Mawlamyine or Hpa-an, just 4 and 2.5-3 hours respectively from the border crossing by car or minivan). Myanmar now offers an e-visa service, costs US$50 for a tourist visa, they send you the visa approval letter to your email usually within a couple of hours after you apply, provided it's a weekday. No need to visit the consulate all you need to do is print out the letter (easily done in Mae Sot). However, if you don't care about all of this and just want to do an in-out, pay the US$10 (much cheaper than paying in Baht just make sure your US$ notes are in pristine condition otherwise you'll be prompted to switch to Baht) if you can't get a hold of any US$ before arriving at the border, the Krung Thai bank money changer right next to the border crossing can sell you some US$ as can a number of money changers in Mae Sot town, including a brand new one opposite the mosque on the same street as Krua Canadian.

1 hour ago, jeab1980 said:

The immigration arent bothered about average joe tourist who have a couple of exempt or s/m visa's over a few years. They are looking for mr stay in thailand on mixtures of exempt S/M Visa's spending very little time out of Thailand.

This thread  has motphed into a every tourist is at risk thread. Which is absolutley rubish ans scaremongering at its best. One look at a passport or the computer screen once passport is scanned will tell immigration all they need to know.

I'm aware of this but what I am suggesting is that some Thai immigration officers seem to be making a mockery of the visa application process. Why not let the embassies and consulates handle all the vetting and then immigration only needs to suspect something is up if they have a good reason to believe (or proof) that the applicant submitted a fraudulent application to receive a visa? Other countries vet quite considerably at the visa application stage and thus have little reason to waste time and resources at airport immigration - it's mainly when tourist visa holders are found to be coming for work that they get caught at immigration, which rarely seems to be the case in Thailand.

On 7/17/2017 at 1:54 PM, SWW said:

Ubonjoe's suggestion is (as always) spot on.

 

I went to Vientiane to get a non-B along with all the documentation needed for such. When I got there they said something was missing and it was coming to the end of the morning, and so the end of the time to get applications submitted for that day. I said fine, give me a tourist visa. After I got that, when I went back to Bangkok, we went to the Immigration office (which was then in Suan Phlu) and got it changed to a non-B. Then the WP was processed and everything was done. This was also for a BOI company.

Depends on the embassy. I showed up in the afternoon once in Yangon, had one document missing (I think it was the WP3) but my ability to speak Thai, charming the officers and explaining that I needed the visa the next day (because 2 days later the embassy would be closed for a holiday) got me the visa even though technically they didn't even need to accept my application in the first place seeing I only arrived in the afternoon when applications are normally closed (afternoons are for pick up only). The much more popular Lao and Cambodian consulates/embassies are not likely to be this lenient and if the OP is a Cambodian national won't be able to apply anywhere outside Cambodia.

On 7/19/2017 at 0:08 AM, Tanoshi said:

Lots of expats in Mukdahan, Kalasin, Amnat Chareon, Roi Et and Yasathon on Non Imm O ME Visas doing regular trips every 90 days to the Friendship bridge in Mukdahan without any problems. Good idea to have 20,000 baht in cash though.

Yep. Still, I think if you have to cross every 90 days why not make a trip out of it? Cross to Laos, stay a night or two, then return (perhaps even through a different border crossing if that suits). Most reports of problems (though they are rare) are from same day returns. Anyone who spends at least a night in the neighboring country (or another country) is unlikely to be hassled.

On 7/19/2017 at 3:53 PM, Somtamnication said:

Reports noted. Thanks.

 

So what is the issue at Ranong with ME Non O? First I have heard of issues there. Been 8 years since I have been up there.

I can't say for sure because I've only crossed there once and that was years ago (on a non-B multi entry if it matters), but my advice would be - get a Myanmar visa, stay a night or two on the Myanmar side and then cross back to Ranong and you should be OK. Same day in/outs could be a problem, part of the issue is with Myanmar not allowing further travel except with a visa. Time and time again foreigners in this situation either don't know this, refuse to get a Myanmar visa (perhaps because they want to save a few bucks but this is a bad strategy) or don't go to another crossing.

On 7/17/2017 at 2:01 PM, BritTim said:

Of course, there are (US dollar) ATM machines airside (and, once denied, you are allowed to visit them). They are just not available in the corridor between the gate and incoming immigration.

Well apparently they also offer Euros and UK pounds. But why not also offer Thai Baht, which is the currency of Thailand?

1 minute ago, Just1Voice said:

Trust me, I have absolutely no feelings of guilt whatsoever.  But I have lived here for over 9 years, married to a good Thai woman, and I know how they think.  If they see one drunk foreigner, then in their minds, all foreigners are drunks.  If they see one stupid foreigner, in their minds all foreigners are stupid.  Is that to difficult for you to understand and comprehend? 

 

Harsh but quite true in many respects.

27 minutes ago, scotchonrocks said:

If they are begging then as a foreigner that's prohibited. If they are trading anything on the street like that that's illegal too: no work permit. They should be rounded up and deported.

While it may look pathetic, unless they are pestering you and forcing you ton buy, what's the problem? Let the authorities handle this problem. There are plenty many illegals working on the streets of Thailand selling food, clothing and other items but they just happen to be from places like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

Frankly I don't care if Mr. Mohammed from Dhaka who speaks a little Thai and sells me tasty roti in downtown Bangkok has a work permit or not. Not my business. As long as he doesn't interfere in my personal affairs, I won't interfere in his.

5 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Criticism is a bit strong,they are trying to sell photos of the kids,not forcing anyone to buy,

who knows their circumstances,it seems Farangs are more against them than Thai people ,

they are not harming anyone.there but for the grace of God ,go I.

regards Worgeordie

I have to agree with you in this case. Turned down offers of assistance according to other posters - depends what kind of offers they were - if she was being offered to be taken to her embassy, I would agree with her declining this "assistance". Embassies are not charities and certainly won't entertain the notion of helping their citizens who don't have enough money while in a foreign country. At most they would agree to help contact family members/friends at home and ask them to send money but that's about it. I mention this because a lot of Thais (and some foreigners) have this bizarre notion that embassies are supposed to pay their citizens bills when they run out of money abroad, wherever did they get this ridiculous idea from? If that were true, everyone would be spunging off their embassies claiming they were stranded and destitute.

On 7/17/2017 at 10:05 PM, JackThompson said:

This is from a COMEDY news outlet called "The Onion" - funny, but in some ways very, very true.  Look at startup funding for FB, Google and others for the serious-take.  I don't understand the whole mentality of putting your private life on FB-TV.  It's nuts.

Haha I've seen that. In reality, this is probably predictive programming and is what is being planned for the future (perhaps not everything but a lot of it). Most people will just look at it as satire, which for the uninitiated it is.

On 7/19/2017 at 2:47 PM, Mattd said:

There are good reasons why the dispensation is specifically for these Nationals, the companies that employ them would face much more severe financial penalties and to replace these migrant workers with locals is probably impractical and far less profitable, so they will have put a lot of pressure on the Government when this was announced, I would seriously doubt that it involves any compassion towards the migrant workers.

It certainly doesn't mean that your average Farang can suddenly start working without a WP, probably just an easy way out for them regarding this 'Youtube Dude'

The YouTube dude "my Mate Nate" did a stupid stunt where he placed coins on train tracks and was caught. For whatever reason, being a foreigner (would have been the same if "my mate" were Cambodian or Burmese although it's even more newsworthy if the foreigner comes from a rich country), the authorities also decided to look into his legal status. In the west, if a foreigner had done the same thing, leftists would be screaming "racist!" "how dare you look into whether he has a work permit or legal visa!" "open borders!" "no one is illegal!" but this is Thailand so PC barely exists here. His YouTubing is incidental and not really the problem, the problem is he performed a stupid and dangerous stunt and has done stupid things before (animal cruelty has been mentioned), all broadcasting them on YouTube.

I know of another relatively famous middle aged Thailand based YouTuber who actually does funny videos on ordinary everyday things in Thailand. No controversial topics, no stupid stunts and nobody is interested in his legal status or work permit. In fact, he has revealed he lives in Thailand on tourist visas but is probably trying to sort out a better long-term visa option.

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

Interesting quote "aims at tourists who may appear as not being able to cover their travel expenses during their stay in Thailand"

Shame the person asking the questions didn't ask about the METV where bank statements have already been provided when the visa was obtained. I can understand the SETV and visa exempt but not METV

Maybe they should vet tourists by asking for bank statements for those seeking SETV too. In Los Angeles, they have insisted on at least US$500 for years in order to issue a tourist visa, strange that regional consulates are not asking for this proof. Much better to vet properly at the time of visa application than being asked at the border.

On 7/19/2017 at 0:07 AM, perthperson said:

Wonder why they think only those applying for extensions based on retirement are prone to these unlikely diseases ? 

Because retired people are older and statistically more likely to get or be sick (I think that's obvious). Anyway, this point shouldn't be pushed further, there are already enough requirements for different visas, complaining about "discrimination" or something so that other visa holders may also need to get a medical test is not something to gloat about.

4 hours ago, Mattd said:

So far these incidents are not exactly widespread, a few isolated events and although the press reports are a good way of spreading word of the requirements, it is still quite strange that they are actually reported, I would almost guarantee that more people get refused entry to the likes of UK & the US on a daily basis and have been for years, yet these are not reported in the International press.

If Thailand are going to really enforce their rules regarding monetary requirements, then they do absolutely need to improve the various websites that contain information, the onus is on the visitor to know the rules and nowadays most would visit websites to get the information, right now it isn't really there or very clear..

Where @chrisinth suggestions for those with visas would work fine, it doesn't for those that would come here on a visa exemption, so the correct info needs to be freely available to people.

Whilst I agree that ATM's prior to immigration would be a very good idea and BKK airport is the biggest receiver, people can enter Thailand in so many ways and entry points, covering them all would be a big task!

There are usually ATMs located at land border crossings, though usually a good 50-100m from the actual immigration checkpoint. Similarly, money changers (official and unofficial) can be found at most land border crossings too.

13 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

I have years of traveling under my belt - all over.  Being an older guy, and having lived through a time when ATM machines were not ubiquitous, I bought $200 in travelers checks before leaving my passport-country for the last time.  That was ~10 years ago, and I still have those travelers checks - never needed them.  Fortunately, they never expire.  In all that time, I was always able to to to an ATM and withdraw as much cash as was needed for expenditures.  Cash, today, is something most people acquire in a "just in time" fashion - withdrawn immediately when needed. 

 

Only when this issue came up with Thailand's entry points, did I think about travelers checks, again.  Unable to find a place to buy them in Cambodia, I came in with $400 in cash to cover the rest of the 20K baht.  The first thing I did after crossing the border, was to deposit $200 of that cash in my my Bangkok Bank account, for safety.  Eventually, I spent the remaining $200 USD on Lao and Cambodian "Visa On Arrivals" - having no other use for it, other than to save a bit, vs the "Baht" price, of a VOA.

 

I wish we could poll today's travelers - especially younger ones - to find out how many travel with 20K Baht in cash or old-fashioned travelers checks.  When you arrive at an airport, you need a snack and a taxi - so under $50.   Even for these "immediately upon arrival" expenses, everyone knows that every airport has ATM machines in it, and everyone expects to be able to withdraw cash there - in the local currency - or from a street-corner - 24/7.   On my last trip to Penang, I arrived there with about 1500 Baht, and immediately withdrew local-currency from an ATM at the airport for my expenses.  When I returned to Thailand, I still had that same 1500 Baht in my wallet.

 

I respect Thailand's desire to ensure people entering are not destitute.  Who want's more bums?  If they believe that 20K Baht in cash satisfies that requirement, that is their call to make.  The point is, don't trap people in a zone without ATM Machines, then accuse them of not having money.  Put a machine right below the "you need money to enter" sign. 

And even more worrying is that this is happening at a time when governments around the world are actively trying to discourage the use of cash.

I just came back from a business trip to China after an absence of 3 years. I was astonished by just how popular and widespread cashless payment apps are becoming (Ali Pay and WeChat being the main ones) used to pay for just about everything and nearly every local uses these apps to settle their bills now (not just young people either) - taxi fares, supermarket purchases, restaurant bills (yes even hole in the wall restaurants accept these payment methods now!), not to mention department stores (as you would expect), airlines, cinemas, just about every type of business in China now accepts cashless payments (even wet markets!) I was one of the few individuals that still used cash and kind of felt out of place! Perhaps in another 3 years cash will be gone altogether, who knows?!

In India, the government denominated the largest bills, restricted ATM withdrawals and at the same time, a local company implemented a cashless payment system that has now become so widespread it is revolutionising the way Indians pay for goods and services.

I have to say, I am still traditional and prefer cash and credit/debit cards, so I wouldn't have a problem showing cash if I needed to (though I rarely carry 20000 Baht on me, I don't see the point unless I know I will need that amount for a larger purchase - 5000 or so will more than adequately cover my initial expenses).

It's interesting how Thailand is so far behind - it's still very much a cash and debit/credit card economy. Though in a certain way I hope things don't change - but let's see here - Indians struggle to get 20,000 THB out of an ATM because their withdrawal limits are much lower than this and Chinese have stopped using cash - how will Thai immigration respond?

The era of cash is well and truly over, well except in Thailand (so far).

On 7/12/2017 at 2:22 PM, lkv said:

I've been following your posts for a while, you always advise people to have the cash, onward ticket etc, which I started to carry for a while as well, mostly because I have become paranoid due to some threads here.

 

Perhaps I shouldn't have.

 

But advising people to avoid airports is a bit stretched in my opinion. When I start avoiding airports, I will start to avoid Thailand as a whole. I've been through DMK and BKK multiple times without an issue (on tourist visas) as have many others.

 

With Poipet i agree though, there are many believable reports about arbitrary things happening.

 

 

He's right and so are many other members. I've been following these topics since 2014 (before I decided to become a member of this forum) and have noticed that most of these denials happen at airports (Don Muang being worse than Suvarnabhumi despite being a more pleasant airport in all other aspects). Choosing to enter via land is a much safer option in most cases, surprisingly it may seem because air arrivals are traditionally seen as being "richer" but with the advent of cheap low cost airlines such as Air Asia this assumption may no longer be entirely valid.

I have been through Aranyaprathet many times (Poipet is the Cambodian side and there's never any problems entering or leaving there, it's only the Thai side) and have encountered no issues whatsoever. A legitimate tourist will equally find no issues entering or leaving there compared to any other land border, though in general, smaller crossings are still more pleasant and have fewer hassles than Aranyaprathet, Padang Besar, Ranong or Sadao. These 4 land based crossings should be avoided by those individuals that may not be your typical expat or irregular tourist - leaving Thailand via these ports is fine, entering is the problem.

On 8/11/2015 at 11:32 AM, nikmar said:

Google Translate. The friend of non English speakers everywhere.

Except in China. Where Google is banned and Baidu translate is everyone's friend.

11 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

Do you drive heavy machinery? That's what it implied. You can drive a car or pickup, but not a truck used for commercial purposes.

Driving ,       including operating,      heavy machinery (exception: airline pilot between countries)

Well tell that to the Laotians and Cambodians who drive Lao and Cambodian plated trucks into Thailand as part of bilateral transport agreements with Thailand. In practice, they don't or aren't allowed to drive to Bangkok, but one can certainly find Lao trucks throughout Isarn, particularly in the provinces that share a border checkpoint with Laos while Cambodian trucks are usually seen only in border towns such as Aranyaprathet. Similarly, buses operating between Thailand and Laos/Cambodia and Thailand and Malaysia are being driven by nationals of these countries. Unlike trucks, these buses do travel to Bangkok - there are 4 routes connecting Bangkok and Cambodia/Laos, with 2 routes each to these countries (Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Vientiane and Pakse). The Cambodian routes are operated on an alternate day basis by Cambodian/Thai buses with the Cambodian buses obviously being driven by Cambodian nationals, while the Thai buses are driven by Thai nationals. There are also 13 more Thai/Lao routes from various parts of Isarn and northern Thailand, with Thai/Lao buses operating on an alternate day basis and more planned on being added.