JemJem

The way things have happened in the recent few weeks, it seems like a pardon is highly likely.

Gosh. So much negativity in this thread ???? Personally, in Bangkok, I talk mostly in Thai. I am not fluent, but my Thai is sort of intermediate/upper intermediate, and when most Thais hear me speak Thai, they answer back in Thai and so it goes . But, there are some Thais who answer back in English, and if their Thai is at least at an understandable level, I don't make a fuss and revert to English. Initially (many many years ago, I mean), I also got a bit upset if a Thai answered back to me in English, but, I don't mind now. It is nice to know that they are happy practicing their English.

Somehow, I doubt very much that there will be an international backlash.

What is it with Kuwaitis and motorcycle racing and Pattaya ?? Is Pattaya advertised as a motorcycle racing spot in Kuwait ? ???? Strange stuff.

I wouldn't be too sure about that. Even a few weeks can be a long time in politics, so, it is really hard to make good guesses about what will happen 4 years later. There might be new strong players/parties by then. There might be new and/or surprising alliances. Also, I wonder what sort of political developments regarding Thaksin will occur in the future. And also, we cannot even rule out a new batch of senators being appointed within 1-2 years. Of course, what you wrote above could happen too.

The following weeks will surely be very interesting. Ultra interesting if Thaksin DOES indeed manage to go to Thailand. As of now, so many scenarios are possible. Very hard to guess what will happen.

I could be wrong, but I think that he will have to do time in Thailand for a number of years first, since the crime was committed in Thailand. Then, he will do the rest of his time in Germany. I have no idea how many years he will have to spend in jail in Thailand before being transferred to Germany. Anyone here knows that for sure ??

It is very sad that the US Democrats, one of the most well-established parties in the world, cannot come up with a well-known, strong and relatively-young (let us say, younger than 65) candidate to challenge 80-year-old Biden, who has clearly been struggling with old age mental issues.

My clubbing days are actually over but I sometimes miss the good old times of Bangkok nightlife. I mean, pre-2000. Most bars stayed open till 3 or even 4. And, most clubs till early morning, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. There was no such thing as zoning. Then, sadly , came the 2 am curfew rule. In 2000.

I agree with JingTing. Don't ya worry. No gay or bi will touch you, homophobe guys. It is just like a celebration. We just wish you fascists stayed away. It is just once a year. So, what the heck is your problem? And, as for being half naked, bla bla bla, you have no problem with girls being half naked at Cowboy etc (I sure dont), so let the trans and gay people be half naked, there too ???? Don't be hypocrites.

Well, I have just now tried to find a list of countries that have such a day off, via Google now. No success. But, I still think the majority doesn't have it. My country, Turkey, doesn't. Sometimes, the government does this : If one of the 2 mqjor religious holidays falls on, say, Tuesday - Wednesday-Thursday (because one of them is normally a 3-day holiday), then they declare Friday to be a holiday too, so that workers can have many days off, including the weekend. But, it is not the same thing as compensation day. We don't have like that.

Would you care to expand on it and say which part of what I wrote is nonsense?? Being ambiguous is not helpful at all.

So, you claim that no place, not even a dance club that stays open till 2, can sell drinks past midnight. Well, my guess was like that too. But I wasn't sure.

Just curious. About the alcohol ban. Does it strictly start at midnight today? I mean, are venues that have the licence to operate till 2 am able to sell alcoholic drinks till 2 ? 1 more thing. I think only very few countries have something called 'compensation day', right? And, so, workers in Thailand are lucky in that aspect. In most countries, if a holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, tough luck. You don't get Monday as the compensation day off.

I think the original poster wrote that he would try the land entry today. I hope he will come back to the topic and tell us what happened. My guess is there is about a 50-60 percent chance that he WILL be accepted visa exempt. If he came by air, his chances would be higher. I think we can all agree that the tourist visa requirements in the region have gotten tougher over the past 5 years or so, and the chances of getting your application rejected after 2-3 successful back to back visas have increased. As for visa exempt, it is really not clear, it seems. It seems to be very much up to the Thai immigration officer. But after doing 3 back to back visa exempts, I think one runs a big risk of denial of entry, even by air, on the fourth one. I think even a third back to back one might be risky. My advice, if you wanna take that risk, would be to have a certain amount of cash with you (maybe 20,000 baht) or another proof of funds, plus an airline ticket back home, plus some kind of accommodation document. Having these MIGHT help if they initially seem to be denying you an entry. However, they might not. So, it is a risk after all.

Folks, do you know if it is possible to change status from visa exempt to ED visa WITHIN THAILAND? It will be a university program, not a language school. Or, do I have to exit Thailand and apply for the student visa at an embassy/consulate? Thanks.

I know I probably won't be popular saying this, but, it will be a bit sad for me to see Khun Prayut go. I feel that he has improved himself quite a bit over the years. Yes, I know how he came to power. But, come on, still, I feel he has always had good intentions. But anyway, it is time for Prayut to go. This Pita guy seems good. A breath of fresh air for Thai politics. But, time will tell. And, I shall say nothing about the Shinawatra clan. Not a big fan of them at all ????

This whole thing is weird.

Does Penang require an appointment? And, what are the requirements there for a single entry tourist visa?

Yes. In the US at least, right-wing extremists have overtaken Islamist extremists as the most dangerous terrorist group/individuals.

Correct. That has been the case with me. But, I will be here in Thailand for 5 more weeks, and sadly, Covid cases seem to be on the increase here nowadays so I wanted to have it done here by next week the latest. Well, if my attempt that I wrote above doesn't work, I will just say 'Never mind', and will have it done when I go back home.

Thanks. But, sadly, I am on tourist status. I might just try my luck though, taking those documents with me, and talking to them in Thai. It might just work ????

Thanks. I'll see and decide by next week. I am now 50-50 about it.

No, I am not from the UK. If the price is as you guess, it is quite more expensive than I guessed. Thanks anyway. I will decide by next week.

Hey. It has been quite a bit longer than 6 months since I had my last booster. So, I am thinking of going for another booster. Does any of you know at which private hospitals a foreign national can get that done? Preferably in central Bangkok and preferably the Pfizer/Biontec one. If they don't have that here, for example the Moderna one would be fine too. And, price info would be appreciated too. Cheers.