Tofer

14 hours ago, Thian said:

People often talk about English as a global language or lingua franca. With more than 350 million people around the world speaking English as a first language and more than 430 million speaking it as a second language, there are English speakers in most countries around the world. Why is English so popular, though? And why has it become a global language?

 

 

Very well presented argument, with which I have no axe to grind.

From a tourist point of view I, personally, prefer a bit of a challenge when travelling, and see overcoming the language barrier as a lot of fun and enjoyment. Wouldn't the world be a pretty boring place if we could all drift through it without any hurdles, and have everything handed to us on a plate...

By the way I am English and speak the language as my native tongue!

On 8 March 2018 at 1:33 AM, Thian said:

Because english is the worldlanguage, is that so hard to understand? And it will never be chinese, there's not even 1 chinese language but several different ones.

English is the international business language, not 'the world language'.

If tourists wish to travel independently they should come prepared to manage the language barrier and embrace the hurdles as part of the experience of travelling in an under developed country. Alternatively they should join a tour group and have their hands held by a tour guide / representative.

On 8 March 2018 at 10:10 AM, sanemax said:

Thais should be given English proficiency tests , before they are given Thai Nationality , like back in the U.K. 

   Thais are not given U.K. citizenship, until they can speak English and have passed the test .

The same should happen in Thailand , they shouldnt be given Thai Citizenship, until they have a certain level of speaking English .

Perhaps foreigners should be given IQ tests before being allowed to post on TVF!

Putting it verrrrry simply;

Nation - Thailand

Nationality by birth - Thai.

National Language - Thai.

Got it?

2 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Which places do you suggest ?

What places do you go to , where the people do not want anything from you ?

All restaurants, bars, shops, Temples are ruled out, as they want something from you .

   All the "friendly" people in the village are the shop owners, taxi drivers and friends of the family, who all expect a slice of the pie and of course theirs the other friendly locals who always invite you to join them for a drink......when their bottles are empty .

   

I could regale you with dozens of experiences of the opposite scenario but, quite frankly, I think I would be wasting my time!

On 23 February 2018 at 6:53 PM, Tofer said:

I'll let you know in a couple of weeks time.

 

I just sent off all my proof of income documents to the UK embassy which was an extremely simple exercise, they accepted photographs of the documents, as I don't have a scanner, a credit card mandate for the £52 charge, and I got a personal email confirming receipt of all 4 emails, due to limitations on attachment file size, as well as the automated receipt notifications. Surprisingly efficient considering my previous experiences with the U.K. Embassy. Their enquiries phone service was also very polite and helpful.

 

I would have used the £800k bank deposit option but hadn't realised the  money had to be in the account for 3 months, since my first extension where the requirement was only 2 months. Why the change in period is a mystery to me! Unfortunately I missed the date by a week, so chose to err on the safe side and get the income letter instead of risking being sent off to KL again.

 

Fingers crossed.

Income letter received yesterday, 03/03/18, no dramas.

Best beaches, cleanest sea, pristine coral reefs and most beautiful sea life I ever saw was in the Seychelles when I lived there in 1980.

Weather was great, locals promiscuous and creole food not bad.

We even had an entourage of naked models on a photo shoot for 'Elle' magazine on Intendence beach one day - that ranks it #1 in my book.

10 hours ago, Matt96 said:

if I were this taxi driver and a cocky farang would say "<deleted> you" to me - i would beat the shit out of him regardless on any repercussion.

 

but he thought "thais are polite, they tend to forgive. so I can get away with this"

 

the moral obligation of any decent man is to prove him how wrong he is.

 

in my whole life i never ever let anyone who said "<deleted> you" to me run away without repercussions. and I never regretted for punishing them

"Moral obligation.... decent man"??

Never heard the expression "sticks and stones may break my bones but calling (words) can never hurt me"!

It would appear the taxi driver was of a normal balanced nature, not an aggressive a...e hole!

I'll let you know in a couple of weeks time.

I just sent off all my proof of income documents to the UK embassy which was an extremely simple exercise, they accepted photographs of the documents, as I don't have a scanner, a credit card mandate for the £52 charge, and I got a personal email confirming receipt of all 4 emails, due to limitations on attachment file size, as well as the automated receipt notifications. Surprisingly efficient considering my previous experiences with the U.K. Embassy. Their enquiries phone service was also very polite and helpful.

I would have used the £800k bank deposit option but hadn't realised the  money had to be in the account for 3 months, since my first extension where the requirement was only 2 months. Why the change in period is a mystery to me! Unfortunately I missed the date by a week, so chose to err on the safe side and get the income letter instead of risking being sent off to KL again.

Fingers crossed.

Congratulations OP, you got 80 posts so far for your creative writing!

If that's not what it was, you need to grow up!

23 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

I don't know how long you have been living here Tofer but maybe like me you have a few Thai friends or relatives even, why not get someone to either take pics or a video of you doing your cleaning up after the lazy gits have dumped it outside your house or wherever and post it to your FaceBook account, that way all your Thai friends & relatives get to see what you have to do every day to keep your neighbourhood and maybe the penny will drop with them and they will think, Hey I shouldn't do that  A long shot I know but worth a go, these things go viral sometimes.

 

It is unfortunately a perennial problem here, I agree with your sentiment about TV and radio ads, not sure about the land belonging to the king ( public spaces, roadsides and such) 

 

Good luck with your campaign, I'm with you all the way mate. 

 

 

Thanks for the support and suggestion, but I'm a bit camera shy. Also might get done for working....555

5 hours ago, mick220675 said:

I can sens your frustration Tofer, I also spend my time picking up rubbish from the front of our house and from around my wife's shop. 

 

Some things in Thailand change very slowly, it took years for the dog meat cars to be stopped. The crazy burning and rubbish dumping is still going on despite the last kings efforts to educate citizens about the need to protect the environment.

 

My daughters school dose educate students about the environment, but when they return home to see mum and dad dumping rubbish everywhere  and burning every thing they can, its going to be slow progress.

Indeed, it probably will be a very slow process. Sadly it's likely I will be a forgotten memory by then!

It has occurred to me that the public spaces, roads and verges, coastlines, territorial waters, etc. are (I assume) considered Crown property, and as such the people littering these areas are, in fact, disrespecting Crown property and, by association, disrespecting the Royal Family. I was under the impression disrespecting the King was the worst offence possible in this country.

Obviously the Thais are well aware of the problem as we see droves of local people crawling around on their hands and knees cleaning up the rubbish discarded along the roadsides whenever a member of the Royal family are visiting the area.

Is there no way the authorities can get this across to the general populace and some elements of tourists? A simple signage and TV campaign would, IMO, perhaps make a considerable difference, if it were impressed upon people that littering is disrespecting the King, or do you consider that a stretch too far. Plus a system of fines and rewards for evidence against offenders, providing of course that suitable receptacles are provided and adequate refuse disposal facilities are established.

Perhaps the schools should introduce a monthly clean up campaign, and get the children out once a month to pick up the rubbish around their area. After all they already do it within school grounds, but this is probably a cheap labour solution as opposed to an educational exercise, pardon my cynicism.

They are killing the goose that lays the golden egg - 'tourism', slowly but surely! I frequently hear tourists remarking on the rubbish spoiling a beautiful country.

In our area, Krabi, there are many millions of baht being spent on roads, bridges, airports etc. to improve infrastructure and access to the area for visitors. Is it beyond their comprehension that people do not want to visit an unkempt area?, however much easier it is to get there.

Wouldn't a campaign to clean up the rubbish and provide suitable refuse receptacles and refuse disposal facilities be a worthy cause in the name of the King?

It certainly appears nothing else is going to educate or shame them into action.

I appreciate it is not the only place in the world with this problem, but quite a few countries have made serious inroads into solving it. Thailand appears to be doing nothing on a major scale.

Please no replies from members who consider this to be Thai bashing, it's not, I only hope that someone will read this post who has the connections to actually start a campaign / make a difference, for the benefit of all residents / visitors both Thai and foreign.

To those critics who may think I'm just a complainer, I'm not, I regularly clean the beach and the roadside in front of our property, filling bin bags on each occasion, quite disgusting actually, especially when I often pick up used / disposable nappies which have floated down the coastline from the residents in the stilt houses on the sea front. It is quite ironic that the builders who are constructing a resort nearby to us are the worst offenders, when they go to the shop past our property and return discarding their bags, wrappers and drinks cans/bottles along the way, I only hope that the owners are as concerned as we are and clean up their beachfront and roadside. Also the amount of rubbish that gets flung out of passing car windows is quite disturbing.

Pray let there be Thai members on this site who have a voice and can spread the word.

9 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Are you saying you can train a dog not to poo?

 

 

""In the right place"" Are you saying you can't?

9 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

I do find this story rather difficult to accept. Cats are known, the world over as being fastidious when it comes the their toilet habits and grass, long or short is the last place they would choose. As previously mentioned, they bury their poops and digging up the lawn isn't the easiest option!

 

However, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and suggest a solar powered ultra sonic cat deterrent available from Lazada.

Sorry, but I think you have a biased view of cats habits. I'm with Thian on this one. They may be fastidious inside your property, but outside they don't give a s..t (pardon the pun) and will s..t anywhere.

I had a major problem with cats in UK, and our lawn was a major attraction to them. Not very nice when our young nephews turn up to play and roll around in the stuff, which is in fact a health hazard also. But those lovely animal apologists, the RSPCA, insisted I could not even trap them to get rid of the problem. 

8 hours ago, gunderhill said:

MUCH better irresponsible dog  owners  fined for letting their dogs  run loose on any roads, save way more lives than slipping  over on their s h i t e.

Also definition of owner is ANYONE who feeds a dog.

You should meet the dogs in our area, they have taken over the roads. They lay down in the middle of the road and steadfastly refuse to budge for any vehicle. If you do bear down on them and they have to shuffle out of the way, they then chase after you down the street, into our driveway and stand there  barking and staring us down.

More often than not I have to negotiate free roaming goats and geese in the road.

But more annoying than any of this is the rampant littering that Thais seem to think is acceptable.

4 hours ago, stament said:

Thanks for the responses. We actually intend to drive down to Prachup Kiri Khan and on a second trip to Chiang Saen where we recently visited.  

As you are travelling so far South you may want to consider Kao Sok national park. A friend of mine developed a unique resort in its midst. Look up Elephant Hills on the web. I'm sure the children would love it.

1 hour ago, elviajero said:

I used FB for a few months, but soon realised the downside far outweighs the up, so I quickly deleted my account.

 

IMO people sharing their lives publicly online are nuts, and it will come to backfire on many.

Likewise, I did exactly the same, and totally agree with your sentiments.

But then I'm a doddering old techno phobe...

6 hours ago, stament said:

Chiang Mai, 11, 6 and 2 years

 

Yes we like outside activities

Chiang Rai, hill tribe trekking, the best trip I ever made, but that was 35 years ago, a private 3 day tour arranged from Chiang Mai with only one other couple and a guide, and well off the beaten track, fantastic experience.

This maybe a bit taxing with the young children though.

Another exceptional trip, albeit rather expensive, is a cruise down the Mehkong river from Chang Kong / Huay Sai for 2 days arriving in Luang Prabang. The overnight in the tour operators bungalows was superb also. Look up Luang Sai cruises. Probably more suited to a family with young children than the trekking.

If you prefer to drive around then still the Chiang Rai region is well worth exploring.

25 minutes ago, BritTim said:

Indeed, he will be entitled to be very upset if he is refused boarding when checking in for his future flight to Thailand. However, he may wish to take actions that will actually allow him to travel and be admitted, rather than simply knowing (what he knows already) that he has done nothing wrong.

I bow to yours and 007Reds' superior knowledge of the machinations of Immigration however, I was simply reacting to the OP's requirement (post #3) for "supporting paperwork from IO Sisaket" to prove he's left, and wanting "something to show at BKK on return".

Rather than having 3rd parties running around Sisaket, I thought he would be better disposed to turn up in person with his supporting documentation at a local embassy / consulate for such proof, particularly when all he's getting is a "Mai pen rai" from the Thai end officialdom.

4 hours ago, 007 RED said:

Unfortunately Thai Embassies/Consulates will be of little, if any, help/assistance to the OP.

 

Firstly, they do not have access to the Thai Immigration database so they will be unable to verify that the system shows whether the OP is still in the Kingdom or if he exited in May 2017.

 

Secondly, any documents that a Thai Embassy/Consulate might provide regarding the OP’s predicament will not override immigration.  The decision to allow the OP to enter the Kingdom again, or to refuse entry, is at the discretion of the IO at the point of entry.

I think they will be able to verify his situation if he 'visits' the embassy / consulate, and presents himself, his passport with exit stamp and his airline travel ticket / boarding card / itinerary. This is what I understood he was looking to prove, that he had actually left the country on the said date.

Wouldn't the simplist solution be to visit your local Thai Embassy and get them to sort it out, as they would be the ones issuing your next visa, unless you plan anther VOA.

They can check your passport, travel history and verify you are there and, presumably, provide written verification.

19 hours ago, Antonymous said:

Where are you located?

 

I feel very sorry for you. They clearly are on a roll and ripping you off. That is outrageous. My guess is you live in a farang-rich area (even though you think it is applied to Thais too). Phuket?

Koh Lanta. Yes definitely a rip off and cheeky with it in the case of my Thai acquaintance.

It's unfortunately the norm here, as I know quite a few farang and Thai that have paid big "fees"....

Our Thai neighbour agreed a deal with the OBT and didn't pay up the final installment, so didn't get the permit issued.

Aside from the extortionate original fee, we also have to pay 20k for the annual 20 baht renewal stamp for the 4 year duration of the permit, or until the building is finished, on the grounds that the senior Eng. who has to sign this has 'expenses', insurance, blah blah....

Each time we visit his office I leave with deep teeth marks in my tongue!

As an architect it really rubs me up, particularly as I produced my own plans and have more sophisticated knowledge of engineering solutions than they have. My fees for this and a structural engineers' fees to check the structural details would have cost less than here, even in the UK.

9 hours ago, tlock said:

Thanks for all the replies.

 

So the clerk at the PEA is the one who started this rumor, she seemed to think that the PEA inspection was all that was required as well as an OK from the pu yai ban.  The pu yai ban told us to go to the OrBorTor for the permit.  The OrBorTor told us the plans we bought were plans only and didn't include the engineers license, so we are sending an extra 2k to the guy to send us a copy of his license (a little miffed about that, the other set of plans we bought did include a copy of the license, we just didn't know what to look for).  

 

So yes we will end up getting the permits, thanks again for the input.

 

 

Miffed at 2k, count your blessings, our house plans and permit cost 122k.... Pool villas X 2 another 178k, total 300k... Miffed does not come near to how I felt!

11 hours ago, Antonymous said:

Out in the sticks the laws of the land are somewhat flexible and will be interpreted differently by different officials.

 

What you may 'get away with' today, may not be possible tomorrow when the relevant officials have changed.

 

Given this situation, to be on the safe side I would recommend doing everything according to the 'laws of the land'. Why? One reason is that you could build your house today without the required papers and signatures and be fine. Then years later try to sell it and the buyer does due diligence and finds that permits were not issued and officers have changed. Then you may have a problem.

 

So, what do you need to do to be on the safe side? Get a building permit from the OrBorTor.

 

If you are building a fancy house and had an architect and structural engineer sign off the plans, this is very easy. Take the plans and the ID and qualification certs of the architect and engineer to the OrBorTor. Their official will check the plans and countersign. You have your permit and are good to go.

 

Cost for the permit is a few hundred baht only. It may take several weeks to obtain.

 

If your house does not have a plan signed by a qualified architect and structural engineer, you can take your plan to the OrBorTor and ask their engineer to check and if necessary change the plan. This is work prior to applying for  a permit and there will be a fee. Typically the fee will be less that you would pay to a 'private' architect/engineer. In the sticks you can expect an architect/engineer fee of around 10,000 baht for a 160-240 m2 house for example. If you go to a city private architect your fee could be 60,000 plus for the same thing.

 

It will then be very easy to get your permit.

 

That's the way it should be done. You'll hear from other folk who will say they didn't have to go through this process and end of the day, it is up to you. My advice, do it right and you can sleep easy. Costs very little.

 

Hope this helps

 

 

Wish I lived in your area, our OrBorTor's insist plans are produced by their Engineers / Architects at a cost of 4% of the estimated building costs at an average 15,000 THB / m2. 

And that's not just for farang, some Thai friends produced a set of professional plans only to be told they would have to be redone by the OBT who then asked for the original plans on disc to be provided which they copied with a different title block.