Grey11

because the free visas in the embassies are ending. they are going to have another big meeting to extend it or even not.

but i think for sure they will be taking money again for the tourist visas,

because many tourist make this to have a longer stay. it dose not mater if they would have to pay or not. but to get it they will pay anyway.

it was just an attraction to get people a longer visit to thailand for free with out the visa runs

but many longstays that do not have a lot in the pocket was a good time to save money for a about six months not to pay all the visa runs they should have been making.

but still many will say the same thing which i hear all the time.

"why do these thai make so many regulation, cambodia, and the phillipines have no strickt regulation on this."

but still i see them every time making the visa run and still live in thailand, and look for other ways to make their stay longer.

Try Bupa. They are very accommodating, and not expensive.

Barry

Unfortunately BUPA cannot sell Life insurance, sorry.

However BUPA is allowed to sell Medical Insurance and for that their products are priced very similar to other insurance companies Medical products.

My wife (Thai) and I (American) are retiring to Thailand in July. We purchased our home on Phuket two years ago. We have already purchased medical insurance with BUPA. It covers as much as U.S. corporations insurance policies - at about 20% of the price of the same medical here. We paid $1720 for one year - covers us both. If I had not been more than 60 it would have cost us right around $1,000. My wife's friends throughout Thailand tells her BUPA is a very reputable medical insurance company.

Kent

Those who say it will never happen may be right, however, I remember when people said that closing hours for bars would never happen, restrictions on sale of alcohol would never happen and when restrictions on visas would never happen.

The Government would lose too much money if they actually enforced this. The Government does not have the infrastructure to enforce it - at most randomly and in some provinces. It will NOT be enforced.

Add one more to the long list of reasons why tourists will avoid Thailand. As if Phuket wasn't already in bad enough shape- what in the world were the coppers thinking?!

It appears as though stealing is a crime in Thailand. Do the crime, pay the fine, or serve the time.

If the info is of any use to anyone, Korat immigration is still insisting on the money in bank for three months, as of last week.

HL

My wife is Thai. We are moving permanently to Phuket in June. We were told by people supposedly in the know that we would need $12,500 or $25,000 in a bank account. She called the Royal Thai Consulate in Houston, Texas. She was told that there are forms to be filled out and we must bring our marriage license. We were told that no money in the bank or any kind of bank account was not needed. We paid $175 apiece for a one year visa. That's all there was to it.

Grey in Texas

Last night my wife telephoned her brother - university degree in Bangkok - who married an Issan girl some 25 years ago, who also has a degree. They are both school teachers and live in Maha Sarrakham. Like the other 99% in the area, they support Thaksin. He said that when Thaksin was in office the economy was good and now is bad. Fact is, economics (even in Thailand) is global. During the high tech boom - which has now tanked - it didn't matter who was President of the U.S. or PM of Thailand. My brother-in-law is proof of one's environment have a large effect on one's thinking. He has lived amongst the uneducated peasants so long in Issan that he now thinks like them. Thaksin, who is worshipped in Issan, is interested only in destroying the Thai economy so that he can regain power. Sadly, the mobs of red shirts (uneducated peasants) that his people pay, will be the losers as the economy tanks even further.

Force must be used against the mob in order to restore order. It doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks. Those who break the law must pay the price.

The army has not learned it lessons. You cannot win an uprising. Neither in the South, neither in Bangkok, neither in the North or North East. The army is big and slow, therefore the protestors can move quickly and strike wherever they want. if they want to disrupt the daily live they can do so. The army clear one crossing they take 4 crossings, when the army moves in, they move out, regroup and take new targets, huge armies have lost that way. There is not other solution than striking a deal which is acceptable for each and everyone.

However, at last a show of strength from a government supposed to be in place for the people. Do you want wishy washy non action or should these people be shown that there IS a law. Seems we complain about No action then complain about the action when it arrives and as to how we could all 'do a better job" We are guests...... observe by all means but armchair pontificators are no help!

It is quite obvious that the red shirts are incited by only one man who is spending all his money in a desparate move to regain what he has cheated from Thai people. It is amazing how little it takes to persuade the red shirts taking the streets, all just to serve his own personal agenda in changing the law in Thailand so that he can walk free in Thailand again and to unfreeze all the money he has extorted during his premiership. It is sad to see that unemployed and deprived people from the North and North East are used for such selfish purpose, and yet destroying Thailand's remaining credibility worth Trillions of Baht just for his own sake. Typically what he has done in the past, give 500 Baht in order to get support from uneducated farmers and taxi drivers. It is time for people to see that what is happening now is only the tip of the iceberg.

Can we all agree that it's a little frustrating watching government again and again staging these campaigns that have no effect? How can anyone forget Thaksin's War on Drugs a few years ago. Thousands died. No effect on drug use. Except, maybe slightly higher prices?

The strange thing is that (IMHO) a large segment of the Thai population feel that Thaksin's war on drugs was effective and was greatly reducing both consumption and desire. I have listened (well it was translated as my Thai is not very good) to my girlfriend, her family, friends, there work associates and many others I have had interaction with except for the greatly more affluent (rich) ones who dislike Thaksin, I hear almost lamenting for the good 'old' days "Remember when Thaksin was in charge and ..." maybe it was all PR and FACE, I don't really know as I don't have the true numbers or studies or anything like that it just seemed it was not front and center in the news, people were terrified of getting caught with drugs or using drugs (sure lots of bad things associated with fear) but a large segment of the population I think really thought it was working (those that tended far more towards a red colored t-shirt than a yellow one).

I know a lot of friends in LOS that drive without a proper license or it is expired, or they just don't have one, worse some of them don't bother with insurance on their car either, why go though the hassle if 200 baht (6-7 bucks) just get you out of the issue….. No let's say the fine was 5K baht for no/expired license and 50K baht for no/expired insurance and there was no if, ands, or buts (or coffee money way out of it) I would bet a few would stop driving and others would make sure to get there papers in order. Where I live driving without or an expired license costs you about 4-6K baht and no or expired insurance a WHOPPING 140,000 baht, they changed that fine a couple years ago and stepped up informant, there was a huge drop in the number of people charged the deterrent was great enough it was not worth the risk.

So I know my example is not about a controlled and additive substance and while I think that 25 year prison terms or death penalties are rather harsh for simple possession, even possession with the intent barring maybe pushing at the local primary school this is not my home country. In CAN/USA random testing at a restaurant, bar, night club, even a strip joint would be completely against the law under the protection from "Unreasonable Search and Seizure" again though TIT so they can do it I don't believe there is any protection from such in the Thai constitution.

Food for thought on this is think about when you're coming home, when anyone travels to the US or Canada (even if you're a returning citizen) until you legally enter the country (after being legally processed though Customs AND Immigration - NOT when you land on or are on US or CAN soil) you're effective in an No Man's Land and protected by very few laws and rights (international maybe)

CUSTOMS and IMMIGRATION have HUGE powers! Want to search your laptop files, "CUSTOMS IS ALLOWED", what to KEEP your laptop (basically indefinitely) for additional review "CUSTOMS IS ALLOWED" what to search every memory card, hard drive, USB key, tape, book, your carrying "CUSTOMS IS ALLOWED" , want to go through all my cell records (in my phone) txt messages, photos, notes, whatever "CUSTOMS IS ALLOWED" what to tear apart you luggage "CUSTOMS IS ALLOWED" what to do a strip search "CUSTOMS IS ALLOWED" what to look up you poop-shoot "CUSTOMS IS ALLOWED" the one thing I don't thing I don't think they actually allowed to do is force a urine or blood test for drugs, maybe if they actually found some and you were arrested. So they can put the fingers up your butt but not make you pee in a cup…

Basically there are wired screwed up rules all over the place.

I'm sure that the fear of being killed by Thaksin's police forces would certainly cut the use and distribution of drugs in Thailand. Most likely many of the drug pushers refused to pay Thaksin. Any time read posts of farangs married to Thais and that farang takes the side of Toxin, there is an excellent chance that that poster is married to a peasant from Isaan. Throw them a few crumbs and they will worship you (Toxin, in this case) forever. The man did so much more wrong than good that there is no reason to even debate the issue. No Government should be run on fear.

We are in World War III and the muslims are going to win.

Name a country that the muslims are not killing people.

We have not really won a war since World War II and will never win another war. We have to be nice to our enemy while they can do what ever they want. They can hide among women and children and we can't touch them because we might hurt some innocent person. They sneak out, kill us, then run back and hide behind their women and children.

You think it is just a few muslims that want non muslims dead. Look at indonesia which is a friendly Muslem country. There were thousands of people out in the streets cheering after 9-11.

The U.S. and a few friends are the only ones willing to fight the terrorists. With our new president, we will be talking to the terrorists while they develop their nuclear bombs.

It's time to start praying to Mecca 5 times a day.

Ex-U.S. Pres. George W. Bush was an ally of Thaksin. Bush set up concentration camps (to torture) in any country that would allow torture. And, the U.S. military personnel who torture what the U.S. considers "terrorists" are second best at torture to only the Israelis, who train U.S. military personnel in torture. It well could be that for every "terrorist" tortured by the U.S., thousands rise up to take the place of the prisoner tortured, and most likely killed when it is determined that they have no more information to give. Most likely the information garnered from torture is untrue just as an expert police interrogator is often able to get the arrested party to admit to crimes that he/she did not commit.

At least he was elected twice (or is three times) by the people (legally) and not put up by puppet Generals.

Fobuff

doing business in this country is crazy...if you don't have people trying to scam

you constantly, the police will gladly relieve you of your money if the opportunity exists.

buyer beware x 1000

A foreigner doing business with Thais - if they feel cheated and/or lose face - can result in death. The Canadian had been in Thailand long enough that he surely knew that. Sadly, farangs come to Thailand to make money and forget that they are dealing with a culture not similar to their own. My Thai wife and I own a home in Thailand. We are not there to make money. I, as a farang, know to keep my mouth shut and don't do business trying to make a lot of money. When a deal goes bad, foreigners - as well as Thais - often lose their lives. This reads as a planned murder.

I posted something similar on another thread, but I think it can go here, too.

I was the military liaison to USAID in Iraq, and as such, I spoke to many people who have worked with NGO's and USAID around the world. Many of these people seem to sneer at the majority of the celebrity do-gooders who would fly first class to some corner of the world, stay at a 5-star hotel, come out with their entourage for a few minutes of photos at the camps, then scurry back to the hotel for the receptions. And all of this at UN or NGO expense.

Not so Jolie.  She pays her own way and really seems to care.  At one camp, after she was scheduled to leave, she changed the plans and stayed to change diapers of orphans for a number of hours.  At another camp, she stayed to work, sleeping in a hammock for several days. Every person with whom I talked was impressed with Jolie, and that is good enough for me.  

I don't give a person any deferential treatment becuase he or she is in movies.  But I don't castigate them, either. If Angelina Jolie is  truly a caring person who willingly gives her time for causes in which she believes, I have to respect her for that.

Isn't it possible that Thailand cannot afford to hold the world's refugees?IF Jolie & Pitt truly care about all the illegals trying to flee into

Thailand, they should spend some of their millions and feed, clothe, and house them. Time for them to put their money where their big mouths are. All types of crimes will continue to escalate in Thailand as long as the wealthy and the government are giving these Burmese illegals jobs. One doesn't have to look to far in order to see how the flood of illegall Mexicans coming into the U.S. has helped bankrupt it & crime is tripling.

As far as I know Thai is the only airline from LAX to Bangkok that flies directly - no stops in Singapore, Tokyo, Taipei, South Korea, etc. It is a straight shot to Bangkok. The small extra cost is worth it to us. That is why we fly Thai when we visit Thailand.