burhou

I have just sent of my application to the Royal Thai Embassy in London for a Tourist Multiple Entry Visa. Although I have done this for the past 10 years with no problem, I haven't a clue if I will get one this time. It seems the requirements changed at the end of November 2015 and now, amongst other requirements, the applicant needs to show 6 months of Personal Bank Account and it must show that a minimum of £5,000 has remained in the account for the whole six month period. The last thing I would do these days with no interest is to leave £5k lying 'dead' in my personal account so I cannot fulfil that requirement.   Like many of us, I have tried to phone but it seems impossible to get through. I also tried the Consulate in Hull...but again, impossible to get through. Has anyone tried to get a Tourist Multi Entry recently by post? If so, did you have to send all the required information including bank statements along with the application form.   Anyone know why it is always so hard????

Difficult to comprehend why the Chinese tourists act like this. When on an Air Asia flight from Phuket to Bangkok in early February this year, the plane was full of Chinese passengers. Immediately upon landing everyone was on their feet and grabbing their bags from the overhead lockers. The plane had to stop on the runway and wait for ten minutes of air traffic to be cleared before proceeding for another ten minutes to the terminal. In that time there was a near riot on the plane with the Thai Air-hostesses desperately trying to persuade everyone to put their bags back into the lockers, sit down and belt up again. The Chinese gave the Air-hostesses serious verbal grief and this continued when we finally started to disembark. Unbelievable behaviour. I am sure many of us have witnessed similar scenes in a variety of tourist settings where the Chinese are shouting, barging past, spitting and being generally foul. What IS the matter with them?

It's scarey to think that every day without having an accident is nearer to the day I inevitably will.

Surely this is simply the Thai way of 'Saving Face' we hear so much about. Instead of a big notice saying 'No Foreigners' which could lead to the confrontation situation that is to be avoided, just stick the prices up so no 'Foreigners' will want to go anyway.

Sadly I have witnessed an ever increasing animosity towards 'Foreigners' this year and, for the first time in my 12 years of coming here, I (as did everyone else on the mini bus Visa run) had to pay extra 200 Baht 'for the police' so that my passport would be stamped on re-entry via Satun. (And yes, I have a multi entry tourist Visa all properly paid for).

Great game to watch. Well Done, Thailand. Congratulations!!!

First, thank you to those of you who sent me sound advice and offered genuine support to my wife over this. It has all been much appreciated. The Thai dog owner maintained all the hospital payments to date...and there have been many. Yesterday a big bunch of flowers and fruit turned up (we were at hospital again) and were left in the kitchen. The lady who looks after the house told us it was the owner. The dog was taken away a couple of weeks ago. I still do not know what has actually happened to it but I and other families on this estate have been promised it will never return. There is a degree of scepticism about this so I hope, when we leave, that this will remain the case. Both the Thai husband and wife (we have never met the husband) have asked to meet us this weekend. Our immediate Thai neighbour has been brilliant is assisting us at all stages of this experience and is no doubt motivated through her fear for her own small children...her verbal onslaughts on the dog owners over the phone have been formidable. We have a few more trips to make to hospital but Jai's wounds are healing nicely and the Doctor is confident her leg is now OK and that she will be able to walk again by the end of the month which is very good news. Thanks again to all for your concern and sincerely hope none of you have to go through this (although I bet some of you already have!)....it is pretty traumatic to say the least.

The Thai owner has actually been in hospital with us and gave the hospital all their banking details. Both the owner and the hospital assure us that all costs are being met. Whilst I appreciate this gesture, it is not the costs that are my main concern. My concern is that the dog has been kept despite this sort of thing having happened before, It appears that the the owner has a maid. She is a small lady. She does not have the physical strength to hold on to this dog. She is sent out on to the estate with the dog on a leash to give it a walk. The dog has simply dragged the lady over and then rushed off to attack either other dogs or people in the past. Promises have been made to remove the dog but these have not been upheld. When I asked the owner why she had not got rid of the dog she just smiled and then burst into tears....and that was the end of that conversation. The police have been to where I am staying along with several Thai people and statements have been made. This is certainly a very compressed insight into Thai society/culture or whatever. Having talked to a few ex Pats who live here, I am told I have had more dealings with Thai people in 4 days than they have had in many years of iving here. My plan though is as soon as my wife is given to all clear from the hospital...whenever that may be....is to get back to UK. the care at the hospital here has been amazingly good and the Thai people I have met have been extremely concerned and caring....but I have very limited understanding of what is being said or what is happening as I cannot speak any sensible level of Thai. But I genuinely appreciate the advice given here and am very grateful to the Thai people that have got things moving over this. I do hope the result will be the removal of this dog for the benefit and safety of other people living here.

Thank you to you all for replying. I am going to try and track down the Tessabaan location today. The house we have rented is very close to Wat Chalong so I imagine I may need to go to Phuket Town. First though back to hospital. Somtamnication...thank you for your advice regarding the Rabies jabs. Yes, she is having those. She had the first one as soon as she was admitted into the hospital. Other people have also told me it is unusual for costs to be covered but I have to say the Thai owner (of the dog) is doing this and the bill is already well,over 100,000 Baht. They phone my wife everyday so far as well. What I don't understand is why they have kept this dangerous dog when there appear to have been a number of incidents. This estate has many little children on it and sometimes I see them playing outside their houses and thus vulnerable to a similar attack. There is no way a small child would survive the attack my wife has endured.

Thank you for your reply 'old doc'. Please, what is the Tessa Ban? I know nothing about Phuket. Is it easy to find this organisation. I have been very moved by the kindness of the Thai people over this incident. I know the ones who witnessed this event were horrified and frightened and will help me if they can. I have just asked one of them about the Tessa Ban but he doesn't understand me. Any further info would be very much appreciated.

My Thai wife (met and married in UK 12 years ago) finally persuaded me to visit Phuket. 3 days into our holiday she is walking back to the house we rented (on a secure estate) and she is attacked from behind by a pit bull. The owner rushed out and managed to drag the dog off but was unable to hold it resulting in yet more bites. Finally the dog was dragged back into the house from where it escaped. By now several frantic Thais were shouting for me to come and help. By the time I got there my wife was on the ground bleeding heavily. Two people helped me get her into my car and we rushed to hospital with me in the back stemming the bleeding as best I could. She is now in hospital on drips, pain killers, injections etc and in a pretty grim state. The dog owner has been to hospital and volunteered to pay all bills. I have since discovered this dog has attacked other pet dogs on the 'estate' and several other people have been bitten. The owner has promised to get rid of the dog on a number of occasions in the past after such events but has not done so. I do not know how long my wife will be I hospital and apart from being in a great deal of pain her (our) holiday is finished. Would I have any influence as a foreigner in attempting to get this dog removed/destroyed so that this cannot happen to someone else?

Looking at the aerial photo in the OP link, my first reaction was - notice how verdant and complete is the forest on the Cambodian side, and how much cleared land and degraded forest there is on the Thai side. Then I also noticed that the only "development" of any type is on the Thai side (Highway 221 and the group of buildings next to it at the north end of the temple-line)

Hate to say it, but that situation alone puts me on the Khmer's side of the argument - give them all the disputed land and let it return to healthy forest, with just the temple grounds as open land. I visited several sites of similar location in Central America, deep in the jungle, and the contrast it causes to be 100% surrounded by forest is stunningly beautiful and adds to the awe and mystique of such ancient monuments, making them far more worthy of a visit.

If Thailand does the same to Preah Vihear as they have done to Ayutthaya, Phimai, Sukhothai, Wieng Kum Kam et al, then it'll simply become a concrete-patched Disney-park mess.

Send in the UNESCO archaeologists, restorers, troops, and border demarkers I say. Make it set in stone (pillars) once and for all.

Jataka Tales (Past Lives of the Buddha). Re: Mahajanaka Jataka.

'One day King Mahajanaka was riding through his kingdom and observed two mango trees. The one that had been full of mangoes was broken and torn by the people who had come to pick the fruit while the other, though barren, stood green and whole. Thus he came to understand that possessions bring only sorrow....'. Is Thailand a mainly Buddhist country?

Hello mate. Have you thought about freshwater fishing? theres some good places here where you can go for a days fishing, and catch a big catfish, or theres a really nice place near where i live, it costs 600 baht a day to fish, and the lake is stuffed with lots of different carp, tilapia, paku, and many others including giant arapima not sure of the spelling hehe.

anyway its a great day, really pretty surroundings and great fishing with food and drinks available too. They can supply the bait and tackle too.

The beach fishing is not really good in fact i wouldnt even bother. ive tried it a few times.

if you want to go just pm me and i can give you the details

Hello Podge (2119282). I read your bit about the freshwater fishing in Phuket and would like to try some. Could you e mail me direct for a 'chat'? It would be much appreciated. Best Regards, Paul ([email protected])

...I would even suggest its a game many western women know!.......bottom line is don't get married unless you can take the hit.

What a great last comment dee123...love it!

I have NEVER written on any of these forums before and what I am going to ask has no doubt been asked many many times before. And yes, I speak the truth when I say 'I am asking for a friend'! I have no involvement in any Thai ladies at all!

My friend has in the last year married a Thai Lady and is told by his Thai lawyer that the marriage has been registered in UK as well as Thailand. He's had a 3m Baht house built in the north of Thailand and has also purchased a small 'beauty salon' for his wife to work. The land is registered in his wife's mother's name (!!!??) and the house and salon is in his wife's name. There is nothing in his name!

He is now back in UK trying to earn money to go back out to Thailand and live with his new Thai Family. He is convinced that in his absence his Thai wife will seek divorce and everything he has invested in will disappear.

Question 1.....can a Thai wife divorce without the 'agreement' or presence of the husband?

Question 2.....should he try (I would think that would be very difficult unless the Thai family co-operated!) to get land/property into a joint business name of himself and his wife? Is there any point or advantage to this?

Don't tell me to tell him he's gullible....I've done that enough times alreay...poor chap!

Well he sounds a confident husband dosent he !,im afraid you will have to get your head down, the comments on the way for this guy wont be new or nice,... i have one queston, WHY, would anyone marry a woman that he has a low opinion of, .When i first came to thailand i would hear thais saying "farang tingtong ", i didnt know what it meant ,now i do, i agree,

Well...he was confident and he was very happy with his Thai wife.....until the doubts began to rise mainly due to the many horror stories we hear of so many men losing everything.

...I would even suggest its a game many western women know!.......bottom line is don't get married unless you can take the hit.

What a great last comment dee123...love it!

I have NEVER written on any of these forums before and what I am going to ask has no doubt been asked many many times before. And yes, I speak the truth when I say 'I am asking for a friend'! I have no involvement in any Thai ladies at all!

My friend has in the last year married a Thai Lady and is told by his Thai lawyer that the marriage has been registered in UK as well as Thailand. He's had a 3m Baht house built in the north of Thailand and has also purchased a small 'beauty salon' for his wife to work. The land is registered in his wife's mother's name (!!!??) and the house and salon is in his wife's name. There is nothing in his name!

He is now back in UK trying to earn money to go back out to Thailand and live with his new Thai Family. He is convinced that in his absence his Thai wife will seek divorce and everything he has invested in will disappear.

Question 1.....can a Thai wife divorce without the 'agreement' or presence of the husband?

Question 2.....should he try (I would think that would be very difficult unless the Thai family co-operated!) to get land/property into a joint business name of himself and his wife? Is there any point or advantage to this?

Don't tell me to tell him he's gullible....I've done that enough times alreay...poor chap!