Caldera

Maybe they realize that their waitstaff and cashiers fled as well and wouldn't even have been there to collect any payments.

Luckily, Thailand isn't a Western country where people can abuse such an event to milk the system for benefits due to imaginary distress. Seriously, how bad could the mental toll be unless you were near that collapsed construction site? I stayed in a swaying high-rise and I think I'll survive without seeing a shrink.

What are the chances that all of those hastily recruited "volunteer engineers" (the article mentions this term a whopping FOUR times) are adequately qualified and incorruptible?

There's no way Trump, or anyone else, can make America great again. He's a great showman and hyperactive, but I don't think there will be any tangible benefit for the vast majority of Americans. Most of the disruption he causes works in China's favor in any case.

There's no official rule, so it will be whatever that individual IO or supervisor says. If you stayed in Thailand for 8 months as a tourist, an airport IO might well consider 2 months out insufficient to be allowed in again.

Nonsense. I use the TrueMoney app for PromptPay payments all the time. As I wrote, it can be used for both. Have a look at the payment categories you can get TrueMoney coins for on the screenshot below. "PromptPay Merchants" is one of them.

Well just have a dig and produce some real evidence for all to see then. Till then...

I'll use my passport country for country of residence and my place of birth for city of residence, at least that will be easy to remember for consistency. And what else could they expect? If you actually reside in Thailand but they don't have Thailand in the list ...

I told you exactly what the difference is. My condo building's assembly area borders neighboring buildings. It would be relatively safe if there's a fire in our building. It wouldn't be safe at all if there's an earthquake, as those neighboring buildings are equally a threat. There are simply no safe open spaces anywhere near my condo building, and the same is true for many buildings in Central Bangkok I'd imagine.

In fairness, in Central Bangkok it can be pretty difficult to get to a safe area away from ALL buildings. Because that's the main difference between your fire (drill) scenario and an earthquake - just staying away from YOUR building doesn't help.

Yes, I had a look, but why would I fill it in? Not like there's any immediate need or benefit.

You can top up TrueMoney with cash (Thai baht) at 7-11. There's no fee. So I think it's superior to Tagthai (what this topic is about), because Tagthai forces you to exchange foreign currency at Kasikorn Bank to top it up. If you prefer to use an exchange like SuperRich or ATM withdrawals, there's no way (yet?) to top up Tagthai with Thai baht.

There's no login. It's still under development and due to start in May. So, no.

Nonsense. Once it becomes a requirement, it's just like with any other requirement, you either comply or you'll miss your flight.

I've never understood why people have asked me to show them a payment confirmation on MY phone screen anyway, it has never been a tamper-proof way to assure that a payment has in fact been made by me to them. There is obviously a perfectly safe way - to check THEIR own bank app for confirmation of receipt of funds.

Look, when e-tickets replaced paper tickets, people came up with the same kind of argument. What about people who don't have email, etc. Did that stop the airlines from switching to e-tickets? No. Will saying that not everyone understands QR codes stop the TDAC rollout? No. Travelers will adapt.

I agree, that's bound to happen.

I cannot only imagine that, I did just that yesterday, evacuating from the 22nd floor. It really wasn't a problem, for me anyway, but let's say I wouldn't have enjoyed walking UP again.

You're wrong about TrueMoney, because the TrueMoney app cannot only be used for TrueMoney payments, but ALSO for PromptPay QR code payments. I use it for both, and it works everywhere.

How many times you apply = up to you. How many times the embassy will actually grant a visa = up to them. Pay your fee and take your chances. No refunds.

What's still not clear (to me anyway) after reading this thread is what happens if someone entered visa exempt and needs to apply for a non-immigrant visa first. As per the previous thread from a few months ago, agents in Pattaya couldn't help such a TOURIST to open a bank account anymore. That was a bigger issue than just using another branch or even another bank for the yearly extensions, because opening a new account at another bank is straightforward for someone who is already on a retirement extension and just needs the next one. I wonder if that has been resolved as well or remains an issue.

I would never carry my original passport around at all times. It stays locked up either at home or at a hotel I'm staying at, unless I need it for something that specifically requires producing the original (bank, immigration). I have my Thai DL in my wallet and pictures of the relevant passport pages on my phone.

The aforementioned "transfer stamps" that they put in your new passport include one stamp that references your old passport number. Transferring stamps also means that old and new passport will be linked in immigration's system.

Were you formally denied entry to Thailand, with a denial of entry stamp put in your passport? Or did they just TELL you to go back to Laos and to stay there for 2 nights? That could make a big difference. If the IO at Suvarnabhumi Airport chooses to scrutinize your history and sees a denial of entry stamp, that certainly wouldn't work in your favor. So in that case, booking a safe entry service for peace of mind wouldn't be a bad idea.

That's interesting news, that Bangkok Bank mess seemed to be quite a stumbling block for agents in Pattaya.