
Caldera
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Posts posted by Caldera
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It's encouraging to see this unfold. About time that the people take possession of their country.
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20 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:The rich obviously are, the poor not at all.
Cannot wait to read the drivel from the Thaksin haters, who, by the way, was fairly elected, as was his sister, who was also illegally deposed.
Spot on. Most Thais would be much better off today and the country wouldn't have lost 14 years of development. Saddening.
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3 hours ago, time2093 said:Agents are just money fixers. You still have to qualify for any extension and have your papers in order be it based for marriage or retirement extension.
Well if you take out the financial requirement, the only requirement of substance for a retirement extension is that you need to be at least 50 years old. You either are that or you aren't. ????
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3 hours ago, MrMilk said:
Would really appriciate some more reports, especially from Chiang Mai.
If no announcement Thuesday I just have to take the trip up there Wednesday.
That said, Chiang Mai is almost 1000 km from my home, so rather not return empty handed
You're cutting it fine. Why wait for an announcement? There's a high likelihood that there won't be any further announcement.
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2 hours ago, from the home of CC said:I can't think of a single country who would of allowed this amnesty for this length of time of stay with invalid visas.
The Schengen countries still have an "amnesty" for Schengen visa holders that is due to end on September 30th. As others have already mentioned, many Southeast Asian countries still allow people to stay, too, for a fee.
Thailand failed to move from this unstamped automatic extension to a pay-to-stay scheme in July, when it would have been safe to visit local immigration offices again. If they had introduced a special COVID-19 extension back then that doesn't require embassy letters or medical certificates, they could have ended the invalid visa chaos right then while maximizing the official fees collected. But they simply preferred to push those affected towards agents who can magically overcome all the obstacles an applicant might face on their own.
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7 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:
I don't think people staying in a hotel have ever been asked for a TM30 printout and there are definitely no recent reports of it from anywhere.
It was rare, but not unheard of. Chonburi Immigration made me fill in a TM30 form and put a TM30 receipt in my passport before processing a 30-day extension when I staid at a hotel last year. Different counters and they wouldn't give you a queue number for the extension counter without a TM30 receipt in your passport, no matter what may or may not have been filed online. I've never encountered that elsewhere.
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1 hour ago, edwardandtubs said:
You don't need a printout of a TM30. If the hotel has done it, immigration will have it on their online system. I wasn't asked for it in Ubon and I can't see why any other immigration office would ask for it. Remember, if we are asking for a regular extension, we are supposed to be regular tourists and regular tourists don't wonder round with TM30 forms.
While logically true, this differed wildly between different immigration offices - already pre COVID-19. I'd expect the same now, so it's best to be prepared.
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I think most countries' representatives (embassies) in Thailand aren't "amused" that the Thai authorities demand such letters. Their reaction to this nonsense differs, which is plain for all to see.
I can't say I blame my country's embassy for not issuing any letters at all (unlike in March, when they reluctantly did). But I like the approach of the US embassy better, which basically amounts to, "You want a meaningless letter? You get a meaningless letter!" - long may it last for the sake of those who need it.
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I guess I'll need to bookmark their article. One of the very rare occasions that China's state news agency isn't lying!
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1 minute ago, samisaurus said:
See if you can edit the date of the document in a pdf editor and then submit to immigration and get your extension. Debating doing this myself , but unsure how much immigration checks into these letters. I had one from March as well
If they do check, I hope you realize that falsifying an official document and using it at immigration is a crime (well, probably two crimes) that can cause you quite some trouble.
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3 hours ago, Fibonaqi said:
I have not applied for an extension yet for my visa exempt entry because it was not needed with the first visa amnesty announcement in April, can I get a 30-day extension in Bangkok without the embassy letter? I have a Bangkok local address and TM30 report done for me at the time. I heard reports here that others have been successful (in Chiang Mai).
I haven't seen a single report of doing that successfully in Bangkok.
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I wouldn't rule out a short (2-3 weeks duration) final extension of the amnesty next week.
Done properly, that should please everyone: Those who applied for an extension get to stay longer than those who waited for another freebie. Those who didn't get their act together yet get one last chance. Those who desperately want the amnesty to end will only have to wait a few weeks longer. Win-win-win.
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If they give me PR for buying a condo, I would seriously consider taking that offer.
That being said, I realize that there's usually a big difference between such a headline statement and the actual implementation. If it materializes at all, that is.
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That a joke? They were "prepared" to deal with 40 million tourists last year, I'm sure they can handle 1,200 arrivals per month in between Facebook breaks.
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He's been incarcerated for long enough on the flimsiest of charges. Time to let him go.
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6 minutes ago, mike787 said:
NOWHERE near as bad as Thai...look at the numbers
I did look at the numbers. Thailand IS worse than Vietnam in that regard, but both are well above the average (worldwide as well as within Southeast Asia).
Moving from Thailand to Vietnam in order to avoid becoming roadkill doesn't make any sense. A more sensible suggestion - for both countries - would be to avoid riding a motorcycle, as motorcyclists are most at risk in both countries (by quite a margin).
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It's a tropical banana republic, so in that sense it already is a republic anyway. No big deal.
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Sounds entirely believable to me. Other offices have sent away people who were still "entitled" to their regular 30-day extension, too, insisting on an embassy letter. If that policy has changed, either everywhere or at least in Chiang Mai, that's welcome news for those affected.
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Boost the economy by killing productivity? I guess you have to be Thai to find that convincing!
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7 hours ago, mike787 said:Excellent decision...Vietnam is a far better choice. People and food are amazing, and the dollar goes way further. Plus, You WILL NOT die on their roads. Godspeed.
Vietnamese roads are pretty deadly, too.
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Works fine for me whenever I use it in Bangkok. They still accept cash, but promote cashless payments.
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I'd imagine that they are a bit more thorough with new applicants now, simply because of the dire economic situation.
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That's exciting news at face value, but let's face it, it could well turn into a ghost town of unused warehouses unless they have a good grasp on actual demand (which I doubt).
It sure doesn't help that a big piece of the infrastructure they use to promote this industrial estate - the high speed railway network - is nowhere near ready and just seems to keep getting delayed year after year.
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Let me throw out my prediction, while we're at it: Minus 10% this year.
SURVEY: Will Thailand keep the virus under control?
in Thailand News
Posted
I'm confident that they will continue to control the spread, with only minor/isolated outbreaks.
But the question needs to be asked: At what cost? Personally, I think they are overdoing it and this will cause too much long-term damage.