Caldera

Ah, the IMF. Come rain, come shine, always Thailand's best friend and an altruistic voice of reason.

????

The Thai system can only function with an uneducated population that lacks a critical mass of critical thinkers. Whatever the government may claim, it's simply not credible that they want the masses to have access to any real education.

Unfortunately, that will continue to hold them back in seemingly unrelated arenas as well - a critical thinker who would make a great revolutionary might also make a great scientist or entrepreneur.

1 minute ago, fry30 said:

Thanks for the explanation, indeed it should not be taken lightly. I'm leaving for the border now, the police never asked for my passport so far, hopefully not this time too.

 

Best of luck, you should be fine doing your border hop.

In the unlikely event that you are "pulled" by law enforcement before you make it to the border, you could be arrested, processed for overstaying your visa and deported. Don't take such a mistake lightly.

If in doubt, you could check into a hotel for a night and head to the immigration office the next morning. Use the hotel's address and take along your booking confirmation / receipt. In that case, any obligation to report your stay would be the hotel's alone.

I think it's widely understood that legalizing it as medicine is the best way to ram legalization down the throats of those dinosaurs who are against legalizing it.

Good for them, whatever works.

Just one more boring old fart. With or without him, there's no lack of those in Thailand.

He means business and takes his key election promise seriously. That in itself is refreshing.

They will be stored. At the very least, to compare them to fingerprints submitted by (presumably) the same person later. Other use cases also come to mind.

Anyone who has ever listened to his ramblings would know with certainty and without any further proof needed that he is as unqualified as they come. Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped him from mismanaging the country for 5+ years (and counting).

"Ronadol also said the new system meets the international ISO20022 standards."

Which is from 2015. That raises the question why the first version of the Thai QR code payment system didn't already meet that standard. The way I read it, they came late to the party and nevertheless decided to release something inferior first. Truly a hub of FinTech innovations - not.

1 hour ago, DPKANKAN said:

Your example there seems to be paying on K+. How do you get cash without using an ATM card?

Kasikorn Bank's ATMs have a cardless withdrawal option. You use their app to choose the amount, then scan the QR code displayed on the ATM's screen and confirm. Out comes the cash.

14 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

OMG, this guy makes it sound like we all walked in a Korovas milk bar and married the first prostitute.

 

   What a joke. 

From having met many expats in Thailand who have married a local, I have to say that it's not an uncommon impression. That obviously doesn't mean that "you all" did that, mind you, but I think it's fair to say that expats in Thailand generally have shockingly low standards when it comes to choosing their spouse. Add cultural differences to that and it's no surprise that many such marriages end in quite an unhappy/disastrous way.

3 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

  If your intentions are genuine previous scammers have made your quest all that much harder, doable but met with skepticism these days so expect scrutiny.. 

Exactly the opposite! If you "attend" a not-so-genuine school that pays off immigration, your experience will be hassle-free according to many reports here and elsewhere. If you have a genuine interest in studying, but your school isn't a visa mill that provides that special service, your experience might be much less pleasant.

18 minutes ago, brokenbone said:

visa runs are not a nice thing,

That depends. You can certainly make a nice trip out of it if you're not in a hurry and have some money to spare. I really enjoy my "visa runs".

30 minutes ago, jethro69 said:

I do rent out my property partly

There you go, occupation: Landlord. I've stated nothing else ever since visiting Thailand for the very first time.

21 minutes ago, FredGallaher said:

Yea. In your case the referee (IO) is saying you aren't acting as a tourist.  Does he/she have it right? 

The real problem seems to be that different IOs have different ideas about that. I think I act very touristy, and so far all IOs I've encountered seemed to agree. There's no guarantee that the next one will see it the same way though.

If I had the same choices as you, I would keep getting extensions based upon retirement. They're usually processed quicker and - depending on the immigration office you use - in a less denigrating way than marriage extensions. Also, in case of a divorce or death of your wife, no additional immigration issues to deal with on top of that.

1 hour ago, holy cow cm said:

Stupid questions either make people squirm or just hot and upset. Good way to see where one stands.

So these IOs are either very skilled interrogators or just plain stupid. I'll go with the latter until there's evidence for the former.

1 hour ago, Guderian said:

Forget Thailand, where you're no longer welcome, and spend your oil bucks in a friendly country in SEA that actually wants your custom.

Any recommendations?

43 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

30baht per sheet. Nice little earner. 

True. That seems to be new, they used to charge 5 baht per copy.

Just for the record and for future reference, they were closed on 16th and 17th, as per a notice I saw posted there today.

Next scheduled closure as per the same announcement will be the substitute holiday for HM the King's birthday on 29th later this month.

How can a Chinese vassal state be a regional leader?

Being in Thailand as a farang isn't tough at all, I think it's still fun all things considered.