Caldera

Oh look, more delays. Meanwhile Laos has had its high-speed railway up and running for what, a couple of years now?

A bit funny, when at the same time he relayed his experience of the late Queen NOT being nice to him. Which one is it then?

The DTV has a validity period of 5 years from the day it's issued, regardless of your reason to apply for it. However, it's not inconceivable that you will later be asked for proof that whatever reason you had to apply still exists. By immigration, when you apply for an extension or wish to re-enter. So let's say you sign up for this 10 months cooking class you've mentioned and get your DTV issued based on this. A few years from now, an immigration officer could ask you what you are doing in Thailand NOW, and your answer would better be in line with what your visa was issued for.

I've been living in Thailand since 2006 and I haven't ironed even a single piece of clothing. I fully intend to keep it this way. So my answer is: zero.

Excellent ideas, helps those recalcitrant smokers to get the full value out of their expensive vice without harming others. Win-win.

You gave him good advice, it's pointless to ask an embassy about that.

Meanwhile outside of Bangkok, the world has moved on from wearing masks and seems to be just fine. These masks that most (!) people in Bangkok wear offer no protection whatsoever anyway, so at the very least, do yourself a favor and buy a decent one that you wear properly.

Personally, I don't think they will do anything too dramatic that would look like they're admitting that they made a mistake. I'd imagine that some embassies (especially in poorer countries) will add all kinds of local extra requirements that make them harder to obtain. Getting a DTV in India already seems to be somewhat more difficult than getting the same DTV from the Thai embassy in London. Immigration could decide to scrutinize DTV holders upon re-entry, which would be in line with what they've done with METV holders who (in their opinion) spent "too much time" in Thailand. Basically ask to see proof that the reason the visa was applied for still exists. It wouldn't surprise me, especially after a few high profile cases of abuse or crimes committed by DTV holders have made the news. We'll see.

That's an inconsistency that has existed for as long as IOs at some airports have "cracked down" on imaginary "visa exempt abuse". We've never seen any reports of immigration offices within Thailand denying 30-day extensions based on the applicant "spending too much time" in Thailand or similar nonsense. Without fail, you pay and get an additional 30 days, no matter what your history has been. So yes, you've done nothing wrong. There are no official rules that you have broken.

That depends. It remains to be seen if you can apply for an ETA while you're still in Thailand. And how the centralized approval process/authority will deal with border runners. At the moment, this is very inconsistent (different borders have different rules).

Correct. The change from 30 days to 60 days (for most nationalities) doesn't affect those entering visa exempt under a bilateral agreement between Thailand and their hone country that allows 90-day stays. They continue to get 90 days.

What, they don't ship them off to Australia anymore?

Here we go again.

I'm surprised that they didn't stamp you in for an entire year, considering.

Instant Karma at work.

You seem to know that you'll need to apply for this visa outside of Thailand, because you've included travel expenses. So I'm wondering why you've also included visa agent fees - how can an agent based in Chiang Mai assist you to obtain such a DTV from a Thai embassy or consulate abroad? Personally, I think for those who qualify for a non-immigrant visa, it's best to stay with that option. The DTV is mostly interesting for people who didn't qualify for any longterm visa previously - unmarried ones below the age of 50 who wish to spend more time in Thailand without a need to seek employment because they have funds or income from abroad.

Maybe a Vietnamese dog restaurant could adopt them. Seriously though, what an idiotic idea. Dogs that have killed a human are a danger for other humans as well and need to be put down without delay.

If and when the ETA has been implemented, any denials would be centralized and probably following more consistent rules, whatever they may be. Whether there will be an "agent service" to apply for an ETA on your behalf with a guaranteed outcome is anyone's guess. It wouldn't surprise me though. Vietnam might give some clues. Those who have trouble using the official eVisa system can use an agent's service to apply on their behalf, which miraculously makes certain problems go away.

I'd say it's fairly obvious that they won't be able to roll it out within the time frame mentioned. This will need to be a super reliable and scalable system once each and every visa exempt traveler will be required to use it for each and every entry. Just look at the mess with the eVisa system (fixed after a fee years, but some people still despair apparently) and 90-day reporting (fixed and broken on and off in an endless loop).

Cite those rules then. I don't think you can.

Unnoticed by who? Those results came in very close to pretty much all the polls done since the EP election in May. No real surprises.

No surprises there, many people bought cars they can't really afford.

The realization that he will lose and spend his remaining years in courts and/or in prison starts to sink in. He's had it a long time coming, and good riddance.

They might soon wish to eliminate a certain nosey neighbor who checked them out on social media...

Those "experts" said the same before the last coup, until it happened "to everyone's surprise". The army leadership said the same, right until they staged a coup.