scorecard

Candidacy registration: voluntary or as directed by military folks? And according to the methods (post just above) there is no election therefor the Thai public not having a right / a chance to select the senators.

Further: Thaksin claimed he knew nothing about the event. Sorry mr. paymaster it doesn't work like that.

But hang on, what happened to the long long twisted discussions about all visitors paying a health cover tax to compensate hospitals for unpaid bills. Never happened. So will this new tax go the same way? Probably. Get some clever capable people into ministerial positions (not drug jailbirds) along with clever focused ethical ministry staff.

Agree re Singapore (sg). The big plus is proximity, kids can come home to Thailand / parents can visit kids frequently. Many years back my Thai son completed his last several years of high school in SG and loved it, and the educational outcome was totally excellent. In those days you could do a deal with AirAsia; guarantee that the child would do x number of return trips within a 12 month period and pay 50% of the cost upfront. Got a very big discount. AirAsia even had a service to pick up kids from their homestay or whatever to take them to the airport. Some small downside with Thai hi-so kids misbehaving themselves and being arrogant / rude to teachers and other students, especially to other Thai students who didn't 'qualify' as hi-so / rich kids. During the time my son was there several of these hi-so kids were instantly dismissed because of a specific negative event* and deported and passports marked 'cannot enter SG for 10 years'. (*One event: several Thai hi-so boys made a big pile of Teak beach furniture and set fire to it.)

Sure but doa lot of research about th teaching quality / teaching outcomes before deciding what school. Some I'national schools in BKK are quite good, others make big claims but the teaching / outcomes is pretty poor.

And within a short time another building will go up somewhere which is taller. In reality how would 'tallest building' attract big numbers of tourists?

The VN situation was complex. I got conscripted, served in VN. Back home there was nothing available to get re-employed / resume education. Tried to join a national ex-servicemens organization, the lady laughed and said 'you cannot join, we don't have a box on our member application form for VN vets because it wasn't a real war', and she pointed to the door. Further the day we returned to home (a group of twenty vets) we arrived at the army HQ office for our state at 3:00 am in the morning and got abused by the civilian clerical workers because they had to come to work early in the morning (3:00 am) to process our discharge paper.

He says he is operating his own business.

Further, how would the spending of the money be managed to ensure it doesn't end up in corruption activities?

So you have assumed he's guilty and should do jail time?

Perhaps depends on the location. I took all my documents to the main Amphur office for Chiang Mai city including the dark blue tabien baan (TB) book (dark blue TB used for PR holders. My Thai ID number was issued 27 years ago along with the issue of the original dark blue Certificate of Residence book and my name and Thai ID number entered into the old style TB sheets at the same time.) Later, the TB sheets were retired and the TB books started. The amphur staff at Chiang Mai took my name details (and the ID number) from my TB book to generate the pink ID card. Does he 'confirm his address...'or does he get a new exit / re-entry permit every year? (new exit / re-entry stamp is not an annual official requirement but most PR holders who travel abroad frequently get a multiple entry exit / re-entry permit every year. By the way the Thai police is the agency which keeps records of where PR holders are living through the RED police registration book which must be updated every 5 years 9updated means new photo and if needed update the residential address of the PR holder. As said records of address are done through the RED police book, a police activity / responsibility. Records of residential address / changes of residential address is also handled using the Tabien Baan book process which is handled by / the responsibility of the Amphur office system (administered by the Interior Ministry.

More comments added at end of my paragraph 1 above: As said many business people who travel abroad frequently get a multiple entry exit /re-entry stamp every year. But there is no requirement that the start date on the new stamp aligns to anything. Can be done on the day the old 1 year stamp expires, can be 1 week later, can be 6 months later. Or the PR holder may decide that because of changed personal circumstances to wait until he/she has an actual travel date (to go abroad), then apply for a single entry exit / re-enter stamp. In this case there is no requirement to officially advice the immigration Bureau that anything has changed. And it's a confirmation that the PR holder needs to get an Exit / re-entry stamp as needed. And a further point, I confirm an earlier comment that the exit / re-entry stamp is NOT required for domestic travel.

That's true, a few years ago it was extremely difficult and cumbersome. Nowadays the process has been simplified and quite easy and quick. Worth another try. Good luck

stupid comment.

Only 3 or 4 days ago a new 3 or 4 minute video, presenter asking Americans on the streets about US cities etc., etc. The number of correct answers is still very low.

Total rubbish, no facts, no supporting evidence, yawn.

Does he 'confirm his address...'or does he get a new exit / re-entry permit every year? (new exit / re-entry stamp is not an annual official requirement but most PR holders who travel abroad frequently get a multiple entry exit / re-entry permit every year. The multiple entry exit / re-entry stamp has a life of one year then it lapses. Bu there is no regulation to say it must be immediately renewed. Renewal is at the discretion of the PR holder. By the way the Thai police is one agency which keeps records of where PR holders are living, through the RED police registration book which must be updated every 5 years (updated means new photo and if needed update the residential address of the PR holder). This is separate to the immigration bureau records. The RED police book is NOT an official record of holding PR. Records of residential address / changes of residential address is also handled using the Tabien Baan book process which is handled by / the responsibility of the Amphur office system (administered by the Interior Ministry). The Tabien Baan book or it's ultimate database is NOT intended to be an official record of who holds PR.

I reconfirm, must updated every 5 years at the police station where the specific foreigners file is held. Mine is at the big Police Centre in the old city in Chiang Mai. Previously at the big police center at Banglamung (chonburi).

Yes for PR holders (only). Read further in this thread and be informed.

What are you confused about, please share and someone will explain to you in simple words.

1. I have never in 27 years confirmed my address or any other detail to an immigration office, except when my C of R book has been full (full of outward / inward passport stamps) and therefore needed to be replaced. I've replaced my C of R book 3 times, every time at immigration (CW) they asked 'has any personal detail changed?' No further process. This was raised before and it was confirmed there is no annual reporting requirement. The RED book is a police registration book (not an immigration process), purpose being for PR holders to give the local police notification of their residential address, it's not an immigration book / matter. The RED police registration book must be updated every 5 years (updated means: new photo and update (if needed) of residential address). This book is not 'replaced' every 10 years.

He's now also on my ignore list.

Members who post comments like the final paragraph above should be banned for life.

".... never felt the need for one". I have loud old American living near me. He loves to cause arguments. He heard about the yellow Tabien Baan book and the pink ID card. He took his Thai wife (speaks perfect English) to the local quite big Immigration office to possibly get both items. As per usual he yelled abuse at the immigration officer (IO) asking why the IO could not speak English and threw his US passport at another IO. Wife walked out of the immigration office and caught a taxi home. And she now refuses to accompany him anywhere re official documents or buying anything. He continues to NOT have a yellow book and NOT have a pink ID card. And of course both of these items are not issued by Thai Immigration but I'm told that the American insisted they go to the immigration office..

Some points not quite true: 1 - It's commonly called Permanent Residence (PR) (including by immigration officers) however the correct official wording is 'Certificate of Residence'. And yes the term can be confused, there's also a letter issued by the Thai Immigration Bureau with the same title 'Certificate of Residence' used to get a Thai driving license. The letter states the address of the foreigner, nothing more. This is not the same as the small book issued to PR holders called 'Certificate of Residence', which is proof of lifetime Certificate of Residence / lifetime PR. The small PR / Certificate of Residence book does NOT have an expiry date. Yes you do need an exit / re-entry stamp if you do leave thailand and you have lifetime PR. Not the end of the world, and not difficult to get the stamp, and while on this point, the exit / re-entry stamp is a simple administrative exercise, there is no interview or re-consideration of the actual PR status. 2 - PR holders are NOT required to report* to the Thai immigration Bureau every year: * Not personally * Not in writing * Not by any official immigration form (no such form exists). 3 - PR is issued for lifetime, there is no 10 year renewal. There is no renewal ever. 4 - PR automatically cancels on the death of the holder. Re items 2 and 3 above - I've had Thai lifetime PR for 27 years, I have never done an annual report nor actioned a renewal of my PR status because both are NOT required - in fact there is no such process.