NotReallyHere

Seriously? The point of not disclosing is to avoid potential retaliation for the disclosure. Saving face, etc. Don't you think immigration officers read this forum? It would not be difficult to determine who I am if they know the office.

A year ago, I received my first retirement visa extension in Hua Hin based, in part, on a 3 month rental contract. I extended my rental contract for an additional 3 months in Hua Hin once, then I moved to my current province. I appropriately updated my address in my new province based on a 3 month rental contract. I extended my three month rental contract once in the new province and here we are, it's time to renew my annual retirement visa extension. My current landlord is unfamiliar with the visa renewal process, so I took the paperwork to Immigration to verify everything is correct before I went and gathered all the bank account documents. I was happy when they told me that the house registration and ID card were correct (that was my primary concern), but then they told me they could not extend my retirement visa based on a 3 month rental contract (my third, 3 month contract in the new province). They require that I have a 1 year rental contract. I told them that it was my plan, in retirement, to travel around Thailand, changing locations every 3, 6 or 9 months based on how much or little I liked my current location. My current location is becoming a bit boring, so I thought I'd extend my rental contract for 3 months one last time and then move on to some place new. They told me my rental contract has to be for one year and that I could just cancel the rental contract if I wanted to leave early. I pointed out that the rental contract is between me and the property owner. Whether I can cancel my current rental contract was not up to immigration, but would be the landlord's option to approve or decline. If they decline, I am on the hook for a year's worth of rent. There is no early cancellation provision in my rental agreement. I am told an early cancellation provision in rental contracts is not common in Thailand. When I asked why I was able to extend my retirement visa in Hua Hin based on a 3 month rental contract, but not at my current province, I was smiled at and told that if I do not like their rules, I was free to pursue my retirement visa extension elsewhere. I do not want to disclose which immigration office is holding me to this standard. I am wondering if other people are experiencing this. Do I have any recourse other than quickly changing provinces within the next two weeks? Will I run into the same 1 year rental contract requirement wherever I end up? Was my first and only other retirement extension process in Hua Hin just a fluke? Though I don't think it would be to my advantage to make a big official stink about this, still I'm wondering if there is an official complaint or appeals process that would raise the issue to a higher than provincial level authority. Any advice/insight anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated. My visa extension deadline is rapidly approaching...

Surely so. Now you've seen it. First time for everything... Snippet from Thai Airways page. Somewhat limited in what I show because I don't want to reveal my name or ticket info.

x

I'm flying Europe to Bangkok. I decided after I booked my flight that I'd like to take some extra items. Total extra weight 11kg. Extra baggage cost on Thai Airways is 650 Euros for 10 - 15 kg of extra baggage. The flight costs 490 Euros including 30kg baggage allowance. Can I just buy a second ticket for myself and get an additional baggage allowance of 30kg for "only" 490 Euros? Has anyone tried this? I know that in the States, obese people can book two tickets on a domestic flight to accommodate their girth (in fact, I think on some airlines they are required to), but I wonder if I can pull it off to circumvent the (in my opinion) exorbitant extra baggage fee. I am attempting to call Thai Airways, but their customer service line has a very long wait time. I've had difficulties reaching them by telephone before. I almost think the office is empty after a certain time in the evening and they just allow us callers from outside of SE Asia to stay on hold indefinitely. Thanks in advance...

The algorithm doesn't just work by searching and liking something. Searching is the fastest way to influence the algorithm. The app also records how often you watch something. Those videos automatically repeat. If you watch a woman's sexy dance video and let it repeat 5 times and then fast forward through a male's video that is some prank or a cooking video, the app picks up on it. The app also has access to your cookies. If you've watched a bunch of heterosexual content, the app knows. Your "random" feed is obviously not random. Your non-random feed content proves it. This is the primary point. Do you seriously think there are no transgender dancers on TikTok?

Pull you head out of you a$$... Do you seriously think anyone in the LGBT community would shun the biggest social media platform that highlights dancing? It just defies common sense. I don't have TikTok, so I can't test this myself, but the solution is obvious. Use the search engine to search "LGBT" or "transgender". Like any content that pops up by clicking whatever button you need to click to show approval. After you have given enough transgender content positive reviews, you will be inundated with transgender content. Can't believe this needs to be explained to any adult in 2023. This is the type of guy that believes conspiracy theories because all his content comes from algorithm suggestions and he doesn't believe or look for any other information out there. Or maybe this is some bizarre form of "humblebrag". He's showing us that he's so macho, transgender content would never appear on his feed. Pathetic trying to anonymously brag to other anonymous people on the internet.

More info. From the linked article in the Detroit Free Press. https://eu.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2023/03/17/msu-student-hit-run-benjamin-kable-tubtim-howson/70021538007/ ""The Thai authorities didn't feel she needed to be in custody. She returned (to the U.S.) on her own. The federal (extradition) case has been dropped," he said. Soon after Howson arrived in Thailand, her husband flew back to the U.S. and told law enforcers that she would turn herself in, her lawyer said." Soon? Why did it take over 6 weeks to come back? Why did the police find her close to the Myanmar border when she had been spending all her time prior to the US official extradition request on February 6th in her house in Chonburi? Did she get special treatment? Why?

For those also interested in this case. Here is a link to a news article about the latest developments. Includes satisfying mugshot. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/michigan-woman-who-fled-to-thailand-after-college-students-hit-and-run-death-hit-with-1-million-bond/ar-AA18M2HI Tubtim Howson, Thai-American who ran over and killed a US college student then fled to Thailand, was arraigned on Friday. Given $1M cash bail order (no 10% surety) which I assume she cannot pay. If she is able to pay it, she will be on house arrest with a GPS ankle belt. Article also states she was not extradited (Knuckleheads who keep insisting this, you know who you are) She used the fact that she turned herself into the police and came back on her own as justification to have the bail set lower (Prosecution asked for $5 Million bail).

Jesus H. Christ... This is coming from the guy who in a prior post compared DeSantis to HItler and Putin. Wake up.

I don't speak in code. Woke crowd is always looking for enemies. Hearing "dog whistles" that don't exist. Victim mentality. "Oppression" is part of the identity. Sad, really.

Not anti-gay. Couldn't care less who focks who. I'm anti-woke. The woke crowd identifies as the "rainbow coalition". A little pathetic that I have to point that out to you, of all people. This has been going on for decades. https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/the-first-rainbow-coalition/ Poorly informed, as usual.

I never said I hated your posts. I routinely check them to see what type of nonsense the "rainbow coalition" is wasting their time with now. You never disappoint.

If your topic had more merit and was presented with less bias and left leaning political spin, people would stay on topic. I've enjoyed reading the comments much more than your original post, especially your cringe-worthy attempts at humor towards the end.

Quick update for those who are also interested in the case... Tubtim "Sue" Howson was being held in California, since February 22. She was scheduled to be arraigned in Michigan on Tuesday, 14 March, but missed the court date because she was still in transit from California. She arrived in Michigan on the 15th. She was rescheduled for arraignment on Friday, 17 March. She is being held in a "secret" location in Michigan, out of safety concerns. She faces two charges: a federal charge of interstate flight to avoid prosecution, and a state charge of failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in death. Both charges carry up to five years in prison.

ASEAN Now isn't your hometown. Adjust or not. Choice is yours. Being overly tolerant is one of the problems with our modern age. Anything goes... To bring this back to the original post's topic, I don't give a <deleted> what you do or think, but don't expect to be believed when you tell everyone your particular hometown usage is "American usage".

If you want to be understood, it does. But maybe you don't want to be understood, which is fine. Your choice.

So is word salad...

That guy doesn't speak for all of us. Check his many "woke" posts.

You again... Feel like I'm being stalked... I put you on "ignore" after our last back and forth in which you refused to believe the RTP's own statement that she was not under arrest. You selectively choose what facts to believe in order to fit your little theories. I happen to have checked the site while logged out so I saw your post. You're uninformed and spreading false information as usual. Everyone is well aware she is no longer a fugitive in Thailand. That's why I could list a finite time (6 weeks) for her being a fugitive. I also made a post about 2 weeks ago linking a Thai article showing her being escorted onto a plane by tourist police. The Thai tourist police escorted her on the plane 3 or 4 days after their self imposed Sunday deadline that they announced at their little press conference. More special treatment. She spent the first 5 of the 6 weeks in her own home in Chonburi. The gate guard and neighbors said she was home, but not when the Thai police occasionally came by to "look" for her. She was "hiding" in plain sight. Why do you waste your time with your nonsense comments? I won't be wasting anymore time with you. You're back on ignore status.

Not sure why this didn't come to my attention a couple of weeks ago when Tubtim Howson was on the run in Thailand. Turns out her husband is the Chief of Engineering for "John Cockerill Defense America" based in Sterling Heights Michigan. They sell turrets with 30mm guns to the Thai Navy for their X18 tank boats (and possibly other military equipment, though I haven't found any evidence online yet). His marriage to her is public record and he posts his job title and experience on LinkedIn. Could there be any doubt that a person with Tubtim's connections would get special treatment in Thailand? Is it any surprise she was "on the run" in plain sight for 6 weeks? Link to article about "John Cockerill Defense America" and Thai Navy X18 Tank Boat https://armyrecognition.com/defense_security_2019_news_official_online_show_daily_thailand/defense_security_thailand_2019_john_cockerill_defenses_c3105_turret_to_be_fitted_by_pt.lundin_on_x18_tank_boat.html

This is the DEI nonsense DeSantis is fighting against. Quoting a government website doesn't make a point other than the DEI nonsense has risen to the top, which was already very apparent. If you need your car fixed, do you really care what the race, gender, sexual preference, etc of the mechanic is or do you want the most qualified mechanic? Is a diverse pool of mechanics going to make the work of the garage better? More nonsense. The government does own fleets of cars. They will have to consider BS like you've listed above when hiring mechanics. The result will be diversity, but at the expense of the quality of the mechanics because job qualifications weren't the primary deciding factor. Our tax dollars wasted because the government cars serviced by our diverse mechanic pool is less than optimal. I couldn't care less if the mechanic pool was all black, all female, all catholic. It doesn't matter. What matters is the work performed. This is just one example. Meritocracy over diversity. This is my last post on ASEAN NOW. This <deleted> never ends. I'm not wasting anymore time here. I won't be back unless I have a visa question.

Correct. Nothing I have said contradicts that.

Nonsense. "Best qualified" is never based on sex, race, sexual preference, religion, etc. Consequently, they shouldn't be used as selection criteria. "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion" criteria are not valid criteria for job selection of government jobs at the state or federal level. I think the private sector should be able do what they want (as long as they do not accept federal or state funding). They will live or die by their good/poor decisions in the free market. I don't agree with everything DeSantis is doing, but he got this one right.

Two quotes from the article: "The bill makes good on DeSantis' pledge to ban colleges and universities from any expenditures on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs." AND "The bill would put all hiring decisions in the hands of each universities’ board of trustees, a body selected entirely by the governor and his appointees, with input from the school’s president." Using DEI in the hiring process is discriminatory and prejudicial because it awards a job (especially relevant for government jobs) to someone who is not necessarily the most meritorious based on qualifications required to perform the job. This preferential treatment is "small minded and shameful". This is so very clear, arguing against it might lead one to believe the people doing so have something to gain. Could it be that people who consider it "small minded and shameful" would receive preferential treatment under DEI? Self-serving behavior at the very least. This trend toward using DEI over merit in hiring decisions goes far beyond Florida. It's a national trend, even at the federal level. Let me mention a relevant example of DEI hiring decisions on the federal level. During the 2020 election, Biden promised to nominate a black woman as the next Supreme Court justice. How did Biden know that the most qualified and meritorious individual would be a black woman? Why did he automatically eliminate all other potential meritorious nominees for what is one of this nation's most important public positions? They say that "justice is blind" The nomination process was clearly biased and not gender or color blind. The nominee did not speak out against the bias in the nomination process, so it is safe to assume she agrees with it. How can we assume she will rule as if "justice is blind". We can't. With his current actions against DEI in Florida, DeSantis is demonstrating he would not cave in to the self serving DEI voters if he were elected to federal office. If he is so racist, why doesn't he come out and say, like Biden did, that he would nominate a particular gender and race (radical left readers would assume, in DeSantis' case, white and male) for the next open supreme court position before even seeing their qualifications? Comparing DeSantis to Putin and Hitler is absolutely ridiculous. Clearly an emotional, not rational, assessment, designed to put fear into weak minded individuals. Unfortunately, an effective tactic. If you're having difficulty understanding this post, please take a moment to read it again rather than reporting it as "off topic". Reporting something as "off topic" that isn't, is weak.