bkkbaz

1. Will start at end of stamped period of stay.

2. The may catch that at extension time so allow extra time for them to correct it. You should also have a departure stamp later than that date which would also prove it wrong.

3. You are obviously here long term but until the New Year we can not answer. By all advance information you should still be able to use 30 day entry but believe it would be prepared for the worse just in case as you seem to be doing this before any positive reports are available.

Thanks!

1. That's what I was hoping - I'll pop down to Sathorn tomorrow and sort it out - didn't want to leave it until the deadline in case #2 causes problems.

2. I do indeed - the previous exit stamp was on Sep 29. Hopefully I can convince them that even if I was a fraud, I'm not stupid enough to forge a Suvarnabhumi stamp with a date of several weeks before the airport opened

3. Yeah, I guessed that would be the case. I guess I'll make these next three visa runs by air rather than land - I'll have more options if there are any unforeseen problems. More fun than the minibus trip, too...

Morning chaps, [edit: I'm well under 50, and British]

#1. I'm currently here in Thailand (BKK), on the final entry of a quad-entry tourist visa, which I bought in the UK before I came here. This final entry began on Oct 2 when I returned from Cambodia - the visa itself expired on Oct 6, and the final entry expires on November 30 (ie. this Thursday). I believe I can extend this by 30 days by going to the Thai immigration bureau armed with 1900 baht, but do the 30 days count from the end of the visa, or the day I visit?

ie. If I go to the bureau tomorrow (Nov 27), to get it over and done with, will the entry expire on Dec 30 (30 days from due expiration) or Dec 27 (30 days from when I pay for the extension)? And do I need passport photos or anything else aside from the fee?

#2. Looks like the immigration chap at Suvarnabhumi made a mistake - I only just noticed on checking the dates in my passport to post this. The small date stamp on the full-page visa is correct - I entered Thailand on Oct 2, and it says so. However, the entry stamp states that I entered on Sep 2, and can stay until Nov 30. Is this likely to cause me any grief? Suvarnabhumi wasn't even open yet on Sep 2, so surely they'll see that this was a mistake!

#3. I intend to return to the UK in April 07. I'm thinking that if I can extend this entry to Dec 30, then return for the 3x30 day visa exemption stamps, then with a few long weekends in Cambo, that'll see me through - do we have any definite agreement on whether this is allowed or not yet? Should I take a suitcase with me on my next border run?

Thanks!

YES IT IS WRONG TO SAY THAT "ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS".

BUT IS IT WRONG TO SAY THAT "ALL TERRORISTS ARE MUSLIMS"?

Yes, very wrong indeed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_organisations

Please turn off Caps Lock, by the way.

The same situation in Northern Ireland. If Ireland was "given back" the North would the terrorism stop and the IRA disband...???

Would it b0ll0cks!

FYI, the IRA ceased hostilities years ago (1997 iirc) and last year completed the process of destroying all of their arms.

Thanks sunbelt, still no details on tourist visas though.

Can we still use the quad-entry tourist visa for 9 months per year, then do the 3x30 for the remaining three months, as I detailed here?

I do wonder why on earth they're doing this though...

Election coming up...

And people are more likely to vote for the ruling party if their kids can no longer learn English?

What political advantage will kicking the English teachers out of Thailand give the goverment?

i think you are dreaming on the 'quad visa' esp since the visa itself states validity = six months. not to mention all th eface time with immigration when it is quite ez to see you are gaming the system to the max.

A quad-entry visa grants four entries within six months. If you use the 4th entry the day before it expires, you get 8 months. Extend that entry by 30 days, 9 months. Quad entries are easily acquired in the UK, just pay £100.

It all depends on whether they will be enforcing the letter of the law, or the spirit of the law.

And I guess we will have to wait and see on that front.

I do wonder why on earth they're doing this though...

It seems (so far) that the solution for those under 50 with no inclination or need to work here is to do this every year:

1. Get a quad-entry 6-month tourist visa (from your own country or elsewhere), come to Thailand.

2. Do a visa run as usual every 60 days, which will put you on your 2nd entry after 2 months, and 3rd entry after 4 months, approx.

2. Use the 4th and final entry the day before the visa expires, to get a further 60 days.

3. Extend this 60-day stay to 90 days at the immigration office in Bangkok (costs about 2,000 baht, right?) - you've now got a total of 9 months in Thailand on your 6-month visa.

4. Once this entry expires, you can still do the 3x30-day visa "exception" thing, which takes you to 12 months. Repeat and rinse.

Is it really that simple?

Some specific questions, which I guess I won't get answers to until more information is released from the authorities:

1. When does the counting start? If someone already has 10 back-to-back 30-day visa waivers in his passport, what happens if he tries to re-enter after October 1? Does he get a limit of 3 more entries before his 90 day exile, or does he get refused entry immediately?

2. Will people just be able to buy 6-monthly quad-entry tourist visas twice a year instead, without any trouble?

3. Or how about a 6-month tourist visa (which actually gives ~9 months if used correctly), then 3x30 day visa waivers when it expires? Then a week at home at xmas to apply for the next tourist visa...

4. What's to stop people setting up companies that never actually conduct any business, in order to give themselves (as CEOs) work permits for non-imm B visas? This can be done for about $1,000, right?

Not trying to pick holes in the system, just wondering what the real rules are. And we all know that whatever the rules, they will be enforced on a very sporadic basis!

If these teachers disappear, then it comes down to supply and demand. Will we be seeing B100k/month salaries offered for English teaching jobs in the near future? If the few legit teachers remaining demand it, we might...

Those that are employed illegaly are not employed by places that can pay those salaries. They will be replaced by Thais is my guess.

EDIT: Anyone that knows this field better is welcome to correct me if it doesn't make sense.

Quite possibly. But many teaching jobs are advertised with a promise of a work permit. Then, because of bureacracy/laziness/etc, it either takes months or years for this to be issued, or sometimes it never materialises. It's not necessarily a financial issue.

And if there are more teaching vacancies than native English speakers, then the employers who really want to hire native speakers will have to offer better salaries. Like I said, supply and demand.

On the other hand, TIT so who knows!

So... 65,000 people in 2004, and some of these won't be coming in on visa on arrivals either, so actually the real number is lower again. So therefore, by my own criteria, not a big deal.

Probably no major impact on Thailand's income from tourism, but can be a major impact on other areas, even from the Thai perpective.

Take the fact that most foreign teachers in Thailand are working illegally. I assume most of them are doing the monthly visa runs.

What will that do to English Teaching in Thailand?

Based on people I've met here, I'd guess that at least 50-60% of English teachers are working without work permits - it's not necessarily their fault, the schools can take months or years to sort it out, as they have no motivation to do so (it's not the Thai employers who will be facing deportation!).

If these teachers disappear, then it comes down to supply and demand. Will we be seeing B100k/month salaries offered for English teaching jobs in the near future? If the few legit teachers remaining demand it, we might...

My big question is how this will affect visas which have already been granted.

I arrived from the UK with a quadruple 60-day-entry 6-month tourist visa.

I'm currently in my 3rd entry, enjoying an extended break in my favourite country.

When my 3rd 60-day entry expires at the beginning of October, and I hop to Cambodia to begin my 4th and final entry, will I be allowed back into Thailand?

Since I haven't used any 30-day visa exemption on arrival this visit, will my 90-day limit begin when my 4th 60-day entry expires? Or am I not going to get my 4th entry? Should I take all my posessions in a suitcase to my next border run?

Not enough information!

for eg. some server is giving a mere 20 GB bandwidth which is very low .

That's actually quite realistic.

If you look online is easy to find Server giving you 200 - 500 gb bandwidth.

Only overselling ripoff artists (Dreamhost etc). And who the heck needs that much bandwidth?!

I wonder if any of the Indian coders have broadband/Skype.

Of course they do. Why wouldn't they?

I never see them mention it, that's why.

Interesting - broadband is certainly available in India, and Skype works anywhere, on just about anything.

Do you know any good PHP coders in India with Skype/broadband?

No, but I know a very good one in Bangkok with both...

I wonder if any of the Indian coders have broadband/Skype.

Of course they do. Why wouldn't they?

Yep thats the downside of RAC.

However of you can go thru ~$500 worth of jobs at indian rates (and got good ratings), then you will get expensive projects (>$1000/job). The people who are getting expensive job done wont bother paying 1500 to a coder with good reputation even if an unreputated one agrees to do it for $1000.

On the other hand, a job might be rejected to a reputed coder @ $55 because an unreputated coder is willing to do it at $50

This is true, but in order to compete with the reputed Indians, you'd still be doing the >$1000/job at a pitiful hourly rate. A $10,000USD job sounds great at first, until you realise that it's going to mean working 12 hours a day for six months :-)

used rentacoder as both a buyer and coder.

As a coder i rate rent a coder 9 out of 10

As a buyer i rate it 6 out of 10 <-- many coders simply waste time there

I dont do RAC coding seriously, just explored it out of curousity.

But if you want to it your living you will have to do cheap projects for a few months, provide good code, build a good ranking, only then you can think for the expensive profitable projects.

Agreed - the problem with these sites is that the buyers tend to be motivated exclusively by price. So the guys in India or wherever who have a basic smattering of English get the job for less than $5/hr, and deliver something that's maybe vaguely similar to what the buyer wanted, whereas the guy who could have done the job perfectly has been priced out.

One of the old maxims of software is "Cheap, fast, good - pick two". I'll stick with providing "fast" and "good", I think. If you can't (or don't want to) compete with Indian pay rates, it seems like RAC might not be the best idea...

Thanks guys,

I have had some time to check out your recommendations and I think that Joomla is the way to go!

By any chance did any of you buy the book? I like to RTFM as much as I can and if you could sell me your book I would appreciate it......

It's all down to personal preference of course, but I find the default Joomla themes ugly as hel_l, and good luck finding a nice one for free - most theme sites want your money. Drupal has several nice free themes, and Wordpress has thousands. I've never touched XOOPS, but PostNuke/PHPNuke are to be avoided at all costs in my opinion.

Buying a book for any software, CMS or otherwise, seems to me an odd thing to do. All the documentation, tutorials etc are freely available online, and will be updated every time a new version is released - whereas your hard-copy book will be obsolete before you finish reading it in some cases

Cheaper to just print out the documentation if you must have a hard copy - especially here in Thailand.

Four injured in explosion on Bangkok bus

BANGKOK: -- Four passengers were injured when a homemade bomb exploded on a Bangkok bus Saturday night.

The time bomb detonated by a clock exploded on Bus No 95 at 10:40 am.

The bus was having about 20 passengers and had left Happy Land Market heading to Bang Khen when the explosion occurred when it was in front of Bang Toey Temple near Soi Navamin 101..

Three passengers were slightly injured were discharged from the Lard Prao Hospital after treatments.

The other passenger suffered cuts on the left leg and suffered back injury from the blast impact. He was discharged after treatment.

The bus driver, Jittakorn Prajonghat, 32, told police that the bomb might be planted by four teenagers who got off the bus just a stop before the bomb exploded.

--The Nation 2006-08-06

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingne...newsid=30010473

Id say stick with dreamweaver...its still free to download (try) and there are plenty of keygens out there adobe

For ftp i would say use this FTP. Easy to add settings and to upload its just drag and drop.

I'd go down the CMS option myself - Wordpress or Joomla, depending on the site. Both are free software. Set it up once, and then update the site from your web browser anywhere in the world.

And yes, I can help to set up or customise either - in my professional capacity

I think they'd give you a new 60 day stamp since they'd see the tourist visa your departure card is stapled to.

Michael, this comment of yours is wrong and confusing.

1. bkkbaz has a tourist visa valid for 4 entries and has so far used 1 entry. He knows that on each entry he will get a stamp for 60 days (he said so in post #8). Your saying now hat you think he will get a new 60-day stamp is apt to create uncertainty. This is unnecessary, because it is a fact that he will get a 60-day stamp.

2. When entering Thailand, there will be no departure card stapled to the tourist visa in his passport. He will fill out an new arrival/departure card and on the arrival section of this card write the visa number, and on this basis the immigration officer will know to look for the visa in his passport and to give that 60-day stamp.

---------------

Maestro

Thanks maestro, cleared that up before I could even ask :-)

hello,ive been doing the 30 day visa run for years.the cheapest place to renew your 30 day visa is burma.either ranong,mae sot or mae sai.

all are 500 baht.

in ranong you have to get a scheduled boat across,from a pier,just down from the thai immigration office.

in mae sot you can get a 10 baht sawntaew from the town center to the thai immigration post & then its a walk over the freindship bridge to burma.where you pay 500 baht for the 2 stamps (entry & exit) & also 5 baht for a photo copy of your passport.no photos are needed, & you can either spend the day in mywaddi or come straight back to the thai immigration for your thai entry stamp.

mae sai /tachilek is the same,you can spend a day in tachilek.

if your not interested in a 30 day visa,then the above could be of no use whatsoever,other than it gave me something to do.

Hi, actually renewing a 6-month quad-entry visa - each entry is 60 days, not 30.

Burma/Myanmar might be cheaper, but isn't it a lot further than Bangkok? I still have to get to the border, remember :-)

OK, you CAN get your 60 day stay extended by 30 days by visiting immigration, costs 1900 Baht. However, since you have a quad entry visa which will only be valid for 6 months from date of issue it's not worth bothering.

It's advisable to book your visa run, give them a buzz to ensure that your chosen trip is on. You'll need a passport photo, 2000 for the trip and you're advised to carry 10k an official requirement for entry, never heard of anyone being asked to show it, you may be the first.

Check out the Air Asia website for cheap flights to other cities, any trip out of the kingdom will do as a visa run.

Do remember that any exit / entry will use one of your visa entries even if your previous stamp has not expired.

Always best to go the day before your stamp expires, avoid weekends and holidays and NEVER, EVER, EVER, OVERSTAY, even one day can get you arrested and deported.

Once your visa has expired (assuming you still have money / want to stay), you can buzz down to Penang and get another, double entry no problem, triple, if the man is in a good mood.

Well put,and I will report on Penang in a few days.

Thanks to both of you, I'll look at air fares and hotel costs in Phnom Penh, and whether I decide to do the border-hop or the longer trip, I'll head out the day before expiration!

Hi,

I'm a 27yo Brit, taking a break in Bangkok for a while. My quadruple-entry tourist Visa was issued on April 10 2006, and I got my first stamp at Don Muang when I landed here in Bangkok on May 1. It expires on June 29th 2006, so I guess I'd better start thinking about my first Visa run.

Most people seem to go for the all-in-one coach trip to Cambodia, jump over the border for an hour, then back to Bangkok on the same day. Is this the cheapest/easiest approach? Do I just need to turn up at the bus stop with a couple of thousand baht and a couple of passport photos (and my passport, obviously)?

It seems a waste to go all the way to Cambodia just to loiter on the border for a couple of hours. How much would it cost me to fly from Bangkok to say, Phnom Penh instead? Would this still work as a "visa run" if I spent a few days out there? It would be cool if my Thai girl could come along, but she doesn't have a passport so I guess that's out of the question, right?

Oh yeah, my first entry expires on June 29th - can I do the trip on that date, or does it have to be before? And what happens when my 4th entry expires, assuming I still want to stay here? Can I go to a consulate in Cambodia or somewhere to get another quad-entry visa? Or would I have to return to the UK? Or can I just play the 30-day visa-on-entry game until I get bored and want to go home? Has anyone ever been deported for getting too many consecutive 30-day visas?

Thanks, sorry for so many questions :-)