PingRoundTheWorld

Assuming that's the actual (and only) criteria, it remains to be seen how they define "proof of financial support" - proof of income above a certain level, or what? showing 500k is easy if you have it - anyway I trust Thai government to come out with ways to "filter out" broke "digital nomads" while making it difficult even for those who do have money. I make more than the $80k they want for LTR, and I work for a NASDAQ 100 company - which should make me eligible for LTR - but because I am legally employed at a private subsidiary rather than directly by the NASDAQ company, I'm ineligible. They're that strict and petty about it.

If this visa is actually easy to get (doubt it!) then Thailand will cease to be low cost of living once the hordes arrive. Thais love to raise prices at every whiff of possible tourism uptick and this will be no different.

Is there any official source? requirements for the digital nomad visa? Wouldn't the digital nomad visa essentially make Elite visas obsolete?

Apology? They belong in jail. If the police doesn't prosecute them they are making a complete joke of "the image of Pattaya" that they claim to protect so much. This going viral will reduce tourist numbers - som nam na.

If the guy is 35, how old is his daughter?? 15?? why the **** would you bring your teenage daughter to a 3am party in Pattaya?? I think this tells us even more about the guy than the neck tattoos. Bring your daughter to Pattaya, watch the fun ensues! P.S. It's his white daugher, "Ms Mod" is not the mother. She's also unlikely his wife - probably just a girlfriend or even just a bar girl. Terrible false reporting in the OP as usual.

Exactly. Excuse me for assuming, but I assume she works at a bar given she got off work at 2am. So this head-tattooed violent thug defended the "honor" of a bar girl who'll replace him a day after he goes in jail. And he is a thug - normal people don't punch drunk people - even if the Russian behaved inappropriately there were other ways to mitigate the situation (push him away, call security, or walk away/go home). The guy chose violence. She won't be. 0% chance. No, the vast majority of us would've found a way to de-escalate the situation or walk away without knocking the guy out. His actions were a choice, not a necessity. P.S. the version we are hearing is the Brit's - the Russian cannot give his version anymore - we don't know what actually happened and what prompted the assault.

If you have to go through all that just to not get scammed, you're in the wrong bar. Sick and tired of being scammed in Pattaya - had several times when I paid with 1000 and received no change, when asking about my change (politely!) been confronted aggressively "we already gave you change" (they didn't). I backed down because I didn't want to get in a fight, but also voted with my feet to never attend that ****hole. Sometimes silence says a lot more than words. The fact that foreigners hire aggressive violent security AND don't even issue an apology in such an extreme case says everything. They simply don't give a ****, it's all about the money and **** the customers.

Exactly my thoughts. Literally no details of what actually happened. The linked Examiner article gives a bit more details but also not much. One thing is clear though: the guy admitted to being drunk - why is the police not pursuing charges for drunk driving? or they cannot for some weird legal reason? It's quite amazing how many people in Thailand regularly drive drunk and fail to see how and why it is wrong. Police seems to very rarely enforce unless something (accident) happens.

You can't make this **** up.

100% this. And the ridiculous part of it is they do it in non-smoking areas too, and venue owners allow it. Vapers constantly puff and it is by far more emissions than a normal cigarrete, it is not harmless. Why is it allowed in non-smoking areas?

Yes please. Ban those cancer sticks. More importantly ban second-hand vapor - I'm sick and tired of breathing other people's crap even in rooms designated as non-smoking. Allergic to that **** and idiots think it's candy and blow it right in your face.

Now there's a joke you can laugh at. This government was literally NOT fairly elected. Move Forward were the party fairly elected and denied by unfairly unelected Senators. As for the PM - he's a joke, pushing forward the 10k digital wallet idea is a terrible plan which will just cause inflation while simultaneously increasing taxes. Robin hood maneuvers never helped a country. Good riddance if they do mange to get rid of him.

If he's a heavy drinker - sure. As for the GFM - it's amazing to me how is it possible that so many families don't even have money saved up for emergencies. Or is it that they do have the money but want other people to pay for it? that's even worse. RIP either way.

Employment rights? They get paid to party and get laid. The ones who are good at their job make a ton of money (in Thai standards). The very few smart ones save and invest and retire eventually. The grand majority however are completely stupid with money and gamble, drink, smoke, or give it away as fast as it comes in. What exact "employment rights" do they expect for a job that pays so much for doing so little? Legalization opens the door to a host of potential issues and problems that neither Thailand, the girls themselves, and Johns can or want to handle. It will just complicate things, push prices up, and reduce supply and demand. Keep the status quo - if it ain't broke don't fix it.

The real question is: why would you make a child with a woman who's clearly a nutjob. The signs must've been there before it happened. And do it all over again, either with these children, or after she makes new ones. Reminds me of the first girl I met in Bangkok- by the time I met her, at 26, she's already had 4 (one died), and from the time I dumped her (for being crazy and violent) within a few years she made 3 more. Textbook example of someone who should NOT reproduce yet she can't stop.

I don't think the 10k plan will ever happen, but even if it does it won't push inflation too much higher. Most people will just waste it on immediate "needs" like gambling, booze, and other recreational activities. There isn't likely to be much increased demand and impact to consumer goods IMO. As for the baht - keep it coming - the lower she goes the better!

US markets are not tanking, and there's 0% chance for a rate increase. Rate decrease probable in June. Market rally until Oct-Nov for sure, then it depends on the election.

Deport, deport, deport. Why is there so much human trash here these days? they seem to be younger, too. YouTube fault?

Why warn? just deport. If someone doesn't like Thailand then just leave.

Sorry to burst your "sexpats" bashing bubble, but I've got news for you: these days even young guys can't get laid in their home countries, unless it's with an ugly/old/fat chick. The good looking ones won't even bother unless you're western-standards rich or famous or extremely good looking. Normal average guys don't stand a chance which is why you see a lot more younger non-loser western types in Thailand now. It's not just retirees anymore.

That's an easy possibility, as long as they limit it to exempt entries and VOA only. People with a tourist visa already pay a fee, and others on visas such as Non-O, retiree and Elite shouldn't be paying an entry fee. Given this is Thailand however- if they implement such a fee they'll just blanket throw it at all foreigners...

Then why the **** are they encouraging Russians and Indians? There's entire areas in Pattaya that feel more like India than Thailand. Aside from few actually rich guys most don't spend much. The stereotype of 5 guys sharing a beer (and a girl/ladyboy) are there for a reason - it actually happens - a while ago an Indian (Thai born) friend told me about how he and 5 of his mates invited one girl over and all of them took turns. I was holding my laughter because that's the exact stereotype. Another (rich lawyer) Indian friend was laughing because there was a group of Indians who were being denied entry to a BKK club, while he walked right in - the difference is that he's well dressed, looks nice, and opens bottles. They wanted to get in with a large group of men, underdressed, and they'd be drinking beers. He said he's happy they didn't let them in, lol. As far as Russians go, while a lot of them have more money, there's also a LOT of younger guys who are broke but escaped to avoid the draft. This in itself is a positive thing, but Thailand encouraging them to come to Thailand is part of the current situation. (and let's not start on all the Russians working illegally, mafia, etc) I'm not saying discriminate- but definitely don't encourage tourists who don't have money. And don't complain about over-tourism of cheap charlies when you created the situation.

Yup. Can't go two meters in Nana without running into an African drug dealer, pimp, or hooker. They're really just a waste of space and a constant annoyance. Should round them up and deport anyone who's working illegally (which is almost all of them). Even the ladyboys are more pleasant.

Depends. Pretty much any girl active on a dating app will sleep with you on the first date if she likes you, so it's basically the cost of the meal and/or drinks. Not free, but definitely cheaper than a freelancer or bar girl. These days in Bangkok working girls have gone bonkers- recent quotes I've heard were 6k, 10k, even 30k. Bar girls are probably more sane but bar fines have gone up and it'll still cost ya 5k+ between drinks, bar fine, and "tip".

There is no way a gogo bar is paying 1.2mil a month rent. They'd need to sell on average 500+ drinks a night just to cover rent and salaries. Possible on a busy night sure, but not every night.