Encore

I have had boarding issues on flights from UK to Laos when transferring at Suvarnabhumi due to having been blacklisted. The check-in desk had a notification and the airline duty manager had to contact RTP Immigration to get permission for me to board. No problems on the outward flight but when I returned, via Suvarnabhumi, the long haul airline had overbooked and dropped me from the flight. This was when flights were very busy at the end of Covid. The airline re-booked me for a flight the next day and said they would book me into hotel. I refused, saying that I could not enter Thailand and needed to stay in the International Transit Area. The airline staff did not believe and asked RTP Immigration who ordered my deportation back to Laos. Of course, this then gave me difficulties with Laos Immigration as well as having to pay for a hotel until I could rebook via Vietnam. My claim against the airline to recover the 'lost' fare due to their overbooking was refused!

Surely should be green on the right with red on the left and a strobe plugged in at the rear to know if he is coming or going

I lived in Thailand and have spent time in both Laos and Cambodia which I enjoy but imagine Thailand 50 years ago and you might get an idea

I think ER for me and, if not possible for GF, EB for her although she will probably not work.

Visa is E class e-visa rather a tourist visa. Thank you for the accommodation recommendation.

Thank you for the informative and positive comments

Thank you. I am aged over 55 and Thai GF is in her 40's. If she does not qualify for a ER (Retirement) EOS visa then the option for a long stay visa appears to be EB (Business) EOS visa though no current intention to work. She has just resigned/retired from a branded fashion house and would not be averse to working in that sector but there is no need for her to work and I think suitable employment might be difficult as she does not speak Khymer though speaks English to a good standard.

Had the same problem as the OP. I got an E class visa online without any issues (no flights or hotel booked) but could not get one for my Thai GF. Emailed a few times and did not get straight forward answers so wrote a letter copying my visa and explaining that I wanted to retire and live in Cambodia with my Thai GF. Uploaded this 3 times as the 'hotel reservation', 'letter of invitation' and 'other'. Visa issued within 2 days.

Hi all, Intend retiring to Cambodia and planning to live at Siem Reap (probably for the first year). Have an E visa for a 30 day visit and am planning to arrive in September, staying in a hotel for 10-14 days, during which time I and my girlfriend would like to extend for a long stay multiple entry visa and look for a fully furnished 2 bedroom house, condo or apartment as a long stay rental to rent for 6-12 months. Preference is for a place in close proximity (preferably walking distance) to fresh markets and grocery shops, not too far for travel to the Pub Street area for bars and restaurants.. Would very much appreciate any advice or guidance from old hands on areas to consider and the best way of getting a value for money long stay rental. Many thanks in advance.

I have had the displeasure of being banged up in the IDC and can testify that it was far from being on an ocean liner outbound to the jewel in the crown with a port cabin and a return home in a starboard cabin.

Thank you for sharing this clip. Whilst the forum attendees were likely to have been specially selected, and perhaps tutored, it was refreshing to hear their comments and noteworthy, to my mind, that these youngsters appear to have a good grasp of global and national issues, with the confidence to give their opinion in good English, unlike most of their peers in the modern age.

I consider myself fortunate to have travelled all my life. Firstly, accompanying my parents as a babe-in-arms, being schooled in Hong Kong and Cyprus, but always found it difficult to relate to my peer group in the UK who had not travelled. I then joined the military, being based in Europe, Near and Far East, but my military specialisation required very frequent travel to many other countries for days, weeks or months at a time. After the military, I joined a multi-national company travelling the rest of the world. Much of the work was in Asia so I decided to use Thailand as a hub rather than returning to the UK every few weeks. The upside of international travel, in my opinion, is that it broadens the mind but only for those who are curious and interested. The downside of a life time of travel is that you may not have any life-long friends or even roots to call home and I can only have real conversations with those who have had similar experiences. Although I have lived and worked in more than 70 different countries, I found few that made me as comfortable than Thailand ...

Many place names around the world that were Anglicised and used internationally have changed to be known by their previously known local names, such as Beijing (Peking), Kolcota (Calcutta), Yangon (Rangoon). I have always used either, depending who I am talking with and the context. If travelling, I always ensure I can recognise the local version in the local language. In this case, I suspect that the locals with still refer to 'Bangkok' as 'Krung Thep' rather than 'Krung Thep Maha Nakhon', which is probably only for formal government use rather than using the full name. It would, however, be surprising if the 'Maha Nakhon' is added to road signs

The same thing happened to me. I only discovered that my K-Bank account had been closed when a transfer was rejected. On querying this, K-Bank advised that if the available balance in the account is less than 2,000 baht and the account has no transactions or any movement in 1 year then an inactivity fee of 50 baht per month is deducted until the available balance is 0 baht and then the account is automatically cancelled and closed. K-Bank also stated that the account cannot be re-instated.

I suggest that, in a bye-gone era, an expensive private education, upbringing and elite social circle, all requiring money and contacts, indicated that you were upper class with no need to work whereas grammar school business people, with a regular income were considered middle class while uneducated and unskilled labourers were considered as working class. In the modern era, anyone can break so called 'class barriers' if they wish, depending on their attitude, behaviour, decorum, social graces and style, irrespective of background or money, and this indicates how people are perceived and, therefore, their social status.

If I am concerned about possible responses to a verbal enquiry then I make notes or sometimes record a conversation. I then write an email or letter to confirm my understanding of what was said and/or agreed (using my notes or the recording as an aide-memoire) and then send the email or letter (with a tracking service or similar, to have proof of delivery). Irrespective of a reply, this can then be used as written evidence if necessary.

Similar personal experience. 2 RTP motorbike cops attended my house late at night, after a drunken neighbour assaulted me, forced their way in and handcuffed me. They would not let me turn off the lights or lock the house before frog marching me to a back-up car that had arrived. They then left me alone handcuffed in the car while the 4 cops spent 30 minutes in my house. As they drove me away, I could see the crowd of rubber necking neighbours walking in and out of my house carrying many of my possessions, while being watched by the smiling motorbike cops. Later at the Police Station, one of the motorbike cops came to see me in the cell and laughed as I noticed that he was wearing my distinctive motorbike mask and one of my wrist watches. A few days later, when I was taken to court, my phone, wallet, Timberland shoes and belt could not be found and never re-appeared. A friend eventually managed to secure my house and take photographs showing that anything man-portable was missing. Foreign currency, equivalent to more than 250,000 baht, also disappeared along with external HDD, spare phones and many other small expensive items.

When I was in a Thai prison, the trustees acted as the prison guards (allowing the uniformed guards to stay in their air conditioned offices) and were known as the prison ‘police’. The trustees had a favourable status including better clothing, better food, constant access to the prison shop, less lock up time and many more benefits than the general prison population so had a relatively ‘cushy’ life. They lorded over the other prisoners even dishing out violence with impunity. It was well known that all trustees purchased their positions …

I only hope this episode, in addition to all the current disillusionment, is the catalyst for change. I have suffered at the hands of the RTP having been the arrested as a result of being attacked by a drunken jealous neighbour. I was held in a police cell for 2 days without being permitted to contact anyone before being taken to an office and told to sign a statement, in Thai, but not asked for my version of events. I signed the statement adding a notation that I did not give the statement and was signing under duress. The officer had a fit when the interpreter told him so I was kicked and punched when returned to the cell. A day later, I was told that I was going home before being shackled to 3 other prisoners and taken to court where I was remanded to prison, without bail, supposedly pending a police investigation. I attended court on 3-4 occasions and the judge only considered the police 'evidence' which was my 'confession', i.e. the statement they had concocted. As a result, I was deported and blacklisted, after being imprisoned for 5 months. The appeal process has taken more than 2 years so far, with continual and constant delays, but a decision is expected before the end of the year.

Typo? 'The Prime Minister has confirmed that his government will continue to crush police reforms and draft legislation against the torture and disappearing of suspects'

'Thongbai, a former sergeant major in the army, said it was a first in the world for Thailand. ' My Mechelaar/Malinois had a Belgian Passport and ID card 20 years ago ????

I read every comment with much disappointment and surprise that there was very little sympathy or understanding of the ancient, ingrained, inherent expectations and pressures that propel many into the ‘trade’, often against their wishes, to help support their families. I suggest that this will continue as long as the educated elite, education system, parental pressure and lack of alternatives remain.

This story is so sad and tragic and, hopefully, the perpetrator(s) are found swiftly. Unfortunately, it also highlights that the Thai authorities want to be seen as actively and swiftly responding to capital crimes, when there is an international ‘face’ issue, but do not appear to allocate the same resources or urgency to the progression and investigation of the plethora of local murders, that are daily news items. Hopefully, in the future, the public will eventually wake up and prompt the authorities into addressing the root cause of capital crimes (and corruption) in Thailand and motivate societal change based on the premise that prevention is better than cure ... a pipe dream ????