Jayman

I think this is all great news indeed. Now what we need is a telephone hotline number that we call call in to report these offending venues. Nothing bothers me more than when I am in a restaurant with my family and half the people are smoking like a 16 year old Korean. I have complained to the restaurant management but they couldn't care less. If I could then call in to report them and it was actually followed up by a 20,000thb fine then I think they would start removing the ash trays from the tables and stop the smokers from lighting up. Until they get fined, good luck getting them to comply. It is the responsibility of the establishment to enforce these rules. As we all know, the customers will try and get away with whatever they can.

If it wasn't for the fact that if you lit up a cig in say an airport or shopping mall that security was straight on you to put it out, folks would still be smoking in these places as well. Nothing will change until the venues themselves are fined. Imagine if the police walked into a restaurant or bar and started fining the establishment 20,000thb for each cig they found in the ash trays. Look how much money the police could make in a single night out in Pattaya.

I definitely think a hotline number is required or nothing will ever get done. The law has been on the books for years banning smoking in restaurants but they all still have ash trays on the tables. This means that the restaurant has no idea or motivation to enforce the rules. I hope this does change. Smokers should be forced to sit in small little boxes to smoke so they can enjoy all the smoke and not waste any. With the price of cigs what it is, why would they want to waste any?

I understand that Thailand has bigger issue to tackle but I sure hope this one does get some attention and smoking can be eradicated from public places where non-smokers have no choice but to breath in the air that is around them. If you chose to smoke then confine it to your own lungs!

You will most likely not have any problems. Am not sure why you obtained a 60 day extension rather than just make a border run but "first" extension of stay counts as your first 90 day report when making the normal one year extension of stay so you could say you believe it to be the case of this (and it may well be the case). Normally there has been no check on exit in any case and when you enter again it will start the 90 day clock again.

The answer to your question is simple. I only needed 60 days and why would I want to waste a full day doing a border run when I can walk in and out of immigration in 30 min and even save a few hundred baht. For those of you that like making a "run for the border" I say, have fun. I personally find it easier to just get the extension for the tim I need and then leave the country as planned. Aslo, according to your statement, I have the added bonus of making my first 90 day report so I actually killed 2 birds with one stone.

I will report back if I do encounter and problems leaving the country the end of Feb to head back home for a few months.

Thanks for the info. Always appreciate a place that will help answer questions.

I have a 1-year multiple entry type O for supporting my Thai family. I needed to stay past my 90 day visit so several weeks before I was expected to exit I went to Pattaya Immigration office and received a 60 extension. I didn't even think about the 90 day reporting. I kinda of assumed (wrongfully probably) that when I applied for the extension that they would have updated my info in the system. I have had the same address on all my paperwork for the past several years now.

At this point, I have been here 4 months or so and expect to leave the end of the month (2 weeks before I am required to exit). Am I going to have problems at the airport when I leave? Should I be heading down to Pattaya Immigration to pay the 2000thb? As this is the first time in the last several years that I have been in country for over 90 days continuously I just don;t have any experience here.

You still well be sent to the overstay desk at the aiport but like I said, no payment required, and the stamp they place in your passport says you were granted a 24 hour extension.

Can someone confirm that the stamp given for 1 day overstay actually says that it is a 24 hour extension, I don't have one to look at.

It's in Thai. I can scan it and post it somewhere next time I have my passport and a scanner in the same place. The one thing anyone can see is the number 24. They give you a 24 hour extension.

Hi,

Due to a miscalculation, I will have to overstay for 1 day next month before taking my flight out to NZ. I spend a lot of time here, although I'm not retired or old enough, and have never overstayed before. So assuming I turn up to the airport (at Samui), apologise and pay my fine, will this affect any future touist visa/entry permits I might have?

A 1 day overstay does NOT get you an overstay stamp in your passport. What it DOES get you is a stamp (in thai) that says you were granted a 24 hour extension. NO fine is required to be paid at the aiport. This is not only written on the wall at the airport but been discussed frequently on this board. AFAIK, this only applies to thne airport. Don't think you get the free 1 day at a land border crossing but I'm not 100% on this.

You still well be sent to the overstay desk at the aiport but like I said, no payment required, and the stamp they place in your passport says you were granted a 24 hour extension. THIS COSTS NOTHING.

Now, on the 2nd day over (and more) you will have to pay for all days (500thb per day). Ie if 2 days overstay you WILL get overstay stamp and WILL have to pay 1000thb.

Hope that clears things up.

My mate is no longer able to access thaivisa

When he tries he gets message....

The error returned was:

Your account has been temporarily suspended. This suspension is due to end on 4745-06-11 10:42:42.

#1 That doesn't seem very temporary

#2 According to him, he never posted anything controversial and no reason to be banned

#3 What is the policy here on banning members?

Why not avoid all those hassles and just get married a 2nd time in Thailand. It's easy:

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service/marriage.html

It'll probably take you 1-5 hours...

In order to get married in Thailand you must go get a certified affidavit from the US Embassy that you are SINGLE. Now, I guess you could lie but I'm not the one going to recomend that. You have to sign a form at the Embassy to certify you are singla and able to get married. Your wife will also have to come up clean in the thai system as never having a husband. Not sure how you got your wife back to the US without having the marriage registered in both Thailand and US.

Good luck...this is a difficult situation.

Here is the affidavot you have to sign and get signed at the Embassy..... I wouldn;t want to lie on it and then sign it under the penalties of law.

My house too have mice. We have tried everything as far as sticky traps and the ulta sonic devices. It seems we catch a lot of mice with the sticky paper but they keep coming back. The electronic device seemed to work for a few months but now is worthless. We have 2 dogs so I fear that a cat is out. What else can we do. They are primarily in the ceiling but g-d only knows what damage they are doing up there. We have our house sprayed for other pests (both inside and out) but they spray doean't bother the mice.

There has got to be a better solution. Maybe we try and block them where they come in. I'm pretty sure they crawl up the rain gutters on to the roof and then under the tiles. Maybe I have to put a metal screen in the rain gutter to keep them out.

Yes, can someone PLEASE explain why on the Foreign Exchange Market the Baht is trading at 31.7 to the US Dollar??

That is the rate that credit cards use. For instance, even though this article says the rate is 34, if I charge something on my US credit card, it is converted at 31.7 (then, there is an additional 3% conversion charge). I believe the same happens if I withdraw money from my US account at an ATM here.

It's freaking killing me!

I just got a Captial One card. They don't charge the 3% foreign currency conversion fee. Someone here once posted that Capital One still used Visa and Visa charges the 3%. Well, not sure how they get around it but Capital One deosn't charge the 3%.

You are partially correct my friend. I got a Capital One cause they "CLAIM" they don't have the 3% foreign currency conversion charge (like almost every other CC). When I first used it in Thailand I could see how they collect their money. Using the Capital One will cause the charge to show up on the receipt from the vendor in USD. The rate that is used to calculate the currency conversion is NOT the fair bank rate that is given by other cards and banks. The rate they convert at is adjusted in their favor by several %. This keeps them from having to charge you a separate 3% fee. If you ask me, they are just being sneaky by saying they don't charge a currency conversion fee but they really do. It's just hidden in the original charge. Just FYI, if you use another CC the charge will show up on the vendors receipt in THB and the conversion will occur on your statement with the 3% conversion charge.

If you don't trust me on this, look for yourself. And for ANYONE that wants to see what the onshore (in country) baht rate is, including what you get if you transfer money from an off shore bank into SCB, look here http://www.scb.co.th/html/exchange/bk-txtexchange.htm

When I make a transfer from my Stateside bank to SCB I always get the rate listed in the "Bank Buying Rate T/T"

Hope that helps.

My wife has a med card and gets her treatment very cheaply our last baby was big so she had the op 7500 baht for everything witha max of 40,000 baht if baby needed aftercare , i know this is no help to you but thought i mention the medical card

Thank you for the info Colino. It would be even more helpful to know "which" medical card you are talking about. My wife has a medical card and full medical insurance from Thai Health ( a subsidiary of Thai Life) and see gets NO coverage for her pregnancy. We are told that we would have had to opted for maternity coverage BEFORE my wife got pregnant. Now that's she pregnant we can not add anything to her Thai Health coverage as now the pregnancy is a pre-existing condition.

It would be nice to hear from other posters what insurance will cover maternity costs.

My baby is due in under two weeks and whilst I won't worry the mother with this unfortunate story, I have perhaps some comments to make.

After it became clear that my girlfriend was pregnant late last year, we decided to approach all the hospitals in the Pattaya area for their costings both for delivery packages and pre birth packages. Our findings were that the two main hospitals, namely the Pattaya International and the Bangkok Pattaya were very reluctant to specify what was included in the package. Numerous repeat emails took us past the point where we had to decide on some course of action.

We decided to follow the recommendation of a friend which had her baby with a particular hospital and under the care of a particular doctor. This ran smoothly for a few months until we felt that he was becoming overwhelmed and his facilities stretched.

A chance meeting with two couples who had recently had babies delived at Pattaya International under the care of a particular doctor resulted in our making an appointment. I commented on the lack of literature featuring prices etc. and the doctor privately admitted that that was deliberate but that they were trying to move away from a "how much will the patient bear" system.

We felt much happier there and now with information in hand, we settled on the Bt32,000 delivery package which is 3 days and 2 nights. Moving to a caesarian package is possible and we have an agreed rate for that.

One of the main problems is that the people writing the quotations have poor english. Also, the numbers are so far out of their salary range as to make any mistakes not immediately obvious. Prices go up and down like a yo-yo and they will all, yes all, right royally rip you off if they think they can get away with it.

I feel happy with what we have booked but I am quite aware that problems may be forthcoming.

I wish the OP all the best and support at this time when all you should be concentrating on is your new addition. Please keep us updated.

1st off, Lodesafun I hope both your daughter and GF are doing well. It sounds like many posters here are giving you good advice. #1 priority is the care of your family. You can work out the finances once they are home and well.

I have a few questions for torrenova.

My wife is 5m pregnant and we plan to have the child here in Pattaya. We went to Bangkok-Pattaya hospital for her initial exam which set us back like 9000thb. I'm told that subsequent visits will run a lot less. I would like to know the doctors and hospitals you were referred. I would like to go into Pattaya International armed with a doctors name and some pricing. Didi you have a particular doctor you liked/disliked at Bangkok-Pattaya? What hospital/doctor did you initially see and feel was overwhelmed?

Your recommendations/advice is greatly appreciated on this matter and I'm sure many others posters will benefit from your experiences as well.

CALL SUNBELT ASIA NOW! yes I am shouting!! You are being held up. My wife had 3 Ceasarians with all 3 of our children. First class private Hospital and we never paid over 15,000 baht per child.

As my wife is goning to be having a baby in a few months I have looked into prices for the birth. At Bangkok-Pattaya (supposedly 1st class) they want like +20,000 for a natural child birth and much more for a c-section.

If you could please give some more details as to where your wife had a c-section (at a ast class hospital) for 15,000 I would be very grateful.

As for OP, my heart is with you during this trying time. I too would recommend you call the US Embassy for help/advice. Your child is in fact a US Citizen and they should help you mediate with the hospital on her behalf.

Good luck to you and you are in our prayers.

Thanks everyone - I've now got to two links to that address, and had it posted in two consecutive messages!!!

Enough!

G

Maybe next time you will try google first.... http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=t...amp;btnG=Search

it's easy and you will get an immediate answer.

If you want to stay longer you only have to make a border run and return with the visa type you now have so as long as you can obtain that type of visa would see no reason to change unless you would like to apply for permanent residence at some point in the future.

The 400k bank account is no longer a factor for new marriage based extensions of stay. Only 40k family income is now required. But extensions of stay take time, which you don't seem to have that much of.

Thanks for the prompt response lopburi3. So I guess my question now is, if I stick with the multiple entry type-O and want to stay over 3 months in 1 trip, is there anyway I can do that without having to do a border run? Is it possible to just extend for a month or so?

I have a multiple entry O-type Non Imm visa that was issued in the US for having a thai wife. My visa just expired last month and my latest entry stamp allows me to stay till Feb 5. I was planning on returning to the US with my wife for a few months for business and was going to apply for a new type-o multi entry just like my current one. We usually only stay in Thailand for 3 months at a time but sometimes would like to stay longer. I'm just wondering if I am applying for the correct visa. Should I apply for the 1 year stay visa and just notify the immigration everytime I return to US or is my current visa the way to go?

Any help/suggestions on this would be greatly appreciated.

BTW- I have no problem showing the income requirements for the long stay visa. Also, I have the 400,000thb in bank accounts in the US and would rather not have to keep it in a Thai bank just to get the visa.

One scam that hasn't been mentioned yet. Businesses accepting payment with a credit card but adding a 3% charge on top. Has happened to me twice so far, they both lost a sale, not small items either.

Umm...I'm not sure I'd call that a scam. The credit card processors charge the merchants a service fee ranging from 2%-4% depending on their merchant account and the type of credit card processed. This is true all over the world and how the CC companies make their money. Most of the smaller stores that accept credit cards (even hotels, travel agents, and restaurants) will pass that right on to you. They are very upfront about it if you ask them. The larger stores like Big-C and Lotus just eat that charge but most places that don't charge the % will also require you to make a minimum purchase. I know for a fact that most petrol stations in Thailand are like this. No extra charge for paying with credit but must buy at least 800thb in petrol (min. amount varies).

This is the case NO MATTER where the credit card was issued. My wife has several credit cards from SBC and we face this all the time. We were eating at MK and even they wanted to add the 3% to our bill if we paid with a credit card. And they advertise SBC credit cards all over that restaurant.

When paying with a credit card ANYWHERE, you should always ask if there will be a service charge for using credit and how much for the particular type of card you are using (ie. Master card, Visa, AMEX (the highest fee))

I am truly never overcharged, unless overcharging means that the pump is giving less petrol than the meter says, after all the stickers are put on the pumps in great haste.

That's exactly what it means. They have messed with the pumps so that you are actually getting less fuel than is displayed on the pump and hence less than you are paying for. I personally am going to get me a calibrated fuel container and have them fill that up first to make sure things are spot on before allowing them to fill my tank. Will be a major pain in the *ss but I'm not sure what other option we have to catch them on this.

Before long we'll need test kits that will tell us the quality of the fuel and give us the water content. Can't wait for that day

I'm a longterm resident and I pay my taxes. Therefore, I have a tax ID card. It has never failed. I present this card and say that I work here and I am not a tourist.

I'm not to keen about double tier pricing, but Law of the Universe #217 Subsection A states: Tourists shall pay more for everything.

In the U.S., when driving through a national park or paying for tickets to the Chicago Museum, no one will charge you extra for being from a foreign country. However, for a person with little English capacity on the streets everything is possible: from scam to murder.

I thought it was common knowledge for those that have been here awhile but I guess not. All you need to have in order to get the Thai price is a Thai drivers license. You just show the Thai license when you pay and they will give you the Thai price. No questions asked. You don't have to even say anything. This has been the case no matter where in Thailand I have been, be it at the Ripley's Museum in Pattaya to the Marine center in Phuket and everywhere else they have 2 prices posted. So for those of you complaining about the double price standard, don't try and fight the system, just pay your 70thb for a motorcycle license (110thb for a car) and you will get the Thai price everywhere.

As for the comment about NO double pricing in America, think again. Disneyland (and most other parks) have more than one price. 1 price for locals and 1 for tourists. You can goto their web site and see for yourself. This is nothing new folks. I'm not saying it's fair or correct but it's definitely not anything new and not a "Thai" thing.

When I first came to Thailand with the USAF, we were all given a small book with cultural rules and practices. It clearly stated that anyone who accepts the first price given for goods or services is considered foolish by the Thais. You are expected to haggle for everything (other than items/services with a price clearly marked on them). That is what we were taught when first coming here so that is exactly what I have been doing for the past 15 years. In fact, I find in many cases by haggling with a smile on my face I can often times get a better price than Thais. Believe it or not, it's your choice. But a smile and slight knowledge of the spoken Thai numbers will get you very far in this country.

Well it's 0500 here in LOS on Dec 1 and the 9 digit number still work. Hooray!

AIS have a download which automatically changes numbers in memory to add the extra 8. Trouble is it not only changes AIS numbers, but some overseas ones too, if you have them on your phone. Better to do the job manually.

I used the AIS program and it worked great. Added the 8 to ONLY Thai cell numbers without changing any other number. I have over 300 contacts (both foreign and domestic) in my phone so for those of you that say it's easy to go through and just add the 8 manually, have fun with that.

Thank you AIS for providing such a program. I doubt it runs on every phone but worked great on my Nokia 6600.

Anyone else notice that Star World (around ch 25) has been dropped from Sophon Cables lineup. I had my wife call and they said it has been permanently dropped and NO replacement channel has been decided upon. This is quite a disappointment since this was one of the few English speaking channels that has quality content. Sophon suggested if we want the channel to switch to UBC. I think I would rather buy the BIG DISH and point it to aguila satellite and get more than just Star World without any monthly payments.

I have looked on the BTV site and it still shows Star World in the lineup. Could someone with BTV confirm this to be true. I am about fed up with Sophon cable but still need something with Thai channels for my wife.