Briggsy

Try as I might, I can't quite grasp the meaning of your post. It seems to say Vietnamese are honest because they steal from you whilst Thais are dishonest because they steal from you. And they both steal as much as each other (I disagree with this last bit but we will let that slide) Could you clarify?

My personal experience is that thieving (sneakily not 'barrio gun in your face style') is much much more prevalent in Vietnam.

Tourist visas give a slightly better chance of entry than visa exempts but they are refused sometimes. You have spent 7 months in the last 12 months in Thailand on tourist options (VE & SETV). You would be very well advised to use an agency or service to re-enter. You would be "poking the bear" to try a re-entry on the same day without one.

I count a possible 7 months out of the last 12 months in Thailand on tourist visa options. (May - Sep '24 & Feb - May '25) You may be inconvenienced at the border coming back in and possibly denied entry. You would be better to use an agency to facilitate your re-entry. It looks like you are based in Bangkok. There are options but they do include mini buses, which you stated you do not like. You could possibly meet them at the border travelling by yourself. This is usually negotiable.

The owner of this small hotel (I won't name it) is a very helpful guy. The hotel is very well run. I hope he can get through this.

Yes, you're right. They must have got a handle on those boat trips.

Some facts which may be pertinent : The Chinese do not like to admit they can't swim as this would be loss of face. The result is they seem to drown quite regularly. Alcohol reduces one's co-ordination and impairs decision-taking. Most hotels bar guests from using the pool in the middle of the night due to the higher risk of tomfoolery and lack of supervision. There will be another Chinese drowning next week.

This is all about revenue distribution.

A lot of posters keep mentioning METV as a silver bullet, guaranteed to ensure entry to Thailand. I would like to point out that many METV holders have been denied entry based on the "stay here too long" criteria. This then transforms into a denial of entry stamp giving "no appropriate means of support" as the reason. METV may improve your chances in the 'border lottery' but it definitely does not guarantee entry. They are looking to see how many months in the last one or two years you have spent in Thailand. If you are de facto living here on METV's, every entry is a spin of the wheel. The key thing to understand is that holders of METV's are definitely denied entry on occasion.

I suggest you keep it as concise as possible. An official letter from your employer stating what it is you do, your official job title and the fact that you can work remotely in that role. The letter should also go on to state that your remote work in Thailand does not involve meeting Thai clients or working in any capacity or profession that would infringe on local laws. Short and sweet and addressing their points. They want to issue the visa but they need you to provide the audit cover they require.

Whining in the media again whilst cleverly simultaneously pretending he is being constructive and also virtue signalling. He really has this St Harry the Victim character off to a tee. I suspect he has become the character.

Those Flips tend to go big on the fraud thing.

The two tier taxation regime is all to do with lobbying by local producers of cheaper tobacco over foreign companies. Local stakeholders maintain very strong ties with legislators for this reason. This is the same as the beer sector. The reason revenues are dropping is due to vaping not the two-tier taxation system. It could also be the rampant trade in smuggled cigarettes and the fact that law enforcers are paid to look the other way.

Trump always walks back his ridiculous untenable positions. There are so many examples. The resources deal with Ukraine was one from earlier this week, unrecognisable from its original form. He has and will continue to walk back these tariffs. It is all just bluster. Are we still on the (soon-to-be-extended) 90-day pause? I have lost track with so many White House U-turns and contradictions.

Are you sure? That may hold up the queue at Suwannaphum for about 45 minutes. I have read this more than once and still can't understand it. The VE border bouncers are paying 1900 Baht less and they WILL be coming back in the same van. I think that was the OP's point.

Hello, China. I wonder how many of the 14 were Uyghurs.

This is remarkable that this story has actually made it to press, although he has not been actually named. Perhaps his victims have their own connections.

How much to rent a little house like that? Does it have broadband?

The sign uses the Thai word "pleuay kai". I have only heard the word "pleuay" in relation to nudity. It does not specify different rules for men and women

Goalposts moving. The requirements for extension of DTV permission to stay were published a couple of months ago. Jomtien appear to need more. You may be more right than you realise. Jomtien seem to be using some of the Non-Imm B / WP regulations as a guide. Self-employment is definitely permitted. Here is the requirement "Employment contract or employment certificate in their country or professional portfolio showcasing digital nomad, remote worker, foreign talent or freelancer status" In fact there was a poster last week who seemed to get a DTV based on managing his own investments!

Noughts and crosses?

No, it was discussed on an earlier thread that the documents needed to get a DTV in-country extension are stricter than for the initial visa at an embassy. Also as this post shows, the goalposts are moving. This is probably as they don't want to do it as they are scared of getting in trouble with regional or national higher-ups so when unsure they simply create more conditions and requirements (i.e. obstacles) to extension. As many including myself have previously posted, why put yourself through this ordeal when you can simply do a border bounce? It is a multiple entry visa. Also, you do not need to be employed to successfully obtain a DTV. You can be self-employed with a "professional portfolio". So, it is clear to me that Jomtien Immigration are simply avoiding what they see as a potential problem. They even advised the OP to do a border bounce. Sometimes you need to listen to their 'hints'.

@bbi1 Thanks for the information. Posts like this are valuable to others. I am on a DTV but I don't know why they should more. As the previous poster said, they are likely simply passing along a cost rather than price-gouging. If so, I very much doubt Immigration are going to give you a breakdown of the backhanders they expect. So, we will never know.

Sadly, the guy who died in 2017 and his family did not have the connections and money to make the police do their job. Perhaps, Wichaya has finally run out of money to stop the police arresting him. ('cos he was no longer pretending to be a doctor and raking it in)

500 Baht later, he'll be out doing it again, I bet ya.