JensenZ

I've said more than enough. Have a nice day!

I don't have permission to post here as I'm from the long list of greater nations. All this kerfuffle about a man named Tommy? It's pathetic.

The last shipment I received was earlier this year, and it came with a scrap of paper indicating where I had to make the payment. There was no QR code or a QR code on the Post Office tracking site. When did this "good news" begin? It's an option I would like to use in future.

Perhaps you live near a major distribution hub (mail centre). Such is not the case in Pattaya; my local post offices do not handle duty/VAT payments.

I'm in Pattaya, and if I need to pick up imported packages to pay duty, they are held at the Mail Center, near the floating market, past Jomtien, about 8km south of Walking Street. That is the ONLY place I can pick up my overseas mail. It is NOT a local post office. My local post offices are in Jomtien Soi 5 and in Pattaya on Soi Post Office. I'm surprised you're ignorant about Mail Centers. The main one in Bangkok is in Laksi. You'll see this listed in parcel tracking. They are the major distribution points.

What will not? You're confused. I know the current process for items over 1500 - you go to the Mail Center to pay your duty/VAT. When/if the new policy is implemented... You will need to go to a mail centre to pay the VAT on items under 1500 baht, which currently you don't have to pay. Where else would you expect to pay it? To the mailman?

Come on, that's a feeble excuse to bash Pattaya... Customs processing is not done in Pattaya. I've been importing iHerb for over 10 years (to my address in Pattaya), and only twice had to pay import duties and tax (for packages over 1500), and I often get packages with values over 2000 baht. I've imported more than 50 times over the years. Customs have been very generous as some shipments were over $80 US. This new policy will be a real nuisance as people will need to travel to Mail Centers to pay 100 baht or less VAT on packages under 1500. I can't see many overseas exporters wanting to become tax collectors for Thailand. That's a 16km round trip for me.

(feel free to ignore this response - if you need to chat with someone and don't like others to respond, you can DM them) I was responding to your suggestion that this new policy affects your mobile banking, which it does not. It's quite obvious this new process has not started yet. I don't know what all the fuss is about. Why would anyone need their banking apps to be on someone else's SIM? All SIMS need to be registered with ID now, so this is much ado about nothing. The bank can easily ensure that only your registered SIM phone can use their banking app... by sending messages to the phone number registered to your bank account and requiring a response to an SMS from that SIM. Some banks abroad already do this.

This can't have anything to do with the new policy as it has not yet been implemented. It might never happen, but what's the problem? Most people have their banking apps on their registered sim. Your situation is probably that your banking app is registered to a different number than is listed on your banking profile.

This is absolute nonsense. A street beating will not deter bad guys. Bad guys like to fight. What it does is deter good, peace-loving people from visiting. I'm sure security guards in your home country are trained and licensed. We saw beatings like this 40 years ago in Australia until they cleaned up the business. Back in the 80s there were deaths by security guards. In your home country, they would probably serve time for this (unless your home country is Zimbabwe or somewhere in the deep jungle) in addition to being sued by the victims. It does not matter how badly the customers behave.

Do you understand what a security guard is? They are supposed to be there to keep the peace. Justice is for the police and the courts to mete out. If the customer makes trouble, the correct procedure would be to detain them and call the police. Kicking a person in the head that hard is deadly force. All of those guards should be arrested and charged for assault.

We'll have to agree to disagree... The table reservation system in busy food courts works better than any other system. It's a system based on courtesy. I much prefer the inconvenience of reserved tables to those people walking around for 10 - 20 minutes looking for tables, while holding their trays full of hot food. It is easy for food to fall off these trays. I've nearly had a bowl of hot soup fall off my tray. What I find strange about this whole conversation - I've been living in Thailand and visiting busy food courts (specifically Terminal 21, which I like) for many years, and have never had a problem with people reserving tables. I've never even given it a thought. I don't reserve tables like this because, with so many foreigners/tourists in Pattaya, many people wouldn't respect my reservation and barge in, as you do, and move my stuff. At least I'm not causing you any grief LOL. I've never had too much problem finding a place if I'm alone as they have the single diner chairs in the back window area, and if with a partner, I sit while my partner gets her food first.

I live in Pattaya precisely for the reason that I blend in with tourists, so from a Thai person's perspective, I'm just a tourist, and that's the way I like it. It's a great way to enjoy living in Thailand without sticking out in a crowd.

To be clear, I was referring to foreigners who are educated in how things are done in Thailand. You of all people should be in that category as you've been around for quite some time. Let's take a commonsense approach to the logistics of ordering food at the Terminal 21 Food Court at lunchtime. Would you prefer that the people who reserved a table by placing a personal item upon it should walk around for 20 minutes with a tray of hot food, usually including soup, hoping they can find a table? I made that mistake once at Paragon and I regretted ordering the food. A bottle of water or a drink is usually sufficient to reserve a place as the Thais respect the process. The people who reserve a seat are customers who have already purchased their card and are looking for or waiting for their food, and in many cases, a minute or two away from arriving at their reserved seat. If the food court is jam-packed and you cannot find a chair, Thais will probably not get upset if you politely ask to share a table.

Everyone has a right to reserve a table before they order their food. It's the done thing in food courts when it is busy. Thai customers and educated foreigners respect this system, and so should you. They are booking their table to ensure they have somewhere to eat their food, yet you complain they have no right to do this. You are the problem.

You're confusing Immigration policy with Thai law. English translations of Thai law are rarely official (there are some rare "official translations" published by the Office of the Council of State), but for informational purposes only. The only official law in Thailand is in the Thai language, which is not open to interpretation. English translations will always vary slightly, but not enough to change the meaning.

Passport translations were not necessary at the Laksi District Office. I used an agent and it took less than an hour.

Consider also that the black market will be more extensive and lucrative than ever before as more people have become recreational users during the 2-year free-for-all. Users will forgo healthy eating to save money for weed, which will be much more expensive on the black market.

Yes, laws. It's better to have laws than none at all. I'm sure you have a decent life in Germany/Thailand/Philippines or wherever you live under the laws of those countries. There's no point dreaming about a utopian society that can't exist in the real world. Despite all their complaining, people are living quite well in many countries these days. Transport back a few hundred years to appreciate the difference. BTW, if you find a deep province somewhere in the Philippines, you can live in a society that practices a version of "led by morals". The NPA take care of business without any help from the law. If you're mistreating your wife or kid, they will punish you according to the severity of the abuse.

Get a grip! If you don't believe something, prove it wrong - how simple is that? Instead, you want to blab on about it in 50 posts, begging for me to prove I'm right. I'll give you a clue. Look up the laws on Sex Tourism in your home country. You must be planning on under 18 dating, so it is best you familiarize yourself with the laws in your country. You might be ok, you might not be - I don't care.

Unfortunately, it is necessary to have laws and set boundaries. If not, we'd be back in the Wild West where anything goes. Did the Romans have it right? They start having children as soon as they start menstruating. My wife's sister started at age 11. Are you upset about this subject because you plan to find a young virgin in the Philippines and you want to avoid any moral judgement?

Yes, it was an incredible overreaction. He has difficulty finding the laws on Sex Tourism in whatever country he comes from. It wasn't very challenging... and anyway, who is interested in visiting foreign countries to "date" under 18s? Why is it even a debate?

I can't believe you're serious. You just don't want to admit she's as tough as nails, getting through that.

If you're charged with an offence under the Criminal Code, any offence, they take your passport and cancel whatever visa you had. If convicted, whether you do jail time or not, you won't have a visa. The Immigration Office does not need permission from a Judge to deport you.

She's tough and resilient, and now smart too - turning this experience into a cash cow. Sure, she did something stupid back in 2000, but people can change. Who didn't do stupid things when they were young? She's done her time and there's no need for her to be retried here.