wpcoe

OK, how exactly are these results tabulated?

YES votes = 15

NO votes = 2

TOTAL VOTES cast = 19 ???

UA aren't cheapskates, they just aren't members of the same alliance.

United was one of the founding carriers of the Star Alliance. Last time I checked, there were still in the alliance. Have they dropped out?

Another cereal box? This place is beginning to look soooo ugly!

This is the first "cereal box" that far south.

Most folks would be going out of their way to accidently pass this one, I think. For the time being, of course. There are several more plots on Jomtien Beach Road in that area still ripe for development.

FYI, this is their web site: www.fascino.co.th

Well, to continue my monologue, I just saw a full-page ad in the current Mid-Month Property Trader magazine. Looks like this is being marketed as VT-8: www.viewtalaymarinabeachcondo.com

Having a Non-Immigrant O with retirement extension and living in my own condo in Pattaya, I only need to report my existence to ONE authority, which is accomplished initially via TM.6, and subsequently handled via 90-day TM.47 reports. I do not need to check-in via TM.30 with the police as long as I stay in my own condo. Have I got that part straight now?

If I go upcountry and stay for a few days in Chiang Mai and the hotel reports my presence to the authorities there, do I need to take some action upon returning home to my condo in Pattaya? If so, with whom: police or Immigrations?

Hotels and apartment landlords are in the role of "professional guest hosting," but what about a private individual condo-owner who has an overnight "alien" visitor? Does the condo owner need to report his/her guest to someone? Or, is it the obligation of the alien to do the reporting in this case?

What the heck are "corks from a clothes-hanger"?

what's a "Bong"????????????

I take it you're not a refugee from the Hippie era? I'll not let you know how I know just what a bong is. Rather, I'll quote from www.dictionary.com:

"a dull, resonant sound, as of a large bell." Hmmm, nope, that doesn't quite fit.

"a type of hookah or water pipe for smoking marijuana or other drugs" Ahhhh, there we go. However, they fail to mention how imbibing the smoke through the water smooths the otherwise rough/harsh feeling.

Now, don't ask what a hookah is!

Another factor is whether you can get insurance without a Thai motorcycle drivers license, and if not, where/when/how to obtain one.

If the OP already has a motorcycle license from his home country, it is a LOT easier. Then he can be in and out of the test site quickly and get proper insurance.

Do I understand correctly that the 30% rule still applies for cash transfers into Thaland for purchasing condos?

So, if you want to buy a US$70,000 condo, you need to transfer in US$100,000 in order to be able to "net" the US$70,000 you need. The "missing" $30,000 will be withheld for one year, presumably with no interest.

Is the trick then, to transfer in multiple blocks of cash each <US$20,000. Nice fundraiser for the banks with SWIFT and/or other related transfer fees.

Of course, my use of US$ in this post means "US$ equivalent in THB", so it applies equally to transfers of UKL, Euro, CAD, AUD, etc. An interesting offshoot is that holders of other currencies wishing to transfer them into Thailand, now have to factor in the US$-THB exchange rate. Why didn't they set the restriction at x number of THB, rather than a THB equivalent amount of US$?

I wonder if the translation is correct? Are they adding "types of punishment" or "types of offenses" ... i.e. broadening the scope of the investigations?

The Cabinet asked the minsitry to check if there were any loopholes left. I could understand loopholes in defining offenses, but loopholes in punishment?

Immigration law requires your presence to be reported within 24 hours. Good hotels have always done this and is why they have to take information from your passport upon check-in. Smaller places and guest houses were very poor in reporting but several years ago they were told to get there act together. I still have small upcountry hotels use my wife name and ignore me so there is still a learning curve. The owner is supposed to report you living there (seldom done) but there is a small fine if they fail to do so. There seems to have been increased enforcement in some areas recently (last year or so).

Section 37 : An alien having received a temporary entry permit into the Kingdom must comply with the

following :

1. Shall not engage in the occupation or temporary or employment unless authorized by the

Director General. or competent official deputized by the Director General . If , in any case , there is a law

concerning alien employment provided hereafter , the granting of work privileges must comply with the

law concerned.

2. Shall stay at the place as indicated to the competent official. Where there is proper reason

that he cannot stay at the place as indicated to the competent official, he shall notify the competent official

of the change in residence , within 24 hours from the time of removing to said place.

3. Shall notify the police official of the local police station where such alien resides, within twenty

– four hours from the time of arrival. In the case of change in residence in which new residence is not

located the same area with the former police stations , such alien must notify the police official of the

police station for that area within twenty – four hours from the time of arrival.

4. If the alien travels to any province and will stay there longer than twenty – four hours , such

alien must notify the police official of the police station for that area within forty – eight hours from the time

of arrival.

Section 38 : The house – master , the owner or the possessor of the residence , or the hotel manager

where the alien , receiving permission to stay temporary in the Kingdom has stayed , must notify the

competent official of the Immigration Office located in the same area with that hours , dwelling place or

hotel, within 24 hours from the time of arrival of the alien concerned. If there is no Immigration Office

located in that area , the local police official for that area must be notified.

In case the house , dwelling place , or hotel where the alien has stayed under provision of Para.1

is located within the Bangkok area , such notification must be reported to the competent official at the

Immigration Division.

Making notification , in reference to the Para 1 and 2 of this Section , must comply with

regulations prescribed by the Director General.

If you go out of the country before the 90 days is up your clock re-start when you re-enter Thailand (for the 90 days reporting)

The 90 day reporting (when necessary) can be done to the local cops, local immigration in person or by post

Registering at your place of residence is different and is done with the TM 30 form to the local cops

OK, I'm totally confused now. I have a Non-Immigrant O visa with an extension for Retirement. Am I "an alien having received a temporary entry permit"?

If so, does my 90-day report to Immigrations and/or TM.6 card I submitted to Immigrations at the airport satisfy the Section 37 quoted above, or do I also need to go to the local police station and fill out some TM.30 form? If the latter, do I need to do this every time I re-enter Thailand?

Section 38 makes it sound like either/or: you report to Immigrations unless there is not an Immigrations office in the area in which case you report to the police. Krub made it sound like there are two different requirements: reporting to Immigrations AND registering your place of residence with the local police.

When foreign (i.e. non-Thai) friends come to stay me at my condo, must we march (I don't mean lockstep goose-stepping) to the police station for notation of their location in the Kingdom if they already put my address on the TM.6 card? What if they did NOT put my address on the TM.6 card? (e.g. They stayed in a Bangkok hotel before visiting me in Pattaya, and they put the hotel information on the TM.6)

I have no objection to have to report to both authorities, but was simply never aware of an obligation to register my residence separately with the police.

Quite possible. You need a Non-Immigrant visa to get a Thai Driver's Licence though.

Unless, of course, you are my American friend who got one in Cholburi with just a 30-day visa-waiver stamp a few weeks ago. Without an international drivers license endorsement no less, just a Nevada state-issued license. I regret not going with him that day!

Also consider LED lamps, they plug into the same holders and use the same power supply as the halogens but run almost cold. Unfortunately not quite as bright as halogens and considerably more expensive (have almost infinite life though).

I've never seen LED lamps in Thailand. Where are they sold?

Thanks for the comments, elkangorito. I had no idea there were electronic transformers.

I just had an architect/interior designer over yesterday to give me an estimate. He was trying to convince me to install a kind of shelf/ledge 30cm from the ceiling with the lights reflecting upward, rather than boxing in an enclosed 30cm x 30cm space with the lights facing downward like I had planned. I wasn't keen on his suggestion, but now that I think about the heat, especially in light of your comments, his plan may be SAFER!

It was interesting talking with him. He's Thai and has done some rather expensive projects, including his pride and joy: a currently under construction development of B20million+ houses in NaJomtien. I had to keep reminding him that he & I were talking about a slightly frumpy 15 year old condo that was in an entirely different league. No need for fancy dimmer switches, carved teak moldings and marble floors. :-)

I just wanted to add that at neither SCB's main office in Bangkok nor at their Jomtien branch office did I need anything but a photocopy of my passport (which they made) on a 30-day visa-waiver stamp.

I also have SCB's online banking service as well as an ATM card that I can use overseas, although I understand SCB's online banking service pales in comparison to Bangkok Bank's online banking.

[added for clarity: I now have a retirement extension on a Non-Immigrant O visa, but at the time I opened my bank accounts I was still on the 30-day visa-waiver stamp.]

Most girls do go for a proper check up....after all they dont want to die either....

And, there's the possibility she knows her income will be curtailed temporarily if she tests positive for one of the non-lethal STDs, and that she will totally lose her income if she tests HIV+. So a check-mark in her book with no tests done works for her. Irrational by western standards, but we are not talking about Vassar graduates.

Checked the North Pattay Bus Station this morning. The Baht106 bus does not seem to run any more.

Do you mean the B106 bus from Soi Chaiyapruek in Jomtien no longer operates? Or was there also a B106 operating from Pattaya Nua that has ceased?

I'm planning to upgrade my current condo in an older (15 year old?) building in Jomtien which has no earth/ground wiring, and buy in a new(er) building.

Do most reputable new constructions, like View Talay in Jomtien or North Shore in Pattaya, generally offer a truly grounded electric source for the condo units? I see they all have three-prong outlets on the walls, but do they actually have the supporting properly-grounded copper stake in terra firma? Or, is it like buying a pig in a poke even with higher-end new condo projects?

Or is my question too wide open to be non-laughable?

I'm not a big fan of the added service charges either (Grandma's name was MacCumber). However, at the big hotels in Hua Hin the staff make more per month on their shared tips than they do on salaries (and their salaries aren't bad). So it does provide for a big growing middle class in many of the tourist areas.

A friend of mine worked at the front desk at a five-star hotel in Bangkok, and I was amazed at how much he made from his "cut" of the service charges. Room service and mini-bars were a particularly lucrative source of income for the hotel staff. He said all the hotel staff, including housekeeping, security, maintenance, etc, received a share of the proceeds. They all looked forward to high season and other high-occupancy periods. When he was promoted to a low-level management post, he actually took a pay cut because his % of the revenues was less than as a front-line employee.

Interesting little chart. ICN doesn't charge airlines anything???

Services at the reception center include advice on facilities available at the airport, flight timetables, prevention of luggage delays and providing sufficient transportation facilities, he said.

How exactly does a reception center on the 7th floor advise about prevention of luggage delays?

4.The following passengers are exempted from PSC:

Infants (children under 2 years old),

Transit/Transfer passengers.

That might be an improvement over the current situation. If someone is transiting BKK, and wants to meet me for coffee, they of course must pass through passport control and customs to meet me non-airside. Currently, when they are ready to re-enter the sterile airside they must pay the B500 or they will not get past the young lady with the paper punch who guards the entry to the immigrations hall.

With the new procedure, it sounds like they will be able to meet me and not have to pay when they are ready to go catch their connecting flight.

That cashier will have to live with those scars for the rest of his life.

Not just the physical ones either, the mental/emotional scars can be considerable, too. And I don't know, but highly doubt, that the 7-11 store sponsors an Employee Assistance Program to help the cashier deal with the stresses.

Perhaps you are a little bit too young to understand yet.

Ohhhhhhh. You mean they're doing the border crossing for a "Hot Lunch"?