Mr Meeseeks

Always mental illness. Are they all mentally ill? 🤔

Guaranteed stolen from the UK.

1. New EVs have range in the 600 km region, exceeding the range of many ICE vehicles. 2. Costs are comparative, but when it comes to performance and equipment, EVs present a very good case for their value (see the new BYD Seal as an example). 3. More and more charging points are being installed everywhere around the country. Nearly all PTT stations have a couple of charging bays now. 4. Trade in value will exceed that of ICE vehicles. Aside from the obvious such as less wear on EV components (they have no engine, gearbox etc), the Thai government is encouraging EV adoption, so it that trend continues as expected, EVs will hold their value more than tradition ICE vehicles.

I would like to share a rather unpleasant experience that has happened to me over the last few months. Hopefully it serves as a warning to others so they don't fall foul of what I consider to be a rather dishonest business practice by AIS. I have a post-paid AIS package for which I pay 499thb per month. I travel regionally for business on a regular basis and like to remain contactable on my Thai number, so I have roaming enabled. When I travel to Malaysia, I use a Malay sim so no need to access the internet using the AIS sim card. However, as the phone automatically connects to the internet it used 30mb or so of data on the AIS sim, for which I was charged a whopping 2,500thb. So for a couple of months I received these extortionate charges, and paid for them, because it was my fault for having the phone settings wrong when I disembarked the plane. Lesson learned though. After the second bill for 3,000thb arrived in October, I immediately called AIS call centre and disabled international roaming, citing the extortionate data charges as the reason. The operator stated that data roaming was disabled. Problem solved, or so I thought. In November, I had to go back to the UK on business, so I bought a pre-paid data package on my sim from AIS app for 899thb. I had it set to activate at the day and time I arrived in the UK, and not before. I flew Qatar Airways, so when I arrived in Doha I turned my phone on and connected to the WIFI network in the airport. Got back to Thailand and lo and behold, another extortionate bill from AIS had arrived. I called the call centre to query the amount. I was being charged another 2,500thb for 30mb of data charges in Doha, Qatar, when I switched flights! I argued that I had asked data roaming to be disabled, and that data roaming and the package should only have been activated about 8-9 hours later when I arrived in the UK. The call centre staff acknowledged the time I activated the data package was correct but offered no explanation as to why data roaming was re-enabled beforehand when I landed in Qatar. They reduced my bill, but I still ended up having to pay an additional 399thb for a roaming package for Qatar... This to me is not acceptable business practice. Just a word of warning if you are using AIS data roaming!

457 visas do not normally get a stamp in the passport, unless you request one.

Needed to be reiterated, and probably will again later on in the thread.

A fact some here are struggling to get their head around it seems.

In Australia, about five years ago, an investigation into the 457 skilled worker visa (which had a pathway to permanent residency), found tens of thousands of Indians and Philippinos working in fast food establishments on that visa class. It was immediately scrapped and a Temporary Skills Shortage visa introduced.

Qualified health professionals, including nurses, have different visa requirements and are not affected by the changes in the requirements being discussed.

It's only an entitlement if they are not British.

Stuff like this just reaffirms my opinion that they are dumber than a bag of rocks.

For a BMW 320 recent model for fully comp you will be paying upwards of 40k thb. For three months don't bother buying a car it is an utter waste of time and effort. Rent a car for about 8 to 12k a month.

I have joined the ranks of the Seal owners. Just ordered a 3.8s in white. Arrives on the 18th, hopefully.

Like clockwork...

This. 👆

Apparently. "The Rice Trader (TRT) announced that Vietnam’s Ong Cua ST25 rice had secured the first prize in the World’s Best Rice 2023 contest at the World Rice Conference in Cebu, Philippines. The competition, which took place from November 28 to 30, saw around 30 rice varieties from various countries participating. The runners-up were rice varieties from Cambodia and India."

Not in my experience. When non-Thais are deemed undesirable, caught in criminal acts or if they step out of line, they are immediately locked up and deported. Another immigration policy which Thailand is to be commended for.

Interesting that Vietnamese, Cambodian and Indian rice is now considered better than Thai rice. At one time, not so long ago, there was no competition.

He is an expert on smuggling illegal goods right enough!

Yeh, it is ironic as one of the reasons Thailand remains a great place to live is Thailand's strict immigration policies, which keep out most of the undesirables.

Health service professionals coming to work in the UK are not affected by these new requirements. It is clearly stated in the video.

That would take honesty, hard work, effort, planning and management.

Eh? Sucker punches, kicks to the head, ganging up on someone and other cowardly behaviour is common in Thailand.

My experience is that under-age sex caters for local clientele in the main. I once went to a local Police owned bar in Laem Chabang pre-covid and all the girls were from Laos (possibly trafficked) and some were clearly underage. Finished the overpriced big Chang and left promptly. This is the way they do things here unfortunately.