Jools

So very simple. I would not tolerate being doused with dirty water and powder in my own country and I won't tolerate it in this one.

In future, photograph the card with your mobile phone. My girlfriend insists on it. I lose things far too easily.

15 hours ago, Briggsy said:

The same thing happened to me and more.

 

I stay here on METV's.

 

On leaving Suwannaphum and flying back to the UK, the IO is going back and forth in my passport tutting and shaking her head. This display goes on for so long (about 3 minutes) I am forced to ask in Thai politely, "Is anything the problem?"

 

The reply was, "Where you visa?" in poor English.

 

I replied in polite Thai that I had a visa and I had not overstayed.

 

The reply in poor English, "Why you no visa?" "Why you go Laos?"

 

I replied in polite Thai that I had a visa.

 

"Next time you visa," was the next shot.

 

I replied in polite Thai that I had a visa.

 

She finally stamped me out and I left.

 

There were no repercussions.

Perhaps you had an incompetent newbie. They are never in short supply in Thai bureaucracy. At Jomtien, their habit of staffing the front desk with young college girls, caused me to have to make an unnecessary trip to Laos because the two girls wanted to argue with each other rather than ask someone in authority.

Boric acid will solve many of your problems with cockroaches.

I have never been asked for a map. My condo is about four blocks from Immigration, that may be why. I should be surprised, because they delight in making your visit as cumbersome as possible.

Border bounce. No need for overstay. Grab a train to Laos. Stay overnight. Come back the next day. Problem solved.

It's simple, but still too much of a hassle given the tremendous benefit that farangs give to Thailand. 

No surprise that the US Embassy is of no help. They spend millions of taxpayer money and are worthless when dealing with the governments they are paid to deal with.

The greatest act of love for these pitiful animals would be putting them to death. Thailand is certainly not the worst animal rights offender, but for a people who, ostensibly, love animals, there is no excuse for what I see daily.

On 4/22/2017 at 5:09 PM, Raymonddiaz said:

Nobody cares because unpractical. This stupidity needs to stop. 24 h reporting

If immigration does not have a "mission", they can't justify heavy staffing levels. This is the essence of bureaucracy worldwide. It's a jobs program, plain and simple. Keep 'em busy.

What REALLY steams me, is the fact that I have watched the IO officer SHRED the "Extra Information" forms almost as soon as he thought I wasn't watching. Proof positive that it is done for no other reason than to satisfy the ego of some IO flunky in Bangkok.

22 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Why not print them 2 sided. It is easily done. Better that taking the chance they will not accept it.

Trying to explain to a Thai who speaks no English that you need the form printed on both sides is a losing game. They should KNOW this since they have to do government paperwork too. But they DON'T. I never thought it would be so difficult to tell someone that I need page one and page two on the same sheet of paper. Seems obvious but it is complicated by the inability of Thais to accept anything but their own line of thought.

9 hours ago, Oxx said:

One thing they can be fussy about is double sided forms.  They can reject them if the sides printed on separate sheets of paper.

I simply staple the forms together. There has been no problem at Chonburi Immigration. I can't speak for the other offices. There's probably one that would not allow this. I can't see why, though.

5 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

Spot on!

 

Also, nitpicking about the slightest bit of misbehavior that a foreigner makes, and then they ( the expats) are all on TV screaming about ' banning them for life ' etc ' throw them in jail ' and what is and isn't ' against the laws '  of Thailand., implying that Thailand is some great people and culture far superior to any other!

 

A country where you can run over a kill a policeman but if you have the cash and a family name you are exempt from the justice system. A country where their top policemen can visit another country such as Japan, with a gun and bullets in his luggage and get away with it because of his position. A country where high ranking officials get caught, whilst visiting other countries stealing pictures from hotels, then pulls rank and political favors to escape justice when they are caught.A country where the second in command is flashing watches off costing millions and millions of baht but never declared these assets, a crime others would lose everything for and have their assets seized. A country where it is almost a hobby and foreigners can be cheated out of all their assets by people supposed to be respected, in high legal positions complicit in this type of corruption. Finally, a country where two foreign men can be scapegoated and convicted of murder and given the death sentence when it is an ' open secret ' that they are innocent.

 

But let's give this foreigner ten lashes, throw him in IDC and ban him for life for going shirtless!..... Pathetic!

Brilliant observation. A country without any clear moral compass wants to crucify foreigners for going shirtless. Amazing.

1 hour ago, OJAS said:

Which is.....?

Poor people coming there with inadequate incomes. It's just the reverse in Thailand.

15 hours ago, tgeezer said:

I have seen Chinese shopkeepers sweeping up the pavement outside their shops without shirts on around here, I presume that like the man you saw he knows the form. Going shirtless was Thai culture for people who couldn't afford many clothes especially in the countryside working the fields.



Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Not only for those who couldn't afford many clothes. Thai history records accounts of KINGS in their throne rooms, completely shirtless.  WIthout  air conditioning or electric fans, wearing lots of clothes was begging to be very uncomfortable.

There is a REASON why first world countries have strict visa rules. When developing countries create absurd rules for foreigners, it's usually done for reasons of spite and jealousy. There is no rational reason to keep foreigners out of your country when they are better compensated than the indigenous population. Our income creates jobs for Thais by staffing farang-oriented businesses. The sales tax on our purchases, alone would justify a more light-handed touch. Saving face always backfires.

UK may be tired of accepting third worlders in light of the Muslim invasion. Sad that Thais are discriminated against because of the behaviour of others.

13 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

So I guess you live alone here.

With a Thai wife/family such "wood only" procedure would be unthinkable, a big shame, loss of face.

Happened only once in the village over the years with a young homeless alcoholic who was found dead in an abandoned house.

Totally unconcerned about shame or "loss of face". Both artificial Thai concepts that make less sense than western norms. I just want to cover myself for the eventual. They can feed me to the sharks after I am gone. I really could not care less. It sounds like donating my body to a hospital is going to be the best route to go.

I should clarify that I am not really interested in a Buddhist ceremony, just the cremation and the costs involved. I am sure that it would be more for a farang but that's not really important. I just want to know what my options are for having this done. I am not interested in repatriation of ashes or .any of that nonsense.

Is there anything like "cremation insurance" in Thailand. I am told that if the American Embassy has to pay to have me cremated, they will go after my relatives in the USA to recover costs. I do not want my family bothered. I live in Pattaya and will most likely die here. Any information on options and cost for covering cremation and final expenses will be appreciated.

11 hours ago, wpcoe said:

 

And, there you have it.  MORE conflicting "correct" info coming directly from the horse's mouth -- the Immigrations staff in the TM.30 room in the Jomtien office...

 

Somewhere in this forum section is someone who reported they were advised -- by the folks in the TM.30 room in the Jomtien office -- that if, and only if, they were gone more than 14 days is a new TM.30 required. 

 

How on earth would anyone know if you were out of town for ANY length of time? There are no stamps in passports for going from Pattaya to Hua Hin ( or anywhere else in the country). The requirement is not enforceable.A farang who volunteers at IO told me that the college-age girls at the desk know almost nothing and (like most Thais) will give you any answer rather than admit they don't know.

I will admit to not understanding the Thai attitude toward the law. Many apparently just ignore it without repercussions. Do police have no way of checking up on hotels and  landlords who do not report their tenants?? I can't imagine a similar disdain for the law in the USA or UK.

Yes, the "non-officers" have gigged me once, as well. When I wanted to convert my tourist visa to a Non-O, I was told by one of these college-age "experts" that I would have to go to Laos or Cambodia, because there were only fifteen days remaining on my TV and that would not be enough time for Bangkok to process it. I mentioned this incident in a conversation recently with an I-O officer and he told me that while this was the letter of the law, that 15 days was plenty of time to process the paperwork and that I should have asked to speak with an officer. I am not in the habit of arguing with these imperious toadies, but when it costs me time and money, it is just infuriating that there is so much variance in what is allowed and not allowed.