MellowFellow

Two water dispensing machines on Soi Buakhao, Pattaya, in front of or next to 7-Eleven stores have "OFF" light on, which usually shows the time.  Does Off mean that it has no more water, or its purifying mechanism needs replacement, or other?

One of those machines have the Off light on for two weeks already.  No one stops by to collect the coins or to make sure that the machine is working properly?

Mainly curious in learning how Pattaya functions.

Thanks everyone.  This thread is the most relevant to my similar but not the same predicament.  Special thanks to WuhaVagabond for raising the topic and Peter Denis for informative comments.

Visa On Arrival, expiration Apr 1.  On Apr 1, obtained a 30-day extension for THB 1900 (or, 1.9 to abbreviate).  Later, Thai gov announced the 30-day free extension and yet later the 90-day automatic (no paperwork) extension.

Could have avoided spending 1.9.  But, I would have been in "overstay" based on the last stamp in my passport.

Question:  What is the legal definition of an "amnesty visa" and "overstay"?

It seems whether the 30-day and 90-day extension of tourist visas is called an amnesty visa or not, legally IO should not be able to claim that you are in "overstay"?

I am not a Thai legal expert.  I did take a USA business law course in college and recognize that a written legal definition can be different from a common use definition.

So, I am curious as to the legal definition versus the practical definition.  From hard experience, I know there are some people who will hold you to a legal definition, even though it may not make sense in some situations.  Just some hard-headed people.

My experience:

I think I understand most of the Thai visa-related abbreviations:  IO = immigration office (or officer, not input/output),  CW = Bangkok IO on the street named C...W...  (not country western), non O = non-immigrant O visa (not another visa type other than O visa), TV = tourist visa (not transvestite, why are so many tv's hanging around foreigners?), WP = work permit (not work paper).

This morning I went to Jomtien IO.  Thai male at the first desk looked at the last stamp in my passport.  He pointed to the 4th line on his desk sign.  It said, no paperwork required.  He said, you are ok to July 31.

I said, I want to apply for a one-year visa.

He gave me a ticket, 7A001.  It was for desk #7, the only one in a side office and not outside with the other desks in the main room.  Bad omen.

Inside the office, when asked I provided  my bank guarantee letter (original) and my bank's 6-month statement for my account's transactions (original). She asked for my  bank passbook?  I showed it to her.  She took it and photocopied every page.  Later, I had to signed every photocopy page. My bank passbook showed I opened the account in 2014 and in 15 months I made a series of deposits totaling 800.  So, I held over 800 continuously in my account since mid-2015.  It was meant as down payment on a condo, but have never found a good condo in Pattaya.

I gave photocopies of the first and last pages of my rental lease-contract, its unit ID, owner's passport ID page, and google map of location [barely printable by my newly-purchased Brother DCP-1810W scanner/copier/printer from laptop].

One lady said, the stamp in my passport showed that I overstayed.  For special handling to get a non O visa would cost  22.  Second lady said, 23 for 15-month, which was a 90-day non O visa expiring July 31 and a one-year visa.  For multi-entry, 3.8.  Together 27.  (Yes, she rounded up.)

By comparison, a few years ago, an office on soi 13/1 or 13/2 wanted 60.  In March the photocopy place outside IO wanted 45 for one-year visa.  In April another agent on Jomtien soi 5 said IO was not issuing any O visa.  Day before yesterday, an office on Pattaya South Road wanted 35 for 15-month visas, multi-entry, and one month with visa application no later than Friday, July 17.

I asked, get visa today?  She replied, yes.  After I paid her, she said to return in two weeks for my passport.  She gave a long explanation, too complex for me.

Upside:  I paid, more or less, Pattaya market price.  Avoided going to Bangkok and avoid the risk of catching a bad virus in a city full of risky people and maybe some Egyptian soldiers.  (A few weeks ago, I saw a few Arab-looking young clean-cut males walking around Pattaya and wondered how they got through the lockdown).  Have some peace of mind on my visa situation if pandemic measures last in Thailand and other SE Asian countries for up to a year.