pubboy

Not that long ago if you could prove you were a long term stayer ( full thai driving license) you could get into national parks, etc for Thai price. That was all stopped by the incumbent government 

I agree with other posts that there are many Farang drivers in this country that are poor, but many more that are very good yet still get blamed if something happens. Five years ago I was indicating and making a right turn in the centre  of Sisaket, when a motorcycle taxi came from nowhere and hit my offside. He was clearly at fault, yet a woman came out of a shop and blamed me for driving too fast, when I was stationary before turning. I ended up giving the bike driver a 1000 baht and walking away. His bike was ok so more than he would have earned that day.

But must be fluent in Mandarin????

But must be fluent in Mandarin????

Simple answer is don't use beach vendors, buy elsewhere. As long as it is not now illegal to buy food and take to the beach, I cannot keep up with all these beach law changes!

For one how can they copyright southern fried chicken, and two most street side vendors here their chicken comes nowhere near being southern fried.

No need it's a fairytale land already!

So a family of four rent a car to visit Khao Yai. They get stiffed for 3000 baht for a clapped out Toyota, 1200 baht for park entrance, up to five times for food in the restaurants compared to stalls outside, fail to see the same exquisite waterfall that Leonardo DiCaprio threw himself off in The Beach as it's the wrong time of the year, get turned back from the Prachinburi gate as it now closes at six pm and everybody has pissed off, and to add insult to injury the car gets sat on by an amorous elephant.

Welcome to Thailand!

I hear something like this from a lot of anti-American Thais. They seem to think the US wants Thailand and its oil. Yes, oil! Thailand can't supply its own energy needs and the US wants their oil? Frankly, I cannot imagine why the US would want this place. Bangkok is a swamp and despite massive, massive US infrastructure support during the Vietnam War, Thailand has let all the advantages from that infrastructure head start evaporate. Were I an American policy maker, I would want NOTHING to do with administering this place. It's a dysfunctional mess from the standpoint of government. It's a wonderful place in many other respects, but it's just a nightmare to think about governing this place. Iraq was easier.

And look at the mess they made there!

Jomtien is where all the luxury Condo Resorts are being built so I think a couple of decades is pushing it a bit. Definitely gearing more to families though.

You can remove the leader, disband the party, "talk" to the hierarchy but you will never remove the sentiment of the 15 million Thai's that voted for the principles that they stood for.

How many of that 15 million really had a clue of the principles PTP stood for? Do you think PTP have any principles other than get rich quick by whatever means?
How many voted for them because that's who they were instructed/intimated/coerced/bribed to vote for?

The same can be said for all parties here mind. And that's something that ain't going to change without serious reform, real reform.

nonsense reply not based on facts even my 12 year old Thai niece has a better grasp than you do

they were instructed/intimated/coerced/bribed to vote for

when, where? I know many, many Thais who voted PTP and not a hint of what you suggest and you are insulting 15 million Thais

I can give facts. I know from my sister in law of an election rally in Sisaket where everybody that attended got paid. That's the only reason she went.
My brother in law is a hired thug for the UDD. He told the whole village that if they voted for PTP they would be paid. There's facts for you!

Actually that is not fact but hearsay.

HEARSAY

unverified, unofficial information gained or acquired from another and not part of one's direct knowledge.

For it to become fact it will have to be confirmed by the people you are refering to.

As others have said, I think Thailand is just following the rest of the world in its attitude to not only to farang but to their own kind. It's the influence of the west that would probably be the route of this. 13 years ago when I first came here there was very little foreign media to follow, Internet was barely usable apart from email. Today the increase of modern media (faster internet, tv advertising etc.) Thai people see what the rest of the world have and they want a bit of it. There's nothing wrong with this in theory, but as with anywhere else you can't just have it if you can't afford it. Unfortunately they have been led by successive governments to believe they can and this is the route of a lot of their problems. Greed has crept into their nature and has caused not only an increase in crime but a breakdown in society as a whole including many family units.

I have worked in the retail sector in the UK for over 30 years and came to live here full time 18 months ago. I still feel Thailand is a better place to live on the whole but only the future will tell if it remains so.

We are going to open a minimart and restaurant selling fresh bread, pastries and other things we farang miss so much. Maybe a rethink before the good PM gets wind of it!

Do you still get Thai price if you show your Thai driving license, or have they taken that away from us as well?

Although having not been to Koh Samui myself I have friends who have and friends from England who live there.

I shall be returning to Phuket for the first time since the Tsunami this April and although my wife is afraid of the ghosts, we are going to do our bit to help the economy.

We work in an enviroment where drink and drug related crime and violence is a norm and find it refreshing and relaxing to return to LOS.

I brought my wife to the UK about 18 months ago and planned to bring her children here a few months later. Due to circumstances though things did not go to plan, but we are now ready to go ahead.

We have their father's permission, but I know that things are more complicated than just getting this. Having dealt with my wife's application in Thailand and subsequent further application here, I am pretty well versed in the visa application department. My wife now has a full settlement visa.

My problem is more to do with making sure that we have the correct paperwork.

Can anybody help point me in the right direction, perhaps a good solicitor?

Try Chawla Travel. They are based in Silom, I used them last year to buy my wife's ticket to England but they sell all over especially the US. I paid by credit card and my wife picked up from their office. Check them out at

Chawla Travel

Hope this helps.

Hi Muay Thai

Hang in there!!

It's true that a majority of these relationships do not work, and believe me this is all I was told when I was in your position last year. If you feel this girl is as honest in her feelings as you are, go with your heart. It may not work out but the same can be said of all relationships.

There are many out there that can give advice, having had bad experiences and their viewpoint is fair. But there are some who can tell you where it has gone right.

See how your next visit goes in September and take it from there. If you would like any more info, would be only too happy to help.

Pubboy

I can tell you it is not easy. It depends a lot on how long you have known her.

I originally tried this last year, having only known my girlfriend for 4 months. I don't know if things have changed, but tourist visas were hard to get, especially in our position. We ended up marrying, and I returned two months later to get a settlement visa. Fortunately we are very happy together here in the UKand awaiting my wife's visa for indefinite stay.

You are doing the best by collating a file, as this is what the embassy will look to establish there is a relationship.

I used an agency in Bangkok to make my application, very reasonable fees and they know the ins and outs of visa applications. Try looking at

www.visa-helpline.com.

If you are happy to use the agent, email

[email protected].

The lady that runs the agency is called Nung, she is very helpful and will only let you apply if she thinks you have a chance. I add that I have no financial gain in giving you this info, it's just good to be able to help you where I had none in  my position last year.

Any probs email me.

Pubboy

THE leader of an Albanian gang who ran a multi-million pound operation smuggling their countrymen into Britain has been jailed for eight years.

Mhill Sokoli, 35, was also fined £88,000. Another 24 gang members were jailed for between three and eight years.

The court in Dendermonde, north-west of Brussels, estimated that the gang had smuggled as many as 10,000 illegal immigrants from eastern Europe into Britain in 2001-2002 using boats and trucks from Zeebrugge.

The gang charged between £270 and £2,000 per person.

The prosecution said that for each night's "work" over about two years, Sokoli had earned several thousand pounds.

The court heard how he concealed his wealth by living in a small flat in Brussels.

But much of his money was invested in property in Albania.

The gang was made up of Albanians and Turks.

Most of the illegal immigrants - mainly Kosovo Albanians - went first to Italy by boat and then travelled by lorry into Britain.

In June, a Dutch court jailed seven members of a Chinese gang for up to six years for smuggling illegal immigrants into Britain.

Four of the suspects were charged in connection with the deaths of 58 Chinese migrants, who were found suffocated in a lorry in Dover in 2000.

And this is just one gang!

The British government cannot stop these, so they have to meet their quotas some how.