chatette

How do they know he's a foreigner if he has no ID? Plenty of dark skinned, and light for that matter, are Thai citizens.

I have a Thai ID card but that doesn't stop many places from insisting I pay farang price because I'm also caucasian, to underscore that there is a racist element to it.
So tedious to even have to discuss with such people.
I had one tour operator tell me that I cld show my ID card for entry but I would probably have to pay farang price if I looked farang with no clue how offensive that comment was.
And if there's no dual pricing displayed, like at Supphatra Land fruit park in Rayong, they just automatically charge the higher price based on their assumption that looks are all that counts.
Very few Thais seem to realize that Thai is a nationality and any race is allowed.
As for the dual pricing policy, it should (but won't) be dismantled.

This is fascism pure and simple. There's simply no excuses to justify it.

That the police stood around and did nothing makes it all the more chilling, although not surprising. I have experienced this myself when attacked by a maniac on a crowded street.

You can be certain no one will ever be held to task about this attack. They will just grow stronger and bolder.

The murder of Kamol Duangpasuk just a few weeks ago is an example of their mindset and impunity.

Fascism has a long history of support in Thailand. Just read the country's modern history, hard as it may be to find in Thailand -- in keeping with the support of fascism.

Uber's in start up phase and GrabTaxi's been going for a while. I haven't tried either as I typically take a cab at 5:30am and have no trouble flagging one where I live.

https://www.uber.com/cities/bangkok

http://grabtaxi.com/bangkok-thailand/

Yes, it's a major headache, but it's also time consuming to report.

Has anyone tried GrabTaxi or Uber?

I wonder if they'll help by at least attracting real taxi drivers and not these often aggressive people who don't want to go where you want to go

Most airlines except the budgets have an unaccompanied minor service and will have the terms on their website. Some are free and some charge. I've used several different airlines for this domestically and internationally over the years and have no complaints (other than those airlines that I think charge way too much - TG falls into this category).

Appalling choice. He epitomizes all that is wrong with Thailand's social structure, and a significant contributor to why it's so f'd up today.

Complete forward into the past.

Just look at the names of suggested leaders in that poll and you can see it oozing bias in favor of the vested interests (ie: elitist; anti anything vaguely populist, Thaksin).

Credibility of the so-called poll completely crumbles in even putting forward MR Pridiyathorn Devakula given his role in the farce that landed Thaksin his conviction for `corruption' in the so-called land scandal. Scandalous only in that the focus of the investigation, charges were on Thaksin and not on the person actually in charge of the FIDF sale, Pridiyathorn.

The whole system is skewed in favor of the elitists.

Alarming that there's no redundancy in the event the server is damaged....

Someone asked where to get synthetic vinegar. It's typically in the sauce section of supermarkets, nam som in Thai and usually has artificial vinegar written in English on the bottle. You have to get the tone right on the som or you may be sent off to the fruit juice section for orange juice...!

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Condo management should handle in a well managed property.

Having said that, I was in a well known Chinese restaurant on Sukhumvit near Asoke recently and there were rats thundering up and down the ceiling....

I lived in a Bangkok fruit forest for many years and had an army of rats to contend with that stole full blocks of soap and other large items.
I used to catch them in a Thai-style metal rat trap - a large metal box, luring them in with fresh squid, then take them for diving lessons in the irrigation canals that ran through the garden. None of them passed the class.

One evening a visiting friend left the lid off the rice pot and one of the rats dropped in for a meal, dipping its paws in and out to grab the rice and eat it. Wld've been cute if it weren't a rat. Other than invading the property, none of them actually came anywhere near me intentionally. The owner, who lived next door, did nothing about them.

Actually, this is quite simple.An au pair is supposed to attend language school, so you can sign yours up for one and he/she will qualify for an education visa.
There's no bending of any laws at all.
The `work,' enacted in your home, becomes a quid-pro-quo for board and keep while the money that you pay him/her in your home country is irrelevant as it's not transacted here.
Take care that any employment contract you have with your helper doesn't refer to any work in Thailand or you may find yourself compromised shd there be a falling out between you and that person. That risk was was highlighted recently with the recent arrest in NY of the Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade for doing what hundreds of expats around the world do routinely to enable their domestic workers to accompany them.

Well I'm Thai farang, or farang Thai...and I often find later that I've paid 4x or whatever the price I shd have paid because I don't look like I apparently shd, and I speak Thai perfectly well so it 's just simply racist, not that people actually get that. Many places don't have prices posted and they charge based on their presumption of whether you're Thai or not.

Many countries have dual pricing, generally based on the assumption of whether you're a tax payer or not. If you don't pay tax, I don't see any grounds for complaint if you pay more than locals; if you do, I completely agree the price shd be the same.

Verasu's bags are very big and great value; it's beans, not ground, tho. Not sure if they'll grind for you... But certainly worth buying a grinder - not necessarily there - for good, fresh coffee!

Fresh market for grated coconut, albeit not dried. BigC also has lentils, as does Indian super at asoke interchange

Three people die every hour, making Thailand's roads second-most deadly in the world, according to WHO.

See stats here http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A997

and here http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2013/country_profiles/thailand.pdf

The AOT limos are great and I always book while waiting at the baggage carousel and walk straight out to a clean, spacious car with room for the luggage without it hanging out of the boot and driven by a neat and tidy driver.

I only wish the service operated to and from Don Mueang Airport, and where ever else I might want a reliable service.

Even pre-booking a cab is a joke as they so often call shortly before the booking time to say there's no car available for a booking made hours or days earlier. It's pathetic.

Training in basic business principles - reliable service - would be a good start.

Strange that so many people who comment in the Thaivisa forum complain endlessly about corruption in Thailand yet seem to find fault with the OP and ridicule him/her for asking if he/she's fallen foul of a scam.

By not issuing a receipt, it's obvious the immigration officers put the money in their pockets. That makes them crooks, just the same as any govt official who abuses their authority for personal benefit.

While that may be more the norm than not in Thailand, it doesn't mean its acceptable or pardonable.

The OP was entitled to a receipt and should have asked for a supervisory officer if one weren't forthcoming. In fact, that would help deter such scams.

Khun Wichit has been saying this for decades. But one man can't do much if the policy makers and enforcers don't listen or are beneficiaries of the corruption that's ruining Phuket, and Thailand.

Mario2008, Most - rather than some - Thai embassies and consulates now renew Thai ID cards.

And if they can't issue the ID card or the passport due to paperwork problems, they can and will issue temporary travel documents. There are many Thais abroad in similar situations as the OP's partner.