bangkokrick

Welcome to The Land of Smiles....

Imm. officers don't smile (at least not at Swampy), they're not even reasonably polite.

Not a good first impression.

Not surprising with the work load that they have due to piss poor organisation.

Hey! Stop posting about LEAVING Thailand in this thread which is all about ENTERING THAILAND.

There's a dedicated thread for the leavers.

Yes right on Nan. Hijackers lol

Be sure and have a look at the TV monitors posted in various places just before you go into one of the immigration halls. When I came in yesterday afternoon, the monitors showed the immigration area at the east end of the terminal had long queues, perhaps 30 people deep. The other areas that you could see on the monitors had very few people...perhaps one or two deep.

Thanks for that Bubba. I have never noticed the monitors before.

The sad thing is that it is so easy to correct the problem

Its the bloody speed of those new aircraft - they keep coming in so fast!

Thailand is taking up the the matter with Boeing and Airbus.

LOL yes should insist on smaller aircraft. TAT keep boasting about increases in arrivals, so things will only get worse. A case of TIT for TAT.

Welcome to The Land of Smiles....

There weren't much smiling going on at the time of arrival.The airport in any Country is the first impression that one gets of that Country and people will remember this occasion and it could possibly put them off returning. The sad thing is that it is so easy to correct the problem with proper planning, so why is it not being done?

very time I go to the airport at Bangkok,i think i'm finished in 20 minutes or less.

You have been very lucky,Thrilled. I have to say that this is the worst that I have ever seen it.

You only need to have a proof of address letter to buy a motor bike. You can get one from your embassy quite easily if you live here.

mmmmm..... do we have a thread named " Why it is so difficult to remain in Thailand? " yet ?

Go for it Surayu

This is in response to an earlier thread concerning exiting Thailand. I left Shanghai Pudong airport yesterday and even though there were many people waiting in the immigration queues I got through in 15 minutes, so exited without any problems. The whole process is very well organised ensuring a smooth passage.

I arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport at 12.15 and made my way towards the immigration area. There were that many people there that I could not get up the ramp it was chaotic. I tried to play a flanker by going to immigration area 3 but that was just as bad. I waited 2 hours before I finally managed to enter Thailand. There must have been hundreds if not thousands of people behind me, due to the newly arriving planes over the two hour period.

Many of the immigration desks were not manned and there was no one controlling the masses, so queue jumping was rife. This has nothing to do with the reparation work in the immigration areas because there was no work going on at the time, It is just plain bad organisation and is sure to piss off arriving tourists in the future. Can you imagine flying 11 hours from Europe and having to face this mess when you arrive. Lucky for me I only had a 5 hour flight. Get your act together Thailand!

Apparently they tried to do a software upgrade and things went badly wrong. Most of my scores for the last year were lost and my handicap is way off the mark due to this. This is the info that I got from a mate who also uses this site.

Bit of a joke that this app can not be downloaded in China, given the amount of Chinese tourists that visit Thailand. Oh well I'll just have to wait till I get home.

Hi Brad,

I'm afraid you won't get a loan in your name. You'll have to have a wealthy Thai person who'll guarantee that you're paying the amount back. Land owned by your wife could be helpful.

Good luck! -

Sorry mate but that is just not true. I have bought 2 cars on finance during my time in Thailand. Both the cars have been in my name and have not had a Thai guarantee. Look around for the best deals.

IanF - your analogies are amazing!

We're talking about 'new starters'. People who haven't got a job and therefore minimal money to support themselves. Keep them at work (in a factory) by not paying them for 6 weeks, then pay them 6 weeks wages!

Most of them will have worked for 3 weeks, not been paid and therefore unable to pay their rent/ food and are therefore forced to go home or borrow money from loan sharks or kindly farang relations like us!

I agree with you that it is VERY hard on the new workers. I saw a documentary of young Chinese workers who have to endure many hours of work before ever getting anything. They live in a dormatory with a minimal food existance allowance. It is almost a system of slavery and they can be released before receiving their back salary. However, there is always another side to all stories. Good on you for at least trying to help. Unfortunately, there are also the people who want something for nothing and do not have any intention of working hard. I had an ex-son-in law in Canada who was just like that, so I know even in a wealthy country there are those that are never reliable and never pull their own weight.

Ian I am not saying that those factories in China do not exist, but in my 15 years of working in China and in the 100's of factories that I have visited I have never seen what you describe. I am working in china at the moment in a large factory making ski wear for the western markets. The floor is that clean that you could eat your dinner off it and the workers are very well cared for. I had lunch with the masses today around a 1000 of them, it was very good basic food consisting of many Chinese dishes and people went back for seconds without any problem. Yes they do live in dormitories because they are brought in mainly from the North on 2 year contracts. Believe it or not getting hold of good labour in China is like finding rocking horse shit. The bosses know this, so they take care of their employees.

Back on topic I don't think that the OP or his family are being taken for a ride, from the information he has given.

IanF - your analogies are amazing!

We're talking about 'new starters'. People who haven't got a job and therefore minimal money to support themselves. Keep them at work (in a factory) by not paying them for 6 weeks, then pay them 6 weeks wages!

Most of them will have worked for 3 weeks, not been paid and therefore unable to pay their rent/ food and are therefore forced to go home or borrow money from loan sharks or kindly farang relations like us!

Trevorg it is very difficult for the factories to get a balance here. How long is too long. The weeks after Songkran are a nightmare many return late and many never return at all. The other issue here is that the factory down the road is paying a higher salary, so this starts the 'merry go round'. It must be tough for the Thai workers to maintain themselves over even a 4 week period, so hats off for helping.

Officially? Monthly nowadays.

Unofficially? (not the companies you mentioned) Whenever.

I really admire that you are helping these poor buggers who seem, like many here, to constantly have to live from hand to mouth.

You may not get your money back but you will get something back which is far more creditable, self-esteem.

Well done Sir! I admire your attitude even to the point where you suspect that your better half is stretching it a bit. She's not over-doing it and she has the draw of the family ties, so why worry?

It's the package.

x2

I also agree with Bangkokrick that many lower end workers do not return to their job as soon as they have a little jingle in their pockets. It frustrates companies who need to keep up a production level. It is another reason for bar fines in bars. It is an incentive to keep the workers at their place of employment. I have a Thai girlfriend who works as a masseuse. She has to pay the shop 500 baht a day for any day she misses work... other than her one day off a week. I have an acquaintance that has a fly tying company. Even though the girls get well paid by Asian standards it is hard to keep steady employees.

Yes Ian it is very frustrating for the companies, as they have targets to meet. Most companies that I have worked with also impose fines for absenteeism, but this seems to have little effect. Every Country is different I guess, not the same as in the West, but why should it be lol.

bangkokrick - thank you for your answer, so a 'newbie' in a factory would have to work a full calendar month before being paid - even if they had started a few days after the start of the previous month?

Yes they would have to work a full month before they got paid. The companies do this so that they keep the labour for at least a months period. Thais have a habit of not returning once they have money in their pockets.

I can only speak for the garment industry, but normally they are paid monthly in Thailand.

I think that it varies depending on the time of day. I left Thailand on the 22nd of Feb, got through immigration in 15 mins and that was at 8 am, but saying that I have been in a similar situation to you prior to that. Have to agree that it is very frustrating especially when you are nearing boarding time.

I would think that insulting a Thai Policeman would be a very stupid thing to do. There have been a few instances in the past where they have shot people in similar situations. Google it.

I have a Nokia c7 and find the camera to be very good and also its cheaper than the N8. I took this with it, my best ever sunset pic.Or maybe I am just a crap photographer.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YczQ8z-6YO43jDX-Y5fP29MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

He will be convicted for Pre-Meditated murder and will spend his time in a Thai Prison and rightfully so. Could not beat the Yank in a bar fight so stabbed him to death later.

I think the point is where will he be tried. If the Thai's fail to extradite him there may be a problem to try him in the UK?

Also Knox was allowed to appeal and was aquitted. No?

No similarity there. Knox was allowed an appeal against her conviction, Aldhouse is allowed an appeal against the decision to extradite him.

It is fairly common practise for people top be able to appeal against the above. This is nothing to do with the British judicial system its global. Didn't Victor Bout get the chance to appeal against his extradition to the US?

Why so much outrage by the Americans in this case. It seems that it was OK for Amanda Knox to get away with murdering an English girl and she will be 4 million dollars better of for it by selling her story. Will the parents of the victim have the right to try her in a UK court. The answer is a big fat no! Best look at your own judicial system which is pretty much on a par with that of the UK.

I think that LA is guilty of the crime but unless the Thai authorities make a case, he will be staying in the UK.

Way off the mark Bangkokrick, the evidence in the two cases polar opposites. Video of sh*tbag Aldhouse stealing the knives, victims GF witness. Nothing like that in the Knox case.

Similar I think. Both murdered outside their own countries and I don't think that justice will be done in either case.

The only similarities is that a murder occurred in a country outside the accused's. It ends there

Also Knox was allowed to appeal and was aquitted. No?

Why so much outrage by the Americans in this case. It seems that it was OK for Amanda Knox to get away with murdering an English girl and she will be 4 million dollars better of for it by selling her story. Will the parents of the victim have the right to try her in a UK court. The answer is a big fat no! Best look at your own judicial system which is pretty much on a par with that of the UK.

I think that LA is guilty of the crime but unless the Thai authorities make a case, he will be staying in the UK.

Way off the mark Bangkokrick, the evidence in the two cases polar opposites. Video of sh*tbag Aldhouse stealing the knives, victims GF witness. Nothing like that in the Knox case.

Similar I think. Both murdered outside their own countries and I don't think that justice will be done in either case.