parallaxtech

I am well-known having lived in Chaweng for seven years plus the market is within a km of my house so yes they could find me in minutes. I will take MAJIC's advice and forget about it. To me it's amazing that I have to avoid most Thai males these days. I have no problem with Thai females as they don't seem to have changed as much.

I have noticed much more aggressiveness towards farangs lately by Thai men shouting things and waving their arms menacingly to the point that I ignore all of them. Tonight was a case in point. I went to one of those small open air markets looking for beach shoes. A nice young girl of about 16 was helping me. I asked her in Thai whether she went to school or not. Suddenly a man, presumably her brother or father, came up to me with a long pole and pushed it against my throat. I thought it was a joke so I started laughing. I was holding a pair of shoes and told him I wanted to buy them. He grabbed the shoes and told me to get out. My question is should I let it go or get the Tourist Police to file assault charges?

I have been on the Chaweng Beach practically every day for the last seven years. I used to witness at least three scams a day, but now rarely see one, and I do keep a close eye on them out of curiosity. I have a feeling that someone high up had a quiet word with Capt Narin.

Shoot him in the back and then turn him over and shoot him in the front. That way you can say he attacked you and you defended yourself (might want to put a knife in his right hand, also). They don't have CSI here so will probably say he drowned in your bathtub.

Sorry I'm not able to provide much information on Palm Construction, but I have seen some of their work and it looks ok. My question is why are you not considering a house already completed within the last five years? With the economy the way it is most houses I've seen for sale are around 10-20KB/sqm whereas the exact same house would cost you 50KB/sqm to build today if you hired one of the Samui builders. Five years ago it was the exact opposite -- you could build a house for very little and make 100% on it within a few years. I've had at least fifteen Thai and farang builders quote on a small guest house with just basic features using local materials and they all quote in the range of 50KB/sqm. Materials have not gone up that much in the last five years, salaries have stayed the same, and the quality of work is still pretty lousy. I would not consider building anything in Samui right now unless I had a very good western friend who was a builder and had a team of good workers. I would want to see the cost of materials and labour separately and also pay in quarters upon completion. Just using local materials you should easily complete your house at under 20KB/sqm.

Is it a fact that Thais actually pay this absurd tax? There is a huge smuggling ring here as well as a grey market. I saw an 18-yr-old Thai jetski-mafia-type driving a BMW the other day and I asked him where he got the 10MB for it and he just smiled and said it was less than 1MB! If a farang tries this they run the risk of it getting confiscated. Why would anyone in their right mind pay 10MB for a 2MB car?

Foreign criminals in Thailand represent less than 1% of the criminals incarcerated in Thailand. Go to http://www.thaiprisonlife.com, which offers old statistics, but still gives one an idea as to who is committing the crimes here. Out of all the foreign criminals incarcerated in Thailand most are from Asia. So, why even talk about such a small group of people? Because it is by far more interesting to talk about someone who swindled millions out of people rather than Somchai who stuck a knife in Patpong during a poker game. Also, it is politically more favorable to point to the farang boogey man as the cause of all the problems here.

Just an update for anyone who is getting their retirement/marriage/etc. one-year-extension anytime soon. I got mine today for the requisite 1,900B with no hassle or fuss for a change. I had prepared all the documents beforehand, made copies of everything, and put the envelope containing the 1,900B on the top. They did not smile or wai me and pretty much shoved the documents at me, but at least I didn't have to pay the 3,100B+++ tip that was customary in the past. I hope everyone will do the same so they will understand that we will only pay the amout required under Thai law.

Concrete stamping would be a great business opportunity for someone who has worked with cement or bricks. Many farangs want nice driveways and patios here and the business is all over Thailand except for Samui; see http:///www.winflor.com . Also, there are companies on the web that offer the materials and instructions. I am too old and w/o experience with cement so it wouldn't be an option for me.

I need a driveway, patio, and walkway done with concrete stamping. I found a company in Bangkok and another in Suratthani that charge 750/sqm (material and labor), but they will not come to Samui. Does anyone know of a company or individual who can do the work?

Here is what was sent to me by someone fairly involved with Immigration on a regular basis.

The correct course of action is to place the correct fee into an envelope & place it on top of your application, that way theres no loss of face as they (immigration) realise you (applicant) know the score. Anyone who mutters the immortal words how much is that, officer? after all the warnings of late deserves to be fleeced!

I am not aware of a single person experiencing probs if following the above.

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I also received this same advice from a US Embassy official last year and followed it. SIO looked inside the envelope and asked what it was for and I said it was for the fee. He then said it wasn't enough and stormed out of the small back room only to return a few minutes later with my passport and extension stamp. I believe this is the correct way of paying this fee and I will do it again in August. I hope others also will do this so we can develop some solidarity. I just feel that after jumping through all their hoops and even exceeding the requirements, I still have to act like a drug dealer! Yes, I know the answer, TIT.

Last year after many complaints on the internet and through the mail to embassies and government officials, SIO put up a tariff board. This seemed to halt the extortion that was part of the rite of passage for those of us looking for a one-year-extension. Being charged anywhere from 5KB to 30KB for a 1.9KB extension was acceptable for some as simply TIT, but for others it was time to take a stand, which we did, and then felt vindicated when the prices were posted. Recently, several individuals have gone in for their extension and been charged 5KB, and even when they questioned why they were being charged more than the official price of 1.9KB, their passport was held until they paid the 5KB. I would like to hear from those who have filed for an extension in the last three months as to what was their experience.

ESB7:

My dogs are at three different locations on my property and one is roped to the front entrance.

Poor dog. Good thing you don't live in a country that has any idea of humane treatment of animals....

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A 10m rope lead is acceptable in any country -- good thing a brain is not required to be a member of TV.

And of course the American doctor has a Thai medical license and was granted a work permit.

I am an American doctor living in Koh Samui and saved enough money to live on for the rest of my life, but intended to work part-time or as a volunteer. However, the roadblocks put before me were impossible to overcome:

You must read/write/speak fluent Thai -- that includes all anatomy, medical terms, pharmacology, etc. I was told that after you fail the test, which is assured, a bribe of $50,000 will secure the license (hearsay). Since I was interested in working for a low fee or for free this was not a viable option. Even if by some miracle, you passed the test, you would be about as welcome as a ladyboy at the Miss Universe contest.

Most foreign doctors are trying to work in the US, where they must pass the USMLE, which is very difficult for a non-English speaker, so they usually work as nurses until or if they ever pass it.

My advice to you would be to pursue engineering and still fulfill the pre-med requirements as electives. By the time your undergraduate degree is obtained you will know better whether you wish to continue to med school or chase windmills.

Is there a company that will come by and collect old furniture and junk? If not does anyone know where I can dump this stuff?

So i'm eager to know how you would define "security in place." Pointless to call the BIB because they would'nt be interested, your dogs if you have them as securitywould be poisoned if the thieves really wanted to burgle you., would you be legal using a gun?

I'll bet if you gave the burglar a beating the police would charge you anyway!

Please define security.

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Even the best security can be defeated. The idea is to make your residence less easy to penetrate than the others. I have overdone my security: steel grills on the windows, barbed wire, electrified fence, cctv, alarms on all windows and doors, 3 killer guard dogs, and two guards at the front gate (300m away). My dogs are at three different locations on my property and one is roped to the front entrance. It would be difficult to poison all the dogs as they go berserk at the sight of any stranger so at least one would probably be alive to alert us.

I have lived in places like Bogota and San Salvador where security was essential to save your life. My home in the Caribbean has a 3m concrete wall around it with barbed wire on top and two guards with shotguns. Even with that I was robbed -- turned out to be my own guards.

The bottom-line is to do the best you can, but don't be surprised when your place is burgled because you did nothing.

The BIB are useless in my opinion. They never responded to my burglary so I went to the police dept to report it. Surely, if you shot or harmed the burglers you would be charged. If I have a problem I call a friend at the Tourist Police who at least attempts to handle the problem without extorting money from me.

When my house was hit several years ago the police explained that at that time of year (March) the schools were out and the kids came over from Suratthani to enjoy their "Thai Christmas." Look at the numerous threads about burglaries -- if you don't have security in place, don't bother to complain when you're cleaned out.

Thanks for the responses. The guy is a mafia type so I feel that any action would be retaliated and I have a wife and house to consider. I don't want to get into the details of how it was stolen, but it could not have been prevented -- it was not a simple case of leaving it in the open. I was living in a rental at the time (no insurance), but now have an insured home.

If I did something physical this might cause me more trouble. It bothers me every day especially when I see this guy. He bragged to several neighbors that he routinely "gets" things from farangs and sells them. The police said they knew about it but couldn't catch him. He now has a nice shop that has been financed by all this theft. I suppose it is just a bitter pill to swallow.

A while ago a Thai man stole 1mb in jewelry from me . I went to the police, but didn't have any evidence. One of the neighbors saw him and told me but this was not good enough for the police. I offered a 100KB reward to the police but they said the goods were long gone as nobody would hold on to them. I see the guy all the time and he looks away from me. My question is what would you do about it if anything?

Ask for Finpecia, about 75% less than Propecia, but not available at all pharmacies. Proscar goes under the name Harifin-5. I have found both drugs at Morya Pharmacy in Koh Samui, but don't know where you can get it in BKK.

Don`t these child rapists realise that this is a set up organised by the police, the underage boys and their families?

Many of the kids are already well seasoned street prostitutes and use the law to extract large sums of money from the perverted farangs.

Now that these perverts have probably been separate from all they’re assets and jailed, I have no doubts these kids are back on the streets again, perhaps with the blessing of their families and looking for their next victim.

These kids are jailbait, PERVERTS and SICKOS BEWARE, you maybe next

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Finally someone who understands Thailand. These are not innocent children dragged off of a schoolyard, but experienced prostitutes supporting their families and the police. The boy should be placed in a juvenile prison for at least four years along with his parents, but this is Thailand, so he is already on to the next john or dick or harry.

Nobody supports pedos and child molesters, but with the millions out there that will never be imprisoned, would it be better for them to hang around schoolyards or pay the services of a prostitute? Now prostitutes aren't even a safe option so look for them in your local neighborhood soon!

I cannot believe this conversation is going on, have you people not learnt about respect,what good can a persons business have if you park right outside there entrance.

I agree with the thais, if somebodys car is affecting there business, they have the right to do what they do.

Times are hard enough for businesses here, just because farang doesn,t want to walk an extra 20m,he thinks he can park anywhere,no no

You missed the whole point. If YOU owned a restaurant in Chaweng and I told you not to park in front of YOUR restaurant or I would either kill you or damage your car what would you say to me? I can understand somebody getting upset with non-customers taking up parking places in front of their restaurant, even though it's a public road, but not customers, owners, and employees parking in front of their own establishment. I have no respect for Thai thugs and neither should anyone else.

sorry but in thailand u cannot park infront of other peoples businesses without the owners permission. i learnnt the hard way also. they are right.

The taxis neither own the businesses nor the streets and are slashing tires of vehicles owned by the management in front of their restaurants. When I told the manager of one restaurant that the taxi drivers were chasing customers away from his place and damaging all vehicles parked in front, he laughed and said that they had attacked his car several times. If I owned or managed a restaurant here I would eventually have to confront these criminals.

Dunc: Stupid they are, but callous is a better word. I put an op in two weeks ago about the taxi drivers, but just have a drink in Bondi some time and ask the manager about them. They have been slashing tires, damaging motorcycles, and threatening anyone who gets near what they deem as their parking area, which is basically the entire beach road. I asked one of the local bar owners why they don't get a group of guys and smash some heads and he said that his bar would be fire-bombed the next day. If I owned a bar in that area I would not be able to put up with it.

Is it possible to open a brokerage account with local money without triggering a 1099 to the IRS for capital gains? I have looked at HSBC and etrade but suspect they report all capital gains to the US.