NanLaew

The opening article from Thai PBS introduced Thaksin as the... Fair enough. He was a PM before he was convicted after all. This was followed by an amazing barrage of articles from Thai Newsroom that variously describe Thaksin as... Is there really any need to shout? And... and... and finally, the very shouty... I can't imagine the people at Thai Newsroom ever acknowledging Thaksin as Thailand's first (and so far only) democratically elected Prime Minister, can you? Never mind, I'm loving the free press here in Thailand, just loving it. Especially the fair and balanced sources chosen by @snoop1130 and @webfact respectively.

What was the problem with the last one?

They do, but nobody listens or cares. Insert Gallic shrug [here]

Surely, if he "comes" now, then there's no need to come over here.

No it doesn't. Then you would need to ask the Thai authorities why they feel that needs to be the case on a Thai DL. But, as a foreign driving entitlement being offered as valid proof of having an acceptable driving entitlement from the foreign country you are from, maybe having the licence number linked to the holder by more than just the picture is no more than a cross-check on its validity and/or legality? I could offer my valid UK driving licence that doesn't have my passport number but, as a non-resident of the UK, I would need to provide at least two more items of identification that, as a UK non-resident, I don't have. It's also illegal to use your valid UK driving license while driving in the UK if you are no longer a UK resident.

BA, Malaysian (both One World) and KLM/AF. They seem to adhere to a totally different (older?) frequent flier award system than the newer, middle-east mega-carriers. BA has always been 'less giving' unless you really are up there status wise. Cash+miles options capped. Some of my best flying experiences in their Business Class, some of my worst in their Business Class too. Predictable (better to book the same flights (same plane) on a Qatar code-share). Malaysian, they've been a total hit-and-miss with some really great 'flash' offers and bundles, but they seem to be exactly that, windowed with specific dates, markets or sectors and not anything that you can plan on being available when it's time to fly. Frustrating but usable. As for KLM/AF, they went from KLM being my number one choice and my being somewhere 'beyond platinum' to, after the 'merger', delivering a constantly diminishing level of customer appreciation. Lounge access is far more restrictive, upgrades scarcer than hens teeth and their pro-rated miles earned based on the fare paid. It's been a few years since the option to use your points to get a single-class upgrade or 'buy' extra baggage was integrated in their online booking. Nowadays, it's more of a case of pick a class and pay (for everything) and only the most expensive Economy Plus ticket allows you to select a seat... online within 24-hours of departure (not at purchase time). For all others, it's AirAsia style lucky-dip at check-in. Business gets all the goodies, but the price differential is significant compared to what it used to be, and easily doubles the cost from Economy Plus. I ended up burning the miles due to expire on a coffee machine, a toasted sandwich maker, some NL hotel vouchers and some coupons for Schiphol shopping. I am a quite recent frequent flier on Qatar (just started after Covid...go figure!) and they do look promising, although their huge, intercontinental bus terminal at Hamad doesn't impress me much but at least the stopovers are a decent 2-hours tops. Almost forgot, I only have two credit cards and neither offer miles with purchases, but I do make sure I get what I can from hotel stays and car rentals.

A very, very good point. I use my TDL for UK car rentals, using the same off-airport branch that knows me, and my Thai DL number does NOT match the passport that they require as primary ID. I think I may get my TDL updated to match as it may only take an eagle-eyed new employee or an internal audit of procedures to result in a future rental being denied. More worried about that than any bobby from Z-cars throwing a wobbly on the M6. Thanks!

You are suggesting the Thai post office has access to a database that confirms the walk-in foreigners current passport number as logged by immigration? Otherwise, how did they know that your TDL had an old passport number on it? Asked and answered. That is scary IMHO. The bloody Post Office has these details? I know that around the time of Covid, they started rolling out ATM's that had a slot for Thai ID cards for approval of certain transactions and I am sure that's also the database that Big C uses for their locals. It's a bit off if they have started tracking us by where he carry out transactions. Makes the current 'assessable tax' hue and cry all rather pointless already.

In my limited and far from empirical experience, the Thai legations in third countries primarily provide visa services for the citizens and bona fide foreign residents of that third country. More than a few will decline to accept an application from an itinerant or tourist and refer them to the Thai legation in their home country. They may be more amenable to issuing a tourist visa for the itinerant or tourist applicant, but not any Non-immigrant type visa. So, Savanakhet is still an easy one-overnight experience if you chose the right day and time. The Thai Embassy in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam was also a frequent "local" Non-O issuer, but they have gone from one-night, walk-in, no proof of funds to two-nights, by-appointment and with proof of funds.

I am not sure how that legal protection of the individual will stand as the needs and demands of being a member nation of the OECD grow. It's assumed that Thailand's RD deciding to activate this decades-old, but previously unenforced ruling on assessable income is to assuage the requirements of OECD membership and demands of fellow member nations that may already have a more "worldly" revenue department. Since the G20 'banned' banking secrecy in 2009, there's been steady growth of agreed, international rules and regulations that banks need to comply with in order to maintain their access to global banking networks. They have been legally bound to carry out KYC (know your customer) due diligence for over a decade already. Once they verify who you are and your tax ID number (TIN), your personal identity is reduced to that anonymous sequence of numbers and legally, that's all they need to share with other, foreign agencies. Nobody cares or needs to know if you are a single, retired bricklayer from Nuneaton, living outside Chiang Rai on a Retirement Extension and a part time job teaching English online to Chinese students.

My, how original.

yet another comment on yet another accident involving a passenger bus

No. No you are not. You are the avid, first-responder to most all 'bad news' items as soon as they appear on this forum, where you have a tendency to post one or two short sentences offering absolutely nothing informative, constructive or creative.

Good summation there, including the pink ID cards and yellow book (PID/YB) number options. Some of the newer PID's do not have the "province limit" statement on the obverse. I know of two people who changed from passport # to PID # for their Thai Driving licence (TDL) renewal. One guy has the province restriction of his older PID duplicated on the new TDL whereas the guy with the newer PID says his new TDL has no province restriction. Looks like the DL licence jobsworths maybe just copy/paste stuff? I had to change from my old passport # to my new passport # on my TDL so that the address on it 100% matched the PID address and the TDL number my passport when I was getting a car note (finance). These were my three (only) primary ID's offered as a foreigner seeking finance. That's what the dealership said was needed, but maybe they were just covering their bases and to prevent any waste of time IF the finance company knocked it back. If you aint buying anything on tick, I reckon changing the passport number on the TDL at the next renewal is good enough.

Obviously, but neither you or my air travel reward experience is empirical. You list three airlines, which I assume are your 'frequent' carriers and the ones you earn/burn points on. I am a frequent flier and not an occasional flyer, and the three airlines I fly with the most aren't the same ones that you fly rhe most.

Maybe "the whole frequent flyer thingmabob has limited value-added for the airlines TG these days, ..."

That's the standard, throw-down reason to deny entry issued many, many times by many IO's at various airports already. In some instances, the IO's haven't even asked to see proof of 20,000 baht (equivalent) before sending people back. I recall a few "help! stuck at airport" threads here where the IO's ignored the cash being shown to them: some will actually look away so they can claim they never saw it. If they suspect dodginess of any sort, it's the easiest way of sending people back quickly, as it probably requires minimal paperwork?

and... Channelling your inner "angry man shouts at clouds" again (and again), are we?

If the OP's member number/status is already in the ticketing, there's no need to flash any card to remind anyone. TBH, very few airlines issue physical cards these days and even less bother to mail out new or replacement ones. As suggested already, if the OP can get their app on the phone, that's the way to go. IMHO, the whole frequent flyer thingmabob has limited value-added for the airlines these days, which is why you see them buggering about with 2-for-1 dilutions of value or rebranding them with a new name but with far lower earning rate for their devalued currency. I was a KLM aficionado from their Flying Dutchman days, and the last great thing they did for me was double my existing miles as a thank you for my loyalty. Then Air France bought them and sold the Dutch farm. They now have a points earning system that's based on front-of-the-bus earning 100% miles-for-miles while everything lower (most paying passengers) is prorated. So the punter taking advantage of a low-cost, no-checked baggage airfare in Coach earns about the same miles as the taxi ride to the airport. I think Qatar may be bucking this trend with all classes earning exactly the miles flown?

Yes, your subsequent posts do confirm that you don't have a bias so my apologies for being presumptive. A broadly agree with you that "most flyers would never know what aircraft they are getting on" but I would caution that more flyers are paying attention to these incidents in the media and most all travel booking websites state precisely what equipment is serving the routes they're looking at. The 'I'm not flying on that' decision based on airframes may no longer be the preserve of your average aircraft anorak. Talking of, personally, I like to check the ID plate riveted inside the top frame of the front door of any 737 I am boarding, so I can check on its age and history later (if it hasn't crashed first of course). I haven't been able to find a similar easy reference on the Airbuses.

With your "Others outside don't want and shouldn't be responsible" diatribe, it sounds like you may agree that the Covid lock downs could have been avoided if they had just let nature take its course and let the old and infirm cark it? And we're the selfish ones?

Actually, according to the immigration laws of "US / German/ Uk/ Aust etc", the immigration officer thumbing through your passport does have absolute discretion on the matter of your eligibility to enter at their borders. Visa holder or otherwise. It's just that nobody tries to 'milk it' in the "US / German/ Uk/ Aust etc" like so many try to do here in Thailand. Must be the temples, no? The way I see it, Thailand has been far too easy and lenient on these visa-exempt for far too long and there are legions of squatters who take that as some right to pitch their tent here in perpetuity. The 'open borders' myth gets spread and then, on the day an IO gets his big red pen out, it's time to cry for help and "why me?" and wave the Thai xenophobia flag.

Sticking US$20k equivalent in a Lao bank account gets you 6-months "long-stay" visa. US$40k will get you the Big Kahuna 1-year version. https://immigration.gov.la/visa-categories/

Some insurance companies like roojai, offer free roadside assist for a year, as a sweetener to get you to switch. Otherwise, it's an inexpensive add-on for a year's peace of mind. https://allianz-assistance.co.th/roadside-assistance/en/

Yes, it will be manic on the build up before and Tet. Very lively. Then it gets a more sensible. Like a Songkran without the water nonsense.