Shwaman

While perusing the forum my attention was gained by a strange heading. "War in Isreal " . I thought wtf the Egyptians and Jordanians have invaded again à la 68? But no! Its about Israels invasion ( and justifiably so) of Gaza and subsequent ( not necessarily so) forays into Lebanon and the West bank. Definitely not war in Israel. And just as a further clarification, it's an accepted fact that indigenous Palestinians in Gaza predate the arrival of the Abramites out of the Chaldese. So in the not so current venacular, "who's zooming who ?". But the most galling thing about this whole nightmare was its inevitable creation by Euopean colonial powers out of their complete contempt for any "<deleted>" that hadn't developed their esteemed civility. Makes one ashamed to be complicit to this day. Hence the above post.

So just to offer a little anecdotal information. When I exited Thai immigration in early January I was somewhat alarmed when the Thai IO offered the opinion that I might be ok for a quick turnaround that time but don't count on it again. This was contrary to the accepted wisdom of the day. Fortunately for my Feb 28th run I heeded his warning and used a very well connected agent out of Udon Thani and events proceeded without a hitch. But while on the Laos side it was obvious there were a number of distraught farang and the number of people crossing the border was significantly reduced compared to previous visits. The agent informed me that as of about 1 month ago immigration has decided the multiple visa exempt entry days are over. The basic position is that after 90 days (60 +30) it's time to move on and reenter on a touist visa from an Embassy in a foreign country or begin the Non O visa process. The rationale for this limited or no notice about this change of policy seems to be , simply put , that this has always been within any IO discretion. Can't argue with that. But the driving force seems to be the increasing need to monitor the where abouts of bad actors. These are just observations from my experience today and I hope with this foresight everyone can enjoy this country free of border crossing anxiety going forward. If the above seems incorrect please accept the advice of Dr. Jack and other experts on this forum who are more informed than me.

Ah! It's so entertaining to whatch the true believers play out in real time the age old maxim " figures lie and liars figure " nough said.

Having no extensive knowledge of current immigration regs , I can only offer an anecdotal reply. Six years ago a Belgian friend of mine while waiting for God after extensive pancreatic cancer surgery was granted permission to not attend immigration in Tak province. If I remember correctly there was assistance / letters from the village police.

I've always found it amusing that foreigners living for extended periods of time in Thailand can't grasp the reality that the traffic laws are for the movement of cars and commercial vehicles in a more or less orderly manner and that there is an alternate unwritten tacit cultural traffic code for smaller motorscooters that most Thais understand and employ for great ease and efficiency of transportation. Having come from a Western tight arse overly regulated nation myself like many on this forum it truly is liberating to adopt the local trafic code and arrive at ones destination on a scooter while those in a car haven't got through the first traffic light on their precious one way street. Just sayin.

Don't understand what all the fuss is about. I'm in Khon Kaen. Little bit of a campfire smell from my youth. Makes for a good sleep. Or is it Alzheimer's?

Got it! Thanks.

So out of curiosity, how will the new electonic system affect a same day border bounce after January 1. I'm doing the Nong Khai bit early February. Last I read the E visa requirement wasn't mandatory until June. As the OP mentioned anything can be in flux at any given time.

Good on ya Britscot ! But of course those who seldomly post on this forum know nothing compared to the naysayers who post vitriol here about everything every day. But it does make for good entertainment if one is able to laugh at those with a self imposed sense of superiority.

You're spot on Joe. Glad to have entertained you. First time at bat. Hopefully the last. 555.

Definition of representative democracy. Same same in most democracies

Yes! I do believe the laws have been changed. Laws are changed every day in every democratic nation in the world. Strange that is a problem in Thailand. Only ones with an axe to grind consider this inappropriate.

Yep! Here it comes from the superior non affected. 555

YGood for him!! Played the system perfectly! Soon he and his sister will be able to do more good things for the exploited good hard working Thai people of the north. Many people yek yek here about " rule of law ". Doesn't exist here unconditionally. But thankfully little people will finally have a champion again. Yes ! He might have gained personality in times past , but show me a leader anywhere in the world that hasn't. Mandel might be an exception but that was a anti-coloniest exception. Never considered her in Thai Long live Thaksin and Yingluck to take it too the establishment.

Everyone loves to hate the rich! Says more about them than the people they attack. That said the MFP is the future of Thailand. Compromise is the essence of democracy. The new generation of Thais will work it out with the old. God/ Buddha bless em.

Good for him!! Played the system perfectly! Soon he and his sister will be able to do more good things for the exploited good hard working Thai people of the north. Many people yek yek here about " rule of law ". Doesn't exist here unconditionally. But thankfully little people will finally have a champion again. Yes ! He might have gained personality in times past , but show me a leader anywhere in the world that hasn't. Mandel might be an exception but that was a anti-coloniest exception. Never considered her in Thai Long live Thaksin and Yingluck to take it too the establishment.

Unless I read it wrong, the Thai female neighbour was stabbed/ wounded multiple times. My countryman once in the heart. This is obviously, only in my opinion ,a crime of passion / jealous rage from unrequited love. I've spent many enjoyable months in Khon Kaen even in the small villages. The people are very accommodating and gracious. This sad story could happen anywhere on the planet.

As most folks know , there are four strains. I picked up one in Cambodia 10 years ago. It played itself out in Chiang Mai over 2 1/2 weeks over Christmas. The most distressing part is it's biphasic nature. Haemophasic is another level altogether . My heart goes out to this chap while others can only yek yek about insurance. Really? Need to feel superior? Geez. Could happen to anyone, anytime. And as the more cynical/ aware of us know insurance companies have a plethora of loopholes to avoid paying anyway. Give the guy a break.

Talk about getting your brains f##ked out. Sorry couldn't resist. On a more serious note I can remember having a small dose of E slipped into my drink in Ban Tak 4 years ago. I could drive like stink but couldn't remember any basic banking information. Later a decent Thai bar owner in Chiang Mai warned me that a common ruse is for women of a certain occupation to put similar compounds on their nipples to further otherwise nefarious results. Gotta love this place. Kwai beware. 555

As supported by the two main coalition parties, if he doesn't usurp their legislative agenda, this will be a good thing for Thailand. The only remaining question is, to whose allegiance the senate will continue to commit with regards to holding sway in future legislative initiatives. I'm no expert but from what I understand, he has now been granted significant influence in this process. Hoping for the best for this politically crazy but wonderful nation.

Read the above replies. Can't quite understand many of the preconceived judgments. However one thing is certain. Good bad or indifferent, none of us is getting out of here alive. I'll just choose to leave it all in the realm of TIT. That's why I'm here.

Brit Tim . Left my glasses in the car but fortunately a lovely IO intake assistant filled out my TM 6 for me. She asked for the exiting flight info. Then went to the on duty line up where I was officially stamped through. I was asked why I was staying in Ban Tak . Answered visiting friends and was sent on my way. I had the required 500 baht so I'm sorry I can't inform you about $10 USD . And yes as someone else posted its a beautiful ride on a very good highway. For real scenic beauty the mountain road from Mae Ramat to Ban Tak is top drawer altough care needs to be taken where they are reconstructing washed out sections of the road. From CM its about the same time to either border crossing but personally I do find Mae Sot preferable to Mae Sai. Thanks for your interest and responses.

Thanks for that Rooster ! Was in Ban Tak today with a family I have great affection for. Young lad (Thai ) threw water in the face of a passing MC . So I went over and motioned to him ( my Thai is limited unlike yours) that this was mai dee and keep it below the chest. Very pleased to report that he understood the farang and conducted himself in exemplary fashion the rest of the day. Songkran can be a lot fun but please everyone respect the elderly , people trying to make a living and basic road safety. A little water on the shoulder goes a long way towards cultural understanding. Sa wa dee pee mai.

Choice is never about facts. Its about the joy of living and risking all. There will always be those that never get it. To each their own!

And that is a fair point as well. Poverty elicits some very poor choices in any culture. I wish it were different myself. But the culture needs to adopt changes from within. Maybe from observation, maybe from education. No one wants to see innocent children die under any circumstance.