If I should die

Thank you all. I had overlooked that the Non-O status and extension of stay were separate. I shall renew on my return from UK.

My non-immigrant visa based on retirement (extended once without issues) is due to be renewed by 14th May. I have a trip to the UK planned to return on 9th May. I then have other trips scheduled in mid June, late September and early December. So I could each time I return get a 30 day entry stamp and not need to apply for a new non-immigrant visa until March 2025. Is there benefit to one option rather than the other. I appreciate I could save 7,600 THB in re-entry fees.

Is anyone interested, or can you suggest where I can look for a part time book keeper - a few (approx 4) hours a month. Not related to Thailand. Cab be Thai or farang.

As immigration offices vary in their requirements and I have very recently extended my non-o (retirement) here are a few observations. All the personnel were cheerful and helpful. I had a letter from the bank that was a few days old (an earlier visit was precluded by al the bank holidays in early May) but up to one week is fine. The bank statement was from the same day but that was not fine. It has to be until the day of application. The nearest bank (Kasikorn) to Nonthaburi immigration is at Crystal SB/DesignCentre on Ratchapruek Road. The official who dealt with my application wanted a copy of every page in the passport with a Thai stamp but volunteered to do it himself, this time. I choose the 800,000 THB route and he explained that I could not withdraw any money for three months but could do so after as long as at least 400,000 stayed in the account. I had to sign a book , I assume to indicate he had explained and I had understood. Other than that it was a matter of waiting - it is a small office but with high and increasing demand. Another interesting point - there is a modern photocopying machine and reams of paper provided free of charge for the use of applicants.

Sounds reassuring, thank you.

Thank you. It says "pending", so I shall wait a little longer.

I submitted my 90 day report on-line on 14th May. It was accepted and I received a form filled with my information. I was due to report on or before the 15th. Do you think I have scraped through or do I need to go to the immigration office and also do it manually? I am actually leaving on the 20th late at night and have a re-entry for my return. What happens if I wait for the 90 day report to be accepted and it isn't? Thank you for your help.

I need to have some moles, blemishes looked at. I live in Pak Kret, BKK suburb. Can anyone recommend a doctor is greater BKK for a first opinion and treatment. I have no relationship with any physician or hospital in Thailand.

Last September I bought a condo in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi but it needed renovation so stayed in a serviced appartment in soi Ton Son, Ploenchit, Bangkok. I finally moved in on the 10th December but did not go to the Nonthaburi immigration office to notify them of a change of address until the 19th. I presented, my passport and copies of my ID and visa passport pages, my landing card and the chanot. I do not yet have a yellow book and the blue book has no name in it - the former owner bought it before blue books were introduced and never asked for one. The immigration staff were quick, about half an hour, and friendly. There was no fine. Before leaving I asked if I needed to notify immigration each time I went upcountry for a few days. The official said, no but be careful. If the hotel where you stay notifies immigration you will have to notify immigration on return to base, so tell the hotel you are already registered and it does not need to do so. .

It starts with only allowing people with a driving licence obtained by passing a real driving test and demonstrating knowledge of the highway code. How many police have real test-based licences? Most Thais are given or buy their licences. Then create a corp of police who knw the rules and are prepared to enforce them. Highly improbable as even murder is not punished in Thailand if committed by the "right" person. So all in all, improving driving here is a dream for politicans and senior policemen, they can talk forever, pass law after law, buy all the new equipment that is invented - and even equipment everyone knows does not work - knowing full well they will not have to change their ways so other Thais will not change either.

I disagree only witht he last sentance. It implies that corruption is new. It has always been thus, read any book written by early visitors and later visitors to Siam. But it is not only in LOS.

Thais do not work on building sites - they do not like hard work, the workers are generally foreigners - Burmese, Cambodian, Lao. There are several million with work permits but they or the contractor who houses them are still "fined" by the police

I would suggest enjoying Shakespears and Keats, not to mention Eliot takes more than knowledge of English.

Will the mafia in uniform create a secondary market for avoiding points or will it leave it to private influential people and simply collect brown envelopes? Thais join the police to make money. Some money can be made from traffic but so much less than from extorting builders (is te going rate 10,000 THB per foreigner and there are 3-5 million of them!), from the natural vices (drinking, drugs, prostitution, gambling, and slavery now known as people trafficking) and from commissions on all the money spent by the state. The police assigned to traffic - presumably those who do not yet have sufficient to bribe their way to more lucrative positions stay well off the roads. How many active policement have you seen at a jammed intersection with vehicles in the wrong lanes and going through red lights? Any? There are two possible solutions - the first starts by enforcing driving tests (real ones) on all drivers but this will never work - it is like saying stop corruption. The other is to create a new high tech corps - hence providing an attraction other than money - that does not depend on the mafia. They would learn to patrol the roads with drones, higher altitude monitoring drones and then attack drones that would drop paint bombs on dangerous drivers - different coloured pait, water based or oil based depending on whether a warning or actual punishment and the crime. All would be uploaded to a publicly availabe web site to encourage recruitment and perhaps dissuade some drivers.

Wise move, hiring an outsider and even more so a foreigner might have led to some real operational changes, perhaps even to senior executives and board members having to put in effort rather than simply taking out rewards.