MangoKorat

Have to say I was amazed for the same reason. As a relative 'newbie' I was in a taxi on the highway on my way from Don Mueang to a stag night in Pattaya. My flight arrived a bit late so I asked the taxi driver if he could do whatever to try to make up some time. We passed a 'highway patrol' car doing around 120kph. This was pre M7 - on the old road 3 I think and the limit would have been 80/90. I asked my driver if he'd seen the cops to which he told me "don't worry, highway police only look for trucks, trucks pay more money". Laughable but disgusting really, if they acted like normal cops, there would be more respect for the law and far less deaths on the roads.

Yes and they claimed to be going to do something about that - not too long back. <deleted> (rhymes with hollihocks) as usual.

The re-seller is based in Thailand and yes, its baht. I've had an android box before and this one is way better. No hunting around for streams. It has programme guides - click on the programme you want and its on. I take it with me everywhere - always works if there's reasonable wifi available. Very little buffering.

World Streams Pro via Android box and from a decent provider - located in Thailand. Updated every day. Movies, most countries TV (including UK) Sky, F1, lots of sport, series, catch up, even XXX. 6k for the box and service + 5.5k anually. OP only. PM me your phone number if interested and I'll pass it to the provider.

Thanks for that, when did London start issuing Multis again? They refused me in February 2020. Just out of interest really as I'm divorced now. Also, prior to E Visa, although the info on their site stated they required financial evidence, they didn't actually require it. I'm guessing its a requirement of the E Visa system?

Yes, come to think of it, at most of the checkpoints where I've been waved through, they'd pulled over lots of pick ups.

I thought my post was self-explanatory. I've always been driving legally but there was a time when the police seemed to stop foreigners regularly. I don't 'expect to be stopped now' but something's changed.

Do you know what the position is if you are using the income method and its your first application for an extension - i.e. you can't provide 12 month's proof?

When I first drove in Thailand over 20 years ago, I was often stopped after going through tolls or when entering a tollway. Then there were the constant road blocks at which, as a foreigner, I was seen as a prime target and duly pulled over on some spurious charge or other. There were constant reports of the same from others on various forums, chat rooms etc. It was common place and well known. I heard that shortly after the last military coup, the police were stopped from conducting most of their roadside stops/block etc. but they seem to be common again now. However, even though I probably drive more in Thailand now than ever, its been at least 5 years since I've been stopped by the police and I am almost always waved through at road blocks. What's changed? Is it dashcams and mobile phone cameras they are afraid of?

Surprised you have any money left them.

In 21 years, the only times I've been asked for bribes in Thailand is when I've been accompanied by a Thai national. Most Thai's complain and bitch about the police but act like puppies when they deal with them and usually pay any 'gifts' required - the police rely on this 'deference'. Next time, go alone. I have been told I'm 'speeding', driving in the 'wrong lane' etc. etc. in the past and told I have to pay a fine but I've always stood my ground and refused - politely. On one occasion on a tollway I was told I "drive too fast" and needed to pay a fine. When I asked for proof, refusing to pay without it, I was told that we'd have to go and talk to the 'Big Boss', I got out of the car and locked it up ready to go. The clearly shocked officer then changed his mind and said "OK but slowly na". No need for hassle, just stand your ground.

Is there a lack of news in Thailand at the moment? Police hairstyles are news?

There is no extension, as per my previous post - his visa is a 12 month multi. There is no extension for that visa, not in the way you are talking about. Each stay can be extended by 60 days but the visa has an ultimate 'enter by' date. Provided the holder leaves within 90 days, there is no reporting. If the holder applies for a 60 day extension, they have in effect, carried out a report. A Multi Entry Non O has a validity of 12 months and the holder can enter as many times as they wish during those 12 months. Each stay has a maximum length of 90 days + a possible extension of 60 days. Meaning that if the holder enters the day before the visa expires - the visa is actually effective for 17 months. They are available based on marriage and on having close family (i.e. son or daughter in Thailand) - there may be other qualifications but I don't know of them. Those who obtain the visa based on marriage can work on that visa but like all other classes, a work permit must be obtained. The holder must leave before the end of each stay - either 90 or 150 days with extension. I rarely stayed 90 days but on the occasions where I did, I used to travel to the cheapest available destination outside Thailand on a budget carrier and make a 2 or 3 day holiday of it. Some choose to do a border bounce and I'm told that a same day 'border bounce' is OK with a Multi. The locations where a Multi Non O can be obtained historically often don't have particularly strong requirements but they are slowly disappearing. I used to obtain mine from London but that ended when London went over to E Visa. My last Multi Non O was obtained in Ho Chi Minh City. Currently the only two locations that offer Multi Non O's that I know of are HCMC and Savannakhet (there may be others) - apparently HCMC has now introduced more stringent requirements. Last time I looked no E Visa locations offer Multi Non O's - just single entries and they only provide any type of Thai visa to citizens of that country or those with a legal right of residence. It seems that the days of the Multi Non O are numbered. Its not the same as your Non O that has an original length of stay of 90 days and is then extended for 12 months subject to 90 day reporting.

I'm not sure that things are the same for that type of visa. My friend's visa is a Multi Entry Non O based on marriage - possibly different rules/methods?

No argument with any of that but as I say, I was commenting in relation to the OP's question.

Thank you for a reasoned argument - unlike out keyboard name callers. I must disagree though - in real life terms. I fully understand in legal and technical terms, there is a world of difference but its mainly just in status. For the purposes of the OP's original question and my earlier posts in relation to it, I don't see any difference in terms of what actually happens on the day. I accept that I wrongly thought you were taken to IDC if denied entry but wished to appeal but in terms of the OP's question, there's no difference. If he was denied entry he'd be sent out. If he wished to appeal he'd be detained and if he lost his appeal - he'd be sent out. I do fully understand the difference between denial and deportation - legal and technical. Someone who has been deported could possibly be more sure of their next entry than someone who has been denied entry. With a deportation, its usually a punishment or part of one and you are usually given a time period after which you will be able to enter on normal terms. Someone who has been denied entry - and when we are talking about Thailand, that's usually because of their entry history, has no idea whether or not they will have problems on their next attempt. But in either case - your entire entry/departure history is available to the I.O. when you attempt an entry and it will be scrutinised at the time. I've seen the amount of notes Thai immigration have on their screens when you hand them your passport ('I had plenty of time to do so whilst the I.O. was on the phone to my wife) so I'm pretty sure that a denial of entry is flagged up - just as a deportation would be. They actually have a field that tells them the amount of entries in the last 12 months so all this flicking through your passport pages that the I.O.s love to do before telling you you've "come too mut" is just for show. When I saw the screen I was amazed to see all my old passports - including two that I'd held at the same time. This was before biometrics but they'd managed to link the two. So just to set the record straight: OP, I apologise for making incorrect statements. If you are denied entry you will be held airside at the airport whilst you either appeal or accept the denial and arrangements are made to send you out of the country. I would just add that if you decide to appeal, it is vitally important that you refuse to sign anything the I.O. puts in front of you. I'm not 100% sure but I seem to remember that people have stated they are presented with a document, written in Thai that basically states you accept you have not met the entry conditions. Make sure you have 20k baht or the equivalent in another widely used currency with you - not just available in your bank account.

In 25 years in the motor trade I have never known anyone have a block skimmed. If things got that serious, I'd be fitting a s/h engine from a write off.

No you don't. Heads are usually either warped, cracked or both. Blocks don't warp but they can be damaged by a leaking cylinder head. A warped head is repaired by skimming the surface level again. Until the poster on here posted about his Toyota block being skimmed, I'd never known anyone have one done. Its extremely rare and most machine shops won't have a miller that can accommodate a cylinder block.

Extremely rare to find a shop that can skim blocks - mainly because most milling mchines won't accommodate them. I was always told (by my recon shop) - never to attempt milling a linered block.

Its a shocker really and clearly designed to protect the rich and powerful.

A lathe? Nope, a milling machine/resurfacer. Lathes spin.

One other point I forgot. Does the shop the head's gone to do crack detection? Unless it was clear where ther head was leaking (often is), the problem with a lot of diesel cylinder heads is cracking which is usually invisible to the naked eye or is up inside where it can't be seen. Nothing worse than paying for the skim and labour and finding the original problem is still there. In my experience, I'd say 20% of the diesel cylinder head problems that came in my shop were cracks. A good reconditioner will have crack detection equipment - mine used to crack test every one before skimming.

Hope all goes well for you - the mechanic should know that whatever is skimmed off the head, should be replaced by way of a thicker gasket. As per my other posts - this can be serious with a diesel where the clearances are so tight + the problems with knock. However, not all engines are like that and hopefully your mechanic knows what's possible with that engine.

Spot on - sorry I didn't see your post before posting myself We agree on that one 100%.

The biggest problem with Thai defamation laws is the item that states, the truth is no defence. So even if what you say is true, say something nasty about someone and you could be looking at a defamation charge. I'm not saying there aren't others but Thailand is the only place I know where that caveat exists. Its clearly there to protect the 'elite'. They may well, be a cheating corrupt bstard,they may have been succesfully prosecuted in court for it. But state it publicly and you could be in a lot of trouble. Remember the case of Jonathan Head of the BBC and the Thai lawyer who had been convicted of being involved in a property fraud?