MangoKorat

That is the one thing that has always baffled me about Thailand - and it applies in other matters. How can you have a set of rules that can be varied at will? The same goes for embassies - they each have different requirements for visa applications.

I don't think anyone can rely on what happens when you attempt entry. Its all down to the I.O. on the day. You will often read reports (usually replies) on here where people claim to have been 'border bouncing' for years without a problem. Others have been denied after just a few entries. Thankfully, its been my experience that a warning has been issued (in different circumstances) rather than a denial. I think the only certain thing is, if you have a history of multiple entries in your passport, you will always be at risk and should have a plan b.

Come on, she was in the right turning lane but was going straight on.

Nothing unusual about the government coming up with ideas they think will bring money into the country and Immigration doing the opposite.

I don't know what type of Thai people you know but the ones I know are very tight and family is the most important thing to them.

Thank you for that, ther are people here that don't think they cared what happened to their daughter.

OK but currently he has not been charged by either the Thai or English police.

I've only been once - a trip to Ho Chi Minh for a visa and stayed a few days. I saw enough to want me to return which I will probably do later this year. In particular I want to see some of the spectacular islands around the Cat Ba National Park and the rice terraces of Mu Cang Chai below.

I am not talking about acceptance rates, I am speaking from personal experience - increased rates of female hormones in a male body are unlikely solve any mental problems a person wishing to change gender may have that such as confusion - my experience is that it completey screws you up. I also didn't mention people wishing to reverse any therapy they might have had. However, many ladyboys have been taking forms of male hormone for years - have you seen the way they behave? I can't speak for the opposite where female genders may be given increased rates of male hormones - I have no knowledge of that. What I experienced is very common but with some people, to a lesser degree. For me it was bad enough to cause me to refuse further hormone therapy and face the risks associated - fortunately that does not appear to have had any detrimental affect on the outcome - 10 years on I'm still here and touch wood - cancer free.

I didn't say they don't get healthcare. I said 'Many are in poor health and need additional money for associated expenses.' They get healthcare but they don't get help with travelling to hospital and various other additional expenses created by ill health.

How about giving these people hormones that match their actual gender? Would that not be a better fix? I can state this much, giving people hormones of the opposite sex stands a high likelyhood of messing with their head and causing them further mental problems. I was given female hormones as part of a cancer treatment and I can tell you it is very unpleasant. Yes, I've heard all the jokes about wanting to wear a skirt etc. but its a serious matter. You don't start feeling like a member of the opposite sex as per the jokes. As another patient stated in a pamphlet I was given before starting the treatment - 'the only way I can describe it is that you lose your identity' - you wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and don't know who you are' - its an extremely weird feeling. So much so that I was prepared to take the risk of ending the treatment a year before I should have. If the Thai government think this treatment will help stabilise transgender people mentally, all I can say is that my experience was the opposite.

I fail to see how its irrelevant that a government can spend 145 million baht on people who are not ill but decide they wish to be a different gender to that of their birth when they pay just 600 baht pension to some of the poorest people in the country. They are spending tax payers money on something that is a matter of choice. Yes, these people haven't paid social security - many because their earnings have been too low to be able to afford to pay it. Some have worked all their lives in scorching heat to produce the country's staple food for which they are paid a pittance. Many are in poor health and need additional money for associated expenses. I wonder how many of us could live on 600 baht per month? Thank god for the Thai family system that many elderley people rely on.

Meanwhile the Thai government can only afford to give some pensioners 600 baht per month.

Second thoughts, you don't need a P.I. or Flexispy. She's at it, your's is a very old story that's been told thousands of times. Firstly she works in Pattaya. Secondly she works on Soi 6. Thirdly she's a Thai prostitute. Like many, you want to believe 'this girl is different' - they all are mate! Only they're not. They are very good actresses bud, that's why they are usually a much better bang than a Western hooker. Many years ago I tried to help a young English guy who was besotted by a girl he'd met in a Pattaya bar. As with you (and so many others) he wouldn't listen. 6 months later after he'd sent her a s**t load of money he became suspicious and called me for help - he, like you, needed proof. This girl had gone home to the village, waiting for him to return - of course she had. It was quite easy with her actually....... This is a long time ago, there was no LINE, no Whatsapp or anything like that. The only way to talk to your 'girlfriend' in Thailand was by using one of the cheap access numbers from the UK. Access numbers can call Thai landlines or mobiles - land lines are usually cheaper. I told this guy that most, even tiny, Thai villages have a village phone box (at least they did then). I said he should tell his GF that the access numbers would no longer work with Thai mobiles so they needed to arrange a time to talk and he would call her at the village phone box. He of course, would need the phone number to do that. I told him to call me once he had the number. A few days later he called - the number was 0066 38 ******. 0066 or +66 is the Thai code - 38 or 038 is the Chonburi area code - he had his answer, his girl was still in Pattaya. The area code for Korat, where she claimed to be is 44 or 044.

IAre you trying to check on a Thai female? Do you have access to her phone? If yes to both - this will work out much less expensive than a P.I. - the evidence is damning! https://www.flexispy.com/

And where did those results get them? Are the party that won the election in power? According to a girlfriend, since that election, Thai people are even more resigned to their 'lot' - that there's nothing they can do, than they ever were. They have no power and they have no democracy - they know that. It would take a Civil War to bring about real change in Thailand and there is no credible group that has the money and following for that. I also do not agree at all that they don't value life. Family is everything in Thailand - at least it is amongst those I know.

Just a little bit of info that might help you. If you were to be married to a Thai citizen, then in many areas you would only need 2 Thai employees to obtain a work permit. I'm not sure if your wife was shareholder, if she could count towards that but if she does, then you would only need 1 other Thai employee. You need to speak to the Ministry of Labour in your area to find out what THEIR requirements are. If you are using a lawyer to set up the company (recommended), let them do it, they might get entirely different answers to those that you get.

Being a director and majority shareholder of a company is generally regarded as a 'grey area' - if all you do is attend shareholders meetings and keep any eye on the income, you don't actually do any work. Therefore you should not need a Work Permit and indeed, many in that position don't have one. If you start directing staff and you are on Thai soil, you do require a Work Permit.

I tend to agree, its fine for us to sit here saying they could have done more. Thai's are taught to know their place and not to question those 'above' them. If it was the other way around, we would no doubt have several means of communication, money to pay for an interpreter, for a lawyer and even for travel to Thailand. If you're living in a shack in deepest Isaan and your only means of communication is a mobile phone, you're going to have a hard time contacting the British police. The Thai police are extremely unlikely to give you any help either - they don't even deal with domestic problems properly. They also don't have the slightest interest in what happens abroad. You may be terribly upset and want to know what's happened to your daughter but a poor Thai family with no contacts and little money would find what they'd need to do, virtually impossible.

Apologies, that should of course read: Condition 1 Refers to Permission 1.

Whereas I agree that the Thai police should be doing something about the carnage in general, I doubt they can do much about this type of incident. Well not just something - its well past time they took this seriously because it is deadly serious. If laws were enforced and proper punishments handed out people would not behave so badly on Thailand's roads. So in my book, much of the blame lies squarely with the police. A start would be a instituting a proper driving test, followed by checks to catch the thousands that drive/ride without a licence every day and just say they've left it at home then drive away after paying a 200 baht 'fine'.

Really? https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40033174 Several reports in a well known Bangkok newspaper (links not allowed) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/04/06/guns-thailand-violence-surge-students-bangkok/ Would you like me to post more?

There certainly is - kids have killed each other. And just how many foreigners read/access local media? My mate's 18 year old son is attending Technical College in Bangkok at the moment and he regularly reports clashes.

To be honest, I don't think anyone here, given the messed up terminology etc. can answer my questions accurately. From what I can gather, whatever the regulations state, it appears that in practice, Customs have only been allowing those with a Work Permit to bring their things in duty free. I will have a choice of how I choose to stay in Thailand - either Non O with a retirement extension or Non B with a Work Permit as I will be starting a business. I really didn't want to start the business immediately - it could take 6 months to a year to get everything in place and be ready to start. To obtain the Work Permit, I would have to set the business up almost immediately, set on Thai staff or at least pay their Social Security and start paying tax myself. However, if that's what I have to do, then I will do it. I've asked my lawyer to speak to Customs to try and clarify their regulations. In addition, I have a meeting with a Bangkok shipping company in a few weeks - they will be handling customs clearance and hopefully be in a position to advise on duty.

I am not asking about whether to bring my belongings or not - I dealt with that in a different thread. I have already obtained prices for a container and shipping. I am simply trying to make sense of the regulations regarding duty. It has always been my belief that those moving to Thailand and holding a Non O Visa or a Non B with a work permit are allowed to bring their household goods, personal belongings and furniture subject to certain limits on quantity. Indeed, that belief has been borne out by the experience of several friends over the years. However, more recently there have been several posts from people who have been charged duty when they moved to Thailand despite having a Non O. Generally it appears that Customs have only been allowing duty free status to those with a work permit in recent years. The regulations though, as I posted above are about as clear as mud. I am not being argumentative - simply discussing this and I don't agree with much of your reply. It is my presumption that (Using 'Permission 1 and Permission 2' + Condition 1 and Condition 2 as identification) that Condition 1 refers to Permission 2 and Condition 2 refers to Permission 2 . Both P1 and C1 refer to residence and P2 + C2 refer to employment. Further, other customs regulations state that to obtain duty free status, the goods have to be imported 1 month before entry or up to 6 months after entry (I think 6). Given that it takes several years to obtain Permanent Residency, how can P1 apply to holders of PR?