Katatonica

I flew on AirAsia and Scoot (Singapore Air's budget line) in the last week and power bank charging was banned during take-off and landing only.

The only restaurants in either country you refer to that insist on customers paying before getting their drinks or food are food courts, and that's the same as Thailand.

Don't think so. Maybe it's a bit frowned on very recently but we used to have a pub lunch quite often in the UK. Business lunches on expenses could get pretty boozy for senior executives down.

Anyone normally can, I had no idea bars couldn't sell alcohol between 2 and 5pm as all bars I'e ever been to in Phuket, Bangkok, etc do sell it. The problem is that supermarkets and 7-11s do not. So if you happen to be doing your weekly shop and want a few beers or a bottle of wine and forget about the rather irrational regulation it's really annoying, you have to make anther trip later on. Same if you get invited to a friend's place for an afternoon pool party and can't arrive with a bottle. Just inconvenient and actually exacerbates alcoholism if anything as people end up keeping more in their fridge than one would normally.. Plus at the airports - 2-5pm you can't grab a can from the 7-11 at 35-60 baht or whatever, but you can still buy from the restaurants and takeaways at 250 baht.. ludicrous.

Just keep them in until it's unlocked.

Beat me to it. Anyone ex military knows how to clean a house to white gloves inspection standard for a start.

It would feel the same. Might as well aim for a wrinkle.

Even if you stop, the motorbikes will not stop flying past on your inside.

A security guard manning a zebra crossing was killed in Karon, Phuket no so long ago whilst helping hotel guests across the road. That was a Russian on a 'big bike' though.

It's basically the gangs of Israelis who have just left the army after national service and go on tour with their army group mates. It was always the same when I backpacked in the 80-90's and they were banned from India for a year or 2. I'm sure when they grow up, enter normal society and travel independently they're far more amenable. Maybe.

I have met some and been related to one or two. They don't live long, sadly.

Really not keen on Issan style food but other Thai food, properly cooked, there's nothing wrong with it, I find it very healthy. My wife grows pretty much all the herbs, chillis, pepper, vegetables and fruit she needs to cook in the garden. Nothing artificial, like any restaurant we frequent. We even have a lemon tree for the vodka tonics.. I have to say a lot of the cheaper roadside type places stick a load of crap in the food, like lots of sugar, MSG, etc, nasty.

We live 160m up a hill in Phuket, never use AC at all, only experience it in shops etc. We don't even use fans all the time, even then only on low as there's usually a bit of a breeze, even on the beach. Perfectly cool compared to Singapore. where I work.

No, their point is that only LGB are valid: it's a gay support group, not for cross-dressers etc.

I'd never spend more than 10k on a phone and my wife seems to actually prefer cheap ones after a Russian woman barged past her once, whilst on a highish-end phone to me, smashing it and not even acknowledging what she'd done. And we have a lot of cats.. I buy new old-stock Android phones that were top of the range 2 or 3 years ago for about 8k and never had an i-one. My wife has a Samsung brick that was about 3k and a nice big tablet at home.

I have had quite a few of these 'accidents' in my 15 years or so in Phuket and the only time I didn't have to pay out was one in which I finally managed to find the right clip of the 'victim' ramming my rear wheel arch whilst I was stationary (as per usual), from the rear camera in my car. The senior copper there said to him 'why did you do that?' and my wife ran up and hugged him..! So I didn't have to pay out, incredibly, but there was no payment from the Thai guy to me.

Phuket: 2nd Visa Exempt entry in 2024 immigration said if I hadn't an onward flight I would have been sent back. Had 3 entries on TV before that. Said as long as I was on a short trip was ok if I had return flight without visa. 3rd one was fine, no problem, didn't need to see flight back or anything. 4th one big problem, had flight 7 days later, plus marriage certificate, told I would be sent back if no visa next time.

I imagine that it could also be policy to try to strangle a certain sector of the leisure/nightlife industry traditionally dependant on OG workers, which has definitely withered in Phuket over the last decade-plus, whilst the family-package hotels have hugely proliferated, but as you say, restaurants etc see far less income and certainly so in tips. Big new cheap food courts are packed though. One restauranteur told me recently that Russians account for 80% of room bookings on the West Coast.

I do not work in the oil industry, neither do I get a month off at a time. The agency (recommended by some members previously in this thread) I have been advised by is telling me that the marriage visa takes too much time and expense so are recommending retirement, although I am not retired. Nevertheless, the visa exempt gives 2 months extra for marriage and the TR (Thai family category) is a precursor to the marriage/retirement visas so either is perfectly appropriate.

Certainly not dark in the CCTV still above although the quoted time of death at the time he was found would suggest it was a lot later.

As explained, I am working in a country where I am not eligible to get a Thai visa and as it seemed to be common knowledge that VE's were unlimited, I think I made a reasonable choice. I get leave on a monthly basis so visiting my wife is the obvious thing to do with it. Even if I wasn't married surely just holiday trips should have been fine too. I have visited several other countries in the region very regularly with no issues at all.

I very much doubt I was denied entry due to contravention of Section 12 of the Immigration Act. I have no idea why I would be. The airport IO's also said the same about my multiple brief entries: 'free visa is not for visit Thai wife.' There was no problem entering whilst holding a Tourist Visa earlier in the year nor for my previous visit on VE-60 with a different IO.

Just reporting my experience then: I was stopped, questioned and allowed in with a caution that if I attempt to enter (Phuket Airport) again on VE-60, (ie after my 3rd time in about 5 months) I will be sent back. I was also informed at Phuket Town immigration office last week that the limit is 2 a year.

No, does not make sense, I am completely baffled. My wife is understandably very upset too.

Warning for VOA arrivals: I entered Phuket by air last week, 3rd VOA in 4 months, longest stay 14 days, had a return ticket each time. I did have a 60 day TV before that as I had almost 90/180 days in-country history and had been out for just 2 months.. They then moved to the 60 day visa and apparent unlimited VOA's so I didn't extend it or convert it. Question for anyone who can help: I am not sure - is it possible to convert TV to marriage or other annual visa (quickly) inside Thailand?. NB I cannot visit a Thai consulate in the country I work in as I do not have residency and it doesn't do eVisa. So the first entry after my TV had expired I was questioned a bit at the IO booth, produced my flight out a week later and he said 'ok but get a proper visa for longer stays, if you hadn't had the return flight you would have a problem.' 5 weeks or so later I enter again for 5 days, again with an outbound flight. Lady was very pleasant, says must be nice to see my wife, no problem with a few days visit at all, have a nice day. Another 5 weeks and I visit for 7 days, produce return flight, get asked why I'm visiting, so say to see my Thai wife. Get told in no uncertain terms that 'free visa not for visit Thai wife.' Tried to explain I cannot get a visa in the country I'm working in and explained why. Get taken to the office at the side where another officer asks me why I don't get a visa: I repeated why although he had discussed this with the first IO already. He then tells me I should look into the DTV. I left it at that and agreed to look into it although.. I cannot get ANY visa in the country where I work. They stamped me 60 days and I had a visit heavily marred by the knowledge that I really do not know when I can return. My next work break will be getting a visa somewhere: the IO typed for ages on my record and told me not to try entering without a visa again. Several officers told me the limit, by air or otherwise, is 2 VOA's in a year and anyone trying a third will one is likely to be expelled. Could it be that I have a Thai wife and do not have the visa specifically for that although I only come for a couple of months a year? They seemed far more concerned with the quantity of 'free visas' than length of stay. BTW my appearance was perfectly smart, long trousers, shoes and collar, don't have tats, a few million goes through my Thai account annually, ie no obvious ostensible reason to deny me unless being British is nowadays.. OK, but I am visa exempt, did I use the wrong term? Apparently there IS now a limit on visa exempt arrivals of 2.