gorshar

Unless there is some advantage to PR that I'm missing (other than paying the Thai entry fee to national parks) I don't see what there is to gain from it unless you never plan to travel outside the country. I'm in and out regularly and getting one-year multiple entries suits me fine. The process is far simpler and cheaper than trying to get a one year extension on a non-imm, the 90-day limit of stay is of no consequence because I'm never in country for even half that without having to leave for whatever reason, and I don't need to get a re-entry permit (and that PR still requires a re-entry permit utterly mystifies as it seems to make PR neither permanent nor reisdent - how can you be called a permanent resident if you have to get permission to come back????????).

I guess my question then is what really is the advantage of PR?

Apparently not...

This is the same company that runs Bangkok Hospital and Samitivej.

The reason I'm asking is my fuzzy memory recalls that it was only a couple of years ago they took over BNH.

I've been a regular customer of BNH for nearly a decade and culminating with a very unsatisfactory experience that bordered on frightening involving our two-year old son there last week I have noticed what I see as a general deterioration in the quality of customer service, bedside care, etc in the last couple of years coinciding with a noticeable increase in hospital fees. And I'm wondering whether there is a connection. Assuming of course I am correct that Dusit Medical are only recent owners of BNH. If they in fact have been long time owners, then I guess it's something else. Or only our bad luck.

It's a shame because I always valued BNH for the personal care and service preferring it over much ballyhooed Bumrungrad.

Anyway, our son is okay. And I'm wondering what's another top hospital not owned by Dusit and not Bumrungrad...?

Does anyone know when Bangkok Dusit Medical Services took over ownership of BNH Hospital?

I received a one year multiple 'O' visa from the embassy in Singapore earlier this week.

The only supporting documents I needed were a copy of our Thai marriage certificate (the original in Thai) and a copy of a letter from my bank in the US stating my balance (which in Thai baht exceeded 400K). That's it. S$220 and it was ready the following afternoon.

As my business is in Cambodia the 90-day limit per stay is not a problem and given the choice of begging the people in Suanphlu for another year's stay or flying to Singapore for another one-year visa I happily choose Singapore.

Okay, it's time to do the O marriage visa thing again, never mind we work in Cambodia, but the new regs on 30-day stamps are too much of a hassle and I cross Thai/Cambodia borders up to 30 times a year.

Anyway, other than Phnom Penh what regional embassies/consulates quickly issue an O marriage visa? The only reason I'm asking is the missus and I were figuring we'd use this as an excuse to take a quick holiday somewhere. I assume Penang and Singapore are fine, what about Hanoi, Hong Kong, anywhere in China (I know there is a consulate in Kunming)... or anywhere else that's a good excuse for a quick getaway? And we're based in Siem Reap not Phnom Penh, so even there we'd have to travel and we're both thoroughly sick of the place.

And just to clarify, I assume as my last one-year extension has expired I have to do the whole process all over again, right?

I also have four stamps though I'm nowhere near ninety days. I work in Cambodia, have a Thai wife - I'm back and forth a lot. Anyway, my first three entries were at Aranyaprathet, the first two exits also at Aranyaprathet, the third exit was Suvarnabhumi. At this point each of my stamps, all within a page of each other in my nearly full 96-page passport were dutifully numbered 1-2-3, highlighted in a different color. My fourth entry was also at Suvarnabhumi. As well as I can tell, she never even looked for other stamps in my passport, rapidly opened to a page with some empty space about ten pages in front of where the other stamps were and laid down a stamp. No number "4" written, nothing. A week later I'm exiting at Aranyaprathet. The officer spends a good bit of time thumbing through my passport looking for my other stamps - but only *in front* of where my most recent entry stamp was. Never looked at the ten or so pages behind that included the three previous ones. It'll be about a month until I return. Though it'll be my fifth entry I wouldn't be surprised if it gets a number "4" if it gets anything.

My conclusion: Unless they get this thing computerized this new rule will cease to be enforced by year's (2007) end. It's just going to get too complicated to thumb through some very large and crowded passports looking for all the stamps to count.

Anyone know a distributor, or even a retailer of quality single origin bean coffee other than Starbucks and 94?