parryhandy

Your biggest worry about getting ripped off here will come from fellow farangs.

Despite Parry's intellectual contribution, it remains true that farangs have more to fear from farangs than they do from Thai. Why would those of obviously negative outlooks and anti Thai sentiments, bother to come to Thailand ? It really is beyond me.

I must admit i have a very negative outlook sometimes about certain aspects of Thailand.But the good things far outway the bad.By sharing views and experiences about the bad things though, hopefully it will help to educate people and so help them not to make similar mistakes and therefore they will only have mainly good experiences and tales to tell.

Interesting thing happened to my thai wife and myself. We have some freinds

(Thai wife / Falang husband) living in LOS and we call and talk occasionally. I am

still in the US and I like hearing his stories on how he adapts there etc. So 3

weeks ago I was talking to his wife in a pleasant conversation about how I am

preparing to move over. I told her I read alot of websites on Thailand and try

to learn as much as I can. She said "what have you learned?". I said "well I need to

be careful over there, alot of falangs get ripped off". I told her about all the scams

I read about etc. She said "very good you learn about this". Then my wife gets on the

phone with her and she tells my wife "your husband very smart". They end the

conversation and all is fine.

A week later my wife calls her up wanting to ask her something and the Wife

answers the phone and then instantly hangs up on my wife. My wife tries again

and someone else answers the phone and says she is not there. This goes on and

on and my wife is feeling sad. I told my wife what I said and she thinks I may of

offended her by saying that. My wife also said she may be taking this guy for

a ride and she will keep me away from him "because I falang know too much"

Its so easy to offend these people, even when its the truth. Its gonna be interesting

If hes a good friend get hold of him and find out whats going on .The woman is obviously hiding something.Why stop speaking to you or your wife just because you have made the valid point to this woman that its a "jungle out there".If the situation were reveresed and somebody had said what you said about my country i would not be offended after all you are a foreigner just being careful. Depending on my views I would either agree with you and say yes you have to be careful blah blah or i would disagree and reassure you that everything is ok.The only reason i would disassociate myself from you or your wife is if i had something to hide and your friendship with my partner might lead him to find out things which i do not want him to know.

get on that phone NOW.

In regard to cash seizures, the premier was apparently referring to regulations governing how much can be taken out of the country and how much can be brought in.

what are the exact regulations ? anybody know where i can find them?

Yes keep us posted and hopefully my situation will change and i will be doing the same.

best of luck

hmm to many farang "jumpers" in Thailand if i was a cynical person id say it would be a convenient way of disposing of somebody.No doubt the police will do exhaustive research into his state of mind or whether he had any disagreements with anybody before this occured so not worry.

Mr White was a shareholder of a nightclub in Pattaya.

^

I think a western policeman would start here.......

http://www.britain.org.nz/vpass/britcit.html

http://www.getrights.co.uk/nationality.html

couple of sites that may be of help will look for more when i have time.just google the info your not sure about HEXTAB and keep us posted.

Right ive just read the british embassy website again and its states.

You will be able to transmit your British nationality to your child born overseas if you acquired your British nationality "otherwise than by descent". If you were born in the UK, naturalised in the UK or (in some, but not all cases) registered in the UK, you acquired your British nationality otherwise than by descent. If you are not sure, please ask us for further advice.

This only applys to legitimate children. Then the rest of the hoops are to do with fraud id imagine and the reasons i stated on previous posts.I would think that the fact that you and i have family and friends in Britain would be enough. But again i will say that i cannot see how they can refuse because biologically our offspring ARE half British, just like my mother is half Irish and can and does have an Irish and British passport because her father was Irish.

Thanks ParryHandy,

I couldn't believe that I was apparently alone in this situation.

What I really don't understand is why I fall into the "by Descent" category, as both my parents are British and my father was in the R.A.F. in Singapore when I was born there. BTW, does this count as "Crown Service"? If so, how could I prove it?

I have read the British Embassy pages regarding this subject ad-nauseum, but they don't seem to elaborate too much - especially regarding time-frames. Where did you hear about the 1 year limitation?

Also, as you imply, there seems a "deliberate" lack of info. regarding expected criteria.

I have now seen the domicile questionnaire form and it seems heavily weighted towards finance and property ownership in Thailand vs. UK. I hold no property and meager savings in either/both countries. What would you suggest are key points for the application to be accepted? All my side of the family reside in England, I haven't been back for 5 years already. But, I would like to return there sometime in the next few years. Is this reason enough?

HEX

If your father was working for the RAF abroard at the time of your birth then the way i read it was you are British by birth the same as me .Contact passport or similar service for clarification of your status.

As for your other questions i really dont know for sure but like i said before ,me and you are British with offspring so in my mind our offspring ARE half British.

I am hoping that it is daunting for the sake of it and legally we would have no problems.I myself can not afford to do this at the moment but would advise you too go ahead and just be mostly honest with them.I would have thought if you make it clear that you wish/need to return to Britain in the near future its pretty obvious why your son needs his British nationality by descent.I really cannot envisage them wanting to split families apart.

Shame we are not women then we would not have to go through this as IT IS automatic for FEMALES offspring ???

stumbled across this website the other day browsing. Gives a good idea of whats in store for this lad. link

One reason its so expensive is the fact its the only satellite tv company in the world that is not allowed to advertise. TIT.

Ive wondered about this myself. I got all the forms for my daughter but have yet to proceed due to financial and distance reasons. The way i understood it was you had a year to register and apply (elapsed in my case now). After this year priod you can apply to the Home office which is discretionary.There does seem to be many hoops to jump through but i would be pretty sure an immigration lawyer would tell me ,as long as i could prove that my daughter was mine she auotomatically becomes British by descent because i am British by birth.What they are asking for is a reason she needs British citizenship i.e. family , schooling etc..

There is a difference between British by birth and by descent which could apply in your case.From what you have said you are Britsh by descent meaning British nationality is not automatically gained or provided in law.There basically asking you to prove that your son needs British nationality in order to live with you in Britain sometime in the future , i would guess and you dont just want your son to have it for the extra option in life it gives.

I would also like to here peoples experiences of these issues.It does explain it all on the British Embassy web site and i suppose deliberately does seem a bit daunting especially with the fees invovled which are not cheap.

It would be nice to be able to speak to an immigration expert about this especially the way Britain is at the moment with so many people seemingly able to just waltz into Britain and obtain all sorts of rights.Are there any professionals in this field operating in Thailand to contact for advice ?

False argument IMO. Most people that can afford legal services would happily pay for them.Its not a case of the companies losing most of the revenue as stated its more a case of people viewing "pirated pictures " or not viewing at all.

Countries where this is a major problem the businesses model does not work because most of the population is in poverty.In the west normal working class people can just about afford satellite , out here in many places they can just about afford to eat.

Houndog ,

I am in the same boat -or working towards it.

I spend 25 years plus working in Ag research and hope that I have not forgotten everything .We are in the upper Isaan (Udon Thani district)

Seems we have are facing the same issues -lets talk

Also PNUSTEDT ,INDO -SIAM AND AITIT pls feel free to contct me ,would love to get together with like minded folk or exchange ideas etc ,etc

I will be back in LOS in Jan .and we will have the spirit house and neighbor party .

My long term dream is not so much to generate income ,but to set up some sort of private homested demonstration project for the neighbor folks to come and look what CAN done -except growing rice . I am convinced that our 20 rai -managed properly can grow enough cash crops and produce enough lifestock(chicen. ducks .rabbits,bees, fish ,cows ) to amply provide for the entire big family.Of course everybody will have to pitch in working ,NO WORK -NO EAT -IT IS THAT SIMPLE.

This is pretty much in line with some of HM the kings homestead programs.

Has anybody any website contacts about HM project???

Love to hear from you Mobaan

Wish you luck but your visions come across as very patronising.If you think the people will be interested in growing these crops for no money then you are living in cloud cuckoo land.They will show enthusiam to a point but only because you are a farang and will be spending money at some stage.Sorry if this sounds negative but its the truth.Youll find they know a ###### site more about what can and cant be grown than you think.

The scheme is "working quite well. What they are doing is allowing agents to sell it at a nice commission. They are deliberately targeting a high-end market," said David Gillbanks of Pacific Asia Travel Association, an industry promotion group.

hardly a glowing endorsement from a promotional group.

This punishment right or wrong is being used as a deterrent and to show Thailand is a place that doesnt want these types of sick people. But what bothers me though is the fact that it is so easy to lure these children in the first place .Where are the parents, family social services and care centers to help these children.Why is it so easy for these sick people to find these children in countries like this.Where are these children that were invovled in these films this guy made? Has anybody looked for them and tried to help them ? Sadly i doubt it .....

Sod drugs people can chose to take them or not.What about a crackdown on these people and human traffickers and use the money wasted on the war on drugs to help these children.

Not trying to get at you IT your definately one of the good guys, but i think you need to relax. Good thread and something if true people should know about because it does seem to be a Thai revenge thing.Plus if it is true the guy might need info or to get in touch again.Good read as well

well Chopsticks my old bucket of fruit salad, after three posts you sure came on smiling.

If you have to surf the internet, you aren't rich enough to afford the card, and you are surfing.. so bugger off.

Twit

IT

Your a decent bloke IT dont let this new position go to your head.The guy made some valid points and did not insult anybody or use bad language etc..

*sheesh*

Yes, there are some legitimate questions (and fears). However, anyone wanting/needing a GUARANTEE before they slap $25k on the table IS NOT ELITE.

Sad to say that 99.99998% of this forum is NOT rich. They're NOT elite. They're far from it.

Drive a top of the line BMW, Mercedes, Lexxus, Range Rover? No? (Do you have driver? No? ######, many don't even tip the taxi driver more than a few baht.)

ELITE people don't FINANCE cars. And they don't "nickle & dime" negotiate over the price of their new BMW either.

***

It's not that I haven't been poor. I have. I've worked at McDonalds. I've taken student loans and lived off of them. I've gone for weeks eating on noodles or macaroni & cheese. And I've ridden the public bus back and forth to the university.

But those days are over.

***

If you don't pay more that $25k a a year in TAXES then you're not elite.

Shut up before you humiliate yourselves more.

You might think you're asking intelligent questions, but, in my opinion, you're just advertising that you're NOT elite. Elite = very special. Elite = not common. Elite = priviledged.

Yes, I know, everyone has questions. But seriously, MOST LIKELY YOU'RE NOT ELITE! Don't lie to yourself and think that you're in that category of superstars/"moveers & shakers". 99.999999999% of people in the world aren't elite... and 99.9998% of the farrang who live or frequent Thailand aren't.

If you go to Nana then you're not elite. ELITE people go to much more (OUTRAGEOUSLY) expensive establishments. It's just that simple. (Sorry to burst your bubble. But we're talking ELITE here, the upper-crust of society! Do you expect to see people who were knighted by the Queen of England in Nana? Or bitching about Thakskin's lack of guarantee for the $25k?

Compare and contrast yourself and others to Hollywood superstars, WallStreet Stock brokers, etc. worrying that there might not be a "guarantee" of the future? *gag!* Come on! Truly "ELITE" people wouldn't allow ANYTHING, including the entire Kingdom of Thailand flushing itself down the toilet, to suck them down too. Elite people have alternatives; they have exit strategies; they have investments; they have wealth; they have connections; they have VIP status without the stupid "elite card" itself.

[ / soapbox mode: OFF ]

Actually a very good post which underlines the fact that the card is not aimed at the " elite".Like chopsticks says people that are elite would not by the card anyway they would expect certain privalleges regardless.The " by invatation only" is an obvious marketing ruse and carrots are being dangled now, by the week, to make it more attractive as in land ownership etc..

The comment about rich (elite ) people not nickle and dimimg is a generalisation. I know at least 3 self made millionaires who haggle over every penny.No the true "elite" wouldnt i.e. the mega rich or royalty , but again this is not aimed at them.

daveyo

i think you are inhaling too much aviation fuel.

your posts are getting wierder and wierder.

what airline do you work for?

Why do you ask Tax ? Would you not feel safe in a plane serviced by Dave Yo ?

does anybody have a phone number to contact these these people, really like to see what they got to say, i'm not rich or anything just plain middle class family, but have a few mil to spend if its worth it, worst to the worst i'll just sell my Alfa Romeo and get a toyota instead.

www.thailandelite.com there you go tomy , someone just posted this in the visa section.

+66 2 652 8326 from Monday to Friday between 9.00-18.00

I thought it was government run and not a private company as such.Lets face it does not have to be commercially viable as long as it pushes business and money towards certain establishments owned by certain people.The taxpayer will foot the bill if it dont work.

Regardless if you have money that alone is enough to get you discounts and perks, why do you need a card , your money is your bargaining card.

I got a mil to buy the card, but i don't think they will sell it to me, Oh! well, back to the border running

I dont think they will be too fussy tomy , ring em up and see if your eligible, bet you are.

Lets put this into perspective please! 2 british people are arrested and for some reason we are suddenly a criminal country , please. Ive lost count of the number of times ive read about a Thai pimp operating a vice ring in a foreign country being jailed.

parryhandy, were you involved?

Invovled in what ? Please explain ?

These are snippets taken from a 2000 article by alcohol concern.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/743878.stm

Alcohol Concern estimates alcohol abuse is costing Britain £3.3bn a year.

The biggest impact is on industry - £2.8bn is lost through sickness, unemployment and premature death.

But the Alcohol Concern study also found it cost the NHS £200m to treat drink-related illness.

John Ryan, spokesman for the British Association of Accident and Emergency Medicine and an accident and emergency specialist at Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, said emergency departments dealt with a huge amount of cases resulting from acute intoxication and chronic alcoholism.

He said: "I cannot underestimate the importance of alcohol in the workload of emergency departments - we would be out of business if it was not for alcohol."

Road accidents where drink is a factor cost £189m, and criminal activity linked with alcohol abuse is responsible for another £68m.

The report highlights a string of damning statistics about the impact of alcohol abuse.

Marriages where one or both partners have a drink problem are twice as likely to end in divorce as those not affected by alcohol.

Between 60 and 70% of men who assault their partners do so under the influence of drink.

Forty-one per cent of violent crimes, including assaults and muggings, are committed by somebody who has been drinking.

The report says alcohol abuse is a growing problem among children.

In the 11 to 15 age group, the average weekly consumption of alcohol among those who drink has almost doubled to 9.9 units in the last two years.

After drinking, one in seven of 16 to 24-year-olds had unprotected sex, one in five had sex they later regretted, and 10% could not even remember if they had had sex the previous night.

Forty per cent of 13- and 14-year-olds were "drunk or stoned" when they had their first sexual experience.

Eric Appleby, Alcohol Concern director, said: "Given this catalogue of problems, we would like to see the Government's promised National Alcohol Strategy introduced as a matter of urgency."

Among the proposals Alcohol Concern wants to see adopted are:

drink-drive limit cut from 80 milligrams to 50mgs of alcohol per 100mls of blood

police given wider breath-testing powers

bans on the sale of glass bottles in pubs

high-profile annual alcohol awareness campaign

better alcohol education for young people

more money for treatment and counselling

training for staff selling and serving alcohol

This is just in the uk alone in the year 2000 , multiply this by x amount for all the other countries in the world and then ill tell you the startling fact that compared with tobacco alcohol is small fry.

Ive just looked at the Australian government site concerning alcohol and tobacco.

Tobacco use is the major cause of drug- or alcohol-related deaths in Australia. In 1998, around 19,000 deaths were attributable to the use of tobacco, accounting for 80% of all drug- or alcohol-related deaths. The Burden of Disease and Injury in Australia study estimated that almost 10% of the total burden of disease in Australia in 1996 was attributable to tobacco smoking. The burden of disease methodology combines years of life lost due to premature death with years of living with disability.

They should rename it "The Ive Got More Money Than Sense Card" or "The Free Jolly At The Taxpayers Expense Card ".