aglae4

So this mean this island will make money because there has been a murder there....How long will it take for the surrounding islands to understand what they have to do so that they can also ask a fee to the visitors? And I feel sooooo bad for the family and friends of the murdered young people there when they see this.

this country is getting more ridicules by the day

 

He added that starting from August 29, foreigners who failed to produce their passports would be fined up to Bt20,000 and jailed for up to two years.

 

 

 

 

 

And this is the same person that said to Thaivisa that foreigners must not worry.....This appears in the forum of Thaivisa the same day. I really would like to know which of his statements we must believe....I never worried about carrying my passport (I always have it with me)...But I think those who don't should start to worry NOW! : 

"Earlier this afternoon, Thaivisa.com spoke to Deputy Commander and Police Colonel Voravat Amornvivat, a senior official at Immigration headquarters in Bangkok.

Deputy Commander Voravat wanted to reassure the expat community in Thailand about the current situation.

He told Thaivsia.com that information in an article published by The Nation on 31 July 2014, was incorrect.

Deputy Commander Voravat confirmed that foreign tourists and expats do not need to carry their passports with them at all times."

The first time they entered through the roof while I was not there in the evening. Only stole a phone from a brand that did not even exist in Thailand in that time and they left the charger (the phone was on the charger in the livingroom).

The second time I was gone for one night (visarun to Ranong), they broke the steel that protect a window. They took a laptop (very expensive one). Very strong people. I noticed that the two workers on the other side of the road that always came to work on one bicycle, had both a new bike the following week.

The third time they emptied my car but as nothing was interesting they throw everything in the garden.

And a few days later, I was attacked in my livingroom by a masked man with a knife. I told him immediately where the money was (there was not much any way). He kept me under threat during 3 hours and raped me. I think I am alive because I remained calm (almost) and I spoke with him all the time, saying that I could be his mother (I was 55 years old) or even his grandmother and that he would not like that this happened to his mother. I believe he understood it because I kept repeating that....At the end I felt that he did not know how to get away without me seeing him. So, I proposed that he left me in the bedroom with the door closed and that I would wait there that he was gone. I promised not to go to the police (I went immediately after that of course).

Three weeks later there was a man in my kitchen, hiding behind the door (a sunday morning). I kept calm again and walked very slow out of the house through the backdoor and came back through the frontdoor to take the keys of my car (my house is about 100 m. from the road) and I drove to the road where I asked for help. One neighbor ran to the house with a stick and his wife and me saw 4 men running away from the house. Half of the village started to chase them. They found one (he burried himself in the ground) and this man was saved from the angry villagers by the police that arrived. I thought they were going to kill him. I suppose that they were so angry because they knew about what happened to me 3 weeks before.

After that I got the visit of all the police heads of Phuket, Patong and Kamala. They all told me they were going to find my rapist and they asked me to keep this story quiet. And I got special control from the police at my house during 6 months.

They never found the man of course and I know personally two women that have been attacked around that time : one on the land next to my house while she was walking the dogs and one a little further in her house on the same road. There has also been a tourist young girl that was attacked on the land near to her house (she saved the girl).

But the police never found who it was . Even some thai women told me that they know who it was but they did not go to the police because in their culture they cannot go and tell the police something like that....(?).

After that I had a high fence built around the house and I installed a security system with cameras and everything and I never had problems afterwards. It is ten years ago now and I start to feel safe again sometimes....So, I really do not agree with the people here that say that it is better to leave everything open. That is what I did before, because I know Phuket since 1979 and in that time it was safe. I came to live here in 1998 and I still thought it was safe...But now I know it is NOT.

Sorry for the poor english....

From what I've read, scuba, the charge appears to have recently increased to 180 baht.

I used Bangkok Bank atm and they charged me 180 bahts when I used Mastercard and 150 bahts when I used Visa, same day, same place. Good to know.

In my case, it was me that rejected it : so, I got a discount from 5000 bahts to 500 bahts, that I paid.

It was when I "bought" my land. At the end of the process the papers had to be signed by the head of the office (at the district administration) and they let us wait (me and the thai friend that helped me) for hours.

My friend explained that if I paid I would have the signature instantly. So, we waited until I told him to ask how much. It was 5000 bahts or we had to come back the next day.

So, we left (I did not want to pay this, it is against all my principles).

The next day, I told my friend to go alone and said that he should explain that he was the buyer and that he did not have the money because I was a very bad farang and very cheap charlie. He came back and said that the man did not sign and that he had to go back the next day.

The next day the man asked for 500 bahts. I had already explained to my friend that if he spoke about 500, I would agree. So, the registrationpapers were finally signed.

And I had the same problem when I wanted to have an address for the house that I built : the constructor was also working at the Or Bor Tor and I could not get the address if I did not accept to pay 50 000 bahts more on the construction.

He even make the sign of cutting my throat when I first said no....

If you want more, I have.... all own experience. And because I am a woman I do not have as many as men because, luckily for me, they still think somewhere that farang woman living here alone are not as rich as farang men.....(true in my case).

My mom went yesterday to the Thai consulate in Amsterdam and applied for a multiple entree visa, she didn't get one as they said that the new police since this year was to give only single visas so that was what she got, a single visa only!

This confirms what happened to me.

I just came back from Belgium.

I live here since 15 years and get a double entry tourist visa every year from the Thai Embassy in Brussels (I go back for the summer).

It becomes each year more difficult. This year they also only wanted to give me a single entry tourist visa (that means 3 months max).

I had to show a plane ticket and hotel reservation outside Thailand after the first 3 months to get the double entry (max 6 months) + a plane ticket and reservation after the 6 months.

They make it more and more difficult.

After this, I go to Kuala Lumpur to get a single entry tourist visa for the next 3 months. I do that every year.

On the website of the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, they say they have a double entry tourist visa, but I checked once when I was there and they told me I could get only a single entry visa....

I really do not understand why they make it more and more difficult to get a visa. Ok, I am entitled to get the retirement visa, so I think this is whar I'll do next time. In fact I kept using tourist visas because I like to travel but I am soooooooooo lazy. If I get the retirement visa, I konw myself, I 'll not move at all any more....

I use to get their news in my mailbox.

About one month ago, I got a mail saying that my account with them had been hacked. And since then I received very little news....

Today, surprise, there were two mails about "doomday", but when I clicked on the links to read the news I got an error message.

When I try to connect to their website, I get the same message. I even searched their Facebookpage, nothing there. Maybe it is only a technical problem, but I would like to know if I am the only one to have lost them.

This is the error message I get :

: HTTP Error 503. The service is unavailable.

What's the the Thai word for 'hypocrite'?

Mai pen rai.

I am crying because I have been laughing too much with that one! Thank you!

How many April fools day are there in a year?

365

I have been reading the story here and followed the link and read the story there too (more than once!).

I still don't understand. When did the "well thing" happen? After the kidnapping and that the police brought back the boy?

So, she was in the house after that? With the 2 children? And where was the father then? On the run? Leaving his children in the house (with her)? Did somebody understand that part?

Is it the story that is "complicated"? Or is it the writing? Or maybe it is because my english is not so good.......I know strange things happen in Thailand, I leave here too......

Sorry, I meant "live" here too....maybe the "hiatus" is revealing that I am really thinking about leaving.....

I have been reading the story here and followed the link and read the story there too (more than once!).

I still don't understand. When did the "well thing" happen? After the kidnapping and that the police brought back the boy?

So, she was in the house after that? With the 2 children? And where was the father then? On the run? Leaving his children in the house (with her)? Did somebody understand that part?

Is it the story that is "complicated"? Or is it the writing? Or maybe it is because my english is not so good.......I know strange things happen in Thailand, I leave here too......

air asias web site IS easy to use.

Thanks, but it's not easy for Americans to use when it says, "Select a state" and you have no choices.

I book AirAsia with UK address and card, no probs.

The last time ( in March) I bought a ticket on Air Asia website, it took me about 5 hours!

My three creditcards were declined several times, but as I am a stubborn person and know that there are no problems with my cards, I insisted. And at the end it worked.

The Air Asia website is not an easy site to use : I usually have to try 4 or 5 times just to connect.....after that, it looses the connection all the time and gives odd error messages that go from simply losing the connection, to saying that my name is not valid......and you can imagine a lot of others "errors" between.

I am registred on their website but most of the time end up buying as a non-registred person.....cause I cannot sign in......

So, if you want to book on their site, you have to go on and on trying....and if you insist long enough it works! I have had problems buying tickets with them a lot of times, it is just a question of being very, very, patient, stay calm, and be very stubborn.........

Their phonenumber in Bangkok also has a problem. It is an automated answering machine and when you click "nine" for english, it goes on in thai.....(ok, this happens a lot in Thailand, but they have it too). I sent them a mail about all the problems I encountered....and maybe now it is working better.....;-))))))))

Good luck!

Yes, I had some in my garden too a few years ago in Kamala. A thai friend told me that I did not have to worry about them (I did n't), because they would disappear very quickly as people were hunting and eating them.....

And it did not last long....After that I never saw squirrels any more. Well I must say, now, every time I see a nice bird or another animal, I wonder how long they will survive here......So many disappeared allready!!!!!

So, when you are a person that has been treated without results and with a lot of medicine, a lot of visits to the doctor, a lot of examinations with all the machines that an hospital had, that paid a lot of money to get an allergy and when stopped the medicine felt better than when using them.......where can that person complain?

I got a problem with one ear here in Phuket in December. When I went to the hospital, the specialist told me that I had a problem with my ear (what a surprise!) but that she could not find the reason. So, I had to check my hearing, have a scanner, have an IRM and bloodtest. Nothing. So, she gave me steroïds for 2 weeks. I checked with my housedoctor in my country (my daughter went to see him). This was normal. For the steroïds, she had to check me every 2 or 3 days.....Until there, I do not complain even if it was very expensive.

But, after the steroïds, no change. So, she gave me antibiotics even if there was no sign of infection..... (she said it herself!). And of course a lot of medicine so that I would not have problems with the heavy antibiotics. I noticed (afterwards) that on the small plasic bag it was written 7 pills but I got only 5. This were very expensive antibiotics. After one week more, still no change. So, she gave me another kind of antibiotics, stronger. Again, I got 5 pills but paid for 7. Again, very expensive antibiotics. After 2 weeks more (I had to go every week in that time and the second time I complained to the pharmacist that gave me then all the medicine), I started to have allergy and told the symptoms to the doctor. She said it was not important.....But a few days later, I stopped everything because I thought I was going to die, I could not breath at all anymore. I checked on internet that was a sideeffect of 2 of the medicine that I was taking and when you experienced this you had to stop immediately and consult a doctor.......But I spoke about the symptoms to the doctor from the beginning....So, she should have known!

Since then, I did not go the doctor anymore, did not take no pills anymore and every day it is a little better. Not finished yet, but I will not go to the doctor anymore!!!!!

All together, this cost me about 70 000 baths....in 2 months, and for nothing (apart to get an allergy!).

So, where do I complain about an hospital that keeps the patient sick so they can sell visits, examinations and medicine?

I explained to the doctor also that there was somebody in their pharmacy taking every time some of the pills when they were expensive, so they know......

Of course, for me, I will never go to this hospital anymore.....

And finally, I think that the problem in my ear is only a problem of dryness due to age......I am trying to find a treatment by myself on internet. Isn't it chocking that you have to do that?

So, I hope that with this kind of investigation they will stop this kind of things....But, yes I know, I am naive!

And they should also control the prices, because that hospital for instance is more expensive than an hospital in my country (Belgium)....a visit to the specialist here is more expensive than in my country, and this is really not normal!

(sorry for my broken english).

A friend's got something similar in the UK. Seems to be doing the rounds at the moment.

Yes, it is here and in Europe too.

Got it just when I arrived back here, so it means that I brought it with me. Was sick a little more than 3 weeks, with the same symptoms.

As long as it is the flu (and it is in the beginning!), you cannot do nothing but take just some medecine that helps you with the symptoms (and maybe a lot of vitamins to help you fight it).

But, if it becomes bacterial, then you have to see the doctor and get the right antibiotics (get a blood test).

You should check the website of OMS (that is in french Organisation Mondiale de la Santé). Must be World Health Organization, I suppose. They explain everything about it and the risks of bronchitis (that is the most commun complication of this flu).

You will read there too that if you have bronchitis you absolutely must see your doctor!

Hope you get well soon!

(Sorry for my poor english).

Oh man don't start.... never had any problems..... guess lucky so far but now.....

I have a 2200 bath a month business line here in Kamala...... (so you expect some service)

3 weeks ago it started... on off on off on off..... checked everything.. my network. Did some test... and the whole time it just lost connection with the remote server.... had to build up the connection every time.

It was raining and the wind was blowing.... so guessed had something to do with that.... water in the line/connection etc... area station full of water? tree boinking against the line... whatever....

so lucky i had my CAT wireless thingy... but this shitty on/off thing stayed for nearly 3 weeks... and sometimes it was on for 5 min then off, then 30 min on then an hour.... then again on off on off ..... etc. etc. nice when you work on remote things .... lovely....

And now the fun part....... all this time i called 2/3 times a day .... and yes i was in the system and a tekkie would call me .... and somebody would come by.... bla bla bla....

now 3 weeks later and the weather is better so it only happens a few times a day... but still nobody called back and haven't seen one tech dude....

So if any have a good alternative in Kamala .... i'm all ears... ToT any good? ore is True here and any good?

3xT ..... makes my blood boil......... the first tekkie comes to my house now.... i'll burry him in the woods...

I am in Kamala too, using V-3G Shop. Some days it is OK, but very bad some times and of course slow always. The support is like everywhere same as non existant!

I have been to the counter of BBB in Central Festival as I wanted to change. They told me that they were going to check my adress. It was going to take one week to let me know. Ten days later I noticed a car from BBB that had an accident not far from my house. Is it because of that or for another reason, they never contacted me.....After 3 weeks, I tried to contact them, they sent me from one phonenumber to another. After 5 different numbers I gave up : if it is so difficult to get the service, what will it be when I need support...... So, I am asking the same question, if somebody has a good connection in Kamala, please let us know. At CAT, they were very honest and told me that the signal would not be better than what I have now with V-3G. A neighbor told me TOT was good at his house, but as I have a TT&T line.....

Maybe form a new party of Reds and Yellows, call it the People Alliance for International Democracy... or P.A.I.D....

Yes, that's really a good one! But I am a farang, so I will never understand.......too stupid!

They are 6 days early this year, no?

That's not a centipede, THIS is a centipede

Maybe this thread should be in 'pets'

Yes this is not a centipede. In french it is called a "scolopendre". Now, may be you can find the english name. I had a lot in my house before the garden was really taking care of. I suppose they destroyed the nests. They are really dangerous. They can kill a big pig........In french : "à bon entendeur, salut!"

Bates, I hope that when I die here in Thailand I'll have a friend like you that will react this way. RIP for Herman.

While commendable, this practice is an attempt to solve the symptom not the problem (while not going into whose making what out of it). The problem is a cultural one. Traditionally the Thais have always bought takeaways. But they came in a natural wrapper such as banana leaf and bamboo etc., which was actually beneficial to the environment when discarded in the bush or klong. Now we have the same habit but the wrapper discarded in certainly not so beneficial.

People need to be educated all right, from top to bottom. I work for a very large school chain which spends an absolute fortune on gardens and features, yet fails to provide ample, if any, rubbish bins (Just as it is all over Thailand). I guess if you have bins, someone has to be paid to empty them. Parents drive their kids into the school, park and have breakfast with their kids in the car, then open a door, lean out and put the rubbish on the ground and drive off. The van drivers who commute the kids to and from home park down the back and throw their rubbish on the ground. A couple of these guys, seemingly very pleasant sorts, sat in our smoking area, knocked a sticky drink all over one of our limited seats, laughed and walked off.

My wife and I have spent countless hours, with some of the neighbours, cleaning up a vacant block next door as a communal spot. We put in a lovely garden, even veges and herbs etc. Locals relax out there and socialise around a table and chairs in the cool of the evening commenting on how suuay it is. Then these same locals will dump their rubbish/building rubble etc there !!? Someone even dumped a truckload of septic waste where the block meets the next street!!

Up the road a couple have spent a fortune renovating a house, paying close attention to every detail which resulted in a very picturesque house. But they threw all the building rubble, paint tins, old ceiling, everything over the fence into a vacant block next door, even up against their own fence. And I could go on forever. I know economics must have some part to play but I just cant work it out. Thais say they love their country but show an almost contempt for it like vandal does.

This is so true. Many times I am thinking, I love Thailand more than the Thais do........

As many posters have stated, you can get bbb without a telephone line, so whether or not one has TOT is superfluous.

A short phone call can confirm.

Phone call to where? I am interested.

This is really very strange!

I was yesterday at the shop of TT&T in Central Festival. I wanted to stop my Jinet connection and change for Maxnet from TT&T.

I use Jinet since about 5 years with a TT&T phoneline. And since I came back this year, end of september, I am losing the internet connection all the time (with the same computer, the same router, the same modem).

TT&T came to check the phoneline, it was ok.

The helpdesk from Jinet in Bangkok could not help me (they do not have helpdesk in Phuket....!). I have been on the line with them Three times for about 40 minutes....

So, I decided to change for Maxnet.

At Central they told me that this is not possible for the moment (they even sent me to the Cat Telecom shop!!!!!).

They can not accept new subscribers now. They have to install a new "card" (that is the word I understood) and that will be done in the next 2 months. So, after that I can change and subscribe for Maxnet...or whatever they call it now.

I am very interested to know more about this new(?) provider if it does exist as I pay now for 24/24 and can use my internet only 5 minutes at a time and in one day. The longest connection that I had in the past 2 weeks was about one hour (but without email!).

Please, please, please, if somebody knows more about this help me!

Crackdown on back-to-back Tourist visa applications

Extended screening of visa applicants

((cut)).[/i]

...Can somebody confirm if I can stay more than 180 days a year with only tourists visas? Thank you!

Nobody can say that. But you can change from a tourist visa to non immigrant and then extend for retirement inside Thailand with proof of 800k in Thai bank for 2 months, or 65k income by Embassy letter or a combination to meet the 800k amount. No police check or medical required.

I'll try that. Thank you.

Crackdown on back-to-back Tourist visa applications

Extended screening of visa applicants

BANGKOK (thaivisa.com): -- In a crackdown on the 60-days tourist visas, several Royal Thai Embassies and Consulates has announced increased screening of tourist visa applicants. We also have several reports on the Thaivisa Forum that this practice already has been enforced by some Embassies and Consulates.

The joint announcement reads: "As there has been a number of visa applicants having entered Thailand via tourist visa and misused it to illegally seek employment during their stay and, upon its expiry, sought to re-apply their tourist visas at the Royal Thai Embassy or the Royal Thai Consulate in neighboring countries, requests for visa renewal by such applicants are subject to rejection as their applications are not based on tourism motive, but to continue their illegal employment, which is unlawful.

This is in accordance with the Immigration Act, B.B. 2552 which stipulates that visa applicants are required to clearly express their real purpose of visiting Thailand. Should the case be found that the applicant's real intention were concealed, the application will be rejected.

Please be informed that the intention of applicants to repeatedly depart and re-enter Thailand via tourist visa issued by the Royal Thai Embassy or the Royal Thai Consulate in neighboring countries in recent years upon its expiry, is considered as concealment of real purpose of visiting Thailand. Thus their visas applications will be rejected."

Foreigners living in Thailand are advised to obtain a Non-Immigrant visa, which can be extended up to one year by the Thai Immigration Bureau.

Thaivisa.com has today confirmed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok, that the extended applicant screening will take effect immediately.

-- thaivisa.com 2009-09-11

Attached is an example of a Royal Thai Embassy Joint Announcement, courtesy of the embassy in Helsinki.

I was in the Thai Embassy in Brussels (Belgium) on 09/09/09, that very day, for my retirementvisa. So I got the good news that day.

Until now with the letter mentionning the amount of my pension, I could get a Non-immigrant O with multiple entry for one year that I choose above a retirementvisa for one year as I like to travel some times and don't like to go to immigration to get the authorisation for reentry each time.

But, the rules changed and now I have to fullfill all the requirements for retirementvisa: multiple certificates, papers, money, and so on. The lady at the desk calculated my income (pension) and used an exchange rate of 45 bahts for one euro and told me then that I also needed to prove that I had 800 000 Bahts in a bankaccount as I was short about 3000 Bahts a month.

As I am leaving on 20 septembre, I had exactly 6 days to get all the papers......She proposed to give me a double-entry tourist visa valid for 6 months instead. I took it.....really too scared that I could not gather all the papers before next thursday.

But now, I am worried that they are not going to let me come in one or two more times next year after this visa is finished, because I will have more than 180 days.......Or am I wrong?

I visit Thailand since 32 years , 1 month a year, until my early retirement, eleven years ago. Since then I built a house there and live in Thailand 9 or 10 months a year. Never worked or had a business! Only spent money!!!!!

And it is only since last year that I could finally get a retirement visa because early retirement was not accepted by the embassy. I have always done the things legally and gave them all the papers they asked, and you all know that is is not always simple or clear......I thought I was out of the problems now and that it would be easier from now on.......What a mistake! I feel really rejected by a country that I love. And as many here I am not far from thinking about selling my house (I have a lease for 28 more years.....).

And one more thing : as I live there since eleven year, I know very well that my pension is more than enough to live very easily in Thailand (I am a woman and don't need to pay for a lady or to take care for a family.....). I also give a job to a few people as I have a maid, a gardener and sombebody that cares for the swimmingpool and the jacuzzi, and I don't need to explain that as a woman alone I also give a lot of money to electricians, plumbers, and so on!

I feel very depressed about all this!

Can somebody confirm if I can stay more than 180 days a year with only tourists visas? Thank you!

I REEAAAALLYY feel like making a remark, but I wont.

I know, I know