dbrenn

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

4.0 ? what happened to 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0? Oh how time passes so quick

when there're so many governments, bosses and laws that no one

really listen to....

You mean you didn't notice the clear differences between the first three versions? 

Prayuth obviously just read Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. The classic definition of a dystopian fascist state. 

6 hours ago, Mr Wimpy said:

Maybe not the strangest- there are some stories I won't tell on a public forum- but I used to take the bus from Bangkok to Trad quite often. It was when they still used to play movies on the way. The thing is they were always the most gruesome horror movies with blood and Gore and screaming all the way. One of them showed a baby being ripped out of its mothers womb!
What was weird to me though was that there would be kids and elderly Thais on the bus and no one showed any reactions to any of the Gore. Any farangs onboard would be wincing and making comments but the Thais wouldn't bat an eyelid.

A lot of Thai newspapers show gory photos of murders and road accidents. The locals are hardened to it.

13 hours ago, Jeffkp said:

Was in Pattaya with a This friend last year. I took him to an hiso gentlemen's club (it was his birthday). At some point I had to use the bathroom and went in. It had a male attendant. He handed me a warm towel to wipe my face and hands. Very nice. I then went to a urinal and started my business.

 

Next thing I know I feel hands on my shoulders giving me a massage! I looked back and it was the attendant. I literally did not know what to say or do. I almost pissed on my shoes. I quickly finished, washed my hands and left (I gave him 40 bhat tip).

 

I told my Thai friend what happened and he said the same thing happened to him. I asked it this was common and he told me certainly not!

 

It's common in the places frequented mainly by Thais. I hate it too and shoo them away.

On 31/12/2016 at 3:27 AM, skippybangkok said:

Oh.... forgot to mention I met a very respectable guy who was offered fast track - but declined

Could have been a scam, or the real thing


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There are so many lobbyists lawyers and influence peddlers in Thailand, claiming to know one or another general or politician. They ask for large sums of money to expedite decisions.

Most are just conmen, who do not deliver an outcome any faster than going through the normal channels would have done. 

27 minutes ago, skippybangkok said:

 

Yep - can't rule it out


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I can understand why you suspected political interference though - I remember thinking that my application was toast after the military coup of 2006 - Kongsak Wantana, the Interior Minister who had just approved my application was one of Thaksin's lot. In the end it didn't make any difference nor did it seem to delay my approval. 

19 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

In Bangkok you don't need LSD. You know that, now you're older and wiser 

It was an unforgettable night. The hardest part was trying to behave normally, which even by Bangkok standards was extremely difficult while we were out of our minds. 

7 hours ago, skippybangkok said:

Ya dbrenn - the thought passed my mind. At the time I was working for a Yellow leaning company when reds were in power. Would not surprise me if I was thrown on the bottom of the heap. Most probable cause in my mind cause if look at all the criteria, I aced everything- especially yearly tax contributions


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It may have been something simple like an administrative error, a misplaced document, or something like that. 

In my much younger days, before I became sensible. A night out in Bangkok with a friend. Both off our heads on LSD. It doesn't get much stranger than that. 

I think that the stigma about tank tops is a very simple one: a lot of people find the sight of hairy armpits disgusting. Hairy armpits are like the crack of your arse - nasty smelly things that are better hidden from sight. 

Also, in Thailand, the locals will treat you with disdain if you dress like a slob, which in turn makes your stay here less enjoyable. 

I've known people who ran out of money here. They start borrowing money then take ages to pay back. When they eventually pay they immediately want to borrow again. 

Another case from my early days: a farang came to ask me for a cigarette. He was rather unpleasant so I declined, only to be called a cheap charlie. Guessing he'd spent the last of his money in the bars, as so many do.

15 hours ago, possum1931 said:

This buying rounds is a load of nonsense, If someone only wants to drink two pints and someone else wants ten pints, why should the guy who only drinks two pints, contribute to the guy who wants ten pints?

I agree, but it's a tradition inherited from places like the UK and Australia, where you have to queue at a crowded bar to get served. Rounds save queuing time.

All Thai beer is cat's piss. Laos, Myanmar and Cambodian beer is far better and beers available from farther afield, such as Hoegaarden, Kilkenny and London Pride are better still.

I'm another True dropout. Hundreds of channels but nothing worth watching. 

7 hours ago, skippybangkok said:

Cheers

There is no insinuation that if you got in 3 or 4 years it's an automatic "its bribery".

There are how ever 2 observations

1. I did clearly see coaches in the MOI waiting room walking around with a very superior / aloof disposition - am sure they were not mere Ajarn's and I doubt they were just good Samaritans. Without pointing fingers, I am familiar with the way this establishment carries itself

Did try to say hi to one to sus him out, but I was obviously just a mere mortal. With his students he was jolly and cheering them on

2. Also strange that people applying after me got citz first. totally not concerned - Just an observation

I had no requests for further info, so that's not the reason for difference

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Seven years is certainly a long time - most people who have applied since I started this thread, as well as people I know personally, seem to average three or four years. Perhaps your application got stuck in the system somewhere? 

As I've said, there was certainly nobody in the IM made available to help me, or any of my friends who have applied since - the IM, where the decisions are made, remains inscrutable to the SB throughout.

The only coaching I had was from the officer who received my application at SB - at that time very few farangs were applying and he was rather curious and amused. All he could really do was give me advice on what to do and when. He gave me his cell phone number, and talked me through the whole process, but seemed powerless to influence the outcome at the IM. I rewarded him with the odd bottle of scotch here and there.

18 hours ago, skippybangkok said:

 

And after apply - need to maintain a job as well till get approved. In my case almost 7 years. It's clear there is a "fast track" as some took only 3-4 years, but it was a path I did not want to explore nor would use even if asked.






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I'm not sure that the part about holding on to your job is true - in my case I needed to show a work permit only when I applied and when I was interviewed at the IM. I actually held on to a job I hated right up until my citizenship was granted, but at no time after the IM did they ever ask to see my work permit again.

My application took a little under three years, but no mechanism to bribe the IM to hurry the process was ever revealed to me, so your inference that applications approved in 3-4 years were because of bribery is untrue. Even Special Branch claimed to have no idea what went on at the IM, and that they had no power to influence anything there.

How bizarre 

1 hour ago, yankee99 said:

Is it 3 years of tax returns or 36 months of actually being employed?  Say you started your job mid year you would have 30 months employment but 3 years of returns. 

All you need are three years of tax returns with an annual total income / income tax paid meeting the minimum threshold outlined in Ubonjoe's post.

Income and tax paid can be accrued from more than one job. There is no requirement that employment be unbroken during the three year run up period BUT you need to be working and have a valid work permit when you apply and when you are interviewed at the Interior Ministry AND most recent job must meet monthly salary requirements.

I think that from all the posts here that actually offered constructive advice , the OP has a couple of options:

1) METV as a resident of Cambodia. Short visits, will likely be  looked upon favourably on each METV renewal, particularly if the op attaches a cover letter to his visa application summarising his previous trips and explaining that all he does in Thailand is short shopping trips. Shopping fits the definition of tourism.

2) Explaining his situation to one of the supervisors at the border post, perhaps showing his appreciation by way of a new year gift. Expensive scotch is generally well received, as I've found in the past.

37 minutes ago, reggaebkk said:

I have no clue of What an APEC card is and how to apply, but I will look into it. 

Might not help for a resident of Cambodia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/APEC_Business_Travel_Card

22 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Yes it is possible. But unless married to a Thai there would no extension possible since immigration requires it to be a registered company.

I know of person that gets his work permits working at his wife's restaurant. There are many that have 51/49% partnership with rheir wives getting work permits.

So, a question to the OP, why not set up a partnership with your wife, get a work permit and resume your operation? Who knows, the lady in immigration might then send her daughter back to study.

That said, I had heard that one of the founders of a school needs to have a degree ..... others here might like to correct me.