harald finehair

Ok First I can use a computer but do not really know too much about under the hood, so here's my question..

I would love to own a new Apple Lap top computer and use the Leopard O/S, But to me they seem just a bit too expensive

compared to other lap tops currently on the market , so if a computer is just made up of assembled parts is there a

non Apple lap top I could buy cheaper that I could install Leopard on it ..? is it that simple ..? or am I missing some thing..?

We all need to let our concerns be known , Ive just contacted my Embassy with this...,

Dear Sir / Madam

It has come to my notice that the Thai Immigration Office situated in Nakhonratchsima is to be closed down. My self and many British citizens Who live and work in and around the Nakhonratchsima province use the Immigration Office facilities on a constant basis, and it allows us all to carry out our Thai Immigration requirements with out having to make a long time consuming trip to the Main Thai Immigration office in Bangkok. Should this Highly respected and well used Immigration office be closed down , it will cause a lot off stress and problems to Many British citizens who relay on its services, I would therefore respectfully Ask that you make it known to the appropriate Thai authorities the concerns of my self and all the British citizens who use and rely on the Nakhonratchsima Thai Immigration Office . Should the Nakhonratchsima Thai Immigration office be closed It will be a sad loss to every one , not only for my self but all other British citizens Who come from surrounding provinces and areas to use the Immigration facilities.

Yours .......

even if you don't live in Korat , sooner or later ....... it could affect you ,

Harald

Hi ignis,

......The picture is WOW, crystal clear on Thai TV, Sat TV, and DVD, I cannot tell the difference

is the Sat TV from UBC and whats it like..? is it WOW ...?

Thanks ...

I was looking at a new LCd Tv , and I asked the sales man to connect

It up to the UBC setup they had running on the some other Tv’s in the shop

So I could see the picture, the sales Guy said … No can do - not have correct

Cable..? can show DVD . Some thing did not sound right …. How come the other Tv’s were showing UBC …? And he would not show UBC on this LCD Tv I Was looking at

My neighbor has a Lenovo , He raves on about it all the Time.. !!!

Ive been doing my Non O Visa One yearly extensions ( married to a Thai support ) for about 4 years now,

after trying to take in all the changes, can some one just confirm when I go this year to renew for one more year , are there any new proposed changes I have missed ..? has any thing changed for some one like me over 50 Years old , not working , 400,000 Baht in a Thai bank , and with a Thai wife and children...? living in Thailand permanently.

Thanks ........... Harald

May not be Thailand related but I thought it was intersting any way....

The booze culture in Britain is a well-known phenomenon, and something many foreigners fail to understand

Drunken revellers put a strain on the premiums expats pay for assistance abroad

The propensity for Brits to drink themselves into a stupor has often been blamed on the previous licensing laws, which meant downing as much as you could before 11pm, unless you went onto a club.

Now there is 24 hour opening, you would expect the level of alcohol-fuelled violence in particular to have dropped if that really was the case. But in Kent, at least, alcohol-related violence has risen by around a quarter since the new longer opening hours were introduced.

So there must be more to it than that. To be fair, perhaps it is too soon to really assess the full impact of how the new laws will change people's behaviour.

You might think all this sounds very far removed from issues facing expats, but you would be wrong.

Last week the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) analysed the way in which the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) provided services to British nationals abroad. You may not be surprised to learn stag and hen parties, which are increasingly enjoyed overseas thanks to cheaper air travel, are considered a particular problem.

There are 13.2 million Brits living overseas according to FCO figures, with around 65 million visits abroad by Brits recorded in 2004/5 - six per cent up on the previous year, and more than one visit for every person in the country, including children and the elderly.

In the same year, the FCO through its British consulates abroad, dealt with 84,000 new assistance cases. The PAC report states: "Changing the behaviour of those who travel abroad is a significant challenge. Though public awareness of the Department's travel information is improving, the proportion of people who read and act on the advice is still low. Advertising campaigns targeted at those groups who most need to be influenced, such as stag and hen parties, and the publication of the Rough Guide to Safer Travel, aim to reduce the number of assistance cases where better preparation before travelling, or more responsible behaviour once abroad, may have avoided the problem."

The consular staff are able to levy a call-out charge to respond to requests for assistance of £84.50 per hour. But this has only been charged in 323 cases out of the 84,000.

The FCO said it "recognises more use could be made of this charge to recover the costs of assisting travellers whose lack of preparation or irresponsible behaviour abroad has contributed to their own predicament". So why hasn't it? We are always told the resources in government departments are stretched, and it means that the State is digging ever deeper into our pockets to make ends meet.

Take, for example, the passport services provided to expats abroad through the various overseas posts. In 2004/5, the FCO issued 453,000 full and 11,000 emergency passports from 104 out of its 233 overseas posts.

If you are an expat overseas, you are charged an extra £9.65 whether you deal with the FCO, or the United Kingdom Passport Service in the UK. That is a 64 per cent premium on top of the charge made to Brits in the UK for the same service.

The ability to get a passport at a remote location rather than through the UK has been considered "a matter of choice, not necessity" as it provides "a more convenient service for customers". That is probably the case. But the FCO has agreed to consider allowing British nationals living abroad to choose to apply for a cheaper passport from the UK, "but has expressed a concern about the possible effects on its own funding". No wonder. If all of the passports issued remotely at the extra charge of £9.65 a go were issued more cheaply in the UK, the FCO would lose nearly £4.5 million a year, and that is without even considering the premium paid on passports issued through the UK.

But what exactly are expats paying the extra for? Well, the report states that this premium "pays for assistance work and includes a provision for responding to major emergencies overseas".

So, if you know anyone planning to go on a stag or hen do it may just be worth pointing them in the direction of the FCO website to check on the travel advice, so the premium expats pay for "assistance work" goes towards assisting them, rather than a few drunken revellers

.......... HF

Thanks lopburi3 , I am over 50 would this do you think make a difference...?

........ Thank you .. Harald

HI , I think I read some where that Pattaya immigration was now open on saturdays, any one know if it is open then and the times ...?

Thank you Harald

Have I got this right, at the moment I have an Non ' O" support visa ( married to aThai National ) and when applying fro the one year extension , I have been showing the 400,000 Baht in a Thai Bank, with out any problems for the past 3 years. on my next one year exrension application, due to building a house, my bank balance will not at the required date have 400,000Baht in it, and I cannot top it up in time for the next application, Can I apply at this time for a new Non " O " visa ( 90 day's ) and do a boarder run every 90 day's , and then on the next application( a year later) when I should have toped up the bank balance to the required 400,000 Baht . apply for a new one year extension ( reporting to immigration every 90 days....??

.............. Thank You , harald

Kin , I would just move to the rented place,if you get asked about your Pattaya Immigration 90 day report slip just say you are on a visit to that area, and go back to Pattaya every 90 Days to report, they have never asked me if I have moved when I go to report and then when you move to the new house tell Immigration its now your new address

Hi Walking Wallet,

We are planning to build in the Khroat area, and would also be intrested to know about the Paper work Etc along with a contract for stage payments .. I hope some one can give us some Ideas

Harald .....

If its 35,000,000 Baht just for one village , how much for all Thailand .....?

CAN THIS BE TRUE......?

Again Thanks George.... can any one else offer more advice / comments

THANKS ......

Thanks George.... Am i right in thinking that when i move to a new area , i have to any way reoprt to a local police station.... ?

THANKS.....

I am planning to move to an area , where there´s no near immigration office, and plan to do my 90 day reporting by post to Bangkok. I think i read some where that if you move to a new area , on your arrival you have to report to the nearest police station...? can any one please confirm this is correct and what would i need to show the police etc. its look like the nearest immigration office to where i am planning to move to is the Aranyaphratet border crossing point. has any one done a 90 day rerorting here , and if so what was it like ....?

THANKS ............

bangsaen bob, thanks for the info, could you please let me have the form,

as it seems that the nearest immigration office is some way from where we are going to move to ( Soeng Sang ) would I need to report to the police station in Soeng Sang , and what would that involve in the way of paper work...? any advice on first time reporting to a ploice station would most welcome . ...Thanks

[email protected]

Dutch ... Many thanks for the info

I would be intrested to know if any one has done a 90 day reporting at...

ARANYAPHRATET OR KAP CHUNG ..? Which it seems will be the nearest immigration offices to where I will be moving to.

Thanks ....

I am moving to the Soeng Sang / Khorat area and I have to report to immigration every 90 day's . can any one please tell me where the nearest immigration office to the Khorat area is ....? and could any one please comment or recommend a private / Government hospital in the Khorat area

Thansk......

opalhort , thanks for the information , I was thinking I may have to in the future speak to some one at an immigration office, and it would be good to know just where the nearest immigration offices is for the Korhat area, ..... ? does any one know .......?

Thanks ......

I am moving to the Soeng Sang / Khorat area and I have to report to immigration every 90 days, can any one please tell me where the nearest immigration office is to the Khorat area, also could any one offer comments or recommendations for private and government hospitals in the Khorat area.

Many Thanks..........

Hi Lopburi, i had lost my original divorce decree papers, so i contacted the Uk, and had " official " stamped copies sent to me here in Thailand, The British Embassy said they would accept " stamped " copies of my divorce decree paper work, the copies MUST HAVE a red official stamp on them .

I saw this in the latest copy of ... PATTAYA INFO

LIVING AND WORKING IN THAILAND MADE EASY .... The Elite Card is your link to recognition , acceptance, cooperation,fast track services and discounts in Thailand. This card will give you and your company recognition as a person who is in Thailand as a friend and business leader from another country. When you present the " Elite Card" you will be recongnized as not just another tourist. You will gain respect and cooperation.

You will be given special benfits at immigration , it will be easier and cheaper for you to come and go in Thailand. members will receive a Five year multiple entry visa, you can expect discounts and upgrades on accommodation in Thailand. You will receive special benifits on tourisum services too. The biggest benfit to the " Elite Card" is that you will receive first class services from the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand ( IGAT ) so if you are a foreign investor and are trying to establish a business in Thailand ,this is your way to make it easier and faster to get your business up and operating in the fastest way with the least amount of problems and at a discount too. Thailand has been recognized for many years as an ideal country to live and establish a business. Thailand has many benefits for large and small industries.Labour costs are very competitive . The infrastructure is available to support any type of industry. There are many businesses from around the world that are doing business in Thailand with great success and satisfaction.

Elite Card members will have the right to purchase property. The Thailand government will not be able to ammend the laws. Members will be able to make purchases through a fund to be set up as an affiliate of Thailand Privilege Card Company, which is the company established under the Tourisum Authority of Thailand to operate the " Elite Card " program. The " Elite Card " currently costs $ 25,000 and might be raised to $ 30,000 because of positive response from international tycoons. The program has just started and has presented 80 memberships and 1,000 international business people have expressed a keen intrest in the card and are waiting for the Foreign Affairs ministry and the immigration office to screen their applications for membership and to receive their " Elite Card" Consider the costs of trying to establish a business with out the " Elite Card " and compare that to the savings and help you will receive from the estate Authority of Thailand and then I think that you will realize that the cost of the card is worth it.

........ well may be that's one way to gain respect and cooperation ...?

Hi Mot thanks for the info,  It makes you wonder just why the current Pattaya immigration web site show's a different amount..?,  was  this your first year  for the marriage visa ..? I have to apply for my second year  marriage visa at Pattaya Immigration in a few month's time . so it will be intresting to hear just what they say  , I will let you know ... fingers crossed    

Harald ...

ive just looked at the Pattaya Immigration web site ( www.pattaya-immigration.com ) and under the section called ... Thai Wife or Thai husband .... the amount required in a Thai bank if you have a Thai wife is shown as  at least 400,000 Bt, or an annual income of  400,000 Bt .

has any one recently applied for a Thai wife visa, and what amount did they have to show in a Thai bank ...? there seem's to be several diffrent amounts shown at diffrent places.