Torrens54

23 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

We had a Thaksin Sinatra here a while back, " I did it my way" was one of his favorites.

In fact, he looks a bit like Perry Como, who I did a TV Interview with while he cut my hair (he was a barber before he became famous).... Don't think I'd ask the General do give me a hair cut....might think I'm being rude.

Guess Thaksin has moved on from Sinatra's "Did It My Way" to Guy Mitchell's "Singing The Blues."

Is he going to Record it.? I Understand he is an accomplished Singer, in the same style as PERRY COMO or so I am told. Actually, he looks a bit like Perry !

The whole thing just doesn't add-up.

Couldn't have been much of a Maths Teacher if he didn't calculate on being subtracted from the School Community and 

Added to the Prison Population for his trouble but at any rate, the Director got the point.

On 10/24/2016 at 9:27 PM, cornishcarlos said:

No visa required to work and companies love to employ foreigners on short contracts at higher wages.

You'll have no worries....

I know of several CEO Positions and one Brian Surgeon spot, that are available right now.

Only qualification in all cases is that you are a FOREIGNER.

In all instances, the potential employers are willing to fly you here and back home, First Class and accommodate you in a Five Star Hotel, provide you with a car and driver etc., etc, so forth and so on.

Would you like the contact details? 

If you think True Visions is bad, spare a thought for those using WETV (Worst Ever TV) although they claim it stands for

"World Entertainment" which isn't happening at the moment of course.

They have after many complaints allowed some Foreign News Channels back on BUT No Movies or anything else in English.

Oddly enough, despite the ban on Movies, Channel 5 had a Movie on the night before last, in Thai of course.

Ask WE TV about a discount during the "down period" and it is almost like admitting to High Treason !

The 5K Baht Box is sounding a very attractive proposition !

16 hours ago, Kerryd said:

I've just sent an email to the Canadian Public Safety minister regarding this case.

 

"Good day sir.
I find it unbelievable and near incomprehensible that you would even CONSIDER a prisoner transfer for this convicted MURDERER who not only killed a young woman, but dismembered and MUTILATED her body to try and prevent it from being identified (and thus tied to him).

 

This man was a CONVICTED criminal BEFORE he went to Thailand and travelled on a FALSE passport. Now he thinks YOU are going to bring him back to Canada and let him go free after serving ONLY FIVE YEARS in prison !??!?!?

 

Is that some kind of SICK joke ? Or is it the Liberal mindset that because the young woman was a Thai citizen her life doesn't matter ? 

 

Do you even READ what some of these people have done before making your decisions or do you just rubber stamp everything ? Five years for murdering and dismembering a body, by someone who was already a convicted criminal. She was a 27 year old woman and he admitted to "snapping her neck". He then used an electric saw to cut off her limbs and mutilate her face !

 

And YOU want to bring him back to Canada and let him go free ?!?!?!??!??!??

 

What would the sentence be in Canada for a convicted criminal found guilty of murdering and dismembering a body ? This person should be spending the rest of his life behind bars, PERIOD. 

 

He does Not deserve to be rewarded with freedom. "

 

Let's get onto the Canadian Media and expose this story to the Canadian Taxpayers/Voters.

Doubt they'd be too thrilled to know they may have to foot the bill for this lump of Excrement to hang out in the comfort of a Canadian Prison.

Let the scumbag rot here in Thailand !

10 hours ago, how241 said:

It's a start.  People are talking.  It might help, maybe.

I agree but we've TALKED Before and NOTHING has eventuated, aside from another Talk Fest... BUT Fingers  Crossed for a better result this time.

3 hours ago, evenstevens said:

a seminar,is a exchange of words, and  thats the best , in this case, one will ever,  hope to  get out of them, in particular this seminar,which is not the first to be  presented in c/mai,largely  due  to being supported , and organised ,

by the C.E .C. led by their Commander In Cheif

in all ,this particurlar social club is just   a  nice social club, and to be honest a  toothless paper tiger, in securing a better service at c/mai,s immgr dept,

as its their peice of dirt  ,  sure E/S feels a better service should be provided ,but the C/mai,s  immgr  dept,    Is,    What  It   Is,   Full  Stop.

at least this seminar from reports ,was conducted  in a very nice manner, none of the gung ho tactics ,and carpet bombing,of the immgr dept which has been posted on this board,  E/S signs off with,  It Takes Two To  Tangle,  Or Tango,   E/S  sincerely wishes the latter

 

 

Easy to be an "armchair critic ES." 

We all understand these meetings have to date, not achieved much, if anything but at least the "Commander In Chief" as you describe her, took the trouble to attend and make a case for the rest of us.

I am not a member of the C.E.C but I do appreciate the efforts of Nancy and her colleagues.

13 hours ago, Greenside said:

Here's a brief summary:
The meeting was well organised and well attended, with simultaneous translation in four languages, decent catering in an accessible and comfortable venue with good parking.

While the speakers did their best to assure us that the government is becoming increasingly aware of the value of Long-Stay Tourists, it soon became obvious that their definition of this sector was not the appropriate one for the audience as it included anyone staying for over a month in the area.  Hence the detailed projects and plans that were set out (with a multitude of PowerPoint slides in one case) were irrelevant to most of the needs of those of us who regard Chiang Mai as home.

It was suggested that perhaps a new term be coined for this group, perhaps Long-Stay Guests, so that resources aren't wasted providing us with services we don't need.  Nancy and members of the audience were invited to set forth the wants and concerns of the groups represented at the meeting and they were clearly aired to the officials present, including (for a time, at least) two immigration officers.  The points included:

 

• The known issues with CM immigration.  Why does our service appear to be inferior to other parts of the country?
• The idea of a 3, 5 or even 10 year visa for those who have been given say five consecutive extensions and not broken any laws or regulations in that period.
• A way that over 65s could join the public heathcare scheme at an affordable price which would make financial sense for the government in the context of our overall annual spending.
• Getting some positive regional and possibly international action to improve the air quality from both burning and local pollution.
• Some consideration for the needs of older citizens, including more provision for handicapped access, fixing sidewalks and the like.

The Minister for Sport & Tourism,who is the person responsible, flew up from Bangkok for the final hour or so of the day and was made aware of all these issues.  Sadly, despite hints from previous speakers, she wasn't able to bring us good news about visa changes (or anything else for that matter) but at least she is now aware of us as a significant and valuable group that with just a little care can continue to contribute no small sum to the local economy.

 

Time will tell if this achieves more than just the usual hot air and excuses, but showing a united front in this way seems a big step in the right direction and I believe we should keep at it.  Many thanks to all the organizers.

Many thanks to you and Nancy. Once again, the facts have been laid out for the Ministry, we can but hope that this time, Officialdom takes notice ... and action.

13 hours ago, neilrob said:

I attended. Nancy made a good speech. The seminar was interesting , but depressing.

 

The Thai speakers repeatedly said how they welcomed long term stayers. There was also reference to Malaysia being number one for retirees and how they would like to make northern Thailand number one instead. The Minister was gracious and said she was not interested in beautiful plans, but action. She also said she wanted to hear input from us and there was indeed substantial opportunity for us to ask questions and make comments at various points during the afternoon. All this sounds good. However, I detected no willingness to address even the most obvious and easy solutions, such as a long term visa with less repetitive reporting (if you want long term stayers, it seems a no brainer to offer a long term visa!) The minister said she would consider this (although I suspect she does not actually have the power to do anything about visas) but said there may be "security considerations", which sounds like a killer.

 

The head of CM Immigration was slated to appear, but was "too busy", which gives an idea of the value Immigration attaches to this process. He sent two junior officers instead. Interestingly, one of these officers came up to me after I had asked a question about a long term visa and said that is what Immigration would like to see also. This was before the Minister had appeared. He asked me to make sure the minister heard this also. I did so, but with the above depressing result.

Many thanks for the report.

2 hours ago, vogie said:

ps, I did email Pulse TV a few weeks ago (twice) to inquire about their services and they couldn't even bother to reply. So I'll stick with the devil I know.

Same with WE TV in Chiang Mai.

Boss Lady is always missing but "will get back" according to her staff   ...never has done so.

9 hours ago, Junkyarddog said:

It took the system 20 years to execute this man after he was found guilty. What a system.

In a way, it might be a better way of making him suffer by stringing it out, giving him time to squirm!

9 hours ago, halloween said:

Except that it is in Austria.

That's okay, she can pack them on trains and "relocate" them. Surely she picked up a few pointers over the years?

For his sake, I trust employs a hoard of FOOD TASTERS who are "Dying" to get a bite of what the old Guy's wife is going to cook up.

NAKON Fried Chicken or NFC to knock KFC off its Perch.

On 10/14/2016 at 11:08 AM, NancyL said:

 

Yes, there have been several meetings on this subject and on the broader subject of what the Thai government can do to make Northern Thailand more attractive for what they call "long stay tourism".  The amount of time, effort and money that's gone into organizing these meetings has been big and have involved many Thai government and non-government agencies.  

 

At times, it's been very frustrating to attend because the recommendations from the expats of all nationalities are always the same:  give good access to services at CM Immigration, streamline regulations concerning long-stay visas to eliminate redundant reporting, change property ownership regulations for foreigners, permit long-stay foreigners to work or at least volunteer easily, improve handicap access and public transportation in the city, eliminate the seasonal air quality problem, etc, etc.  And usually there are additional recommendations about granting foreigners access to the Thai 30 baht health insurance program at a reasonable rate and implementing long-term (5 year) visas.

 

Everything is politely and duly noted and it seems nothing ever changes.

 

However, it does appear that some of this input is "trickling upward".  Also, it seems that the many complaints to Consulates and Embassies about inhumane treatment at Chiang Mai Immigration and unequal treatment at our province's Immigration office (when compared to other provinces) may also have been noticed.  A few expats have figured out just who is ultimately in charge, too, and written intelligent, well-documented letters to them, too. With a willingness to sign their name, address, phone number, etc.  Kudos.  

Many thanks Nancy, we/you can but continue to try.

Have to admit a recent trip to CNX Immigration one evening, with the intention of "camping out in the car" was well rewarded. A kindly, Senior Official who just happened to be strolling around the car park, assured my wife and I that we did NOT need to be there all night and to come back around 6 a.m. We took his advice, he turned-up shortly after we arrived in the morning and rendered personal assistance to all of the Early Birds. Even opened the office early to make our wait more comfortable.

Things are improving !

8 hours ago, NancyL said:

Ed, I've just spend half an hour trying to figure out how to do a pretty screen shot like you did with the OP to include the REST of the announcement. The OP creates the impression that the seminar is open to the public and it's not.

 

Here is the text of the balance of the CEC announcement.  Could you be so kind as to do a pretty screenshot with that nice pretty flag graphic and include it also.  I have to turn in a list of all the invited attendees in advance and anyone who isn't on the list will be turned away.  If you'd like to be considered in the allocation of spaces given to CEC, please contact me.

 

******************

 

In order to be considered for selection as a representative of Chiang Mai Expats Club at this event, you must be willing to dress and conduct yourself appropriately since you will be representing CEC and able to commit to attend the entire day (sorry, but please don’t come if you must leave early – it’s not fair to those not selected to attend.)

Since we have a limited number of seats allocated to CEC, please indicate your interest by return email before Monday, 17th October. Please let us know: 
1. Your nationality 
2. Type of visa 
3. Length of time in Chiang Mai 
4. If you’ve lived elsewhere in Thailand 
5. Reasons you’d like to attend this seminar 
6. Contact phone number

We’ve been asked to select people from a variety of countries and since space is limited, we cannot grant permission for all applicants to attend. We appreciate your understanding that this is not an open public meeting, due to space limitations. Please do not come unless you receive an email notice confirming your attendance.

Fingers crossed there will be a positive outcome. Just wondering what the end result was from a couple of similar meetings , one of which was held at The Empress last year, or maybe the year before? I attended the first one but was unable to make it to the follow-up meeting and that, SADLY was the Last I heard on the matter.

Ah well, at least someone is willing to open the lines of communication.

Oh, Heavens to Betsy!

This is all simply to horrendous to contemplate, the thought that poor innocent men ... and maybe even women are

going for a Massage, only to be set upon by these perverted purveyors of carnal cavorting!!! In Pattaya of all places!

 We can but trust, these dens of iniquity will be Rooted-out, climaxing...er culminating in Puritanical Pattaya, being restored to the Virtuous place it is world famous for, never again to have its fine reputation sullied by Sexual Silliness. 

I would have thought that TRUMP would have been eminently suited to take over the running of Cuba from the Old Goat's little brother, who must be due to retire and take up a well paid Gig at the United Nations.

Someone with your obvious talent and IQ should be on the Radio, then YOU can show these poor uneducated, non

Rocket Scientists, just how things should be done and "Pronuniated."

You could have simply offered to help correct the pronunciation instead of trying to belittle people on air, who are probably volunteers and may have never worked in broadcasting previously.

We used to have a saying that applied to "Super Smarties". It related to the so-called Talking Clock. "At the third stroke, it will be half past a "-anker." Oops I missed the letter W .

14 hours ago, Cuchulainn said:

A free holiday in the cesspool of Pattaya? No thank you!!

Aww gee, a Free Holiday in Pattaya... might have a Stab at that !

Will you Guarantee that comments, if made, will NOT be traced back to the" Utterer" by the good people at Immigration?

Problem may be quickly resolved if Hillary loans them the RESET Button, she tried to palm off of Vlad.

11 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Cutting machines need to have guards over the blade and automatic cut-off devices so you cannot just "slip" and cut off your hand. (I don't believe the "slipping" tale by the way). Operatives need to be trained in safety. Inexperienced operatives should be monitored.

 

I would wager none of the above safeguards was observed.

Could be a Good Use for all those MONITOR Lizards roaming around BKK.

8 hours ago, NeilSA1 said:

He is a good man who commands a lot of respect. He was a thorn in the side of the apartheid government but kept to his promise to bow out of politics when South Africa eventually unbanned the ANC and had democratic elections.The ANC won in 1994. He has since spoken out against the ANC when necessary, to their dismay and horror. 

You are spot-on. I had the pleasure of doing a TV Interview with him many years ago, during the apartheid era and he was indeed, the Voice of Sanity.

Having met a couple of Popes, various Prime Ministers, Presidents, some Royalty, droves of Sports Stars, Rock Stars, Actors and a gaggle of other assorted "Celebs", the TWO who impressed me the most were Archbishop Tutu and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.

Reckon, I've been Blessed!

13 hours ago, CNXBKKMAN said:

For somebody only just making the 800k with a 50 baht exchange rate then then they will have a problem at 43 or lower. I am sure there will be people in this situation. 

      I don't think anybody will be shocked if it goes lower but it when it all doom and gloom things get oversold and it could be a great time to be buying pounds if you have a lot of THB. 

     I do remember a similar exchange rate in 93/94 but everything cost so much less. Restaurants, beer , food was easily half the price of now .

You have my sympathies.

When we returned to Thailand to retire five years ago, the Aussie Dollar was getting almost 33 Baht, it is now, and has been for some time, hanging around 25-26 Baht. As my wife is Thai, I only have to have 400K Baht in the Bank, which I leave there year after year but now the Oz Aged Pension doesn't buy anything like it used to in Thailand.