peterpai

Chiang Rai Immigration (near Airport) is still the home of the most friendly and helpfull immigration staff in Thailand.

Went there yesterday May 11 for an extension of 1 year retirement visa. They accept applications for retirement visa extentions only on MONDAY and WEDNESDAY.

Things have become a bit more complicated since last year. You need to show some proof of residence now. I brought 1) Tabien Bahn of house owner, signed copy 2) Tabien Bahn of the house I live in signed copy 3) Copy of ID card house owner 4) Rental contract.

Not sure what the exact rules are, suggest you contact them a few days before the extention is due if you have any doubts.

I also understood that it's OK to apply long before the visa expires, long meaning several days (weeks).

Agree with previous posters, let's make sure these people do not burn out and keep their extra friendly attitude, by showing up in our best outfit displaying our most polite behaviour.

Forgot to mention they even have free coffee, and newspapers in English.

Welcome to Thailand !

And here a detailed instruction leaflet on which colour shirt to wear in what province! Not following these instructions might get you in serious troubles.

And remember when somebody starts yapping political slogans into your ear say yes with all the enthusiasm you can muster. Not following these instructions might get you into serious troubles !

Exaggerated ? Try wearing a red shirt in Suratthani or a yellow shirt in Chiang Mai.....

When lies become truth.

When madness becomes normality.

It means that the red and the yellow sheep are getting ready to march to the slaughterhouse and feed the canons, with a hurra on their lips.

What is it good for ? Absolutely nothing !

Hope that is just my pessimistic self, but still going to stock up on food and essentials........

Never make something tomorrow if you can do it threemorrow

Please note that there are two types of unregistered bike.

a)with invoice papers from importer.- Includes bill of lading from Japan, and receipt that import tax has been paid,

(It's a big pile of papers.) This makes the bike legal for use anywhere as long as it's not a public road. (eg race track) You can get this kind of bike insured and I have seen one instance where insurance really paid the money after an accident. Normally cop's will not be able to conficate such a bike esp. if insurance is paid up, you will most likely get away with a fine.

No papers at all. Which means that bike has either been stolen, or that it has swum to shore (coming from Japan)without paying import tax. Stay away from this kind by all means, cops can and will confiscate it.

Also stay away from any fishy green book, and most of all frame/engine numbers that have been tampered with. In this case you are talking about falsifying documents, and that may get you into real troubles.

I give you a 2. Why 2 ? Beacause you are way too nice. Take everything of value with you, and leave no money. Then make shure there is no way the lady can find out about your whereabouts. Change Phone number, adress, and tell your new whereabout to absolutely nobody.

I did a runner 3 years ago, and I never regretted it since. Later on I learned that my lady was already planning to have me either arrested or terminated.

To "face up like a real man" is not an option, as talking to somebody who doesn't listen brings no results.And the idea that a Farang has any chance of winning in a confrontation is a fairytale. If you are strong they will be many, if you have a stick they will have a gun, if you have a gun they will come with asault hardware and so on.

I have been In Thailand for 30 Years now and seen a lot of things so I'm talking from experience.

'Asians regard giving in to demands not as a sign of gererosity, but as weakness which will automatically lead to the next bigger demand"

Now that said, yes I do have some Thai friends, and a very nice girlfriend, but they are exceptions. default view of a farang is "somebody who must be exploited"

Good luck, and next time choose your lady more carefully.

Viagra is a very dangerous drug, hard evidence shows this in recent studies by Dr.Von Stehtnicht (Germany) Prof. Rien Nevaplus (France) and Dr. Cazzomollo (Italy)

I used ICO, the office located at inner ring road between Doi Saket and San Khampeng roads, and they did an excellent job for a very fair price !

My land lease case was extremely messy and complicated, and took almost one year, several trips to Pay, court appearances, and a lot of meetings and negotiations. I paid once at the start, and then they never again asked for money except travelling expenses, although the case dragged on and on.

One thing that I appreciated in comparison with other similar outfit's is that they always took the time hear me out and get to the bottom of things.- And yes the coffee is still good also.

Colourful Mexican hammocks are avilable in Pai, handmade on site, various sizes, not cheap tho'.

You'll find the shop on the oposite side of the main street to the Krung Thai Bank, the same shop is also home to a motocross outfit.

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Thanks Pond Life.

So in theory, Pai is the nearest plasce to get one of 'em then.

I guess i should just put off my plan rather than going all the way up to Pai.

Thanks all of you.

These hammocks are now also available in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai

Search for "Thai Tribal Crafts Fair Trade shop" and you shall find.

Probably get cheap one in China town

or in baan tawai or baan bo sang for more luxurious ones.

Best i have seen are in Pai.. but bloody expensive. Wonderful though.

google: Mlabri Hammock

those real good ones are available in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai also.

Search for Thai Tribal Crafts Fair Trade shop and you will find.

At the market next to Prince Royal College, it's on the road the runs from the junction at Bud's Ice cream, parallel with the river. If you start at the Bud's ice cream end it's at the far end of the street, on the left hand side.

I've had mine for about a year and a half, and no problems. Don't even bother bringing it in during the rainy season.

Not quite as nice as the one of those fancy ones from Pai, but at a fraction of the price.

Those fancy ones that you saw in Pai are from Thai Tribal Crafts Fair Trade CO. They have shops in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai

If you ever get up to Pai the shop on the high street makes several excellent versions too.

The real thing is the brainchild of a certain Peter Schmid from Switzerland who has been making these for a long time.

The lady in Pai is his xwife.

A better source for these great hammocks is Thai Tribal Crafts. They have several "Fair Trade Shops" all over

North Thailand. Just search for them on google.

The government MUST out an end to this public lawlessness...Thailand is inexorably sliding down the slippery slope to the abyss of anarchy. Already there is a sense of lawlessness throughout this country. Drive-by shootings are common here, such is the brazen lack of regard for human life. People feel free to operate motor vehicles as they wish--often driving dangerously and without respect for their fellow man. Nobody seems to believe the law is something to be obeyed...they make their own statutes to serve their selfish interests and get away with it constantly.

How to end this mess? As a former military operator and tactician, one plausible idea at this point is to take 'extreme measures' to eliminate key protagonists who are inciting regular people--who lack intellectual capacity-- to carry out acts of civil disobedience and suggesting sedition by setting fire to provincial courthouses. If 'extreme measures' means surgically taking out ringleaders with long range rifle fire, then that is one solution available. It is also very public. You must then provide a means for the main body to leave Bangkok without fear of being shot at or incarcerated. Canalize them using water cannons, acoustic devices and accompanying loudspeaker instructions along an egress route with buses and other forms of mass transport at assembly areas, preventing the flow of thugs into side streets to cause additional mayhem. Then move the group en masse to temporary cantonement areas outside of the city where they can be fed and sheltered until arrangements are made to send them up-country. This can be done with precision and compassion and not further fan the flames. Once the head of the snake is severed, the body is controllable and the mass hysteria will ebb. There are sizeable armed forces here that are equipped and trained to perform these tasks easily. The real issue is motivating and commanding them to do their duty and to do it successfully (minimal bloodshed but GET IT DONE).

Endeth the sermon.

Agree foreman, however the main ringleader presents a moving (as: in moving from country to country) and difficult target. Mounting a surgical operation in a foreign country without too much political fallout is extremely difficult, and I doubt if the necessary resources are available. And to solve this problem once and for all it's imperative to take him out.

Police and army lack the experience and probably the resources to mount a direct assault, without catastrophic consequences. So the only way would be to find a way to get at the red's supply lines.

And very clearly no matter how legit or not their demands are the can not be allowed to succeed, as otherwise this will set a precedent and anytime a minority is not happy they will be back on the streets. In fact the precedent has already been set by the yellow shirts who were allowed to hold the country hostage and blackmail the government.

In europe this kind of confrontation is played out on a yearly basis, rioters on the streets, cops fighting them. But both sides are well experienced and operating on a fixed set of rules. What makes the situation so volatile here, is that ringleaders and authorities are completely inexperienced in this kind of game.

To answer the obvious question: I'm a tourist operator and I therefore dislike the yellows just as much as I dislike the reds

I got a confirmed ticket with Koran CNX to ORD for the 15th. Yesterday I was informed by my travel agent, that I had been dumped, and that they now had a seat for 29 th ! As I travel to the US for business, I have now no other choice than to ask for refund, which I will get maybe sometimes, and find a new ticket at any price, with whatever detour it takes. I absolutely shocked to be treated like a piece of cattle, and beeing dumped from a confirmed flight. And for shure the last time ever I will use Korean.

Still want to fly Korean ? Be also advised that the on board food is not edible, and take a bag of sandwiches with you.

my conclusion: After a long foreplay the pussycat got wet.

Sad joke:

Red,yellow,blue,brown, camo shirts are fighting it out in the streets. Who will win ?

Laos, Vietnam, Kambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia tourism industry !

Sad sad...

I tried "Siam Legal" paid a considerable sum BEFORE they even did anything, and the application for my GF was refused. My case is a bit complicated to be honest, I'm Swiss my Parents are US citizens, and I'm not married but have lived with my GF for almost 10 years and we run a sucessfull business.

What Siam Legal did for us was to give us a lot of tip's on how to get the paperwork done. But nobody came with us to the consulate and they didn't want their name mentionned there.

We also applied once without any outside help. We brought over 2 Kg of documents with us and my GF was thrown out after 5 minutes.

I understand that it is extremely difficult to get a US visa, for Thai's, no matter how complete your paperwork is. I gather some people have been lucky but most of those I know have been refused. And still paid Bht.4000.-

Maybe you want to visit another country.......

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We have some of that stuff in the U.S. thanks to Bush. I wonder where all these world leaders cooked up their goverening styles? Is there a school some where we don't know about?

I dont know if there is a school. But you may find it interesting to read MACCHIAVELLI the "operating instructions" for sucessfull dictators. Written in the 17th century.......

In a democracy, the first and most important duty of police army etc. is to protect the innocent and not to punish the "maybe guilty".

My estimate is there are several thousands (!) foreigners with

"agent" visas.....but only a few get arrested. So before crossing the Immigration line, make shure you look neat and clean and very important, if you get interwieved/interrogated

dont try to make up stories. "Admit and regret" and plead ignorance of the visa regulations.

Stay cool, polite and smiling, be patient and if that doesn't help contact your lawyer or your embassy.

...And let's make no mistake about it, we the "Bungalw Bill's", the small investors, are not welcome anymore, in the land of smiles. This will get a lot worse, just study the new visa regulations for next year.