lothda

I'm glad you enjoyed "Silom Soi 2" (available on DVD and VCD, but only in a censored version). However that is a serious gay movie, made for a gay audience. It has nothing in common with the lowbrow comedies I mentioned. There are more serious gay Thai movies, "Down the River" comes to mind. But they are few and far between.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed how many Thai movies featuring gay or "gathoey" characters have been produced this year (or any year - but recently there seems to have been an increase). "Ghost Station" is a combined parody of Thai ghost movies and "Brokeback Mountain". It scores 2.1 on the Internet Movie Database (on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being "awful"). Coming up: "Kung <deleted> Tootsie" and "The Odd Couple". In the latter famous Thai comedian Petchtai Wongkamlao ("Ong Bak", "The Body Guard", "Tom Yum Goong") dons the skirt and wig and does his thing in an outrageous fashion - just watch the trailer.

Nobody pretends that these movies are any good. Definitely not any better than the countless Thai TV soaps featuring stereotyped "gay" characters. Why the seemingly endless fascination with these stereotypes? Are they just something to laugh at, thereby loosing any frightening aspects they might otherwise have and making everybody feel safe? Comments welcome...

It is true - pinch yourself and say again - it is true.

As we have pointed out here often you can enter in December before your visa expires and receive another year - December 2008. But once past December 21, 2007 you will need a re-entry permit prior to any exit of Thailand to keep that permitted to stay stamp alive.

So make a border run next December and you are good until 2008. So in November, 2008 you visit Immigration for the first time with proof of 800k in Thai bank or 65k monthly income and receive your first extension of stay.

You should be making 90 day address reports. Time starts from entry but if you leave before they do no problem - time starts again on next entry.

Thank you very much - that certainly answers my question

Greetings all. Please help with the following questions: I have an O-A (retirement/longstay) multiple entry visa, issued on 22 December, 2006 and marked "ENTER BEFORE 21 DEC 2007". I entered Thailand on 10 Feb 2007 and got a stamp until 9 FEB 2008 as expected. Last weekend I left Thailand for a short trip. On returning on 7 May the immigration officer gave me a 3 months stamp . I pointed out that I had a longstay visa and the stamp was corrected to read "6 MAY 2008". My understanding was that I was allowed to stay in Thailand for 1 year from the FIRST time of entry, which in my case was 10 Feb. I asked the officer and was told that the one year from my second date of entry was correct and that every time I left Thailand, I would again get a 1 year stamp on re-entry.

Is this really correct? (It must be, the officers should know, but it was irritating that I got a 3 month stamp first.)

And when do I have to get a new visa (I suspect 1 month before 21 December)?

There is an old thread about a similar experience, but it was not really answered at the time: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/lofiversion/...php/t36482.html

Thank you very much for your help.

I'd just like to introduce myself: arrived in Bangkok on a "longstay" visa to live with my boyfriend (yes, I am over 50). I'm not a girl to I think I'm in the right forum here . Anybody interested in the process of getting the visa with a gay slant, please let me know. Also I was already an expat, i.e. I applied for the visa outside my home country and outside Thailand. Otherwise I'll check back regularly and see what I can do to contribute.

Cheers,

LD.