thaisail

Submarines?

I had a multi entry marriage visa issued in Savanahkept on July 1st, 2016. I started working in Thailand on March 17, 2017 when I got my work permit. My 90 day entry stamp ended on 23 May and on May 19 my employer got his lawyer to extend my visa until 22 June. He then got another extension on June 22 that allows me to stay in Thailand until my passport expires on March 13, 2018. So, had I left Thailand before July 1st, I could have gotten a 3 months extension on my marriage visa and been OK until October 1st. However, now my employer wants to end my sales commision and wants to put me on a salary of 20K baht. I was earning 30K baht last month in commissions. My work permit has 50K stamped in for salary. If I refuse the pay cut from 30K to 20K and he cancels my work permit, how long will I be able to stay in Thailand? His lawyer told me that he was extending my marriage visa and the stamp on top of the extension in Thai THAI WIFE- WORK. This is against my agreement with my employer who promised to keep me on a marriage visa for this very reason. How long do I have to stay in Thailand if refuse this new assignment from my employer or ask for a living wage?

I have 28 documents from a US attorney to notarize with my signature and return to California so that the opposing attorneys can get access to all of my medical records in 7 different countries. I live in Phuket and I am looking for a law firm that can quote me a price for all of these documents to notarize. All of these documents are in English language but if the same law firm can translate 11 from English to Thai, I need a separate quote for the official translation. The other 17 notarized documents are for use in 6 other different countries and I do not need any translation for those. Only to notarize along with my US passport. Any recommendations in Phuket?

I am asking for a friend who is Dutch and is 70 years old and he has a 50 foot catamaran brand new built in Thailand but has Delaware registration with US flag.

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I entered Thailand aboard my sailboat in Phuket sailing from Langkawi in January. I was injured in a boat accident in February, paid a 20,000 baht bond to Thai customs and flew back to Europe for recovery from my injuries. I flew back to Phuket April 29 and got a 30 day visa exempt entry stamp. I then went to customs and was refunded the 20,000 baht. On May 26, I went to Phuket Immigration and paid for an extension of stay for an additional 30 days. My stamp says that I must leave Thailand by June 27 in 6 days time. Phuket Immigration will not extend again and told me I must leave Thailand. My boat needs some repair and will not be ready in time. I will not receive my pension check in time to pay the 20,000 baht bond. I want to go to Ranong and make a quick trip across the border to get extended another 30 days. Will immigration in Ranong allow me to cross over and back without paying the bond?

Do I have to pay 20000

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I just heard from another source that on the island of Phuket, this new law will not be enforced but as soon as we leave Phuket Island for the mainland, I will have to follow the new law. Is there another thread that follows the latest story about changing the law back to the way it was before? I am planning to drive from Phuket to Bangkok with my 9 year old daughter strapped into her Ford supplied seat belt with built in brake. 

I heard a rumor that the government is backing down on this new law about pick up trucks. Can anyone update me on the latest? I have an Open Cab Ford Ranger Wild Track and I fitted seatbelts in the back from Ford company. Am I still allowed to have my daughter in the back seat if she is attached with the seatbelt?
 

10 hours ago, thequietman said:

GK, any ideas where we could buy restraints?

I had to order the seat belts from the Ford dealer for my 2011 Ford Ranger Open Cab. There are threaded holes are in the frame and it was easy to do the job. 5 years ago, the Ford mechanics at the dealer refused to fit the new belts when they arrived so I did the job myself. I then bought another belt for the center back seat for attaching the car seat for our 4 year old daughter at the time. When everyone is in the truck, I do not start the engine until everyone has put on their seat belt. In the sun in Phuket sitting in a closed vehicle it gets hot quickly so it doesn't take long to get everyone buckled up. How would you feel to be driving your truck and have a vehicle from opposite directing cross over and hit you? When the air bag inflates the last thing you see is your child going through the windshield from the back seat if the child is not buckled in. It is the right thing to do!

I bought my Ford Ranger Wild Track in 2012. We had a 4 year old daughter at the time and we decided that we wanted to keep her. So, we put seat belts in the back seat of our Open Cab. I had to special order them from Ford who did not want to install them. So, I did the job myself. I then added another seat belt in the middle for the car seat. We felt completely safe with the door design that allows the doors to be opened up so that the entire seating area can be accessed in the case of an accident. The Wild track comes with a factory built roll bar. We have ABS brakes that came in handy when some idiot motorbike pulled out in front of us without looking and we were able to stop in time in the pouring rain. There have been times when we had some people visit us and we drove to the beach with some people in the back and I suppose there was a bit of risk but it was only done in about 3 days of the 5 years that I have driven that truck. How can this government compare the danger of my truck to the motorcycles that are running around Phuket with no protection what so ever in the case of a collision. Even a helmet will not prevent a broken neck or stop someone from running over you if your bike drops on the road and slides into oncoming traffic. Let's get real and try to understand that we can never be 100% safe. 

 

The real issue with Songkran is drunk driving  and speeding. The solution is put up roadblocks and make all the drivers blow into the balloons and if they fail the test, they go straight to jail and lose their driver's license for 6 months to a year. On the second time, they go to jail for one year and they lose their license forever! For speeding it is quite simple. Put up speed cameras in all the right places and mail the tickets to the car owners. The cameras will pay for themselves. This is being done in all the civilized countries. When will Thailand become civilized? 

On 1/29/2017 at 1:37 PM, ubonjoe said:

They count entries by sea the same as by land.

When I returned to Phuket from Langkawi, I asked the immigration officer if the entries that were stamped in my guests passports were counted as land entries and the officer told me that they were the same as if they had arrived by air. However, another immigration officer in another province may not agree but in Phuket, one can make as many voyages to Malaysia as they want with no limit.

Hi any help will be much appreciated. I got my non o marraige from Savannakhet about 6 weeks ago and need to do my 90 day run in about another 6 weeks. Q: which border post is the nearest to Hua Hin ? I did my last one at Kanchanaburi just before they closed the border for visa runs. Somebody has told me that they are doing visa runs there again without getting a Myanmar visa first. I know i can get a 60 day extension but would prefer to do my first 90 day on a visa run. Any help please.
Kyri.

She will get a 30 day entry. Visa exempt entries by land sea or air are now 30 days. Visa exempt entries by land border crossings are now limited to 2 per calendar year.
She could also extend her 30 day entry at immigration for a fee of 1900 baht.

I have another friend who entered Thailand at Mae Sot on 25 January after spending 15 days in Burma. He flew from Bangkok to Yangon on January 10. He is a French citizen 27 years old. He got a 30 days entry stamp in his passport when he returned to Thailand by land in Mae Sot.

He will sail on my boat from Phuket to Langkawi and back. Depart Thailand on February 6 in Chalong return to Chalong, Phuket aboard a private sailboat on February 20. He wants to know if that 2nd entry into Thailand by sea will count as his 2nd entry per calender year since it is not at a land border.

Just to be clear, does she get only 15 days or 30 days on her re-entry back into Thailand because she is entering by land instead of air. This is written on the Koh Lipe ferry website. Also last year passengers on private yachts only got 15 days on arrival while crew members were getting 30 days.

 

One of my guest on my boat wants to extend her stay in Thailand. She is a US citizen and she has almost completed her first 28 day visa exempt stay in Thailand. We want to sail to Koh Lipe and she will take the ferry to Langkawi check in check out and return to Koh Lipe the same day. How many days will she get without a visa. She is a US citizen. Same question for Ranong.

From my experience using my French passport, the non O marriage visa is valid for one year. However the Thai consulate in Paris will only provide single entry visas whereas with my US passport I can get multiple entry non O marriage visas in Savanahkept for 5000 baht valid for one year with maximum stay of 3 months at a time and the same from the Thai consulate in LA for $200. I was not aware that the price for a single re-entry permit was only 1000 baht and I guess the 3800 is to convert a single entry non O marriage visa to a multi re-entry permit which I imagine will be valid until one year after the non O marriage visa was issued. Is this correct?

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You need a multi entry visa if you wish to re-enter Thailand during the 1 year validity of the non-immigrant O visa. With a single entry visa you will only be allowed to enter Thailand one time. If you leave Thailand you will have to apply for a new visa to get back in unless you apply for a re-entry permit from your local immigration office at a cost of 1900 baht.

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Thank you SMO and Sheryl! I have been in contact with Prof. Wicharn and he has seen my MRI's from Bangkok Hospital (2016) and Bumrungrad (2010). He will not agree to perform the surgery without my traveling from Phuket to Bangkok first. I understand his position but it now my 4th trip to Bangkok to deal with this issue and I will wait until I have to go to Bangkok to make my final consultation with Prof. Wicharn.

 

After my original posting, I received the medical report from my specialist in San Francisco and he does not recommend surgery in my case. However, the decision is mine and I have read this entire thread about how surgery is absolutely the last resort. My spine is suffering from degeneration as well as the two herniated disks along with nerve root compression. I do have bone spurs that are also causing pain and it is not getting better. I want to let you know that after consulting with my insurance company, Companion Global from the US, that they agreed to include BNH in their list of covered hospitals. They still will not allow Bangkok Hospital in Phuket into their network and I agree totally about this because the hospital in Phuket is run by a very poor administrator and though the doctors are very talented the hospital is still very "third world". I am planning our next trip to Bangkok around New Years and will try to see Prof. Wicharn on the way to our rice farm in Loei and if he agrees to surgery, it may be scheduled for after New Years on our way back to Phuket. 

 

SMO, please can you give me the name of the doctors that performed your surgery? I just want to absolutely certain that I have the absolute best one for this surgery if I end up doing it. Right now I have the good fortune of finding excellent physical therapy in the new building at Mission Hospital in Phuket. They just received the new hot laser machine and it seems to help a lot. They have an excellent team of therapist and they do a much better job than Bangkok Hospital Phuket for half the price. 

 

Again I want to thank all of those who have posted in this thread and I will post one more time after the New Year with the final decision. 

What are the latest requirements for getting a visa for Burma? Do I have to go to Bangkok to apply for a tourist visa for Burma? Can I cross into Burma from Ranong and travel north into Burma by land? Are there any flights from Phuket to Burma? Is it possible to cross into Burma from Mae Sot and Mae Sai and go into Burma as far as Yangon by public land transport? If there is any one with recent travel experience from Phuket to Burma, please let me know what are the best options. Remember as a US citizen, there may be problems getting the Evisa by internet. 

I have been living in Phuket, Thailand living with my Thai wife and our 9 year old daughter for 10 years. I am a US citizen and usually have always gotten a non immigrant O visa based on Marriage multiple entry visa valid for 1 year. I usually leave Thailand every 3 months to extend my time if I am not returning to the US to work aboard ships an an engineering officer. Now I have been offered a job in Thailand and my Thai employer is working on my work permit through his lawyer. They are now asking me to get six  3 cm  by 4 cm photos. I also read that the in order to change from the Non O based on marriage to the work visa, I will have to leave Thailand and go to a consulate in the region or back to the US to get the correct visa in my passport. Please let me know if I have to do anything to avoid problems in this process. Any advice will be appreciated.

If anyone in Phuket has had any good or bad experience using Bangkok Hospital or any other hospital in Phuket for lower back surgery, please let me know.

20 hours ago, Sheryl said:

What you want is an ortho surgeon specifically specializing in spine inc. minimally invasive approaches and has completed a residency or fellowship in a western country, preferrably at a hospital with strong reputation for this.I cannot say from direct experience but based on qualifications and clinical sub-specialty these doctors look good:

 

Bumrungrad:

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/doctors/Rattalerk-Arunakul

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/doctors/Monchai-Ruangchainikom

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/doctors/Tawechai-Tejapongvorachai

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/doctors/Areesak-Chotivichit

 

Bangkok Hospital: Dr. Arreesak above is also at Bangkok Hosp

 

 

Can you tell me who is the best ortho surgeon for Foraminotomy in Bangkok including all hospitals like BNH? My injury is a result of work accident and I might be able to get my company to pay any hospital in Bangkok under these circumstances. My experience with Bumrungrad last year when I had my gall bladder removed is that the endoscopic equipment is only 2D where as the endoscopic cameras at Bangkok Hospital at that time were 3D of a newer design. I also like the fact that Bangkok hospital has only private rooms where as Bumrungrad has double occupancy which my insurance will force me to pay the difference. I have read in former posts from a few year ago that you highly recommended a doctor who works at BNH but I can't locate that post. I live in Phuket so it makes it hard to do all this in Bangkok but the Bangkok Hospital in Phuket is only recommending for emergency procedures as the much of their equipment is outdated though the doctors are excellent. I also found on the Bangkok Hospital website that Dr. Arresak is not listed any more. 

I am also looking for a good surgeon but my insurance will only pay at Bangkok Hospital Bangkok or Bumrungrad Hospital. If there is anyone out there who has any experience with the spine surgeons at either of those two hospitals, I could really use some advice. The surgery needed is called Foraminotomy. I hope that Bangkok Hospital is equipped with the most modern equipment for this kind of surgery. There are perhaps 10 surgeons that practice at Bangkok Hospital and I just want to know which one is the best.

We just got back from our visa run and found a better place than Avalon and closer to the consulate. Can't rememberthe name but I can send you the location through Google maps.

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CD might mean Corp Diplomatic since you were in the line for diplomats!

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My wife and daughter have Thai passports so they can go to Laos for free, right? How much does an American citizen pay for the Laos visa these days? Any nice new hotels or guest houses on either side of the border?

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It is a long bus ride from Udon to Mukdahan. Your best bet is HKT -> DMK -> Nok Air fly-ride service. There are several airports used by Nok Air. Depending on the flight you take, you are in the van for about 1.5 to 2.5 hours.

I checked out Nok Air route and found that they fly to Nakhom Phanom and Ubon Ratchathani and the bus rides are 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours respectively. The better option appears to be Nakhom Phanom because the bus stops at the bridge on the way to Mukdahan which saves time in both directions. However the arrival time at the bridge for both buses is around 1130. Does this mean that it is not possible to get the non O visa without an overnight stay in Savannakhet?

I am thinking it may just be easier to drive our Ford Ranger from Phuket to Mukdahan and then from there to our place in Loei. We had planned to drive from Phuket to Loei anyway. Is it possible now to drive our own Thai registered truck across the bridge to Laos to the consulate? A few years ago the red tape was so overwhelming that we parked on the Thai side of the bridge and rode the bus across to the old consulate downtown. In those days there was no way to avoid the overnight stay in Savannakhet. Does anyone know the cost of the Laos visa at the bridge for a US citizen? What about the Thai wife and our 9 year old daughter? Anyone recommend a nice place to eat near the consulate or guest house if needed?