KhaoNiaw

Yes, they've always been very friendly. I'm sure Khun Thares can't still be running the place? He never forgot a name after meeting you. I first met him in the early 1990s at the place I was working. And if I ever went into the shop or ran into him at a conference, he would always remember my name and any colleagues I was with. They always had the latest books in the linguistics and SLA fields. The shop seemed pretty run down in the 1990s so I'm amazed it's still there!

I've used Direct Asia for many years and have never encountered this. My last renewal was a couple of months ago but the tax isn't due until April and they didn't ask or require me to do that through them. There is the compulsory government insurance which they add to their insurance. If you later renew the road tax in person, you need to submit the slip for the compulsory insurance from the policy document. If you renew your road tax online, it will have been automatically recorded in the database.

It sounds like you're referring to a TM6 arrival card not a TM30? TM6 is still used at land border crossings but not when arriving by air.

DK Today at Makkasan? Agreed, if so. That was always the place to go, with much more than you could find at Chula. I've not been in years either but from Google it looks like it's still there as Duangkamol Samai.

In the news report, the owner said on camera he will cover all of the medical costs.

Translator's licence I'd say. The policeman obviously didn't use those words in English. I can't see anything in Thai news stories yet that would give this translation. Probably an odd translation of ยักษ์ or พ่อยักษ์ which he used a couple of days ago.

Police reports are no longer required when you lose the license.

Nearly three decades for me. Every second year, there's a contract renewal and with the snail speed our personnel department works at, there's often a last-minute rush to get the document package over to OHEC for approval and returned for the renewal process. In years when everything has been prepared well enough in advance, I will never hear anything about it. I have no idea if they carry out any serious checks but the renewal can't proceed without this.

Beg to differ.

Universities send documents to OHEC for approval.

CW seems to be back on track. Submitted Friday evening, approved Monday morning.

I have a slightly different experience teaching classes with Chinese students in Thailand. Some of the Chinese students very quickly become quite proficient Thai speakers because many of the Thai students won't/can't speak English with them and even fewer speak any Chinese. I'd say you'd need to look at things like social background and basic education of the students to compare them. Just saying 'Thai students' vs 'Chinese students' doesn't really tell you anything.

I think it was the local market that took to them. So many students were wearing them around the university for a year or so. That already seems to have peaked but still quite a lot of them around.

Except that they now have a new TM30 system and database and presumably they want to get everyone onto that. So it's possible that if they have no record of a TM30 in the new system, they could reject a 90-day report until there's an updated entry. I have no idea if that's happening but some people have reported that their online 90-day application was rejected with the reason that they need to submit a TM30.

Agreed. They weren't intended to take people off the buses.

Interesting. I often spot one or two in the morning on the wires at tollway level as you come down onto Paholyothin Road beyond Rangsit. Only ever in front of that very tall factory building on the left as the tollway starts to come down.

I also think there may be something in this. A number of people have reported receiving a rejection with the reason that they should "submit a new TM30". In these cases, it would be interesting to know if they are still on the old TM30 system or have already registered on the new system. Or whether there is any pattern of this at particular offices.

As above answer. When you add funds, you specify a GBP amount and that is what you receive.

I have a UK Revolut account and can add funds to it from my KBank debit card. I haven't done that very often but it was useful one time when I got caught on the hop and needed a quick transfer to another UK account.

It's an utter s**thole though. All the old shops and stalls are empty and rotting away and very little maintenance has been done on it over the years. It's great to drive to but is in need of much better public transport connections.

I think they manage on their own. There was some great remote camera footage a month or two ago from Huai Kha Khaeng with three tigers feasting on a Banteng.

Mechai Viravaidya

No more to it -it's not that uncommon. In Bangkok, there are quite often reports of bag snatches on woman from motorcycles, especially quite early when they're heading out to work. I usually have either JS100 or FM91 on the radio when I drive to work in the morning and they've had reports of this kind of crime for a couple of decades. Generally though, the police seem to pick up the perpetrators fairly quickly. Some years ago, there was a spate of attacks with the muggers getting around quite a wide area each morning over a period of weeks but they were finally apprehended.

It's possible that they may want to get people registered under the new TM30 system? The most efficient way to do that at some point will be to reject 90-day reports that don't have an updated TM30.

Mostly just a few of the other ASEAN countries: Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia. Thai singers and actors are very well-known in those countries. Also, students from those countries come to take media and film studies courses etc. in Thailand as the Thai industry is seen as the most developed in ASEAN. It's also closer home and a cheaper alternative to other parts of the world.