Brigante7

My fiancee and I had a brief discussion on how we will discipline our children when we have them, and she believes that its ok to use corporal punishment a little to correct their behavior. I disagree and neither I nor my ex farang wife have never laid a hand on my 15 year old daughter and I think she turned out ok. I resort to other methods when she is not behaving properly such as solitary confinement from her friends or restricting her activities, but would never strike my child.

Is it part of Thai culture to use corporal punishment on your own children? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I am not really interested in knowing personal opinions on whether corporal punishment is effective on an individual basis, I am simply trying to find out that since my fiancee believes in it, do most Thais believe in it as well, and is it part of Buddhism? And if I refuse to let her use it on my children will it cause me to lose face with her and her family? If I ever saw her of her family hit my kid, I would be very angry.

I have stayed in Thailand more than a year and I dont know if I have ever seen a parent hitting a child.

What do you class as corporal punishment, Slapping a childs fingers if they stick their fingers in a socket or beating the child because it spillt a glass of water?

There is a massive difference between smacking a childs lef or fingers and beating a child although most of the PC brigade wil want any parent who smacks their kids hung drawn and quartered, my wife has smacked our son if needed at the time.

The missus is flying with them to Thailand in June, she chose them over BA and Emirates because she'll be travelling with a 21 month old toddler and will be 5 months pregnant so she thinks, and I agree with her, if the trolley dollies are thai then she might get more help, we'll see.

Forget all your pills, according to my wife Tiger-Balm cures all either in liquid form or ointment, any medical complaints, tiger-balm will cure it. I got badly bitten in Thailand 3 years ago and was in bed with bad hallucinations, sweating buckets, shi_tting everywhere and my left ankle where I was bitten was all swolen and black and the solution? Smother it in tiger-balm, did fuc_k all I might add, had to call a doctopr for antibiotics.

i too have always wondered about this.

Wonder no more Bro, most are right handed and they set on the right side when driving, now I can only speak for my lady but she insist on sleeping on the right hand side of the bed

So does my lady, but she's left-handed.

My wife just sleeps in the midle and I sleep on the edge.

My wife has just been granted a settlement visa for 2yrs and 3 months, she is currently pregnant and to our relief can now give birth here in the UK.

I know its very early days but was just wondering what the next step is? I read that she is entitled to another 2yrs without returning to Thailand. also, what is the minimum term she has to spend here in order to qualify for another 2yrs, I thinks it FLR?? we will of course want to return to Thailand for a holiday so her parents can see there grandaughter.

Thanks in advance, look forward to your comments.

Waz

Your wife can apply for an Indefinite leave to remain visa (ILR) after being in the UK for 2 years, in order to apply for this she will have to have passed the life in the UK test or an ESOL course at her local college. Between now and the next 2 years keep every single letter, utility bill, bank statement, c/card statement and anything else with your, your wifes and both your names and address's on, also keep any letters and such addressed to your new baby to show that you are a family.

If your wife just wants a new 2 year visa then again keep all documents mentioned above and she can apply for a new 2 year visa no sooner than 28 days before her old visa finishes. Your wife can leave and re-enter the Uk as many times as she wants on her 2 year visa.

My wife has just recieved her ILR visa and can now apply for a UK passport 1 year after recieving her visa. My wifes sister went through the Life in the UK test while my wife is going through an ESOL course (She reached the required level to get her ILR visa at Christmas) which started in September and finishes in June.

Hope this helps

Brigante7.

Freelander 2 now is import only and the price has gone up by 1.2 million, so the BMW X3 is cheaper to buy here

Amen

True but then the BMW isn't half the car the car the Freelander is. After driving both of them I would take the Freelander over the BMW anyday.

do you think the planes are full because the airlines cut back the number of flights?as i posted before,someone had remarked that phuket was very busy now.

I read yesterday that 10% of all the planes in service around the world are in storage, around 2000 planes if I remember correctly, could be why flights are full.

I hope you have known her for a reasonable time and you know she is stable and trustworthy. I once shared an apt with a Thai girl once & she took off with all the stuff one morning, while I was gone. I am also surprised you may have communication problems, if she is a uni grad with an English major. They are the one catagory of Thai, who usually have a reasonable command of Englsih. One room apt also pretty tight for two on al full-time basis. Good luck.

I have known her since March of last year (almost a year now) and we've been dating since beginning of September (almost 7 months). She is truthworthy and I have met her main friends and her family twice. I don't have anything worth taking aside from my laptop and digi.

It seems that people who go to college for English here in Thailand don't really know a lot of English. I talk to her friends, all in the same English faculty and she has to translate for me with them all. She has studied English longer than her friends, prior to college, but English here seems to be standard or international without any understanding of American humor, metaphors, innuendos, analogies, figure of speech, etc. Such as I can't have a philosophical debate with her or use wisdom or quotes when talking to her... which greatly lessons what I say since that is how I speak usually.

Just be thankfull you can comunicate with each other, it took my wife and I about 2 months to get in to a routine where we could have a conversation with each other as opposed to only asking questions and making statements. If all else fails there is always the universal language of love, just remind her it's not polite to speak with............... No I'll just leave it there.

Hi all, I had the exact opposite experience, phoned Croydon to get an appointment at Glasgow and was asked how quickly I needed it, I said 1 week is fine, I was giving a reference number (Never needed it), turned up and was in and out in 90 minutes and the 3 people that dealt with my wifes ILR application couldn't have been more helpful, seems it's not just Thailand that experiences vary from office to office.

I think you have missed the point.

So it seems, I'll get my coat.

Hi all, I had the exact opposite experience, phoned Croydon to get an appointment at Glasgow and was asked how quickly I needed it, I said 1 week is fine, I was giving a reference number (Never needed it), turned up and was in and out in 90 minutes and the 3 people that dealt with my wifes ILR application couldn't have been more helpful, seems it's not just Thailand that experiences vary from office to office.

I paid no sinsod but instead brought my wifes mum & dad to the UK for our wedding. When I asked my wife about her dad losing face because I didn't pay a sinsod she said and I quote "Your joking? The fact that their daughters husband flew them to the UK for the wedding and a holiday and paid for everything meant more them than a cash sinsod and people would respect her family more because their daughter has a good farang who will look after their daughter" So it seems that while it may be about face, it's not always about money.

I believe that the tradition in the UK is for the father of the bride to pay for the wedding. Looks like your Thai in laws and wife lost some serious face amongst your friends and family in the UK.

Quite the opposite, while it is custom for the father of the bride to pay for the wedding, that's not always possible and my wife and her family lost no face amongst my friends and family.

The comments regarding the LitUK test are long and varied, however Yak, if he can converse adequately in English the test shouldn't be that hard, a lot of the questions are potless and pointless and some were, maybe still are, plain wrong, but none of that is the point, it is about ensuring a certain amount of English understanding and integration into the country, something I believe you believe in.

If he failed I would suggest it was down to not doing the hard yards, the irrelevance of the above is all negated by reading and understanding the book.

Getting Citizenship is not always about sponging off the state, although I dare say, it may be at the forefront of some, but it has a number of advantages that have nothing to do with hand outs, like the exemption of visas for instance, however there are few social security safety nets available that you couldn't claim as the partner in any case.

Moss

Just because somebody can read, write and speak english doesn't mean they can pass a test in english. My wife is taking driving lessons and I'm sure she'll have so much trouble with the written part of the test because while she can read and write english she doesn't understand what they mean, so unless she can memorise every question and every answer then she will struggle.

The Uk is now full of romanian scum just like those 2.

Sinsod believe it or not is Thai and Chinese tradition. At first I was like what the....! Why can't just two people fall in love and live together and get married. Like the marriage ceremony isn't enough.

Here are two opinions. Chinese tradition (my wife is chinese and is the sole daughter, only brothers no sisters):

1. Sinsod is about face. A good amount of sinsod and a big ceremony gives the parents face that their daughter is marrying up.

2. Sinsod is for the expenses of raising up the girl. Becaue after marriage (in Chinese custom) the girl is to live with the husband and is part of the husband's family now. No longer part of her own family. The sinsod is a one time payment because the girl will no longer have to support her parents. She is supposed to belong to the husband now.

3. Every family wants to have their daughter married up and financially secure. It is suggested the husband has his own home, a business and is finacially stable to support their daughter after marriage. No one wants to have their daugher married into a difficult position. A sinsod is guarantee or insurance money that the husband can support the lady well onto the future and her children.

Thai custom:

1. In Thai custom sinsod is payment for the lady same as Chinese with a few differences.

2. In Thai customs, this dates back long time ago. A husband is to be married into the girl's family not other way around. A husband is to support the lady's family and usually moves into her parents house. This has to do with the Thai agriculture family in the past. If the Thai family has a girl, extra help and labor is needed to help on the farm. Can't just take a girl from her family and leave the parents to support themselves.

My brother in law and neighbor have been through Thai marriages. Lets just say it was difficult because of the differences of cultures. My brotehr in law who is Chinese wanted the girl to live with him and be a part of his family but the girl's family expected him to support her family. Let's just say that they are now divorced.

My neigher has a house. But he is now forced to sell his house and live with his wife at her parents house. She wanted the money from the sale to fix up her parents house so that she can be close to her parents.

Only daughter:

In another case my friend after getting married was supposed to be married into her wife's company. The girl was an only daughter and the father did not have any sons. So my friend had to be the father in law's successor in her father's company.

I also want to mention that in both cases sinsod usually is returned to the bride. The parents do not keep the money and give it to their daughter as an investment for her future and as a wedding gift from her parents. Well atleast return half and offer a wedding gift like a house or car, etc.

Lets just sum it up into two customs. In one custom if a family has a girl it is a lost on investment. In another custom if one has a girl it is a good return on investement.

The amount of sinsod depends on her age, occupation, education and especially her parents status. Usually a couple hundred thousand is more than enough if the parents are not too greedy. Just seeing their daughter financially secure and a loving husband is more than enough. If your wife is highly respected with a good occupation and a master's degree overseas the amount is about right. A bachelor's degree is about half the price.

It also depends on how in demand she was. If she is really pretty, etc. Anyone remember Tata Youngs 100M baht sinsod?

The best scenario is that both of you cleared the air and had ground rules before getting married. Separate finances, who controls the finances, where to live, which family to support, etc.

Oh I have to be honest some families if their girl marries a rich foreigner it is considered to be free money falling from the trees. Well translated from Thai actually.

I paid no sinsod but instead brought my wifes mum & dad to the UK for our wedding. When I asked my wife about her dad losing face because I didn't pay a sinsod she said and I quote "Your joking? The fact that their daughters husband flew them to the UK for the wedding and a holiday and paid for everything meant more them than a cash sinsod and people would respect her family more because their daughter has a good farang who will look after their daughter" So it seems that while it may be about face, it's not always about money.

On monday this week my wife received a letter from the Home Office saying that she has been successful in her application for British Citizenship. Ofcourse we are absolutely delighted and have to attend the Citizenship ceremony next week where she has to give the oath of allegiance and receive her certificate. Next stop British passport!

We should have'nt any problems getting a passport now she has British Citizenship should we?

Thanks

everyone

I'm a bit confused now, my wife has been in the UK for 2 1/2 years, 6 months on fiance visa and 2 years on a limited leave to remain visa, 2 years after she arrived here she enrolled in her ESOL course and recieved her pass certificate at the end of January and we made an appointment to submit the paperwork for her indefinite leave to remain visa. We recieved the appointment for 6 days after we phoned and we got her visa there and then, and she can apply for her UK passport after 1 year, my question is, what's this citizenship test and why does she need to take it to get her UK passport when she's been told she'll get her UK passport in 1 year, or when people say citizen test do they mean the Life in the UK test, and what's this swearing an oath of allegiance?

OK ignore the above post, now I understand, according to my wife, and all her friends, the holy grail is a UK passport not citizenship, that's what confused me, I always thought that if you had a UK passport then you were all set, it seems not.

On monday this week my wife received a letter from the Home Office saying that she has been successful in her application for British Citizenship. Ofcourse we are absolutely delighted and have to attend the Citizenship ceremony next week where she has to give the oath of allegiance and receive her certificate. Next stop British passport!

We should have'nt any problems getting a passport now she has British Citizenship should we?

Thanks

everyone

I'm a bit confused now, my wife has been in the UK for 2 1/2 years, 6 months on fiance visa and 2 years on a limited leave to remain visa, 2 years after she arrived here she enrolled in her ESOL course and recieved her pass certificate at the end of January and we made an appointment to submit the paperwork for her indefinite leave to remain visa. We recieved the appointment for 6 days after we phoned and we got her visa there and then, and she can apply for her UK passport after 1 year, my question is, what's this citizenship test and why does she need to take it to get her UK passport when she's been told she'll get her UK passport in 1 year, or when people say citizen test do they mean the Life in the UK test, and what's this swearing an oath of allegiance?

Is it just me or have I read this same story on TV before?

I love the chicken burgers from 7-11.

She's 18 - What were most of you doing when you were that age - I was in Paris being very irresponsible - it's life and learning - At least she has the courage to travel and learn new experiences - Good luck to her

I was working.

I know I'm in Thailand because my wife leaves the hotel at 3 in the morning and gets a taxi to Sukhumvit road (Soi Nana) and comes back with Issan food and stinks the room out.

I know I'm in Thailand when we visit the missus village and everybody is at the airport to meet us (It's a very small airport).

I know I'm in Thailand when I leave the airport and the heat hits you (I've come from Scotland, always baltic).

What a <deleted>.

i have virgin phone in uk.But having difficulty finding a cheap way of phoning thailand.

can you please help me.

08 numbers seem to be expensive.

Thank you .

A Virgin mobile or landline? If it's a mobile then buy a lebara sim card for it, 4p a minute to phone a landline in Thailand and 6p to phone a mobile, if it's a landline then an 0844 number is your best bet, 1p a minute to phone landline or mobile, hope this helps.

In the USA there is always the running joke about how nobody wants to date Asian men, except for Asian girls who are not brave/mean enough to make their father want to kill himself by screwing a white guy. Quick, name an Asian male movie star who does not do karate. Therefore, I would imagine the hiso Thais going to school in the West would feel the same sort of insecurity that old farang feel when they go home - nobody is interested in them on a physical level, as opposed to Thailand where they are the man.

Most of the stuff listed in this thread is not about culture shock as it as about your partner not being the sharpest tool in the shed. Just saying.

So a Thai who has never been out of Thailand and can't believe how cold it can be in another country or has been raised to believe that all farang's are rich, you think they are a bit slow, is that what you are saying?

When my wife came to Scotland for the first time, she walked out of the airport and then walked straight back in to the airport, she said, and I quote "Take me back to Thailand, it's too cold here" Once we started driving back home she couldn't believe how many cars there were on the motorway, how few pick-ups there were and she asked why there were no motorbikes. Over the next 6 months she couldn't believe how expensive everything was and she couldn't believe that there were poor farangs, oh how I laughed, and still do.

haha , yes it is a bit racist . there would be an outcry if this brand was in farangland.

its really cashing in on the slave/servant image of the negro , IMO wrong.

funny though.

It's not racist in any way, would you think it was racist if it was called white man?