shotover

About 5'9" (175 cm) and 84 kilos. 5 of these kilos are due to my recent 1 month stay in the USA enjoying my mother's cooking. You may see me walking in some Bkk parks this summer trying to sweat some of these excessive kilos off.

The only other activity that seems to help me lose weight is drinking a lot in the bars and forgetting to eat. Not recommended.

I think the law states that you must report within 24 hours

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Good observation. I have a retirement visa. I recently changed my residence just before returning to the US for about a month. Due to time constraints, and not being aware of the 24 hour requirement, I failed to report the address change to Immigration until a few more weeks after I returned to Thailand.

I initially filled in my original address change on the TM47 form, and was informed of the 24 hour reporting requirement. I explained my circumstances, and the Immigration official kindly let me revise the address change to the day before.

Next time I will promptly report to Immigration when changing addresses.

It does look like the final is tonight, as they are showing the final in the USA Tuesday night. I may have to slip the GF some valium before fight time to ensure there are no distractions.

I second Sergio's squeeze as the most attractive partner. Jesse's wife, despite the giant knockers, is the least desirable. Peter's daughter gets my vote for cutest kid.

Sergio will have to stay away from inside slugfests with Peter. Everytime Jesse held Sergio in close, he hammered him.

The bars will have to forego my business tonight.

AXN gave away the fight results between Jesse and Sergio early last night. After the 4th round, when the fight seemed even, AXN shows a promo for the finale which included Peter and Sergio duking it out. I think they did this at least one time before.

Regarding the fight between Jesse and Anthony (won by Jesse), I recall a trainer telling Anthony to go after Jesse and 'finish him' in the last round, even though Anthony had a big lead then, and only had to survive that round to win. Wonder if that advice was motivated by a desire to keep the action hot throughout the fight for ratings.

I'm for Sergio in the last fight, but believe Peter's boxing skills and power will overcome the quick, but weak-hitting Latin Snake.

Will AXN Thailand show the final on Monday night at 21:00, the normal telecast time in Thailand?

Thanks for the feedback. I agree it's logical that I should not have been given another year 'Admitted until' date after reentering Thailand the last time.

I'll take the advice of knowledgable posters and soon visit Thai Immigration for clarification (I know, everyone's laughing ).

Keep in mind that I posted earlier that I went to Suan Phlu Immigration in March 2005 to ask about renewing my retirement visa. 2 different individuals there looked at my passport and both told me that I would not need to reapply for renewal until a few weeks before Jan 2006, which then was the latest 'admitted until' date stamped in my passport.

We'll see what wisdom they impart on me this next visit.

Thought I would update my experience on reentry dates on my O-A Non-Immigrant (Retirement) Visa. This has been my experience since being issued a Retirement visa in April 2004:

April 8 2004 - O-A retirement visa issued via the Thai consulate in Houston Texas. “Good for multiple journeys to Thailand. This visa must be utilized before April 7 2005.”

April 26 2004 - Arrived in Thailand; visa stamped admitted until 25 Apr 2005.

Since this time, I have left and reentered Thailand 7 times. Each time, Thai Immigration stamped my passport with an 'Admitted To Date' one year after my reentry date.

For example, when I reentered the country on April 1 2005, the 'Admitted To Date' stamped in my passport was March 31 2006.

I was surprised that when I reentered Thailand May 16 2005 (after a trip to the USA) that Thai Immigration stamped my passport with an 'Admitted To Date' of May 15 2006.

At this rate, it would seem that I would never need to renew my O-A visa as long as I leave and reenter the country at least once a year, even though I know this is not logical.

William, Thanks again for the interesting information. I'll post a report when I renew my retirement visa.

Excellent reference material William. Thanks very much for the thought and organization you put into this.

One question? If your embassy provides proof of pension income exceeding the annual required amount (800,000 baht?), do you still have to have a confirmation letter of your balance in your Thai bank account?

My T/W is currently covered by the 30 baht scheme only in her home district in Issan, is it possible to transfer coverage to Chiang Mai where we have lived for 2 years. We reside in a rented home on a 3 year lease... any advise appreciated.

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G/F from Yasothon recently had surgery which required daily follow-up treatments at a nearby Bangkok clinic. She had a 30 baht card from her home province. The clinic informed her she needed to obtain a copy of her birth registration (? not sure exactly what these are called), provide them her Bkk address, and they submitted the paperwork for her to receive her card.

While she is waiting for the Bkk 30 baht card to be mailed to her, they treated her each day for only 30 baht.

Im going with Anthony on the next one. I think he is playing the injured a little, but we will see.  The fight where he beat that Jesus preaching inbred, was easy, but his eyes showed a lot about him.

I counted 6 boxing gloves and have just had a call from AXN   

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The previews for the next bout between Jesse and Anthony indicate one of their familie's is 'devastated at the fighter's ring injury', which indicates to me that Anthony is going to lose due to this referenced injury.

Peter is a good fighter, but gets hit often and seems to lose confidence. He certainly punished Joey.

Alphonso has beat 2 quality fighters and also has confidence. However, he face was bruised a lot more than his 2nd opponent after the fight was over.

Sergio does not have the hitting power of some of the stronger contenders, but good boxing skills and smart strategy. Will be hard to beat.

Jesse is a good athlete, and very confident. He may take the whole thing.

I'll be traveling around Thailand when the finale is fought, and will probably miss it. Hope AXN replays it often!

Sounds like one of the Tuk Tuk drivers who hang out at Robinsons on Sukhumvit Soi 17. It's probably cheaper, and as fast, to take a car taxi from there to Soi 22.

I would venture the reason they even bothered to return the wallet is the amount of cash and other value they could extract from it paled in comparison to the amount they assumed they could get from extorting the engineer. It's rare that drivers will return cell phones because they know they can easily convert them into more cash than an owner would be willing to pay for its return.

If a driver volunarily returned a lost wallet or passport to me, I would quickly reward him with a nice tip.

I'm personally glad they were caught and hope to hear their punishment, though I doubt we will.

If I lost a wallet

Retired after working 28 years in a USA Corporation. Now it's very uncommon for younger workers in the USA working most/all of their careers for a single company, requiring more care in saving and investing money for retirement purposes.

Farangene, Any small medical clinic you visit will issue you a Medical Certificate for a visa, probably for 100 baht or less, and a short visit. I know of one on Soi 11 (about 100 meters on the left side on the small horseshoe soi where Cheap Charlies sits).

I am sure there are many others in the lower Sukhumvit area.

Shotover,

From the info you provided, your Multiple Entry NonImm O-A expires this month (i.e., one year from its issue date, which is standard procedure for Multiple Entry visas) So, even if you have a stamp in your passport saying you're admitted until April 1, 2006, if you leave and try to re-enter, you're probably going to hit a brick wall and get a 30-day stamp (and the 4/1/06 stamp cancelled). And how you unravel things from there, I don't know, since you can't (supposedly) apply for an extension of stay with only a 30-day entry permit.

So it would seem you need to get a re-entry stamp from Immigration before your next travel -- since you will no longer have re-entry permission once your O-A visa expires.

(Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, and you have gotten a reentry permit from Immigration. But given the above quote, it sounds like you might be confusing the 'admitted until 1 April 2006' as a 'reentry' stamp(?).)

I may well be confusing the 'admitted until 1 April 2006' as a 'reentry' stamp' as I didn't realize there was a difference. I received the 'admitted until' stamps at Don Muang airport whenerver I reentered Thailand after an overseas trip.

When I went to Thai Immigration at Suan Phlu last month to inquire about the need to extend my O-A visa, 2 different officials told me the current stamps in my passport would allow me reenter Thailand through the date of my latest 'admitted until' date, and that I would not need to apply for a visa extension until a couple of weeks before my latest admitted until date stamp.

So, should I revisit Thai Immigration at Suan Phlu and ask for a 'reentry' stamp to ensure they don't cancel my latest 'admitted until' stamp, and only give me 30 days?

Hope I'm not confusing others more than I am myself.

I believe "shotover" had been here a year on an O-A multiple entry visa and after it expired he purchased a multiple re-entry permit for 3800 baht.

-redwood

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Actually, I purchased the O-A multiple entry 'Retirement' visa from the Thai consulate in Houston Texas in April 2004 at a total cost of 5700 baht ($126 USD, representing 1900 baht for the visa plus 3800 baht for the multiple entry privilege). No further transactions after initially arriving in Thailand on 26 Apr 2004.

I have left and reentered Thailand 5 times since my initial arrival date in Apr 2004, and each time the Thai Immigration Officer at Don Muang has stamped my passport a reentry date good for one year from the time of each arrival.

For example, I arrived in Bkk 2 Apr 2005 after a trip outside Thailand, and was given a stamp good for reentry up until 1 Apr 2006. According to a Thai Immigration official at the Suan Phlu office, I will not have to reapply for a visa extension until 1 Apr 2006, thus given me 2 years in Thailand for the original visa issued in Apr 2004. Not the result I expected when I first applied for the visa, but a pleasant one nonetheless.

I anticipate that when I leave Thailand later this month, and return in late May 2005, that I will not get a reentry date past 1 Apr 2006. Will report my experience.

My Retirement O-A Visa experience is consistent with that described by Redwood and Lopburi. The extra 3800 baht (now about $100 USD) I paid for the multi-entry feature of the visa is worth the extra cost as Thai Immigration extends my reentry date by one year every time I leave and reenter Thailand, thus meaning that I don't have to renew my O-A visa (issued in April 2004) until April 2006.

Wonder if these numbers include the large number of Bangkok residents who are still registered as residing in outer provinces? At least one million, I've read somewhere.

In short, Thai prisons have the problems of:

-Extreme boredom as no passtimes are provided, such as few reading materials. This is possibly the main complaint of the prisoners.

Excellent post and information. I have a lot of recently purchased magazines. Would farang prisoners appreciate receiving these, and do prison officials allow visitors to give prisoners reading materials such as these?

How do you ID a bent Thai copper to report a shakedown?

Do they have name tags in Ingrish or a number on their shoulder as UK cops wear?

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The Boys in Brown that I have encountered sometimes have their name (written in Thai) on a pin worn on their shirts, but I have never seen an indentifying number (as they have in the States) worn on their uniform.

Regarding the earlier question regarding a requirement that a driver always carry their drivers license (DL), it is certainly pragmatic that they do so, as a means of identifying themselves and showing they are authorized to drive a vehicle.

Even if the Thai police have the ability to radio in and have DL information verified through a central computer, I would think this would be a time-consuming and wasteful exercise.

When I have been stopped by Thai police, I have always been requested to provide a DL and proof of 3rd party insurance. I am certain that failure to provide this would result in a fine.

Hi all

i hope you can help me with this. I am currently "living" in thailand with 90 day tourist visas until i get married to my fiancee here. I dont have a drivers license in my country but i wish to buy and drive a motorbike here in bangkok. what do i need to do for this? can i get a drivers license here for motorbikes with only a tourist visa?

thanks so much 

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When I purchased my motorcycle in Bkk, I was required to get a Certificate of Residency issued by my embassy (1200 baht), and submit it to the motorcycle dealer, who had to submit it when registering the motorcycle in my name.

Also remember when filling out the residency certification form that you must report a change of address within 24 hours of moving to the new address. Failure to do so results in a 2,000 baht fine. The form has a line for writing the address change date, and it must be within 24 hours of the date you present it to Immigration.

When I changed addresses a few months ago, I reported about 1 week after moving, but the Immigration staff graciously allowed me to revise the form to indicate I had moved the day before my submission date, thus avoiding the fine.

I wish the mods would step in and move any posts addressing the endless debate about the appropriateness of prostitution and age of consent laws to another thread, and focus this thread on what actually happened, and which laws (regardless of their approriateness) apply.

The 11 March ThaiRath newspaper had a lengthy article on the arrest, but I cannot read Thai well enough to provide a decent translation. Any volunteers?

According to the Bangkok Post:

"A 61-year old American male was yesterday arrested for having sex with a 16-year-old schoolgirl in a Bangkok hotel.

Police raided the suspect's hotel room after receiving a tip from an Education Ministry official, PolCol Surat Udomrat, head of the child welfare division, said.

An education official observed the man and girl, who was wearing her school uniform, enter one of the capital's small hotels which cater to lovers seeking to rent a bedroom for just a few hours.

Police said the girl told them the suspect paid her 5,000 baht to have sexual intercourse and pose for nud_e photos. AP"

According to the Nation:

"A naked 15-year old girl was saved yesterday when police burst into a room at a love motel and nabbed a 61-year-old Amercian man who was allegedly about to rape her.

Acting on a phone call reporting the man entering the short-time hotel with a girl in a school uniform, Pol Colonel Surat Udomrat, head of the Child Welfare Division, led the raid on his room at the Penthouse Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 11.

The man, identified as Louis Joseph Chiavacci, was also in the nud_e.

The girl told police that she knew Chiavacci through an older friend and that he had offered her Bt 2,000 to pose for photos in her uniform. After the shoot, Chiavacci asked her to undress, promising her Bt 5,000 if she posed nud_e.

Once she had complied she started to fear that he was going to rape her.

More than 400 nud_e pictures of the student and other young girls were found in four digital-camera memory cards belonging to Chiavacci, Surat said.

The man was charged with molesting a girl under 18 and taking a minor away from her parents."

7650 per month for a 42 square meter condo studio (nicely furnished) on Sukhumvit Soi 46, about a 10 minute walk from the Skytrain. Like the room and community, but traffic is snarled 80 percent of the day and night thanks to the confluence of Sukhumvit, Rama 4, and Soi 71.

Tornado: "Anyone who is a boxing fan, make sure you tune into The Contender, I watched it last night (first episode) and it was truly great."

I caught this episode of 'The Contender' on UBC in Bkk last night and was impressed with the drama leading up to the fight, and, IMHO, thought the actual fight provided more action and excitement than 90% of the fights I've watched involving champions and top contenders.

I also like the inside look at casino operations provided by "The Casino".

Good luck. But it is a lotta effort to save 1200 baht 

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I didn't mind paying 1200 baht if there were some value or effort made on the part of the Embassy. However, getting the notarized certification of residency involved 2 trips (due to an equipment malfunction preventing the Embassy from issuing cash receipts) and 3 hours waiting in the Embassy due to inefficiencies on their part. All this for simply signing a piece of paper in which they do no checking or verification; IMHO, an exercise that provides no value.

Anyway, I did obtain the Certificate of Residency from the Embassy, and this time went to the Land Transport Office on PhanonYothin Road, just south of the Mor Chit Skytrain station.

The Thai officials at this office told me they have farangs apply for licenses every day, and I saw at least 4 others while I was there. Took about 2 hours there to submit the documents, and take the required 4 tests (identify colors, accelerator/brake reflexes, depth perception, and peripheral vision).

They made extra efforts to assist the farangs in submitting the paperwork and explaning the tests, but having a Thai speaking friend accompany you is highly recommended. Also recommend avoiding the touts hanging around the entrance of the office complex who offer to help you for a 2,000+ baht fee.

Anyway, I now have a Thai drivers license for cars and motorcycles.

Much appreciation for the information provided in this forum.