jfchandler

This apparently was the end of the Nishimatsu bribery case in Japan:

Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009

Nishimatsu official gets suspended prison term

Kyodo News

A former Nishimatsu Construction Co. official was given a suspended

sentence Tuesday for involvement in illicit business practices that led

to the indictments of the company's former head and an aide of

Democratic Party of Japan heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa.

The Tokyo District Court sentenced Kazuhiko Takahara, 64, to 18 months

in prison, suspended for four years, for helping generate and control

illicit overseas funds in violation of the foreign-exchange and foreign

trade law as well as for embezzling company money.

The former deputy head of the company's overseas business department

brought \70 million into Japan between February 2006 and August 2007 in

conspiracy with former Nishimatsu President Mikio Kunisawa and others

without reporting it to customs authorities, the court said.

Takahara also pocketed \45 million in slush funds between November 2005 and August 2007 to buy a condominium, it said.

Prosecutors had sought an 18-month prison term for Takahara, while he asked for a suspended term.

Some of the illicit funds at Nishimatsu are believed to have been used for political donations.

http://blog.goo.ne.jp/iespcs/e/4d27458f9759fd6701c17e480a89530c

Posted 2011-05-11 12:41:14

Political will to tackle corruption 'wIll stIll be lackIng after poll'

By Wichit Chaitrong

The Nation

There is neither the political will to tackle corruption, nor are shareholders in listed firms active in protecting their interests from fraud, experts said yesterday, with one calling for a public campaign to tackle the problem.

"Whichever political party wins the upcoming election to form the new government, widespread corruption will not be reduced," said Duenden Nikomborirak, an economist at the Thailand Development Research Institute.

There is no participation from stakeholders in seriously tackling corruption issues, nor is there a sense of ownership among stakeholders, she said during the presentation of her study about corruption in the Thai private sector at a seminar hosted by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

She said one problem is that the majority of the population cannot easily access information related to public figures, such as politicians.

(more)

No, it will be just as newsworthy if she never serves a day in jail or is never forced to pay any compensation...

Not just as fair... but just as newsworthy...for what it will or won't say about justice in Thailand.

I didn't remember this one...

Japanese contractor allegedly bribes city Thai officials

A former executive of Nishimatsu Construction Co. has told Japanese prosecutors that the Japanese general contractor paid more than 400 million yen or Bt125 million in 2003 to officials of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), Kyodo News Agency reported Monday.

The alleged bribes were in return for ''favors'' connected to the award of a tunnel project in 2003. Incumbent Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was Bangkok governor at that time.

The former executive of the major Japanese general contractor is being investigated by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on suspicion of violating the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law for bringing in around 100 million yen from overseas without reporting it to customs, the sources said.

In September 2003, a partnership Nishimatsu Construction and a local general contractor was awarded a project ordered by the BMA to build a tunnel to ease flooding.

The project was worth around 6 billion yen, according to the administration.

Local staff of Nishimatsu in Thailand prepared bribes after consulting executives of Nishimatsu's Thai partner, the sources said. The payments were apparently made to Thai government officials and officials in charge of overseeing bids for the project just before and after the project was awarded.

The Nishimatsu executive claims he was not directly involved in bribing the officials but ''in return for favors to secure the tunnel construction project, the company paid a total of more than 400 million yen to Thai government officials,'' the sources said.

''Such operational funds were necessary in order to be awarded public works projects in Thailand,'' he was quoted as saying.

The prosecutors searched Nishimatsu's head office in Tokyo's Minato Ward in early June in connection with the former executive's suspected violation of the foreign exchange law. The prosecutors suspect that the 100 million yen he brought into Japan was part of a slush fund.

The prosecutors are also conducting investigations into Pacific Consultants International, a major Japanese construction consultancy, in connection with a case of suspected bribery in Vietnam related to a project funded by official development assistance from the Japanese government.

-- The Nation 2008-07-07

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__2076806

And:

Posted 2009-01-16 22:14:33

NACC may probe tunnel bribery case

National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is investigating the BMA's tunnel project to see whether a sub-committee needs to be set up to look into the matter more closely.

NACC spokesman Klanarong Chantik said his organisation is beginning to look into the case after former senior executives of a Japanese construction firm Nishimatsu Construction Co were arrested this month for bringing cash into Asian countries including Thailand to pay bribes.

The company and a Thai firm were reported to have given 125 million baht in bribes to BMA officials to secure a contract to build a drainage system. The 2.09-billion-baht project to lay a tunnel stretching from Lat Phrao to the Sean Saep canal in 2003 was undertaken through its consortium with Italian-Thai development Plc, when Samak Sundaravej was Bangkok.

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__2470405

And:

Posted 2009-01-16 08:42:03

Samak and aides named in Japanese bribe scandal

Former Bangkok governor Samak Sundaravej, his deputy and several officials have been implicated in another bidding scandal that saw four company officials arrested in Japan earlier this week.

"We hope the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Office of the Attorney General will contact their Japanese counterparts for more information on this case," Democrat MP Chanchai Issarasenarak said yesterday.

As a member of the House anticorruption committee, he chairs a panel to investigate the bribery scandal surrounding Nishimatsu Construction Company.

"The case is now in the hands of the National Anti-Corruption Commission," Chanchai said.

On Wednesday, four former Nishimatsu executives were arrested in Japan reportedly for paying money to Bangkok Metropolitan Administration officials in 2003 to win the bidding for an infrastructure project.

The Japanese firm and local giant contractor ItalianThai Development formed the joint venture that landed the job.

Source: The Nation - 16 January 2009

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__2468782

Here's a bit of background from the U.S. end on the legal proceedings against the GE subsidiary that was the supplier of the CTX airport scanners:

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Before the SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Release No. 51199 / February 14 2005

Accounting and Auditing Enforcement

Release No. 2186 / February 14, 2005

In the Matter of GE InVision, Inc. (formerly known as InVision Technologies, Inc.), Respondent.

:

: ORDER INSTITUTING CEASE-AND-DESIST PROCEEDINGS, MAKING FINDINGS, AND IMPOSING A CEASE-AND-DESIST ORDER PURSUANT TO SECTION 21C OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

C. Thailand

11. Beginning no later than 2002, InVision competed for the right to supply explosives detection machines to an airport under construction in Bangkok, Thailand. Construction of the airport is overseen by a corporation controlled by the government of Thailand. InVision retained a distributor in Thailand to lobby the airport corporation and the Thai government on InVision's behalf. Under the terms of the transaction, the distributor would purchase the explosives detection machines from InVision and then make its profit by reselling them at a higher price for use by the airport. The distributor was InVision's primary representative to the airport and associated governmental agencies.

12. From at least January 2003 through April 2004, in communications with the responsible Regional Sales Manager and the Senior Executive, the distributor indicated that it had offered to make gifts or payments to officials with influence over the airport corporation. Based on the information provided to the Regional Sales Manager and the Senior Executive, InVision was aware of a high probability that the distributor intended to fund any such gifts or offers out of the difference between the price the distributor paid InVision to acquire the machines and the price for which the distributor was able to resell them. Despite this awareness, InVision authorized the distributor to continue to pursue the transaction.

13. In or about April 2004, the airport corporation, through its general contractor, agreed to purchase 26 of InVision's explosive detection machines from the InVision distributor in a sale InVision valued at approximately $35.8 million. Consummation of the transaction was deferred after InVision received notification of possible FCPA violations. InVision has not recognized any revenue from the transaction and has agreed that the transaction will proceed, if at all, only as a sale directly to the airport corporation or another Thai governmental entity.

C. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Respondent shall, within ten days of the entry of this Order, pay disgorgement of $589,000 plus prejudgment interest of $28,703.57, for a total amount of $617,703.57 to the United States Treasury.

² On December 6, 2004, InVision was acquired by an affiliate of General Electric Company ("General Electric"). General Electric's common stock is registered with the Commission pursuant to Section 12(?) of the Exchange Act and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Following the acquisition, InVision filed a Form 15 Notice of Termination of Registration of its common stock under Exchange Act Section 12(g). The successor company, known as GE InVision, Inc., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GE Security, Inc. and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of General Electric. All of the conduct described in Section III of this Order occurred prior to the acquisition of InVision by General Electric.

http://www.sec.gov/l...in/34-51199.htm

And then there were cases that supposedly were being looked into by the Thailand Auditor-General:

--graft involving the 30 Baht health care scheme

--a waste-water plant in Songkhla worth 300 million baht but built at a cost of 600 million baht;

--a scandal involving rubber trees in Southern Thailand; and

--a pharmaceutical scandal involving a 600 million baht overcharge on 300 million baht worth of drugs.

An interesting article and recap of corruption related cases in Thailand:

Tilleke & Gibbins International Ltd.

Thailand: Corruption - A Thai Perspective: Bad News and Good News

24 March 2011 Article by David Lyman

GRAND CORRUPTION

Then we have the private-to-public Grand Corruption—the massive upfront contributions and kickbacks from suppliers and contractors in state-funded infrastructure and procurement projects, which monies find their way to senior civil and military officials and political figures and their advisors.

It has been reported in the Thai press that over the past 10 years, the quantum of the average bribe has grown from 3% to 10-30% of a project's costs.

The new Bangkok Airport, which officials admit built-in 30-50% in kickbacks and plunder out of the US$3.8 billion spent on its construction and fitting out, is the current classic example.

The 10,000 luggage trolleys which cost US$1,600 a piece and fell apart in two years. The airport express train system, three years behind what should have been its schedule and built at a cost of US$810 million (approximately US$29 million per kilometer).

Twenty-six CTX 9000 luggage bomb scanners were sold by their manufacturer for US$35.8 million but ended up costing the Airport Authority US$65 million (i.e., a 73% markup of over US$29.2 million).

More recent examples abound:

• The hand-held bomb detectors which even the British government said were useless, as did a Thai testing facility, which the Army and Police swore were effective and cost between US$28,000 and US$37,500 each (totaling US$1.5 million) but which proved to be worthless, "less effective than flipping a coin".

• The Army's new US$9.7 million helium-filled blimp which has not yet met specs—another boondoggle.

• The ten-year lease of 4,000 new buses for the city of Bangkok to replace its aging fleet, at a cost of US$2.05 billion (about US$508,000 per bus).

• A high-speed rail line from Kunming in southern China through Laos and down the length of Thailand into northern Malaysia. The scheme, priced at US$11 billion and change, is reputed to be the new all-you-can-eat-buffet for the politicos and other influential persons and groups with their wallets out

.

• In a recent example from August 2010, U.S.-based tobacco sellers paying off officials of the Thai Tobacco Monopoly to the tune of US$1.9 million to buy tobacco from their sources.

• The September 2010 revelations that US$1.6 million in disaster relief funds, intended to aid flood victims, have been diverted to officials in many provinces across the country.

In the same dimension are inflated commodity price support schemes, purchases of medicines and medical supplies for government hospitals, overpriced school books and school supplies from preferred suppliers, etc. Police allegedly take "rent" from illegal gambling dens, illegal underground lotteries, massage parlors, nightclubs, entertainment venues, and motorcycle taxis. Influence peddling and vote buying by political parties are massive and pervasive across the nation and the political spectrum. Worth many millions, illegal logging (logging was banned nationwide in 1989) and the illicit trade in endangered flora and fauna are all too common.

In the past, investigations and prosecutions in grand corruption incidents have been buried as the price to keep political coalition togetherness and to ensure peace and harmony among the various vested interest groups.

For perspective, are all officials corrupt? Absolutely not. Is the whole system of government in Thailand corrupt? No. It tends to be more prevalent in pockets (forgive the expression) of construction, infrastructure and public works, concessions, real estate, procurement, some licensing and permits, utilities, and illicit activities.

http://www.mondaq.co...rticleid=127256

And on the CTX-Airport case:

In the U.S.:

...the CTX 9000 airport security screening scandal in Thailand, in which a US company, InVision Technologies, agreed to settle potential criminal liability under the FCPA by paying a fine of $800,000 in penalties. InVision faced liability simply because it was aware of "a high probability" that its agents or distributors in Thailand had paid or offered to pay money to foreign officials or political parties in connection with transactions or proposed transactions for the sale of its airport screening equipment.

http://www.nationmul...o-30137919.html

In Thailand:

Thailand ranks 78th in world corruption index

BANGKOK, 7 June 2011 (NNT) – Thailand ranks 78th among 178 countries worldwide listed in the 2010 corruption perception index released by the Transparency International.

Apart from the global position, Thailand was ranked 10th among 24 Asian countries with the score 3.5 out of 10 points. Meanwhile, Singapore got the highest score for transparency at 9.3 out of 10.

Corruption in Thailand tends to get severer and more complex. The government was expected to lose 1.4 billion baht from procurement of drugs and equipment in 1998, 770 million baht from iTV concession amendment in 2003 and 4.3 million baht from procurement of CTX bomb scanners in 2005.

All the damages from corruption practices had taken away educational opportunities from over five million people who should have enjoyed the 15-year free education sponsorship, as well as construction of schools, health stations and roads.

There were 2,000-3,000 complaints about corruption on average yearly in the past decade. The number of complaints stood at over 8,000 in 2008 alone. Thailand in the past ten years scored 3.0-3.5 points in the Transparency International ranking.

http://thainews.prd....id=255406070005

Urban planning, Thai-style, at its best on display...

The Thai's (well the BMA) actually have pretty good plans. The problem is implementation and enforcement. One of the biggest things holding Thailand (and Bangkok in particular) back when it comes to land use / transport planning is the sheer number of agencies and departments involved and how politically entrenched they are in different camps. With respect to Makkasan, I can tell you from first hand experience there is essentially ZERO communication between relevant agencies like the SRT, BMA, MRTA, and the BMTA (buses) because they all have different agendas and serve different masters.

Urban planning doesn't mean just making plans... It means coordinating and executing them as well... I think your comments above demonstrate my point.

Here's a bit of background about the Lottery case:

Posted 2009-09-30

LOTTERY SCANDAL

Three senior officials given suspended jail terms

The Supreme Court has handed down suspended jail sentences on three senior Thaksin administration officials in connection with the "onland" lottery controversy

All of a Thaksin Cabinet responsible for the introduction of the lottery scheme, introduced with intention to eradicate the illegal underground lottery, had been implicated in the case. The court said the Assets Examination Committee is empowered to pursue its demand for damages.

(more)

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__3046254

And then:

Posted 2009-10-06 21:20:30

ONLINE LOTTERY SCANDAL

Fugitive defendant in LOTTERY case detained

By The Nation

Immigrigation Police on Tuesday cited a warrant of arrest to detain Surasit Sangkhapong at Suvarnabhumi Airport upon his arrival from Brunei. Surasit is a former director of the Government LOTTERY Office and one of 47 defendants in the LOTTERY case.

Although the Supreme Court handed down an acquittal verdict for Surasit, it issued the arrest warrant and seized his Bt500,000 bond because he was a no-show. Following his brief detention at the airport, he was taken to report and acknowledge the ruling at the high court.

Other three defendants in the case are remaining at large. They are former commerce minister Adisai Bodharamik, former finance minister Suchart Chaovisidha and former finance permanent secretary Somchainuek Engtrakul. Adisai also won acquittal. Suchart and Somchainuek were convicted but given a two-year suspended jail term each.

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__3059365

And then there are the Thaksin cases:

The first and foremost of those convictions was Thaksin's abnormal wealth, ruled by the Supreme Court to be the result of his abuse of administrative powers. The ruling resulted in the seizure of 46 billion baht of his gains.

His second conviction was for the crime of tax evasion in the sale of Shinawatra Computer and Communication Plc. shares. The ruling sentenced to jail his former wife, her personal secretary and his brother-in-law, while his own sentence is pending an appeal.

Conviction three was Thaksin's corrupt purchase of 33 Rai of land along Ratchadapisek Road. The Supreme Court committed the former prime minister to two years imprisonment on this case without any probation, meaning that if he were to return to Thailand without any leverage he would be immediately imprisoned.

The fourth conviction concerned discrepancies in the special 2 and 3 digit lottery scheme, a case that also found fault with the lottery office's own executive members, putting the office board chairman and director behind bars.

In a fifth case awaiting ruling, Thaksin was found once again suspect of corruption in the purchase of conveyor belts to be used with the CTX 9000 baggage claiming systems at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

A sixth case, also pending conclusion, was that of state bank Krung Thai authorizing a major loan for Krisada-Mahanakorn Group, a corporation known to be harboring non-performing loans that should have disqualified it from securing public funds.

The seventh case Thaksin was charged in, which is currently still being reviewed by the Office of the Attorney General, is his concealment of shareholding in SC Asset Corporation Plc.

The eighth case, now in the hands of the Supreme Court, involves Thailand's Export Import Bank providing a loan of 4 billion baht to Myanmar.

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__4449308

Saudi gems case, hands down.

June 24, 2011

Former Thai Police Commissioner Chalor Gives Evidence In Saudi Case

Former police commissioner Chalor Kerdthes gave testimony at Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court yesterday in the case against Region 5 Police chief Pol Lt General Somkid Boonthanom and four other officers charged with kidnapping and murdering Saudi businessman Mohammad al Ruwaili, who disappeared on February 12, 1990.

Chalor, who had previously been sentenced to death by the Supreme Court for his role in the murder of the wife and son of gems trader Santi Srithanakhan, told the court that Saudi Arabia had sent Pol Capt Shahad alSuri to work with Thai police in looking for jewels stolen from King Faisal palace in 1989 by Thai worker Kriangkrai Techamong.

AlSuri telephoned him on February 1, 1990, asking for police protection after the Saudi escaped an attack in which three Saudi diplomats were killed.

......................

In 1993, Somkid and four cops were charged but the public prosecutor refused to indict them, Chalor said.

The Department of Special Investigation took over the Saudi investigations in 2006 and interviewed Chalor as a witness twice.

(more)

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__4509744

The FCPA Blog

News And Views About The United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

Thai Pol Eludes U.S.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Former Thai official Juthamas Siriwan faces eight felony counts in U.S. federal court

The Thai official charged with laundering bribes she allegedly took from Gerald and Patricia Green is a fugitive from U.S. justice.

Juthamas Siriwan, 63, the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and her daughter, Jittisopa Siriwan, 31, were indicted in January this year. A federal grand jury charged them with eight counts of conspiracy to launder money, transporting funds to promote unlawful activity, and aiding and abetting. The DOJ is also seeking criminal forfeiture against them.

Foreign officials who take bribes can't be charged under the FCPA.

According to court records, Siriwan and her daughter haven't appeared in federal court in LA to answer the charges, and neither has appointed a lawyer in the case.

The DOJ requested pretrial detention for them and indicated it would seek an international arrest warrant. Prosecutors haven't filed any pleadings in the case since January.

(more)

http://www.fcpablog....-eludes-us.html

And a copy of their 20-page U.S. Grand Jury indictment:

Siriwan indictment.pdf

And in Thailand - August 2010:

The National Anti-Corruption Commission has completed its investigation into allegations that former Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Juthamas Siriwan accepted bribes from a US filmmaking couple.

The investigation committee would forward the results of its investigation as well as of the examination of Mrs Juthamas' statement to the main NACC board to make a final decision on the case.

And after that???

Thailand’s main anti-graft agency the NACC stated that investigations into Mrs. Juthamas are currently underway, while they have requested that she present herself to the agency to defend herself. The NACC has no authority to order her to appear or apprehend either Mrs Juthamas or her daughter. Despite several attempts to contact the pair, they have as yet not presented themselves to the NACC and their whereabouts are unknown to Thai authorities.

http://www.iaaca.org/News/201103/t20110318_514204.shtml

Bangkok Film Festival/TAT Bribery Case

BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-arts-10963317

13 August 2010

Couple jailed for Bangkok Film Festival bribery

A US couple has been sent to jail in Los Angeles for bribing a Thai official so they could take control of the Bangkok Film Festival.

Gerald Green and his wife Patricia were sent to prison for six months, ordered to serve six months' home detention and pay back $250,000 (£160,000).

The film producers paid a Thai tourism boss to secure the annual event and make millions of pounds.

......

The former head of Thailand's tourism authority, Juthamas Siriwan, has been accused of accepting payments and US prosecutors are considering bringing her to trial.

The ex-official could face up to 20 years in jail for conspiracy.

She has not been charged in Thailand and denies any malpractice.

The Thai Tobacco Monopoly Bribery Case (U.S. resolution):

http://www.fbi.gov/w...0/wfo080610.htm

Alliance One International Inc. and Universal Corporation

Resolve Related FCPA Matters Involving Bribes Paid to Foreign Government Officials

Companies Agree to Pay $13.85 Million in Criminal Penalties and to Disgorge Additional $14.5 Million

U.S. Department of Justice - August 06, 2010

Alliance One International AG (AOIAG), a Swiss corporation, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Danville, Va., to a three-count criminal information charging it with conspiring to violate the FCPA, violations of the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA and violations of the books and records provisions of the FCPA. The charges relate to bribes paid to Thai government officials to secure contracts with the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly, a Thai government agency, for the sale of tobacco leaf.

According to court documents, from 2000 to 2004, Dimon, Standard and Universal Brazil sold Brazilian-grown tobacco to the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly. Each of the three companies retained sales agents in Thailand, and collaborated through those agents to apportion tobacco sales to the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly among themselves, coordinate their sales prices, and pay kickbacks to officials of the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly in order to ensure that each company would share in the Thai tobacco market. Each of the companies made annual sales to the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly. To secure the sales contracts, each company admitted it paid kickbacks to certain Thailand Tobacco Monopoly representatives based on the number of kilograms of tobacco sold to the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly.

To obtain these contracts, Dimon paid bribes totaling $542,590 and Standard paid bribes totaling $696,160, for a total of $1,238,750 in bribes paid to the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly officials during the course of four years. Universal Brazil admitted that the company paid approximately $697,000 in kickbacks to the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly officials. Court documents detail how the companies conspired to set the price of the tobacco sales, pay the kickbacks to the officials, and then falsely characterized the payments on each of the companies' respective books and records as "commissions" paid to their sales agents.

--------------------------------------------------

And then in Thailand:

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__3808130

Posted 2010-08-11 06:43:01

Officials seek US help in Bt64m bribery case

By The Nation

The Finance Ministry has submitted a written request to the Justice Ministry, seeking liaison with the US Justice Department in retrieving information and evidence from the US Securities and Exchange Commission concerning Bt64 million in bribes taken at Thailand Tobacco Monopoly.

Permanent secretary for finance Sathit Limpongpan yesterday said that once the documentation arrived, it would be used to trace which senior TTM officials were in place during 2000-2003 when the bribery took place.

(more)

--------------------------------

That was almost a year ago... Don't see any follow-up after that...

It seems we're always reading articles about this or that alleged corruption case in Thailand.... But trying to figure out what ever comes of them is pretty difficult.

The cases seem to drag on forever, perhaps intentionally, and the public reports regarding them are often filled with official doubletalk and saying one thing and then seemingly never following through.

So, how about a TV thread to bring together your favorite Thai corruption cases and what's the latest to happen with them, if anything...

The link to The Nation article on June 23 re prosecutors deciding to file criminal charges against the girl in Juvenile court is here...

Urban planning, Thai-style, at its best on display...

Jim, just to be clear.... if someone is trying to go from a visa exempt entry to ultimately a retirement or marriage based extension of stay....

For those offices that don't do the same-day conversion and instead require a 2nd visit 60 days later for the extension, what exactly are they handing out on the initial first visit to cover the applicant? A single entry, 90 day O issued by Thai Immigration?

This is another unfortunate example of where the big headline of the thread simply is FALSE....

AEON ATMs don't charge the 150 baht withdrawal fee that Thai bank ATMs do...

And continuing reports from TV members here, including myself, attest to that.

After a B.S. start, it's heartening to see that this thread has ended up providing and clarifying a lot of good and useful Thailand visa information -- totally apart from and unrelated to the original post. Glad I stuck around... And thanks to everybody who's been contributing...

If I were coming from the US I would obtain a single entry non immigrant O visa from an Honorary Consulate (not the retirement O-A) on basis of being age 50 and thinking of retirement. You get a 90 day entry and can then extend for retirement after 60 days.

For others reading here, I'm assuming the direction to deal with one of the Honorary Consulates is that the regular Thai consulates in the U.S. don't/won't issue O visas for just visiting Thailand or "thinking of retirement."

SR, here's the O-A visa requirements listed on the Los Angeles Consulate's web site:

Required documents (*** One original set and 3 sets of copies. Requested documentation 5–7 must be notarized.***)

http://www.thaiconsu...aspx?link_id=48

Seems like the L.A. Consulate staff need to stop listening to The Eagles "Hotel California," and start listening instead to "Take It Easy..."

Thanks for the insight and elaboration, Lop... :jap:

This stuff gives me a headache every time...

Posted 48 minutes ago

Lop.. if someone is currently living in the U.S. and is eligible for retirement here and wants to come here... how do you see the merits of:

The non immigrant O-A requires police/medical and provides one year stay on entry (and if multi entry a new one year stay on any entry during validity of one year). At the end you either have to return to home country and repeat or extend at immigration in the normal manner below.

An extension of stay inside Thailand provides the same one year stay but does not provide new one year stays and requires a re-entry permit to keep the stay alive if travelling.

For most people the extension of stay inside Thailand works fine. This requires a non immigrant visa entry but this can be obtained inside Thailand if required.;

If I were coming from the US I would obtain a single entry non immigrant O visa from an Honorary Consulate (not the retirement O-A) on basis of being age 50 and thinking of retirement. You get a 90 day entry and can then extend for retirement after 60 days.

There is no reason to obtain a multi entry non immigrant O visa as it only provides 90 days per stay and you have to leave to get a new 90 day stay.

Likewise, talking to them about the 30 day visa exempt entries probably wouldn't have carried much weight, unless you had a ticket out of Thailand within 30 days.

You have to remember that any carrier who brings a passenger in Thailand who isn't properly documented is liable for a fine, so you cannot really blame them for being cautious.

Thanks Git... I'm aware of those requirements and circumstances...

I can only say, my impression of the airline staff I was dealing with at the time was...they wouldn't have had a clue about 30 day visa exempt entries or much of anything else...

But they again, I can't really expect them to be experts in the arcane and peculiar entry requirements of Thailand....