mja1906

I am a female British national/ passport holder and want to go to KL to apply for a Non-Imm 'O' based on marriage.

- What docs will I need to take to apply

- Will they issue singe entry or multi-entry? (if they issue single, I guess I have to apply in CM for extension?)

- Is it next day pick up?

23+24 Jan is public holiday in Malaysia (Chinese new year), unfortunately I'll probably have to go on 25th where there will probably be a huge backlog

I am a female British National wanting to marry a Thai national, in Thailand

I know that a legalised marriage in Thailand is recognised in the UK

However I am wondering how my marriage to a foreign national, in a foreign country, affects my legal status in the UK,

Also does it have any current impact on any assets I have there (I currently jointly own a house with my sister)

I know that for the future, I have looked at all possible scenarios to protect my assets, and have investigated the pre-nups and wills

So I've got these two covered, is there anything else I should be concerned about? would just like to cover all eventualities and not miss a trick

Also, do I need to declare the fact that I am married to any UK government authorities such as UK Inland Revenue? or ????

When filling out the Affirmation to Marry form (from UK embassy) it requires Mother's name

I am a British National/passport holder born in Britain. My mum is Malaysian (she still holds Malaysian id and passport) although has been resident in UK for 30+yrs and so has pension/nhs etc there.

On her Malaysian ID and passport, she still has her maiden name

Whilst on all UK documents (ie: for banking, tax, pension etc) she has my father's surname

So, which name should I put for her on the Affirmation to Marry form? and how important is the accuracy of this?

Thanks all for your input. Went to Homepro today and bought an

Astina - 2,990bt

Zinsano - 2,500bt approx

Lets see how it goes !

In 2003 or 04 there was a 3 day seminar on "Pesticides in Southeast Asia" held at the Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden in Chiang Mai. I sat through all 35 or so papers (talks), presented by speakers from all over the Asia Pacific region. Those preceedings are published and I've seen the book at Surawong Books in Chiang Mai.

You're right, it's scary to know how much pesticide use there is and how low the standards are and how lax the enforcement is. But the pesticide exposure from simply consuming food that has been sprayed is minimal, just wash the food before you eat it, especially leafy greens. Fortunatlely systemics are more expensive and not normally used. The horendous exposure that is no where near to being regulated is to applicators, who spray without protection, wearing shorts and flip flops with the kids tagging along behind. The greatest risk of severe and even life threatening exposure is at the time of mixing concentrated chemicals into solution. Environmental contamination is significant, groundwater, rivers and lakes.

In Thailand there is not much regulation of sales, you can buy chemicals that are outlawed for good reason in developed countries. And most of the pesticide sales and advise to the farmer comes from the vendor, not from objective sources like university extension services; labels and MSDS (material safety data sheets) are not available, not read or understood. And one disturbing thing that I learned at that seminar, is that much of the ag chemical supplies in Thailand come from China and India where laws and enforcement are even more lacking or corrupt; many pesticides are heavily contaminated with impurities that are much more dangerous than the listed ingredients.

Organic labeled food may be a step in the right direction, but you are surely correct in your suspicions about standards. I would recommend that you grow your own as much as possible, or participate in a CSA (community supported agriculture) group where you can visit the farm source of your produce and see first hand something of their practices; like that being promoted by Fair Earth Farm in Chiang Mai www.fairearthfarm.com

Thanks DrTreeLove for that very useful insight and information .You confirmed my suspicions. Although the pesticide exposure from consuming foods is minimal compared to the farmers who are applying it, I am just thinking about the long term effects of living in Thailand and consuming this produce everyday, compared to say if I were to live in the EU were eating produce there. Some people believe that this is one cause of cancer. You are right though, we have to remember to thoroughly wash all fruits+veg. When I first came to Thailand, I befriended a young hill tribe girl who came to stay with me, she helped me to cook and at the time it struck me how thorough she was when it came to washing the vegetables. The fact that she rubbed the green leafed veggies rigorously and spent a while running it under the water, it was something that I noticed. Only now, do I realise why she was doing this, and that if the hilltribe farmers themselves are washing their veggies like this then we should all be too

With the abundant use of pesticides in Thai farming today, it makes me wonder if I am actually being 'healthy' when I eat fruits and vegetables here ?

Or if I am just filling my body with chemicals?

Does anyone know how the standards of pesticide levels used for commercial agriculture in Thailand compare to standards in western countries, say in the EU, UK or US?

I am trying to eat organic here, but knowing Thai systems and how easy it is to get around the rules here, I wonder if organic is truly organic here?

Or perhaps I am just being a cynic?

Any insights would be much appreciated

Any suggestions/recommendations for where and what brand/type of vacuum cleaner for cars?

We have two 4wd Toyotas that get pretty filthy as we use them a lot in the mountains

I know you can buy household vacuum cleaners from Bic C, but I wonder how long these will last if we are using them to suck up dirt in our car

Thinking about something more 'industrial' may be? How much would this cost?

Also water jet sprays for washing cars, any suggestions where I can buy these?

PS I live in Chiang Mai

I am due to fly Phuket to Chiang Mai on Air Asia, and have prebooked 30kg of luggage. Does anyone know if I can check-in 2bags which have a total weight of 30kg. Nowhere seems to mention the no. of pieces you can check-in. Also, are AA operating the counter check-in fee in Phuket? Thanks,

I have been living inThailand for the past few years on various visas (tourist, non-imm O) and now asingle entry non-Imm B which is due to expire soon. I am looking to do a Thailanguage course in Chiang Mai so that I can obtain an ED visa and stay inThailand for another year. However I am also genuinely interested in learning Thaiand are not only doing it for visa reasons. There seem to be quite a few options in CM:

1.AUA

2. Walen

3 Payap

4. ChiangMai University

5. ProLanguage

Allof the above options seem like they know their stuff in terms of visa assistance (not sure about AUA though?). I am hoping I will able toconvert my non-Imm B to ED at immigration in CM (instead of exiting country to apply for new Ed visa).

I am wondering which would schoolwould be right for me. I can hold basic daily conversation, can read very basicThai. I would like to concentrate more on reading+writing (as this is behind myspoken level of Thai) and also wouldprefer to attend only weekend classes

Any experiences/ suggestionsfor pros/cons of the above options, which would help me choose is muchappreciated

Thanks,

Sheryl is the expert in these matters so you must follow her advice. I however have substantial experience of ENT at Bangkok/Phuket Hospital and frankly it is pretty hopeless for anything much more than a sore throat or blocked sinus or similar, they certainly do not have a Head and Neck Surgery expertise on staff or even on call - I would also seriously question their expertise in oncology although I cannot factually comment on this aspect. I would certainly support the idea of travel to Bangkok at a minimum in order to get this done. Also, you mention having an x-ray and ultrasound, did you mean to say an MRI scan?

Note: an FNA is a very straight forward and painless procedure that is over and done with in a couple of minutes.

Thank you Chiang Mai. So you mean ENT at Bangkok hops/ PHuket International is pretty hopeless? I'm going to see an Oncologist at Phuket Intl tomorrow, will update you. The ENT dr. today definitely said ultra sound and x-ray. Not MRI

Don't suppose FNA in Chiang Mai is an option then?

I am doubtful about there being an ENT specializing in head & neck in Phuket. Most ENTs in Thailand specialize in allergic conditions, sinus problems etc. The nearest would likely be Surat Thani

A general surgeon or an oncologist may also be able to do this.

FYI there are 3 ways such a lymph node biopsy can be done;

fine needle aspiration (they insert a needle and aspirate a few cells)

core needle aspiration (same as above but bigger needle, easier to do)

open biopsy - they make a small cut and remove the lymph node altogether. This provides the largest sample for biopsy, but is the most invasive procedure.

All 3 are usually done under local anesthetic. Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNAB) is the preferred procedure. There are some risks associated with the other approaches and in cases where it does prove malignant, the best final outcome is when the initial biopsy was FNAB as the other approaches may inadvertently spread the cancer.

the whole thing is best overseen by a either a head & neck surgeon or an oncologist.

If you can travel for this (Singapore, KL or --depending on what the floods do -- Bangkok) it might be worth it.

Otherwise I suggest just insisting that you want a "fine needle aspiration biopsy" and ask for referral to a doctor experienced in doing FNAB of cervical lymph nodes. Firmly. If that doesn't work and you are not able to travel soon, see an oncologist. An oncologist will be best able to appreciate the need for it and, if not able to do the biopsy themselves, most likely to make an appropriate referral. There does not seem to be an oncologist at Mission Hospital. There is 1 at Bangkpk Phuket and at Phuket international clinic (2 different people, I have no feedback on either of them, but at least being oncologists they are unlikely to shrug of a persistantly enlarged lymph node).

Thanks again Sheryl. So I went the ENT Dr today, and I insisted in having a biopsy (he still thought I was over reacting) so anyways. He has scheduled for me to have an ultra sound then xray tomorrow (apparently this is standard procedure before a biopsy to find out if its just one node or many, and rule out anything going on in the chest area). Then he said I could have an open biopsy on tues/wed. I asked about the fine needle, but he said they normally do open biops in this case (something about it being easier to get to or something).

Would they really remove the whole lymph node? I've never had an operation before, what kind of risk would be involved in this?

I'm surprised they don't even have 1 oncologist at Mission? I wonder if it would be better for me to see an Oncologist at Phuket International instead now, to have this done ?

Thanks, wow, you have certainly put a different spin on this for me. I will go and see the ENT Dr. tomorrow. So I should just tell him I'm not happy and demand a biopsy/operation?? (Whatever procedure I need to find out if its benign). And then would he refer me to a head/neck surgeon, or how???

Am curious to know where the OP obtained his/her 'Non Imm O' Multi- entry? As Neighbouring countries, and Hull are no longer issuing multi-entry only single entry

I think doing border runs every 90days on a multi-entry must be more straightforward, than entering on a Single-entry and having to extend at Immigration ?

This thread is about multiple ED-visa, not a multiple non-O visa.

Hull does indeed since recently not issue a multiple non-ED, but does still issue multiple non-O's if you qualify.

Sorry I meant to say 'Non Im Ed' - I put 'O' by mistake.

Am curious to know where the OP obtained his/her 'Non Imm O' Multi- entry? As Neighbouring countries, and Hull are no longer issuing multi-entry only single entry

I think doing border runs every 90days on a multi-entry must be more straightforward, than entering on a Single-entry and having to extend at Immigration ?

If using thin needle make sure the person doing is qualified - ENT is not likely to have done outside of training I suspect and the failure rate (for getting all types of cells) is very high for non experts. I just checked my bill from last year and total for visit/ultrasound/pathology was 3,000 baht at Vejthani (which is a higher priced private hospital - but lower than some of the better known). The discomfort is slight and only takes a few minutes time.

Thanks Lopburi, so I need to ask for somebody who is qualified in using thin needle. How would one know, if they really are qualified? and were able to get all types of cells? (cos knowing the Thai response it would be don't worry he/she is qualified and I would just have to take their word for it)

I hope I can use thin needle then, and not surgery , as the latter would prob be more expensive

Does anyone how long it takes to get the results? Or may this vary, depending on the case?

I assume you had the enlarged node(s) for a significant amount of time or your GP in the UK would not have talked of specialist & biopsy.

Unless it totally disappears with antibiotic therapy (which I doubt as surely that was already tried in the UK) a biopsy is the safest course of action. At worst, you spend some money unnecessarily, and at best, you save your life by getting a potentially fatal condition diagnosed in time.

Thai medical practice and practitioners tend to apply the "mai pen rai" attitude while the western motto is more like "better safe than sorry". Many (not all -- but many) Thai physicians also, in my experience, tend to discount anything that is unlikely/ not worry about comparatively small risks, whereas in the West we believe in taking appropriate measures to reduce risks, even small ones, and in making sure rather than assuming. After all, even if the odds of something are a hundred to one, that's no comfort if you turn out to be the unlucky one. Especially if the problem could have been prevented or cured in time.

If it were me, I'd get the biopsy. The fact that cancer is less common at your age doesn't make it impossible and the benefits of making sure far outweigh the expense/trouble.

Hi Sheryl, I really value your advice. You confirm what I suspected, and I would prefer to be safe than sorry. I have just finished a 12day antibiotic course, and whilst it is smaller it has not totally disappeared.

I think when I see the ENT on Friday I will insist on a Biopsy then. Thank you, so much

Thanks all, just to update you - I'm not sure if I need to have a biopsy done any more ?

Basically the week before flying back to Thailand my GP in the UK said she would refer me to ENT specialist, who would probably then do a biopsy - which is why I thought I needed one done. I told her I would have it checked out in Thailand as that is where I live. So I went the ENT Dr. at Mission hosp in Phuket, when I told him my GP in the UK said I'd probably need a biopsy, he looked a little taken aback and smiled (as if that was an extreme measure to take). Then he said, cos my age (31) he said it was probably due to a bacterial infection of the throat (even though there are no symptoms, sometimes there can still by underlying bacteria present caused by for example a cold/sore throat from before that never fully cleared up).

Anyhows after 1wk course of antibiotics, the lump in my lymph nodes reduced to half the size (good news, as it was responding to antibiotics, so he said I prob would not need an operation). Then he put me on 5days more of antibiotics (which I have just finished, my the lump/swollen lymph glands still there however). I have another follow up with him this Friday, I wonder what he will say

1st visit to ENT Dr at Mission cost 800bt (including antibiotics),

2nd visit cost (600bt)

I can't comment on quality of hosp/service, as I don't really have anything else to compare to.

Although the reception area seemed pretty disorganised/chaotic with lots of people milling about and waiting.

Like many, I just have to trust what the Dr is saying/telling me. I am due to move back to Chiang Mai early Dec, so if still not happy with my gland situation might seek a 2nd opinion at SriPat

I have been in Thailnd since 2008 on various visas (few tourists, 1 x Non ‘O’ for visiting family+friends, and now I am on a singe entry Non Imm ‘B’ issued by Hull which expires in January 2012)

I obtained my current non-Imm ‘B’ from a company in Thailand who offered me a job , I am in still in probation period and they said they would take care of a WP for me, however the more I learn about the company and due to the company’sfinances its looking more like they will not be able to get a WP. In this case, I would quit as I do not want to continue working without a WP. So I am looking at other ways to stay in Thailand.

I know the ED visa is now a popular option, and it’s ironic, but I do genuinely and sincerely want to study Thai and I would love to take some time to be a student again. So basically I would be a serious student and attend all classes etc. At the same time it would allow me to stay in Thailand for another year?

My questions are:

-Will I have problems obtaining an ED visa as I have been in Thailand since 2008 on so many different kinds of visas.

-Will I be able to change my current non-inn B to non-imm ED at an immigration office inThailand?

- Or do I have to go outside? In which case if I were to go to a neighbouring country such as KL, do they issue 1year multi –entry ED visas, or ?????

- Or would I have to resort having to go back to UK, Hull and apply for 1 yr multi-entry ED visa from there?

Thanks,

Is this the only model that you can use in your business?...perhaps,if you share more info,some of us could help you more...do you really need a 4WD,7 seats etc.??

Ooops sorry. No its not the only model we have to use, I know nothing about cars, so i guess its bcos we had a good experience with the sportsrider we have already, and we like it maybe cos we are used to it

Open to other model types too! Yes it definitely needs to be 4WD and 7 seats. Flexible on everything else. If there is such as thing as a 4wD with 8-9 seats even better!

We take tourists around

As I said I don't know much about cars, so thats all the info I have ? thanks again,

You are in the best position you already have the same model thats presumably from your post done a lot of Kms so test driving the 2001 you should be able to tell wether it's done less than your present one, if it drives the same is there any point in getting a 3 year newer one thats probably done the same Kms which is my anwer to your question how reliable is the milage on a 10 year old 350K vehicle , driving, origionality is the key not a speedo reading.

I guess you are right, we are in a good position because we can get a feel for how this 2001 model drives compared to our 1998 one - good point

Sorry I'm not sure what you mean 'if it drives the same is there any point in getting a 3 year newer one thats probably done the same Kms '

Basically because of increased business, we now need 2 cars as we have more clients

but I do wonder, if it maybe worth spending more on a newer model, so that it will last longer in the future, (instead of having two 10yr old cars clap out on us at the same time)

Most of the used Toyota 4wds I've seen though, are not newer than 2002

cheers,

I am looking for a used Toyota 4wd. I have a Sports Rider 1998 modelalready, which I bought for about 500k back in 2008. I am now looking for asimilar kind. There’s a 2001 SportsRider going for 350k at a dealership in CM. Does this sound like a good price?It’s done about 150,000 km (is that a lot? I have no idea about cars). How reliable is the mileage that they tell you? AsI once heard that this means nothing because they can always change thefigures.

We use if for our business and cover a lot of miles in the MaeHong Sonand Chiang Rai regions.

Cheers,

I had a FNA Fine Needle Aspiration carried out last week at the Bangkok Christian Hospital. Ultrasound guided FNA on a nodule in my thyroid gland

Cost:

Drugs 175 baht

Medical supplies 461

Investigation and Pathology 900

Ultrasound 800

Other medical service charges 100

Doctor Fees 2000

Total cost 4236 baht

Note this does not include the doctor consultation fee (about 600 baht each visit) before and after the procedure.

Thank you, you're the only one who replied I'm not sure what FNA is, or if its the same thing as biopsy, but hopefully whatever I need doing will be around that price

I'm not sure if its my thyroid, as my GP in the UK just told me 'gland' its a lump on the left side of my neck and that she would refer me to a Ear/nose/throat specialist who should then do a biopsy

So as I'm back in Thailand now, I need to do this here, which will hopefully be quicker than doing it on the NHS in UK

What are your recommendations for hospitals in Chiang Mai? I need a biopsy on a gland. Ram seems overpriced, McCormick seems to be reasonable in terms of quality and price?

Then I've read something about a place called 'sripat'? (I may have got that name slightly wrong)

Am looking for a Ear,nose,throat specialist

Also, anybody know how long biopsy results take? or roughly how much?

Any input would be much appreciated

Cheers

What are your recommendations for hospitals in Phuket? I need a biopsy on a gland. Bangkok hosp seems overpriced?, Mission seems to be reasonable in terms of quality and price?

Vachira is government, so I'm not sure how quickly they could do this and have the results ( if it's anything like how long the NHS in UK take, I'd probably skip that)

Any input would be much appreciated

Cheers

I need to have a biopsy done on my gland, can anyone tell me approximately how much these are in private hospitals in Thailand? thanks

I have heard McCormick in Chiang Mai is good