billd766

Would it be possible to select individual pages from a multi page topic.

For example some topics go 1,2,3 > x pages. If you want to look at page 7 or 8 you have to click page 3 and wait for the display, then page 6 and wait again etc.

A really good example would be the Thai Visas which has many thousonds of topics with multiple pages.

How could you go to page 234? It would take for ever.

Could a box be shown as go to page xxx ?

Also would it be possible for a box to return to the topic page rather than go back one page every time?

Thanks.

billd766

Blimey, what have I started here.

Can't read or comment on the latest, the funfair bekons...  Will return.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry Scamp... somebody lured me away from the thread.

I still say, offer to pay them one pound a month until you get yourself straight. That way you can ease your conscience and keep your dignity, and satisfy me and these puritanical pricks all at the same time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Scamp, if you offer to pay a fiver a month they would probably accept (they did for me and for quite a long time as well) but a quid a month is not really enough now. Eventually they will come back and ask for more and if you can double it that would probably be acceptable as you are showing that you are willing to pay but have only limited means.

Alternatively after about 6 years it will have vanished from the records and you should be able to obtain credit again in your country of origin.

It all depends on whether you intend to go back there at some time and require anothre credit agreement.

I went down on 16 Nov and to get the letter certifying my 2 pensions cost me 1800 baht.

I went in on the first morning and picked it up the next morning. I also had to show my passport and leave the letters. I am afraid that I do not know the cost of EMS postage.

If it urgent it may be better to apply in person as this will only take a couple of days rather than send it by post which may take a week or so depending on where you are.

Quote from the Nation this morning

BOT ON VOLATILITY: Economy and the baht ‘will hold up’

Published on December 04, 2004

Dollar’s further slide ‘no cause for alarm’

The US dollar is to weaken by a further 20 per cent, but the Thai economy should be safe, with the baht continuing to perform well, the Bank of Thailand governor said.

MR Pridiyathorn Devakula said that over the past two years the dollar has weakened by 40 per cent against the euro – from $0.94 to $1.33 to the euro.

The baht’s performance, however, has been fluctuating against the dollar, appreciating only 10 satang compared with the exchange rate at the end of last year of Bt39.30 per dollar.

“When the dollar has weakened by 40 per cent, we have still managed to survive. So if it is to fall further by 20 per cent, this should not be a big problem,” said Pridiyathorn. “But it is impossible for the baht to stay unchanged while other currencies are fluctuating. If the baht is kept stable, others will step in to speculate against it.’’

The dollar yesterday finished at Bt39.335, up from Bt39.14 at the Asian close on Thursday.

The dollar has been falling sharply against other currencies, reflecting Washington’s policy of correcting its current-account balance. Whether the weakness of the US dollar will lead to a realignment of the global currencies, or a global economic restructuring, remains to be seen.

After the 1985 Plaza Accord, which led to a sharp appreciation of the yen against the US dollar, Japanese firms began to migrate out of the country to set up factories and plants elsewhere, including Southeast Asia.

“Whether the Japanese firms will move out again also remains to be seen, but all the big companies are already established here, so the next influx should be of the small- and medium-scale enterprises,” said Prapat Phothivorakhun, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries.

Chavalit Nimla-or, head of the federation’s textile and garment sector, said Thai exporters who have previously sold their goods at a fixed exchange rate stand to lose money from the appreciation of the baht.

“The time lag of the shipment orders is about three to five months. If the exporters sold their goods some months earlier, they now stand to lose money from collecting fewer baht from the exchange rate,” he said.

Chavalit said that, ideally for Thai exporters, the baht should stand at Bt41 against the dollar.

“But last year the baht was traded at Bt38 to the dollar, and we were fine. if it is to appreciate again, it shouldn’t be a big problem,” he added.

The Bank of Thailand has already taken measures to manipulate the economy to cope with the appreciation of the baht to certain levels. Measures to cushion the adverse effects have already been created.

In the worst-case scenario, the Thai economy could still enjoy a decent growth rate with a consumption rise of 3 to 4 per cent.

Most analysts say it is “not unlikely” that the dollar will fall by a further 20 per cent because the US is suffering a current-account deficit equivalent to 5 per cent of its gross domestic product. In 1985, the US current-account deficit was 4 per cent of GDP, with the dollar plunging even more steeply.

Dr Suphavud Saicheau, managing director of Phatra Securities Co, estimated that the baht could appreciate further from the current level of Bt37.5 to Bt38 to the dollar if the Chinese yuan appreciates by 10 per cent.

There is pressure for the yuan to undergo a revaluation to counter inflation.

As of November 26, Thailand’s international reserves stood at $48.1 billion, up $800 million from the week before. The rise in the reserves reflected the higher value of the central bank’s foreign assets and also its purchase of the dollar to prevent the sharp rise of the baht.

Anoma Srisukkasem, Thanong Khanthong

The Nation

It was said that the dollar had lost about 40% over 2 years against the Euro and that Thailand could survive another 20% and still survive.

However as the Baht seems to be tied to the USD it has only "gained" about 5% in the same period.

If you compare the Baht against the Euro or the GBP it has lost though not as much as the dollar.

I remember in 1997 when the USD was around 25 and the GBP around 44 and by the end of the year the USD was close to 50 Baht and the GBP was over 80 Baht. (The good news then was that there was much less traffic around and much less pollution as well).

Th GBP has only varied from about 68 to 75 Baht in the last 3 years and seems to be on its way up again and it has gained about 15% against the USD in the same period.

I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing but for anybody bringing in currency other than the USD it is better for them.

Sometimes you can lose your job and if you are over say 50 for example, it is not always that easy to get another job even in your own country, let alone another country.

However if you keep in contact with the CC companies they can sometime help a lot as long as you make an offer and try to stick to it.

If your circumstances change for the better and you can pay a little more, most of the time they will help.

Coming through passport control and customs with no problems, finding all my baggage and a trolley first time, getting into the taxi and opening a window and smelling the unique smell that I love so much.

Thailand.

I am home, anywhere else is foreign to me.

Edited for bad spelling by billd766

Give me a 30 plusser anyday. And if she's fat then all the better. She'll give shade when it's sunny and warmth in the cool season.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If she has tattoos you will have something to read as well.

ONCE AGAIN I HAVE BEEN LOGGED OUT, 3 TIMES SINCE I LOGGED IN DURING THE FIRST 10 MINUTES AND THAT WAS ONLY BY THE TIME I REACHED THE END OF PAGE 2.

I HAVE MADE NO CHANGES TO FIREFOX AND THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT I AM NOW BACK AT HOME IN THE NORTH AGAIN.

YESTERDAY IT WAS TAKING UP TO 1 MINUTE TO LOAD A PAGE, NORMALLY IT IS LESS.

WAS YESTERDAY A BUSY DAY?

IS IT ME OR IS ANYBODY ELSE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM.

I DON'T REALLY WANT TO GO BACK TO IE 6 AGAIN. IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE I CAN USE?

SIGN ME AS UNHAPPY IN THE STICKS

Whilst I understand the original post and the sentiments expressed, my personal feeling are simple.

Why should they?

After all, it is Thailand and the vast majority of people are Thai.

I spent a fair amount of money to buy land, build a house, buy a pick up etc and it is all in the name of my Thai wife.

I don't have a problem with that.

Should the worst happen and we divorce I will end up with nothing and lose around 40,000 pounds and pay no maintenance etc to her.

A few years ago I divorced my English wife. I lost the house and car and everything else and walked away with only my personal stuff and that fitted into an estate car. It cost me over 150,000 pounds and as I was earning a lot I got stuffed with a very large maintenance bill every month.

As a UK taxpayer for some 40 years and a self employed contractor I was out of work for 6 weeks in 1999, so I went to the social services and explained that I had no work, a mortgage and alimony to pay and could they please help me.

The guy I spoke to was nice and explained that as I had a pension already ( I worked 25 years for that) unfortunately I was not eligible for anything, also that there were people he knew who had not married but lived with a woman, had kids and never intended to work that he had to give money to.

He was genuinely sorry but the rules did not allow him to do anything at all for me and he was apologetic about it.

That was the time that I decided that I will never again live in the land of my birth.

In addition to all this the elected government of my country allows anybody to come in (Thai girls excepted) and gives them all the support they need.

Change the rules in Thailand?

No way.

Keep it as it is. If you qualify fine, if you don't, why should a sovereign country change its rules to accommodate you?

If you can get the rules changed, more power to you but I suspect that you may get a headache from banging your head against a brick wall first.

From what website can I download Form TM7 (Application for extension of temporary stay)

I have tried www.thaiimmigration.com/apf/TM7.doc found during a search of this forum but it doesn't work.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Peter

Try this link.

It is for Immigration division 3 which should be the one you need.

http://www.imm3.police.go.th/eng/application.html

Bill

i dont think ive ever seen a thread that is slightly against Thailand in a way, and have so many people agree

usaully the slightest put down of the country and you get a bunch of posts saying how much of a troll the person is for starting such a thread.

but this thread seems to go deeper and the users that are "kidding" themselves into thinking they are living in paradise must be just sitting back right now reading this and realising that sitting in a bar full of hookers and getting drunk everynight on a shit wage isn't as good as they thought.

the people that have replied have expressed the side of Thailand alot of expats (mostly guys) dont talk about or want to even think about.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dondi

A lot of expats don't actually sit in a bar full of hookers getting drunk every night on a sh*t wage.

Some of us came into the country with a fair idea of what we were coming into, met and married good Thai ladies, bar girls or not is immaterial as that is not the subject here, and have made a good life for ourselves and our Thai families.

We also have the choice to pack up and go "home" but to most of us, this is "home" and we dont want to leave.

We do understand that in some ways the odds are not always in our favour, but we just get on with our lives without bitching too much. We try to change the things that we can change and have enough sense not to try to change the things we can't.

Speaking for myself, I have been coming here for over 11 years, met a nice girl, yes she worked in a bar, divorced my English wife at very great expense, my Thai wife had some land and we bought a little more, then built a good house.

We now have a good life, a son and contentment.

A few years ago I realised that I wanted to stay with my Thai wife and as she has no intention of living in the UK with all its benefits, I decided that I was happy here, and visas permitting this is where I will die.

The house and car etc are all in my wifes name and I really don't care that much that I cannot own the house and land anyway.

Sign me as fat, happy and content in the LOS

 

I live in samui...are there any alternatives for landlines

here?..I won't hold my breath

iPStar. I have had it for a year now and am very happy. Go to http://www.csloxinfo.com/broadband/ipstar4_en.asp#1

It is worth it in that I am running about 480kbps down and 98kbps upload.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you have a post paid mobile you could consider GPRS or EDGE.

I live in the sticks up North and I use AIS and GPRS.

Price depends on the package you buy, speed is a bit like a landline and if you don't do a lot of big downloads, it is OK.

I live in the North country about 50 km SW from Khampaeng Phet and I have been here for about a year at weekends when the house was being built and full time for the last 3 months. We live about 6 km from the nearest village close to edge of the Mae Won National Park in a Moo Ban about 1 km long but the houses are spread out. The nearest neighbour is about 1/2 km away and at night there is nothing to hear apart from the odd motor cycle and the natural sounds.

The chickens cannot read the time as they go off at all times of the day and night.

There is not a lot to do so I spend time on the Internet, read a lot and generally relax.

I can look at the hills all around and enjoy real fresh air on a daily basis, go to the waterfalls and the streams when we have had rain, and nip down to the local market in the village and practice my mangled Thai. I suppose 20% of the village know me and a few more know of me. My nearest farang neighbour is about 30 km away but I don't know where as we have never met.

For real excitement I can go to Nakhon Sawan 120 km to the South and get the Nation or the BKK Post and eat farang food, Pizza Company or KFC, sorry McD has not made it this far yet and the pizza people won't deliver.

I generally get into BKK every so often for "real civilisation".

Swap all this for a city life. You must think I am crazy. I love it up here.

RC, are you into reading as I have a load of books to swap.

billd766

They are my Family.

They just happen to be Thai.   

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Funny you should say that as that is my feeling also.

Astral

I am using Firefox 1.0 and the problem started last week.

I also use AIS GPRS as there is no land line availabe for me (only been waiting a year or so).

I have not changed any settings and since my original post I have not had a problem.

I am in Bangkok at the moment and not at home in the North so it is not a cellsite problem.

Pass is the answer.

I have no problems today other than the forum is slow in loading but that is probably due to the AIS system.

I give my wifes family 6,000 baht a month and I have done since I came back 3 years ago. Before that my wife used to send money from the money I gave her.

Her Dad retired last year and though they have their own place in Samut Phrakan we live up country and they come up to us with some of my wifes family during the school holidays.

There are no Social Security arrangements in Thailand and when you get old if you are poor and cannot work, either your family looks after you or basically you beg or die.

I did not pay a dowry and we were married in the UK.

If we need help from the family my wife asks and if they can help they will do it and we do the same in return for them.

If they ever want to come and live with us that is no problem as we have a small place that they can live in.

Initially my wife [/i]asked me if I would help them and as I was ciontracting and making a fair pile I agreed. Now I have quit working I still pay as I have a couple of pensions coming in.

I have no problem with this at all.

RC wrote that some falangs spend a lot on a night out and complain when they are asked for some help.

There was a time when I used to think nothing of spending 3 or 4 thousand on a night out. Now I don't have it and I really don't miss it anyway. Family is more important than pissing it up a wall.

Been there, done that, wish I had saved 50% of it.

RC

A friend of mine over in Issan said he paid about 3,000 baht a kilometre per line to his house and he paid for 2 lines at around 2 km.

As you say you still have to pay for the number as well.

I am fairly lucky with my local site as it is not too busy and I get service most of the time.

You can always see your status at the top of the page,

Logged on as.........

Assuming this is your personal computer?

If you are not being logged on automatically, then you may have cookies turned off?

Check in your browser settings.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Astral

Yes I was actually logged on and in mid session. I tried to reply to a post and I was not allowed to as I had not logged in. I went back and saw that I was still logged in and tried again, same result. Logged in again and no problem for a while and then it happened again.

It doesn't happen every time and I can go 3, 4 or 5 days with no problem and it happens again in the middle of the session.

Yes it is my personal laptop.

If the cookies were turned off then it should happen every time and it does not.

Confused, in the sticks,in the North. (But actually in BKK for a few days).

Can any of the techies or moderators please help me.

Several times now I have been working the forum and tried to post a reply and I get a report saying that I cannot reply as I am not logged in.

It has happened twice on this session and a couple of times last week.

It is not a big deal as I just log in again but it is annoying.

The main disadvantage of mobilephones is still speed!

A decent fixed phoneline will give you connections easily double as fast and more stable compared to GPRS...

I always have problems sending e-mail's with attachements bigger then 30kB over GPRS, dataflow stops halfway, and then I get a message the smtp server hasn't responded for more then 60 seconds...

pdf files will most of the time be bigger then 30kB!

That's basically the only thing a fixed phone line comes in handy, for internet connections... I just got my line upgraded to adsl 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Monty

I live in the North about 5 km from my AIS base station and apart from the times when the site falls over (usually in the evening) I don't have problems with my GPRS system and I can send and receive large files and get downloads in excess of 5 Mb, but as you say it takes a little time.

If you have the time and no access to a landline GPRS works for most people.

Steve

Use your AIS mobile and dial 1175 which is the AIS call centre and BITCH about the service, complain on the website and things may get better soon.

If you don't complain AIS may not do anything. All operaters try to save money where they can and one way is to cut back on maintenance. If nobody complains nothing gets done.

I complained where I live and after a while the service improved.

billd766

Could I suggest to the moderators that a new forum be opened especially for self congratulatory posters reaching a milestone in their postings.

You can put mine in there for a start.

Billd766

Although this thread does not apply to me as I am still married, a thought came to my mind, what would happen should my wife die in an accident.

Whilst my name is on the birth certificate it would be difficult to interview my son as he is only 3 months old.

Could we for example still live in the house and keep the land? His name is on the Tabien Baan as is mine as the father.

Just a thought ( not one of my best ) but it may happen to somebody somewhere.

edited by billd766 for bad spelling (again)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

To look after a small child you would probably need help?

Take the carer along as well, and let her make a statement to the effect that you support and care for the child.

Even for married couples, the officers who do the home visit, like a statement from a local resident.

As you are named as the father on the birth certificate I do not forsee a problem.

As for the house, it depends on the ownership.

If it is in your wife's name, then has she made a will? Who does the house go to?

This is why I always advise the company route for house ownership as it protects

the farang in the event of the partner's death.

Do you have a residence permit? Otherwise I am curious as to how you name came to be on the Tabian Bahn?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Astral

I am named as the father on the birth certificate and when my wife went to register at the local Amphur in Klong Lan Lai, (she moved up from Samut Phrakan) she took the babys birth certificate and my passport and that is how I came to be on the Tabien Baan. Room 401, Immigration at Suan Plu have me registered as being there as well.

No I do not have a residence permit (yet) but I am working on it.

However, the house is in my wife's name and I don't think she has made a will yet.

Like a lot of Thais it is not something she wants to think about too much though I do remind her every month or so.

I am in BKK this week so I will chase it up again. (not much call for lawyers out in the sticks).

The baby is also on the Tabien Baan.

I doubt anywhere north of Bangkok will see a drop of rain until April next year.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh thank you very much for that gem.

No showers for the next 5 months. At least people will know I am coming down the road.

I will probably end up looking like Pig Pen from Charlie Brown at 60 years old.

Has anybody got a web address for a rain god?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

OK - try this one Click here!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

RDN

I liked that a lot.

If you changed the title from the Rain God to something else might it apply to our grevious leader in this country?

Come to think of it, many leaders in many countries.

I started the thread for 3 reasons.

1  Everybody else seems to do it.

2  I seemed like a good idea at the time.

3  I wanted to see what the responses were like.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am slightly disappointed that you have had to resort to such a post billd766 as your normal posts are usually very thoughtful and informative, but I understand that the temptation must have been very strong, given that the other posters of "Please congratulate me for posting X hundred posts of sheer drivel" topics have been getting congratulations from people that I thought should have known better. All I can do is hit the "ignore user" button - but not for you, billd766. Not yet

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

RDN

Surely everybody is allowed a moment of weaknes once a year.

I promise to wait for another year for the next one.

DJ Pat

There was no point, as many of yours seem to have little point but as it is a forum and we are supposed not to slag people off, I formally apologise for what I have just said.