Tonyzill

Last time I went to immigration in Jomtien they informed me that if my address had not changed no form was required.

If the Burmese don't like, they can always go home. The law does not prevent them to leave Thailand.

How compassionateof you and very very Niave you are. These people are like slaves and treated the same as reported. Just leaving is not an option. If that was your country there would be outrage.

Thai lady woman. Let's have a bit of equality here.

Equality?! You obviously dont know your English very well. Lady is a term of respect and is used is as a term of enderement certainly not as a derogatory use.

Whats wrong with these people.

If it was not for the expats a lot of business would be lost in Thailand

If it was not for expats a lot of business would be lost in Thailand What a load of crap Do you really think that expats add a lot to Thailands economy Maybe the beer bars in Pattaya or Bangkok but not to Thailand in general Not even 1% so dont think Thailand would be worse of without its expats.

Actually it is 6% of GDP which is a large amount!!!!

What is the matter with all of you there has been 2 months of demonstration 4 to 5 days of outright and wilful damage shooting thuggery etc etc by the Thais (so called Red shirts) and you are talking about some minor incident by some Brit.

The next thing it was all an international conspiracy and nothing to do with with Thai people and their feelings about how their country is being run.

I've never heard of "zebra crossings", but I have heard of a "crosswalk".

Anyway, police were making money on people all over Bangkok last week (Thursday I believe) for not using the crosswalks and many other trivial things. Any other day you see them directing traffic and looking right at people as they walk across the streets, far from any crosswalk.

People drive crazy in Thailand, period. Accidents galore as many people probably already know. It will continue until the government does something never before seen here; that is, do it's job.

ZEBRA crossing is an English or UK term for a pedestrian crossing where there are Black and White stripes marked on the road. There are a lot in Thailand however the crossung have no signs in UK they will have flashing lights on Poles and each side. The posts will also be painted in black and white bands. Pedestrians have the right of way.

I had a talk with the teacher...

Here's my feedback.

Last week was my first day at Pro Language in Pattaya and it was not too bad. The teacher was energetic, actively corrected my pronunciation and she used a book from the school which was ok.

The pro-language teacher is much better than the teacher of my last school in Pattaya. The teacher from my old school had relational problems, looked depressed, overworked (and even looked a bit suicidal).

The only disappointment at pro-language was that after 1h40min the teacher said the course was finished, because every hour should have 10 minutes break. I was told nothing about the break at the moment I paid for my 20 hours. My 20 hours are now reduced to 16h40 minutes, making the school even more expensive than before.

If I would live at the same distance from BKK as from Pattaya, I would go back to one of the union based schools in BKK because I think they have a more structured teaching method (and they are cheaper than private courses).

But for anyone that stays near Pattaya I can advice this school: it's not too bad, better than many other schools in Pattaya. Too bad it's rather expensive.

Where exactly is this school?

Absolutely ridiculous removing it. All countries particularly Israel and Germany have always said that we should not forget. What they are saying here is hide it and no one will know or remember WWII and the Haulocast.

If this news is correct it's another nail in the coffin for Thailand. I for one will be giving alot of thought about staying and wroking here. If the fees do go up it will be much more unecomonic to stay. To reply to tomster it maybe only 100 pounds but thats a lot of money here when you are living on the money that you earn here. With the economic problems at the moment there is a definate decrease in the number of students at language schools so less work for teachers.

If paying 6000 instead of 3000 per Year!!!! makes it uneconomical for you what the hel_l are you doing here anyway!!!

Wow a free tourist visa, while Thailand remains the hardest country in the world to immigrate to. They need to make it easier to get long term visas. Im 27 and want to stay in Thailand for a year or 2 years. Everything is so cloudy with these requirements to get extensions every 3 months etc. while I can go to Malaysia for 6 months without a visa and only 30 days in Thailand without one. Theres lots of people like me, who could care less about spending money on a visa, as long as the visa lasts long enough to where we wont have to worry about getting extensions for awhile.

Get a 1 year Non immigrant O visas

It seems to me that the Thai Government are targeting the least expensive incentive they can as there are very few tourist who do a single entry to stay more than a month.

I come in out of Thailand every month as a tourist and obviously spend a lot more in country than most tourists however I have just paid 110 pound sterling at the Hull consulate to get a multiple entry to do things correctly.

Where is my incentive?

Have the Thai authorities actually confirmed/verified that anyone has got swine Flu

I am Thai married an English gentleman and living in the UK at the moment. Farangs seem always get attention everywhere they appear in Thailand especially in country side. Women see a farang walking with a Thai lady, first thing in their mind they are thinking the woman possibly be or used to be a bar girl, a bit look down feeling on the woman, plus a bit of jealousy, that's all they can do.

I don't care what they think, I was a teacher before I met my husband and even if the woman was working at bar before doesn't mean she's bad person, she could meet good guy, marries, settles down, has good family, being a good wife and a good mother.

I am married to a Thai Lady and I believe we are happily married.

I believe a large majority of Thai women are good and decent people regardless of where they have had to go and work to earn money for thier families. Most are just looking for a good guy who they can settle down with marry and have kids and not for fortunes.

This will not be "another blow to tourism" as some have suggested. Street crime is rampant in most urban areas here. Bangkok continues to be one of the most dangerous places in the world. Either you accept the facts or bury your head in the sand and hope you do not become a victim.

what a rubbish !!!

while crime of course DOES happen in a big city such as Bangkok, it is still much safer than almost anywhere else.

I dare to say, MUCH safer than, f.e., Phuket or Pattaya, considering the number of inhabitants living at those places.

None of the people that I know in BKK (and I know quite some since moving here 6 years ago) have ever been victim of a street crime nor have seen/witnessed such thing. if a crime happens, it will be usually burglary (yeah THAT indeed happens a lot, but thats a problem anywhere in South-East-Asia).

I live 22 years in BKK and confirm what you say. The 1 year I lived in Pattaya I saw more mugging, murder, daylight robbing, "suicides" with hands tied to the back, falling from buildings... than in 22 years Bangkok

I have lived in Pattaya for 20+ years and I get around the town and the only violence I have witnessed was during Songkran between Thais.

I lived and worked in Bangkok for a year and witnessed several muggings and fights.

If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time C'est la vie!!!!!

I never get involved in Thai business as my Thai wife calls it. When I go out her only advice is not to interfere in Thai business not dont get drunk or go short time!!!

How are they going to implement this. They will be all sorts of prerequisits I would imagine.

In country should be quite easy having to book through legitimate travel companies and will attract conference type and group type bookings. I cant imagine you will be able to walk in off the street and book in free (excluding the balloon chasers).

International tourists will either already have booked and payed or they will be booking inclusive deals with airlines etc and I dont see how they will apply free rooms to these.

As for 50% reductions in the stores dream on!! They advertise in all the big Malls in Pattaya upto 80% of now, but when you compare prices from outside you are still paying top prices.

It is absolutely absurd that the amount of deaths is accepted duting this festival. Thailand has just been through a state of Emergency with troops on the street firing live rounds etc. 2 deaths only were incurred and those between fighting factions and there was an outcry!!!!

Put things in prospective.

The "big guns" of the Phuket Gazette recently suggested 50 baht per Pound this year and folks scoffed at this whilst I thought it was very probable - today I transfered GBP at 63.16 and the withholding tax has still not been lifted - reports are that it will be lifted soon. I suggest that when it is lifted we will be into the 50's very quickly.

70's to the Pound? - not in this decade and maybe not in the next either.

How do you get a rate of 63.16? The Baht is at 50 today.

The bank is responsible for the theft and should therefore reimburse thier customer, however in the usual Thai manner they will refuse, delay and try and not to accept thier responsibility.

I have had one friend this happened to and it tooks months with Solictors and going to the Press to get his money back.

Tragic

RIP

ah gee i keep reading all this stuff thats been happing, but have never seen any voilent acks as yet. just moved here 2 weeks ago.

Lived here 11 years and never witnessed anything. Sure is safer than where I moved from!

As long as you dont see it, it doesnt happen!!!! When it happens to you it will be OK you didnt see it!!!!!!!

Cart or hand carry Bacon butties etc keep it simple. I for one would by snacks. On Naklua road there are a couple of girls who hand carry german stuff and pork burgers the latter is nice and in good bread.

There is probably a good reason why Thai men in Pattaya are upset with foreigners. The city is FULL of attractive (and some not so attractive) women looking for some action. However, the Thai men are mostly excluded from that action and it upsets them. Frustration overcomes any sense of reason and leads to all sorts of violence and crime. Of course, there is a very good reason why the recently wised-up gals won't have anything to do with most of the Thai men. Most of the girls were impregnated by Thai men who subsequently took off with no interest in supporting the family they helped start. I have heard the same story countless times from the many women I've talked to. Unfortunately, there aren't enough "nice falongs" available for all the women who are searching for one. Too often it is just another short term romance and the falong splits for home.

I don't really understand your point. People become criminals because they are lazy, greedy scum, not because they aren't getting any.

Anyway, the Thai man in Pattaya are not excluded from the action, far from it. Don't believe everything that countless women have told you, some of them bend the truth a little

My missus no longer wears any gold, always has a friend with her if she is going to the bank or ATM.

As pointed out above dont believe everything the girls are telling you 80% have Thai boy friends in town form there areas who continue to rip them off. The girls just dont learn!!!!!!!!!

At the end of the day only dosh, the important bit is Mrs HB. Not lot you can do, this sort of thing happens - surprised it happened in the middle of the day though.

The only time it annoys me is when I am talking to the Missus and there are other Thais around who wont be following our Thaiglish conversation and just start there own with her as though I dont exist.

Other things I have noticed is that they will be saying something to someone but they dont seem to be bothered whether they hear it or not - for example we are leaving the house in the car and as we pass the nieghbour they will start a conversation or tell each other something and when I stop the car so they can finish the Missus just says why you stop so I carry on and they carry on long after they are out of ear range. Fascinating but completely baffling!!!!!!!!!!1

My wife is from a poor background with a poor education who had to the leave the village and find her own way in life with no help from from her family. However she is no different to working classes of yester year in the UK where unlike today regardless of thier status, education & money they were they backbone of the nation with high standards, morals, manners etc unlike today. She has never changed and is polite, descent and respectful.

She would never use the terms that have been mentioned either to her fellow Thais or to me her Farang husband. She would most definetly find it insulting and unnecessary.

I have seen her telling off her own family and friends who have a lot of respect for her and say so even to me.

So to the original poster, I would have a quite word with your wife and explain how you feel.