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There are special work permits for those performers who are just doing one or two performances in the Kingdom - you might want to look at that.

If you are not being paid in Thailand by Thai people for the seminar, you could just go and do it, especially if it is for education. I once worked in connection with a University in Thailand and none of the visiting Professors who came to give a one-off lecture/seminar ever got a work permit

4 hours ago, Publicus said:

 

Three events conflating here.

 

ACLU and Amnesty International call Snowden a hero who deserves a reprieve of some sort.

 

A two-year bipartisan investigation by the House Intelligence Committee is released saying Snowden seriously and extensively harmed US national security and that Snowden was a crank at work and a thief to begin with.

 

The Oliver Stone movie with Snowden's name as the title is released.

 

Right wingers and some others see Snowden as a whistle blower. Most of us see Snowden as a confused guy who revealed serious national security information from the National Security Agency, NSA, to the CCP Chinese while he was in Hong Kong and to Russia since his arrival in Moscow via Wikileaks and Julian Assange.

 

Hang him high.

 

Violations of the Espionage Act do not involve only years in prison. Violations get you decades in prison. There's a reason for that and the most pressing present reason is Edward Snowden.

One should be a little bit careful with believing everything that is said about Snowden and the release of information for the following reasons:

- Snowden cannot be charged with espionage as he only published classified information. He never aided a foreign power by providing them in a clandestine way information that would be prejudicial to the national security of the USA. There is no record or credible allegation of him passing any information to the authorities of China or any other foreign power.

- there is a huge amount of classified information in the USA that should not be classified in a transparent democracy

- so much is classified that even Presidents of the USA (and other members of branches of government) have leaked classified information to journalists and no one charges them

- disclosing or publishing classified information is NOT NECESSARILY against the law in the USA. (Congress has continuously refused to make disclosure of classified information a crime). Yes, there are laws against disclosing information that would impact on national security but it would be awful hard to get a jury to agree exactly on what would pass that test in this case

- Yes, there have been prosecutions (including many successful ones) against individuals who have provided classified information to foreign powers against the national security of the USA. But how many have been prosecuted for publishing or handing over classified information to be published (and it indeed was published)? Well, there is no record of such a prosecution (let alone a conviction!), certainly not in recent decades.

As well as Thainess, there is Chineseness in mainland China but only among those in authority.

The rules are:

1. There are no written rules but you should know them anyway.

2. Chinese authorities are never wrong and it is only a criminal who would protest his or her innocence as they are inferring that the Chinese authorities are wrong to have arrested them or their criminal associates.

3. Although China has the best intelligence agency in the world, they never indulge in spying or hacking. To claim they do is an affront to Chinese authority.

4.Everything that the Chinese authorities say belongs to China does belong to China. Any denial of this is an affront to the Chinese authorities.

4 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Only 10? 

 

Does anyone take their passport with them on a night out in Bangkok?

 

I don't...

I do. The deal in current Thailand, especially Bangkok, is you either carry your passport or you can spend a night in the most uncomfortable accommodation that Thailand has to offer.

Yes, I know that you can hold a photocopy of your details page and your entry stamp/visa/permit page. But I know folks who have still had to spend some hours in aforementioned uncomfortable accommodation even though they has said photocopies.

Yes, it used to be the case that if you stayed out of places that were open after hours, avoided places where gambling, drugs or other illegal stuff was going on and you behaved yourself (did not get into fights, throw your cig buts on the ground or any "criminal" activity) you would never have to even show your passport to any authority figure. Alas, in the current climate you can be arbitrarily stopped on the street, as has happened to me. You can be a tourist enjoying yourself in a nightclub and be stopped (as a tourist, would you know when it is illegal for a nightclub to remain open for business?)

4 hours ago, Searat7 said:

What airline would want an ancient 727 which is expensive to operate with 3 engines !

Plenty of African ones.

I once took a plane from Senegal to Cameroon, with plenty of stops along the way - Russian air crew who treated us terribly and very uncomfortable seats. The plane was an MD80, rough as hell and very old. But there was no alternative. And it was very expensive, as are air fares in Africa generally. 

4 hours ago, Emster23 said:

He threw himself under bus, as did Condi RIce for also using private email. Government server etc is reported to be a pain in the backside to use, so can understand why Clinton, Powell and RIce all used their own.

 BTW is there any evidence at all that any sensitive info got hacked?

I understand that many government servers, including the State Department servers, have been hacked over the years - as I understand it, this was the case during Powell's Rice's and Clinton's time in office.

There would be none of this if it has been Ryanair. Ryanair would simply have cancelled the flight and left the couple to sleep in the airport overnight until the next flight.

1 hour ago, Pimay1 said:

"London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people.

 

Is this true or not?

It is not true.

6 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I am not a bigoted man. Nor am I a a racist. And least of all am I homophobic. But, why is it that such a high percentage of crime in Pattaya seems to be committed by ladyboys? It appears that there is an obvious problem. When there, I always give them very wide berth, and will not engage them in conversation. I just feel that the vast majority are nothing but trouble. I know there must be some good ones. I am sure of that. But, the ones working the streets in Pattaya seem to be bad seeds. If anyone should be profiled, it is the ladyboy community of Pattaya. 

 

Of course, as we all know, if the police and the judiciary were both competent and effective, crime would go down. In many parts of the world it is known as a deterrent. 

I think that the problem is not the ladyboys as such - instead, it is Pattaya.

I have met many ladyboys who have real jobs, some who are kind, generous, some who are good at business etc. But Pattaya draws in the criminal element, the druggies etc.

Just the same as I have met many Russians outside Pattaya who are not mafia but I would not say the same about the Russians in Pattaya.

4 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

Now we get the chance to see how a small sovereign nation gets on when it takes on the EU Commission and European mandarins.

But this is a win-win situation. Either the appeal sponsored by the Repubic of Ireland wins and the government will be happy or they lose and they win back a huge amount of money - the total amount is reckoned to be about 19 million Euros if you include interest.

Oh, what a terrible situation for a small sovereign nation to find itself in! (warning - the previous clause was intended to be ironic)

I know you are asking about Bangkok but I think that there are far better places for you to settle away from the pollution and expense of Bangkok. Try to persuade your lady to move to Chiang Mai or similar - much easier to get around, much nicer and more friendly expat scene - at least it was when I was there some years ago.

I cannot speak for banks in Thailand specifically but it is always not a good idea to try to deposit cheques in your bank account in another country. The difficulty is even greater if the cheque is in a foreign currency.

The reason for this is the costs and inconvenience on the part of the bank in clearing such cheques. So far, you may have been getting away without enormous fees simply because the bank teller staff did not know or perhaps there was not protocol in place.

Best to have your cheques lodged to a bank in your home country and have the cash sent to you by bank transfer. 
 

One tip about sending cash by bank transfer - it can be the case that some really terrible exchange rates are  applied when a foreign currency arrives in your local bank account - always best to send the cash in the receiving bank's currency unless you have the appropriate foreign currency account at that bank.

This is one of the worst kind of simplistic drivel I have ever heard about obesity. The idea that if you eat more than you need for your daily activities is so imprecise as to be laughable. There are many people who eat far more than they need for their daily activities and yet do not become obese (this may be because they eat so much protein).

Telling people to fast, especially people who are presumably already obese, is highly dangerous. It is akin to stopping your car by switching off the fuel. More likely to cause damage than yield any benefit.

People who are already obese and then start to fast more likely to suffer from insulin resistance could suffer serious health problems and may suffer from a "hypo." Without medical advice, they may suffer from effects of malnutrition (yes, it is possible to be obese and suffer from malnutrition).

The best advice for anyone who is obese is not to listen to this wiseacre but to go to a doctor and engage with the latest in nutrition science. Each individual is different but it is generally seen as best not to go on a fat-free diet - instead, try to eat as healthy a diet while cutting out all sugar based and fast carbs. But only do this with medical advice because even this advice would be wrong for someone who has certain conditions.

But stay away from all the fad diets and diet foods. And don't rely on some unqualified know-all on the internet for your health and medical needs - that is why we have doctors and nutritionists!

Until very recently, you could take your dog or pet on most internal airlines. Suddenly, from August 2nd or earlier, this is impossible - as Nok Air puts it, "for passenger safety reasons." And this includes carrying the dog in the baggage hold in an international standard travel kennel.

You cannot even take your dogs with Thai Airways or Bangkok Air from Bangkok to Vientiane. Not sure about Lao Air as they have not got back to me yet.

Bar soap can take away all the oils from the skin, drying out the skin and creating all sorts of skin problems for those who are susceptible. That is why many people use a liquid soap.

Back in the day when bar soap was invented, you had a bath twice a week (no showers) if you were rich. Unless you have very tough skin or you don't mind wrinkles, then bar soap is out.

Must be loads more around Thailand. Most westerners hiding out like this guy buy a yellow shirt, wear amulets, wai everyone politely always, say krub, show their love of Buddhism and other Thai institutions and stand at 8am and 6pm.

Yeah, until the local policeman starts wondering why you never go to renew your retirement permit or other visa . . .

I think that it is very hard to hide in Thailand without papers. If you try to hide in plain sight, say in Jomtien with the other expats, the authorities have found their treasure trove of undocumented people there already and keep on eye on things. In the village, everyone knows everything.

Better not have a girlfriend/wife - otherwise she may find out. Hard to run a bank account or any other convenience, such as renting a vehicle without some ID. Get stopped by the cops for anything and you are done.

I was once a flight with a group of Islamic Imams who had been to a convention in Phoenix, AZ. Not long before the flight was scheduled to leave, one of them got up, took his prayer mat out of the overhead bin, rolled it out on the aisle and proceeded to start his prayers. I had lived in the Middle East, so I knew what he was doing, but the plane went dead silent. The flight crew looked petrified. He finished, rolled up his mat and sat down.

It was quietest flight I have ever been on. I don't think anyone ever said a word until we had landed.

As for this guy, he really has been quite lucky. I suggest for his next trip, he takes a cruise.

As any good Muslim knows, you are supposed to face Mecca when praying. On a plane moving at a few hundred miles an hour, he would have had no way of knowing where Mecca was in relation to him.

I wonder whether someone was having a laugh.

It always amazes me that people will come to the forum with questions of a complex legal or health nature which are impossible to answer without direct knowledge of the facts (in this case, the actual lease).

Few members of the forum have knowledge let alone a degree or qualification or certification in Thai law. Even if there is one, they would need to spend time using their expertise to reach a judgement on the question.

Why don't you find a good real estate lawyer, put your questions and concerns to him and pay him his fee?

....hope they get her back safe....

....and press charges.....

...and the insinuation that she is not a good girl...by the police no less....is not appreciated....

.....'boyfriend'......sounds more like a predator.....

...and whoever has known about this and condoned it is an accomplice....

Police have to ask the questions, no matter what the income level or nationality of the parents.

It is highly likely that this girl will be found. Going to the market with her friends was probably cover for meeting the boyfriend - this kind of thing happens all the time and I am not sure that pressing charges is the way to go. Missing persons in all Western countries know all to well that "runaways" are invariably escaping problems at home or running off with boyfriend and therefore very few police forces will do what the Thai police are doing in this case - they will just list the person as missing and put them on the computer network.

The parents got it into the media and therefore have probably got more traction than what is usual with the police.

The closest I can find to a wai is calling someone "sir" in a USA/UK context.

You would not call the young waiter "sir" if you are much older, unless you were being ironic. In the same way, I would not return the wai from a greeter in a restaurant or from the cashier, which sometimes occurs in the better class of hotel after you have settled your bill.

In the case of ANY official in a uniform in ANY country where you are a mere civilian, you always call him sir or her ma'am (or Ms in the UK as Madam can sound strange) - in the UK, you can always call them by their title, Constable, Sergeant etc. Especially if I think that I will ever see an immigration officer or policeman every again, I will always continue to call him sir. So I would continue to wai the Thai immigration officer every time. It means that they cannot say afterwards that you disrespected them or the uniform or whatever.

I have heard of men getting kicks from dressing up as women. I have even heard of men who want their partner to dress up as a cop on the basis of "she wears the uniform and he plays along."

But I have never heard of a man who dresses up as a cop for kicks, and on his own (or so it seems). It begs the following questions:

1. How could he be impersonating a cop if he never went out dressed as a cop?

2. How did they catch him?

What will they do about monks seeking alms, as is deeply traditional and most important in the life of a Buddhist monk in Thailand?

How will they exempt them from such anti-begging laws?

If they put the exception into a law, how will they stop imitators?

I saw an interesting documentary about two years ago. Many Americans were putting their elderly parents into care homes in Thailand as they have some that have one on one care 24 hours a day. Such care in the US would be extremely expensive but seemed rather reasonable in Thailand. Sorry I do not recall name of documentary but it's an option that you may want to look into.

Good luck to your friend.

Clearly there are a number of these homes in Northern Thailand as I have seen a TV program about some older people from Europe staying in a home there.

The hard part is to find a place where he would be happy, which he could afford and which is well-run. It would also be important to try to get him into the home before he gets much worse as there may be issues to do with consent on his part.

Before you do all of this, it is very important that you get him some medical attention - he should be medically tested now to see exactly what is wrong with him and what the prognosis is.

It would also be important to check that his son and wife do not try to raid his bank account and assets.

When you grow up and live in a culture, you don't notice the strange stuff. But when you go away, you start to notice how strange some things really are.

For instance, what would you say to the depiction of a man being very painfully tortured to death with lots of blood and gore being depicted on the wall where children can see it? And I am not talking about a painting - I am talking about a sculpture. How about it being put specifically on the wall of a classroom and the attention of very young children being directed towards it?

Well, this is the basis of Christianity - Catholics do the full Jesus on the cross depiction and admittedly, some other denominations just have the cross. As soon as I could be brought to church (when I was about 3 years old), it was made clear what the cross meant, with or without the man being hung by his hands and feet which are nailed to the cross with thorns around his head and a bleeding wound in his stomach.

I went to a Catholic school and just inside the entrance directly facing the children as they entered were life-size depictions of the Virgin Mary crushing the head of a serpent (supposed to be the devil). I started going to that school when I was 6 years old.

The odd thing about such depictions or behaviours is that they become part of the background very quickly - children are especially quick to absorb them and treat them as part of the furniture.

I have travelled a lot through a large number of countries and I have never seen anything so disturbing as the Catholic Jesus on the Cross being depicted everywhere, especially where children could see it.

Such behaviour beggars belief.

Assuming that they come from a Western country, such behaviour would get you jail time, especially if children could see it. Worst, it would have you labelled as a sex offender - in certain countries, that means you have to live in the rough parts of town where there are no schools and you are banned from many normal activities - you probably would not be allowed to travel abroad either.