Murgatroyd

It's a small boa constrictor, probably a red tailed boa.

These snakes are not dangerous to an adult human being and will usually only attack something that will fit down their throat, like a rat.

These snakes kill their prey by constriction and are not poisonous.

It looks well used to human contact, so handling it shouldn't be a problem

Not native to Thailand, originally from south america, though bred everywhere for the pet trade now.

Up to you!

This 100 K Baht... is it a one off payment or an ongoing support thing? It's only about 2K GBP and some people would consider a divorce cheap at that price!

He did it because he wanted to be famous. An appropriate response is to forget him. Hereinafter referred to as nameless.

I'd be willing to bet that the death sentences are never carried out... they will be commuted when the fuss dies down. I'd be very surprised if any of the guilty police served more than a five year sentence, if that.

One thing to bare in mind is that it won't fit into any of the hotel safes... my 15" is too big for most of them.

PS, As I saved all the money that I thought I was going to have to pay to get my passport copies "Certified" I bought my wife a new printer/scanner/photocopier at pantip plaza... Now she can do photocopies for the neighbors and print stuff out for her daughter. My old printer is in a box somewhere between Thailand and the UK (I hope )

This morning I sorted out the Royal Thai Police Criminal record check, and it was a whole lot easier than I thought it was going to be.

My main worry was the issue of certifying the photocopies of my Passport... I had read some horror stories of this process having to be done at my embassy, or at a Lawyer's office and costing anything between 1500 and 2500 Baht per page!

As it turned out all I had to supply were the photocopies from the shop behind the complex, and the helpful "Information" chap stamped them with a rubber stamp and asked me to sign them... Job done at zero expense!

The other thing I was worried about was the theoretical requirement for a document that proved my Thai residency... Where or what that should be I didn't know, but I envisaged a paper chase that took in the Immigration office and the local Amphur at the very least.

It turned out that my fears were groundless and no such document was asked for... Huge sigh of relief!

Nor did they want the two passport sized photos that I brought along. After the fingerprinting part of the process I was directed to a rear room where my photo was taken digitally and the appropriate paperwork added to it.

The only messy part of the process was getting fingerprinted... it's always messy, and I'll be getting the ink off over the next few days...

Then it was just a matter of the young lady checking that all the paperwork was in order and her handing me a receipt which told me that it would be ready on the 14th of August. I have to leave before then but I was able to authorise my wife to pick it up for me. She will send this to me by recorded delivery... Phew, Sorted!

This morning I sorted out the Royal Thai Police Criminal record check, and it was a whole lot easier than I thought it was going to be.

My main worry was the issue of certifying the photocopies of my Passport... I had read some horror stories of this process having to be done at my embassy, or at a Lawyer's office and costing anything between 1500 and 2500 Baht per page!

As it turned out all I had to supply were the photocopies from the shop behind the complex, and the helpful "Information" chap stamped them with a rubber stamp and asked me to sign them... Job done at zero expense!

The other thing I was worried about was the theoretical requirement for a document that proved my Thai residency... Where or what that should be I didn't know, but I envisaged a paper chase that took in the Immigration office and the local Amphur at the very least.

It turned out that my fears were groundless and no such document was asked for... Huge sigh of relief!

Nor did they want the two passport sized photos that I brought along. After the fingerprinting part of the process I was directed to a rear room where my photo was taken digitally and the appropriate paperwork added to it.

The only messy part of the process was getting fingerprinted... it's always messy, and I'll be getting the ink off over the next few days...

Then it was just a matter of the young lady checking that all the paperwork was in order and her handing me a receipt which told me that it would be ready on the 14th of August. I have to leave before then but I was able to authorise my wife to pick it up for me. She will send this to me by recorded delivery... Phew, Sorted!

So I now have ten days to enjoy the company of my wife and stepdaughter, and our dog who was very pleased to see me again.

When asked what she'd most like to do while I am here in Thailand my stepdaughter said "Pattaya - Wynam"... which is to say that she wants to go to our usual hotel in Pattaya where she likes the pool. So I'm now going to book the weekend there... All done and booked. As a bonus the dog can stay at her favorite place, (apart from home), and get washed pampered and get a much needed clipping while we're away.

I love it when a plan comes together!

Well I'm back in Thailand, a lot sooner than I'd figured I would be. I now have ten days to accomplish the paper chase involved in obtaining my Thai Police criminal record check.

Before I submit my application to the Royal Thai Police I have to get 6 pages of my passport copied and certified (?) and obtain a document that proves that I have been resident in Thailand since 08/04/2008. Whilst the stamps in my Passport will clearly show this I suspect that they alone will not suffice.

This I suspect will involve a lot of hassle. It's a real pain not to have access to my scanner/ photocopier/ printer which is in a box somewhere between Thailand and the UK.

Is there an "Office Center" anywhere in Bangkok where I can take my lap top and get something printed from it?

Any advice on how and where to obtain the "Document that proves residence" and the "Certified" copies of my passport would be very greatly appreciated.

It's wonderful to see my wife and stepdaughter again, and to have the chance of spending a few more days with them.

Many thanks. That will set me on the right road!

I'm bumping this because I arrive back in Thailand on Tuesday morning and I need to get moving on obtaining my Thai criminal record check ASAP.

Please can anyone help by telling me about the correct procedure?

Hello jackr,

That is indeed the form, and I found it after I had last posted. However I don't have access to all the documentation that I would need to send with the paperwork package to Hull. I note that the chap who posted about his experience in getting this sorted from the UK via Hull did so in 2007, before the financial crisis, and when the GBP was fetching 70 Baht. I think that the expenses involved in doing this would be considerably higher now.

Therefor I am flying back to Thailand, and will arrive Tuesday morning to get this sorted out... I cannot work in the security industry in the UK until I do. And I get to see my wife and stepdaughter again as a bonus!

Thanks to all the other people who have posted on this thread. Much appreciated.

It looks very much as though I'm going to have to return to Thailand to obtain a Royal Thai Police Criminal Record Check.

What I need to know is exactly what is the procedure for obtaining this document.

Where do I apply?

What documentation do I need to take with me?

How long does it take?

Do I personally have to collect it when it's done or could my wife collect it and post it to me in the Uk, (I may have to return home before it's ready), or is it posted to my address in Thailand?

How much does it cost?

Any information that anyone could give me would be very welcome, I need to do this ASAP.

I think there might be a misunderstanding: I need a Thai Criminal record check as well as the UK one as I had been living in Thailand for four and a half years prior to returning home to the UK. This is a requirement for my SIA licence application. I have already applied for my section 7 Subject access retort in the UK but that's not enough ...

Well I arrived back in the UK last Friday. It was fairly traumatic parting from my beloved wife and stepdaughter, we were all in tears at the airport I'm afraid.

I've been staying at my sister's place in Scotland and preparing to send out a blizzard of job applications.

As I said, I work in the security industry and it's security work that I'm after. It's slightly more complicated than normal work as I need a SIA (Security Industry Authority) licence. I used to hold one but it has now expired.

To Obtain this licence I need to attend a training course and pass their exam, I need a UK police record check, and to present several forms of ID. No Problem:

I've applied for the UK criminal record check, I've booked my re-training course, (and booked a hotel close to the course venue, an expensive business!).

I've also researched Security companies in Edinburgh and started to phone round them to see if any of them are currently recruiting, and I've written and printed out multiple copies of my CV and references, I was all set to head down to Edinburgh next week to research accommodation.

Then came the new nightmare...

I checked the SIA website:

It turns out that because I have lived in Thailand for over six months I also need to present a Royal Thai Police criminal record check when applying for my SIA licence.

This is a real disaster. If I had known this before I left Thailand I could easily have obtained one before I flew back to the UK. Now I'm stuck.

I have read that it's possible, albeit complicated and expensive, to obtain a Thai Criminal Record Check from the Thai police whilst resident in the UK... I was directed to the Thai Consulate site in Hull to download the relevant documentation... I looked, no such download is available, only one telling you how to get the UK police record check to support your visa application.

I'm now at my wits end, for without a Thai criminal record check I can't get my SIA Licence. Without my SIA licence I cant get a job. Without a job I will never be able to save up to get back to Thailand.

Plan B of course is to bite the bullet, get the cheapest return flight back to Thailand, apply for the criminal record check, and spend a few more days with my family, which I'd love to do but It's going to cost money that I can ill afford.

Any suggestions? (Preferably clean and biologically possible ones!).

I lived in Thailand for four and a half years, from April 2008 until July 2012. I have returned to the UK to look for work in the security industry. I am in the process of re-applying for my SIA licence. To my horror I have discovered that I need to supply a Thai Criminal record check as part of my paperwork to gain my licence. Is it possible to apply for a Thai Criminal Record Check if you are outside Thailand? If so I presume this would have to be done at the Thai Embassy or Consulate in London, Has anyone done this?

If it is not possible to apply for this outside Thailand, would my wife be able to apply on my behalf?

It's two traditional uses, apart from food use, were 1/ Gunpowder (Black powder was Potassium Nitrate, charcoal and sulphur, and 2/ putting in the troops tea to reduce their sex drive (Salt Peter).

Yes, Villa at The Avenue has them, but when you get them home you'll find that all the chocolate ones are stuck to each other because the chocolate melted in transit.

You have to chip them apart and consume them in lumps!

If, and I stress IF she is found guilty of his murder she will not profit by it... My understanding of UK law is that a convicted criminal is not allowed to profit directly from their crime. In these circumstances I would imagine that the money will go to the mans wife...

Hello letitbe,

I'm not going to get into a detailed description of my budget, nor of the exact circumstances of my wife's illness and the associated costs. There is a line of privacy that I'm not going to cross.

Suffice to say that you seem to be living comfortably, whereas my income has fallen below the level required to gain a further extension of permission to stay in Thailand based on marriage to a Thai national. That is to say, below 40,000 baht per month.

I will say that schooling, uniform, school bus, and extra lessons costs have risen to the extent that they absorb over 10% of my income, and that these costs will only increase as my stepdaughter gets older. (She's 9 currently).

jts-khorat, plopmeister, and Tafia, Thank you very much for your kind posts. I really appreciate them. It means a great deal to me that some members of this board think that I'm not deserting my wife and stepdaughter, only doing what I have to so as to ensure that I will have a secure future with them, and support them in the difficult times ahead.

Yes, I tried but I'm dreadful with languages. I can speak a few phrases, enough to get around and be polite, but I'll never understand more than a very little of what I hear.

My wife has learned very good English though.

However I don't really see how that's relevant to my situation.

Hello ikbenhet,

I'm afraid that I have no qualifications to work in Thailand. I spent most of my working life in retail or the service industry before moving into security. My understanding is that a Farang cannot (legally) obtain a work permit if the work they do can just as well be done by a Thai person.

I'll be going back into security, and working 12 hour night shifts, and as many of them as I can get.

Yes, I understand only too well how expensive it is to live in the UK on poor wages... I did it until I was fifty. The only way of accumulating cash is to live very carefully.