TallGuyJohninBKK

Don't know about Samui... But in BKK, if you are a farang, 3BB demands a year's service contract in order to install their fiber service.

But, AFAIK, if they do the same install in the same place but the service/billing is in your Thai spouse's name, then they don't require a year's commitment.

Anyone reading here should understand:

When you guys post speed test results from the CAT website or the 16 ms ping and 37 Mbps speed from Hua Hin, those are AT BEST local inside Thailand speed test results, and have no relation to what those connections are providing for international Internet connections.

And, it's equally possible those speed test results won't even reflect the actual speeds those users will get to other content providers inside Thailand, since the speed test results are often cached by the Thai Internet providers, so all it's really showing you is the connection speed between your home and their local server.

For any individual user, a lot of going to depend on whether the content they're accessing is based in or mirrored in Thailand, or whether you're having to go out onto the international internet in order to retrieve it. You can have a high Mbps Thai local Internet plan, but if your ISP has poor connections or bad routing internationally or throttles their international content, you'll only end up getting a fraction of the rated speed for your ISP plan.

But you can run SpeedTest.net speed checks all day and night or run the similar speed tests available online from True / CAT / TOT / 3BB, and of course, they'll tell you every time that you're getting the full speed of your ISP plan or even a bit better. It's a good way to reduce their customer complaint volumes.

finding a job (before moving) in bkk should be no problem as I work in the Pharmaceutical industry since 10 years.

What makes you think pharmaceutical companies in BKK are looking to hire farangs off the street, even those with relevant experience?

Remember when the Beer Girls and beer advertising were banned? So you didn't see this law coming?

Yes, and overall, what effect have those prior supposed rules had?

At least in Bangkok, AFAICS, none.

If the Thai authorities are really going to set a 300 meter boundary and define educational establishments as all the various levels of schools (and not just colleges/universities), then there are thousands of places all over BKK immediately in violation of the law, including a whole lot of 7/11 outlets.

Thus far, at least in BKK, I see no sign they're going after all those kinds of places.

More likely it will be another "we'll enforce the law when we feel like it, but otherwise just ignore it" thing like motorcycle helmets, closing times, etc etc. But, it's still early in the going, so we shall see.

My wife and I visit UT periodically, and when we do, we usually stay at one or two of our regular favorite small hotels within a few minutes walk of Central mall. Both recently built, both clean, well maintained and nice. Rates in the 400 to 500 baht per night range.

In central BKK for that price, you'd be scraping the bugs off the walls and floors, or, be renting by the hour or two at a ST place.

As for the mall, same here, last time we were there it was pretty much thriving with Thais. Though a lot of the farang restaurants around town seemed to be taking a hit, because of exchange rates, the economy, visas, etc etc.

Out and around in my lower Suk neighborhood tonight, in the vicinity of our local elementary school, all the various bars and restaurants seemed to be selling beer, wine, etc as usual -- I didn't see anything different at all.

In my lower Suk neighborhood, nearby a local elementary school, tonight I noticed no difference at the nearby restaurants and bars -- all of them appearing to be serving alcohol as usual.

Well, guess this means we won't be hearing from the PT mouthpiece for a while now... But I'm sure they'll find someone equally talented to take his place.

Meanwhile, verdict aside, I sometimes shake my head at the way court decisions are handled through lower court / appeals court / Supreme Court.

Where I come from, the appeals process is meant to ensure that no erroneous legal steps or procedures occurred, and if they did, to remedy the errors. But not to end up re-trying the case at each appellate level.

Those reviews SOMETIMES can result in verdicts being voided. But generally, if there's a sentencing change, the case gets sent back to the original court.

Here, it seems, the appellate courts pretty much seem to go their own way, oftentimes regardless of what the lower courts have decided. So really, you never fully know until the final final appeal just how things are going to turn out.

In retrospect, the two defendants would have ended up better off to have just accepted the lower court's original ruling of a suspended jail sentence (meaning no time served) and a fine. But in this case, they rolled the dice with two appeals and ended up losing. Probably, they never believed "important" people like themselves would actually ever be sentenced to real time in prison.

Here's my entry for the Ultimate Irony of the Day contest:

It so happens, that a couple of BKK's better known BJ bars (heavy on the BJs, light on the bar part, really) happen to be located a pretty short distance from an elementary school in lower Sukhumvit.

So if the government actually enforces this, the BJ bars would likely be forbidden from serving beers anymore, but continuing to offer BJs with the staff girls sitting outside plying their trade a short distance from the elementary school would be (and always has been) perfectly fine!

Not many Thai students go to BJ bars, so don't see how this is an issue. Unless of course, you're suggesting the students are the providers?

Not many Thai elementary school age kids are buying beers at the local 7/11 or hanging out in bars / nightclubs either.

But the government, apparently, is still proposing to ban alcohol sales at those venues around elementary school sites (along with universities, etc.)

It's not OK to have a 7/11 that sells beers near an elementary school, but it's perfectly fine to have a BJ bar in the same vicinity???

A little more research and you will find out why they backed off on canceling existing memberships. There were a number of members ready to to take them to court over it. That is when they did some math and figured out what it would cost to settle the lawsuit.

Yes... there are a lot of BILLION baht numbers involved with TE...

The estimate of what they would have have to potentially pay back to members, had they cancelled the program as planned, was reported as 2.4 or 2.5 billion baht.

And then there's the running financial lost that TE has accumulated... estimated back in 2009 at 1.4 billion baht, and I believe there were even higher estimates a few years later as more losses accumulated.

This ThaiVisa thread from back in 2009 references both numbers:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/283511-thailand-elite-program-in-tatters/

I don't think anything is illegal, but what's offered by Skype may depend on what country your Skype account is based in, based on your billing info.

Mine is in the U.S., and I have a Skype Unlimited World calling plan (I pay $9.99 per month as an ongoing discount rate, but I think the current rate is $13.99) that includes free calling to regular landline and mobile phones in a bunch of countries, including Thailand. We use it all the time to cut down on the volume of Thailand call minutes that we use under our Thai mobile plans.

https://secure.skype.com/catalog/buy/subscriptions?nu=subs-conv

I can't copy the entire list of countries because it's too long. But here's the countries where calls are allowed to both mobiles and landlines, including Thailand. There's a much longer list of countries that are covered for landlines only.

PS - It's a monthly plan thing, not a yearly contract thing. So you can start and stop it any time you choose, all managed online via your account login.

Here's my entry for the Ultimate Irony of the Day contest:

It so happens, that a couple of BKK's better known BJ bars (heavy on the BJs, light on the bar part, really) happen to be located a pretty short distance from an elementary school in lower Sukhumvit.

So if the government actually enforces this, the BJ bars would likely be forbidden from serving beers anymore, but continuing to offer BJs with the staff girls sitting outside plying their trade a short distance from the elementary school would be (and always has been) perfectly fine!

Well, the BKK Post version says the PM issued the orders under Article 44, that they were published in the Royal Gazette on Thursday and due to take effect immediately.

The Post's account:

-- 5 year ban on places found to be serving alcohol to those under age 20, or even bars-pubs allowing entry to those under 20, or those operating beyond legal hours.

--Bars, restaurants, clubs banned from selling alcohol near any schools, including universities and dorms, but not limited to those only. But the Post said the order doesn't specify what distance "near" is defined as.

[Tallguy note: the Post recap, oddly, cites bars, restaurants and clubs, but fails to mention anything about stores/markets being included. Though, based on the order, you'd kind of have to think the government's actual order would not likely cover all the other places but somehow exempt markets.]

--But, the article says last month the National Committee for Alcohol Consumption control recommended a ban on alcohol sales within 300 feet of educational institutions, while the Justice Minister said the distance should be 500 meters.

If the order is enforced, one liquor vendor estimated that 35 to 40% of Bangkok could have alcohols sales forbidden.

FWIW, my soi in lower Sukhumvit has a single elementary type school located part way into the soi. There are two 7/11s, and countless bars and restaurants, those in hotels and stand alone places, within a 300 to 500 meter radius of the school.

It's kind of hard to believe they'd really be serious to enforce this as stated/written. Thailand, the hub of unenforced, routinely ignored laws.

And you can substantiate the 2nd paragraph of your post in fact ? They could have cancelled the program and grandfathered the existing members or the duration of their membership, there was never anything in rhe information published during that period which suggested they would renege on the contract

Not quite... If you read The Nation news report from 2009 that I previously posted/linked to above, there's not much "grandfathering" going on... They apparently were going to allow the existing 5 year visas to run, but everything else was going to be wiped out. Those on the 20-year plan wouldn't have been able to obtain any new 5 year visas after their current ones expired. And no refunds forthcoming.

According members of TPC, they received a letter a few days ago stating that all privileges had been suspended. The letter also informed them that because their "elite" status was being removed, they would be required to adjust to the new circumstances as normal individuals. Moreover, those members who had benefited from special five-year visas were urged to make fresh visa applications as general visitors.

All TPC members were also told theysaid members would not be eligible for a refund of their membership fee.

I would also argue, what's the point for most farangs here of paying exhorbitant prices for high-end Thai internet packages that ONLY provide decent speeds in country, but are totally lacking in international capacity.

Frankly, IME, once you've covered the basics with a reasonable package, it's probably a better expenditure to find a good VPN service that's going to have good-speed connections to the places you want to go, as well as helping to avoid the throttling that the Thai ISPs typically do for their international connections -- regardless of what local speed plan you've subscribed to.

I got a filling for 800 baht at the Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Dentistry. I've only been that one time, but I think it is a cost-effective, safe and professional alternative to regular dentists. I will definitely go back whenever I need dental work again.

I've been meaning to check up on them, both for dentistry and medical things as well.

But, I guess I'm wondering, how did you access and deal with them? Did you get to pick your own dentist, or just show up in a queue and get given whomever was next in line? Are you getting a veteran dentist or a just out of dental school graduate? Also, AFAIK, the English speaking abilities of the staff (not doctors) at Chula is pretty minimal to non-existent.

I have a personal thing about wanting to know the background and training beforehand of the dentist who's sticking his/her hands into my mouth. And have an opportunity to converse with them about what they're doing, what needs to be done, what options may exist, etc etc.

I agree entirely with what Elviajero said above... And I've never criticized anyone for actually deciding to use the TE visa route.

There were, in past times, a lot of posts on TE that revolved around the TE program being the brainchild of former PM Thaksin, and then the conversations here on ThaiVisa devolved into political debates between those who liked or didn't like the former PM. All of that is irrelevant to me, in terms of TE.

I look at it strictly as a visa option for farangs, and consider its price, what it has to offer, and how it compares to other available options in all the different ways. If I was under 50 and didn't have any other visa/stay options available, I might well consider the program. But at least I'd consider it with my eyes open, knowing it's a program that has a somewhat troubled past and is backed by a government not exactly renowned for its consistency or stability.

It's not just whether the offered 5-year visas would be maintained as promised, though that's one consideration.

It's also the issue of Thailand itself in recent years seeming to sail into increasingly stormy waters, and probably more ahead for various reasons. So, even if TE ended up keeping all its promises to members, in my mind, there's also the possibility that this country might change for the worse to such an extent in the future that I no longer want to stay. And I'd feel pretty bad if I ended up coming to that conclusion after having plunked down 500,000 or 2 million baht.

Thus the current year at a time, low-cost arrangement suits me fine. The Thai goverment isn't making any promises to me and won't allow me to buy land here. So I'm also not giving them a big chunk of my money, either.

Bkk dental hospital charged me 6k for one front filling,that was 8 years ago, never been back!

Bangkok Dental Hospital on Suk Soi 49 does seem to be on the high end range of pricing at places around BKK.

Lately, when I've gone there for cleanings, they've been in the 1500-1800 range, which if done well, I'm OK with.

But they also quoted me a few months back a single tooth implant that -- for implant, cap, crown and possibly a bone graft if needed -- was estimated at 120,000 baht without the bone graft and another 30 to 60,000 if the bone graft was required. I met with the implantologist there, and came away not feeling very good about the exchange, totally apart from the pricing issues.

But as for regular dentistry, I can recommend a fillings dentist there who's done both fillings and an inlay for me -- a Dr. Thipparat. And also a cleaning dentist that she recommended by the name of Dr. Nutcharee. I've been to see both of them multiple times and have been entirely satisfied with both.

I just wish I could find an implant dentist for whom I could have an equally good opinion.

USA Immigration policy is such that the husband has to be employed in the USA to sponsor his Thai wife for a Green Card and eventual citizenship. (Provide proof of income, taxes and numerous other things)

OP, are you sure that's a correct statement you're making above?

That would seem to imply, that a retired US citizen could not sponsor their non-citizen wife if they returned to the U.S. I've never heard that to be the case.

Have to have sufficient income, yes... But income can come from many sources, not only employment.

There have been a variety of threads on dentists in BKK....with varying reports.

I know Lumbini is a big fan of BIDC. I've never been there, but in other threads, other members have posted less enthusiastic reviews...

Same with Bangkok Dental Hospital.

In the end, I think a lot comes down to the individual dentist you're dealing with more than the place you go -- assuming you stick to the supposedly reputable places. As with medical hospitals, there are good doctors and not so good doctors, who all happen to work in the same places.

I'm more interesting in hearing member recommendations of particular dentists they've had good experiences with, more so than just recommending going to this or that clinic, where 20-30-50 different dentists may be working.

And, dentistry in Thailand seems to be very heavily differentiated by specialty.. So, there are some dentists that just do cleanings, others just do fillings, others just do root canals or crowns, and others just do implants... Thus it kind of depends on what exact kind of dental work a person needs to have done.

Example: at one of the best known dental clinics in BKK, I've used a variety of dentists there for different things. Really by chance, I ended up finding a really good fillings and inlays dentist there. But, the cleanings dentist they sent me to I was very unhappy with, and likewise, when I was referred to their implants specialist, I had a bad experience and definitely wouldn't return for another visit to that person.

However, the one main category where dental clinics can be categorized is by price, more than quality of dentist. There definitely are varying pricing tiers from place to place. So I guess my advice is to find someone with a pricing tier you find reasonable, and then try to identify good dentists at that location.

I have used the "19 Dental Clinic" on Soi 19 for about 12 years. I thoroughly reccomend the service for their professionalism & their competitive prices.

Used for what? Cleanings, fillings, crowns, implants???

So 3 of them are out on bail, are still active police officers and could legally carry weapons!

So pray tell me where is the justice in that?

How many countries in the world can you be an active police officer who gets convicted of crimes like this first by the regular court, and then upheld by an appeals court, and still remain employed as a police officer?

Or, for that matter, be convicted of murder by both a regular and an appeals court and then still be released on bail pending the Supreme Court final ruling?

Also, for anyone who thinks there's justice that's been done in this case, just remember, these kinds of cases always go to the Supreme Court, and who knows what in the world will emerge from that final decision.

Still, the fact that these guys were tried and convicted by two different courts is at least some sign of justice at work.

That depends on how you define "cancelling" visas....

From the January 2009 report in Tne Nation re the letter that went out to TE members at the time:

According members of TPC, they received a letter a few days ago stating that all privileges had been suspended. The letter also informed them that because their "elite" status was being removed, they would be required to adjust to the new circumstances as normal individuals. Moreover, those members who had benefited from special five-year visas were urged to make fresh visa applications as general visitors.

All TPC members were also told theysaid members would not be eligible for a refund of their membership fee.

If someone was a 20-year member at that point in time, I gather, they were basically telling them that they wouldn't be able to renew their 5 year TE visa the next time it came up for re-upping, and would have to apply under whatever normal visa category might apply to them, if any did.

If I had paid 2 or 3 million baht for a supposed 20-year membership and visa privileges, and suddenly was being told my membership was being canceled and my 5 year visa wouldn't be renewed, I'd think of that pretty much as being cancelled.

In the end, the government changed course and the program has lingered on ever since. That's not muddying the waters. That's just the history of what happened with the program, which anyone thinking of investing in the program today deserves to know.