TallGuyJohninBKK

IMHO, these guys lie like most people breathe.

He isn't going to serve 8 years in any Thai prison facility of any kind. I seriously doubt he would have returned if he had any expectation of anything like that... I'm just waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop.... just how he's going to be allowed to weasel out of his legal sentences / punishments (for the past crimes he committed) with the cooperation of the governing authorities... And just how that outcome is going to be sold to the public. Normally under Thai law, AFAIK, there are no pardons for people who haven't served at least a decent portion of their original sentence in actual confinement. But truth be told, they tend to make up the rules as they go along in cases like this. Money talks.

Gullibility, lack of financial literacy and meaningful education?

I haven't heard that the Department of Corrections and Immigration have been extending those same kinds of comforts to older farangs incarcerated in Thai prisons and/or Immigration's Detention Centers... unless sleeping en masse on crowded concrete floors is considered a "comfort."

The US attorney handling the Hunter Biden case has publicly stated in the past that he was NOT constrained in his handling of the case. And that attorney, David Weiss, is an original Trump appointee who lately has been elevated to special counsel by the Biden Administration. So, which is it? Has the Trump appointed US attorney in charge of the Biden prosecution been lying to the public on the subject of supposed political influence? Or, is the whole Republican led crusade against the Hunter Biden prosecution just another political, campaign season stunt? "The whistleblowers, including Gary Shapley Jr., who led the IRS portion of the Hunter Biden investigation, testified before the House Ways and Means Committee in May, alleging that Weiss did not have charging authority and was "constantly hamstrung, limited, and marginalized" by DOJ officials as he sought to make prosecutorial decisions. Shapley also alleged Weiss requested special counsel authority but was denied. But Weiss refuted those allegations, again telling Jordan that he was "granted ultimate authority over this matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when and whether to file charges" — a statement Weiss made to the committee in a letter last month." https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-attorney-leading-hunter-biden-probe-breaks-silence-claims-investigation-influenced-by-politics

If nothing comes of his plan and proposal, then I've applied early and gotten my new extension just fine. Nothing lost by taking advantage of the early extension renewal, even if the rules stay the same. But if they change, at least I know I'm presumably unaffected for another year, and have time to watch and see how all the potential details to shake out...

What we're talking about here are the rules contained in Police Orders, specifically the financial requirement for extensions. That language is within the purview of the National Police chief along with Immigration to change and amend. They might take it to Cabinet as a courtesy. But it's not like they'd be enacting a new law requiring legislative approval.

There's some speculation he (Big Joke) might BE the next national police chief.... And lately, he has had an ever increasing profile in the government. So I'm careful to watch what he's saying and doing. PS - When it comes to Immigration rules, it's not like they typically announce a proposal and then have it under public review for some months before making a final decision. The more typical method they seem to employ is simply to pop up out of the blue someday announcing that starting from XXX date, these new rules are going to apply as follows...

You didn't bother to read and understand what the prior poster was actually asking. He was asking HOW to fill out the statement 3 form, which is what I answered above... Not what forms or whether forms are required.

Just food for thought... I am applying earlier than normal this year for an upcoming retirement extension renewal, taking almost full advantage of BKK CW's allowance to apply up to 45 days prior to one's expiration date. Why? Recall that Thai police bigshot Big Joke was in the news lately talking about his plan to propose toughening the financial requirements for retirement extensions once a new Thai police chief is named. And there's been talk that the new police chief appointment could come by the end of August, presumably after a new PM is elected, which could happen this week. Now, Big Joke didn't specify just how much he was going to propose raising the bank deposits financial requirement for retirement extensions beyond the current (and longtime 800,000 baht) level. And he made no mention of whether he'd include any kind of grandfathering provision in his proposal. And of course, we don't know what final action ultimately might be taken on such a proposal, or when. But, just to be on the safer side, I decided that this year, I'll apply for and obtain a new one-year retirement extension right now as soon as possible under the current 800,000 baht rule. So, even if they do end up making some changes in the near future / coming months, hopefully I'll have the better part of a year to prepare for how to handle, and what I'll plan to do, when my next cycle comes around in fall 2024. When the government/Immigration has made these kinds of changes in the past, they haven't always given plenty of advance notice before putting the new requirements into effect. And I don't want to get caught out...just in case.

Obviously this guy and his cohorts have no clue of what it means to be a "caretaker" official, especially when it comes to this kind of a major, controversial move. You wanna see a rebellion in Thailand, just try taking away their Facebook. ????

Yes, the "Statement 3" form is one of the FOUR different misc. forms that BKK CW wanted last time I was there (Sept. 2022) for a retirement extension filing. It's a strange form with all kinds of info being requested on the form. But AFAICT from repeat visits to Immigration in BKK, all they actually want you to do on that form is fill out your name and address / other personal info in the fields at the very top of the form, sign at the very bottom, and leave everything else blank.

I'm guessing you mean TM6 (airport departure card) in your comment above? Since that's the piece of paper that was long clipped into people's passport books (at least until the airlines stopped issuing them for incoming flights to Thailand). I still have a TM6 from 2019 (my most recent but now outdated one) clipped into my passport. And I've been hesitant to remove it, never knowing just when some Thai Immigration official might demand to see my lastest one.

Jack, have you done an annual extension application at BKK CW since they stopped issuing new TM6 cards? And if so, is Immigration there no longer requiring a TM6 photocopy (or anything similar in lieu) as part of the extension application process? I just noticed the current TM7 form downloaded from the Immigration website still has a TM6 # field entry.

Tod, do you know how BKK Immigration is handling the absence/lack of a current TM6 card these days when processing retirement extension applications? The current version of the TM7 form for retirement extensions that I just downloaded from the Immigration website still has a TM6 # field on it. And of course, providing a copy of one's latest TM6 card was a longstanding part of their extension application paperwork requirements. So now what, in the absence of a TM6?

Can you explain exactly what you mean by the above comment -- "Boarding pass slotted next to the re-entry permit in the passport!" Are you saying the Immigration officer upon your arrival at Suvarnabhumi, since they no longer use TM6 cards, stapled or clipped your arrival boarding pass into your passport? Or something else? I've got an upcoming retirement extension appointment at BKK CW, and it's going to be the first time applying without a current TM6 card covering my most recent arrival. So I'm trying to figure out are the Immigration folks at BKK CW now just ignoring the TM6 issue entirely, even though providing a TM6 photocopy has long been part of the standard paperwork packet one submits? Or they're doing something else instead, perhaps like a boarding pass? On my arrival to Suvarnabhumi back in May, I handed my passport and boarding pass to the Immigration officer who stamped me in. But she didn't do anything with the boarding pass card other than hand it back to me along with my passport when she was done.

I also traveled into Thailand a couple months ago, and wasn't issued a TM6 airport departure card upon arrival. However, in preparing for an upcoming retirement extension visit to BKK CW, I'm noticing that their TM7 (retirement extensions) form still has a field on it for entering one's TM6 number. Also, submitting a copy of one's TM6 card has long been a standard part of one's retirement extension paperwork. So, is BKK Immigration (and others) now just ignoring and disregarding that info these days when handling extension applications? Or, they'll still want a copy of my last prior TM6 card dating back from pre-COVID?

I think people may find that the Bangrak district office has changed considerably for the worse from past years such as the formerly quick and easy process when the wife and I were married there many years back. We had reason to inquire of them again some months ago, and the lady behind the counter gave my wife a quite involved and time-consuming two-visit process that she claimed we'd have to follow if we wanted to get married there again.

I believe the process and requirements are somewhat different when applying for the regular 5-year Thai license, as you did, vs. applying for the initial two-year Thai license on the basis of having a valid home country license. For me, applying for the initial two-year license earlier this year on the basis of having a valid home country license (which DLT ultimately wouldn't accept because it was a 1-year paper card extension), I had to take the online learning course at home (which involved watching several driving-related videos and then answering several questions about their content). And then upon completing that course and the questions, the DLT system indeed produces a QR code that you're supposed to save and print out. You bring that with you when you submit your application at the DLT office, along with bringing your valid home country license and your Thai-issued medical certificate and Certificate of Residence.

That's correct. Americans basically have to obtain the CoR from their local Immigration Office, and at least in BKK, they don't give them to you when you apply. Instead, once you apply, Immigration mails them to your home address, with a typical turnaround time of up to 2 weeks. But DLT, once you apply to them, wants your CoR to be no older than 30 days from its issuance date, AFAIK.

I'm sure Trump is quite pleased that he motivated yet another dumb as rocks sucker to do his criminal bidding.... The fact that she's gonna end up in jail/prison for it... som nam nah.... another martyr for the Trump cause while he entertains at Mar-a-Lago.

Me thinks, there's likely more behind the saga of this particular escapade than what's being reported in the news here... Why this particular place, as opposed to all the others?

Can anyone with actual experience on the point resolve the apparent contradiction raised in the info above in my post? Are regular Non-O visas (either single or multiple entry) available thru the Thai E-Visa system for Western country nationals specifically for retirement, as opposed to for marriage/family purposes? Unless I'm missing something, the current info webpage they have for regular Non-O visas (as opposed to O-A visas) makes no mention of the retirement category. https://thaievisa.go.th/non-immigrant-o

What I described above is what they do at the OnNut area DLT office.... I don't know if Chatuchak is exactly the same, though I expect it would be at least similar.

Disgusting.... "Nevertheless, officers let Wuttichai go allowing him to evade arrest for a month before he surrendered himself to the police yesterday. ... According to the report on Channel 3, Wuttichai escaped arrest in Nakhon Pathom and hid in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Despite his location being known, no substantial action or search operation was initiated to apprehend him at that time."