Hornell

Yes, same message.  I can access The Nation by going to their website, BUT for some days now I am only able to read the headlines of any article or letter in any section.  The text of the article doesn't load.  I have written to the webmaster but not surprisingly have received no reply.

Like so many others I was disappointed to lose ThaiExpat TV, which had been giving good service for over two years.  Fortunately I only ever paid monthly so lost only a few Baht when it went t*ts up.  I have taken out a 380 Baht sub on HD Prime for their Live TV package and it isn't bad.  There is quite a lot of buffering, but it's manageable.  My main gripe is a lack of any programming information and - as many of you point out - virtually no catch up.  However, in the absence of Thai Expat TV this will do me for the time being and one can always look on the internet for most programme schedules.

Thanks to all. Most useful.

Stocky:  Found it.... it's quite expensive £612 for 5 and £767 for 10 years.  But I didn't quite understand one thing where it states:

"You must prove you meet the standard visitor visa requirements each time you enter the UK."  What did this entail as far as your wife was concernmed?

Stocky: that sounds good.  Do you have any more info on this?  Thanks

Useful information; thanks for that.  I shall give it a go when the next family funeral in UK comes along!  I can understand the out-sourcing and I can understand the need for up to date information, but much information does not change - eg: past vists, and passports, tabien baan, marriage certificates and so on.  We live in an IT age and if a visit visa for applicant X has been approved for the past Y years, (especially if applicant X happens to be one's wife (not just a GF)) then it is not a question of UKVI trolling through the files, it is a question of clicking on a link.
Let's be honest, the UK Govt has little interest in making things easier for expats in any way, but the old "frequent visitor" system in force when I used to work in the Embassy could very easily be reinstated in some form or other.  On the other hand, pigs might fly!

Thanks for the advice though.

This may be a simple and naive question or an ongoing gripe of many expats here.  Grateful for comments:
I have been in the country for 20 years on a retirement visa, have a Thai wife and am constantly hacked off every time I have to apply via VFS for a visa for my wife to accompany me to the UK.  I don't resent the fact that she needs a visa, but the present system is time consuming, increasingly expensive, repetitive and illogical.  I realise that VFS don't make the rules, but they administer the system.  The main two gripes are 1) that it seems impossible to get a visa in short order, ie for a funeral in UK when one has only 4 or 5 days warning, and 2) that VFS already has the bulk of the information (previous passport/ visits/ marriage cert etc.)
Question:  How does one get round this?  Or is it a question of bite the bullet!?

Chainarong posted: "..... as you get old and tired some like to have a chat, granddad probably got in the way of social media. "  How true!

Yes at certain times we are seeing high load, we are awaiting approval of the loadbalanced infrastructure which should allow the geriatric snail to get a wheelchair.

TD

Sorry TD, it has nothing to do with the time of the day when one accesses or tries to access TV, it is slow slow slow whenever and I've given up trying to use it.

I'm in the Isaan near Korat and have a pretty fast internet connection.  I have to say that previous to your 'upgrade' of TV it was as fast as any other site.  But since you have 'improved' it, quite frankly it has been a disaster and a geriatric snail would beat it for speed.  I give up on it now most of the time.

Whatever happened to the PM's interest in this, as reported a few days ago?  Once again the BMA is riding roughshod over logic.  Come on PM, if you can forbid the Boys in Brown to hold suspect parades, you can surely do something here!

Thanks all!  1.  Last year the turkey flu in the US did not affect the export from the Staes of frozen turkeys as those that had already been frozen had not been not subject to the disease.  2. There were/are plenty of other suppliers - Europe, Australia and others, so there was no need for a blanklet ban in Thalland.  3.  My comment about the big poultry producers in Thailand was not in jest.

So who the heck can give an answer to this one?

Has anyone seen a turkey in the shops?  After last year's turkey coup by probably the big Thai poultry producers I haven't seen one anywhere and asking at any of the superstores merely gets a "Mai mee!"  Thanksgiving and Christmas are on the horizon and it looks like they're going to be turkey-less again.

People are certainly well enough informed that a referendum is taking place on 7 August, but few in my small part of the Isaan have a clue what it is they are supposed to be voting for. Yes, they know it is a draft constitution, but no-one has informed them of the contents, they have seen little about it in the newspapers or TV and only know that they are not supposed to talk about it (?!) - just go and vote on Sunday 7th. I doubt very much if the authorities will even bother to count the votes before announcing an overwhelming victory for the 'yes' vote. It's a complete farce!

Good point, Taichiplanet. This country has an ageing population that is growing year by year and which the government (whenever) has never really cared about. Why should they? After all, looking after elderly parents is the responsibility of the family, isn't it? Hmmmmm. Well it might have been once upon a time and many families are still very conscientious, but by no means all. Thailand has almost zero care for the elderly, either private or state, it pays a pittance of a pension and it relies on families. The idea of the country becoming some sort of a Garden of Eden (hub) for the elderly is, I am afraid, a rather sick joke.

Thailand purchased the GT 2000 explosive detection devices at a vastly inflated price, refused to accept for a long time that there was anything wrong with them in spite of experts’ proof that they were little more than plastic and a ‘smart card’ and continued to use them causing some unnecessary injuries. Now that a UK court has ordered compensation to be paid to countries that purchased these devices, Thailand seeks compensation, but refuses to order an inquiry into their purchase. I fail to see why compensation should be paid to a customer who was perfectly satisfied with the goods.

Agree with most of the posts; fare is too high, ferry terminals in wrong place etc. I used to live on the Isle of Wight in the UK with a ferry service that chugged to and from every hour or so with lorries, cars pax etc. Very cheap. After it was 'privatised' it has recently come out as the most expensive ferry in Europe, but that is beside the point. Over here I lived near Hua Hin for 10 years and I could never understand why there was no ferry link across the Gulf of Siam, particularly for lorry and container traffic. To set one up just for pax and cars (and presumably m/cs as well) at such an exorbitant price, not only seems barking mad, but doomed to failure. However, TIT and someone will make a lot of money out of it before it goes t1ts up.

Scanning this thread I wonder just how many of those who replied have actually read the article in the Guardian. The Ocean Rescue Vessel went through all the correct channels with a whole raft of Thai authorities to get clearance for the two helicopter drones to transit through Thailand and be shipped on board the vessel so that they could continue their searches in the Andaman Sea for people in trouble. At the last minute Thai Customs threw the spanner into the works for so long that the vessel had to abandon the final phase of its search operations. OK, who ordered Customs to take this negative approach? Why didn't the Govt, (Junta) Thai Navy etc, who had already cleared the transit step in and tell Customs it had been cleared? There are a whole mass of questions that need to be asked - but won't be, and about the only sensible comment I have read in this thread is that this is another self inflicted would in the Thai foot and is unlikely to be ignored or passed over by the international community. I hope it won't be anyway. Frankly, I think this is a disturbing trend here at the moment that ranks right up with re-education/attitude adjustment camps, paranioa over red bowls, ok to have a meeting to support the draft charter but not ok if you are deemed to be either ambiguous or against it.... need I go on?!

Worth having a look at today's Guardian newspaper. The article makes interesting reading, but I doubt it will make the headlines here.

I drove from Phi Mai to Suvannabhumi yesterday (Monday) - left at 0400, arrived at 0730. Picked up my visitor and returned arriving home at 1130. Run down was great and the return trip was only delayed by the roadworks on the Kanachapisek Bkk By-pass and the slower two lane from Korat north. Not a single check point was operating and no police were in evidence. No doubt today will be different.

Yup, if you go to the Skytrax site, Swampy doesn't even feature in the top ten airports and some of the comments are pretty damning. I don't like Swampy for most of the reasons already given, although I have never had any seriously major problems there. But certainly someone is telling porkies to claim 5th place in the world. No way!

upnotover is quite right. Having jumped through this UK visa hoop for my Thai wife quite a few times now, I have learned that it is best not to dot i's and cross t's as regards the details of your visit to UK. Keep it really simple. I'm not saying lie, just don't stick your head above the parapet. Oh yes, and you may well find that when you get to the Trendy Bldg you won't be permitted to accompany your wife, so make sure she understands what you (no doubt) have written on the form.

First it is stated in this article that more people have been killed and injured on the roads than in the same period last year and then almost immediately after this someone supposedly in authority states that the new system of seizing drunk drivers' vehicles has been a success....... What a non-sequitur! Nothing is going to improve these statistics, which are depressingly the same year upon year until: a) there is a realistic driving test, people are educated about the effects of alcohol on driving, c) some serious punishments are meted out to those who break the law, d) the police get serious about applying the road traffic and driving laws that already exist to everyone and not just to those poor blighters who aren't rich or don't have connections. The road tragedy enacted twice a year in this country is - or should be - a national scandal.

Thanks Mousehound, that's really helpful.

Thanks again for the serious replies - I've heard all the comments about the nocturnal bird life in Pattaya and elsewhere, but I was seeking info on the feathered variety rather than the feather brained.