Gaccha

I booked a business hotel at HIS. It was 300 baht more than the internet rate, but could be cancelled right up to the last minute.

But the interesting part is the air ticket. The air ticket was cheaper (by 2,000 baht) at HIS than any air tickets on offer on any of the cheapy airticket websites.

The explanantion for HIS getting these prices I head a long time ago was HIS actually block-book months in advance seats and then slowly sell-off their own load of seats.

Worth a look if you are going to Japan.

But they do look closely when you next report and it can be found then. Normal fine will be 2,000 baht unless attitude is displayed. Only if you actually make the report within that time period would the 7 days come into play.

So just to clarify, when I leave the country on 96 days, that does count as a failure to report?

What if I rescind the visa class, come back on a 30 day tourist visitor, and then apply for a different visa class? Even with all this confusion is there still a fine in there? (this part sounds extreme but I am applying on changing my visa status anyway)

Thank you.

Since the 90 day period for address notification has a "+7 days" leeway to it at the Immigration Office, does the leeway apply at the airport when leaving the country?

In other words on, say, 95 days since last TM-47 (or whatever it is) is filed, will there be a problem at the airport?

And would a fine be at the Immigration fine rate (flat 2,000 baht) or the police rate (4,000 baht and possible jail time).

Thank you in advance.

Could it be feasible that she has already divorced you in Thailand on the basis of seperation or "abandonment"?

how would i be able to find this out then?

Very simple. You approach your solicitor in England and they do all of this for you.

At the risk of rubbernecking... was I right?

The time elapsed is now such that after the doctors carried out the electric current tests, they will have concluded she has carpal tunnel syndrome, done some therapies that will have not worked, have tried out some medicines that will not have worked, and about now your friend will be up for a surgical operation. Am I right?

Why is this thread that was started in Feb 2009 still asking the same question.

...because the Chief Financial Officer just resigned on 25 April, and on 6th May the company ceased trading on the stock exchange. It is like watching car-crash TV, you just can't get enough.

There is nothing quite like having a conversation with yourself.

I have found my answer:

HIS Travel at Asoke intersection. They are famous, good reputation, cheap, and sell the rail ticket ("JR Pass") and the business hotels.

Thanks to myself.

And one more little request:

I want to buy the all-you-can-use train ticket you can buy for the Japanese train system, but where can I buy it? I know I have to buy it outside of Japan.

I am sure there are japanese travel agents that deal with this... but who does actually deal with it?

Thanks.

Find me a Thai girl who did not have a lesbian relationship at University.

For reasons of astonishing incompetence by my credit card company I currently do not have a credit card. So I cannot book a hotel online. Which travel agents can book a business hotel in Osaka/ Tokyo?

Or to put it another way, where are there reputable/chain travel agents in Bangkok? I know they exist. What are their names and where are they? I don't want to go to a bucket shop.

I know Tokyo hotels are rather empty but it is still cheaper to book in advance. And Osaka hotels are very busy because of all the scarepats who fled Tokyo to the safety of Osaka.

Thank you

Two points:

1. booking very very last minute

2. benefits of paying way too much

I have experienced both the above.

1.

I took a flight from Bangkok to London by booking the night before. As every travel agent will tell you the price absolutely collapses at this point, as the airline will drop their minimum price and take any offer. The price tanked from the absirdly expensive 55,000 baht level to 31,000 baht. This low very very last minute price never appears on the internet offers since it is a human negotiated last minute bargain system. I listened in real time as the price was agreed.

2.

I have also booked at an extremely expensive price of 1,500 pounds for economy from London to Bangkok. The price rose 500 pounds the day before and I had enough so I just booked. But there was an unmentioned benefit. Like a lot of airlines, Thai Airways determines which Economy class passengers to upgrade by a ranking system, and one of the most important markers is by how much you paid. So the moment I got to the desk, I was upgraded. So, in fact, I got business class for 1,500. While I sipped on my champagne I mused on the cattle class passengers behind me.

If the marriage was recorded in the Uk should not be a problem. You can divorce thro separation after 5years

(after 2 years with both consenting)

Not sure how you stand if it wasn't registered there tho if you have the marriage certificates a competent solicitor should be able to sort it out for you.

Good Luck

Even an incompetent family solicitor can deal with this.

My three reasons for commenting:

1. I studied Thai at Piammitr

2. I know and chatted to the Japanese Language Teachers (one Thai and one Japanese)

3. I speak a very high level of Japanese

Piammitr is cheap as chips (about 5,000 baht a month). The staff always tried hard and I can't see what else they could do to make things better.

The Japanese teachers seemed just as professional and my conversations with them were enjoyable.

My Japanese improved while studying there because of the sheer number of Japanese students in the Thai learning programme. I was the de facto translator. I even did the questionnaire translation for Piammitir.

Your alternative of TLS is interesting. The owner has published a few books and appeared on Japanese TV. I have one of his books as a useful Thai-Japanese vocab builder (if I say it once I say it a hundred times-- Why is there no vocab builder book in English??).

A further alternative is the Japan Foundation. This is the Japanese equivalent of the British Council etc. It has a **very** wide range of courses. I recall a course on listening to Japanese soap operas to improve listening ability.

I think any of your choices will be okay.

...but what if a human could then 'fit inside' the doll...

does that make it worse or better...?

(it does mean the human need not be female... )

As with all independent/quality movies, the best place to go is 'Fame' DVD shop between Tha Prachan and Ta Chan boat stops, just south of Thammasat's Tha Prachan campus. 60 baht a DVD, and it definitely has it.

>snip<

3. In a corollary to "If it bleeds, it leads," people don't jump on to post that they had a normal drive home from work, had a normal meal, and watched tv. They tend to post when something happens, and often it is anger which motivates more to post than something good or humorous. Having someone break into your house is more apt to lead to a new thread on TV than when someone chases you down with the cell phone you left at the table where you had lunch.

True, of course. But one of the most entertaining and longest threads was about a bloke eating his breakfast day after day at a place inside the Emporium. It was dozens and dozens of pages long and led to the rarest of events-- a ThaiVisa initiated mass prank.

And for the new ones among you, google is your friend.

I'm just glad George has promised compensation for those affected.

I never expected anything less from him.

I think around June last year there were signs of new investment after a long period of cost-cutting. Almost all the machines by June 2010 were mostly rust, there was raw sewage in the showers, and nothing was getting cleaned.

But then in June some machines were bought, the new massage shops started, and a few attempts at improvements were made. But it looked desperate.

They now have enough to keep going for a quarter of a year. Let's see how things go.

SO I renewed my lifetime membership for 100 baht, anticipating the closure of CalWow within 5 days (100 baht for 5 days is still a good deal... ), and yet...

Looking at their website they appear to have been given more cash...

They have renewed the lease agreement at Pinklao (the agreement's total is around 29 million baht over 3 years). And they intend to appoint an Independent Financial Adviser to sort out the threat of being de-listed by SET.

We won't know what happened for some time as we need to see the quarterly cash flow statement. Presumably 'Major' threw in some more money.

The whole thing is interesting. The market value of the company is now only just over twice the value of the lease of this one property.

Sad but the same principles apply as to the 19 year old punk who sliced the Lao girl in half and fled the scene with her upper body in the passenger seat of his dad's Porsche, the 17 party girl with no drivers license who knocked off the Thammasat Uni staff and students in her Honda Jazz and the moron that mowed down the people in the bus queue with his Benz. The people who died and were injured are unimportant and without influence or money. The driver and/or vehicle owner are important and have both influence and money. The cases are all settled with a token amount of blood money for the lives of the people considered worthless and a commission of about as much again to the police. The well connected criminals follow this up with a brief merit making ceremony and feel as right as rain again and as ready to go out and commit sin again as a good Catholic coming out of the confessional. Of course it would be different if the family or a politician, senior civil servant, military or police got wiped out and things can get interesting if both victim and perpetrator are well connected. This a feudal society and there is no point in viewing it through the eyes of Western liberal democracy.

Bold highlighted to offer author time of self-reflection that his argument may not be altogether that convincing.

The family, although they had the famous family name, as do hundreds of other families, were not that wealthy, and their daughter received the typical punishment.

The issue of sex does not even arise among the bureaucrats. I was chatting to a very senior civil servant and his main concern was that at least 90% of the black African immigrants are thought to be involved in the illegal drugs trade. The Police consider this a nightmare since they find it difficult to infiltrate and convict.

The spread of AIDS by a few dozen people is neither here nor there.

Secondly, and more importantly, I'm not planning to get married to a Cambodian girl at the moment.

But it says something about the state of the world, and maybe ourselves, that we could give credence to such a story.

>snip<

mr harries has still got 'punked' by the April Fools joke. To clarify the truth for Mr Harries. The prohibition on marrying Cambodian girls is true. The joke was this law had spread to Thailand...

THAIVISA AGRRES TO PAY MEMBERS' WEDDING COSTS AFTER BACKLASH OVER APRIL FOOLS 'JOKE'

[bANGKOK]-- (REUTERS)

by S.O. Payeupe

ThaiVisa, a popular web board in Thailand, has agreed to pay for the weddings and Sinsod of all members for their April Fools that backfired.

ThaiVisa, long known for its reputation for brittle moderation, jumped on the April Fools bandwagon to inform members that Thailand would no longer allow marriages of old 'farang', white men, with the local Thai women. This ensured a topic needing considerable moderation.

Despite receiving a mention in The Daily Mail, ThaiVisa has recognised that April Fools jokes just are not funny anymore since everybody is doing them. Even The Bangkok Post did an article about Justin Bieber moving to Thailand to marry a Thai girl, for God's sake.

The ThaiVisa offer has a maximum limit of 15 million baht for Sinsod and 5 million for wedding costs. It is retroactive and applies to all marriages dating to 1945.

"It is the least we could do. We feel like total w**kers," said George to a Reuters reporter. "We've lost the respect of all our members, many of them are just not that bright," said George, the editor.

ThaiVisa members have formed an informal body to consider action against ThaiVisa. A spokesman was not available, but a source said buffaloes and a toilet gun have been positioned at Asoke intersection, believed to be the location of George's apartment.

(additional reporting by bloke in bar)

---END---

Don't buy any of these explanations. The Thai word for 'you' has a secondary meaning to it that the English word 'hello' carries; this meaning is to draw the attention of someone, rather than a greeting.

"hello, sorry, you've dropped something"

In other words, a good English-Thai dictionary would have the Thai word for 'you' listed under 'hello' in English as a secondary meaning.

There is no negative sense to it. They are simply directly translating their word to English without noticing a conceptual change in the word use.

Does anyone know how many expats are living here and from what countries?

No. It all depends on what you mean by 'living' here. And what is an 'expat'.

Is a person to be classed as de facto living here if on a series of tourist visas? Is an 'expat' those from certain countries excluding others?

There are some 4 million Burmese, with around 200,000 of them classed as 'legal illegals'. Just a rounding error of them would be enough to count all the farang. You then have Vietnamese migrants, laotian immigrants, the hilltribes... Chinese nationalist refugees etc.

having said all that, there are old figures for farang with work visas. The Japanese have three times more workers than the largest farang group. The largest contingent of farang is Brits at around the 10,000 mark. Trivial numbers by any stretch.