Gonsalviz

^ Indeed.....Indeed. Big brother wants to know all....

Thank You but I will pass.

Who cares what they know unless you have something to be afraid of ?

Not that I really care. I just ain't gonna go out of my way to help them. They don't help me.

What help have you ever asked them for that they didn't help with ?

Nothing at all, if I ask. It's the part that I don't ask for that I don't want or need them to help me. The only reason I need them at all, are for reasons that they made up. And they'll help you right out some money too.

A good idea in some respects. It also enables Big Brother to know where you are.

Unless you are on the run, .. what's the problem? What have you to hide?

Nothing to hide at all. I just ain't gonna make any effort to help them.

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to me it is not being paranoid, its that the government should not be involved in the citizens lives.<br />

thats my POV too. especially since i dont live in the country or use its services or benefits. once a year i go to the US embassy to get a notarized piece of paper and pay $50 for it. social security? it wont exist in 25 years when i am eligible. i dont drive on US roads, i dont use US public utilities, and i dont care to line the pockets of fat greedy politicians. haters and ignorant "patriots", feel free to bash me <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=''

What's the $50 for if you don't mind my asking..?

$50 is the price for a notarized letter. then of course $50 at the translator to get it translated, stamped, and mailed to me. no big deal. i only go to BKK once a year..

$50 (not the fee but if you add up all your expenditures) to get the foreign ministry to certify that a passport, that is good for travel, is good enough for the consulate to say that that the certifier is good enough to certify that this valid passport is good enough for the consulate to say that is ok for you to now claim your wife on your tax form. Another $50. Wow that wore me out just like when I said it to the consulate rep and she agreed. That my friend, is the government making up ways to charge money. I see Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi all over that one.

What the embassy REALLY needs to do is prioritize their efforts and STEP UP their visa agents to satisfy the demand for more application processing.

Currently their system is to let a visa applicant's 90 days paid subscription expire before they begin to consider granting a visa - that's a ridiculously absurd and ludicrous approach to handling what seems to be an overloaded visa department

What a novel idea it would be to add more agents to make the interviews and qualify the applicants - Duhh!! - reducing the load and getting those people qualified to go and spend money in the USA - WOW - how simple minded management can be.

Instead they spend their resources getting addresses of travelers and residents updated online.

I registered before - for what ? - a national crisis control ? - no-one contacted me to advise me to evacuate or instructions for other emergency contingency during the May red-shirt demonstrations with bombs and tanks rampant in the streets - I never heard of anything from the during the Tsunami

So what is their to STEP UP to ?

So you think consular section purposely doesn't want to manage everything as efficiently as possible? Now that's a ridiculous and absurd statement if I ever heard one. Every organization in the world has a budget to stick to regardless of what you think and it's not about processing numbers (individuals) just so they can spend money in the USA—talk about simple minded! Unless you're hiding from someone or some organization, it's a good idea to let the embassy know who and where you are...what? You think you're totally beyond danger here in Land of Smiles? Have you not heard how many foreigners and Thais come up dead, missing or whatever over here? Pull your head out man...I've been here since 2003 and I've registered and everytime any type of trouble rears it ugly head here, I get an email from American Citizens Services with a lot of good information on trouble spots, things to think about to keep yourself safe, etc., etc., etc. Heck if you don't listen to or want any good advise, at least you can cease with the non-nonsensical comments!

Regardless of what the consular section wants, they are attached to the behemoth US Government. The out of control expenditures, the sloth like movements and the ridiculous reasons for charging money are enough to keep me away. The consular section is not only for American citizens. Citizen services is only a small part of the consulate and the consulate being representative of the United States should be supported by tax payer dollars not by making up reasons to charge ridiculous amounts of money for services that are only required by the US Government. 'Make up a new rule so we can jab these poor dopes for some more money.'

I am fully aware that the citizen services people in Bangkok, atleast, are diligently enforcing rules that were made up by the morons in DC. I do not condemn them at all. It is the system in general that I will not assist.

My wife is the only one that needs to know I am dead.

This free service brought to you by the folks that now charge $85.00 for previously free passport pages. It is good to see where our money is going.

Are they also charging more to get a new passport now?

This is a major game changer I am shocked to hear this!

It is so stingy and unfair that they only give you about 24 pages in the new passport and then will charge another $85 for how many cents worth of paper and time spent?

Meanwhile the republicans continue to seek loopholes and tax breaks for wealthy billionares and oil companies dont you just love it?

This is unconstitutional and could possibly be contested in court as it is an unfair tax on traveling.

Justice William O. Douglas held that the federal government may not restrict the right to travel without due process:

The right to travel is a part of the 'liberty' of which the citizen cannot be deprived without due process of law under the Fifth Amendment. If that "liberty" is to be regulated, it must be pursuant to the law-making functions of the Congress. . . . . Freedom of movement across frontiers in either direction, and inside frontiers as well, was a part of our heritage. Travel abroad, like travel within the country, . . . may be as close to the heart of the individual as the choice of what he eats, or wears, or reads. Freedom of movement is basic in our scheme of values.

Agreed, but what about the citizens who don't travel? Should they subsidize your "free" passport? I think it's OK for those who need it to pay for the product/service. Just wish this was the case for a lot of other things in the US!

I have no problem paying $125 for a passport but to pay $85 for a few pieces of paper to stick a visa on? How it it go from $0 to $85 in one second flat? Even $30 sound like too much to me..

Anyway they are broke and desperately grabbing without intelligence for whatever they can.

Government people are not known for their intelligence.

They are know for their desire for power.

The intelligent usually have better things to do...

Roger that.

This free service brought to you by the folks that now charge $85.00 for previously free passport pages. It is good to see where our money is going.

Are they also charging more to get a new passport now?

This is a major game changer I am shocked to hear this!

It is so stingy and unfair that they only give you about 24 pages in the new passport and then will charge another $85 for how many cents worth of paper and time spent?

Meanwhile the republicans continue to seek loopholes and tax breaks for wealthy billionares and oil companies dont you just love it?

This is unconstitutional and could possibly be contested in court as it is an unfair tax on traveling.

Justice William O. Douglas held that the federal government may not restrict the right to travel without due process:

The right to travel is a part of the 'liberty' of which the citizen cannot be deprived without due process of law under the Fifth Amendment. If that "liberty" is to be regulated, it must be pursuant to the law-making functions of the Congress. . . . . Freedom of movement across frontiers in either direction, and inside frontiers as well, was a part of our heritage. Travel abroad, like travel within the country, . . . may be as close to the heart of the individual as the choice of what he eats, or wears, or reads. Freedom of movement is basic in our scheme of values.

When you apply for a passport, you can request a 48 page passport. Also I doubt new pages $85 but it is no doubt that there is a charge for something that should be free. They have come up with some really far out reasons to charge money so why should that be left out.

A good idea in some respects. It also enables Big Brother to know where you are.

Big Brother knows anyway

Correction. Big Brother could know if they wanted to. Since they are big fat and lazy they want us to come in and tell them. HELLO?

I ain't into helping them.

^ Indeed.....Indeed. Big brother wants to know all....

Thank You but I will pass.

Who cares what they know unless you have something to be afraid of ?

YEH thats what they all say ,1984 has arrived ,just a little late.

Please explain.

1984 was one of great predictions of the end of the world.

A good idea in some respects. It also enables Big Brother to know where you are.

As PhuketRichard points out, if you are living here long-term and have foreign bank account(s) in AGGREGATE that exceed USD 10,000 even for one day in a given calendar year, you are required to report them along with any interest earned in the accounts. If you have at least 10% ownership in a foreign corp (in the case of Thailand, a Thai Limited Company qualifies as a Corp), you are also required to file all sorts of forms and statements related to the foreign corp.

The IRS conducted one semi-amnesty program back in 2009 to get US citizens to fess up. They started a second one in March of this year.

Penalties under these amnesty programs are significantly reduced (but still high) if you come forward voluntarily.

However, if you are required to report and haven't done so, and did not participate in the either one of these amnesty programs, and they catch you...your days in Thailand could well be over. Depending on the scope of what has been unreported, you could be subject to jail time and truly draconian penalties.

Our dear friend and Socialist Charlatan in Chief Obama has been quoted a few years ago as wanting to "mine the expats" as it is believed (and correctly so) that there billions upon billions of unreported foreign accounts and associated unreported income from those accounts, that the US gov't is highly motivated to get their hands on, given the financial mess the US is in.

If you guys want to roll the dice on getting caught later...good luck with that.

I have not had accounts to exceed the amounts. When I do, the money will have had taxes paid on it and it will have come from a bank that they do have access to. So if they want to know where the money I have in Thailand came from, they already have the means to check. Again, why should I help them? They don't help me.

A good idea in some respects. It also enables Big Brother to know where you are.

^ Indeed.....Indeed. Big brother wants to know all....

Thank You but I will pass.

Big Brother aka the IRS, sniffing out merkins who aren't paying their pound of flesh.

Most of the people putting money in offshore bank accounts are cheating the honest US taxpayer out of millions of dollars in public funds...

Most of these people are rich already and in my opinion are crooks who should receive much harsher consequences than your average burglar or purse snatcher....

Unless you are doing something wrong, you have nothing to worry about

I'm not cheating. As I say I just ain't gonna go out of my way to help them.

A good idea in some respects. It also enables Big Brother to know where you are.

^ Indeed.....Indeed. Big brother wants to know all....

Thank You but I will pass.

Who cares what they know unless you have something to be afraid of ?

Not that I really care. I just ain't gonna go out of my way to help them. They don't help me.

Knowing where we are is a good thing.Get over your paranoia.

A good idea in some respects. It also enables Big Brother to know where you are.

And if they REALLY want to find you they can.

No doubt all our data is on Thai computers including home adress

and such if the NSA can't get past the Thai firewalls

they aren't worth their astronomical budget.

99 88/100th of us are not worth their time and trouble to look for.

But if you're straight up and in the database,

you are possibly going to have a faster time getting help if you REALLY need it.

just check the data base and the see you are who you are...

whether they help or not is another matter.

Between biolmetric passports, the Thai visa system, cellphone and credit card usage

they can pinpoint us reasonably quickly if they REALLY want to.

You better not pout you better not cry you better be good I'm telling you why,

Uncle Sam can come to your town.

Yeah, but they work for the government. If they can get you to do the work for them, they can get fatter.

Knowing where we are is a good thing.Get over your paranoia.

A good idea in some respects. It also enables Big Brother to know where you are.

Good for you, maybe.

As good pal of mine once said, 'Heck I wish the government didn't even know I existed.'

I just changed my savings account to a 'promotion' account with BKK bank @ 3.5% for 5 months fixed and acceptable to immigration. Also heard that K bank has an even better, but longer term and higher interest.

K Bank has interest bearing accounts that you can withdraw money at any time. I don't think there is a penalty for withdrawal but obviously you will not get the amount of interest, had you left it in.

Is it possible to download a driver for the CAT CDMA dongles? My wife bought a small computer that has no CD ROM to install the driver.

Not correct, officially you would have to complete all tests, have a look here

I thought there were some steps (like testing) that could be skipped if you had an International DL

I am pretty certain you have to set it up in person. I tried to add new accounts and that had to be in person.

Males feeling like they are females is NOT the same as gay! Effeminacy is NOT the same as gay!

You're wasting your breath Jing. Save it for something important.

No kidding. Realistically how many versions of non-heterosexuality can a society be expected to keep track of anyway? Should it just not be referred to at all for fear of saying it wrong? That's just PC entanglement serving the same minuscule purpose as the rest of it.

Sorry you can't deal with complications. ONLY Black and white for you, is it? Sounds very lazy to me. Not about PC, about REALITY. You must really have trouble in restaurants with long menus ...

I'll have to agree with the lazy aspect.

I have seen the UN operate in Africa... they are too PC to have any effect. They have teeth, but don't bite. I doubt the Thais and Cambodians are too worried about this statement, they will not leave.

Sadly that's proven to be the case far too often; though it's down to civilian commanders in NYC rather than the troops in the field having sufficient valor and/or professionalism or not (on which score I think some are better than others).

So this is decided in Europe. Doesn't this reek of a bit of neo-colonialism to anyone else but me?

Heh! Are you trying to be like some sort of caricature of a 60s lefty or something?

1) The UN is in New York City -- not Europe.

2) The UN is comprised of 193 member states the majority of which are not European (ie the whole freakin world).

3) Thailand and Cambodia are members by their own choice.

4) The UN has, as one of its mandates, the task of arbitrating in international disputes - which both Cambodia and Thailand agreed to in this instance.

So, I can't speak for anyone else but I can't imagine how it reeks of anything remotely as you describe. Better luck next time. (maybe you can find a way to blame the US on your next go!)

The UN is in NYC but the ICJ is in the Hague, which is decidedly European.

Only takes 10,000 years to disintigrate instead of 20,000.

You can buy a USB cable with CD that enables you to transfer directly from 1 computer to another. Any large computer shop should have it.

I had one of those morons tell me that pure gold was liquid. He could only check as high as 22k and told me that the gold I had was 22k because if it was pure, it would be liquid.

I just looked at him and walked out.

I have one in Isan. Never seems to have a problem. Fun little dogs.

What I am trying to say is that his (et al) entire plan was to destroy western economies because in some manner devised in his miniature brain, they have abused the poor people of the middle east and become rich on their oil monies...No matter the means of what they were trying to do or how they did it, the entire basis for these attacks was to destroy the economies of western nations.

I've read a fair bit on the subject of radical Islamism as well as ObL. I'd be interested in anything you can point to that supports your absolutism about his sole motive, entire strategy and singular objective.

And AGAIN: none of what you say negates the original contention (that you dismissed) that economic damage alone doesn't constitute terrorism. Indeed in a effort to support your position, rather than cite a single instance of a "terrorist" act which had results entirely comprised of economic damage, you offer an action that in addition to economic damage resulted in circa 3,000 deaths.

You know, I don't care anymore. It could have been any number of places where these planes could have crashed and still killed 3,000+. Do you think there might be any significance in where they really did crash? Or are you you another one of the non-believers of 9/11?

Osama Bin Laden's entire career was to threaten the economies of rich nations. I guess in your mind, what he did is not terrorism?

Sorry, but your post makes no sense.

If someone contends that threatening an economy in and of itself does not meet the definition of "terrorism" that does not mean that any action that threatens an economy can not be terrorism. Indeed it's an objective fact that a negative effect on the target country's economy is a welcome and not unanticipated consequence (no doubt often a deliberate if not primary one). If terrorism is defined something along the lines that the UN describes it ('Any action intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act') there's nothing that excludes economic repercussions there -- and I think maybe we can apply that description to Osama bin Laden's "career", don't you?

The attack on the Twin Towers was an attack on the economy of the United States of America and as it turns out the rest of the world. The death and destruction were mere collateral damage for a demented mind.

We can argue about that -- and I suspect you'd be unable to support that claim with any real substance -- but there's no reason to assume that one desired outcome has to hold clear and significant primacy over another More to the point, as your post now acknowledges, the action was comprised of an intent to cause death or serious bodily harm etc -- the fact that economic repercussins occurred --desired or not, primary motive or not -- does not in any way mean that those economic motives repercussions alone are enough to make it terrorism.

I wonder why you try and work backwards like this -- look at results and then claim they argue (by extension) that the results (or rather, the particular ones you choose) are what serve as the definition of that act.

I also think it curious that you speak of ObL's entire career and then cite only WTC as your proof. Tell me about the African Embassies, for example.

For that matter, you realize that terrorism didn't start or end with bin Laden, surely? Maybe you should look at a list of events that are almost universally regarded as terrorism and see how many you can argue were in fact attacks on an economy where "the death and destruction were were mere collateral damage for a demented mind".

Anyone that thinks that terrorism began or will end with ObL (as you say) would be very naive.

What I am trying to say is that his (et al) entire plan was to destroy western economies because in some manner devised in his miniature brain, they have abused the poor people of the middle east and become rich on their oil monies. In reality the Sultanates, Emirs and Kings of these nations are the ones that squandered the monies that were derived from this oil economy. Squandered it for themselves and left out the peoples they are supposed to be the leaders of.

No matter the means of what they were trying to do or how they did it, the entire basis for these attacks was to destroy the economies of western nations.