lungbing

You've got a long way to go before you get down to the level of 'service' offered by the UK embassy.

I did my passport change just two days ago. The only thing that caught me out was I need a copy of every page of the old passport. Straightforward and no fee. Ten years ago 200 baht was asked for.

I tried some years ago in Khon Kaen. The boss of the office in the amphur complex was rude in the extreme shouted at my wife asking if she could read or write (she has an BA and an MA) and refused on the grounds that I was retired and thus didn't pay tax. We were both dressed very conservatively.

I sent my UK passport for renewal to an agent in Pattaya on 20th Feb and today received notification it's ready to collect. Allowing time for post from Isaan to Pattaya, a day or two for the agent to copy passport and go to Bangkok to deliver to Trendy that makes it a month for renewal which isn't bad in my eyes.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Just turn up late, you usually do.

The direct debit is a nuisance to set up, but once it's done and after a month you've checked that it's working, then you can forget about it. My water bill is payed the same way. IIRC you go to the electricity company and get a form, take that to your bank, they stamp it and you take it back to the electricity company. Obviously ditto the water company.

It's still more than the present incumbent has.

I have never hears of a farang receiving a tax form How did you come to their attention?

Thank the god of your choice that social media was not around when a lot of people thought the earth was flat.

And why would a Cromwell dynasty be any better? Oliver's son was useless.

Khon Kaen did this to me last September when I renewed my retirement extension. I haven't left the country for 8 years and haven't had a new address here for 20 years, but they were insistent.

Remind me again, how many women have been Secretary General of the UN?

So when can I stop wearing this bl00dy mask?

After the first digit, usually a 6 for foreigners, the next two digits appear to be the changwat number as used in the postcode. I'm in Khon Kaen and my first 3 digits are 6 40. So 610 would be Bkk, 620 Chonburi. Perhaps the next couple of digits are amphur within the changwat.

They've got a long way to go to match Thai bureaucracy.

The one thing all these diplomats had in common was the US embassies. perhaps there's the source.

Thai nationality or not, you'll always be a farang to them.

Was this the one who reportedly said "I can't breathe" as they put handcuffs on him? And will his arrest promote a little after-hours shopping?

What amused me was that the censors replaced the word 'fat' with 'enormous' which to my mind is far worse.

Do you realise that by choosing every 4 weeks. ie 28 days, your date of payment will decrease by 2 or 3 days every month until once a year when you will get two payments that month. eg if your July payment was payed on 2nd July, you will receive your next payment on the 30th July. You will receive 13 payments a year.

Why should British charities do anything? Where are the charities from the rich regional Muslim countries? Or was the earthquake the will of Allah and not to be interfered with?

6 Christmas cards sent from UK not yet arrived.

Regretfully Blair removed the death penalty for treason.

They can't even live with themselves nevermind with other religions.