drink75

Not sure what the reason for the stop was, it was an area I often see the police stopping people but to date have always been waved on. This time I was ushered into a parking area and my passenger side door was opened before I knew what was happening.

Yes, car and boot space was searched. E-cig was on charge, plugged into the cigarette lighter and I had made no effort to conceal it as I really didn't think I needed to. Live and learn!

2 hours ago, bluebluewater said:

I just wanna know how the wife got on with getting the 5K returned?

 

With video it should have been pretty straight forward.  Right?

No, she calmed down shortly afterwards.

I just want to state that my original post was meant purely to help other E-Cig users avoid a nightmare.

2 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

It seems bizzare that owning one is not illegal but importing them is, as they don't make them here they only way to get one would be to import it, thus breaking the law

 

If you brought one in when you flew in then surely that is importing also

Not sure about that as surely 'Importing' refers to items for resale?? Not sure if personal items are classed as imported items as they are not taxable, with the exception of high value items like cars etc.

I brought my iMac here from the UK and didn't have to pay any import tax. I imagine that if I brought 10 iMacs with me the case would be different.

I'm not really qualified to say with any certainty.

11 minutes ago, ianf said:

Why would anyone want to use these ridiculous devices in the first place beats me.

Clearly it's too complicated for you to fathom. Thanks for your helpful post anyway though.

10 minutes ago, teacherpaul said:

You should have told them you bought it for 100 Baht. Then your fine would have only been 500 Baht. Secondly, they should write you a ticket for the fine. I was pulled over once and the cop tried to fine me 1,000 Baht. I only spoke English with him and repeatedly asked him why he had pulled me over. I also asked him to give me a ticket so I could pay at the police station. He just waved me on when he realised I was no mug and refused to pay.

The 'Fine' was not a fine, it was a bribe, lets be clear about that. Just sent my wife the link to the YouTube video above and she has gone to track down the officer who stung us to get our money back.

As stated already, was pretty sure this was a shakedown and it appears I was right. But with me speaking only enough Thai to order beer and food, I was not in a position to argue. TBH, lesson learned and don't care about the money, just wanted others to be aware of this risk.

I did a Google search and showed the police man evidence to backup my claim that use of the e-cigs is legal but he produced a recent government article on his iPhone (in Thai) which superseded my findings. I could not read it of course but my wife confirmed this when she arrived.

In the end, I'm pretty sure it was a shakedown but thought it worth warning others regardless of law or not.

Just spent an hour on the roadside after a random police check landed me in trouble for having my E-Cigarette in the car.

My understanding on the legality of these devices was that they are illegal to import or sell on the grounds that there is no VAT on them but personal use it's fine. Apparently, as shown to me today by the policeman shaking me down, the law has changed and possession of an E-Cigarette will lead to a fine of 5 x it's value.

Also, I was told that I would have to spend the night in the local nick awaiting trial in the morning!! <deleted>!

I called my wife and THB5,000, and 60 minutes later I'm at home where I have promised to keep my beloved E-Cigarette.

Can't see anything in English about the change in law but if you are an E-Cigarette user, be warned, if only that you may be open for a similar shakedown.

Thanks, I think that is what I will have to do. Better wake up a couple hours earlier to allow for time in Ranong.

Been search through all sorts of posts this morning but not sure I found the answer so thought I should just ask!

My Non 0 visa expires in September but my last stamp expires tomorrow (17th March).

I am staying in Phuket today and was planning to drive to Hua Hin tomorrow (where I live with my wife and kids).

I only have my Passport with me, no additional paperwork. Should I:

1. Do a visa run in Ranong on the way to Hua Hin tomorrow and hope they don't need any additional info

2. Or, is there some way to extend my 90 days without leaving the country?

3. I fly to Macau on the 31st so will get a new 90 day stamp on return from there. Can I just pay a fine? (without getting any blackmarks!)

BBC have only blocked certain VPN services that use the same IP addresses. If you have a provider with a large pool of IP addresses, chances are they will not be blocked. BBC simply recognise many users with the same IP address and that flags it as a VPN.

I'm in the UK TV business and live here in Thailand, PM me for a working solution.

Hires former commando's . . . what? Could someone specify?

If you have a problem, and you can find them, maybe you can hire...

I intend on getting to the border Fri Am but will update this thread after the weekend.

Thanks for the heads up.

I'm planning on doing this run on Monday or Tuesday this coming week (smack bang in the middle of Sonkran!!), any reports on a recent successful trip?

I think it only fair to raise the point that 500 Baht is not a great deal of money, especially if you are from a country such as the UK (as I am) where that ammount of cash would not get to to the next junction.

I stopover in Bangkok very often and have never been overcharged for the taxi to my regular hotel. Instead I feel bad about that fact that the driver has waited in line for hours at the airport, only to get me who is going 5 minutes down the road for a fair of Baht 90. I always pay Baht 200 to resolve my concience.

I don't mind going off-meter, as long as you agree to the fee beforehand and the driver sticks to it.

Great post, very informative!

I'm off tomorrow morning (3rd Sept 2014) to do exactly this visa. It will be the third time for me and my experience over the lasst couple years has been very much the same as the OP.

Only difference I can see is the possibility of a single day turn around now but I've booked 2 nights at the Savan Vegas Casino anyway, might as well enjoy myself!

I always take additional info (although I have never needed it) like copies of my kids birth certificates, wifes passport (as well as her required ID card copy), and take spares of everythijng as well. Waste of time? Probably but I would hate to be in a situation where I need it and don't have it!

Will report back on Friday, or Monday, depends how much fun I have:-)

All seriousness and safety aside, I think the picture at the top of this post is really funny.

The guy in the foreground is looking at the seatbelt and trying to work out it's operation like it's something out of an alien spacecraft!

Also, the guy on the far left is leaning over to observe his seat neihbour, like he is trying to see how he has managed to operate this 'new fangled' technology.

It's true, seatbelts save lives, but more so, they prevent injury. There are crashes that regardless of what restainst you have, will kill people but in general, seat belts 'prevent' the kind of injury that sudden braking or impact collisions can cause. Many people involved in this kind of accident can be injured for life, causeing prolonged pain, inability to work and of course all the knock on effects to their family.

But still, really funny picture!

at the risk of being booted off this forum I can offer one of my services or provide info on a sports specialst based in Taiwan who can provide almost everything over the net.

We provide UK Sky TV in HD to expats around the world but it's not a cheap solution. If you are interested please PM me.

Hi all.

I run a UK Slingbox hosting service and before the new Slingbox 350 came out had no plans on selling to the expats in Thailand as the internet speed here is just not good enough to support the high quality HD streams.

Since I started using the Slingbox 350 though, everything has changed and to further improve things, I am try to find a really good paid for Proxy to further increase the speed my Slingboxes can achieve from Thailand and surrounding countries for my clients.

If anyone has had good results using a Proxy (not VPN) to the UK I would really apprieciate the info. PM me if it's against the board rules.

Thanks in advance!

Yes I would and I do. Two children in the Thai system (government) but I assist with home schooling.

I totally agree with this. In the end, if you earn money out here you need time in the day to work and School is an excellent place for your kids to be while you bring in the bacon.

Then, when they come home and on weekends you can use your free time to be with them and teach them whatever you want.

Best of both worlds for your kids, all you should really be concerned about is if they are safe at the school you choose.

I understand they came up with this cunning plan after watching a movie one night;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u93bhAimFFU

You made me laugh until a little bit of wee came out! Many thanks!

mr bean and his holliday extravaganza

I haven't seen that one yet but I liked the one where he went to France and ended up at the cannes movie festival.

I thought every farrang in Thailand already used a VPN, how else can you watch decent TV! I use vpntv.co.uk

Well, turns out that the Tabien Baan is gone, my wife is currently registered at an address that now belongs to someone else! Ditching the Non 'O' plan and going with the 60 day tourist visa. The big pain in the arse is that we could have done this locally if we had got her a new tabien baan here in Sisaket.

Well, ho hum, we are now in Savanakhet staying at the Savan Vegas Casino. Nice enough place and cheap as chips.

Got a feeling I got robbed on the way in, got stopped at the border and told I needed a Visa to enter Laos. Paid B1500 for this and then another b100 and then another guy popped up who needed another b200.

Had no idea what was going on, so used to walking though imigration on a UK passport without any problems that this caught me off gaurd.

Got to the hotel and everyone seems to want to sort my Thai Tourist out for me, no fee!?!?! All part of the service here apparently.

Will report back tomorrow for the sake of others on the forum who may be looking at doing this run.

Think there may be a copy in Phuket so fingers crossed, before tomorrow morning we have contacted someone to send it over. Otherwise it looks like I'll just get the tourist visa for now and grab a visa from Hull when I retrun to the UK in July.