topsecret

Seems like a fair decision! Taksin keeps assets he acquired before he took office. The rest gets confiscated.

Lets see what happens on March 12th when one million protesters ascend on Bangkok!

So the owners walk free when they are responsible for making sure the building meets fire regulations etc.

How many managers would start their job and say, "hold on a second, i wonder if this place has been inspected and passed by the health & safety. Is that material on the roof flammable?"

And the marketing manager is indicted too? What a joke!

The rich always walk free in Thailand.

Wonder when they will catch the other 28 Million prostitutes in Thailand

Looks like they will go after falang bar/brothel owners in the industry (cant have that) and Thais who are not paying enough tea money.

Soon it will all settle down.

For "lose control" read "bad driving".

I usually go down that hill, and steeper ones, in 2nd gear in my pickup. Didn't the driver know you are supposed to use the engine as a brake?

Drop the gear and handbrake on. Very sad but due to improper training rather than careless driving.

I used to fly them all the time but I have now switched to Etihad because they are cheaper and I think better, especially as Emirates really dick me around with advanced bookings, and they put their prices up so much, and there are often long layovers in Dubai. I have a gold card with them (Emirates), I flew them so much last year - in Economy, but now I would choose Etihad over them every time.

Are they safe to fly? You would soon know if they weren't

In my experience Thai drivers have no respect what so ever of anything on the road. Ive seen drivers purposely aim for dogs, drive carelessly close to the bumper of the car in front, try to ram other cars out the way. I consider myself a good careful driver, but when driving here in Thailand my nerves and wits are tested to the fullest! I guess they all think there invulnerable and good old Buddha will take care of them because they got that special amulet given to them by the monk who said if you wear this you can never die!

About amulet it would be kind of irony but they are really think so and they don't care about their life and people around because of that!

Condolences to the guys family

Thais are generally hospitable, friendly, courteous and generous at face value. While driving they are the complete opposite as the car itself offers some face saving protection.

Two faced!

I know that "it works", meaning I'm able to successfully add an account number and successfully pay other people.

But how about when it comes to withdrawing money from Paypal to my Thai account?? (Thai account number is correct, but it is wrongly identified as a "checking" account by Paypal)

Will it still "work" then?

@Mommysboy: Not selling anything yet; hence my concern that it might not "work" if and when I do sell anything online, and the money might be gone for good. Please check if 1) your account type is correct/incorrect, and 2) if you have been able to successfully withdraw from your Paypal account to your "wrongly labeled" bank account in the past.. Would appreciate it!

'Checking account' is an American term for bank account. I use my savings account with paypal and can withdraw money without any problems.

I feel a bit sorry for them, they obviously love the place to have stayed here homeless without seeking help.

I hope they do return one day if that is there wish.

Are you serious? Two irresponsible alcoholics who are an embarrassment to any country. They ripped off the local hospital. They wont be allowed back in and good riddance. When they get to Sweden they will get free housing, free utilities, free treatment, free money and can drink all day long. They don't deserve any of it too!

Or you could simply turn up at your Thai classes and learn some Thai!

It always amazes me how the Thai police are able to arrest someone within days of ANY serious crime.

Within 24 hours they have a confession and a somewhat relaxed dude turns up with the Police at the scene, acting out the crime.

This means either the Thai police are one of the best forces in the world, or it's a white wash. I would be keen for the press turn up at the jail 1 year after a conviction for a quick visit with the accused.

They may find he isn't in that day!

What happened to that border Police sergeant down south who extorted, tortured & beat up members of the local community for years?

What happened to those two guys who were convicted of raping and killing the young, female British backpacker on Koh Samui? (The ones who looked like they just won the lottery after being arrested)

The list goes on.........

I find this little chess game with Thaksin very interesting. My line of thinking is that Thaksin has blundered and has backed himself into a corner, very close to home at that. If Interpol does take interest in Thailand's request, then it could make it virtually impossible for TS to travel from the god forsaken place he's chosen just so he can torment his opponents. No more basking in the luxury of places like Dubai. Before such "papers" are issued to Interpol, he must think hard about where he likes the view because it may be a permanent one. Sit back and enjoy the show!

I don't think it's a blunder. It's part of his masterplan!

Taksin was illegally removed from office in a military coup while he was attending a conference overseas.

I didn't see any coup leaders being charged!

Also his party won 2 elections after the coup, and then they were thrown out in another coup, and replaced by the Democrats. The current government is totally illegal and has no right asking interpol to catch anyone.

Taksin is up to something. I fear the worst for this country if he is arrested!

Has everyone forgotten that Taksin and his government were twice removed from office illegally, and that he still has the majority support of the people of Thailand?

I suspect that right now the people of Issan and the north still feel bitter and angry over their democratically elected government being removed, and perhaps will show more alegiance to Cambodia then Thailand...for the time being at least!

Taksin hasn't gone away, and this move will prove to be either a PR disaster, or a cleverly calculated stroke of genius.

He is poised and ready to pounce....he is bitter, angry and seeks not only power, but revenge. He is waiting for a development with the real leader of this country, and then he will strike.

Long overdue.

Thailand has arguably more sex workers than any other country, yet they have no rights and are exploited by the Police, traffickers etc. The sex industry in Thailand is the main reason why so many foreigners choose to visit Thailand regularly and why many end up living here. (whether they like to admit to it or not)

It's Legal in Australia, Germany, Holland and many other developed countries. So why not?

[The division has asked locals to tip off police about any suspected drug-related activities on Koh Phangan.]

Erm... it's the local Thai bar owners, waiters, resort managers who sell the drugs!

Nice One!

You can take a 2 week TEFL course at Lamai, Koh Samui. Google: TeachAbroadThailand

As a farang working in Thailand I actually don't care if I pay 3,000 baht per year or 5,000 baht per year....what do I care about a 2,000 baht increase once a year??

And I think this is also what the Thai government believe!!

I doubt, as well as the government doubt, that it's unlikely the farangs will flee Thailand just because of an increased work permit fee!

But OK...you can also see this an another nail in the coffin.....one of many these past years.......

Exactly, where are we falangs going to flee to? They could charge 20k per year for a WP and it still beats going back to the UK to live with all the income tax, council taxes etc.

it is not good what the immigration and the country is doing to the foreigners.

first they make all the tourist visas free and now they are making border runs short to stay.

as to before they were 3 months and now they only give two months.

what will happen next???

It serves them right. No one should be staying in Thailand doing 15 day border runs. Go and buy a bloody visa, it can't be any easier.

If you can't afford to buy a visa then you are exactly the type of foreigner Thailand does not want....or need.

Teach Thais they don't have to be their usual composed, calm, considerate, polite, respectful and diplomatic when they are trying to tell you THE FKN HOUSE IS ON FIRE!!!

You can now use any visa debit card which has a CVV number on the back.

I Just got the BFirst Visa debit card from the Bangkok bank and created a new PayPal account linked to my Thai bank. No problem. You have to call the Thai bank to get the Paypal verification number rather than go into a branch.

Now we can accept payments from anyone as well as Mastercard, visa, debit card, Amex you name it.

In fact Paypal is the best thing since skype. Put skype, paypal and google adwords together and you have the perfect platform to run an online business, selling to the UK/USA while living in Thailand.

Brilliant.. and about time too

My girlfriend and I are very interested in opening a language school on the Eastern Seaboard. The idea would be for English language courses and also Thai language courses.

I do not want to be owner of the business, it can all be in her name. I have my own job and work permit. However I do have a few questions, which, I hope some of the experts out there can help us with.

Can a language school open without registration from the MOE?

As we are only going to be a small operation we do not need full time teachers. I understand that we'll need to arrange work permits for any work taking place..........but are there different rules for language schools as the 4/1 thai to farang will be hard to make the concept financially viable?

Are any of the language school franchises worth pursuing?

I look forward to your educated replies.

Banchang Bob

Hi

We ran a TEFL school in Pattaya for 4 years which we sold 4 months ago. I also had 12 months experience teaching ESL in Hat Yai, Chiang Mai and Bangkok

There are already thousands of language schools in Thailand so make sure you do your market research before investing any money.

I believe you do need to register with the MOE and there's no harm in asking.

Work permits will be required for farang teachers although your biggest challenge is in finding half decent, reliable teachers to work for you. The TEFL industry is rife with poor, unreliable, unprofessional (you name it) farang teachers who are only teaching to subsidise their stay in Thailand (Read bar girls). The decent teachers are already employed with international schools.

There are no shortage of language schools that are fully equipped, eager students already signed up, but no teacher!

We managed to do OK as we targeted young graduates looking for a work abroad experience. Personally speaking, I wouldn't open a language school for love nor money.

Hope I'm not being too cynical, just my experience, so good luck.

There's a new law due to be passed this year according to my lawyers.

If you are married to a Thai and you both have a kid you can apply for Thai Nationality after 3 consecutive years married with an O visa.

The conditions are:

Financially stable (What ever that means)

DNA evidence to prove you are the father (That will cancel 40% of all applications right off)

Able to speak, read and write Thai ( no problem, I've got 3 years to brush up)

Able to sing the National Anthem right through (I said I can't sing but apparently that doesn't matter)

Foreigners are not expected to renounce or give up their current citizenship.

I'll believe it when i see it but I certainly hope it goes through.

Can anyone verify this?

Most immigration offices would not ask for the money in the bank info with a letter from the embassy.

You wouldn't have to change back to a B once you have an extension of an entry from a non immigrant visa you don't need to change anything but the reason for the extension.

To change visas you would have to leave and get a visa and then start all over again.

You can get a work permit with the extension you have now. Once you have a work permit to get the extension based upon marriage all you need to do is show tax payments for the past three months.

Also if you want to do business here and you are married to a Thai your wife can start a business as a sole trader. You could then get a work permit and only need half the normal emplyees and company income.

If you changed to an extension based upon employment you would have to show a lot more paperwork than the tax payments.

Many thanks for your advice.

Just to update on my previous post for my O visa extension. I have a Thai wife and baby and this is my first O visa extension application.

After seeking advice from my agent, I decided not to transfer 400k into my Bangkok bank due to the poor GBP/Baht exchage rates.

I have a Hong Kong company so she advised I got a letter from my accountant (Ocra) to state that I earned in excess of 40,000 Baht per month. I then took this letter to the UK embassy and got a certified letter (cost 1,900 baht).

I had around B200k in my Bangkok bank so I had to also get a certified letter from my bank to confirm this (costs 100 Baht). Apparently this is just to show that you're bringing money in to support your family. There doesn't have to be any specific amount, just some funds.

My wife and I got interviewed and the application was accepted. I pick up the new visa in one month.

I also discovered that I need to get a multi re-entry permit but i don't need to extend again for one more year.

My opinion is the O visa/extension seems more trouble than it's worth! For example if i start working or trading in Thailand, apparently I need to change it back to a Non B.

What a load of b******s

I think I have had every visa under the sun over the past 5 years. NIB, EDU, Tourist etc.

Now that I have a Thai wife (married 12 months) and a 7 month old baby I thought I should get the proper visa (Non Immigrant O) to say here with some security and no more visa runs. I was surprised how difficult the whole O visa process was compared to the other visas.

Firstly i went to Phnom Penh with all my documents to get the initial 90 day visa. No problem at all. The consulate was empty and the staff were friendly.

88 days Later I went to Bangkok Immigration to apply for the one year extension. I had all documents but the officer asked me where my wife was! I explained she was at home and they said i needed to bring her with me. I had one day left on my visa.

So the next day me and my wife went down and they told me that i needed 400,000 Baht in a Thai bank in my name and it had to have been there for 2 consecutive months. Even though i had UK statements with the equivalent amount and my wife had 400k, they wouldn't issue the visa.

I thought i just had to prove i had 40K per month. Apparently you need a certified letter from your embassy for this.

They were good enough to give me a 2 month extension and asked me to deposit the money in my account that day and come back in 2 months.

Fair enough i didn't read the conditions properly.

Anyway i decided to hire a visa agent i had used before and they were great. (I wont mention their name) They made sure i had a number of other documents that the immigration did not tell me about and got everything organised for me.

The great thing was that when we went down to immigration is was rammed full but my agent had booked an appointment with the head officer. Although 70+ people were waiting, we got seen in 10 minutes. I thought great, my agents has it all covered, perhaps its a brown envelope under the table and were done.

It was not to be. I stern faced lady sent me back to the seat while she interviewed my wife. 20 minutes later i was called over, my wife sent away and she asked me everything about my wife. Family, job, personal habits..you name it. Luckily our relationship is genuine but I cant imagine any one getting away with a dodgy marriage. Even we made some simple errors in our statements.

The officer seemed satisfied and they gave me a one month extension. Apparently i pick up the new one year extension next month.

The punchline is that my agent informed me that the law will change this year allowing falangs who are married to a Thai, hold an O visa for 3 concecutive years can then apply for Thai citizenship. She said it will actually be easier than getting permanent residence.

This means no more visa worries, you can buy land etc and you don't need to give up your falang passport. Oh you must be able to sing the Thai national anthem fluently. No mention of any criminal or financial checks, just sing the song.

Personally I find it all hard to believe but my agent is credible and always seems to know her stuff. I hope it's true because otherwise the O visa extension is simply more trouble than it's worth.

I hope this helps anyone who is applying for an O Visa extension.

Does anyone have any more info on the Thai citizenship claim for falangs married to Thais?