kimamey

I don't go looking to pay bribes so unless someone tries to offer the chance I probably wouldn't know. My wife would probably be the one they'd talk to. From experience with my wife and other government employees I'd say it wasn't everyone who is involved but there's little they can do to stop it as it invoices this higher up who are able to dismiss any claim. It's certainly a problem here, not only down to the taking of bribes but just not doing the job they're paid to do. In the case of traffic police taking bribes is the way they are set up to avoid the government paying them properly. Having said that if the proper fines were paid to the government I wonder how much they'd get.

Sorry that should be 'good' not 'God'

The same could be said for those who drink alcohol though. I'm not teetotal although I rarely drink. It seems sensible to get rid of the restricted hours as they aren't observed by the small shops anyway. The same is true for no alcohol Buddhist holidays. We got rid of similar hours in the UK, which I think were a hangover, sorry for the pun, from the First World War. The only problem is that the drinking culture is different in some countries. In much of Western Europe sensible drinking is a way of life which it isn't in the UK. There was an experiment done a while back where 2 groups of people in the UK were given what they thought was alcohol. Half had alcohol and half didn't. Both groups displayed the effects of alcohol consumption suggesting that being and acting drunk are as much down to what you want as it is due to alcohol. With cannabis, if I was forced to choose I'd say don't legalise it, apart from medical use, but as I don't use it for recreation it doesn't matter to me either way.

I notice Khon Kaen is on the list. I live in Mahasarakham which now has its own office, which isn't mentioned, but for many years I had to go to Khon Kaen. I never bribed anyone but it was always mentioned as a place where it was possible. It was always a miserable place, then one time everyone seemed happy there and I heard someone new was in charge. It looks as if, in that case at least, most of the staff weren't happy with the corruption and were glad when it had gone. My wife works in a government office and hates corruption as do her sister and friend who have both moved offices because of it. I see that Roi Et is also on the list. I'm there now as my wife works in Roi Et although not in immigration. It seems Mahasarakham is an oasis of righteousness between Khon Kaen and Roi Et. ????

Along with traffic laws. Actually laws in general.

I think that would count as the truth which I think is banned

Unless all the windows are closed and you have aircon and very good filters then I don't think it will. As you say in most cases I don't think it'll make much difference

I do not have a dirty car! My wife was just massaging past of my body that was going numb due to driving for a long time. And stop watching will you?

That brings back memories. God ones

They have to be convicted first. If they are guilty then yes prison and sacked from the police. I'm not sure how often that happens though.

If you read the whole article it seems they've been waiting for permission from the Thai authorities and of course delays due to travel restrictions

And probably too much about inside the Kingdom as well.

I don't need it as I had my booster when I went back to the UK. Good to know for others though

No it wouldn't be that. The Matrix isn't at least 51% owned by Thais so it's not allowed

Well I went with my wife to the passport office yesterday and then to Wat Pa Thamma Utthayan just to the north. Then we went to the restaurant next to the Kosa Hotel. I never noticed anything

Unfortunately I don't think he's the one as he doesn't seem to understand how masks work. From all the evidence I've seen the masks generally used will reduce the chance of being infected but because any contamination will be on the front of the mask and possibly get transferred to the mouth and nose then the reduction is small. I don't think the masks are a complete barrier anyway. The main advantage of masks is they cut the chance of an infected person passing the virus. If you put your hand in front of your mouth and breath out or cough you'll be able to feel it. With a mask on you might feel a little when you cough but the flow of air is reduced thereby reducing the transmission of any virus. I still wear one in closed places and in crowds but otherwise I tend not to as with enough space then it should be safe enough. To be honest I often forget I've got it on and end up walking down an empty street with it

I have a Lloyds account and a Santander one which I don't use much plus a Sainsburys credit card. They are all at my daughter's address. I think the rules are down to each bank and I haven't checked lately. Until recently I was resident for tax purposes but that changed this year so that may make a difference but I'm planning to be tax resident next year if possible.

I'm nearly 69 how the hell would I know. What was the question again? I often wonder how much of the memory loss and brain fog is down to age and how much to being married. I could ask my wife for her opinion but I can remember enough to know that's not wise. Others seem to know anyway. Good luck

Thanks for that. It gets more interesting doesn't it?

I've looked on Matichon on its international site and I can't find it. I've tried searching for Chuwit but it just goes back to Thai which obviously doesn't recognise the search terms. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

I don't think it made that clear but it would be interesting to know more. He could have sustained head injuries even with a helmet if there was enough speed plus there's the quality of the helmet too take into account. Why did he hit the pole? Was he going to fast and did he hit a pothole? Roads near Bangkok and down towards Pattaya always seem very good compared to what we have to put up with in many areas of Isaan. I'm not keen on driving on some of them with my Honda Jazz. Good knows what it's like on a bike.

Unfortunately the webchat is off line due technical problems. I'll try later. The nearest I can get to an answer is from the Transglobal Express website which seems to suggest I can send a passport but I'll need clearance from HMRC first. Going through the application it just asks if I live in the UK, which I do, just not all the time. The same goes for Thailand. If I can't do this then without using a UK countersignatory then I'm in a difficult position unless I can send a photo and the application form to them to sign and get it sent back. Or if the passport office can do that part online. I have phoned the passport office and they told me I could apply online which isn't the case. The guy I spoke to seemed a bit confused to be honest so I'm guessing it's not a situation that comes up all that often. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for the information. It all helps. I'm not sure that applying in Thailand is straightforward, at least not for me. For many years I spent over half the year in the UK and also working until recently. I've mentioned in another post the problems I've got regarding countersigning a photo. I'll copy it here. I feel I have a legitimate reason for applying in the UK. I have 2 options for countersigning my photo in the UK, one a retired police officer and the other a Clinical Dental Technician. The first which I'm using is on the list from HMPO and the other I'm sure would qualify as a profession. In Thailand I could probably find a Thai with relevant status but they have to have a British, Irish, EU, US or Commonwealth passport. The only Brit that might be OK is a builder and I haven't seen him in a while. I'm not in a great hurry at the moment but I don't want to have my application rejected. If it was I'd be left with only my UK options. I did consider sending the photo and application to the UK for signing but that just seemed a bit complicated.

That might be a problem. I've never seen anything about not posting a passport overseas and it would be by courier. I've searched for 'can I send a UK passport by post' and the only thing I can find is Transglobal Express who say I will need approval from HMRC prior to export. I can't find anything on their website so I may have to contact them. I feel I have a legitimate reason for applying in the UK. I have 2 options for countersigning my photo in the UK, one a retired police officer and the other a Clinical Dental Technician. The first which I'm using is on the list from HMPO and the other I'm sure would qualify as a profession. In Thailand I could probably find a Thai with relevant status but they have to have a British, Irish, EU, US or Commonwealth passport. The only Brit that might be OK is a builder and I haven't seen him in a while. I'm not in a great hurry at the moment but I don't want to have my application rejected. If it was I'd be left with only my UK options. I did consider sending the photo and application to the UK for signing but that just seemed a bit complicated. Just looking at the other document requirements if I applied here the photo ID isn't a problem as I have both a UK and a Thai driving licence. As for residency then I suppose it would be the blue book as I can't see any other options. In that case is a photocopy OK? Would it need to be notarised?

Fortunately I know a retired police officer in the UK who can confirm my identity.