kimamey

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.

Looking again it seems a new photo is needed for a new passport. Digital if applying online or 2 printed if not. One of the printed ones needs to be countersigned but the digital ones can be confirmed online. I've decided to apply using my UK address. It seems much easier up to now. Probably easier to confirm my information such as address, name, any previous names ect. I still need to get the digital picture confirmed as me later today but that's not a problem as I know a retired police officer. Transferring the visa may be more difficult but that would probably have been the case either way. It'll be a while before I get the new passport to be able to do that by all accounts so I'll have time to think about it. I'm lucky in that I still have a UK address otherwise it would be much more difficult. If that were to change then I'd make sure to get really friendly with someone here with a UK passport and preferably who is or had retired from a recognised profession.

It won't affect me but it's a good point to make as it may help others. I've been trying to think who I could get to countersign my passport photo. There is one guy I've known here for a while although he's not in one of the listed professions and I assume he's 'of good standing in the community'. There's a teacher I used to know but I haven't seen him for some time and I don't know where he lives now. I've been thinking that since I have an address in the UK I might go that route and just get it couriered over. I can do it online and I can get my digital photo confirmed easily. Tomorrow I'll look at what documentation I need. It might be easier to do it from that end. Unless I suddenly think of a flaw in my plan of course. ????

There won't be a problem with my old passport as it was lost. I needed a new one anyway due to damage. That might have been easier.

I've looked at their website and it doesn't seem to mention his death. I may consider that. I'll have to look at what documents are needed. I'd already got a digital photo and someone to confirm it's me. I'll have to get a printed one and have it countersigned, presumably by posting it to them. It's a pity I can't use a similar process with a Thai as I know a lawyer here. Of course then I'll have to get the visa transferred to my new passport Thanks for the link.

Thanks. I don't need the passport urgently, unless something drastic happens. I can use my Thai drivers licence for domestic flights and most other things.

Yes the 20 million would be 50% of the 2019 figure, assuming they can achieve it of course. Its age that it gets a bit vague. There's often bad translation and misquoting as you say so that may be part of the reason

I hope I'm posting in the right place. I lost my passport in Bangkok probably whilst out walking on New Year's Eve. I needed a new one anyway due to damage on the photo page. I reported it to the police and cancelled it online but applying for the new one seems a bit complicated. I've tried applying online but I start to get problems when it asks if I live in the UK. I used to switch between Thailand where I'm married and the UK roughly every 3 months but that changed due to Covid. I also used to stay with my mother but she's moved to a one bedroom property so it's difficult until I sort out somewhere else to live. I've been back a couple of times last year and I only arrived back in Thailand 5 days ago. I'm in the position of not being UK resident for tax purposes but still 'ordinarily resident' as I return on a regular basis and have family there. I realised there might be complications if I said I was UK resident but wanted my passport sent to Thailand. I phone the UK passport office and explained the situation and the guy sounded as confused as I am but said I should apply as if I'm living in Thailand so that's what I'll try to do. I also asked if the forms could be sent online as on their website it's not clear but he said they could. The form is in PDF format but I can't fill it in online as I have with other forms so do I have to print it out and then scan it to send off? I was hoping someone else might have some experience of this or at least part of it. I'm it's not as complicated as it seems but at the moment I keep hitting problems. Thanks in advance for any comments. Useful, derogatory, humorous or otherwise.

I don't know about the NHS surcharge but you're right about visa fees. I doubt it's changed but you could pay in local currency in some countries such as China and India but not Thailand. You couldn't use sterling either. You had to use a credit or debit card and in my case pay a non sterling transaction fee. Complaints were made at the time and the reply from the time James Brokenshire was in charge was that sterling wasn't a recognised currency for this purpose. I assume it's still the same. I wonder what would happen if you had to pay in Euros?

That made sense until I read the figures again. These targets equate to no less than 2.38 trillion baht in revenue and at least 20 million visitors, not including 180 million mainland Chinese travelers and domestic travelers. They seem to be basing these on just international arrivals but excluding from China. It mentions 180 million mainland Chinese travellers and domestic travellers. That number would seem to include both although a comma after Chinese travellers would make a difference I think. It all seems a bit of a mess so you could be right. It may just be poor translation.

There's no excuse for flippancy. The Thai government has clearly gone to the trouble of calculating these estimates so I expect to see similar rigour from yourself. You'll need to start by giving a breakdown of the relative size of dumps by country as they may differ and that could have a significant effect on the resulting spillage. I'm guessing from your avatar and spelling that you're from the USA. Does dump size vary by state or political affiliation? I can't imagine Texans or Republicans being satisfied with anything less than the biggliest dumps ever. 'Bigly' is a real word apparently. Does moving to another country affect the mass of your deposits over time. You've got a lot of research to do so I'd take your laptop and tape and sit (or squat) on the toilet to save time and give yourself the opportunity for more personal measurement. I await your data dump with ever increasing excitement.

I've no idea how they've worked this out or if it's likely to be accurate or just a matter of hope but it seems a bit confusing based on this report. The government has set a target for this year to achieve 80% tourism revenue and 50% of international arrivals compared to pre-pandemic levels. If they have set a target then they must have some expectation of achieving. 20 million tourists would be 50% of the numbers in 2019. Tourism revenue seems to have been around 61 - 62 bn US$ which is around 1.7 trillion baht so the calculations don't appear right to me. If I've got that wrong, which is quite possible as I'm not used those sort of numbers, please let me know. I'm also puzzled by the idea of getting 80% of revenue from 50% of tourists. Maybe that's accounted for by inflation or maybe the world economy is in a much better state than I've been given to believe. These targets equate to no less than 2.38 trillion baht in revenue and at least 20 million visitors, not including 180 million mainland Chinese travelers and domestic travelers. If they've predicted the number of international tourists from around the world except China I would have expected an estimate of the split between Chinese and domestic tourists rather than just '180 million we haven't included'. All the domestic tourists will by definition be spending their time in Thailand. The Chinese will just be 'travellers'.

I think you'll find they do do this. If they didn't and given that we've had a Tory government overseeing the police for nearly 13 years they'd be looney lefties wouldn't they? The circumstances here do seem strange but other than that it's just what happens in many countries including the UK

I think it was the police that located him rather than the BMW. Mind you if it had been a Chinese car then that might be different. Damn good at surveillance the Chinese so I've heard