theoldgit

I have never believed in the death penalty for any reason, if the offence is murder then sadly it wouldn't bring the victim back, and whilst it might bring some short term satisfaction to relatives, I suspect that satisfaction would be short lived.

In the case if sex offenders then it is not so clear cut, as has already been pointed out what about the teenage girls selling herself and makes out she is far older than she is, any guy caught with her could be sent to jail and on release placed on the sex offenders register, I couldn't in all honesty sentence them to death.

In the case of a classic paedophile, and by that I mean somebody who interferes with young kids, someone who trades them as sex objects, somebody who photographs them for profit, or even those who buy these dreadful pictures, because without these people there would be no need to take the pictures in the first place, thus saving some kids, well then it's no so straight forward, execution is a quick release for the perpertrators and possibly in years to come the abused child might have a sense of guilt.

One could say that the possibility of a death sentence would be a deterrent, but the evidence doesn't support this.

On balance I wouldn't vote for the death penalty, I think life in prison would be far better, trust me that's not a soft option.

You cannot rule out the possibilty of a wrongful conviction, and whilst I take the point about being sure with DNA evidence mistakes can and do happen. In a previous life I have come across the most awful people who have been convicted of murder and child sex offences, and whilst they were truly obnoxious they were later proved to be innocent of the crimes for which they had been convicted. If the hang em brigade had their way then the state would have killed innocent people.

Well that's my two Satangs worth.

any ideas for UK? any info on the med cert??? please???

The UK charge a tad under 1900B for the letter, though it varies with the exchange rate and in any case is due for a modest increase on 6th April.

Of course the Brits being a very trusting race don't take your word for it, they want proof that the income actually exsists, they suggest a pension statement or bank statements as proof, though I believe they will accept other incomes. They used to give a letter on your total income but there have been some reports saying they will now only put the net income after tax, though I haven't had experience of this. Quite why the Thai Immigration will not accept the proof you have to show the embassy and cut out the middle man I really don't know, but them's the rules.

You don't have to provide a medical certificate to extend your stay.

And, sadly, International Departures has at least one.

Well, the "sponsorship" letter is about 3-4 pages. The other 4 are the index, and a more detailed explanation of included paperwork etc

Sorry for the assumption, seem like you have it about right.

One thing I forgot to add, I've read a lot of people say don't transfer any "large sums" of money prior to the application as it look's "dodgy". If I say "I'm paying for all the trip including her ticket and have sent £XXXX amount so she can buy a ticket" is that acceptable?

Spot on, certainly last minute large deposits of cash might ring alarm bells, given the problems some people encounter with buying tickets with third party credit cards this seems a sensible solution, I am assuming you will mention this in your covering notes.

One again good luck to you both.

As they say, the only way to make a small fortune in Thailand is to start with a large fortune.

The only thing I would add is that the sponsorship letter needs to be a readable length, don't forget the ECO doesn't have a great deal of time to make the decision, I think they would soon lose the plot with an eight page letter. I would try and make the letter short and concise, probably about three pages, perhaps highlighting the relevant points by using bullet points.

I agree with TVE suggesting original and copies, try putting them in a folder, though some people say VFS will take papers out of the folder they never have with me, number the sections and put an index at the front. Just try to ensure the application looks as professional and punchy as possible, that will make the job of the ECO a whole lot easier.

Good luck.

I think it would happen if they are inclined to grant the application but there are nagging doubts.

If they were at all concerned I suspect the application would have been declined without the phone call.

not tried the sponsors as I thought they were all cc booking and I don't have one and the offices are too far from me, I'll have another look though.

Think they prefer cash, also try the ads in the Bangkok Post, I have used them, you can pay the cash into their bank account and they will email or courier the ticket to you.

I went to that one in the Emporium for a Cathay Pacific flight to Singapore, I told them the Cathay website price in the hope they could undercut, no they have all gone so she offerred me a Thai or Singapore flight at twice the price. I reminded her that they were available online, she "checked again" - no all gone.

I went home and booked it online.

I really don't know how these companies stay in business if they really cannot be bothered, but they must know their business model.

Have you tried the forums sponsors?

I have used my Kasikornbank atm card in the UK and France, no problems, have also used it throughout SE Asia and Australia.

Anyone know about Tesco Lotus at On Nut? Is it available for overnight and long term parking?

Don't think so, well not for free anyway, they now give you a card and a ticket with the time of entry and I think you have to pay for more than a few hours.

Yes, they handle telephone enquires that cannot be answered by reading the website, as I said they are an outsourced telephone helpline.

Passport enquiries

All passport enquiries are handled by Careline Services Limited through their Passport Information Helpline. If you have a passport enquiry, which cannot be answered through the information on our passport web page, or, you would like a real time progress report on an application, please contact the following number.

The link you provided says you can apply in person or by post.

Applying by post

Completed applications and relevant supporting documents should be sent to:

The Passport Section

British Consulate-General

1 Supreme Court Road

Hong Kong

Applying in person

If you live in Hong Kong you may apply for passports at:

The British Consulate-General

1 Supreme Court Road

There is no Embassy in Hong Kong and the Consulate no longer handles passports per there web site. Contact is

You are of course correct in saying that there is no British Embassy in Hong Kong, but there is a Consulate general which the FCO say is bigger than most embassies. http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/

You can however apply for a UK Passport in Hong Kong, it is in fact the regional hub

http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for...g-in-hong-kong/

Careline Services, who are an out sourced telephone enquiry company, just handle telephone enquiries.

2 questions on this:-

What are the latest estimates on opening? The latest estimate seems to be August, but it's only an estimate and there have been a few false starts.

Where, within the airport complex, is the Station? I understand it's on or just under the ground floor, I did see a sign on the ground floor, but I didn't check it out. There were some photos in the early days.

You guys are too quick for me, or rather I am too slow.

This quote from the FCO Website for Hong Kong seems to suggest that your friend would be ok.

Passport validity

A British Citizen will normally be granted six months entry to Hong Kong on arrival, but only if the passport is valid for six months or more. If the passport has less than 6 months validity, Hong Kong Immigration will only grant one month longer than the scheduled stay in Hong Kong, but only if the validity of the passport allows this. The passport must be valid for the duration of stay in Hong Kong.

Seaneee, people are trying to help you and if that means playing devils advocate to point you in the right direction then so be it, there is no point getting tetchy with other posters.

The fact it that it is up to you and your wife to convince the ECO that you have a sustaining relationship and the ECO has refused the application because they don't believe you have done so. You must surly accept that the circumstances that you describe are pretty unusual and I am sure that you will understand why the ECO is concerned.

If your MP has pointed out that the ECO has made mistakes, and in my experience most MP's don't have a great understanding of the various Immigration Acts and certainly not of entry clearance procedures, well these may well be your wife's grounds for appeal, but you must really address the reasons for refusal and prove that given your unusual circumstances the application is genuine, she will return at the end of the trip and she is not hoping to circumnavigate the immigration rules.

Whilst I understand the points you make about "the hookers" that have "all got visas", that is really a red herring. You say your wife is allowed into Spain, well if she has a Schengen Visa and can prove that she has returned from trips to Spain then that might help convince the ECO that her returning from trips to other visa countries indicates that on the balance of probabilities she will return.

I wish you every success.

It seems to me from research done since our refusal that visas for a wife are more likely to fail than one for a girlfriend.

Pray what research was that?

As Litebeer has pointed out passports are no longer processed in Bangkok, if you go to the Embassy to lodge your application all they will do is check it and forward the application to Hong Kong where it will be checked again and the passport issued, you will still have to courier fees, though you can still pick it up at the embassy on its return.

You can send the application directly to Hong Kong, note you only have to send a copy of the passport, and it will be returned directly to you. http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for...ssport-renewals

I used my old UK driving licence but put my Thai address on the form as I used my Thai credit card when renting from Hertz last year, that didn't cause a problem until I returned the car when the price was changed to reflect the Thai rate, an increase of about 40%.

As I had reserved the car online and had a print out of the quoted price I stuck to my guns and insisted they honour the quotation. They did so but it involved the manager making a manual adjustment. Worth watching out for, especially if time is of the essence.

even if my wifes working , has funds, has 3 bedroom house in uk , has 5 yr residence card ? bit harsh isnt it ,

Not really, it's the applicant who has to convince the ECO it's a genuine visit and will return to Thailand at the end of the trip, not your wife.

I would imagine that the ECO might suspect that a six month trip might be indicitive that the applicant intends to remain in the UK with her friend.

Schengen Visas are normally issued for the original dates of the planned trip, and not for six months from date of issue, like the UK usually issues.

Last year my partner was issued with a Schengen Visa with a validity of one month, multi entry, from the date she stated we intended to travel. We thought we were going to have to delay the trip and asked the French visa section if the visa could be changed, we were advised that she would have to submit a fresh application as a fresh visa would be required.

I am pretty sure, not 100%, that the visa cannot be extended in country, unless in the case of an emergency.

Mr Andrew Drummond dispute is with Avalon over having given a different, and much smaller, plot of land than he had paid for. Mr Drummond´s case was due in court the day before he was beaten.

There are some very good developers here in Hua Hin but regrettably some really bad ones, both Thais ans Westerners, too.

For the avoidance of doubt Mr Drummond was not beaten, he is the journalist who reported the incident.

Without going into egg sucking mode, make sure the fresh application carries all the details of relationship and the reason to return, though they ask you for details of previous apps and can check, don't expect them to cross reference.

I don't see any reason why the brother cannot sponsor the application, anybody can sponsor an applicant if they can prove it's affordable and there is a good reason to to do so.

He should provide a letter outlining why is is prepared to provide sponsorship and provide proof that it is affordable, six months statements would normally be acceptable. He cannot guarantee that she will leave the UK at the end of the visit.

Of course affordability is only one part of the application, reason to return is equally important, the applicant should ensure that the reasons in previous refusals are fully addressed.

This might be of help http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/infs/inf3sponsors#Q9

Edit: yes, a fresh application can be submitted straight away.