Oberkommando

Not to mention easy to cross land borders. Not all of Thailand's 55 checkpoints are computerised.

There are only 55 roads out of Thailand ..... well, you learn something new every day.

I said checkpoints, as in official entry/exit points, not roads.

You obviously live in interesting circles.

I don't choose to associate with these people, but they certainly exist.

So why didn't you report them to the authorities? Let me guess...............it ain't your problem. Or you,re waffling, which is more likely.

Oh, I'm not waffling. You only have to watch the local news or read this forum to see the amount of Western criminals arrested in Thailand.

Better than bending over and taking up the ass from both of them, as some previous administrations did.

Chuan's Democrat Government was very friendly with them I seem to remember.

This is in stark contrast to Mr Thaksin creating new rules to lend Thai taxpayer money so Burma's Generals could buy HIS then Shin satellites, or to Mr Samak who proclaimed Burma's Generals were "Good Buddhists"...

At least Thaksin didn't try to engage them, provoking widespread condemnation.

When Chuan was quizzed on human rights issues in Burma and why his Democrat government was more interested in profiteering he retorted, "I want to ask if the person who thinks that way is a Thai. If the Thai people think we should not do something for the country, then that's wrong. Everybody and not just the Government must have this concept that Thailand also needs to look after its own interest."

You can't guarantee anything with Thai Customs, they are one of the most corrupt organisations in the country.

You could get lucky though.

Never a fan. Probably never been to a game before the late 1980's.

They were shit in the 80s.

Anyway he was born a Geordie so is entitled to call himself a fan.

They've been shit since the 50's.

He's entitled to nothing until he's had a season ticket or at the very least been to support the team.

Watching football on TV in Singapore or Thailand doesn't make one a fan I'm afraid.

How do you know he hasn't? He was born in Newcastle and spent much of his young life in England. Not every NU fan weighs 30st and watches games topless in the snow.

Before the family thing got big in the late 80's?

Not very likely is it?

Can't see his Dad taking having taken him, being a foreign professor and all.

Yeah cus this happens on a daily basis To people in a normal relationship..

ie. not a cash transaction and second extended family to feed but i'm sure there are more succeess stories from this side of life too but we never hear about them do we.

In my experience the vast majority of farang/Thai relationships are not normal, i.e. based on love.

They are in the vast majority based on need from both parties; companionship on the one hand and financial on the other.

Hun Sen will have Abhisit for breakfast.

What is this government doing? It's been one embarrassment after another, after another, after another.

Never a fan. Probably never been to a game before the late 1980's.

They were shit in the 80s.

Anyway he was born a Geordie so is entitled to call himself a fan.

They've been shit since the 50's.

He's entitled to nothing until he's had a season ticket or at the very least been to support the team.

Watching football on TV in Singapore or Thailand doesn't make one a fan I'm afraid.

Rather a strange post from a guy who was bragging on another thread that he withdraws 600,000 baht from ATM's every month to pay off cars he's bought. And why bother looking at the website if only a mug would buy one? As in so many threads here, the sheer petty mindedness and envy towards any one seen as doing better strikes again. The OP asked a simple question. I gave him an answer. What's your problem?

It is more like 400,000THB pcm I withdraw. Nor was I bragging, merely highlighting how the new ATM fees affect me.

I have two vehicles in Thailand at the moment, neither of them imports. Both cost about 20,000thb per month as discussed before.

My point is why pay 2-300% more than a vehicle is really worth because of high taxes and gouging dealers? Hardly strange to point that out.

Makes no sense I say, doesn't matter how well off one may be.

When they go wrong they go spectacularly wrong.

You'd have to be a mug to spend that kind of money on any personal conveyance in Thailand, it's all going into the dealer's and government's pockets.

Thai Ultimate Car Co.

http://www.landroverbangkok.com/English/Co...y_Overview.aspx

I bought mine from their Viphavadee-Rangsit branch a couple of years back, no complaints. It's just past the Suthisarn intersection, on the left as you come off the expressway heading towards Lat Phrao / Don Muang.

From their website...

"Thai Ultimate Car determines to keep on developing quality of customer services together with human resources continually."

Shame they can't get their website to work properly then.

For a developING country, Thailand has a reasonably good legal system.

Did you type that with a straight face?

Ask Da Torpedo if she agrees with you.

Never a fan. Probably never been to a game before the late 1980's.

Did you get out of the wrong side of bed this morning Ober, or are you always like this ???? No need to be so unpleasant is there. Now I have no idea about the status of Hanzkneez but if you were referring to me as 'a potless visa runner' then perhaps you should bother finding out some facts before you cast aspersions. I don't see why I should tell you anything of myself, but suffice to say that at aged 40 I could retire should I so wish......in the UK as well as Thailand. And no, I have never inherited anything, its through sheer bl**dy hard work, 7 days a week, for years.

I don't think I have a God-given right to remain indefinitely in Thailand.....far from it......my point was (as I sure you would have seen had you bothered to read my posts) that it WOULD BE NICE if I could stay permanently in Thailand without all the current hoops you have to jump through. I know I do not have the right. Yes there are many other places I could choose to go, but Thailand is my second home at the moment, and I very much love the country and people, and I would like it to be my first. Sorry if that doesn't fit in with your "if you don't like it you can <deleted> off" mentality.

I'm just suprised and saddened that there are people on here who feel so superior to others that they come out with comments such as you have.

Anyway, I'm refusing to come down to that level so I shall sign off from this post by saying that I hope you continue to have a good life in the LOS and i hope that you manage to avoid the problems that will inevitably arise for you given your attitude.

Best of luck

I was responding to an unprovoked insult directed at me if you care to read the thread again.

Just why that poster decided to chip in may be in some way explained with my retort.

I have been in South East Asia almost 25 years now and never had a problem with my attitude, although thanks for your concern.

I merely suggested if Thailand does not bend to fit your needs why do you not bend to fit them instead? Plenty of other more welcoming destinations where you can stay without your visa issues and land ownership issues.

You'll find if you adapt instead, you'll be less inclined to encounter the sorts of annoyances you wish would change in Thailand.

Interesting that this Thai government has the audacity to lecture others on honour and credibility, especially another Junta, when its own citizens have to flee abroad to avoid persecution for speaking their beliefs.

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

If you are married to a Thai with a Thai 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?

There's a quota on foreigners who can apply for Immigrant visa (permanent residence) as I explained earlier. 100 per nation.

Quotas on Westerners being made Thai citizens after becoming permanent residents is in the dozens.

Never going to happen, sorry.

If you qualify to stay here then you shouldn't have to do visa runs.

Plenty more places to emigrate to if you don't like the rules.

You sound like a prize wanke_r -

Just pointing out the reality.

Another potless visa runner who thinks he has a God-given right to remain indefinitely in Thailand I take it?

Assuming it's not the relative of anyone important in Thailand, they'll find them eventually.

Not necessarily.

I know Western criminals who have lived in Thailand for years on false passports and never been caught.

New Costa del Crime.

Easy to get false documents here, and easy to disappear into the morass of other dodgy foreigners here.

Not to mention easy to cross land borders. Not all of Thailand's 55 checkpoints are computerised.

Fair comment mate...I know absolutely that land ownership / immigration will never change for the better....I lived in Thailand long enough for that to become pretty obvious (about 3 years).

Why would I want to emigrate.......well, have you seen the UK lately ?????? But seriously, having lived in Thailand for a number of years I have friends out there and like the lifestyle, though the barely disguised xenophobic attitude towards farang from a lot of people (including offical government policy for example) is very hard to bear sometimes. Would it be too much to ask to be able to own a small house and the land it stands on without resorting to exploiting loopholes that could be closed at any minute, and to not to have to do ridiculous visa runs every few months???.....the answer to that question is of course unfortunately YES.

If you qualify to stay here then you shouldn't have to do visa runs.

Plenty more places to emigrate to if you don't like the rules.

On a purely selfish view, if they would devalue the baht back to 65 or so to the GBP, and relax the immigration and property ownership laws then I (and I suspect a lot of others) would be very happy indeed..........then again I can always dream huh! Never in a million years As Thailand has such a large tourist economy surely a de-valuation of the Baht would bring in more money to the country.....or am I just being incredibly naiive ??

I predict 80thb to the GBP by next May. This government's incompetence should be a factor. It's already on the slide at 54thb today. Long way to go though.

They will never relax the foreign land ownership laws while the biggest landowner in the country still has a say so you can forget about that and as for relaxing the immigration laws that is pie in the sky considering the mere handful of Westerners that are allowed to become Thai citizens every year.

Remembering of course there is a quota of 100 per qualifying nation for permanent residency (Immigrant visa) in the first place so citizenship for a Westerner is near impossible unless very wealthy and connected.

Quite why you'd want to Emigrate here is beyond me but each to their own.

If they're in Thailand the AFP/ThaiPolice will pick them up soon enough.

Your confidence in the Thai Police is misplaced.

Hambali moved around in Thailand unchecked for months. There was one of Scotland Yard's top ten most wanted living in Pattaya for many years on false passports - a British citizen but wanted for murder in Australia.

Many more incidents of incompetence and negligence to choose from but those are two that spring to mind.

The main reason Thailand is the new 'Costa del Crime' is it so easy to get away here.

Thai's do not see looks as important as Western girls do that is all.

Probably one of the most commonly perpetrated myths about Thai women.

6 months ago when I had to travel back to Thailand overland because of the Suvarnabhumi Bangkok airport closure the road was about 1/3 tarmac and they were working on the other stretches. Should be better now, as they were erecting proper concrete bridges across the rivers.

Private taxi is $25 from the border to Siem Reap. Don't know about buses as I usually fly in to PP.

The media coverage continues to be interesting...

THREE young Melbourne women say they were interrogated and taunted by staff over an alleged stolen bar mat at the same Phuket bar where Annice Smoel was arrested.

"One security guard said to me, 'Do you know what it's like for girls like you in a Thailand prison?'," she said.

"The other taunt that they gave us was that, 'You should start calling the Australian embassy because there's a good chance you won't be seeing your family again'."

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,2...66-2862,00.html

That article suggests it is just another tourist shakedown by the local plod.

Knowing Bangla Road as I do that wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

If the bar is so bothered about the theft of these beer mats may I suggest putting one on display behind the bar and decorating the tables with the mats that all the alcohol distributors give to the bars free of charge?

It is available in Cambodia. Bayon Market on Monivong in Phnom Penh have it as well as Dr. Pepper, Cherry Coke and numerous other goodies not available in Thailand.

Sounds like a common shakedown by the Police. According to this article it has happened several times before in the same bar.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,2...66-2862,00.html

Her husband doesn't seem aware that this has been resolved and she's on her way home although Phuketwan seems to think so.

Speaking from Phuket, he said they had not met with the court officials today and the only meeting they had was with their solicitor.

“If we are coming home, no one has told me,” he said.

“Sounds like the stories I was getting yesterday.”

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,2...506-661,00.html