TheGhostWithin

I've been coming here for 8 years.. I was having a lazy day and he had the first option of turning his vacancy light off and refusing the fare. I couldn't be bothered standing on the bts platform and would've rather sat in the cab for an hour. But I do Co granulate those who say that the solution to a broken system is for those operating it to build a new machine.

He was not taking back streets, Rama 1 Te so lotus where he yelled "farang auk paid laew" is not on the map for getting to sukhumvit soi 10 from mbk..

So my complaint was that he dumped me in the middle.of nowhere, and had I not known where to find a motorbike taxi it would have been a very long walk to find one. If he didn't want a customer, he shouldn't be operating the cab, which is the point the caretaker.government and police are trying to communicate to drivers atm.

For those saying they do not have issues catching taxis in Bangkok, I suspect the Police attempting to make the taxis in Bangkok more honest and fair and consistent is going to cause a few issues.

I have just posted a thread after a taxi driver screwed me over about 30 minutes ago.

Mods if you do not want it linked, please delete this line: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/810230-a-warning-to-those-catching-taxis-from-mbk-scam-alert/

So I was spending the afternoon picking a few things up at MBK, happy knowing that my taxi home was being policed by Bangkok Police ensuring the meter was used. I finished shopping, and waited in the line. This being about 530pm today.

It was noticable that most taxis were driving straight through, the vacant light off and not picking up passengers.

I managed to eventually get a taxi, from MBK through to Sukhumvit 11 which is opposite where I stay. <deleted>

The taxi began to move off, I noticed his meter was off. So I asked him (in Thai) if he was going to turn on the meter, so he looked a bit annoyed and turned the meter on as we were passing the Police officer on duty.

We began moving off and I was seeing streets I literally did not recognise, and I recognise most between MBK and Suk as I travel the route regularly. I figured maybe he was taking some short cut that I was not aware of and left him to do the job I assumed he did far better than I could.

So we get along the way, he stops for 2-3 minutes to open and close his boot, getting in and looking at me annoyed again.

Eventually we get to Tesco Lotus Rama 1 Road, and he tells me "I'm not going any further Farang so get out" in Thai. Real nice guy.

I responded by playing dumb and saying in Thai "I don't understand". And he then repeated he wanted me out of his taxi.

I had no choice, out I went and figure I will catch another. Rush hour, my bad luck all taxis passing me have occupants already. Had to catch a motorbike home, another 100 baht. It should have been about 60 to get home from MBK.. so I ended up paying more than I should have to get back.

Be aware guys, the Police on duty probably means well but he is not checking the meters. If you get in a taxi, make sure the meter is on before you get in, and write down the details.

My scumbags details are contained above, for anyone with links to the Police that has interest in such things as retaining tourism numbers on "quality" tourists that buy things at the malls.

So Uber finally got back to me 2 days ago... kindly refunded me 300 baht or so of my 1000 baht fare but refused to acknowledge that their system is unfair or uneven.

Managed to continue to blame me for their 500 baht flat rate price to either airport regardless of pick up...

Have now taken the advice of other users on here and registered with grab a taxi. .. will leave Uber to use in New Zealand and not use Uber in Thailand..

Travelling in Bangkok with my wife and Kiwi mother whom although I love is large and has arthritis in her knees. As such we have ro go everywhere by taxi (an extremely expensive exercise).

We were refused fare from Platinum Mall to Central world by 2 taxis before one picked us up. The first guy was so rude he called us lazy, threw his hands in the air and said "it's close, don't be lazy just walk Farang" (in Thai).

Obviously only the 100 indoctrinated drivers are aware of the new policy. .

Uber have finally (yes, it has only taken 3 days) to respond to my complaint that they charged me over 300% above a standard taxi to go from M2 De Bangkok Hotel (corner of Viphawadee Rangsit Road and Sutthisarn Road) and informed me that they charge me a "fixed rate" for any trip to Don Mueang.

I have now posed the questions "what if I took the taxi from 1KM away from Don Mueang are you telling me you would charge me 500 baht?" and also "I took one of your cabs from Lat Krabang (near to Suvarnabhumi) to Don Mueang and was only charged 500 baht + tolls - the same as the fares in question - how can you justify this?

I await their response.

I catch Uber daily in NZ and the "fixed rate airport charge" is an absolute farce which gives to a few but takes from most.

Just took a 2 Uber X cars from Sutthisarn Latprao 33 to Don Mueang. Coat me 570 baht each. Took the same route in a normal taxi yesterday for 120 baht. Tried to check their website to raise an issue and cant find anything other tjan a FAQ guide designed to reduce customer interraction.Use Uber daily in New Zealand. In Thailand.. never again. Worse than being scammed by the scum at Suvarnabhumi.

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If the above article is true, and Mr. Shinichi brought 22 million baht into Thailand (instead of it going into the organization's coffers) then the police could be the least of his worries.

Either that or the money has been brought in for another reason, which should flash warnings for the authorities.

I still find it strange that these high fliers are so often found in the exclusive Soi Buakhao area of Pattaya.......................

I would hazard to guess that these kind of people in Chonburi are fairly common. I saw a motorcycle "club" member with full escort last time I was in the lovely city of Pattaya, wearing full gang patches of which local Pattaya Thais would not have a clue what it meant.

On the Japanese front, do not know if it still happens but I used to see the guys in the bars throwing hundreds of 1000 notes at a time, like it was monopoly money.. It made life easy for me, I could sit there and quietly drink my beer or soda without being bothered and hustled with the meanest cracking on the greenest.

The Red Fellas have been in Pattaya for a long time as we know,linked with various clubs and "organisations" to preserve "order" in the city of sin. Other "bandits" of every shape, form and ethnicity have also washed up in the city from time to time and a few make it into the newspapers. The problem begins in at the border and has for some time with poor screening of inbound tourists. It would be more red tape but I do believe inbound tourists should need to obtain police clearance from their local country before entering Thailand. It only takes a few days and most of us would have nothing at all to worry about - it is only a small part of the tourist visa process in other countries. It might make a difference in Thailand.

Criminals thrive with other criminals and in the sea of tourists where we all look the same to Thai Police, one can easily camouflage in Pattaya. The problem needs to be stopped before these people hit the streets of Thailand.

That's rich.

Worthless, corrupt hypocrites preaching "morality".

Since when has it been the job of RTP anyway?

Last year it was the exact same message but from the culture. Ministry. Instead of trying to "control" unplanned pregnancies within the youth many would suggest they focus more their "noble" cause on more.pmore.pressing internal matter which have a far greater impact on the country and its' poverty and education rates.

I had this issue last January when I flew out of Wellington to Bangkok via Sydney with Qantas.

Qantas denied me boarding based on the rule which states I was granted a 30 day visa waiver based on the intention to leave the country within those 30 days. I showed them an intenerary in which I was going to Laos after 28 days, with hotel phone numbers, room costings, transport options, costings and transit times but this was not enough for them. They deemed "intention to depart the Kingdom" as having a ticket to prove that I was going to leave. They wanted me to show them the bus ticket to Laos.. shows how much they knew about SE Asia.

I ended up having to stand in front of them with my Air Asia app, telling them "I am buying this ticket to satisfy your requirements although the ticket I am buying will not be used and I will be leaving under the arrangements previously shown to you". An absolute farce that cost me a few hundred dollars NZ.

I would suggest preparing for this in advance, and buying a throw away ticket with either Airasia, Thai Lion or Tiger which can be flashed if necessary. You could also try Cebu Pacific flying to Angeles (known as Clark) as they occaisionally have 1 peso fares which work out about 7-800 baht after all fees are paid.

The issue is not the law, but that western countries do not understand that in SE Asia the law is open to interpretation (and designed so), and there is no hard and fast in regards to this. They therefore take the hardest line necessary and demand you have an outbound ticket pre-booked prior to boarding.

Your cheapest route is most likely Bangkok to KL or Bangkok to Penang during a special.

To all the foreigners visiting or living here in Thailand just please be careful not to bump-heads w the locals.I grew up here and I've visited almost all places in TH(part of my job too).I can speak Thai and honestly I never had a prob w them but then again I'm Southeast Asian too.They just don't like foreigners who disrespect them in their own country no matter who they are or what they are.

Just please avoid getting in a fight w them.That's the first rule to keep in mind when coming here.

I read this advice in the Lonely Planet and on this forum too, as Im sure many young backpackers etc do also. I can safely promise you with all assurances that even though mine and many other Thai visitors skins are white or any other non-Asian tone, we are not the instigators of every problem, and if someone attacks me I will defend myself. I take pride in being humble but ready to protect myself if necessary and take all reasonable steps to ensure anyone who attacks me is quickly put in the position that the attack ends. I believe it is the right of a man to protect himself from any threat, no matter they are a visitor or not. I would expect a tourist in any country to do the same, and to be protected by authorities in the instance they were required to do so.

It is time Thailand faced facts and started dealing with crime instead of blaming it on foreigners, and it is time some members of this forum started realising who the real victims are - it was not the owner of the rope who was victimised here.

that is the problem with conservatives, they cannot accept things just change and evolve, they feel terrified by a world that changes fast as never before.

I just showed the article and pictures to my lady (she had already seen it through the Thai media, so I was a late comer to the party) and her response was why dont we like women with white skin. They should get a girl with brown skin like her.

I explained it was the mindset, the approach to dealing with conflict and the caring she gives me that makes me love her as Thai, and that if she ever come home behaving like a western woman we would break up immediately, no negotiations. I actually agree with the guy, every time I go back Bangkok (and even some of the provincial girls) become more westernized. One thing that will never lose its' Thainess is Thai men, so I always have the option to become gay

The 1964 dormitory act. That says it all. The law needs updating to reflect the current mindset of the people and allow them the freedoms that other aspects of Thai law have been updated to provide. This law is out of sync with other aspects of Thai law in respect to youth, which is slowly changing.

This is proof that transpermia has to be a serious consideration when scientists consider how life formed on earth.

It would be interesting to see if the molecules were carbon - a building block of life but fairly common, or if it was something similar.

Not the first time this happened, a comet hit earth a few years ago and organic matter was detected on that also. On a more contravention note, a testing unit on the mars rover also detected carbon matter; though this has basically been ignored (at least on a public level) by NASA.

WRONG---------In NZ if you marry then your wife automatically gets HALF of EVERYTHING upon a divorce

Which is why the friend is signing Thai documents at the Thai embassy, and not at the nz births deaths and marriages office. Documentation is undertaken in NZ but is the Thai documentation, not the NZ documentation. The nz documentation of acknowledgement would need to also be filed for th marriage to be recognised in NZ as I understand it.

I can confirm this. Friends plan to marry in February here in New Zealand through the Thai Embassy; under Thai law rather than New Zealand law. They have been told to bring 2 witnesses with them.

Loving the information here; I too will be looking to retire early. I am currently 29, and plan to retire at age 40. No doubt my country and Thailand will be very different places in 11 years; but at this stage I do have a plan and Thailand is where I want that plan to be. I will probably be married by that time but do not want to rely on my partner for a visa; as relying on people is an inherent weakness in any plan.

This thread is giving some good info. What level of proficiency in Thai is required for the Permanent Residence avenue? I can hold a conversation with people about day to day activities; and enjoy talking with the motorcycle taxis,taxi drivers, food sellers and other people in day to day life. I am learning Isaan as part of my Khaen lessons for the 2-3 months per year I spend in Thailand (my Ajarn does not speak English; nor does the Morlum lady whose house we have the lessons at). I do not speak the kings Thai.. is it an issue?

Another issue being I had the same issue with bank accounts; whereby most banks wanted to see a work visa for me to open an account. The best I managed was a non-interest bearing account with Kasikorn; the money is now locked there as I am not in Thailand and the bank refuses to allow me to transfer funds when I am out of the country via their internet banking. All this for an account I effectively had to show a large amount of money to open.

Does anyone know of a better banking solution in Thailand? Preferably something I can move in and out of stocks, commodities and/or currencies as the market fluctuates.

Having spent a bit of time with my partner (a Thai lady from the South); I was also told NEVER to give tissue paper as a gift - because it is not about what it is that matters; it is about what you do with it. In this case; tissue paper is linked with uncleanliness - so perhaps (in my own thoughts) they do not like it because you are linking them with something unclean; or even suggesting they are unclean?

The greatest gifts I gave people were things that were cheap; but that they either never had or if they were from out of town would miss. My Morlum teacher appreciated once that I bought her Yum Ple Guay; because she is Isaan and had never had Yum Ple Guay (from the south) before.. but loved it so much

Maybe asking staff if there are any patients that had no family; and getting to know those people and bringing them something unique would be a good approach too? I commend you for having a heart; even if the people you spoke with at school did not appreciate it. Would your boss be interested in joining you and contributing next time? You may have started a good thing

Saraburi is largely a Military town; with many military families there. Would it be plausable that this setup and stash was planted by soldiers who would later report the equipment as "lost" (if at all); and that this was a drop for a pick up at a later time? This would explain the setup; the way in which it is packaged and placed makes one think that it was experienced hands that prepared and placed this.

Perhaps the fingerprints should be screened against military staff as well. We all know there are elements within the military that were not necessarily happy of the "take down" of the previous "caretaker government".

Knew a cute freelancer back in the old days when I was living in Phuket. Think it was 1997. Banana was the place to be if you were going for the "posh" ones back then...

Suddenly, from one day onwards, she wouldn't go with any of us white guys anymore. When I asked her why, she said that from now on she only accepts Japanese "clientele".

Her answer to my question "Why Japanese?" was "333"... "Uuuuhhh, now it's getting mystical!" I thought - nodding, but not truly understanding...

Thus I eventually asked her what 333 stands for, and she replied: 3 centimeters, 3 minutes, 3.000 Baht !

It's a true story

And it is a common term used to this day. Though most Farang do not know it. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) my best friend of 5-6 years has worked in that industry for some time so I have understood a thing or two. It is very unfortunate for me, because when I go to see her at work I have to remind myself that I have a GF at home while watching sometimes flawless ladies.. the joys of growing up haha.

Time to move to Japan, make a career out of it, that way my other half will accept my career or sleep on the streets of Tokyo!

And with all the money they should seriously save with a stamp down in civil corruption, guys like this should be getting financial rewards from the government for their good work.

For all the critics of taxi drivers in Thaland, I happen to really like most of them. They certainly outmatch local taxi drivers here in NZ.