daboyz1

I think he is good. How he is still walking upright is a mystery to me. His bodyguards must have some awesome training. I hope he keeps it up. disclaimer I'm a US citizen. Pretty sorry of my govt. to deny him a visa.

Christ you lot sound as if the democrats would have stop the water like Mosses, we are still living in the last governments flood prevention planning.

Agreed... This administration has been at the helm for one month and a bit and expected to prevent flooding from waters worse seen in 50 years?... Plonkers!!! Okay, smart a_rses, what did the dems actually do during their last APPOINTED government to prevent this (annual) flooding?

Jeez. Another one that doesn't understand the political system. The people elect the MPs. The MPs ELECT THE PM. THE MPs ELECTED Abhisit as the PM.

Christ you lot sound as if the democrats would have stop the water like Mosses, we are still living in the last governments flood prevention planning.

.......................

good on you KMJ , tell it as it is .... where was or what has the previous gov done to fix the flooded area's that seems to get it year after year

You could ask the same question of the previous gov's, previous gov' etc....and who was in charge then ?....Brother #1 of the current PM...

I wish I could hear that phone call to Dubai. "Help me I have no clue!"

Brother #1. "Sorry shopping Paris"

"I'll be along shortly to help. I need the constitution changed first. As far as the folks in Suphan Buri, let them swim. Banharn screwed me." That will teach them next election.

The consulate in BKK replied to me and said it is not required to change her name but if she does want to chacnge her name she has to go to her home Amhpur office and change there.

If you marry in her home town they seem to just replace the ID card and amend the house registration book then and there

But if you marry in amphur in BKK and she wants to change her name then she will have to bring the marriage cert, change of name cert (given to her at amhpur where u marry), her ID card and house registration book to the Amphur in her home to change her name and she only has 60days from date of marriage to do this.

So sounds like you should marry in her home town which is actually a bit of a pain seems you have to go to BKK anyway for embassy and MFA to stamp affirmation to marry, then return to BKK again after you've been married in the home to hand the visa application to the embassy!!

Also my fiancée found out from her friend in England that it takes 3 days to change her passport in BKK but if she does it in another passport office, i.e. Phuket, it will take up to a month

From what her friend told her about her experience in UK it sounds like everything is a little easier if she changes her name before applying for visa.

Another thing to consider when deciding to change surname is if you intend to go back to thailand and live there in the future.

From what i've been told on this forum, altho she still has the right to buy land in thailand its a little bit difficult to prove the money didnt come from foreign spouse especially now she has a farang surname! I'm not worried about that tho, if its true or not.

This post is exactly correct. We married in BKK, but she had to travel back to Si Saket to deal with all the name change stuff. Then have to deal with the passport change after at the passport office.

This cant be true. i saw this and laughed my a$$ off

They come to queens park on soi22 once a month and get 1k baht from all of them. I know the girl that makes the collections. I guess they are raising prices in Pattaya.

I am so surprised that being the first female Prime Minister of Thailand is not the main focus as it really is a world first and an event that should be celebrated. But as usual, its straight to the throat of the new prime minister. Good luck to her, and Thailand, perhaps it takes the prowess of a female to sort out Thialands mess.

As the PT could have fielded a potted plant as their planned choice of PM and still most likely been able to bring it in, as long as they decleared that the potted plant was infact potted by Thaksin himself, being a the first women or potted plant in the position of PM might not be the big important thing.

It's kinda like winning a boxing championship while having your brother hold down the opponent to give you free swings...it wasn't won because you were the best boxer.

LOL!

Almost everyone I talk to in Dallas doesn't know Thailand from Taiwan and therefore have no idea of Thailand's reputation. For a Thai govt. representative to bring up the subject of needing to change the perception of Thailand will make some curious as to why it needs changing. Sometimes a can of worms is best left unopened.

Laugh. I'm in Dallas as well. Where is your wife from again? Taiwan?

Pretty funny that picture has the wanted poster of her brother in the background.

I spit my coffee all over my laptop laughing when I saw this one. Chok dee.

When you know that during the war on drugs, the democrats were on the dealers side, we are quite lucky to have now Ms Yingluck in charge.

We can only presume that the comment made is a result of a personal consumer report.

Or is it the normal ranting rhetoric of a right wing non thinking Thai ?

When you know that during the war on drugs, the democrats were on the dealers side, we are quite lucky to have now Ms Yingluck in charge.

I'm starting to think that you're just having fun on a message board, or you have no idea about anything in BKK. Either way it's quite funny.

With libel laws being what they are in Thailand, i.e. you need not prove allegations against you are false, isn't that article close to, if not, libelous?

He can come back to Thailand anytime and go to court.

Pretty awesome commentary. It's about time someone called it what it is. A convicted criminal trying to act like a statesman. Kind of odd he can travel all over, but can't come back to Thailand even though is sister is now PM. I'm sure he'll be back soon to pull the strings in person.

Maybe the foreign governments believe the charges against the former PM, who was overthrown by an illgal military coup, were politically motivated?

Perhaps the only ones conned are the Nation's editorial writers still pursuing their demon?

The people of Thailand expressed their sentiments in July and the sovereign foreign governments have noted that the tainted Democrats were booted from office.

I'll just post one point. There are many more, but how does the wife of the PM buy a property for approx 750M baht and turn it the next week for 1.5B baht? You know as well as I do there are so many more episodes like this.

The saddest thing is that he pimped out his own sister to satisfy his own ego. She seems like a pretty decent person that was influenced by a near mad man because he's her older brother.

I wish they had that when I lived there. Taking a taxi from lower Sukh to Bang Na and back every day was brutal.

Pretty awesome commentary. It's about time someone called it what it is. A convicted criminal trying to act like a statesman. Kind of odd he can travel all over, but can't come back to Thailand even though is sister is now PM. I'm sure he'll be back soon to pull the strings in person.

The PTP definition of reconciliation is multi-faceted:

Firstly there is complete exoneration of the red-shirts (We have done nothing wrong!) which should take pace before the end of the year according to PTP MP Mrs Arisman, who expects hubby home by Xmas, in time to take up his place as Minister of Propaganda.

Second is the complete absolution of anybody related to the Shinawatra clan for all crimes past, present, currently being planned, or yet to be conceived. k.Thaksin will return as Yingluk's special adviser (for this term) and will sit in parliament slightly behind and to her left, his right arm out of sight. A special law will be passed making it treasonous to claim that you can see his lips moving while she speaks.

Third is the prosecution of all MPs of the Democrat and BJT parties for crimes against humanity the Red Shirt movement whilst carrying out their legitimate duties of office. This is not considered to be an excuse as the legitimate duties of office are seen by PTP as mere inconveniences whilst carrying out their more venal aspirations. A law will be passed re-instating capital punishment - hung, drawn and quartered is being considered, but considered by the Red Shirts to be too mild.

Fourth is removal from office and public denigration of all Army and DSI officers, public servants and journalists who assisted or supported the Democrat coalition while in office; very similar to the treatment of Nazi collaborators after the liberation of European countries. I believe this has already started.

Fifth (but not least, and particularly apt) the Red Shirts will become the semi-autonomous, semi-official Political Police with the duties of suppressing dissent and non-Shinawatra thought, and the harassment of those opposing PTP and Red-shirt policies.

Usually I would laugh at this, but I can see this happening. Scary!

The incompetance of the soon to be gone and not missed government is utterly staggering. When the Dems have their little soiree to select new leaders and executives they would well advised to ditch anyone in or associated with formation of this government (with a possible exception for Korn). Even their utterly incompetent election campaign pales compared to their total inability at governance with foreign policy deserving a special award for incompetence. My god what next reselect an unelectable and utterly despised by many leader and chose a secretary-general due up in court on corruption charges?

For me, it is all relative. Was this government incompetent? Yes. Was it more incompetent than all those that have come before it in recent history? Absolutely "no". Did it face unique and highly tricky challenges that would have brought prior governments to an early end? Yes. Let's not forget the number of people who were predicting the downfall of the Democrat coalition days after it was formed. It didn't collapse. It stayed reasonably strong under immense strain. Something i think to be said for that.

And as for Abhisit being "utterly despised by many", if that is indeed who you were referring, i personally think that it is mostly just hard-core red shirts that would harbour feelings as strong as that against him. The more common prevailing negative view i hear voiced against him would be more along the lines of him being a gentleman but a gentleman who was unable to get things done and who was under the control of others.

The common one I have heard around upcountry folk when someone says they dont support Thaksin or criticise him is "who do you support then? Abhisit?" with the "Abhisit" stressed in a very negative manner. Im not reffering to openly red shirted people here but just those who vote for any party Thaksin is linked to. I'm not even sure it is the red shirt villification of Abhisit for the deaths that is the major reason for the way he is despised as much as that he is seen as being a representative of the establishment who only does things at their behest. Im not even sure people up there felt that way when he came to power (its hard to remember), but he is just very damaged goods with them now.

Sure the Dem government survived. It also managed to give away probably more than Thaksin ever managed, but it never ever managed to win over the people. And apart from some foreign policy nightmares, the April-May stuff, the 3G nightmare, populist policies that looked embarrasingly like just giving cash to people and which massively increased national debt, what can be rememebered about this government?

There is also just so much political awareness and talk about politics in Thailand now and the Democrats are just as a party not suited to this. They rely a lot more on "trust us", "clean leader even if flawed party", "not as dirty as the others", "natural party of government". They just dont listen to concerns or have any vehicle by which people can reach them. And they basically are seen to respond only to the wealthy elements of BKK, the people of the south and the middle classes around some central urban areas. There is no connect at all to virtually any rural Thai people north of BKK, and this is now all openly talked about. The Democrats used to the previous managed democracy have been left behind as Thailand becomes more demcoratic in terms of people realising their power, and they are struggling to catch up, or as we may see on August 6 if they select the same old faces under BKK and South faction dominance in total denial

More democratic? It's Mr. T's sister. This is the banana republic style of government. It's like Fidel's brother taking over in Cuba.

IMHO, they guy is exactly right.

This is all about Thaksin. Bottom line.

Its my understanding that any greencard holder that does not aply prior to departing the US and stays outside the US for 1 year there green card is no longer valid . Please correct me if Im wrong . As far as taxes the goverment will take any tax money ....

That is correct. They consider that abandoning permanent residency.

Then perhaps it is time for the USA to have a control when people board an airplane in the USA so their criminals stay there.

Too bad Thailand's #1 fugitive doesn't feel like he can come back. Kinda ironic.

Yeah they were a big help when I got snatched up by the Lat Phrao cops for no reason years ago. I couldn't get a hold of anyone there. Waste of time.

The above tax advice is plain wrong -- dangerously wrong. If the friend holds a green card, then the friend will be considered a resident alien for U.S. Federal income tax purposes and be subject to tax on worldwide income just like a U.S. citizen, regardless of physical presence inside or outside the U.S.

"You are a resident alien of the United States for tax purposes if you meet either the green card test or the substantial presence test for calendar year 2010. . . Green Card Test: You are a resident for tax purposes if you are a lawful permanent resident of the United States at any time during calendar year 2010. . . .You are a lawful permanent resident of the United States at any time if you have been given the privilege, according to the immigration laws, of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant. You generally have this status if the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) (or its predecessor organization) has issued you an alien registration card, also known as a 'green card.' You continue to have resident status under this test unless the status is taken away from you or is administratively or judicially determined to have been abandoned."

http://www.irs.gov/p.../p519/ch01.html

I'll let others address any problems with the immigration law advice given above.

To add to that, I lived in Thailand for 3 years without coming back to the US. I was on the hook for all taxes while I lived in Thailand. However you can deduct any foreign taxes paid.

If you apply for (and receive) an advance parole, you can leave the country for up to one calendar year - the actual date you have to return will be stated in your parole documentation.

To maintain permanent residency, however, you must reside within the US for a minimum of 3 years out of 5, with no single case of leaving the country lasting more than 6 consecutive months (except for the advance parole case, where you are allowed ONE case of up to 12 months in the 5 year span).

As long as you reside in the US for more than 183 days (total) in a three year span (counting all days in current year, half of previous year's, and one third of two year's ago), you are considered a resident for taxation purposes. This means you are taxed at US rate on worldwide income, regardless of where you actually reside at the moment.There is a tax treaty with Thailand

Bolded part is wrong. Advance Parole is for people that have NOT received their green card yet. I think what you meant to refer to is a re-entry permit. Although the same form is used, you will need to check box 2a on the I-131. If you don't have your green card yet, but have applied for it, you check box 2d.

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-131.pdf

Have you filed any taxes in the US in the last few years? If so you can call the IRS and they'll either mail or fax you the tax transcripts.