Poolside

When I had enough of calling center, I went to the place where many 3BB geeks sit. It was about 4months ago and I hope, the place still exists.

Anyway, if you can get a kind Thai person who could explain your problem to them, there will be a great chance that they will pick it up and check your connection from their place. I would go there at 3.30pm so I could demonstrate the difference when the magic hour of 4.3o pm comes.

Where is the place? Threpprasit gets to Sukumvit. Facing Sukumvit, on the right, just before Factory Outlets stores, there are a couple of long buildings on the right. One of them has an office of 3BB facing the Threpprasit. In this building, on its other side (the side not facing the street), at its end closest to the Factory Outlets, you will find the office of 3BB service guys.

I would take my modem and start asking if they could check it because you have such and such problem. Just to get them started :-) Have you papers with all the numbers and usernames you got when started the service. And keep smiling. It's sometimes hard, but this is LOS, right? Good luck!

The tour leader got almost arrested, not tour guide.

Just playing with words won't hack it with the Thais. A guide and leader is the same thing.

The law doesn't state when you are considered to be a tour guide and a lot comes down to the job description. But for any kind of work a work permit is required, even for volunteer work. Question is if the tour leader had a work permit of not. If not, there is a maximum sentence of 5 year and/or 100,000 baht fine. Something that should be considered before playing it hard.

That's a good point and fair warning. The tour leader involved in this incident has the international leader license. Although it means that he can take care of a group that travels abroad, it does not necessarily mean that other countries allow him to do the job when he comes there with a group. I also heard that groups from countries like France, Italy, Germany and several others, rarely send tour leader these days. There are many Thai tour guides who speak their language, or the group speaks a second language that is popular among Thai guides, so there is really no need for the leader services. Hmm, so maybe my friend is not such an angel? :-)

I still feel disturbed by the events, but I can see now some reasoning behind them. It's not that I support bribing. But bribing in Thailand is just another story. I may stop at the Tourist Police station and chat about the tourist guides/leaders, or call TAT. Thanks.

The tour leader got almost arrested, not tour guide. The tour guide was a Thai citizen as this position is indeed reserved only for Thais. A tour leader, on the other hand, is a person of nationality of the group that comes to visit Thailand. This person takes care of a group, sets their meetings times and places etc. The leader also translates to the group whatever a guide has to say. So, the guide was okay, but the leader had to pay 5,000 THB (initially 15,000) to get free from this adventure. This tour leader has been coming to Thailand for 15 years and this happened to him for the first time.

It’s hard to believe that such thing happens. That’s why I wrote here to ask if anybody knows about the laws that are broken by a tour leader talking to his/her group on the bus.

Hello,

Anybody knows a rule of conduct at the Grand Palace that would forbid the tour leader from a foreign country to speak to a group? Or a rule that would forbid the same tour leader to speak to the microphone on a bus? I am searching for such information to find explanation to the events that are happening in Bangkok. I've been living in Thailand for about 2 years and I have friends coming to Thailand. They work as tour leaders. One of them was several times reprimanded and once asked to leave the Palace - reason: talking to the group. Period. Not for loud talking, just for talking in the group native language that is not Thai. The Thai tour guide speaks only Thai and English, so my friend was just translating the information provided by the guide. Apparently, there is a rule that forbids that. A couple of days ago my other friend got ARRESTED by The Tourist Police for speaking to the group over the microphone on a bus when they were approaching the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The Tourist Police spotted him thru the bus window :-) The arrest happened later, when the group entered the Palace. He was released after 5,000 THB fine was paid. Nobody asked too many questions in a fear of getting "No Entry" stamp to the passport. Thai guide could not get any clear explanation either, but did not insist in a fear of losing the license.

Later, we heard from a bus driver that such arrests (or more often, quick releases after paying 2,000 THB) become an order of a day! Main target of such, I would say, harassments, are tours from Korea, China and India. But as some Eastern Europe countries start visiting Thailand more often, they become a new target. If a tourist company pays one time bigger fee, the driver continues, then its groups are not stopped for some time. 5,000 THB fine could be soon increased to 20,000-30,000 THB.

The Tourist Police employs many expats to help with the language barrier. Is there anybody who could explain which Thai law is broken in the above accidents? Of course I am asking about the basis for the arrests, not taking the 'tea money' :-) Does the Tourist Police actually have any right to arrest anybody?

I was quoted a .25 % charge by K bank for any/all electronic transfers from outside Thailand. Are others saying this is not happening?

0.25% and K Bank sounds like Foreign Currency Account - I'm not sure about the account name.

Having such account may require WP. You can have USD sent to this account and the money stays in this currency as long as you want. Deposit fee charged by K-Bank is 0.25% of the deposited amount, BUT the fee is not less than 200 THB and not more than 500 THB. Now you can move part/all of this money to your THB account. For the exchange the bank uses TT rate (updated a few times a day), that is somewhere between Buy and Sell rates.

If your banking activities involve sending the USD to another account, in a different country, then the transfer fee is: 500THB (converted to USD) + greater of ($20 or 0.25% of the amount).

I hope, I get the numbers right. They were right in 2009.

Oops, K Bank I refer to (incorrectly) is Krung Thai Bank, not Kasikornbank, but I will leave the post as a reference. Maybe Kasikorn has similar accounts...

Hypnosis was the way that finally helped me once and for all. I tried to quit smoking many, many times and at some points I just didn’t like myself for not being able to control my tricky mind. When I heard about hypnosis I said to myself “Okay, one more time. If it works, fine, I will not smoke. If it doesn’t, I will smoke and not bother with quitting anymore.” Lucky for me it worked, and it was a struggle- free way. But same as with any other methods – you need to want to quit.

Good luck!

Cheers to all.....

Her visa to the US was sponsored by her step-father (who is American) and her mum as she was only 18 at the time....This shouldn`t be a problem???

Is it worth hiring visa consultants or is everything pretty much straight forward ???

I wouldn't hire any visa specialists. You deal with Australian government so they cannot do anything more than you can, i.e. provide the set of required documents - just check the embassy website for what your GF needs to show.

My GF was coming to the US a year ago, and when she applied for the tourist visa, I gave her a letter with my name, profession, address and promise of taking care of her in case of any medical problems etc. Also added a copy of my ID, DL - to show the address listed in the letter. She got a visa for 10 yrs right away. You will be fine as your GF has something to come back to TH, and you have a job in Australia.