Larry

Nine years ago, the riots between the yellows and the reds gave the military an excuse to stage a coup, draft a manifestly unfair constitution, and take over or stifle all aspects of society in the name of anti-corruption and law and order. The following nine years have been a period of stultification and stagnation. None of the progress and enterprising spirit on the Thaksin years remain. Not only has Thailand failed to progress, the country has actually gone in reverse in many fields. Thai cinema is a case in point. Now a party has arisen that shows the way forward, and the Thai people have spoken loud and clear in favor of their program.  But that voice is now threatened on the flimsiest of technicalities. It is up to the Senators, judges and other parties not to let this happen. They should put the country and democracy first, as the greatest and most beloved Thai of the past hundred years probably would have counselled. If this doesn't work, however, the Thai people in their righteous indignation must launch a protest movement much greater and more determined than anything seen before.  It has been observed that "freedom isn't free", and that "all that is required for injustice to triumph is for good people to remain silent." If not, "Cry, the Beloved Country" will apply to Thailand.

Thanks.....very helpful.  No point getting into trouble.

Thanks.  I should add that I have had a non-immigrant visa up until a few months ago, but no longer have it, as I am generally not in Thailand

I  am a citizen of two visa-exempt countries. Is it OK to enter on one passport, exit within the 30 days, go abroad, enter on the second one for 30 days, and then exit on the second passport?  Does the two tourist visa exempt periods per year rule apply per person or per passport.  My name differs between the two passports:

Thank you.  That's what I suspected. And yes, I do know the difference between my original visa and the extension of my status.

I have had a long-stay (retirement) visa, which I have extended at immigration in Thailand, every year for about eight years.  I am currently abroad and will remain abroad for the entire the renewal period this year.  I still have some time before the deadline, so I wonder whether there is a way (e.g. through a Thai consulate in my home country, for example) to avoid losing my visa and needing to go through it all again.  I want to be as informed as possible beforé I go to the consulate.  Thanks in advance.

7 hours ago, oldcarguy said:

any secret ways to get from Arrivals  down to the Taxi floor ?

 

the luggage cart is overflowing ,  the rolling   walkway looks scary going downhill and the elevator by 7-11  has a long line ,  ?????//

 

Any secrets   ???????

 

I promise  not to tell :)

To Oldcarguy: Actually, yes....From arrivals, you turn right (since you're facing the other way) and keep walking to the end where you can see the elevator. and take it down one floor to the taxis or two floors to the Airport Link.

To Bredbury: I don't know why anyone would want to go downstairs if they're already checked in!  This elevator is landside, not airside.

To WPCOE: Thanks...I wasn't aware of that escalator.  Will try it out next time

Thank you, Sheryl.....nice easy solution!   And thanks to you too, elviajero.

Thank you, Sawadeeken

I'm not offended by the "mocking" replies.  Just hope I can make travel a bit easier, especially for older people and those with kids, for whom juggling a load of bags on a potentially dangerous escalator, squeezing into an elevator, and wending their way through the crowds on the fourth floor are less than pleasurable experiences. 

I have a long-stay (retirement) visa, and will be making a trip to the US, where I will be getting a new US passport.  I know I can have the stamps transferred once I am back in Thailand. However, my question is, how do I get back into Thailand with my new (unstamped) passport, and my old (expired or cancelled) passport, without having to go through the hassles of starting all over again to renew my long-stay visa.  I should add that the date of my return to Thailand is within the period of validity of my long-stay visa.  I apologize if this has been answered. It is just that so much has been changing.

Ever come to Suvarnabhum with lots of baggage, and figure you'll take the elevator, only to find yourself in a crowd, waiting for ten minutes to be packed in a slow-moving sardine can? Well, then, you are not one of the few who know about the secret fast elevator that's well hidden.  Let's say you come from the airport link train, now turn left and pass the crowds at the elevator and continue all the way to the end of the corridor. You won't see the elevator until youre at the end...and there it is, usually with one or two airport staffers waiting. Those in the know get onto the virtually empty elevator and smile at each other.  Most of the time, it doesnt even stop until the 4th floor, which you reach in about 15 seconds.  You end up near the THAI check in counters - which is often just where you want to be.  Try it next time.

On my first trip to Chiangmai, many years ago, before I knew the difference between karaokes in Thailand and those in other countries, I walked into a place and was greeted by a beautiful girl who asked me up to the VIP room. I immedately realized I was in the wrong place, and explained to her that I just wanted to sing along.  She smiled, and in the most sultry of voices said, "you can sing...you can do ANYTHING."

Eli Cohen is about as common a name in Israel as James Smith.

There was even a famous hero by the name in the run-up to the Six Day War.  The Syrians executed him as a spy,.  He convinced the Syrians to plant eucalyptus trees to hide the installations from which they would fire down at civilans in the kibbutzim around the Sea of Galilee from the Golan Heights. When Syria attacked Israel a year later in 1967, the IDF simply took aim at every eucalyptus grove looking down from the heights. The rest is history.

In medieval England, they had a sentence of hanged, drawn and quartered.

I will spare you all the gory details. However, reading the account of these horrible acts, I cannot but help to propose the above-mentioned sentence as a suitable one.

Reading many of the responses, it's hard to believe the ignorance. We are talking about 4-7k baht for a truly comprehensive examination. In the US, this type of thing is called an "executive check-up" because it is generally not covered by insurance, but is a benefit companies extend to those too valuable to lose.

In my case, I've been doing them at CM Ram for about 15 years. Generally small things, but two years ago, they found kidney cancer. Luckily, it was in Stage IA (95 percent five-year survival rate). Biopsy found the cells were very aggressive. In short, I probably would have been dying or dead now, had they not found the asymptomatic cancer on a routine ultrasound test. Excised 15% of a kidney, and still clean. So let's see....about 200 dollars per year times 15 years....3,000 dollars for maybe 10 or 20 additional years of life and loads of money otherwise spent on cancer care. Not a bad pay-off I would say.

Our house in the Nimman area has a leak, and we don't know where. What we do know is that water pressure is low now, and we often need to turn on the pump to take a shower. If you know a good plumber, we are open to suggestions. Thanks, in advance.

Our house in the Nimman area has a leak somewhere, but we don't know where. Water pressure is low, and taking a shower often requires turning on the pump. Does anyone know a good, competent plumber?

Thanks for the good advice. Made an appointment with a highly recommended lawyer. Both of us want to have this mortgage done so I will not have to deal with relatives, etc. I am not in the lending business, and this is a mutual agreement so I don't believe there will be any violence

Larry

I've looked all over the Internet for this one, but all I found are articles about a foreigner getting a mortgage from a Thai bank.

What I'm asking is whether a foreigner who gives a Thai a loan, can have a mortgage recorded against the property with the foreigner as the lender (not the owner). If so, what are the rules for such a mortgage?

I should add that the Thai and the foreigner in this case are not married, but have had a long relationship....no children.

Are you a licensed money lender?

No.... I'm not a licensed money lender. Is that necessary in order to record a mortgage????

I've looked all over the Internet for this one, but all I found are articles about a foreigner getting a mortgage from a Thai bank.

What I'm asking is whether a foreigner who gives a Thai a loan, can have a mortgage recorded against the property with the foreigner as the lender (not the owner). If so, what are the rules for such a mortgage?

I should add that the Thai and the foreigner in this case are not married, but have had a long relationship....no children.

When I read this sad story, I think of my housekeeper. She is a reasonably attractive 45 year old Thai woman, tall (about 5ft 8in, but not a ladyboy) who's worked with us for seven years, and has proven herself to be honest, hardworking.and imbued with a positive attitude and a good sense of humor. Her English is a bit above Thai standards, and she works in a second job as a caddy .She's a great cook, and keeps the house immaculate. Never complains. Has a son who is out of the house (22) and one who isn't (9). She's also not a drama queen. Just a good, caring woman who will go the extra mile for any man who can treat her decently.

Her womanizing Thai husband played around for years, but the final straw was his mia noi.having his baby. No financial problem for her since he has contributed precious little for years.

If you'd like to live in Chiangmai, she's a good candidate. Write me a private message.

From the friendly folks who brought you jihad, female genital mutilation, beheadings, suicide bombers, chadors, misogyny and global warming, 72 virgins for killing infidels, and so much more.......a new gift...MERS! You gotta lovem.

It seems that every day now, some farang is found dead. Makes me wonder.

Once there was a dictator in Thailand by the name of Phibun Songkhram. In addition to being a fascist, he promulgated a number of "mandates" regarding virtually every aspect of Thai socieity. Most of them were silly or bothersome, and were later abandoned. I am sure if you read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_cultural_mandates you will say as the French do, "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose"

Don't be surprised if you see a lot of scantily-clad young ladies sitting in front of newly emerged hardware stores, seven-elevens, office supply stores, jewelry shops, travel agencies, language schools and other non-entertainment venues.